Sharab Gyaltsten laughed when asked whether it was safe now to loiter on Lhasa streets late at night.

"What are you afraid of?" the 33-year-old Tibetan taxi driver asked in reply.

"Those who made trouble are either in hiding, on the run, or already in police custody," he said. "There is no need to be nervous at all. Some people are just scaring themselves."

He is frustrated by people's wariness, which he believes is dragging on unnecessarily.

Many in the city have refrained from night-time outings since March 14. Tourists have been advised to postpone travel plans and travel services are yet to resume regular business after being suspended for safety concerns.

"I am sure no such thing will happen again," Sharab emphasized.

"To be honest, I do not see what those guys were really after when they participated in the commotion," he said. "But nor did many of them know, I believe."

"Some may have thought it was like an ordinary melee, not aware of the serious consequences," he said. "Now they should have known it."

Mobsters have imposed unfair burdens on the local residents and left the whole city suffering, he said. He himself is having a difficult time.

Sharab is experiencing the slowest trade in seven years. After the chaos of March 14, he was off the road for two days, after which returning to work was hardly worthwhile.

"Now I would have been losing money working, had the taxi owner not reduced charges. Daily rent plus fuel cost 370 yuan each day. But my raw income has never reached 300 since March 14," he said.

"Every one of us wants to live a peaceful life. And things have not been bad in the city these days," he said. "I wonder why they chose to stir up trouble."

(China Daily April 21, 2008)