Lhasa has been turned into a virtual fortress with several checkposts and armed personnel on alert twenty-four hours a day. The authorities have arrested several people since March 2 when the Chinese government launched the “Strike Hard” campaign. The usually bustling areas of the city have now become quiet and tense with Chinese security forces keeping a watchful eye on "trouble makers". Shops which usually remained open till 8PM or 9PM now get shut down by 4PM. China has geared up its security in the Tibetan capital in view of the sensitive anniversaries of the Tibetans rising up against the invading communist forces on March 10, 1959; deadly protests by Tibetans on March 14, 2008; and the ‘Serf Emancipation Day’ of March 28 that China created last year to commemorate its “liberation of the Tibetans from serfdom”.
Residents of Lhasa who go on their daily chores are frisked at various checkpoints and asked for identity cards. People from outside the capital are more prone to searches and questioning. As of March 6, China had put nearly 900 Tibetans behind bars in Lhasa.