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Xi’s France Visit Met with Protest, Tibet, Xinjiang Rights in Focus

Activists advocating for Tibet and Xinjiang, regions where the United Nations has raised concerns about potential crimes against humanity, were also present on the streets of the capital….reports Asian Lite News

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival in France, Paris on Sunday witnessed a display of activism as campaigners for Tibet and Xinjiang gathered to highlight concerns over human rights abuses in these regions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is on his first journey to Europe in half a decade, with the visit expected to revolve around Russia’s war in Ukraine and economic tensions between Beijing and Brussels. His itinerary commences in France, where he is scheduled to engage in discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday in Paris, before proceeding to the Pyrenees region, Al Jazeera reported.

Following his time in France, Xi will journey to Serbia and Hungary, nations that have preserved strong connections with Russia despite its extensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Chinese state media reported on Xi’s arrival in Paris, depicting streets adorned with both Chinese and French flags and groups of Chinese nationals welcoming their president. However, amidst the festive atmosphere, campaigners for Tibet and Xinjiang, where the United Nations has raised concerns about potential crimes against humanity, also took to the streets of the capital.

Activists advocating for Tibet and Xinjiang, regions where the United Nations has raised concerns about potential crimes against humanity, were also present on the streets of the capital.

The European Union’s imposition of targeted sanctions on certain Chinese officials and companies over the situation in Xinjiang in March 2021 elicited strong reactions from Beijing.

Human Rights Watch urged French President Macron to publicly address these issues during Xi’s visit to Paris, calling for the release of individuals arbitrarily detained, including Ilham Tohti, an Uyghur economist and recipient of the Sakharov Prize.

The organisation emphasised that Macron should also raise concerns about Tibet and Hong Kong, highlighting the repression faced by Tibetan children in boarding schools and the erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong due to draconian security laws.

“President Macron should make it clear to Xi Jinping that Beijing’s crimes against humanity come with consequences for China’s relations with France,” Maya Wang, the acting China director at Human Rights Watch said in a statement. “France’s silence and inaction on human rights would only embolden the Chinese government’s sense of impunity for its abuses, further fuelling repression at home and abroad.”

In a meeting at the Elysee Palace on April 30, Macron was pictured with Penpa Tsering, the president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, who urged him not to forget Tibet. The agenda between the two presidents was expected to address various international crises, but advocates stressed the importance of including discussions on human rights issues.

“We understand that the agenda between the two presidents will be dense given the many international crises such as in Ukraine and in the Middle East, but this must not be done at the expense of exchanges on human rights, which are in a deplorable state throughout the country as well as in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, where a latent conflict has been going on for over 60 years and poses a threat to regional and international security,” Vincent Metten, the EU policy director for the International Campaign for Tibet said in a statement, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Freedom House’s 2024 report on Freedom in the World revealed Tibet’s dismal score of zero out of 100, indicating a severe decline in freedoms over the past eight years.

Maryse Artiguelong, the vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), said: “The conflict in Ukraine highlights the threat posed to international order and security by authoritarian regimes such as Russia and the People’s Republic of China. Their aggressive foreign policies and repressive domestic policies are inextricably linked: Anyone who does not oppose China’s human rights violations risks one day facing its aggressive foreign policy.”

France has emphasized that the conflicts in Ukraine and other regions, including Beijing’s neutral stance on Ukraine but failure to condemn Moscow’s invasion, will be significant topics of discussion during the talks, Al Jazeera reported.

Macron, known for his assertive stance on European security, will urge Xi to exert influence on Russian President Putin regarding the situation in Ukraine.

To underscore European unity, von der Leyen will participate in Monday’s discussions, scheduled to commence shortly after 11 am (09:00 GMT). Besides the Ukraine conflict, Europe is troubled by Chinese commercial activities, prompting an inquiry into China’s subsidies for electric vehicle makers amid worries about unfair competition and adverse effects on European firms.

Prior to Xi’s departure last week, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Beijing was ready to “work with France and the EU to take this meeting as an opportunity to make the China-EU relations more strategic, stable, constructive and mutually beneficial, promote steady and sustained progress in China-EU relations, and contribute to the prosperity of both China and Europe and a peaceful world.”

