Dharamshala, 21 October: Tibetan nomads in Qinghai province are being forced to sign an agreement transferring ownership of their customary lands to the Chinese government. These nomads follow and herd sheep on the Tibetan plateau’s lush grasslands in nearly the same way as their forefathers did decades ago, but Chinese officials are now preventing them from accessing their customary grazing lands, according to Radio Free Asia.
According to an RFA source in Tibet, the Chinese are forcing Tibetans to sign ownership certificates that transfer ownership of these properties to the government. They are canceling usage permits and confiscating land in the nomadic parts of Trindu [in Chinese, Chenduo] county in Kyegudo. The true goal of taking the land, according to the source, is to force Tibetan nomads to relocate to the city.
The Chinese government agreed 50 years ago to let indigenous nomads in Tibet Autonomous Prefecture utilize their grazing area without intervention, but that agreement has already expired.
A Tibetan community leader and his nephew were imprisoned in Qinghai’s Tridu county earlier this month after warning local Tibetans not to sign away their rights, according to Radio Free Asia.