China – Tibet – Communal Violence – March 2008 Riots

Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA

RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE

Research Response Number: CHN34170 Country: China Date: 19 December 2008

Keywords: China – Tibet – Communal Violence – March 2008 riots

This response was prepared by the Research & Information Services Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. This research response may not, under any circumstance, be cited in a decision or any other document. Anyone wishing to use this information may only cite the primary source material contained herein.

Questions

1. Could you please provide details on riots involving Tibetans and/or Buddhists taking place in China during 2008?

RESPONSE

1. Could you please provide details on riots involving Tibetans and/or Buddhists taking place in China during 2008?

While a number of sources provide information relating to the involvement of ethnic Tibetans in riots taking place in China during 2008, it is difficult to ascertain the involvement of Buddhists in these riots, or other riots not involving Tibetans, due to reports and analysis being insufficiently specific. In cases where Tibetans are clearly indicated as being involved in riots, the information provided does not specify whether those involved are Buddhist except when making reference to Buddhist monks and nuns. Furthermore, while the sources consulted provide information on riots occurring in various parts of China which do not appear to involve Tibetans, no mention is made as to whether those involved are Buddhists (for example, see ‘China social unrest briefing 26 Jun – 9 Jul 08’ 2008, BBC Monitoring, 10 July - Attachment 1). Consequently, it is not possible to provide details on riots involving Buddhists during the period in question, except in the case of Tibetan riots where Buddhist monks and nuns are clearly mentioned.

In light of this, the information provided below focuses on riots involving Tibetans occurring in China during 2008. This information is presented in three parts. Part A provides details on riots occurring in Tibet during 2008; Part B outlines the spread of unrest to Tibetan-populated provinces bordering Tibet during this period; Part C provides brief information on the aftermath of the riots in these areas.

A) Riots occurring in Tibet 2008

According to information located in the sources consulted, unrest broke out in Lhasa, Tibet on 10 March 2008, the anniversary of a 1959 uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet. A report released by MSNBC.com news services describes the situation stating:

The protests initially were led by Buddhist monks demanding the release of other detained monks. Their demands spiraled to include cries for Tibet's independence and turned violent when police tried to stop a group of protesting monks. Pent-up grievances against Chinese rule came to the fore, as Tibetans directed their anger against Chinese and their shops, hotels and other businesses.

Xinhua reported at least 10 civilians were burned to death Friday. The Dalai Lama's exiled Tibetan government in India said Chinese authorities killed at least 30 Tibetans and possibly as many as 100. The figures could not be independently verified as China restricts foreign media access to Tibet (‘Tense quiet in Tibet as China cracks down’ 2008, MSNBC.com website, 15 March http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23629811/ - Accessed 11 December 2008 – Attachment 2).

Reuters provides a day-by-day record of events during this time, describing the protests as “the largest and most sustained” Tibet has seen “since Beijing crushed pro-independence demonstrations in 1989”:

* Monday, March 10: Five-hundred monks from the Drepung monastery defy Chinese authorities to march into Tibet's capital, Lhasa, to mark the 49th anniversary of a quashed rebellion against communist rule. Monks from Lhasa-area Sera and Ganden monasteries also protest.

* March 12: Thousands of Chinese security personnel fire tear gas to try to disperse more than 600 monks from the Sera monastery taking part in another day of street protests.

* March 14: About 300-400 residents and monks take to the streets in Lhasa. Shops and cars are set on fire. Chinese authorities seal off Drepung, Sera and Ganden monasteries. China says 10 people killed in Lhasa, in unrest masterminded by the Dalai Lama. Spokesman for the Dalai Lama rejects the claim as baseless.

* March 15: Chinese authorities say Lhasa rioters will gain "leniency" if they give themselves up by midnight on Monday….

*March 16: Armed police patrol streets of Lhasa. China suspends foreign travel permits to Tibet.... (Murdoch, G. & Fogarty, D. 2008, ‘TIMELINE: Day-by-day record of Tibet protests’, Reuters, 21 March http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSSP15193420080321 - Accessed 11 December 2008 – Attachment 3).