Following his visit to France, Xi will travel to Serbia, arriving in Belgrade on the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy. He will engage in discussions with President Aleksandar Vucic. The bombing occurred during the NATO air campaign against Serb forces in Kosovo, resulting in three casualties and sparking outrage in China.

Despite not being an EU member, Serbia has attracted substantial investment from China, which is now its largest single source of investment. Ahead of the trip, Lin, the MOFA spokesperson, described the relationship between the two countries as “ironclad,” according to Al Jazeera.

“The bombing remains a significant topic for Chinese officials, who use it to support narratives that question the values of liberal democracies,” Stefan Vladisavljev, programme director at Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society wrote in an online analysis, adding, “For Serbia, the visit presents an opportunity to strengthen its position as China’s main partner in the Western Balkans.”

Xi will proceed to Budapest on May 8, marking the conclusion of his Europe trip. There, he will hold talks with Hungarian President Viktor Orban, known for his close ties with Russia within the EU.

Hungary’s policies, which have drawn concern from other EU members, have seen the country aligning more closely with Beijing and Moscow. Recently, Hungary signed a security cooperation agreement with China permitting Chinese police officers to operate in areas with significant ethnic Chinese populations or popular Chinese tourist destinations. This move has sparked apprehension, particularly among exiles and dissidents elsewhere in Europe.

Additionally, Hungary is a member in China’s Belt and Road Initiative since 2015. Discussions between Xi and Orban are expected to cover topics such as the ongoing construction of a high-speed rail link between Budapest and Belgrade, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)

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Dalai Lama: Tibetans Have Freedom in India Unlike Their Own Country

Earlier on Thursday, the Dalai Lama arrived at Siliguri’s Sed-Gyued Monastery to deliver teachings to his devotees….reports Asian Lite News

Tibetan spiritual leader the 14th Dalai Lama on Thursday said Tibetans have freedom in India unlike their own country where “there is a lot of control”.

“We Tibetans became refugees. In our own country, there is a lot of control. But here in India, we have freedom,” the Dalai Lama said in Siliguri.

He further said: “Since the Tibetan culture is very much related to the Nalanda tradition, so, we preserve those thousand-year-old traditions, mainly, way of thinking and psychology.”

“We have a lot of methods to keep peace of mind when we are angry or jealous, we deliberately try to reduce it. This I consider Tibetan Buddhist culture, but it can be relevant to every human being,” the Dalai Lama added.

Earlier on Thursday, the Dalai Lama arrived at Siliguri’s Sed-Gyued Monastery to deliver teachings to his devotees.

Preparations were in full swing at the monastery ahead of the Buddhist spiritual leader’s visit after a gap of 13 years.

He visited the monastery after completing a three-day tour of Gangtok, the state capital of Sikkim.

At the monastery, the Dalai Lama delivered a two-hour-long teaching on Bodhicitta, the main cause of a Buddha, and the thoughts that help bring peace to the mind.

Around 20,000 devotees gathered from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Dooars, and neighbouring states like Assam, Bihar, and Sikkim, including Nepal and Bhutan, for the Dalai Lama’s teachings at the monastery.

Earlier in Sikkim, the Tibetan spiritual leader delivered the teaching on Gyalsey Thokme Sangpo’s 37 Practices of Bodhisattva (‘Laklen Sodunma’) and the ceremony of the generation of Bodhichitta (‘Semkye’). The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva (‘Laklen Sodunma’) is an ancient text written in the 14th Century BCE by Tokme Sangpo, a Buddhist monk who was born in Puljung, south-west of the Sakya Monastery in Tibet.

Dalai Lama shared: “By examining always the status of one’s mind, with continuous mindfulness and alertness, to bring about the good of others–this is the practise of all the bodhisattvas. If you cultivate Bodhichitta on a daily basis, you can yield more benefits”.

