During a horse racing festival in Serchen County in Tsolho prefecture of Amdo Tibet, (Qinghairovince), local Tibetans were accused of conducting illegal sales of minor goods from the trunks/boots of privately owned vehicles.
A short video of more than eleven-minute long is circulating on social media captured from inside Tibet. In the video, a Tibetan vendor is quarrelling with police officers and attempting to commit suicide. After that, the police officers arrested two or three persons. A mother among them lay down under the Police vehicle to block them with the threat of death, shouting out ‘A…hawo, Ahawo’ (in Tibetan: expression of when someone is in very critical condition).
Information received to Tibet Times, on the 20th of this month, some Tibetans were selling minor goods using their private car trunks/boots in Mokri village, Jangshi Kog town, Serchen County, Tsolho prefecture, (Qinghai province), Amdo Tibet. During that time, the police officers of Serchen County accused them as illegal vendors and started confiscating the goods. Therefore, the victim’s family blocked the police officers and quarreled back, “You did nothing to others. Why confiscate our goods?” A youth shouted out, beating his head on the car, “I won’t give the goods. Kill me. Kill me instead.”
In the video, the police officers coerced and put two or three men into the police vehicle. Near them two old women seemingly mothers are wailing aloud, “Take us too” and forcing themselves into the car, but police officers blocked them.
The mother of one of the arrested men then quickly lies down under the police vehicle and shouts, “A…Hawo, Ahawo.” she is protesting that she will not let the vehicle pass until the vehicle drove over and killed her.
On 23rd July, the police office of Serchen County stated this case. It is said that on the 20th, around 2 pm, a group of people conducted illegal activities in the place of district tourist activities. When it was stopped, the protest had happened in the name of disabled vehicle movement and threatening suicide. It is declared that shooting the video on the ground and posted on many media have caused social conflicts. So, all case-connected people are in detention and will be punished with a hefty fine.
A concerned Tibetan told Tibet Times, “These days, many people do set up a tent stall selling minor goods in the places that are crowded to earn some money. Some people are not able to manage a tent and sell the products in private cars. This issue has also happened since some people did sell some products in cars, and so the police officers of Serchen County threatened them saying it is not legal and the goods are going to be confiscated. Masses explained that it is not fair, but the police officers arrested all the concerned people put them into the police car, and taken away. This issue is an evident that there is no freedom of speech and movement and no human rights in Tibet. This is clearly evident that the Chinese government is observing every Tibetan in their daily activities.”
He further added, “At the very first sight when this situation seen, it looks like a fight has been broken between Tibetans. However, most of the local police are Tibetan and were carrying orders from higher Chinese authorities. From this issue, indirectly, it is known that Tibetans are threatening Tibetan farmers and nomads themselves too”
