The riot-damaged market in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa opened its doors Tuesday amid plans to allow foreign tourists to enter the restive region by the end of the month.

The 300-year-old Chomsigkang market in Lhasa's historic downtown was severely damaged by anti-government protesters who swept through the area on March 14, setting fires and attacking members of the Han Chinese ethnic majority and Chinese Muslims.

Since then, about 80 percent of the market's 1,300 booths have reopened, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing Nyi'ma Ngoizhub of the market's administration office.

Authorities in recent days have sought to emphasize that normalcy is returning to Tibet following the most violent and sustained protests against Chinese rule in two decades.

The protests spread across a wide area of western China populated by Tibetans, and police sealed off Tibetan areas and banned tour groups from Lhasa and the Tibet autonomous region.

However, the restoration of tourism and plans to try accused rioters by May appear to signal the government's desire to suppress memories of the unrest well-ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games in August.

The Chinese government says at least 22 people died in the protests. Pro-Tibetan groups abroad say at least 140 may have died, including eight people shot by police Thursday in Sichuan province.

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