Phayul
Tenzin Monlam
August 14, 2015
Troops moving through Rebkong (Chinese: Tongren) in Qinghai in July/ ICT
Massive influx of convoy of more than 200 vehicles with heavy weaponries and tanks have been reported by the ICT which added, “The purpose of the troop movements is not known, although it is likely to be a combination of conveying propaganda, overt intimidation and involvement in major military exercises.”
Top leaders from Beijing are expected to attend the founding anniversary of the “Tibet Autonomous Region” to be held in Lhasa, the capital, on September 1.
Chinese state media announced this week that a joint military drill entered “live fire stage” “in a plateau area” in Sichuan, organized by the People’s Liberation Army Chengdu Military Area Command, which oversees Tibetan areas including the sensitive border with India.
The images and footage gathered by International Campaign for Tibet show movement of troops in Shigatse starting July 27. The ICT said it received images that show trucks in front of Potala palace with banners with slogans on the sides of the trucks, such as: ‘To defend security and stability in Tibet’; ‘A healthy civilian and peaceful society is the will of the people’.
According to a source, no troop movements of this scale had been observed in the areas before.
Sources have indicated that the tightened security is felt in every sphere, including instructions on the importance of ‘stability’ conveyed to Tibetan trade organizations, business and tourist agencies and an increase in police checkpoints. Travel permits to the TAR are not being issued for at least the first week of September, the ICT said citing prweb.com.
China celebrated September 9 as the founding day of TAR until the death of Mao on the same date in 1976. The celebrations were shifted to September 1 after Mao’s death.
The ICT believes that the Beijing leadership’s strong emphasis to Tibet is reflected in editorials published in the state media and its renewed criticism of the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama for commenting on his reincarnation recently. A meeting of the Chinese Politburo on July 30 presided over by Xi Jinping asserted the continued “anti-separatist” hardline approach by the authorities in Tibet.
“The CCP prioritizes development, infrastructure construction and resource extraction as key elements of its strategic objectives in Tibet, casting Tibetan support for the Dalai Lama and protection of Tibetan national identity as obstacles to its ambitions to re-shape the Tibetan plateau for its own purposes and ensure its dominance,” added ICT.