Reports vary as to how many people died in the riots. According to an article in the International Herald Tribune, Xinhua recently reported 18 civilians and 1 police officer had died in the rioting, while 382 civilians and 241 police officers were injured. The article states: Previously the authorities had said 22 people were killed. Exile groups have said scores of Tibetans died in the crackdown that followed. The Chinese government has accused the Dalai Lama of instigating the March riot in order to disrupt the Beijing Olympics in August (Wong, E. 2008, ‘China reveals sentences for Tibetans involved in riots’, International Herald Tribune, 5 November – Attachment 4).

Chinese accusations against the Dalai Lama for “masterminding” the protests are reiterated in a number of other sources. A BBC News report, dated 18 March 2008, cites Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao as stating (in response to a question from a Western journalist at a news conference following the close of parliament):

"There is ample fact and plenty of evidence proving this incident was organised, premeditated, masterminded and incited by the Dalai clique," he said.

"This has all the more revealed the consistent claims by the Dalai clique that they pursue not independence, but peaceful dialogue, are nothing but lies” (‘China blames Dalai Lama for riots’ 2008, BBC News, 18 March http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7302021.stm - Accessed 17 December 2008 - Attachment 5).

According to Chinese sources, ‘living Buddhas in Tibet’, including the 11th Panchen Lama Gyaincain Norbu, condemn the riots and likewise hold the Dalai Lama responsible (see ‘Top living Buddhas: conduct of rioters violates Buddhist tenets’ 2008, People’s Daily source: Xinhua, 27 March http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6381514.html - Accessed 11 December 2008 – Attachment 6; ‘Living Buddha condemns monks’ involvement in riots’ 2008, China.org.cn website, 25 April http://www.china.org.cn/china/Lhasa_Unrest/2008-04/25/content_15017241.htm - Accessed 11 December 2008 – Attachment 7).

Speaking from Dharamsala in northern India, the Dalai Lama rejected these accusations, denying that he was behind the unrest and saying that “his message to Tibetans was to refrain from violence”(‘China blames Dalai Lama for riots’ 2008, BBC News, 18 March http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7302021.stm - Accessed 17 December 2008 - Attachment 5).

B) Riots involving Tibetans occurring in other provinces in China during 2008

Following the Lhasa riots outlined above, sources report a spread of protests to several provinces bordering Tibet which contain ethnic Tibetan populations. A BBC News report states that unrest began “after exiled Tibetan leaders said a Chinese crackdown had killed at least 80 people in Lhasa” (‘Tibet unrest spreads beyond Lhasa’ 2008, BBC News, 17 March http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7299597.stm - Accessed 11 December 2008 - Attachment 8). The Christian Science Monitor suggests that the unrest was fuelled by a desire for freedom from Chinese rule as well as “undertones of ethnic conflict” (‘China's Crackdown Reaches Beyond Tibet’ 2008, Christian Science Monitor, 17 March – Attachment 9).

Information available in the sources consulted indicates that protests occurred in Tongren (Repkong in Tibetan) in Qinghai Province, Lanzhou, Xiahe, Machu and Hezuo in Gansu Province, and Aba (Ngawa) and Ganzi (Kardze) in Sichuan Province (see ‘Tibet unrest spreads into neighbouring provinces’ 2008, Associated Press, guardian.co.uk website, 16 March http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/16/tibet.china1 - Accessed 17 December 2008 – Attachment 10; ‘Tibet unrest spreads beyond Lhasa’ 2008, BBC News, 17 March http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7299597.stm - Accessed 11 December 2008 - Attachment 8; ‘China's Crackdown Reaches Beyond Tibet’ 2008, Christian Science Monitor, 17 March – Attachment 9; ‘China admits Tibet unrest has spread’ 2008, NDTV.com website, 20 March http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080044549&ch=3/20/2008 %207:50:00%20PM – Accessed 11 December 2008 - Attachment 11).

