By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 22: In yet another incident of Chinese authorities forcefully demolishing Tibetan homes and properties, more than 300 Tibetan homes and shops have been razed to the ground and its occupants who opposed the demolition beaten and detained in Trelnak village in Chabcha County in Tsolho (ch. Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the Qinghai Province.
In a report by Radio Free Asia news services, the demolition of the Tibetan properties began last Friday on Oct. 16 and has gone on for the six days. Although the structures are not built with permanent building materials, they are a source of livelihood to the local Tibetans who accommodate visiting tourists and pilgrims to the popular Tso Ngonpo (Kokonor Lake or Qinghai Lake).
The incident took place “when a group of Chinese officials and police arrived and tore down 30 structures built by the Tibetans as dwellings and places of business around Qinghai Lake, so far about 300 houses owned by Tibetans have been destroyed, and the demolition is still going on,” a source told RFA.
“In the commotion, five Tibetan nomads were detained and beaten, but were later released,” he added. The same source identified those people, “On Oct. 19, Lhachen Kyab and his wife Dobe, and Yangmo Kyab and her husband Jampel, went back to collect their belongings, but the police would not allow them to do this.”
The fifth person, a 60 year old Tibetan named Luthar Kyab was also beaten and pointed a gun on his head before being detained for two hours along with the four other Tibetans. “He was later found in a hospital,” the source said.
“The authorities accused the Tibetans of polluting and crowding the area around the lake, and therefore took action to tear down the shops and homes, now the owners are left without any source of supplemental income”, the source lamented.
Cases of Tibetan people being forcefully moved away have surfaced in the last few weeks, incidences of land grab and eviction from pasturelands in places like Driru and Dzoege highlight Chinese government’s move to pave way and accommodate ethnic Chinese settlers which by consequence has far reaching ramifications to the local environment, exiles Tibetan say.
The incumbent Tibetan PM at a launch event for his administration’s COP21 campaign said, “The Chinese government’s move to disallow centuries old practice of Tibetan nomads to graze the grasslands and evicting them to supposedly protect the grasslands and at the same time move in countless ethnic Chinese to urbanize those areas is not only contradicting but also something that has huge consequences on the environment of those regions. Tibetans must have a say on what happens to their land. ”
