According to three sources inside Tibet who spoke to Radio Free Asia, police have arrested and detained four Tibetans who protested the Chinese authorities’ seizure of pasture land owned by Tibetans in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Residents of Taktsa village in Luonixiang rural township in Markham county in Chamdo clashed with authorities on April 10 after appealing against the land grab and demanding compensation, the sources said. The land was illegally sold to businessmen in 2023 without the knowledge or compensation of the locals.
The Tibetans discovered the seizure of their land in April this year when the businessmen sent people to clear it. They demanded payment and confronted authorities, resulting in the arrests of four Tibetans and physical abuse of others at the scene.
Details about the detained Tibetans and the charges against them are not immediately known, and the purpose for which the seized land will be used remains unclear.
Chinese authorities in the Tibet Autonomous Region and Tibetan-populated areas of neighboring Chinese provinces have a history of ignoring residents’ concerns about mining and land grabs, resorting to force to suppress complaints and protests, according to human rights groups.
Videos show Tibetans imploring Chinese police with thumbs up, a gesture requesting mercy, as seen in previous protests in Dege county, Sichuan province, against a dam project on the Drichu River. The Tibetans in Markham county are demanding compensation for the seized land, used by 25 Tibetan families for grazing animals and recreation.
The official who colluded with the businessmen to seize the land without compensating the Tibetans has been arrested and charged with corruption. The residents are now seeking compensation for the occupied land. Chinese police have prohibited the Tibetans from sharing information about the incident with individuals outside China.
Translated by Dolma Lhamo and edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.