By Radio Free Asia, May 24th, 2009
Tibetan Buddhists regard it as a sacred site. Gold deposits make Ser Ngol Lo valuable in other ways too, and tensions are rising.
HONG KONG—Hundreds of villagers in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of western China are facing off against armed security forces at the site of a planned gold mine on what the Tibetans consider a sacred mountain, witnesses say.
“The Tibetan protesters are worried,” said one local man, who said he was one of eight organizers of the protest.
“The police, the soldiers, and the miners are threatening to move ahead with the mine...They have said they will force their way through and go to the site.”
Tibetans have historically worshiped the site, conducting rituals there in the event of drought, residents say. Now a Chinese mining and lumbering firm, Zhongkai Co., has been authorized to excavate the area, and locals are protesting.
Another Tibetan man said hundreds of protesters had gathered peacefully at Ser Ngol Lo [“Year of Gold and Silver” in Tibetan] in the Tsangshul subdistrict of Lhara village, Markham county, Chamdo prefecture. Click here
(In my opinion, the local Tibetans resistance to the mining demonstrates that Tibetans are against the continued exploitation of Tibet's natural resources by the Chinese government. Their wishes should be respected and the mining should not be allowed to continue. Tibetans are the ones who should have the say but unfortunately that is not the case. The Chinese government officials will now implicate the Tibetans protesting there and arrest them on fabricated charges.)
1 comment:
I want not acquiesce in on it. I regard as nice post. Specially the appellation attracted me to be familiar with the sound story.
Post a Comment