Police in Tibet offer cash rewards for tips on crime, disloyal behavior
| Publisher | Radio Free Asia |
| Publication Date | 4 April 2018 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Asia, Police in Tibet offer cash rewards for tips on crime, disloyal behavior, 4 April 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5b2221c9a.html [accessed 4 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
2018-04-04
A March 13, 2018 Nagchu county police notice offering rewards for tip-offs on crime and 'disloyal' behavior. RFA
Chinese authorities in Tibet's Nagchu county are promising cash rewards for leads to "criminal" activity, including efforts to promote Tibet's national culture or language or ties to exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, according to a recently issued official notice.
The March 13 document, a copy of which was obtained by RFA's Tibetan Service, offers amounts up to 100,000 yuan (U.S. $15,856) for information on the activities of what it calls criminal gangs, a term loosely defined to include persons or organizations advocating "separatism," a charge often leveled against Tibetans calling for greater cultural or religious rights.
Awards of 50,000 yuan are also promised for information, to be verified by police investigation, regarding gambling, drug trafficking, and "the abuse of religion, power, and family connections to illegally encroach on property," the document says.
Other offenses listed include fundraising activities, environmental activism, the lending of money at high rates of interest, and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, according to the notice, which promises confidentiality in informants' dealings with the police.
Calls by RFA seeking information from the telephone hotline number listed on the Nagchu notice rang unanswered on April 3.
A notice circulated in February by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) of the Tibetan Autonomous Region meanwhile targets Buddhist monasteries believed to be "using religion to control, to incite, or to coerce the masses to resist the [Chinese Communist] Party and government."
The 22-point notice also criminalizes persons urging the protection of Tibetan culture and use of the Tibetan language, calling such efforts "reactionary and narrowly nationalistic," and warns against contacts with the Dalai Lama and "foreign hostile forces" supposedly loyal to him.
Behavior specified as illegal includes support for the Dalai Lama's "Middle Way approach" calling for greater autonomy for Tibet while acknowledging Beijing's sovereignty over Tibetan areas now part of China.
Reported by RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Link to original story on RFA website
