Eye Witness Accounts: Mining in Tibet


Report by Tashi Choedon Bidhartsang


FOLLOWING interviews were conducted with recently arrived Tibetans in Dharamsala from Tibet during the period July - November 1997.

Kunchok Choedup, aged 42, a monk from Tsangkhor town, Gadhe County, Golok "TAP" (now incorporated into the Chinese province of Qinghai), reports that during the "responsibility system", animals owned by Tibetan nomads were all collected and distributed equally among them of which each person got seven (yak and dri) and seven sheep. A law was also introduced by the Chinese authorities which said that the number of animals should neither go up nor go down. In addition, the law said that the land belongs to "Motherland China" and therefore Tibetans must pay 800 yuan (US$100) as grazing rights fee annually for 100 yak and dri.

The source reports that he stayed in Samnye Retreat Centre in Gongkar County, Lhoka region "TAR" for two years and paid a fee of 30 yuan (US$4) to enter the retreat centre in addition to three yuan (US$0.38) per month as a tax. This would be higher for people coming from other regions.

Minerals such as iron and copper are mined at Mt. Dherni in Golok County. In another mountain close by, heavy extraction of "dho-sol" (coal) takes place of which there are two types: black coal and white coal. Chinese employed in the extraction of coal are well paid and work for 24 hours. No outsiders are allowed to go even near the work site. They use drilling machines for extracting and later check inside to see what mineral is present; gold, silver, copper etc. People working for this project report that they have lung diseases.

A Geological Prospecting Party (Ch: Di-zhi-dui) is found in almost every region which is equal to seven prefectures or 60 counties. To name a few, it is found in Tso-ngon region and Tsona town in Mathoe county. About 7,000-8,000 people in a year collect the extracted minerals from Tsona town alone, to be transported to China. Gold mining takes place in Golok County.

Lodoe, 20 years old, is a driver from Machen County, Golok "TAP". According to him, gold is mined in five different mining zones in "Dong Khirkok" mountain in Machen County where around 800-900 people are employed in each zone, the majority of the employees being Chinese. They do not work in winter due to the freezing weather conditions.

Chinese authorities have estimated the gold output as at 250 gyamas (12.5kg) from each mining zone, which means around 1,250 gyamas (625kg) of gold is mined from five mining zones of Dong Khirkok mountain each year. It is predicted that this activity will continue for 50 more years.

As a driver, his job was to transport the gold ore from the mining zone up in the mountain to the base of the valley and therefore, he has no access to detailed information. At the base, gold is separated from ore and is later transported to China. Five separation centres are set viz. (Ch: Ku-wang drang, Shang thapkhang, Sang phi tang, Chira shen and Ku beng).

Another source reports that mining takes place in four different zones namely Kakok, Mekong, Shaklung and Thongkung in Kungri town, Machen County, Golok,. It started as early as 1983 and will last for some decades.

Kakok: Very rich in gold. 8,000 miners work in summer. Mining takes place at the base of "Yarthang Mekong" mountain which is also rich in coal.

Mekong: Around 1000-2000 Chinese miners work in the Mekong for a whole year except during the first and second month of Tibetan calendar (usually in February and March of the year).

Shaklung: Mining takes place at Mt. Mekong Shaklung which is rich in gold. Around 20,000 miners are employed to work in summer and return to their home in winter.

Thong Kung: Rich in gold, silver, copper and iron. Around 30,000 Chinese miners work in summer and many of them do not work in winter due to the freezing weather conditions, during which, most of the work is done by electrical equipments. Nomad-owned lands are mined and roads are being constructed. In Thong kung, mining takes place at Mt. Shaklung. Mercury is used for extracting gold from ore, and poisonous mercury is drained into free flowing rivers which animals use for drinking leading to different diseases. Dynamites are also used during mining.

Cordyceps sinensis (Tib: Yartsa Gunbu (Summer-grass Winter-worm): Of the ten snow mountains found in Machen County, Gangre, Jingo and Thao are the three snow-capped mountains where cordyceps sinensis is found in abundance and the best time for its collection is in the month of April and May. 800-1,000 yuan (US$100-125) is charged for the pass to collect the "worm" during this season. Gastrodia elata and Fritellaria delavayi franels are medicinal herbs that can also be collected in May, June and July of the year.


