Tibetan residents demanded compensation for land illegally seized by authorities, sources say. Police have arrested and detained four Tibetans who protested Chinese authorities’ seizure of pasture land owned by Tibetans in the Tibet Autonomous Region, three sources inside Tibet told Radio Free Asia. On April 10, residents of Taktsa village in Luonixiang rural township in Markham county in Chamdo, or Changdu in Chinese, clashed with authorities after they appealed against the land grab and demanded compensation, said the sources, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. In 2023, a Chinese county official illegally sold the pasture land to businessmen without the knowledge of locals and without providing them any compensation, the sources said.  The Tibetans had no knowledge that their land had been seized illegally until this April when the businessmen sent people to clear it. The Tibetans then confronted authorities, demanding payment. Police arrested and detained four of the Tibetans, and slapped and beat many others at the scene, said one of the sources.  There were no immediate details about the status of the four or the charges against them, and it is not clear for what purpose the seized land will be used.  Despite repeated attempts, RFA did not receive any immediate response to calls to Markham county authorities and the local police station.  Chinese authorities in the Tibet Autonomous Region and in Tibetan-populated areas of nearby Chinese provinces often ignore residents’ concerns about mining and land grabs by local officials, who routinely rely on force to subdue those who complain or protest, according to human rights groups. Over the past few years, there have been several reports of similar land grabs that have taken place in Chamdo, a resource-rich area in eastern Tibet.  Most of the land grabs have been related to mining, including copper, gold and lithium, and development projects that China has undertaken in the areas. In some cases, Tibetans have been forced from their homes. The gesture was also seen being made by Buddhist monks and Tibetans residents during February protests in Dege county, southwestern China’s Sichuan province, in an appeal to Chinese officials to stop a planned dam project on the Drichu River. In the videos from Markham county, young and elderly Tibetans kneel before police clad in black, and wail, while others pull and tug at the authorities to heed their pleas. The land in question is used by about 25 Tibetan families to graze their animals and for recreation purposes, the sources said.  Chinese authorities have arrested the official who had colluded with the businessmen to illegally seize the land without compensating the Tibetans, charging him with corruption, said one of the sources.  Now, the residents are demanding compensation for the land that had been occupied, he added. Chinese police have forbidden the Tibetans from sharing information about the incident with people outside China, the sources said.   Source: rfa

Police have clashed with Tibetan and Uyghur activists outside the Chinese embassy where the group was protesting against the visit of Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Federal police officers had to remove several protesters holding Tibetan and Uyghur flags and chanting anti-Chinese government slogans outside the embassy's compound. Protest organiser Tsewang Thupten told the crowd it was important to send a strong message to the visiting Chinese dignitary about his country's appalling human rights record.  "We will never be silent! We will never be silent. We will have courage. We will have courage. We will never stop! We will never stop!" protesters chanted. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who met with Chinese counterpart Mr Wang earlier on Tuesday, told media that she pressed him about the suspended death sentence handed to Australian writer Yang Hengjun, and also on unwinding its remaining restrictions on Australian's goods. Senator Wong and Mr Wang sat down for lengthy and wide-ranging discussions in Canberra on Wednesday morning.  Both ministers opened the meeting by acknowledging that their countries still have deep differences. But Mr Wang said those differences shouldn't "define" the relationship, while Senator Wong stressed that dialogue was critical to keeping it on an even keel. "A stable relationship between Australia and China doesn't just happen, it needs ongoing work," Senator Wong told journalists after the meeting. Senator Wong said she again raised the government's deep concerns over the death sentence handed to Australian writer Yang Hengjun last month. "I told the foreign minister Australians were shocked at the sentence imposed and I made clear to him the Australian government will continue to advocate on Dr Yang's behalf," she said. But she wouldn't be drawn on whether Australia was pressing for China to release Dr Yang and allow him to return home, or simply wanted to ensure he was spared the death penalty. Beijing has already signalled it will soon withdraw heavy tariffs on Australian wine, but Senator Wong said she'd pressed Mr Wang to also roll back barriers that remain on rock lobsters and some meatworks. On Wednesday, Mr Wang appeared to link China's decision to unwind wine tariffs to Australia's decision to let tariffs on Chinese wind towers lapse, but Senator Wong insisted during her press conference that the two issues were not linked in any way. "We'll continue to advocate for all trade impediments to be removed. We think it's in both countries' interests," she said. Senator Wong also said that Australia and China would "expand dialogue in key areas such as the Pacific, climate and energy cooperation and to enhance understanding and transparency", although it's not clear right now what shape those talks will take. The foreign minister told journalists she also expressed "serious concern" to Mr Wang about "unsafe conduct at sea" and highlighted Australia's "desire for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and in our region." Australia has backed the Philippines in its dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea, where Chinese coastguard vessels have been trying to force Philippine ships out of contested  waters, despite an international ruling against its claims to the region. "I reflected the view of our region as outlined again and underscored again at the recent ASEAN summit about the importance of the South China Sea being governed by law, particular UNCLOS," Senator Wong said. She also said that plans for the Chinese premier to visit Australia later this year were "on track." That visit is widely expected to happen around the middle of the year, although that hasn't yet been publicly confirmed by either country. Earlier, Mr Wang used his opening remarks at the beginning of the meeting to declare that both China and Australia should "seek commonality or shelve differences" in the wake of several "twists and turns" in ties. "Our two countries have different social systems, histories and cultures, there are many differences, but our common interests outweigh those differences," he said. "So, we should also not only face differences and express them squarely but also manage and rise above those differences." In a thinly veiled reference to the United States, he also stressed that Australia should maintain an "independent" foreign policy and that "third parties" should not try to "disrupt" ties between Canberra and Beijing. Beijing has repeatedly accused the US of trying to corral Australia into a new military bloc with the aim of containing China, and has excoriated the federal government's plan to develop nuclear powered submarines under the AUKUS pact. "The most valuable (thing) is to stay committed to independence," he said. "I trust that independence is also a fundamental principle in Australia's foreign policy. "The development of our relations does not target any third party and should not be disrupted or affected by any third party." Source: ABC

