Protests in Tibet started on March 10, 2008, during which Tibetan Buddhist monks marched on the capital, Lhasa. Protesters in Lhasa attacked numerous Chinese businesses and residences. Sources reported that as many as 80 people were killed. By the time Chinese police arrived and secured the capital on March 16, protests had spread to ethnic Tibetan communities in neighboring Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces.

The Dalai Lama decried Chinese policy for perpetrating "cultural genocide," while maintaining that the 2008 Beijing Olympics would take place as planned.

On April 4, 2008, violence in Tibet began again when Chinese officials clashed with monks and protesters during a search for Dalai Lama pictures. The incident took place in Sichuan Province.

Upon the start of the Olympic games on August 8, 2008, more demonstrations were held in London, Hong Kong, Kathmandu and Delhi. The Guardian reported that independent radio station Reporters Without Borders broadcast an unauthorized transmission from Beijing that demanded the Chinese government respect freedom of the press.

1. Deep background: Most Tibetans view the province as a sovereign nation to be ruled by the Dalai Lama
2. China asserts its historical right to the area, which it officially annexed in 1951
3. 1959: Armed rebellion erupted, leading to a period of decades in which Tibetan culture and Buddhist religion were suppressed by China, sometimes violently
4. Chinese government policy has been to settle the area with ethnic Chinese, thus reducing Tibetan influence on public life and private institutions
5. March 10, 2008: Monks defy Chinese authorities and march into Tibet's capital, Lhasa
6. The March 10 march marked the 49th anniversary of the 1959 rebellion
7. 2008: China hosts the Olympics, which Tibetans have used to raise the profile of Tibetan independence

• Google News: Tibet Protests 2008
• New York Times: China’s Leader Defends Crackdown (April 12, 2008)
• The Guardian: Tibetan Monks Interrupt Second State Media Tour (April 9, 2008)
  • "China's attempts to counter international criticisms of the state crackdown on Tibetan Unrest received another setback this morning, as a second state media trip to a protest-hit area was interrupted by Tibetan monks."
• AHN: New Riots Erupt In Tibetan Areas Of China (April 4, 2008)
  • "There are reports of fresh Tibetan rioting in China on Thursday even as an envoy of the Dalai Lama urged the Chinese government to drop its provocative plans to carry the Olympic Torch through Tibet."
• The Associated Press: New Violence Reported in Tibetan Area (April 4, 2008)
• Reuters: Why Is Remote Tibet of Strategic Significance? (March 25, 2008)
• Reuters: Chinese Policeman Killed As Tibetan Unrest Goes On (March 25, 2008)
• Bernama: China Fires On Tibet Protests In Sichuan, Says Self Defence (March 21, 2008)
• The Guardian: China admits shooting Tibet protesters (March 20, 2008)
• Economist: Trashing the Beijing Road (March 19, 2008)
• Business Standard (India): Dalai: China committing cultural genocide in Tibet (March 16, 2008)
• USA Today: Dalai Lama accuses China of 'cultural genocide' (March 16, 2008)
• Reuters: China declares people's war for stability in Tibet (March 15, 2008)

• The Guardian: Torch 'Crisis' Won't Ruin Olympics, IOC Chief Declares (April 10, 2008)
• BBC News: China Stands Firm on Tibet Relay (April 9, 2008)
• Times Online: Tibet Protests Force Organizers to Snuff Flame in Paris (April 7, 2008)
• VOA News: IOC President Concerned About Tibet (April 7, 2008)
• Agence France-Presse: Olympic Chief Calls for Peace in Tibet (April 7, 2008)
• The Associated Press: Tibet Intrudes on IOC Meeting in Beijing (April 7, 2008)
• The Guardian: China's Torch Climbers Denounce Tibet Protests (March 21, 2008)
  • "Chinese mountaineers chosen to take an Olympic Games torch to the top of Mount Everest have vowed not to be deterred by the unrest that has shaken Tibet."

• The Guardian: China Plays Down Protests in Tibetan Monasteries (March 14, 2008)
  • "China is struggling to prevent burgeoning protests in Tibet from overshadowing its Olympic preparations amid reports that monks have gone on hunger strike after the region's biggest demonstrations in almost 20 years."
• BBC News: China Admits Tibet Monk Protests (March 13, 2008)
• Times Online: Chinese Troops Use Teargas to Halt Tibet Monks' Second Day of Protest (March 12, 2008)
• Reuters: China Fires Tear Gas on Monks Protesting in Tibet (March 12, 2008)
• Yahoo! News: Tibetans Keeping Marching, Defing Ban (March 11, 2008)
• Agence France-Presse: China Says Buddhist Monks Arrested After Tibet Protest (March 11, 2008)