Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07CHENGDU14
2007-01-11 08:00:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Chengdu
Cable title:  

ON THE ROAD THROUGH SICHUAN'S ABA PREFECTURE

Tags:  PGOV ECON PHUM SCUL SENV CH 
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VZCZCXRO5203
RR RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHCN #0014/01 0110800
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 110800Z JAN 07
FM AMCONSUL CHENGDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2357
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 2840
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CHENGDU 000014 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP/CM, DRL/IRF AND G/STC
BANGKOK FOR USAID/MSTIEVATER AND SKISSINGER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/11/2027
TAGS: PGOV ECON PHUM SCUL SENV CH
SUBJECT: ON THE ROAD THROUGH SICHUAN'S ABA PREFECTURE

CHENGDU 00000014 001.2 OF 003


CLASSIFIED BY: James Boughner, Acting Consul General, Chengdu,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



CLASSIFIED BY: James Boughner, Acting Consul General, Chengdu,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CHENGDU 000014

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP/CM, DRL/IRF AND G/STC
BANGKOK FOR USAID/MSTIEVATER AND SKISSINGER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/11/2027
TAGS: PGOV ECON PHUM SCUL SENV CH
SUBJECT: ON THE ROAD THROUGH SICHUAN'S ABA PREFECTURE

CHENGDU 00000014 001.2 OF 003


CLASSIFIED BY: James Boughner, Acting Consul General, Chengdu,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



CLASSIFIED BY: James Boughner, Acting Consul General, Chengdu,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary. During a recent unofficial visit by Congenoff
to Sichuan's Aba Prefecture (an ethnic Tibetan area),head monks
at two temples complained of heavy-handed oversight by the
Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB),and police and military
presences were heavy. Although the prefecture seat of Aba
Township appeared relatively peaceful, social and ethnic
tensions in the town of Heishui were obvious. Significant
resources appeared to be devoted to developing hydropower
projects downriver from Heishui. End summary.


2. (SBU) Congenoff drove his POV from Chengdu to Aba Township,
accompanied by two ethnic Han companions (one a professional
tour guide, the other a Chengdu artist with connections to the
local Buddhist community). After leaving Aba Township,
Congenoff passed through the cities of Heishui and Maoxian. The
area visited is inhabited mainly by ethnic Tibetans speaking
Amdo dialect, which is also spoken throughout large areas of
Qinghai Province and in southern Gansu.

-------------- --------------
--------------
ABA TOWNSHIP: SUNNY, FRIENDLY, HAPPY TO SEE AMERICANS
-------------- --------------
--------------


3. (C) On January 6, Congenoff visited the Langyi Temple in Aba
Township, a complex of buildings devoted to the Bon religion (a
native religion predating the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet).
Temple facilities appeared to be in good shape overall, and many
pilgrims were circumambulating the buildings. Following a tour
of the complex, Congenoff was received by the temple's leader, a
24 year-old reincarnate lama, colloquially referred to as
"living buddha," known as Nangshik Rinpoche (original Tibetan

name Kabsang Ladro) (strictly protect).


4. (C) Nangshik Rinpoche's manner was open and friendly, and he
seemed happy to receive visitors. He said that although the
temple was home to about 620 monks at present, it had space for
many more. However, the provincial and central-level RAB
monitored the number of monks at the temple closely, and because
of political sensitivities those authorities refused to allow a
larger number. He also claimed that, due to those same
political sensitivities, the RAB would not allow him to travel
overseas.


5. (C) Asked about the state of the temple's finances, he
acknowledged that the temple was under considerable economic
pressure. He noted that monks coming from the nearby area often
received considerable support from their families, but the
temple was forced to house and feed monks from more remote
areas. In addition to direct donations, sources of income for
the temple included fees charged to tourists, and tuition paid
by students at the temple's "Institute for the Study of the Bon
Religion." The temple also operated a small hostel nearby for
visiting pilgrims and students, and the Rinpoche said that the
hostel planned to open a store to sell religious goods and
souvenirs.


6. (C) After the Langyi Temple visit, Congenoff toured the
nearby Geerdeng Temple, affiliated with the Gelugpa School of
Tibetan Buddhism (the school headed by the Dalai Lama). Head
monk Lobsang Peldan Jigme Gyatso, who appeared to be in his mid
to late fifties, led the group through the assembly hall.
Master Gyatso told Congenoff that the temple's living Buddha,
known as Geerdeng Rinpoche, had been in exile in India for over
50 years, and was now 69 years old. He also said the temple's
political environment was very sensitive, and that although the
temple's monastery and assembly hall had room for 3000 monks,
the RAB would only allow 670 monks to study there at any one
time. Congenoff noted that just to the south of the temple
stood a large Public Security Bureau (PSB) compound, and just to
the north was a large military base, covering perhaps 100 acres.


