Foreigners 'not asked to leave'

Foreigners or foreign-funded companies are not required to leave Tibet, the chairman of the autonomous regional government said yesterday.

"But because of the violence in Lhasa, we advise foreign media workers and foreign nationals not to go to the region for the sake of their safety. And we have adopted temporary measures to the effect," Qiangba Puncog said.

The regional foreign affairs office has suspended granting permits for foreigners to travel to Tibet.