Police on Friday arrested greater than 1,000 Tibetans, together with monks from at the very least two native monasteries, in southwestern China’s Sichuan province after they protested the development of a dam anticipated to destroy six monasteries and power the relocation of two villages, two sources from inside Tibet advised Radio Free Asia.
The arrested people – each monks and native residents – are being held in numerous locations all through Dege county in Kardze Tibetan Prefecture as a result of the police wouldn’t have a single place to detain them, mentioned the sources who requested anonymity for security causes.
These arrested have been pressured to carry their very own bedding and tsampa – a staple meals for Tibetans that can be utilized to maintain themselves for lengthy intervals of time, the sources mentioned.
“That police are asking Tibetans to carry their very own tsampa and bedding is an indication that they won’t be launched anytime quickly,” one of many sources mentioned.
On Thursday, Feb. 22, Chinese authorities deployed specially trained armed police in Kardze’s Higher Wonto village area to arrest greater than 100 Tibetan monks from Wonto and Yena monasteries together with native residents, a lot of whom had been crushed and injured, and later admitted to Dege County Hospital for medical remedy, sources mentioned.
Citizen movies from Thursday, shared solely with RFA, present Chinese language officers in black uniforms forcibly restraining monks, who could be heard crying out to cease the dam building.
Following information of the mass arrests, many Tibetans from Higher Wonto village who work in different components of the nation returned to their hometown and visited the detention facilities to name for the discharge of the arrested Tibetans, sources mentioned. They, too, had been arrested.
The Dege County Hospital didn’t instantly return RFA’s requests for remark.
The Chinese language Embassy in Washington hasn’t commented on the arrests aside from in a press release issued Thursday that mentioned the nation respects the rule of regulation.
“China protects the respectable rights and pursuits of Chinese language nationals in accordance with the regulation,” the assertion mentioned.
Large dam venture
The arrests adopted days of protests and appeals by native Tibetans since Feb. 14 for China to cease the development of the Gangtuo hydropower station.
RFA reported on Feb. 15 that at least 300 Tibetans gathered outside Dege County Town Hall to protest the constructing of the Gangtuo dam, which is a part of a large 13-tier hydropower advanced on the Drichu River with a complete deliberate capability 13,920 megawatts.
The dam venture is on the Drichu River, referred to as Jinsha in Chinese language, which is situated on the higher reaches of the Yangtze, one in all China’s most necessary waterways.
Native Tibetans have been notably distraught that the development of the hydropower station will end result within the pressured resettlement of two villages – Higher Wonto and Shipa villages – and 6 key monasteries within the space – Yena, Wonto, and Khardho in Wangbuding township in Dege county, and Rabten, Gonsar and Tashi within the Tibetan Autonomous Area, sources advised RFA.
Sources on Friday additionally confirmed that a few of the arrested monks with poor well being circumstances had been allowed to return to their monasteries.
Nonetheless, the monasteries – which embrace Wonto Monastery, recognized for its historic murals relationship again to the thirteenth century – remained desolate on the eve of Chotrul Duchen, or the Day of Miracles, which is commemorated on the fifteenth day of the primary month of the Tibetan New Yr, or Losar, and marks the celebration of a collection of miracles carried out by the Buddha.
“Up to now, monks of Wonto Monastery would historically preside over giant prayer gatherings and perform all of the spiritual actions,” mentioned one of many sources. “This time, the monasteries are quiet and empty. … It’s very unhappy to see such monasteries of historic significance being ready for destruction. The scenario is identical at Yena Monastery.”
Protests elsewhere
Tibetans in exile have been holding mass demonstrations in numerous components of the world, together with in Dharamsala, India, residence to the exiled Tibetan religious chief, the Dalai Lama.
Up to now week, Tibetans have demonstrated earlier than the Chinese language embassies, together with these in New York and Switzerland, with extra such protests and solidarity campaigns deliberate in Canada and different international locations.
“The occasions in Derge are an instance of Beijing’s harmful insurance policies in Tibet,” mentioned Kai Müller, managing director of the Worldwide Marketing campaign for Tibet, in a statement on Friday. “The Chinese language regime tramples on the rights of Tibetans and ruthlessly and irretrievably destroys invaluable Tibetan cultural property.”
“Beijing’s improvement and infrastructure initiatives are usually not solely a menace to Tibetans, but additionally to regional safety, particularly with regards to water provides to affected Asian international locations,” he added.
Human Rights Watch advised RFA that it’s monitoring the event however that info from inside Tibet is extraordinarily uncommon given China’s tight surveillance and restrictions imposed on info move.
“Individuals who ship info out and movies like this face imprisonment and torture,” mentioned Maya Wang, the group’s interim China director.
“Even calling households within the diaspora are causes for imprisonment,” she mentioned. “What we do see now are literally … typical scenes of repression in Tibet, however we don’t typically get to see [what] repression seems like in Tibet anymore.”
Extra reporting by Pelbar, Yeshi Dawa, Tashi Wangchuk, Palden Gyal and Sonam Lhamo for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.