(TibetanReview.net, Dec17’25) – For exposing and protesting against illegal mining for gold going on in their local area, China has detained at least 80 Tibetans early last month from a village in the historically Tibetan area of Sichuan province while doing nothing to act against the invasive prospectors, who they were apparently in cahoot with, according to the Central Tibetan Administration on its Tibet.net website Dec 16, citing its think tank Tibet Policy Institute (TPI). While most have eventually been apparently released after severe ill-treatment with all manners of serious injuries, seven remain missing.
Residents of Kashi village in Sershul (aka Dzachukha, Chinese: Sêrxü or Shiqu) County of Kardze prefecture were stated to have discovered the illegal mining for gold taking place at a site known as Serkhok in the afternoon of Nov 5. They confronted the prospectors and also alerted the township authorities.
However, instead of implementing the law, the authorities scolded the villagers, telling them it was their job to take cognisance of the matter and the villagers‘ attempt to stop the mining was illegal, TPI’s Deputy Director Mr Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha has said in a press release Dec 16.
Rebuking the villagers, the officials have said, “You have no right to interfere. The complete ownership of this land belongs to the government. We will investigate and make decisions.”
The release said the villagers’ actions triggered a chain of events that included widespread arrests, a communications blackout, and an intensified security presence throughout Kashi Township.
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Late in the evening of Nov 6, the authorities were stated to have begun door-to-door arrests in the village, entering homes, confiscating cellphones, carrying out aggressive searches, and taking away many residents to Sershul County for interrogation.
While the arrests were going on, the local united front office, public security bureau, armed police, and township officials were stated to have jointly sealed the entire township.
TPI cited local sources as saying around 80 Tibetans were estimated to have been detained, though the exact number remained unknown; several people were stated to be missing. Even those suspected to be disapproving of the illegal mining were stated to have been taken away.
The authorities were also stated to have called the villagers to a meeting and warned them not to speak about the incident, saying the information must “never be leaked to higher levels or to the outside world;” that any such disclosure would be treated as a serious criminal offence.
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Those taken away were reported to have undergone severe ill-treatment, not given leave even to empty their bowels and bladders while being deprived of sleep. They were stated to have been served a starvation meal of just a morsel of roasted barley flour mixed with cold water just once a day.
Violent interrogation and torture were stated to have led to several detainees suffering broken ribs, kidney-ailments, severe physical and psychological impairments, relapses of tuberculosis, and so forth.
While medical examinations were conducted at the county hospital, doctors’ reports were not fully disclosed, TPI has said.
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Among the arbitrarily detained villagers were a number of elderly Tibetans. They were released after their cellphones were examined, with the usual warnings and threats. Many were stated to have been repeatedly summoned back for “re-education” sessions.
Some detainees were released after they became seriously ill while in custody, while others were freed only after signing pledges not to oppose the mining activities and not to disclose information. Besides, they also made to sign false witness statements, saying local Tibetans had assaulted government officials without justification.
The press release said the situation in Kashi township was “extremely tense,” with communications cut, arrests ongoing, and movement heavily restricted. Villagers were stated to express fears for the safety of family members amid uncertainty about what may follow next.
Surveillance cameras, other recording devices, and monitoring equipment are stated to have been installed in numerous private homes to record conversations and monitor daily activities,
TPI has cited local sources as saying illegal mining activities in the region had kept occurring since the 1990s, with County and township authorities, colluding with private businessmen, leading to decades of environmentally destructive plunder of minerals.
Kashi township was stated to be already under heavy restrictions on Tibetan religious and cultural practices over many years. These include only four monks being allowed to gather for prayers at local monasteries, public prayer gatherings being prohibited, the elderly being prevented from performing religious circumambulations during major festivals, gatherings of more than ten people being banned, and students being prohibited from attending private cultural workshops or tutorials during school holidays.