BEIJING — The timing was awkward, to say the least. On March 13, as Lhasa was about to explode into bloodshed, a tourism company was announcing that China’s first luxury train would soon be carrying “travel connoisseurs” to Tibet — complete with butler service “to cater to the whims of each guest.”
The next day, Lhasa was in flames and Tibetan monks were battling Chinese police. Hundreds of people would be killed or injured over the following two weeks. But none of the violence has deterred the entrepreneurs — including Canadian financiers and mining companies — who still see Tibet as a happy hunting ground for potential profits.
China has banned almost all foreigners from entering Tibet since the protests began but foreign investors have managed to keep their projects going.
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