China’s cascade dam project on the Drichu, the upper Yangtze River, sparked discontent among the local population. On February 14, hundreds of Tibetans in Derge County (Dege in Mandarin), part of the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, protested in front of the county government office building. They sought a halt to the construction of 1.1. million kilowatt hydropower station on the Drichu River. In a related demand, the protesters wanted authorities to withdraw the order for thousands of Tibetans to relocate from Upper Wonto and Shipa villages and six important monasteries – including the Wonto monastery, which was built in the 13th century and has priceless murals dating from that period. The villages and monasteries are expected to be flooded once the dam’s reservoir is complete.  Local Tibetans argue that this hydropower project has ignored the sacred nature of these monasteries and their importance in the culture, religion, and value system of Tibetan Buddhists. Derge is not part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, whose borders were drawn up by the Chinese Communist Party, but is part of Kham, a historically Tibetan region. Since February 14, there have been multiple non-violent protests against the hydropower project. However, these protests are being muzzled by the government’s crackdown. According to local sources, the police have arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans, including monks, and imposed a complete lockdown on these monasteries.  A few dozen of those arrested have since been released, albeit under strict orders not to participate in further protests. Others, including the senior administrator of Wonto Monastery and a village official, were transferred to a large detention center, after reportedly being “severely beaten” while in custody. The Gangtuo (Kamtok) hydropower project is one of a series of 13 hydropower stations planned on the Drichu River, known as the Jinsha River in Mandarin. It is being developed by Huadian Jinsha River Upper Reaches Hydropower Development Co., Ltd., which is currently directly managed by China Huadian Group.  In November 2011, the National Development and Reform Commission together with the relevant national ministries and commissions and the provincial-level governments of Sichuan, Tibetan Autonomous Region, and Qinghai reviewed the hydropower planning report of the upper reaches of the Drichu River and agreed on the “one reservoir and thirteen levels,” with Gangtuo as the leading reservoir. The pre-feasibility study for the hydropower project was completed in 2016.  The dam is now being built as part of the 13th Five-Year Plan of China. The 229-meter dam is also the leading reservoir for the western route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, to divert water from the Yangtze to the Yellow River. The once pristine and free-flowing rivers of Tibet are being tamed with the rapid development of hydropower projects.  Alongside the hydropower development in the region, there are many related development activities, including the building of roads, a gas station, and other associated infrastructure. The construction is having a profound impact on the people as well as the environment. Many of these existing, planned, and under-construction hydropower dams lack comprehensive environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs).  The approach to dam-building in Tibet goes against China’s own legislative framework, including laws government environmental disclosures, public interest environmental litigation, public feedback on planned hydropower projects, and proper ESIA procedures. Since 2009, China has formulated and implemented three action plans on human rights and environmental issues.  Based on these regulations, China’s government is well aware that certain special projects, like hydropower plans, cause adverse environmental impact and directly affect the environmental rights of the public. Tibetans should not be criminalized for speaking out about the impact of such projects. Instead, the Chinese government should uphold its commitment to promote and protect the rights of Tibetans living in Tibet.   Source: The Diplomat

