This is apparently a photo of Chinese Soldiers getting ready to dress like Tibetan monks, so they can riot for the cameras and discredit the Tibetans.

Personally, I don't know if that's what's really going on here, but that's what I was told by the guy who sent me the pic, and it would tend to fit in with what people having been claiming there from the start.

It's hard to tell but when looking at these kinds of internet circulated pics, I usually look at both sides of media. The problem with two opposites world of media is that the western media tends to label any major events occur in China as "evil" while China only prefer showing almost everything as "good".

Here's some news reported by China on police dressing at monks:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/06/content_7928140.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/04/content_7920002.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/05/content_7926443.htm

Well they could indeed be movie extras :)
I'm always dubious about pic claims, whether on the net or elsewhere. Nothing is definitive. Still, it's always good to look at all side and hold these these to public scrutiny.

That tactic is cliche.

Its a favorite trick by governments that they use in order to justify its oppressive actions.

Make trouble then make it appear that its the work of a target group so that it can be justified to attack them.

And that's why I stick to watching Channel News Asia instead of watching China's CCTV, UK's BBC, America's CNN, or other "emo" news network. :)

... Does it make me a terrible person that hearing this sparked a plot-bunny for a novel/novella? >.>

Speaking of soldiers dressing up as monks - how substantial is the rumour that Burmese soldiers have been ordered to dress up as monks and fill the empty monasteries after the real monks were arrested? I heard it yesterday, and it sounds completely off the wall, but considering this... o.O

Soldier-monks have a long history in Asian culture,(irony there) and this has been done before to discredit religions, that is when they won't discredit themselves.

"Kill them all, God will know his own."

I am surprised they would dress soldiers as monks for a movie when it has been simple in the past to just get monks as extras.

Soldiers are usually best at playing soldiers in movies and are usually unconvincing in other roles.