Clashes between demonstrators and police resulted in numerous arrests and a crackdown on security across the region. A report in the Los Angeles Times, dated 18 March 2008, describes the situation in Xiahe, Gansu Province, in the wake of protests against Chinese rule of Tibet:

On Saturday, a massive police presence could be seen blanketing Xiahe, a holy city outside Tibet that houses the sprawling Labrang Monastery complex, one of the most revered in Tibetan Buddhism.

…This followed demonstrations involving an attack on a police station by thousands of people and the raising of a banned national Tibetan flag.

Twenty people were arrested in the ensuing violence, the London-based Free Tibet Campaign said, and a local official said seven people were injured, as authorities scrambled to quell the worst protests against Chinese dominion over Tibet in two decades.

The crackdown followed efforts by authorities in Lhasa to contain six days of violence.

…Although the police presence in Xiahe was designed to intimidate residents, it also suggested how worried and insecure Beijing is at the prospect of losing control, analysts said.

…The unrest in Xiahe reportedly started Saturday morning after several hundred monks marched out of the Labrang Monastery, gathering supporters along the way for what was initially a ceremony of chanting and incense-burning.

By midafternoon, roadblocks were turning back all cars on the main road to the Labrang temple. Convoys of police cars patrolled a smaller road on the edge of town.

…An official at the Xiahe County People's Hospital said Saturday that seven people were injured in the morning rampage, which he blamed on the monks.

Others blamed authorities. "The police were extreme," said a businessman who shares his time between Xiahe and Lhasa, declining to identify himself for fear of retaliation. "I was on the spot, and it was two hours of chaos."

The Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy, an activist group, citing sources, said police and paramilitary forces fired tear gas and live ammunition into the air in a bid to disperse the crowd (‘China cracks down in Tibet and beyond as protests spread’ 2008, Los Angeles Times, 18 March - Attachment 12).

A report by Japan’s Kyodo News Service, dated 14 April 2008, describes clashes between Tibetan demonstrators and police which took place in Ganzi in Sichuan Province on 3 April 2008 along with the aftermath: "They suddenly started shooting at us, after firing warning shots in the air," a Tibetan monk who participated in the protest on April 3 told Kyodo News.

According to Tibetan rights groups, at least eight Tibetans died after the police fired live ammunition into the protesting crowd.

…The people who became targets of the police shooting were those trying to take pictures of the incident, the monk said….

Posters calling for "opposition to Tibetan separatist activities" were put up in various places in the city.

…Also seen in the city were notices seeking information on the organizers of the demonstrations as well as those who took photographs of the incident, with rewards of up to 100,000 yuan ($14,285) being offered (Serita, S. 2008, ‘Tensions continue in western China’s Tibetan area of Ganzi’ 2008, Kyodo News Service, 14 April - Attachment 13).

A report by Radio Free Asia, dated 12 June 2008, describes further protests against Chinese rule occurring in Ganzi despite a “major security clampdown… across all areas of China with significant Tibetan populations.” The report notes the detention and beating of more than 300 Tibetan Buddhist nuns after they marched on county offices demanding the release of a fellow nun, who was detained for handing out leaflets calling for the return of the Dalai Lama (‘More Tibetan protests’ 2008, Radio Free Asia, 12 June - Attachment 14).

C) The aftermath of the riots

A 5 November 2008 report in the International Herald Tribune says that according to Xinhua, the police detained 1,317 people following the March riots, 1,115 of whom were later released. 55 Tibetans received sentences ranging from three years to life imprisonment for their involvement in the Lhasa riots. The report states:

The March riot led to a government crackdown in the autonomous region and other ethnic Tibetan areas, particularly in Sichuan Province. Advocacy groups supporting greater rights for Tibetans or Tibetan independence have released a steady stream of reports about detentions and executions, including of Buddhist monks and nuns. Few of the reports have been independently confirmed (Wong, E. 2008, ‘China reveals sentences for Tibetans involved in riots’, International Herald Tribune, 5 November – Attachment 4).

