A Chinese owned hotel has been shut down by authorities in Rebgong county, Qinghai Province, after a storm of online protest by local Tibetans. The outcry was sparked by a rule banning the Tibetan language in the workplace.
According to exiled Tibetan writer, Lobsang Choejor, workers faced a 500 yuan ($75 or £52) fine for non compliance, and even risked losing their jobs. Choejor added that such activities endangered minority identities and should be curbed. He also appealed for a boycott of the hotel. Choejor explained that the act of banning a minority language is a breach of the Chinese constitution.
A poster which reads ‘No to Mixed Language’ in Kanlho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Photo: Radio Free Asia
Local authorities were quick to shut down the Chinese owned Shangyul Hotel after complaints were issued on social media, according to sources on the WeChat platform. WeChat is a mobile text and voice messaging service widely used in China, where restrictions exist on other social media platforms.
The hotel has issued a public apology to the Tibetan community, admitting that its actions breached the cultural privileges guaranteed by China’s policy on minority nationality groups.
The protest drew support from China’s Han majority. One internet user said “Tibetans should have the right to speak their own language, and this right should be protected”. Using the online name Shanshen Pelyun, the writer continued, “Whoever promoted this policy of using only Chinese should be held accountable for violating human rights and damaging ethnic unity.
Han Chinese residents of Qinghai province also voiced their support for the Shangyul workers. Liu Benqi, a Han local, said “It is not too much to ask for ethnic groups to have equal rights and the freedom to use their own languages”, adding, “I don’t support the police of promoting Mandarin Chinese [in ethnic minority areas]”.
Rebgong has already seen protest against the eroding traditions of Tibetan culture under Chinese rule. In November 2012, thousands of students protested, demanding greater rights in Rebgong including the freedom to study in Tibetan. However, groups formed to promote the study and speaking of the Tibetan language have since been banned in Rebgong due to Chinese concerns over security issues.
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