China has set up paramilitary public security detachments in two largely Tibetan cities to handle any terrorist acts or mass disturbances, overseas Tibet sources said Thursday.
The police unit in Lhasa, capital of southwestern China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, was set up on Oct. 29 last year and the unit in Xining, capital of neighboring Qinghai Province, began its work Nov. 3, according to the British-based Tibet Information Network, which quotes Chinese state media.
Paramilitary troops will handle any unexpected mass incidents, terrorism or violent crime, the information network said in a statement. They were also set up to ensure ethnic unity in a region where some Tibetans want to separate from China.
“The importance given to the new detachments is reflected in the fact that, though technically parts of municipal security authorities, they stand under the direct leadership of the (Communist) Party committee and the Government,” the statement says. “However, it remains unclear as to which particular level of party and government this is.”
No particular incident in the Tibetan regions motivated the establishment of paramilitary units, said Paul Bourke, executive officer of the Australia Tibet Council. Tibetans also do not normally practice terrorism or violence, he said.
“It seems a bit like overkill, really,” Bourke said.
However, Tibetans have recently heeded a call from the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan government in exile, by burning wildlife pelts. The Dalai Lama urged Tibetans to quit using animal skins as clothing.
The most recent burnings happened this month. On March 11, people burned pelts near the Labrang Tashi Kyil monastery in Gansu Province, and on March 14 they burned pelts in the Tsoe area of Gansu, the information network said.