The Dalai Lama also recited a prayer, invoking Avalokiteshwara, for those who lost their lives in the recent flood disaster in Sikkim and for the peace and happiness of the people of Sikkim and neighbouring regions. (ANI)

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Tibetan Diaspora in Vienna Stages Protest Against China

China’s Third Periodic Review by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in March 2023 brought out these violations very clearly…reports Asian Lite News

Members of the Tibetan Diaspora in Vienna staged a symbolic protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Austria, condemning China for ongoing human rights abuses against Tibetans in Tibet.

The demonstration held by the Tibetan community in Vienna on the eve of Human Rights Day, which is observed globally on December 10, sought to draw attention to the deliberate violations of their fellow Tibetans by the Chinese government.

“Four representatives from the local Tibetan Diaspora organisation took a stand, raising slogans condemning China for its ongoing human rights abuses against Tibetans in Tibet,” an official statement said.

“The protest staged by the Tibetan community in Vienna aims to shed light on these deliberate violations perpetrated by the Chinese government against their brethren in Tibet,” according to the statement.

The systematic disregard by the Chinese government for the fundamental rights of Tibetans shows a blatant violation of international human rights law.

China is obligated to respect and adhere to mechanisms safeguarding people’s rights and has been accused of widespread human rights violations in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong.

China’s Third Periodic Review by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in March 2023 brought out these violations very clearly.

The country has been facing criticism for its cruel acts, including the forced resettling of Tibetans and engaging in forced labour.

“China faced scrutiny on multiple fronts, including allegations of persecuting human rights defenders, forcibly resettling Tibetans, engaging in forced labour, fostering workplace discrimination, curtailing religious freedom and language rights, assimilating Tibetan children in boarding schools, and perpetrating cultural genocide,” the statement said.

Moreover, the protestors called upon the international community to unite and openly support the “Tibetan Government-in-exile in their ongoing struggle to protect the human rights of Tibetans in Tibet.” (ANI)

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China Bans Tibetan Language in Sichuan School Curriculum

Tibetan activists fear that China’s recent move can lead to the extinction of the Tibetan language in the regions – and could endanger its viability across the country….reports Asian Lite News

China has banned the teaching and use of the Tibetan language at elementary and middle schools in two Tibetan-populated regions in southwestern China, sources inside the country said. China now requires all instruction to be in Mandarin, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.

Radio Free Asia is a US government-funded private non-profit corporation operating a news service that broadcasts radio programs and publishes online news.

Tibetan activists fear that China’s recent move can lead to the extinction of the Tibetan language in the regions – and could endanger its viability across the country.

The ban has been ordered in government-run schools in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, starting with the fall semester that began in September, a Tibetan source said, as per RFA.

The source said that middle school students currently enrolled can finish the next two years of studies in Tibetan, but starting in 2025, all classes will be held in Mandarin, the person said.

State-run schools in the region taught Tibetan language classes to students and subjects including mathematics, science, physics, geography, history and social studies were conducted in Tibetan. Mandarin was also taught as a language course.

The Chinese government has now expedited the teaching of all school subjects in Mandarin in schools in the 12 counties comprising Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in what it said was an effort to raise education standards, teachers and parents of students said.

The recent ban is part of China’s wider “Sinicization” program that has also restricted the language and culture of Uyghurs and other minorities in China – despite protections in China’s Constitution that permit minority groups to use their own language in their own regions.

A person who declined to be identified out of concern for their safety said, “On the pretext of the government’s program, China is trying to completely wipe out the Tibetan language.”

“China’s use of soft atrocities, instead of forcible measures, is leading to the complete annihilation of Tibetan society and education, with no scope for revival,” the source said, as per RFA.

Radio Free Asia could not reach the education departments of Ngaba and Kardze for comment.

Tibetan is widely spoken not just in the Tibetan Autonomous Region in the far western part of China but also in neighbouring parts of the country with large Tibetan populations. For example, about 90 per cent of Karze prefecture’s one million inhabitants are Tibetan.

The ban reverses previous moves to promote the Tibetan language in the region.

