The local Chinese police have launched a violent tear-gas assault on Tibetan villagers in Qinghai’s Yulshul prefecture who were protesting over a mining project at their local mountains. The violent suppression of local Tibetan villagers last week led to the end of two month long protest against the suspected Chinese mining operations.
According to the narration from local Tibetans, around 100 Tibetans had gathered at the Upper Dechung, a place where the Chinese mining operations were under way on July 7. The local source informed that those Tibetans were ready to risk themselves in order to stop the mining operations in their locality. However, the Chinese police were called in and they launched violent tear-gas and physical assault against the crowd.
The violent assault from the Chinese police left many of the crowd getting unconscious while the others were being severely beaten including a 70-year-old man called Sogrui Pewang who had to be rushed to a hospital to treat for his injuries.
“Mining has taken place here off and on, and the Chinese told us about a year ago that they were going to build a road through the area, but the local Tibetans began to suspect that the Chinese were digging not to build a road, but a mine.” the report from RFA quotes a local source.
The mining at the region is also reported that it is not being carried out by the Chinese government but by the local officials in collaboration with other people from the county. Therefore local people suspect corruption involved in this mining operation. Though the local protesters approached the provincial authorities for help, there hasn’t been any response till now.
Image: File Photo
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