Report: More than 700,000 Tibetans forced to relocate
Radio Free Asia
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forced relocation of more than 700,000 Tibetans from their homes since 2016 has led to joblessness, economic hardship and social exclusion, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Of those uprooted under purported poverty-reduction measures, 567,000 lived scattered across the region and 140,000 in villages.
The May 2024 report, “‘Educate the Masses to Change their Minds’: China’s Coercive Relocation of Rural Tibetans,” is based on information from government publications, academic field studies and over 1,000 news articles published by CCP-controlled media between 2016 and 2023.
CCP officials coerced villagers and nomads to move from their rural homes to urban areas, according to reports. Pressure tactics included repeated home visits, implicit threats of criminal punishment, and warnings that essential services such as electricity and water could be disconnected if people refused to relocate.
The officials also falsely claimed the moves would enhance employment opportunities and increase incomes, HRW reported.
“The [CCP] says that the relocation of Tibetan villages is voluntary, but official media reports contradict this claim,” Maya Wang, HRW’s acting China director, said in a statement.
Senior CCP authorities threatened disciplinary action against local officials who failed to meet relocation targets, the report found.
The human rights group urged Beijing to suspend relocations in Tibet and conform with international law concerning relocations and forced evictions.
Tibetans have lived under CCP rule since the People’s Liberation Army invaded and occupied their homeland in the early 1950s.
One Tibetan who was forcibly relocated said he told CCP officials his family didn’t want to leave their home. “But Chinese authorities accused us of disobeying national orders and labeled us as separatists,” said the man, whose name was withheld to protect his safety.
“The order to relocate came so suddenly and we couldn’t disobey, [so] we had to sell our herds in a rush, leaving us with nothing,” a Tibetan nomad said. “Ever since we moved to Lhasa, we have never been happy.”
Houses provided by the CCP are small and crowded, with large families living in two to three rooms, forcing some to sleep in tents on verandas, he said.
HRW’s research casts doubt on CCP claims that forced relocation led to higher incomes for Tibetans. The human rights group said language barriers, a lack of experience in required skills and discrimination make it difficult for people to support themselves and their families after being uprooted.
Elaine Pearson, director of HRW’s Asia Division, said relocations have occurred across Tibet and in Tibetan-populated areas in China’s Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.
“Tibetans have a particular connection with the land and their livelihoods, and they lose that connection if they are forced to move,” Pearson said.
