A report from Radio Free Asia describes hundreds of Kham-Tibetans opposing gold mining at Ser Ngol Lo in Markham county, Chamdo prefecture, Kham.
According to the account “Chinese mining and Lumbering firm, Zhongkai Co, has been reportedly authorized to excavate the area where peaceful Tibetan protesters are facing armed Chinese security forces at the site”.
The protest that has been going on for several months has generated tension amidst more than “300 armed police presence” at the site and “the security forces have cut off the protesters from the rest of the village by blocking all phones and even cell phones.” A resident told RFA that the soldiers are ready to use force to move ahead with the mining project and the “Tibetans are vowing to risk their lives to resist it”.
Another local villager said, “Today another four vehicles with roughly 30 to 40 soldiers in them went to the protest site and we are not able to reach any of the protesters”.
Pema Thinley, vice chairman of the TAR [sic] Communist Party, was sent to Markham to to convince the local population, one of the protesters said. But residents continued their demonstration, and Pema Thinley was escorted back to Lhasa, the regional capital, on April 5.
Around 500 Tibetans blocked the road leading to the planned mine site by sleeping on the road day and night when a contingent of security forces arrived on the 15th of May, one of the residents said adding that “The Tibetans declared that they are ready to die to protect the sacred hill.”
Both the employee of Zhongkai Co and an official at the Markham county Public Security Bureau declined to comment on the mine or the protest, RFA said.
Thanks to RFA
