China touts success in preventing undocumented Tibet-border crossings

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Father and daughter escaping Tibet by crossing over the Himalayas, passing through the Kytrak Glacier. (Photo courtesy: Manuel Bauer/Agentur Focus)

(TibetanReview.net, Jan18’19) – China said Jan 17 that it launched a stringent drive in Jul 2018 to crack down on illegal entry to and exit from Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), resulting in a 79-percent decrease in the number of cases compared with the first half of the year.

Responding to an increase of illegal exits and entries along TAR border during the first half of 2018, the region’s departure and entry inspection station launched the drive and strengthened cooperation with the People’s Liberation Army stationed along the border, reported China’s official globaltimes.cn Jan 17, citing the Chinese-language xzxw.com. (The news was not seen on the site’s English language section).

The report said a total of 100,000 vehicles and 500,000 passengers were inspected, resulting in nearly 1,000 people being refused entry to Tibet for not completing entry and exit formalities.

The report also said that more than 16,000 police officers visited 21,000 households along the border areas and to register 48,000 people coming from other provinces or regions.

Seven residents were stated to have been awarded a total of 84,000 yuan for their contributions in safeguarding border security.

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In India, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) was reported to have said Jan 17 that in 2017 there was a 97% drop in the arrival of Tibetans from Tibet to India. And the number hit the lowest ever in last many years with only 80 Tibetans arrived in India from Tibet last year, Timesofindia.com Jul 17 cited CTA security agencies as saying.

The report cited Karma Rinchen, the secretary of security department of the CTA, as saying even movement of Tibetans inside Tibet was restricted. “Tibetans are restricted to visit the capital city Lhasa in Tibet. Chinese authorities have taken the passports of many residents living in border areas of Tibet after 2012. Due to restrictions, only 80 Tibetans have arrived in 2017,” he was quoted as saying.

The average number of Tibetans coming to India was stated to be around 3000 till 2008, after which it continued to drop steeply due to tightening of border security in both Tibet and Nepal.

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