China has said on Thursday that the plans to reopen riot-hit Tibet to tourists on May 1 has been abandoned amid reports of simmering tension.

The US-based international campaign for Tibet said last week it had received ”reliable reports” that the plan had been scrapped due to continued unrest & that Tibet might not be reopened until after the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics.

There have been continuing reports of tension in Tibet & adjacent Tibetan-populated areas of China following widespread rioting against Chinese rule in March. China sealed off Tibet to foreign tourists following the outbreak of the unrest but then said early in April that the region would be reopened on May 1, a national holiday.