Young Tibetans from the Tibetan Diaspora in Austria protested in front of the Chinese Embassy in Vienna in the evening of 24/02/2024 against the human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese communist party in Tibet. Adopting a novel protest, the young Tibetans used a projector and played videos of forceful displacement of Tibetans by Chinese in Tibet on the walls of the Chinese Embassy in Vienna. They also projected words highlighting the human rights violations of China and the cultural genocide carried out by China to erase the Tibetan identity. The young Tibetans, associated with VTAG, Europe, also raised slogans against the large scale environmental degradation happening in Tibet in the guise of huge projects which are unsustainable for the region. These projects including huge defence establishments, large dams would displace large number of Tibetans from their native homeland. One of the main objectives behind such projects is to forcefully relocate Tibetans and erase their identity. The systematic disregard for the fundamental rights of Tibetans by the Chinese government reflects a blatant violation of international human rights law. China, obligated to respect and adhere to mechanisms safeguarding people’s rights, has been persecuting human rights defenders, forcibly resettling Tibetans, engaging in forced labor, fostering workplace discrimination, curtailing religious freedom and language rights, assimilating Tibetan children in boarding schools, and perpetrating cultural genocide. During the protest, the young Tibetans also raised slogans in German to bring this create awareness among the Austrian people that what is happening to Tibetans in Tibet is a deliberate extinction of a community, an identity. They called upon the international community to unite and openly support the Tibetan Government-in-exile in their ongoing struggle to protect the human rights of Tibetans in Tibet.   Source: Voices Against Autocracy

Chinese security forces have detained over 100 Tibetan Buddhist monks and local residents in the southwestern Sichuan province amid escalating protests against the construction of a massive dam. The dam, known as the Gangtuo hydropower station, is set to submerge six Buddhist monasteries and displace two villages. In a rare display of defiance, residents of Wangbuding township in Dege County, part of the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, have been taking to the streets since February 14. Their protest is directed against the construction of the 2,240-megawatt hydropower station on the Drichu River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. The ongoing protests began on February 14 when at least 300 Tibetans gathered outside the Dege county town hall, openly opposing the dam’s construction despite strict controls on public gatherings and intense surveillance by authorities in Sichuan and Tibet. Reportedly, the detentions took place in the Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan, an area densely populated by ethnic Tibetans. Some of the arrested protesters required hospitalization due to the use of force by the police, including water cannons, pepper spray, and tasers. Videos captured during the protests depict monks pleading with officials not to demolish Yena and Wonto monasteries, both earmarked for destruction as part of the hydropower project. The project, estimated at USD 4.6 billion, is the largest hydropower venture in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River. Locals are particularly distressed as the dam construction threatens the existence of six monasteries, including the Wonto Monastery, home to ancient murals dating back to the 13th century. China has consistently attempted to erase Tibetan culture and heritage through force, and the construction of this dam is one such move. The Gangtuo hydropower dam project will not only lead to the displacement of the Upper Wonto and Shipa villages but also result in the destruction of the Yena, Wonto, and Khardho monasteries in Dege county, as well as the Rabten, Gonsar, and Tashi monasteries in Chamdo township. Wonto Monastery, severely damaged during China’s Cultural Revolution, holds cultural and religious significance, with locals preserving its ancient murals since its rebuilding in 1983. Despite the ongoing protests, the construction of massive hydropower projects in the Tibet Autonomous Region has intensified in recent years. China is also undertaking the world’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, close to the Arunachal Pradesh border, raising apprehensions among lower riparian states like India and Bangladesh.  

