A campaign that claims to target organised crime in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Amdo, north eastern Tibet, has led to harassment and strict surveillance of Tibetans with a history of political activism, says Radio Free Asia in a report citing two local sources and released on May 22. Their source is quoted as saying, “Under the name of rooting all black and evil forces, the Chinese have targeted illegal gambling and the formation of grassroots organisations that solicit money from people” [our emphasis], and that 14 people have been arrested. The report continues, “The campaign imposes strict curbs on local Tibetan’s ability to gather and share information on social media”, and people are to “avoid randomly talking to any foreigners from America and the West”.
The source also tells RFA, “If any association has more than 10 people, they must seek permission through registering at the local village and up to the county level.”
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy says the campaign has “led to an increased restriction on human rights and lives of the Tibetan people”, and that it has “resulted in the detention, arrest, and torture of human rights and environmental activists and of ordinary Tibetans promoting the use of the Tibetan language”.
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