Under the Karze Area Tibetan Language Regulation adopted in 2015, special emphasis was put on the formation of a Tibetan language task force in the Tibet Autonomous Region, with the promotion of Tibetan-language teaching in schools considered important, according to RFA. (ANI)

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‘Recognise Tibet as an occupied nation’

The delegation appealed to abstain from endorsing China’s false narrative of labelling Tibetans as a minority….reports Asian Lite News

Concurring with the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile’s ongoing advocacy tour in Jammu and Kashmir, the delegation consisting of parliamentarians Dawa Tsering, Yeshi Dolma, and Tenpa Yarphel continued their Tibet advocacy campaign in Srinagar.

In a press conference held in Srinagar, the delegation urged the Indian government to recognise Tibet as an occupied nation with its own independent and sovereign past, backed by historical evidence on Tuesday.

During the conference, the Tibetan lawmakers advocated support for the just cause of Tibet and presented the ten-point appeal letter from the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.

In a list of ten proposed appeals to the Government of India, the delegation urged, “Recognize Tibet as an occupied nation with its own independent and sovereign past, backed by historical evidence.”

The delegation also appealed to abstain from endorsing China’s false narrative of labelling Tibetans as a minority.

The pointers included, “Pressure China to ensure access to independent human rights organizations to monitor and report on the human rights situation, and likewise extend standing invitations to UN Special Rapporteurs, in particular those focusing on freedoms of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and association, and human rights defenders, facilitating their visits to Tibet as soon as possible”, said the release from Tibetan parliament-in-Exile.

The delegation also appealed to urge the People’s Republic of China to unconditionally release all Tibetan political prisoners including Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, whose whereabouts and well-being have remained unknown since 17 May 1995.

It Called on the People’s Republic of China to re-engage in substantive dialogue with the representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama without preconditions to resolve the Tibet- China conflict through the Middle Way Policy of seeking genuine and meaningful autonomy within the framework of the PRC’s constitution.

The statement delegation said, “Establish a national legislative framework to tackle China’s networked authoritarianism and disinformation campaign which causes public mistrust in democratic institutions, political polarization, and threatens regional and global geopolitical stability and peace.”

The delegation underscored the need to expand bilateral ties between India and Tibet.

They added, “Expand and deepen your official and diplomatic engagements with the Central Tibetan Administration-which is the continuation of the former government of independent Tibet in Lhasa-as the legitimate representative of the Tibetan people.”

On 4th September, the Tibetan MPs delegation called on Taj Mohiuddin, four times Minister and former MLA; Showkat Bhath, President of Congress J-K; Jibran Dar, Youth Leader of Aam Aadmi Party J-K; G.M Shaheen, President of JDU J-K; and Tarig Ahmad, Village Sarpanch; and Tapper Abdul Natalie, Social Worker in Pattan, informed press release Tibetan parliament official site.

The Tibetan MPs also paid a visit to Srinagar’s Tibetan Public School, a school of the Tibetan Muslim community, and interacted with the teachers and students there.

They were also presented with a Tibetan ceremonial scarf (Khata), and TPiE documents outlining the issue of Tibet. (ANI)

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UN experts seek info on Tibet’s detained environment defenders

The Special Rapporteurs also emphasized that Chinese authorities should provide adequate medical care and permit the Tibetans’ families to visit them…reports Asian Lite News

UN human rights experts have called on the Chinese government to provide information about nine Tibetans imprisoned for their peaceful efforts to protect Tibet’s environment, which is crucial to the entire region.

In a statement on Thursday, the three experts — the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly and association; and the Special Rapporteur on human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment — admonished the Chinese government to provide details about the reason for detention and the health conditions of the nine Tibetans, all of whom were detained between 2010 and 2019.

The Special Rapporteurs also emphasized that Chinese authorities should provide adequate medical care and permit the Tibetans’ families to visit them.

They also stated that the lack of information shared by Chinese authorities could be interpreted as a “deliberate attempt” to hide the environmental defenders from global attention.

“We welcome the Special Rapporteurs’ forceful challenge to Chinese authorities’ persecution of environmental defenders,” said Kai Mueller, Executive Director of the International Campaign for Tibet Germany.

“China must reverse its dismal record and prove its claimed prioritization of environmental protection is more than a global smoke screen for unfettered exploitation of the Tibetan Plateau. It must prove that by releasing these nine activists and ending its broad persecution of Tibetan environmental defenders.”

