Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations


Barkhor:     Central circumambulation and market area around the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa
Boe:     Wooden container with a 14 kg capacity
CAT:     UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
CEDAW:     UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
CERD:     UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination Counter-revolutionary: legal/political term for an enemy of the state or for any act "committed with the goal of overthrowing the political power of the dictatorship of the proletariat and the socialist system" (Chinese Criminal Code, 1980, Art. 90). The revised Criminal Law has replaced this term with "endangering state security"
County:     (Tib: dzong) Administrative division approximately equivalent to district
CPL:     Criminal Procedure Law (of China); the revised CPL came into effect on January 1, 1997 CRC: Convention on the Rights of the Child Detention Centre: (Ch: Kanshousuo) place where prisoners are held without charge and subject to investigation prior to sentencing. Gutsa is the detention centre for Lhasa prefecture and Seitru for "TAR".
DMC:     Democratic Management Committee; these administrative organs were established from 1962 in monasteries and nunneries in Tibet and have been reconstituted under the "patriotic re-education" campaign Drapchi Prison: Officially known as "Tibet Autonomous Region" No.1 Prison, the only prison in Tibet acknowledged by the PRC
Endangering State Security: charge introduced in the revised CPL to replace "counter-revolutionary" Floating Population: (Ch: hudong renkou) used to refer to those settlers who are unregistered permanent and temporary residents in Tibet
Gya ma: unit of measurement equivalent to 500 grams
ICCPR:     UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ICESCR:     UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Khel:     The load that can be carried by a yak; equivalent to 28 gyama
Lhasa City: This municipal area incorporates the city of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, as well as administering eight counties.
Mosey:     Ten mosey is equal to one Yuan
Mu:     A measure of land area equal to 67 square meters
Patriotic Re-education: a sub-campaign of "Strike Hard" under which Chinese work-teams have been sent in to Tibetan monasteries and nunneries to enforce Communist ideology.
Phing:     Ten Phing is equal to one Mosey (Chinese currency) PRC : People's Republic of China
Prostrate:     Buddhist practice of lying down before any sacred body PSB: Public Security Bureau
Rukhag:     One small unit within a village
Sang:     Unit of measurement equavelent to 50 grams (ten Sang is equal to one Gyama)
Sho:     10 sho is equal to one Sang
Splittist:     (Tib: Khad'el ringluk) a term used by China to refer to those who advocate the Tibetan independence movement
Strike Hard : (Ch: yanda Tib: dungdek tsanen) is a campaign targetted at crushing corruption and crime. Within Tibet, Chinese authorities have focused on "splittist" actions
TAP:     Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture; 10 of these administrative areas (below the level of a province or region) were created outside "TAR" by the Chinese authorities and are located in north and eastern Tibet (in the Tibetan provinces of Kham and Amdo).
TAR:     Tibet Autonomous Region; formally created by China in 1965, this area of Central and Western Tibet is the only area recognised by China as "Tibet" TCHRD:     Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
TIN:     Tibet Information Network; an independent monitoring group based in London
UDHR:     UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Work-team: (Ch: gongzuo dul, Tib: las don ru kiag) specially formed and temporary units of Party members sent to conduct investigations or give political re-education in a particular institution or locality. Yuan:     Chinese currency; 8 yuan is equivalent to US $1

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Last updated: 1-Feb-98