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More than 60 people arrested during peaceful protests in Sichuan
People demonstrated for Tibetan independence, the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet, religious freedom and the release of Tibetan prisoners. Protests are a daily occurrence, sometimes two or three times a day. The authorities have tightened security in connection with 1 July, 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.
Dharamsala (AsiaNews/RFA) – Chinese police arrested more than 60 Tibetans in Kardze (in southwestern Sichuan province) on Thursday, Radio Free Asia reported. Most of them were monks and local residents who “were calling for Tibetan independence, for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet, and for religious freedom,” as well as “for the release of political prisoners,” said Jampel Monlam, head of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.
Since 6 June, when protests began, Chinese authorities have tightened security in the area. Unrest escalated between 17 and 19 June, with “protests every day," Jampel said, “sometimes two or three in a day.”
Kalsang, a member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, said that Beijing has enhanced security across the Himalaya and that people are being taken into custody every day.
Back in March, the authorities stopped issuing visas for foreign tourists until further notice. They were concerned about the 60th anniversary of Tibet’s so-called “peaceful liberation”, which Mao Zedong’s army occupied in 1951 (see “From March onwards, foreign tourists barred from Tibet,” in AsiaNews, 8 March 2011).
As the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party on 1 July approaches, Beijing is stepping up its checks in monasteries and convents.