Hundreds of Tibetans staged protests outside the Derge (Chinese: Dege) county government’s office in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, on Feb. 14, 2024, calling for halt to a proposed hydropower station construction in their area, and to withdraw the order for relocation of Tibetans from the surrounding area because of this. Videos of the Tibetans’ protest were being circulated in the social media. A large group of Tibetans are seen peacefully protesting in front of a government office building and officials (mostly in civilian clothes) can be seen stopping the crowd from moving forward. Voice of America Tibetan reported that the Derge county officials informed the protesting Tibetans that nothing could be done on this at their level. According to a source in exile, who is from Derge, the Tibetans who were protesting were from Wento town (Wentuo Zhen) in Derge county who were being asked to relocate to another place near Moshoe bridge in the same county. The exact location of Moshoe bridge could not be ascertained, but the source said some houses have already been built there to house the people. Voice of America Tibetan service reported that the hydropower station was the Kamtok (Gangtuo) Hydropower Station. A posting about the protest on Chinese social media outlet Weibo also identified it as being Kamtok. ICT could not get independent confirmation, but this particular station is located over the Drichu River in the nearby Kamtok Township, Jomda (Jiangda) County, Chamdo (Changdu) City, TAR. Following the protest, one social media posting said the authorities have taken down the video circulating on Weibo. Radio Free Asia Tibetan reports that following the protests, Chinese authorities increased security measures and have been trying to identify protest organizers and participants, two sources inside Tibet said. Several monasteries and dozens of villages in two townships in the county face the threat of relocation, according to Tibetan language media reports. The International Campaign for Tibet is deeply concerned about the apparent disregard of local Tibetan’s rights and the threat of relocation, connected to the construction of the hydropower station. ICT is calling on the Chinese authorities to respect the rights of peaceful protesters and to refrain from using violence or resort to arbitrary detention of those involved. Moreover, ICT is urging the international community to press on the Chinese government to respect international human rights standards. The Chinese government continues to pursue blind and commercial infrastructure projects in Tibet that are designed and implemented without regard for environmental impacts or local community concerns. These projects, which include rail roads, highways, and power grids, combined with resource extraction projects such as hydropower dams and mining create economic and environmental costs that disproportionally impact Tibetans, ICT said. Tibetan water security Tibet is home to one-fifth of the world’s freshwater supply. Glacial runoff from it forms rivers in almost every country across South and Southeast Asia, with an estimated 1.8 billion people dependent on this water’s healthy, unimpeded flow. The integrity of Tibet’s ecology is critical to the Tibetan’ people’s way of life and directly contributes to the stability and economic wellbeing of downstream countries in South and Southeast Asia. However, large-scale water diversion projects and hydropower development are having dramatic downstream consequences, including lack of access to freshwater, economic disruption, and negative impacts on downstream ecosystems.   Source: savetibet.org

The resignation of two top allies of Prime Minister Victor Orban over a decision to pardon a man convicted of covering up a child sexual abuse case has done little to quell public anger. Tens of thousands of people in Hungary protested in the capital, Budapest on Friday amid a continuing fallout from a scandal that has rocked Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government. President Katalin Novak and former Justice Minister Judit Varga both resigned last weekend for supporting a decision to grant a pardon to a man implicated in a child sex abuse scandal in April 2023. The deputy director of a state-run orphanage who had been imprisoned for covering up a string of child sexual abuses was pardoned last year, but it only became known early this month.  Both ministers were close allies of Orban, whose party has governed the country with a constitutional majority for nearly 14 years. YouTubers and online creators lead protests Demonstrators, led by some of the most popular online personalities, filled the capital's sprawling Heroes' Square and called for genuine reforms to Hungary's child protection system. “I don’t know exactly what we’re going to achieve at the end of the day,” said Zsolt Osvath, a popular online content creator who helped organize the demonstration. “But it’s certain that we won’t stay silent any longer, and that we had to step out from the comfort zone of our computer screens.” The organizers included nearly a dozen popular YouTubers and other content creators who wrote they were "distraught" over the revealtions and protesting for a "healthy society." Political parties were asked to stay away from Friday's demonstration.  Orban chief of staff says government looking to "the future" Orban's Chief of Staff Gergely Gulyas told a press briefing earlier on Friday Orban did not have knowledge of the pardon until last week. "The prime minister himself learned about the affair in the press," he said. He said the president and the former justice minister took responsibility for the issue and the government considered the matter closed. Gulyas added that it was important "to look into the future" and the government would looking to tighten child protection regulations.  Orban was scheduled to deliver his annual state of the nation address on Saturday.   