There are about 30 different kinds of taxes, some of which are as follows.


Yartsa Gunbu: For one gyama (500 grams) of yartsa gunbu the Chinese authorities pay 1,500 yuan (US$188) against the market price of 4,000 yuan (US$500). One member of a family should give three peng (10 peng is equivalent to 1 gyama). A family of six members, would therefore pay one gyama and eight peng (800 grams) of yartsa gunbu as tax. Also 30 yuan (US $4) per person is charged for the permit to extract yartsa gunbu from the forest.

In a year, a citizen is taxed 750 gyama of meat for owning a land of 2,900 mu (18,125 acre). The price given for one gyama of meat is two yuan and one mozae (1 yuan=10 mozae) against the market price of eight yuan. In addition, a tax of 1,900 yuan (US$238) is charged for the animals to graze on the land and is increased if the land and/or family is larger. 200 gyama (100 kg) of wool may be taken which also depends on the size of the land. One yuan and five mozae (US$0.18) is given for one gyama of wool and the market price being five yuan (US$0.6). 15 gyama of butter is taken in tax and for one gyama of butter one yuan (US$0.13) is paid while the market price is 13-17 yuan (US$1.6-2.12). 600 yuan (US$75) is collected from a family for the welfare of the society. "Dhen ngyul" is more like a leasing for which a family must give 1,700 yuan (US$213). 40 yuan (US$5) is collected from every individual between the age of 15-60 years for their old age benefits. An education fee of one big yak and two sheep is collected even from nomads for which 150 yuan (US$19) and 40 yuan (US$5) are given with the market price being 2,000-3,000 yuan (US$250-375) and 300 yuan (US$38) for yak and sheep respectively. The animals are numbered to check the temperature by using a thermometer and a fee of two yuan (US$0.25) and five yuan (US$0.63) is charged for numbering and the temperature checking respectively.

Pema Tsomo, aged 51, from Tsethang, Lhoka region, reports on mining of iron ore in Chusum County and states that all the mountains in the area have already been cleared as of 18 September 1997 . Such activities are led by senior Chinese and Tibetan officials who have large workforces under them. Gold mining takes place in Gyatsa county and only Chinese are employed. It is suspected that mining takes place at Chonje County too. Local people at Nanga County near Yamdrok Tso prevented mining taking place.

According to Pasang from Tsachul town, Meldrogongkar County, gold mining started four years ago in "Dzo nga la" mountain in Drikung town, and was said that a big bowl full of gold was extracted in the year 1990. It is also believed that gold mining takes place in a mountain and in a lake closeby, where long drilling machines are used. No Tibetans are employed. Such machines are used in all places which are four hours walking distance from one another, no Tibetans know the reason behind the extensive mining

Storeyed buildings are built for those Chinese employees who are involved in mining activities in Gyama town, the place where Tibet's King Songtsen Gampo was born. Chinese authorities have discovered lead in Lapthong town, Bahna and in Za chul town where gold is found underneath the lead deposit layer. Roads are built for which Tibetans are employed with a payment of 20 yuan (US$2.5) a day. The Tibetan leader of the town opposed the Chinese authorities for mining and was imprisoned. Due to local agitation, the leader was later released and his post withheld.

Another source reports that lead and iron ore are mined in a mountain near Dho-mar-chu, where around 200-300 nomads live. Tibetans employed are well paid at a rate of 50 yuan (US$6.3) a day due to the high altitude. Mining of iron ore started in June 1997 in a mountain in Burgun area, an hour drive from Ngari. Only Chinese are employed and they are paid 10-40 yuan (US$1.3-5) a day.

In a mountain in Gerze which leads to Nagchu, 5,000 Chinese Muslims are employed in gold mining. The mining takes place in Shongpa town, Gergey County, Ngari where the workers stay in a dormitory during the period of work. Coal mining started some 15 years ago in Naglung town (Ch: Omachu), Dhamshung County, Ngari. During the mining, no Tibetan was allowed near the site and therefore there is no access to detailed information. Lead is mined in Mt. Ruba for three months where a person is paid 4,500 yuan (US$563) and the 300-350 employees are all Tibetans. The lead was later transported to Lhasa Adham factory for making marble tiles.