In an interview with AsiaNews on 30 April 2008, Urgen Tenzin, executive director of the Tibetan Centre For Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), describes the fate of Tibetan protestors who were being held in detention at that time:

“Since the 10 March peaceful protests, Tibetans languishing inside prisons have been accused by the Chinese of ‘endangering state security’. Just expressing a point of view that goes against government policy leads to arrest for ‘political dissent’ and ‘subversive opinions’'. Chinese officials have made statements to the effect that Tibetans have confessed; this is likely what will happen to the 17 who were arrested and tragically the world will be informed that they had ‘confessed’ their crimes.”

“But these so called confessions would have been extracted as a result of torture. The Chinese are known to use torture as an instrument of ‘state control’ on Tibetans, guilty of ‘political dissent’ and ‘subversive opinions’. Tibetans have been arrested and tortured for speaking with foreigners, singing patriotic songs, possessing photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and so on; these things have been going on for many, many years.”

“At the moment, our monasteries are surrounded by military forces, and under the strict surveillance of Chinese police. The situation inside Tibet is very tense, and we are extremely concerned. As the countdown to the Beijing Olympics begins, the extreme clampdown of information is taking place and this only bodes ill for our fellow Tibetans” (‘Beijing imposes life in prison, uses torture, to test world reaction, says Tibetan leader’ 2008, AsiaNews, 30 April http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=12138&size=A# - Accessed 17 December 2008 – Attachment 15).

The 2008 UK Home Office Country of Origin Information Report for China notes Amnesty International’s concerns regarding human rights violations reported in relation to the treatment of Tibetan protestors who were arrested following the March 2008 riots:

23.10 In a report dated 1 April 2008, Amnesty International recorded:

“Since 10 March 2008, serious human rights violations have been reported in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR, hereafter ‘Tibet’) and Tibetan areas of neighbouring provinces in connection with the police and military crackdown on Tibetan protesters. Initial protests by Tibetans in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, appear to have been peaceful and suppressed in violation of protesters’ right to freedom of expression, association and assembly, including through excessive use of force. Protests later turned violent, with some protesters attacking individuals because they were believed to be Han Chinese. Some of these attacks are reported to have resulted in death, injury and damage to property… Amnesty International is concerned that in restoring order, the Chinese authorities have resorted to measures which violate international human rights law and standards. These have reportedly included unnecessary and excessive use of force, including lethal force, arbitrary detentions and intimidation… The organization has previously documented a pattern of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees in Tibet by China’s security forces, especially against those accused by the Chinese authorities of ‘separatist’ activities… China has long banned independent human rights monitors from Tibet, and the region is now virtually sealed from foreign journalists and other observers. For these reasons the organization fears for the safety and well-being of those now in detention.” [6l] (UK Home Office 2008, China - Country of Origin Information Report, June, Section 23 - Attachment 16).

According to a report in The Australian, dated 8 November 2008, security remains tight in Lhasa. The report states:

In an interview with The Weekend Australian , the vice-governor of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Bai Ma Cai Wang, reveals that China has recently boosted its security presence in Lhasa above and beyond the crackdown that followed the March riots. This is China's first public acknowledgment that it has beefed up its security forces in Tibet.

"In order for Tibet's stability and for people's safety and for people's desire for security and order, the Government has moderately adjusted the presence of the police force on the street," he says.

Bai Ma says the Government fears a repeat of the March riots, which he says were the work of the exiled Dalai Lama and his supporters (‘Stewart, C. 2008, ‘China’s iron fist cracks down to subdue Tibet rebels’, The Australian, 8 November - Attachment 17).

While security remains tight, a news report by Sina, dated 27 November 2008, states that China has recently set free more than 1,000 rioters involved in the Lhasa riots (‘China sets free more than 1,000 rioters over Lhasa violence’ 2008, Sina, 26 November - Attachment 18).

