【新唐人2014年08月22日讯】西藏旅游局日前突然下发紧急通知，要求在西藏的旅游团，从19号零点起，每辆车只能乘坐20人，还必须要配备一名公安民警。国内网络更一度传出“西藏全线停团”。限载20人，就能杜绝重大交通事故了吗？旅游局为什么在这个时机“紧急通知”？引发外界揣测。
香港《苹果日报》和《东方日报》，都在21号报导了西藏旅游局突然发出的“紧急通知”。
《新华网》也在21号报导，西藏旅游局发出“紧急通知”说，从8月19号零点起，正在西藏的旅游团，每车乘车人员限定20人以内，包括导游、司机、一名公安民警。还要配合司机，在交通运管局和公安局备案。另外，已经签订协议合同，准备运行的团队，也要按这个办法执行。
一位大陆民众证实了这一消息。
大陆民众张先生：“他说一个车上17个人。是不是就是网上说的，20个人，减去这个司机，导游，警察，是17个人是吧。”
而国内网络上传出这一消息更早，也与官方的说法稍有不同。
中国知名维权人士北风20号发贴说，“西藏全线停团，接待游客全部取消”。北风转登的“紧急通知”，除了限载20人的内容，开头还提到“从2014年8月19日零点起，所有未到达团队/散客，全部取消！”
《苹果日报》也引用旅游业人士的话说，旅游局连夜下达指示，西藏不再接团了，现有游客每车只能坐20人，很多人困在林芝。
由于西藏在这个月9号和18号，连续发生了两起严重的车祸，12号还发生了警察向藏人示威者开枪，至少造成10人受伤，2人死亡的事件，“紧急通知”在这一时机发布，也引发外界揣测，当局突然收紧旅游规定，只是为了交通安全？还是涉及维稳，或其他原因。
“达赖喇嘛西藏宗教基金会”董事长达瓦才仁：“我听到的说法是，中国政府的说法是，旅游车，一辆车不能超过20个人，因为在之前有一辆车翻车，好像里面有40多人。”
但有网民认为，每辆车限载20个人，无法从根本上杜绝重大交通事故的发生。是否西藏有大事发生。还有网民调侃说，飞机发生那么多空难，干脆飞机也限载20人算了。
有正在西藏旅游的游客在网络表示，受到新规定的影响，他从拉萨去林芝，全程限速40，沿途每隔几十公里都有卡哨查车。400多公里的路，走了13小时。
台湾网民说，与其说是为了“交通安全”，倒不如说是“全程监控”。
虽然西藏旅游局工作人员告诉《新唐人》，目前并没有停办“入藏旅游批准函”，但限载20人的“紧急通知”显然已经导致旅行社成本大幅增加，因此部分旅行社决定暂缓接团。
采访/陈汉 编辑/尚燕 后制/陈建铭
Tibet Tourism Restricts Tour Bus Load To Prevent Accidents?
Tibet Tourism Bureau, suddenly issued an emergency regulation, specifying tour buses must carry no more than 20 people, to also be equipped with one police officer, starting from 0:00 on Aug. 19. On Chinese Internet, it was said Tibet has stopped all tourism. Netizens questioned if the load limit will prevent any major traffic accidents, and why this urgent notice was suddenly issued.
Hong Kong’s newspaper, Apple Daily and Oriental Daily have both reported Tibet Tourism Bureau’s urgent notice on Aug. 21.
CCP mouthpiece, Xinhua, also reported this urgent notice on Aug. 21 from Tibet Tourism Bureau. Starting from 0:00 o’clock on Aug. 19, all Tibet tour groups are required to limit loading to 20 people per bus, including a tour guide, driver and police guard. Each tour bus driver must register with the Transportation Bureau and Public Security along with the bus. Even the contracted groups must modify the trip accordingly.
A domestic Chinese citizen helped to confirm the news.
Mainlander, Mr. Zhang: “It is said to load 17 people to each bus. I believe that’s the 20 people limit, minus the driver, tour guide and the police. That makes 17 people."
This information was released earlier online but with a slightly different version.
Human rights activist, Bei Feng, posted a blog on Aug. 20 stating, “All tour groups are cancelled in Tibet." In the urgent notice posted by Bei Feng, it stated, load limit of 20 people, starting Aug. 19 at 0:00, all tour groups and individual tourists not arriving in Tibet are cancelled."
Tourism industry also told Apple Daily, due to the urgent notice, no more tourist groups are permitted and current bus services can only carry 20 people, many people are thus trapped in Nyingchi prefecture.
Earlier, on Aug 9 and 18, two serious car accidents occured in Tibet; the police also opened fire against the Tibetan protestors on Aug 12 leaving at least 10 people injured and two people killed. This urgent notice thus triggered much speculation about the timing. Is it for traffic safety, for the maintenance of stability, or other reasons?
Tibet Religious Foundation Chairman Dawa Tsering: “What I have heard is no more than 20 people are allowed in one tour bus. Previously an accident involved a bus with more than 40 people inside."
Netizens commented that a vehicle load limit of 20 people can not fundamentally prevent the occurrence of major accidents in Tibet. There are also netizens who joked, so many airplanes have crashed, the load limit should also be limited to 20 people too.
There are tourists in Tibet indicating online, that the new regulation has limited the speed from Lhasa to Nyingchi to 40 mph, with check points every dozen kilometers apart. It took 13 hours to travel the 400 kilometer journey.
A Taiwanese netizen indicated, that rather than for “traffic safety", it is more of a “full control measure."
Staff at the Tibet Tourism Bureau told NTD, Tibet travel approval has continued, however, the change of 20 people limit, has led to substantial increases in travel costs. Therefore, part of the travel agency decided to suspend the tour plans.
Interview/ChenHan Edit/ShangYan Post-Production/Chen Jianming
