Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 22 : A group of five NGOs, including the Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women's Association, National Democratic Party of Tibet, Gu Chu Sum Movement Association of Tibet, and Students for a Free Tibet India, vehemently denounced China's unlawful gold mining activities in Kashi village, Kham Zachuka, during a photo demonstration at McLeod Ganj's Main Square in Dharamshala on Friday morning, as reported by Phayul.
The Chinese government initiated an unauthorised gold mining operation in Kashi village, Kham Zachuka, Sershul County, in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on November 5, without gaining consent from the local Tibetan residents. When community members tried to peacefully halt the project and filed appeals to the authorities, they faced intimidation and disregard, followed by harassment and oppression. On November 6, over 80 Tibetans were arbitrarily detained, and seven individuals went missing under coercive circumstances, according to Phayul.
"The conditions in Kashi village are dire and require prompt international focus and intervention. Remaining silent and inactive will only facilitate further environmental destruction and human rights abuses in Tibet," the five prominent NGOs declared in a collective statement, as referenced by Phayul.
The organisations highlighted that since the 1980s, the Chinese government has conducted widespread extraction of valuable minerals, including gold, silver, copper, and zinc, throughout Amdo, U-Tsang, and Kham. They stated that rigorous state secrecy, surveillance, and oppression have obscured much of the resultant environmental damage from the global audience.
Although the recent disclosure of gold mining activities in Kashi has attracted renewed international attention, the groups cautioned that many mining operations throughout Tibet likely remain undisclosed and unknown to both the Tibetan exile community and the broader international community.
"It is evident," the statement further noted, "that the ongoing, systematic, and severe degradation of the Tibetan Plateau's delicate natural environment poses threats not only to Tibetans but also to the ecological equilibrium of the entire region," as quoted by Phayul.
They proposed five key demands. They requested an immediate cessation of the destruction of the Tibetan Plateau's environment and called for its protection. They demanded the unconditional liberation of all detainees and imprisoned Tibetans. They insisted that authorities provide accountability for all individuals who have disappeared and return them safely to their families.
They urged an end to mining and large-scale development projects on Tibetan territory conducted without informed consent and called for the safeguarding of Tibetans' basic rights. They also called on the international community to focus on Tibet's vulnerable ecosystem and to safeguard the fundamental rights of the Tibetan people, as reported by Phayul.
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