CCP Arrests More Than 1,000 Tibetans After Protests Against Dam Construction Project

CCP detains over 1,000 Tibetans following demonstrations against dam construction project

February 26, 2024 TruthUSA

The U.S. State Department has expressed deep concern over the mass arrests that have been reported.

The State Department is troubled by the recent mass arrests of Tibetans in China following the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) crackdown on the ethnic group for their peaceful protests against a hydropower dam construction.

More than 1,000 Tibetans, including monks, were detained in China on Friday, as reported by rights group International Tibet Network. The arrests occurred in Derge, a town in Dege County in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwestern China’s Sichuan Province.

According to rights groups, the dam project will displace residents of two villages and submerge six monasteries forcibly.

“The current status of those arrested is currently unknown,” the statement mentioned, noting that those arrested were taken to different locations throughout Dege County.

“Deeply concerned by reports of the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] mass arrests of Tibetans protesting construction of a dam that threatens displacement of villages & destruction of monasteries,” stated Uzra Zeya, undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights, in an X post on Feb. 25.

“[China] must respect human rights & freedom of expression and include Tibetans in the development & implementation of water and land management policies,” Ms. Zeya added. “These centuries-old monasteries are home to hundreds of Tibetan Buddhist monks & contain irreplaceable cultural relics.

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[The United States] stands with Tibetans in preserving their unique cultural, religious, and linguistic identity.

The protests began on Feb. 14, according to International Tibet Network, when at least 300 Tibetans protested at Dege County Hall. Arrests commenced on Feb. 22, with over 100 protesting Tibetan locals and Tibetan monks being detained by Chinese authorities, as per the group’s report.

Chinese police reportedly used water cannons, pepper spray, and tasers to control protestors on Feb. 22, as reported by Radio Free Asia. Some of the detained protestors required medical treatment at a local hospital afterwards, the outlet Source link