Contact is taking a holiday!

A map showing the location of Chamdo prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Photo: RFA

The forced relocation of nomads in Tibet is once again in the news this month with two separate incidences being reported.

Radio Free Asia’s Tibet desk quotes their local sources saying “Chinese authorities in Tibet’s Chamdo prefecture are ramping up the forced relocation of nomads from rural areas into newly built towns far from grazing areas, leaving Tibetan families unable to cope with the demands of daily life”. RFA’s article dated January 23 reports that families are obliged to pay up to 8,000 yuan (US$ 1,200 / £890) for their new homes after being forced from their traditional grazing grounds in Chamdo’s Jomda, Gonjo, Dragyab, and Riwoche counties.

Meanwhile, an article in the Tibetan Review says “China is to relocate in new settlements that are under construction about the 3,900 residents of the three townships of Tsonyi County in Nagchu in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in the name of ecological protection”. The global.chinadaily.com, the Chinese state media, reported on January 27 that nomads in Tsonyi are being offered incentives to relocate to urban areas. The report quotes Zhang Jianhua, head of Tsonyi county, as saying the county will “strictly follow the regional government’s ecological protection policies to safeguard the pristine land and that one of the county’s key ecological protection measures involves relocation”. He is quoted as saying “Living in the highest parts of the county is bad for people’s health, with many people developing heart and lung diseases and arthritis while they are still young.” He also claims that relocation is optional.However, many Tibet experts express doubt that the relocations are optional in practice as implementation of the government’s policies for the region depend on the removal of the nomads.

The Tibet Policy Institute has stated that China does not fulfil its promises of support for the Tibetans who have moved to towns and many face hardships and there have been many instances reported of new developments taking place on land that has been cleared of nomads.