Mueller added: “The international community should raise these cases of persecution during the upcoming Universal Periodic Review of China at the United Nations Human Rights Council early next year.”

The nine Tibetans identified in the release, Anya Sengdra, Dorjee Daktal, Kelsang Choklang, Dhongye, Rinchen Namdol, Tsultrim Gonpo, Jangchup Ngodup, Sogru Abhu and Namesy, were all detained after they protested illegal mining activities or exposed the poaching of endangered species.

While some were handed prison sentences of up to 11 years, the length of sentences imposed in six cases, namely against Dhongye, Rinchen Namdol, Tsultrim Gonpo, Jangchup Ngodup, Sogru Abhu and Namsey, have not been made public by the Chinese government.

As the UN experts underscored, the extent to which the imprisoned Tibetans had access to legal representation, and whether any of them have been provided with medical assistance while in prison, also remain unclear.

Over the last two decades, as the Chinese government has scaled up mining, damming, urbanisation projects and other infrastructure across Tibet, environmental defenders have faced mounting persecution for their efforts.

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China intensifies on surveillance on Tibetans

Fresh evidence of destruction of religious heritage sites, mistreatment of Tibetans by China

The Chinese government has been intensifying its monitoring of Tibetans and maintained their interrogations of Tibetans living in Lhasa to determine if they have contacted people outside…reports Asian Lite News

Chinese authorities in Tibet have intensified monitoring of Tibetans, and continue to interrogate them in the regional capital Lhasa to prevent communication with people outside of Tibet, a media report said.

The Chinese government has been intensifying its monitoring of Tibetans and maintained their interrogations of Tibetans living in Lhasa to determine if they have contacted people outside Tibet and stepped up surveillance measures to prevent such communication, RFA reported.

In March, two major anniversaries prompted police to step up surveillance. The month marked the 15th anniversary of a 2008 riot, and the 64th anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese troops that had invaded the region a decade earlier.

But the heightened security from March has continued well into June, and police have continued closely monitoring residents in Lhasa and random searches of their cell phone and online communications to discover whether they had communicated abroad, the report added.

The police were particularly concerned that the Lhasa residents might be in contact with journalists or researchers outside of Tibet, a Tibetan resident told RFA.

“Tibetans are warned not to contact people outside and those who have, have been summoned and interrogated,” the source said. “Their cell phones are confiscated and they are under constant scrutiny.”

The source was among those who had contacted people outside of Tibet, and was summoned for interrogation along with some friends.

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Chinese Army deploys Tibetan troops on LAC patrols

Sources said the move by China has seen a lot of resentment from the affected families…reports Asian Lite News

The Tibetan troops recruited by the Chinese Army for helping them in high-altitude areas are now visible as part of the People’s Liberation Army border defence patrols along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, according to the sources.

Soon after the aggression along the LAC in 2020, China started recruiting these soldiers to help them sustain in high-altitude areas as part of their long-term deployment plans there. “The Tibetan soldiers are now visible as part of the patrols of their border defence troops but the majority continue to be the mainland Chinese soldiers,” sources in security forces said.

The Chinese have faced issues with their regular mainland troops to sustain themselves in high altitude areas and also have seen how the Indian Special Frontier Force troops including many Tibetan troops performed during the capture of high peaks in the Kailash ranges by the Indian Army, sources said.

As per reports, China had issued instructions to their senior commanders to induct at least one soldier from each Tibetan family and turn them loyal towards the country as well as keeping a check on their families.

However, sources said the move by China has seen a lot of resentment from the affected families.

India and China have been in a military standoff since April-May 2020 and deployed heavily in the border areas.

India has also deployed an almost equal number of troops along the Eastern Ladakh sector to counter any possible misadventure by the Chinese in the future.

The Army has also reoriented its focus towards the northern borders and deployed new formations along with dual tasking some of them for facing the two-front threat scenario. (ANI)

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Tibetan lives deteriorate amid Chinese repression

Ever since China attacked the sovereignty of Tibetans in 1951, Tibetan’s lives constantly deteriorated….reports Asian Lite News

The repression in Tibet has intensified over the decades and China’s constant attacks have constantly deteriorated the lives of Tibetan people, Voice Against Autocracy reported.

