Tibetans in exile are condemning China's gold mining project in Kashi Village, Kham, and holding vigils in solidarity with protesters in Tibet who have faced arrest and repression for speaking out against the mining operations.
A coalition of five Tibetan NGOs in exile has strongly condemned the illegal gold mining project in Kashi Nomadic Village, located in the Kham Zachuka area of occupied Tibet. The NGOs, including the Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women's Association, National Democratic Party of Tibet, Gu Chu Sum Movement Association of Tibet, and Students for a Free Tibet India, staged a photo action in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, to draw attention to the issue.
The gold mining project, which began on November 5th without the consent of the local Tibetan population, has led to the arbitrary detention and torture of more than 80 Tibetans who appealed to authorities to halt the operations. These Tibetans believe the mining is destructive to the environment and threatens their identity as nomadic people who have lived on the land for generations. Approximately seven Tibetans remain missing since their arrest on November 6th. While some detainees have been released, many are reportedly in poor health, suffering from injuries sustained during detention, including broken ribs and kidney-related illnesses.
The NGOs are urging the international community to pressure China to immediately halt the gold mining project and ensure that the Tibetan people are included in decision-making processes regarding their ancestral lands and livelihoods. They are also demanding information on the whereabouts and safe return of the missing Tibetans and the unconditional release of all arrested and imprisoned Tibetans. Furthermore, the coalition is calling for an end to mining and mega-development projects on Tibetan land carried out without informed consent, and for the protection of Tibetans' fundamental rights.
Reports from inside Tibet indicate that Kashi village is under strict surveillance and heavy policing, with CCTV cameras installed in many households, severely restricting residents' freedom of movement and expression. Local Chinese authorities have declared protests against the gold mining project and the sharing of related information with the outside world as serious violations of the law.
The coalition of NGOs warns that many other mining operations across occupied Tibet remain undisclosed and unknown to both the international and Tibetan exile communities. They emphasize that the "systemic destruction of the Tibetan Plateau's fragile natural environment is ongoing, threatening not only Tibetans but the ecological balance of the entire region". The groups noted that since the 1980s, the Chinese government has carried out extensive extraction of precious minerals, including gold, silver, copper, and zinc, across Amdo, U-Tsang, and Kham. Strict state secrecy, surveillance, and repression have kept much of the resulting environmental destruction hidden from the international community.
The mining operations consume vast quantities of water, and the waste generated makes water in neighboring Tibetan communities undrinkable. Protests against gold extraction have led to arrests and violence by police and security forces. The environmental impact of mining in Tibet is raising serious concerns about the region's ecology, with many mining areas located close to rivers, leading to pollution with heavy metals. The Chinese government claims that mining in Tibet is for the development of Tibetans and to help them in financial growth, but there is limited evidence to support these claims. Instead, mining has caused severe environmental and social destruction in Tibet.
