VZCZCXRO0104
PP RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHCN #0206/01 2150610
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 030610Z AUG 07
FM AMCONSUL CHENGDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2579
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0155
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 0137
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA PRIORITY
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 3129

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000206 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM AND DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  8/3/2027 
TAGS: PGOV ECON PHUM CH
SUBJECT: VIOLENCE  FLARES ANOTHER YEAR AT LOCAL TIBETAN FESTIVAL 
 
REF: A) 06 CHENGDU 925    B) CHENGDU 195 
 
CHENGDU 00000206  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: James Boughner, Consul General, Chengdu, 
Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  Protests and arrests again marked the opening 
of a popular festival in Litang in western Sichuan's Ganzi 
Prefecture, with tensions between ethnic Tibetans and Han 
Chinese reportedly high.   Travelers, local contacts, and the 
media also report sporadic violent incidents in other areas of 
Ganzi this summer, including several deaths.  End summary. 
 
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LITANG FESTIVAL A FOCAL POINT FOR CONFLICT 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) Litang's annual horse racing festival has been a 
popular draw for foreign and Chinese tourists over the last few 
years.  Local government authorities schedule it for August 1, 
in an apparent effort to lend a patriotic air to the event 
(August 1 is the founding date of the People's Liberation Army). 
 However, the race also brings large numbers of Khampa Tibetans, 
traditionally renowned for their toughness and fighting skills, 
from all corners of the plateau into what is a relatively small 
town.  Khampa Tibetans led the 1956 and 1959 rebellions against 
central government rule and the annual Litang event is a 
potential flash point for outbreaks of violence.  CG attended 
last year's race, which was cancelled halfway through after a 
rock-throwing confrontation between local residents (upset over 
the judging of one of the races) and police (ref A) led to shots 
being fired over the heads of an angry crowd. 
 
¶3. (C) Travelers returning from the Litang area in recent days 
told us that tensions between local Tibetans and Han Chinese 
appear to be on the rise.  According to those travelers, 
pictures of the Dalai Lama were on prominent display throughout 
Litang.  One Amcit reported seeing a Tibetan snap a Chinese flag 
off a motorcycle and toss it onto the ground.  A Han traveler 
saw a Tibetan beating a Han man after a traffic altercation and 
then taking his motorcycle, while a crowd of Tibetans looked on. 
 
 
¶4. (C) Those travelers also said that local authorities had 
originally announced the festival would be called off this year 
(apparently due to concerns over the potential for violence), 
but residents and leaders of area monasteries had decided to 
hold the festival without official permission.  As a result of 
the announcement and the atmosphere of unrest, the travelers 
decided to return to Chengdu. 
 
¶5. (SBU) It is possible that faced with a festival on their 
hands anyway, local officials decided to let the race proceed. 
In any event, media reports indicated that on August 1, during 
the event's opening ceremonies, a Tibetan man (identified as a 
nomad) took the stage and seized the microphone from the master 
of ceremonies.  He then proceeded to shout slogans calling for 
Tibetan independence and for the return of the Dalai Lama. 
According to those reports, local police arrested the man 
shortly thereafter, which in turn led to an unruly demonstration 
by residents outside the place of detention. 
 
¶6. (C) Consulate's LES Political Assistant (an ethnic Tibetan) 
contacted a number of Litang residents by telephone August 2 to 
confirm the reports.  Most were unwilling to discuss the matter: 
"Something serious happened yesterday, but it's not convenient 
to talk about it."  However, one contact said, "The government 
decided to cancel the festival again, but the local people and 
monasteries didn't listen, and started without official 
permission.   A clash between Tibetans and armed forces then 
followed, with some Tibetans being detained." Another local 
contact reported that during the opening ceremonies, "A local 
Tibetan shouted `Tibetan independence' to the crowd, followed by 
`the Dalai Lama must be permitted to return,' and `the Chinese 
government must release the real Panchen Lama.'"  According to 
that contact, the slogans received a "warm response" from the 
crowd. 
 
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ILLEGAL BUSES AND CATERPILLAR FUNGUS 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Travelers from Ganzi have also returned to Chengdu with 
reports of violence in the town of Daocheng, about two hours 
 
CHENGDU 00000206  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
away from Litang by car.  There, no pictures of the Dalai Lama 
were to be seen, but instead posters of Chairman Mao decorated 
the town, and the streets were unusually quiet.  Locals told the 
travelers the town was under a form of "lockdown" following 
violent strife between ethnic Tibetans and government officials, 
sparked by a crackdown on illegal taxis and buses.  One resident 
alleged 17 people had been killed in three to four hours of 
fighting, and that locals had used guns and hand grenades 
against the authorities.  No independent verification of this 
event could be obtained. 
 
¶8. (C) International media have also carried stories about 
violent conflicts in Ganzi Prefecture in recent weeks between 
groups of Tibetans over the right to collect caterpillar fungus 
(Ch: chong cao), an ingredient used in Chinese traditional 
medicine.  Those reports indicated that in one such clash, six 
people were killed and more than 110 injured (ref B).  Travelers 
indicated that they had also heard stories about such clashes 
from Tibetan residents of Litang and Daocheng. 
 
¶9. (C) Comment: Prior to the reports of unrest, CG and Econoff 
have already submitted a diplomatic note to the Sichuan FAO, 
seeking permission to make a weeklong visit to Ganzi Prefecture. 
 In the event that such permission is granted, Post will attempt 
to gather further information about the conflicts.  End comment. 
BOUGHNER