Tibet Watch

Tibet Watch News

Chinese authorities relocate over fifty Tibetans

Authorities forcefully moved around 59 Tibetans to new homes on 24 June. 

Chinese authorities forcefully relocated around 59 Tibetans from 13 different households in eastern Tibet on 24 June. 

The relocated Tibetans were moved from Dolying Village in Payul County, eastern Tibet, to a settlement in Palyul County built by the Chinese Government for a poverty alleviation programme in 2018.

Tibet Watch has found that Chinese flags hang above the rooftops of the new houses of the settlement and portraits of Chinese Commiuninst Party leaders, including Xi Jinping, have been put up inside the homes.

Between 2018 and 2019, there were mass forced relocations of around 400 Tibetan families by Chinese authorities from eastern Tibet to the area governed as the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Official Chinese state media has said the relocations are needed to support poverty alleviation. Adding that relocated people voluntarily have supported the project and are able to live a rich and stable life after relocation.

Free Tibet has previously reported that the Chinese government completed the relocation of 2,693 people from three Tibetan-majority townships, finishing in July 2019, to a new site in Pema Town, Pashoe County.

The entire population of the three townships was moved by the government, which also offered incentives for people to relocate. 

Officials told citizens it would benefit them economically to move, telling the residents of the "rare opportunity" of a better life compared with their present conditions. Authorities showcased modern schools, medical facilities and job opportunities to incentivise them to move.

The relocation site

The relocation site

John Jones