List of Sources Consulted

Internet Sources:

Government Information & Reports US Department of State http://www.state.gov/ UK Home Office http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ International News & Politics Reuters www.reuters.com/ BBC Monitoring www.monitor.bbc.co.uk/ BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/ MSNBC.com website www.msnbc.msn.com/ NDTV.com website http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/default.aspx Los Angeles Times www.latimes.com/ Kyodo News Service (Japan) home.kyodo.co.jp/ International Herald Tribune http://www.iht.com/?pass=true The Australian www.theaustralian.news.com.au/ Christian Science Monitor www.csmonitor.com/ Region Specific Links Radio Free Asia www.rfa.org/ People’s Daily http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ AsiaNews www.asianews.it/ China.org.cn http://china.org.cn/ Sina http://english.sina.com/index.html Search Engines Google search engine http://www.google.com.au/ Copernic http://www.copernic.com/

Databases:

FACTIVA (news database) BACIS (DIAC Country Information database) REFINFO (IRBDC (Canada) Country Information database) ISYS (RRT Research & Information database, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Department of State Reports)

List of Attachments 1. ‘China social unrest briefing 26 Jun – 9 Jul 08’ 2008, BBC Monitoring, 10 July. (CISNET China CX205257)

2. ‘Tense quiet in Tibet as China cracks down’ 2008, MSNBC.com website, 15 March http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23629811/ - Accessed 11 December 2008.

3. Murdoch, G. & Fogarty, D. 2008, ‘TIMELINE: Day-by-day record of Tibet protests’, Reuters, 21 March http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSSP15193420080321 - Accessed 11 December 2008.

4. Wong, E. 2008, ‘China reveals sentences for Tibetans involved in riots’, International Herald Tribune, 5 November. (CISNET China CX213718)

5. ‘China blames Dalai Lama for riots’ 2008, BBC News, 18 March http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7302021.stm - Accessed 17 December 2008.

6. ‘Top living Buddhas: conduct of rioters violates Buddhist tenets’ 2008, People’s Daily source: Xinhua, 27 March http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6381514.html - Accessed 11 December 2008.

7. ‘Living Buddha condemns monks’ involvement in riots’ 2008, China.org.cn website, 25 April http://www.china.org.cn/china/Lhasa_Unrest/2008-04/25/content_15017241.htm - Accessed 11 December 2008.

8. ‘Tibet unrest spreads beyond Lhasa’ 2008, BBC News, 17 March http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7299597.stm - Accessed 11 December 2008.

9. ‘China's Crackdown Reaches Beyond Tibet’ 2008, Christian Science Monitor, 17 March. (CISNET China CX195722)

10. ‘Tibet unrest spreads into neighbouring provinces’ 2008, Associated Press, guardian.co.uk website, 16 March http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/16/tibet.china1 - Accessed 17 December 2008.

11. ‘China admits Tibet unrest has spread’ 2008, NDTV.com website, 20 March http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080044549&ch=3/20/2 008%207:50:00%20PM – Accessed 11 December 2008.

12. ‘China cracks down in Tibet and beyond as protests spread’ 2008, Los Angeles Times, 18 March. (CISNET China CX195716)

13. Serita, S. 2008, ‘Tensions continue in western China’s Tibetan area of Ganzi’ 2008, Kyodo News Service, 14 April. (CISNET China CX198046)

14. ‘More Tibetan protests’ 2008, Radio Free Asia, 12 June. (CISNET China CX202295)

15. ‘Beijing imposes life in prison, uses torture, to test world reaction, says Tibetan leader’ 2008, AsiaNews, 30 April http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=12138&size=A# - Accessed 17 December 2008.

16. UK Home Office 2008, China - Country of Origin Information Report, June.

17. Stewart, C. 2008, ‘China’s iron fist cracks down to subdue Tibet rebels’, The Australian, 8 November. (CISNET China CX213996)

18. ‘China sets free more than 1,000 rioters over Lhasa violence’ 2008, Sina, 26 November. (CISNET China CX215193)