Chinese Immigration Surge Causes Loss of Tibetan Livelihood[Friday, 6 August 2010, 3:09 p.m.]
Dharamshala:
The burgeoning Chinese migrants in Tibet, including many with criminal
records, has left native Tibetan people with no livelihood prospects,
their cultural values and social stability in jeopardy, a report
received by the Central Tibetan Administration says.The rapid
increase in Chinese immigration picked up pace with the onset of
railway connectivity in Tibet in 2006 and due to numerous ‘development
project’ initiated by the Chinese government throughout Tibet.Moreover,
since the peaceful protests of 2008, many permanent and part time
Tibetan employees continue to face great difficulty in finding jobs
after the government evicted them from towns to their native nomadic or
agricultural villages on charges of living without permanent
residential certificates. There is no regulation in place to
check the growing number of Chinese migrants engaging in crime and
anti-social activities. But, Tibetans are the ones who are facing the
brunt of intense crackdown and repression.The truth about the
diminishing prospects of finding employment by Tibetans and rising
anti-social elements in Tibet is corroborated by a survey conducted in
Tsawa Dzogang County in Chamdo in June this year. According to
the survey, Chinese migrants own 249 shops and 52 restaurants in
comparison to 5 shops and 30 restaurants run by Tibetans. There are
currently 5 brothels owned by Chinese, around 11 gambling dens run by
both Chinese and Tibetans, and 3 night clubs owned by Tibetans. The
growing surge in prostitution and gambling in particular, pose grave
threats of epidemic diseases and rising unemployment among youngster.
It also adversely affects Tibetan cultural values and family
relationships.Mushrooming of night clubs and bars in Tibet has detrimental impact on Tibet’s social stability and cultural values. This
year, the government was reported to have deployed 60 voluntary police
personnel for 24-hour vigil around many bars in Tibet run by Chinese
mainly from Sichuan, like Sunlight Continental Party House, which
replaced picnic parks like Chakma Lingka near Lhasa. These attract
party goers of which 93 per cent are Chinese. On 30 July, an evening
Lhasa newspaper reported successful ‘crackdown on a group of 28
criminal gangs during raids in two Chinese owned party bars.Similarly,
a group of Chinese migrants were convicted for crime by the Lhasa
Intermediate People’s Court on 18 December 2010, which accentuates the
lack of proper regulation by the Chinese government to control
anti-social elements that negatively impact Tibetan society.