A hydro-power station is being built in Demey close to Reting and many fish die in the Reting Tsangpo which flows into the Yarlung Tsangpo. Gold is also mined in Mt. Dechok Porok in Dzo-dha where 20-30 Tibetans and 100-200 Chinese are employed and paid 5-10 yuan (US$0.60-1.3) a day. Gold mining takes place at Mt. Dzu-rak in Dzo-dha and similar activities take place at Mt. Thu-kun ney in Thu-kun ney town . In Ngari, 33 minerals are mined of which 21 are mined from just one location in Gerge County.

It is reported that a Chinese businessman has bought a lake for 2 million yuan (US$250,000) and that mining in the lake started on 27 May, 1997. 125 people are employed. The location of the lake is not clear as the interviewee cannot locate it on map. In Tsa-ka lake in Nagchu region, salt was extracted at one end and magnesium (Tib. Tsa-la karpo) at the other end. No local people were allowed to extract the minerals and the produce has been sold by the Chinese government to locals over a period of 19-20 years. It is transported through Xinjiang and by another route through Karmong in China. Gold mining recently started in a mountain in Rha-hung County, Nagchu region.

Spiritual head imprisoned for mining protests July 31, 1997 (Human Rights Update): Nazod monastery consists of 200 monks with Nazod Tulku being the spiritual head. It is located in the south of Serta County, Golok, 'Tibet Autonomous Prefecture' ('TAP') in Amdo. In August 1996, he was sentenced to six years imprisonment for protesting against the escalating Chinese mining activities in the area around the monastery by printing and distributing environmental protest posters. The population of Serta county is 10,000 and today 80 percent of these are Chinese settlers, brought in to carry out the massive mining activities in the County.

The posters read: "Because this land has been blessed by the appearance and birth of successive Dalai Lamas and the high lamas, this blessed land is believed to be land of gold. But due to mining in the area and the unavailability of food, many living creatures are starving to death"; and "as a result, the protector gods are disturbed and unhappy, with the breakout of various new diseases in the surroundings. Livestock bear less milk than usual and farming yields have fallen".

Some sources say that Nazod Tulku has been transferred to Me-Nyag Ra-nga prison in Nyag-rong county under Karze TAP but the exact place of his current imprisonment is not known. The information regarding his arrest and sentencing was provided by 24 year-old Jigme Sonam, from Raktrom township in Serta, who arrived in Dharamsala, India, in June 1997.

China's gold mining in Tibet July 15,1997 (Human Rights Update): China's mining practices in Tibet reveal a two-way policy: to allow massive Chinese population transfer into Tibet so as to lessen the burden of its own population problems while at the same time marginalising Tibetans and also to exploit Tibet's mineral resources. At a gold mining conference held in Lhasa in 1995, officials of the "Tibet Autonomous Region" (TAR) announced that minerals account for about 20 percent of Tibet's industrial output. They also reported the existence of 148 mine zones in the "TAR", of which six had deposits.

Tibetan sources reported in the same year that in Gansu province, Eastern Tibet and from Tso-ngon province (Ch: Qinghai) to the districts west of Nagchu (borders Eastern Tibet) Central Tibet, there are about 12,000 gold diggers unlawfully extracting gold from the area. Nomads and farmers have raised serious objections to heavy extraction of mineral resources and destruction of their pastures, but to no avail. The following two informants from Golok reveal that such mining exploitation still continues:

Kunga Gyatso, aged 20, is from Thakmar town in Pema county, Golok "TAP" (incorporated into the Chinese province of Qinghai). Kunga was a gold miner prior to his escape to India on 8 June 1997. Kunga reports the existence of massive gold mines in his locality of Dokha and says Chinese authorities began mining in the area as early as 1988 and continued until 1990 where 30 workers employed were all Chinese.

Kunga says that, unlike Lhasa and other tourist areas, Golok is extremely remote and not easily accessible to the outside world. "Any opposition by local inhabitants will be crushed by force. People don't dare to protest against the Chinese authorities who declare that the land belongs to China", he says. The Dokha gold mines lie in a nomadic area and Kunga reports that Chinese authorities have used various means, from monetary payment and force, to eviction of the local Tibetan inhabitants from the area.

