Chinese police detain Tibetan guides on unreasonable charges to restrict contact between locals, foreign visitors
Mar 16, 2022
Lhasa [Tibet], March 16 : A Tibetan tour guide, Pasang Norbu was detained by the Chinese police authorities on unreasonable charges in a bid to restrict locals from coming in contact with foreign visitors to the tightly controlled Himalayan region.
A middle-school graduate in his 20s, Norbu, arrested last Friday, used to work in western Tibet's Shigatse municipality. He is a resident of Shigatse's Gampa county in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). A Tibetan living in exile told Radio Free Asia that Norbu was beaten by the Chinese Police and he was accused of running an illegal business.
Even when Norbu had the permit to work in the region, the Chinese police ignored his permit and threatened him twice to shut down his business, according to the sources.
On condition of anonymity and to protect his contact in the region, RFA's source said, "Pasang Norbu's business is legally registered by the official tourism administration in the TAR, and he even paid 18,000 yuan (USD 2,827.79) for a permit to run it."
Sources described Norbu as "a very decent person and always friendly with everyone." "He owns seven tour bikes, all in very good condition, and his family's livelihood depends on his tour guide service," he added.
Moreover, he shared, "He has a mother named Tsamchoe and his 13-year-old sister Choedon is still in school."
A researcher at London-based Tibet Watch, Pema Gyal confirmed Norbu's arrest, also citing sources in the Shigatse area.
"It's true that Pasang Norbu was arrested by Chinese authorities in Shigatse, but he is not the only one to have been detained. The Chinese government has recently been increasing its controls on many privately owned Tibetan tourist services and has been holding their owners on unreasonable charges," Gyal said.
Tibetan tour business has come under growing pressure by the Chinese authorities. One guide, Kunchok Jinpa, 51 was arrested for sharing the news of Tibetan anti-mining protests in Driru country within the Tibet Autonomous Region. He had been serving a 21-year prison term for sharing the news. He died on February 6, 2021, in a hospital in Lhasa after being transferred in critical condition from his prison.
Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force 70 years ago, and Tibetans living in Tibet frequently complain of discrimination and human rights abuses by Chinese authorities and policies they say are aimed at eradicating their national and cultural identity.
