Tibetans riot over exploitation of sacred mountain
Tuesday, 12 June 2007, 11:42 a.m.
 Vehicle damaged after rioting in Tawu County, Kardze Prefecture in Kham on May 27, 2007. |
Dharamshala: Hundreds of Tibetans rioted in a remote, sparsely populated area of eastern Tibet recently to stop exploitation of a mountain they consider sacred, several local residents were quoted as saying on Monday.
China maintains a tight grip on dissent and often cracks down hard on public protests, especially in ethnic minority regions, as maintaining social stability is one of the Communist Party’s key concerns.
According to a report by Reuters’ Benjamin Kang Lim, angry residents of Bamei town, home to an ethnic Tibetan population, in Sichuan province attacked government officials and smashed cars during a protest outside the local branch of a mining company in late May.
They were protesting over the exploitation of Yala Mountain–one of nine mountains considered sacred by Tibetans–in the Tagong grasslands for lead and zinc. The officials were attempting to mediate.
“For us, the Yala mountain is sacred,” a Tibetan lama was quoted as saying by telephone, requesting anonymity. “When the mine owner began exploiting it, people were enraged and tried to stop it.”
Although a Tibetan with knowledge of the unrest was quoted as saying several people were killed, the report said it could not be independently confirmed, adding several locals denied there were any deaths.
A Bamei government official said the rioting had been quelled. “It has subsided,” the official told Reuters. He declined further comment. Local police, reached by telephone, had declined to comment.
Eight Bamei elders have been missing since they tried to petition the Sichuan government in the provincial capital of Chengdu, the residents told Reuters. “All the village elders went missing after they tried to petition the government. We think they have been arrested,” one resident was quoted as saying.
“If this is true, it is very unfortunate,” said Thubten Samphel, spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration told TibetNet.
“Several years ago, we have come with a guideline for the development in Tibet. In this we have strongly urged both foreign companies and Chinese to consider the views of local Tibetans before they either start mining or undertake any development projects in Tibet,” he added.