"This sort of project has least benefited the local inhabitants", Kunga says, "Rather it brings huge numbers of Chinese into Tibet which creates problems for the Tibetans in every sphere of life".

In 1990, the Chinese introduced a new mining boat machine (Ch: Tse-jing Trang no. 2), in order to increase yields. The number of workers was subsequently increased to 330, of which only 20 were Tibetans.

Kunga Gyatso joined the mines in July 1995 at the age of 18 and worked there for two years before leaving Tibet. He recalls that the pure gold output was 240 gyama (120 kg ) in 1992; 240 gyama (120kg) in 1993; 212 gyama (106 kg) in 1994; 240 gyama (120kg) in 1995 and in 1996 it was 200 gyama (100 kg). The gold is transported to China via Chengdu.

Kunga was paid 500 yuan (US$63) per month as he belonged to the lowest grade worker known as kangwa kung in Chinese. All the top posts were held by the Chinese and therefore he had no access to detailed information.

Kunga reported that if the annual output exceeded the prescribed target, the miners would receive a bonus of between 3,000-5,000 yuan (US$375-625). He said there is no discrimination between Tibetans and Chinese with regard to remuneration and bonuses and that all miners were levied 20 percent of their remuneration as tax.

Kunga also reported that Dornyi village in Machen county under Golok "TAP" in Amdo, is rich in copper, gold, silver, aluminium, lead and iron. Copper makes up 70 percent of the mineral resources. Kunga learnt from another source that in 1997, Chinese authorities planned to bring 20,000 Chinese migrants into Golok to work in the mines in Dornyi. For this purpose, necessary infrastructure such as electricity is being introduced.

24-year old Jigme Sonam arrived in June 1997 in Dharamsala, India. He provided the following account of mining activities in Raktrom township of Serta (ser is the Tibetan word for gold and ta is horse) County under Golok "TAP":

Chinese authorities began mining sometime in 1984-1985 and approximately 200 workers were employed. The authorities compulsorily conscripted 20 people from every township to work in the mines. If a worker failed to turn up, a penalty would be imposed on his friends and other members of his group. Workers were told they will be paid 150 yuan (US$19) per month but this amount is reportedly never received. Each year, the workers are told by Chinese authorities that their salary has been automatically deducted from the annual tax payable.

The gold mines are kept under strict guard by Chinese armed personnel and Jigme didn't have access to information regarding the exact output of the gold mines. He reported that the Chinese transport both the pure gold and the residue.

The workers had to provide all food for themselves. If a miner has to work for 15 days, he must, therefore also carry food for 15 days. If his work is extended, he asks relatives to bring food for him which must be handed to the guard.

According to Jigme, Chinese scientists have revealed that Serta County has abundant gold resources. The county in fact received the name "Serta" because people believe that there is a horse-shaped gold nugget beneath the earth.

Serta's gold mining area lies just behind the Labrang mountain where for a long time nomads have subsisted. Regardless of the nomads, Chinese authorities have ordered evacuation of the area for mining, telling the inhabitants that the land belongs to the Chinese government. Local Tibetans have been used by the Chinese to evict the nomads without any compensation or resettlement.


Logging

Kunga Gyatso also reports that in Pema County, the Chinese authorities have established two forest departments called Dokhog Forest Department (Ch: Dokhog Ling Trang) and Makhog Forest Department (Ch: Makhog Ling Trang) both of which are responsible for logging the area. Vast portions of forest land in the area have already been reduced to arid desert land.

Loggers must deposit a huge sum of money for logging rights; the Dokhog gold mining company pays 750,000 yuan (US$93,750), Dokhog Forest department pays 150,000 yuan (US$18,750) and Makhog Forest Department pays 100,000 yuan (US$12,500). The total amount of 1 million yuan(US$125,000) goes directly to the Chinese government treasury.

[ Homepage ] [ Environmental Situation ] [ Green Tibet 1998 ]



This site is maintained and updated by The Office of Tibet, the official agency of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in London. This Web page may be linked to any other Web sites. Contents may not be altered.
Last updated: 9-Oct-1998