#6.3

RFA Unplugged has news about the situation in Chengdu.

Huang Xiaomin, a Han Chinese activist in Chengdu, told Mandarin reporter Xinyu: “All major thoroughfares leading to the Tibet Autonomous Region’s office in Chengdu are manned by riot police and also armed police sitting in cars waiting. I walked around the neighborhood and saw no fewer than 60 vehicles, including mini vans and cars, with tags indicating that they were from public security. All cars traveling toward the direction of the TAR office are subject to inspection. Car trunks are searched. The drivers must get out of the cars and show their IDs. “

Our reporter Xinyu called the TAR office in Chengdu to confirm the security checks and was told by the duty officer: “We don’t know about that.”

#4.12

These photos confirm the earlier reports of an increased security presence in Chengdu, particularly around the Tibetan quarter. The first two are from the main square, the rest are from the Tibetan quarter. All are from March 17 2008.

Photos by AP Photo/Eugene Ho shiko and AFP/Teh Eng Ko on

#4.10

Following on from an earlier post, the Macau Daily Times is reporting on what is happening in Chengdu:

Tibetan neighbourhood in southwest China city near lockdown

Police yesterday cordoned off the main Tibetan neighbourhood in southwest China’s Chengdu city, amid citizen reports of a disturbance.
The main avenue and side streets were shut to traffic, while several buses of riot police were parked along the road, a reporter said. The street remained open to pedestrians and cyclists.
Officers, some with sub-machine guns, patrolled the area on foot or cruised in cars and motorcycles, checking anyone trying to drive out of the neighbourhood.
Store owners along the avenue near Chengdu’s Wuhouci, a Chinese temple, said a disturbance had occurred on Sunday night, but none could provide an eyewitness testimony.
“There was a little revolt last night. The Tibetans turned over an ATM machine and a car,” a security guard said, unable to provide further details.
“This is all related to the riots in Tibet because this is a predominantly Tibetan neighbourhood,” he said.
He was referring to deadly protests that broke out last week in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa against Chinese rule in the Himalayan region, prompting a massive security crackdown there.
China said yesterday Tibetan rioters killed 13 people in the Lhasa protests, while insisting it did not use deadly force in response.
But The India-based Tibetan parliament-in-exile said hundreds of Tibetans had died in the unrest in Lhasa and elsewhere.
A store owner of a mobile phone shop in Chengdu also said there had be a “disturbance on Sunday, but it was over now.” She had no further details.
Many locals denied any knowledge of why hundreds of police had been deployed to the primarily Tibetan neighbourhood, which occupies several square blocks.
Another resident said the police presence had been much heavier early yesterday morning.
A patrolman refused to answer questions, only saying he was not sure what had happened. An official at Chengdu police reached by telephone declined to comment.

#4.6

Unconfirmed reports of protest in Chengdu by ICT

There was also a peaceful protest today by students at the South-Western Minorities University in Chengdu, although details could not be confirmed at the time of going to press.

Global Voices has eyewitness accounts of paramilitary activity around Chengdu’s Tibetan quarter:

Though I’m off on business, mom is still at home in Chengdu, and my office is there, so through regular phone calls back I’ve gathered the following information:
Beginning on the 17th, this part of Chengdu, which is where the most number of ethnic Tibetans live, has been under lockdown; no cars allowed to enter, and many camouflage-wearing PAP who came in on over 10 vehicles are armed and doing patrols.
The office has stopped counting if people show up late, and nobody is allowed to do overtime at night, and people are going home early.
Kangding hotel right across from my home (a 3-star hotel opened by a Tibetan), according to rumors, has already had some of its higher-ups arrested, and there’ve been incidents of bloodshed (unconfirmed, this is just what everyone is saying)
There’s word out of Tibet too, that ten tons of explosives were brought into Chengdu and then disappeared……a friend of a friend in Tibet told him that. Stay away from plazas, the train station, or places with lots of people.
Use public transportation with caution.

I was just in the crowd and got the latest info! Chengdu’s military district has already gone on highest alert, and troops have now been dispatched toward Tibet. Wuhouci Rd. going both north and south have been completely sealed off, cars aren’t allowed in. Ximianqiao St. going both east and west has been completely sealed off, cars aren’t being allowed in. Shuhan Rd. and another side street are completely filled with police cars which have stopped all traffic. A rough estimate, there’s over 200 police, and over 100 police cars of every kind. There’s also around 50 police motorbikes, patrolling the streets non-stop in formations of groups of three. Where Wuhouci Rd. E meets Wuhouci Rd. W, there are also fire trucks. Both Wuhouci and Ximianqiao streets have completely become pedestrian streets, not a single car on either. Walking down the streets all you see are flashing police lights. Right now, you do not want to go into crowded areas and start pushing around. The tons of explosives they shipped here to Chengdu from Tibet aren’t to be seen now, they’ve disappeared. Police sent out an internal notice warning a few days ago, that [bleep]ists had entered Chengdu in an attempt to carry out terrorist strikes. These people have spent years overseas studying demolitions and are highly skilled at it, with cruel methods. Experienced police from all over Chengdu have been transferred here.