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Press Statement
Protests against a planned dam and resettlement project in Tibet

1.2 Minutes
Tenzin Paljor Portrait Photo
  Tenzin Paljor
Drichu River Protest. Image Source: Radio Free Asia

Drichu River Protest.

© Image Source: Radio Free Asia

"The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom stands deeply troubled by the recent arrests of Tibetan individuals peacefully protesting against the construction of a dam on the Drichu River. We strongly urge the Chinese authorities to immediately release the detained Tibetan monks and villagers, who were simply exercising their fundamental right to peaceful dissent against the dam construction."

Background:

  • Chinese authorities have made mass arrests in Eastern Tibet amid major protests against the construction of a hydroelectric dam in China’s western Sichuan province that would force two villages to vacate and destroy several Buddhist monasteries and ancient murals.
  • Citizen videos exclusively shared with RFA show Chinese officials dressed in black forcibly restraining monks, who can be heard crying out against the dam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIMgL38mBHc
  • The construction would lead to the relocation of approximately 2,000 Tibetans and to the destruction of monasteries in the area which are home to invaluable cultural heritage, partly from the 13th century.
  • “The Chinese authorities have long been hostile to public protests, but their response is especially brutal when the protests are by Tibetans and other ethnic groups.” - Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch.
  • “We call on the Chinese government to release all those detained and to respect the rights and aspirations of the Tibetan people. The world needs to hear the Tibetans’ voices and confront the truth of Chinese misrule in Tibet.” – Sikyong Penpa Tsering
  • “The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile urgently calls for the immediate release of detainees, an immediate halt to the dam construction, and respect the will and desires of the local people for any projects in the region.” – Tibetan Parliament in Exile

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