7. (C) Aba Township appeared peaceful overall, with very few
military vehicles on the road. To the noticeable chagrin of his
Han companions, ethnic Tibetans appeared especially friendly to
Congenoff, often greeting him on the street with smiles and
handshakes. Many private vehicles displayed American flag

CHENGDU 00000014 002.2 OF 003


decals, and Chinese flags appeared nowhere except on government
buildings. Inside the Geerdeng Temple store, there was a large
photograph of Geerdeng Rinpoche on display, smiling broadly in
front of the U.S. Capitol. Several stores displayed pictures of
the Dalai Lama, usually placed in unobtrusive locations.

--------------
HEISHUI: TENSIONS GALORE
--------------


8. (SBU) On January 7, Congenoff drove from Aba to the small
city of Heishui, located in the Minjiang River valley at a
considerably lower altitude than Aba Township. Although the
population still appeared to be dominated by ethnic Tibetans,
there were many more Han faces in evidence than in Aba, and the
overall impression was that of a border town straddling
traditionally Han and Tibetan areas. One store near the center
of town displayed the Dalai Lama's picture prominently.


9. (C) PSB officers and vehicles were out on Heishui's streets
in considerable force, and a PSB van drove around the city
constantly with a loudspeaker blaring commands to motorists and
pedestrians. Asked why there were so many policemen on the
streets, a Tibetan restaurant manager would only say nervously
(and apparently nonsensically) that the town had "few social
contradictions." Later a policeman told Congenoff the town had
a violent disturbance that morning, caused by "gangsters."


10. (C) Congenoff's tour guide was obviously uncomfortable in
Heishui, and refused to allow the group to spend the night
there, saying that it was notorious for crime and conflicts.
She told of escorting a tour group through the nearby city of
Maoxian in September of 2006, and of being delayed for two hours
on the road by a long military convoy. When she asked what was
going on, she was told that the army was responding to a major
disturbance in Heishui.


11. (C) Congenoff visited Heishui's shrine to PLA martyrs killed
during the Long March and in the Chinese civil war, a shabby and
rundown monument located on the outskirts of town (a Han
companion said that it had been in excellent condition during a
visit ten years before). (Note: According to the Consulate's
Political Assistant, an ethnic Tibetan, the central government
has placed similar monuments in many Tibetan areas, and they are
a frequent flashpoint for friction between Han and Tibetan
inhabitants. End note.)


12. (SBU) Hydropower development on the Minjiang River, which
passes through Heishui, was very extensive. Congenoff passed at
least seven dams and generating stations under construction, and
noted that water pollution became much more obvious in the river
downstream from Heishui.

--------------
A VISIT TO A QIANG VILLAGE
--------------


13. (SBU) On January 8 Congenoff visited the village of Luobo,
inhabited by members of the Qiang minority (identified by some
scholars as a proto-Tibetan people) just south of the city of
Maoxian. Located near the summit of a mountain, the village is
promoted as the oldest Qiang settlement in existence, with over
2000 years of history. Although the village has seen
development of its tourism infrastructure, including a paved
access road, a parking lot, and a large restaurant, Congenoff's
group were the only visitors that day. Much of the village
appeared abandoned, and local residents said that most younger
people had left for work in urban areas. Marijuana smoke wafted
from two houses.

-------------- --------------
--------------
A NOTE ON ROAD CONDITIONS AND ACCOMODATIONS
-------------- --------------
--------------


14. (SBU) Road conditions varied widely. The highway from
Wenchuan (about three hours north of Chengdu) to Aba Township
was in very good shape generally, although traffic was heavy in
places, and short stretches of the road were under construction.
Between Aba Township and Heishui, snow covered the road for
about five miles over a treacherous mountain pass, and from
Heishui to Maoxian, heavy traffic and extremely bad road
conditions slowed traffic to a crawl for long periods. Nowhere
was Congenoff stopped or questioned by local authorities,
despite the fact that he was an obvious foreigner driving a
vehicle with consulate plates. In Aba Township, hotels did not
have heat, functioning toilets, or running water, although
Maoxian boasted a three-star hotel with the usual amenities.


CHENGDU 00000014 003.2 OF 003


--------------
COMMENT
--------------


15. (C) Traveling unofficially gave Congenoff the advantage of
making unscripted visits to relatively sensitive areas, and of
direct contact with locals. The overall impression: a Tibetan
population resentful of Chinese central government control, and
Chinese authorities ready to assert the force needed to maintain
that control.
BOUGHNER