Chinese security forces have harshly cracked down on Tibetans protesting a massive hydroelectric dam project that has destroyed several villages and Buddhist monasteries.
Police reportedly arrested more than 1,000 demonstrators, some of whom were beaten so brutally by police that they required medical treatment.
The peaceful protests began on February 14 after China announced plans to build a huge dam on Tibet’s Dritchu River, which is part of the Yangtze River network. The Gantuo power plant will be the latest in a series of hydropower projects built across the so-called Tibetan Autonomous Region and neighboring Sichuan province, where communist China has annexed parts of Tibetan territory. attached In the 1950s.
China’s dam projects tend to flood areas including historic sites and populated villages in Tibet. The Guangtuo plan would destroy six Buddhist monasteries and two villages, displacing thousands of people.
As a villager who may become a refugee in the future explained “Moving here doesn’t mean moving to another nice village that will welcome you,” he told China watchdog group Bitter Winter last week.
“They say there will be apartments, but they are not ready yet,” said a villager. “On the other hand, even though we have not committed any crimes, we are placed under heavy surveillance to prevent protests and parked in camps that look a lot like re-education camps.”
Other villagers and Tibetan activists accused China of using the multibillion-dollar dam project to accelerate the destruction of Tibetan culture.
“Of course, it’s about making money and making a lot of money at it, but I’m sure there’s more to it than that. Tibetans who are forced to migrate are struggling with their history, with their families. They are cut off from the homes they have lived in for decades, even centuries, and from all visible cultural and religious norms,” one of the protesting locals told Bitter Winter. .
Hundreds of Tibetans, including Buddhist monks, began a rally to protest the dam project. On February 14, an astonishingly large crowd gathered outside the Dege District Hall in Derge city, a major center of Tibet’s culture and history. When Chinese police tried to disperse the protests, they refused to leave, leading to scuffles and arrests.
Arrests and brutal treatment have steadily escalated over the past two weeks.England telegraph The newspaper reported on Saturday that more than 1,000 Tibetans were rounded up by Chinese security forces in a single day on Friday, after 100 people were detained on Thursday.
Police attacked demonstrators with water cannons, Tasers and pepper spray. Police videotaped the assault, which included a monk in monk robes.
When Tibetans living in other parts of the country flocked to Derge to demand the release of their imprisoned relatives, they too were arrested. Chinese authorities instructed the prisoners to prepare for a long stay in the camp and advised them to bring their own food and nightwear.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) Monday Quote Officials said Tibetan detainees were “slapped and severely beaten every time they refused to answer important questions.”
“Many people had to be taken to the hospital. One of the monks at Wongto Monastery was one of those who was beaten so badly that he could not even speak and had to be taken to the hospital immediately. There were also many severe bruises on his body,” added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity fearing for his safety.
Another source told RFA that detainees were being held without food, with some “fainting from lack of food in sub-zero temperatures.”
Police forces from other regions were brought in to quell opposition in Derge, and some communities were placed on lockdown, with witnesses recalling China’s strict coronavirus quarantine.
Videos of the unusually large and determined protests and brutal Chinese crackdown have become an online sensation, prompting China’s massive censorship machinery to take action. Residents of Derge reported that their mobile phones were confiscated, videos of the protests were removed from China’s heavily controlled social media networks, and search terms related to the protests were blocked.
breaking news:
Hundreds of Tibetans in Kham, Dege province were brutally arrested by Chinese police for protesting the construction of a new damTwo Tibetans in Tibet risked their lives to send records of the situation in Dege.Shared here with their permission pic.twitter.com/nrKEskqbkj
— Students seeking a free Tibet (@SFTHQ) February 23, 2024
“The protests in Derge are unprecedented, with large rallies that shook China in late 2022 when people peacefully took to the streets to protest three years of strict COVID-19 restrictions. “This could be the largest demonstration since then.” telegraph observed.
Tibetan activists claimed that this ugly repression was vindicated for their criticism of the Chinese Communist Party regime.
“The events in Derge are an example of the Chinese government’s destructive policies in Tibet. The Chinese regime is trampling on the rights of Tibetans and ruthlessly and irrevocably destroying valuable Tibetan cultural assets.” Ta. Tibet International Campaign (ICT) Managing Director Kai Müller.
“Beijing’s development and infrastructure projects are not only a threat to Tibetans, but also to regional security, especially when it comes to water supplies to affected Asian countries,” Muller added.Other Southeast Asian countries a long time ago Have learned Living downstream from China, they say they are at the mercy of the Chinese government’s heavy-handed water and electricity policies.
“This arrest should serve as a reminder to the world how harsh daily life is for the Tibetan people under Chinese occupation.” Said ICT president Tencho Gyatso said on Monday.
“China is trying to hide its forced relocation of Tibetans, environmental destruction, and attempts to wipe out their culture and religion,” Tencho said. “Tibetans in Derge have shown incredible courage by peacefully protesting. They need the support of the international community.”
“Tibetans inside Tibet are facing crimes and risking their lives by sharing videos on social media that expose the reality of Tibet under Chinese government occupation in order to protect their homes and environment.” Ta. Students seeking free Tibet Campaign Director Kemilamo.
Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya, the U.S. government’s special coordinator for Tibet issues, said on Sunday: Said She was “deeply concerned” about China’s mass arrests of Tibetans.
Zeya was particularly concerned about China’s plan to destroy six historic monasteries.
“These centuries-old monasteries are home to hundreds of Tibetan Buddhist monks and store irreplaceable cultural relics,” she said. “The United States supports Tibetans in preserving their unique cultural, religious, and linguistic identity.”
“China must respect human rights and freedom of expression and include Tibetans in the formulation and implementation of water and land management policies,” she said.
Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs also expressed “serious concerns” about the “human rights situation affecting Tibetans, including restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of religion and belief, and protection of linguistic and cultural rights.”
“We call on the Chinese authorities to immediately release everyone detained for exercising their rights to freedom of speech and assembly,” said Genevieve Tremblay, spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada.
