By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, JAN 24: With the transfer of a top leader from the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to Xinjiang, an ethnic Uyghur dominated region, rights organization, Human Rights Watch (HRW) feels that China plans to ‘export the abusive polices’ deployed in Tibet to Xinjiang.
Sophie Richardson, China Director of HRW in her statement said that the appointment of Chen Quanguo, former party secretary of TAR to Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as its new leader is an indication of authorities following President Xi Jinping’s vision of approaching the regions similarly.
“In October, Xinjiang authorities announced the ‘Becoming Family’ program, similar to one during Chen’s tenure in Tibet, in which 110,000 officials must meet ordinary people every two weeks with a view toward ‘fostering ethnic harmony,” cited Sophie as an example of continuing with repressive policies.
She also highlighted a similar pattern of mandating local residents to report all religious activities and officials being sent to manage mosques in Hotan prefecture in Xinjiang to heavy monitoring of monasteries to oversee the daily management of religious in Tibet since 2011.
“Another of Chen’s flagship policies in Tibet entailed a major expansion of surveillance mechanisms, from high-tech police posts at urban road junctions to making a single person responsible for the behavior of every 5 to 10 households,” she said.
Having tipped as the rising star in the Chinese politics and expected to be promoted to the politburo in 2018, Richardson said that fears are real that ‘Tibet and Xinjiang will face more intrusive forms of surveillance and control.’