Ever since China attacked the sovereignty of Tibetans in 1951, Tibetan’s lives constantly deteriorated. And ever since the protest in 2008, over 150 people have self-immolated as a form of protest. Even after 150 people self-immolated, the relatives of protesters are tortured. They are routinely harassed, thrown into prison for “re-education”, denied political and medical rights, and even killed outright if deemed a threat.

In the meantime, China has taken advantage of the Qinghai-Tibet railway to migrate so many Chinese into the region that Tibetans have become a minority. The Communist Party has not only publicly stated its plans to colonize the region, but also deem it a nearly impossible task. The main reason for this is that the majority of Chinese tend to leave and go back after a few years of being unable to adapt.

China had forcibly removed millions of nomads from the grasslands in a widely ridiculed excuse to protect the ecology, according to Voice Against Autocracy.

After two years of living in urban environments, they were forced to abandon their new homes in order to use them as tourist centres and government housing. 2017 saw a state-sponsored forced resettlement wherein Tibetan nomads returned to the grasslands without the animals that were their main source of livelihood. By 2018, Chinese security forces in the region were forcibly promoting “bilingual education” by arresting anyone promoting the Tibetan mother tongue and related issues as an ‘underworld gang crime’.

The 2019 case of Choegyal Wangpo is a chilling indicator of just how much the CCP has abandoned basic human rights in Tibet. A case of donating to earthquake victims in Nepal became national security issue where a whole village was terrorized and nearly 20 monks were arrested with prison sentences ranging from 5 to 20 years.

Following Xi Jinping’s directive to improve security in the region, the Public Security Bureau, the State Security Bureau, the United Front Work Department, the Religious Affairs Bureau, the TAR Internet Affairs Office, and the Internet Management Department within the Public Security Bureau jumped to establish political achievements, reported Voice Against Autocracy.

A recent report from Freedom House listed Tibet as the worst country in the world. Another feature of Chinese rule in Tibet is the political re-education camps which feature the regular rape of nuns and Tibetan women as well as young boys in order to break their ethnic identity and will.

The systematic abuse is not limited to that as the use of beatings, cattle prods, and pouring excrement is a regular tool used by Chinese forces in order to subdue ‘dissidents’ in the region.

China has criminalized any form of social activism in the region and is hard at work destroying the influence of any form of traditional leaders at the grassroot levels under the excuse of eradicating ‘mafia-like’ gangs, as per Voice Against Autocracy. (ANI)

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Tibetans irked over China’s eviction order for dam project

Authorities issued the order on May 23, requiring residents of seven villages in the region to move so that the Chinese government can begin the first phase of construction…reports Asian Lite News

Chinese authorities have ordered Tibetans living in Rebgong county in western China to vacate their land for the construction of a hydropower dam, forcing them off the farmlands they need to make a living, media reports said.

Authorities in Lingya village, about an hour’s drive from Rebgong, issued the order on May 23, requiring residents of seven villages in the region to move so that the Chinese government can begin the first phase of construction 10 days after the notice’s issue date, said a Tibetan from Rebgong who now lives in exile, RFA reported.

“The land that is being confiscated by the Chinese government is farmland, which is the livelihood of Tibetans,” said the source, adding, “The authorities have warned the Tibetans not to show any kind of condemnation.”

BEIJING, Oct. 1, 2019 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech at a grand rally to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China at the Tian’anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Peng/IANS)

Rebgong, called Tongren in Chinese, is in Malho, or Huangnan, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a Tibetan-populated area in China’s Qinghai province, RFA reported.

Chinese authorities tightly control the residents of the restive Tibet Autonomous Region and Tibetan-populated regions of western China, restricting their political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity.

Chinese infrastructure and development projects in these areas have led to frequent stand-offs with Tibetans who accuse Chinese firms and local officials of improperly seizing land and disrupting the lives of local people.

Many result in violent suppression, the detention of protest organisers and intense pressure on the local population to comply with the government’s wishes, RFA reported.

Another Tibetan living in exile said authorities have begun confiscating land, but they have not discussed compensation for residents forced to move.

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