China's extreme restrictions on freedom of movement have a negative impact on ethnic Tibetans

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India]August 18: China's extreme restrictions on freedom of movement disproportionately affect ethnic Tibetans. Obstacles such as troop stations, checkpoints, roadblocks, required bureaucratic permits and passport restrictions affect freedom of movement both within Tibetan areas and between these areas and the outside world.

China has tightened travel restrictions. Tibetans need a permit to enter certain areas, especially near the international borders in the south. These restrictions on freedom of movement also make it difficult for Tibetans to go into exile in India and other countries.

The Tibetan reception centre in Dharamshala is empty. In addition, the number of students in the school of the Lower Tibetan Children's Village (TCV) in Dharamshala is also decreasing.

According to experts, China tightened Tibetans' freedom of movement following the protests in Tibet in 2008.

According to sources in the Central Tibetan Administration, only five Tibetans arrived in Dharamsala in 2020, four in 2021, ten in 2022 and 15 arrivals were reported in 2023. However, in the 1990s or early 2000s, the number of annual arrivals was over 2,000.

Speaking to ANI, Tenzin Passang, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet-India, said, “Escaping Tibet has always been a dangerous journey, but Tibetans still believe it works because they cannot freely practice their religion, speak their language and express their cultural identity. They realise that in exile they have a better chance of preserving this unique Tibetan identity and hence they choose to flee.”

Tibetans face almost insurmountable hurdles in obtaining a passport to travel abroad. In addition, in recent years more than 2,000 “inspectors” serving on some 700 “disciplinary committees” in rural Tibetan communities have tightened travel restrictions.

“After 2008, the number of people fleeing Tibet dropped dramatically because China deliberately increased its security and surveillance measures throughout Tibet to ensure that there would be no repeat of the 2008 mass demonstrations, which also received worldwide media coverage and for which China received international criticism. Therefore, the country has a strong interest in preventing Tibetans from fleeing, because Tibetans can provide first-hand information about human rights violations in Tibet,” added Passang.

He also pointed to previous cases in which Chinese authorities confiscated Tibetans' passports and restricted travel to Lhasa. Foreigners of Tibetan origin face enormous challenges when applying for a visa to enter Tibet, often waiting for years before their application is rejected.

“There have also been cases where they have confiscated passports from Tibetans living at the borders and imposed strict travel restrictions to Lhasa. Even in our own country, the CCP has waged a war against our culture and way of life,” she said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor.

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