15:40, March 12, 2009

Hou Xiongfei, NPC deputy and Deputy Director-General of the Propaganda Department of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the CPC, denied the rumor that "overseas visitors are restricted access to Sichuan Tibetan-inhabited areas" at the open day activity held by the Sichuan delegation on March 11. He also stated that the Sichuan Tibetan-inhabited areas, including Jiuzhaigou, are very safe now, and that friends from home and abroad are welcome to visit.
March 11 was the Sichuan delegation's open day, and a total of 97 members of the Chinese and foreign media attended to get interviews. Hou gave a negative answer to a question asked by an Associated Press journalist about "whether Sichuan's Ganzi and Ngawa Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures were restricting interviews by foreign media." He noted that Sichuan Province treats interviews by foreign media strictly in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State Council and that there is no so-called no entry notice. As long as the journalists have the relevant permits and the interviewee agrees, any interview can be conducted.
In response to a question concerning "restrictions placed on foreigners entering Jiuzhaigou for sightseeing," Hou said that he had never heard of any so-called "restriction." On the contrary, Sichuan Province had specifically organized several promotional conferences in order to welcome friends from home and abroad to come and enjoy the scenery of Jiuzhaigou.
When answering questions, Wu Zegang, NPC deputy and Governor of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, said that he had never heard of such a thing as "access restrictions" to Jiuzhaigou. He noted that one bridge between Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou was damaged in the devastating earthquake that hit Wenchuan, where temporary restrictive traffic measures are currently in place. All vehicles, including local ones, can cross the bridge on alternate days, according to whether the last digit of their license plates is odd or even, and restrictions on carrying loads have also been imposed. It is estimated that the damaged bridge will be reopened to all traffic around May this year.
Wu expressed that, at present, the local government is functioning well and that people live in harmony in the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. Visitors can enter Jiuzhaigou by air or by road from Gansu.   By People's Daily Online