BBC on Tibet, Part 2 (BBC Gets Seduced by Chinese Propaganda?)
The BBC’s Michael Bristow is reporting a series of articles from Tibet. Here, SFT provides our running commentary (also see Part 1).
In Tibet, things are not often what they seem. Journalists cannot travel to Tibet without a special permit, and they must operate under serious restrictions. Additionally, government “minders” accompany journalists, making it difficult to speak candidly with interviewees who fear retribution if they don’t give the “approved” answer.
The BBC’s second article deals with China’s policy to forcibly relocate about 10% of central Tibet’s population, called the “Namdrang Rangdrik” Program (“Do-It-Yourself” Program).
This program is a massive scheme whereby rural Tibetans must build more “modern” homes, financed by their savings, loans, and sometimes government grants. Unfortunately, it seems that Mr. Bristow has been unduly impressed with what his Chinese hosts have told him, without looking sufficiently under the surface.
The article takes a rather upbeat approach toward this government-mandated social engineering program:
The villagers themselves say they support the project.
[...]
Her new home cost 140,000 yuan ($18,500, £9,100) to build and furnish, which her family paid for mostly out of their own savings.
[...]
“I don’t think there is a country in the world that has this kind of favourable relocation policy,” says county chief Sun Baoxiang [a Chinese official] from behind a pair of large sunglasses. [Note: most countries indeed don't play with people's lives like construction toys.]
He says the village’s 500-odd families all welcome the project. “There have been no cases of imposed relocation,” he explains. [Note: Comrade Sun doth protest too much.]
What the article overlooks is that the villagers do not have any liberty to refuse. The Chinese government is not famous for allowing opposition, especially in Tibet.
Human Rights Watch has condemned this relocation plan, saying “The Chinese government’s latest campaign of forcing Tibetans to reconstruct their homes is deepening poverty rather than boosting economic development.”
HRW notes:
But Tibetans affected by the initiatives have recently told Human Rights Watch that local officials have frequently embezzled the centrally allocated funds, while ordinary villagers have been expected to contribute free manual labor to build the houses… In several reported cases, land vacated by relocated villagers is now being used for mining or other infrastructure projects.
[...]
But few of the houses actually have modern amenities such as water or electricity. In addition, the new houses are also usually smaller than the old ones and lack courtyards, which means that residents cannot keep their livestock and must sell them. Tibetans say that doing so closes off a significant source of livelihood for them.
The fact that the program is being carried out mostly along major roads suggests that a significant aim is to “beautify” Tibet for casual observers. The poorest villages, which would presumably need assistance the most, tend to be further from main roads. Additionally, the lack of electricity and water suggests that the new homes are more for external show than for the benefit of rural Tibetans.
It is hardly ever a good idea when an illegitimate, unaccountable government gets free reign to implement massive social engineering programs with no local consultation. It is unsurprising that the Chinese government’s “Namdrang Rangdrik” Program should have such negative consequences for the Tibetans it affects. What is surprising is that the BBC appears to have fallen for the Chinese government’s propaganda on it.
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Michael Bristow is answering readers’ questions about Tibet at the end of his series. Please send him your questions using the form at the bottom of the page here.
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[...] The BBC’s Michael Bristow is reporting a series of articles from Tibet. Here, SFT provides our running commentary (also see Part 1 and Part 2). [...]
BBC is just one of the many right-wing media sources that try and control public opinion and mold them to their own worldview. For reliable news on Tibet, this site is therefore invaluable, as are pro-Tibetan websites like phayul.com. Even indymedia is much more reliable because of the democratic process they use to collect information.