Dharamshala, 16th March: Chinese police detained a Tibetan tour guide working in western Tibet’s Shigatse municipality this month, according to RFA, as authorities step up attempts to prevent interactions between locals and foreign visitors to the tightly controlled Himalayan area. Pasang Norbu, a resident of Shigatse’s Gampa (in Chinese, Gangba) county in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), was apprehended and beaten by police on March 11 on suspicion of conducting an illegal enterprise. Norbu’s whereabouts in detention or current condition were unknown at the time of publication.
According to RFA who claimed a source who has a connection in the region, said that Pasang Norbu’s business is legally registered by the official tourism administration in the TAR, and he even paid 18,000 yuan [U.S. $2,827.79] for a permit to run it, however, police had disregarded his permit and warned him twice to close his operation.
RFA describes Norbu in his 20s, a middle-school graduate. He has a mother named Tsamchoe and his 13-year-old sister Choedon is still in school. He was described by RFA’s sources in Tibet 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.”
Norbu’s detention was confirmed by Pema Gyal, a researcher at Tibet Watch in London. Gyal said that he(Norbu) 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.
As per reports, Chinese officials have increased their pressure on Tibetan tour companies in recent years, concerned about foreign guests’ unmonitored contact with Tibetans who have returned to their native areas to work as tour guides after spending time in India.
Kunchok Jinpa, 51, died in a hospital in Lhasa on Feb. 6, 2021, after being moved in severe condition from his prison, where he had been serving a 21-year sentence for informing RFA and other outside media about Tibetan anti-mining rallies in Driru (Biru) county. In 1989, he went to India to live and study in exile, and nine years later, he returned to Tibet, where he was well-liked and respected by his community.
Disclaimer: The above information presented is based on RFA’s report, Tibetanjournal is not responsible for any information presented above.
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