Farmers are demanding that Germany's government drop plans to cut agricultural subsidies. Major traffic disruptions are expected in parts of the country due to the demonstrations. Dozens of farmers on Sunday arrived in Berlin ahead of demonstrations against government plans to reduce subsidies. The convoy reached the iconic Brandenburg Gate at 5:30 pm local time (1530 UTC), according to the local Berliner Zeitung daily. A candlelight vigil is scheduled for 11 p.m. What are the farmers' protests about? Farmers are demonstrating against plans by Germany's government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the suspension of agricultural subsidies. The governing coalition is made up of Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP). On Thursday, the government announced that it would walk back some of the planned cuts to subsidies, which the German Farmers' Association (DBV) considers to be an insufficient measure. On Friday, a spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry warned that anti-state and far-right elements could attempt to instrumentalize the protests for their own interests. Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the FDP urged farmers to "turn around," adding that agriculture was a "highly-subsidized sector," according to der Spiegel. The conservative opposition coalition CDU/CSU, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the right-wing populist Free Voters have expressed their support for the farmers' protests. Traffic disruptions expected in various parts of the country The Strasse des 17. Juni, a major thoroughfare that connects central Berlin and the western suburbs, has been closed to traffic ahead of the protests. Major transport disruptions are expected on Monday due to the demonstrations. The eastern state of Brandenburg's Transport Ministry voiced fears that there could be disruptions in the delivery of goods, according to Berliner Zeitung. To reduce the probability of disruptions, the state exempted January 7 from a driving ban for trucks that applies on all Sundays and public holidays. Authorities in the northern city-state of Hamburg warned of the possibility of traffic chaos as farmers from the state of Schleswig-Holstein are to arrive for a rally in the city.

The Awami Action Committee and the All-Party Alliance have announced a protest movement in the entire Gilgit-Baltistan from December 21 against the surge in the price of wheat and reduction in subsidies, a local Urdu newspaper, DailyK2 reported. The Awami Action Committee and the All-Party Alliance have announced a protest movement in the entire Gilgit-Baltistan from December 21 against the surge in the price of wheat and reduction in subsidies, a local Urdu newspaper, DailyK2 reported. A joint meeting of the alliance was held under the chairmanship of Action Committee Chairman Ehsan Ali Advocate at a local hotel in Skardu, in which the leaders of the Public Action Committee Gilgit-Baltistan and the leaders of all political, religious, nationalist parties and business organisations were present. Moreover, a large number of lawyers participated in the joint meeting and they discussed the increase in the price of wheat that is raising concerns amongst residents, reported DailyK2. Following the meeting, it was unanimously decided that since December 20 was given to the government to approve the demands, a large-scale protest movement will be started in the entire Gilgit-Baltistan area of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), on December 21. Protests will begin simultaneously in all districts and there will be protest sit-ins and demonstrations against the increase in the price of wheat in the streets, according to DailyK2. Moreover, if the protest continues, the scope of the protest will spread to other parts of the country. Later, the Chairman of the Public Action Committee, Ehsan Ali Advocate, while addressing the joint meeting, said that the Provincial Assembly is a dummy assembly. Even though the law has not been passed, all the money is going into the pockets of the elite, there is spectacle everywhere, and the public has been made a scapegoat, he said, according to DailyK2.  Source: ANI

A joint protest by scholars, journalists and businessmen was held against load shedding in Muzaffarabad , Pakistan-occupied Kashmir ( PoK ). A complete shutter-down strike was also observed and the locals called on the government to act quickly to stop load shedding. The load-shedding, according to demonstrators, is now intolerable and they are forced to take to the streets. A protester said, "I would like to thank everyone for closing their shops. The administration forced you to close your shops. No shopkeeper closes his shop; he sits in his shop in the morning and takes something for his family and kids. For the last five days, tailors in this area are suffering a lot. Have a fear of God. When God's stick is used, everyone is crushed in it. I request the administration and the new DC to take notice of it." The residents of the occupied region are accusing the Pakistani government of unfair treatment. The locals say that the government keeps sending them high electricity bills despite the fact that electricity is always cut off and load shedding is common in the area. In September, civil society activists were seen throwing thousands of electricity bills into a river in Muzaffarabad. Highly inflated bills have put undue financial strain on the people who live in the region, which produces large amounts of electricity. Another protester said, "This terrible injustice has been going on for the last five days. These madrassa students, tailors and residents have been worried for the last five days. You all are forcing us to intensify this protest in other areas." The residents are not able to perform prayers in mosques due to the lack of electricity. The situation is even worse in the rural and remote areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "Electricity has been turned off in Jama Masjid. People are offering namaz (prayer) in Jama Masjid by using candles and lamps. I condemn this. This is the condition of our cities. You can understand what kind of situation there must be in villages," said a protester. Since the unlawful occupation of PoK by Islamabad, the locals in the region have faced all kinds of challenges. The successive governments in Islamabad have treated them unjustly and they have never been given the rights they deserve. In recent years, the people in the area have started to voice their grievances against the government of Islamabad.  Source: ANI