From: yangze@acf3.nyu.edu (Ze Yang)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.china
Subject: Re: Conference, Sino-Tibetan Relations: Prospects for the future
Date: 4 Oct 92 18:26:48 GMT
Organization: New York University

richter@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (C. Richter) writes:

>Oh, I almost forgot, I promised my friend liqiang@kramden.nyu.edu (Li)
>some further evidence of the exploitation of the 'Treasure House'
>(Xizang) by China.  I promised evidence that uranium has not only  
>been found and is being mined, but that it is causing severe health 
>problems for the Tibetan people.  Sorry for the delay.
> 
>Here is my original posting on this point of Chinese exploitation of 
>Tibet:
> 
>In article 1526 liqiang@kramden.nyu.edu (Li) writes:
>>The Chinese have been prospecting for "uranium, gold, timber, etc" in that
>>part of China but in vain for a while. Would you mind enlightening them on where
>>exactly in Tibet can one find these resources? Don't use your ignorance
>>as your "valid arguments".
> 
>Sorry to disappoint you: 
>  1. Gold strike in Amdo: a "beacon of hope for thousands of Chinese" 
>     while the grazing lands of Tibetan nomads have benn "ravaged in 
>     areas where the miners strike gold."  " In Qumarleb county some 
>     50,000 to 60,000 gold miners now far outnumber the 17,000 local 
>     people -- Tibetan herdsmen.  The miners have damaged more than 
>     86,000 acres of grazing land there."  (Daniel Southerland, "In 
>     Qinghai, the Wild West of China.  Battling Miners Scramble for 
>     Gold," _Washington Post, 15 December 1988.)
>  2. Timber in Kham: In the upper reaches of Minjiang, the forest cover has 
>     fallen from 30 percent in the early 1950s to 18.8 percent.  The 
>     result has been dramatically increased environmental degration 
>     from higher wind speeds, more severe droughts, decreased snow fall 
>     and a shorter frost-free season."  (Dong Zhiyong, "Present 
>     Situation of Forest Administration in Southwest region of China and 
>     Its Role in River Basin Management, _Watershed Management 
>     Proceedings_, ICIMOD, Kathmandu, October 1985, p.2.)
>  3. Uranium:  China has uranium developments underway.  I will post 
>     refs when I have a chance. 
> 
> 
>Now here is the additional information promised:
> 
>  3. Uranium in Amdo:  According to the _China Daily_ (May 28, 1990), 
>     the Chinese government announced that more than 200 uranium deposits
>     had been discovered in its southern and western regions.  Specific
>     locations were not given.  However, there was a report recently 
>     indicating that uranium is being mined in near a Tibetan village 
>     in Amdo, in the eastern part of the Tibetan plateau.  According
>     to the report 35 of 500 villagers have died in the past three 
>     years after developing characteristic fever and diarrhea, followed 
>     by death within 5 days.  Cattle also die in similar fashion, 
>     especially after rainstorms. "Animals who drink water coming from 
>     mining area or who inhale the dust die immediately, [and] they 
>     seem to have internal burns," said a Tibetan villager trained 
>     in Tibetan medicine.  ("Tibetans Dying From Uranium Mine Waste,"
>     _TIN News_, Sept. 11, 1992).
> 
> 
>Bye for now, folks....
> 

>-- 
>Conrad Richter                     richter@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca
>Richters Herbs                     71550.3411@compuserve.com
>Goodwood, ON L0C 1AO Canada        Tel 416-640-6677 / Fax 416-640-6641

All the above story could happen in other parts of China, the
reality is that the Chinese Government are substizing Xizang
autonomous Region.

Ze Yang
Newsgroups: talk.politics.china