TIBET: PARAMILITARY PRESENCE IN LHASA NOTED BY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 004279

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KIFR CH JP
SUBJECT: TIBET: PARAMILITARY PRESENCE IN LHASA NOTED BY
JAPANESE EMBASSY DURING RECENT TRIP

REF: A. CHENGDU 183

B. CHENGDU 184

C. BEIJING 3006

Classified By: Political Internal Unit Chief
Dan Kritenbrink. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) A Japanese diplomat who visited Lhasa October
30-November 4 reported that People's Armed Police (PAP)
troops continue to patrol the Tibetan quarter of the city,
with rooftop lookouts posted around the Jokhang Temple. The
diplomat also saw PAP troops inside the Potala Palace. In
Lhasa for the first time, the diplomat was struck by the
quiet streets and the small numbers of monks at the city's
major temples. Foreign tourists were also in short supply.
End Summary.

BACKGROUND
--------------


2. (C) PolOff met November 18 with Akitsugu Tsuchiya
(protect),First Secretary and Police Liaison Officer at the
Japanese Embassy in Beijing. Tsuchiya and two of his Embassy
colleagues visited Lhasa October 30-November 4 to inspect a
GOJ aid program at a Lhasa hospital. The Japanese group
traveled to Lhasa at the invitation of the PRC Ministry of
Commerce, which has oversight over foreign aid projects in
China. The group had no official meetings outside of the
hospital.

PAP ON EVERY CORNER OF TIBET QUARTER
--------------


3. (C) A first-time visitor to Lhasa, Tsuchiya reported a
highly visible People's Armed Police (PAP) presence in the
Tibetan quarter of Lhasa and on many of the city's major
intersections. On Barkhor Square in front of the Jokhang
Temple, Tsuchiya said he counted a total of ten PAP soldiers
patrolling the area in two groups. Four of the ten were
armed with "machine guns." On the Barkhor circumambulation
route around the Jokhang, Tsuchiya saw an additional two PAP
groups, each with six soldiers. Unlike the troops on Barkhor
Square, however, the PAP on the circumambulation route were
not visibly armed, though Tsuchiya suspected they had side
arms under their overcoats. Tsuchiya also spotted three PAP
lookout posts on rooftops near the circumambulation route.
Along Beijing East Road in the Tibetan quarter, he said, at
least five PAP soldiers were stationed at each intersection,
and PAP units were also patrolling the area around the
Ramoche Temple.

PAP TROOPS INSIDE POTALA PALACE
--------------


4. (C) Tsuchiya said he saw PAP troops in the courtyard on
the upper levels of the Potala Palace. In the palace itself,
Tsuchiya reported that individual PAP guards were seated in
several of the important religious chambers. These PAP
soldiers were not overtly armed, Tsuchiya said.

MONKS AND TOURISTS SCARCE
--------------


5. (C) Lhasa's streets seemed "very quiet," Tsuchiya
commented, with few people out past 11:00 at night. During
his stay, Tsuchiya saw only 10 Western tourists. He was also
struck by the lack of monks at Jokhang Temple, where he saw
just two during his tour, and the Ramoche Temple, where he
saw no more than seven. (Note: The Jokhang alone normally
has about 100 resident monks.) When the Japanese diplomats
asked a hospital official why there were so few monks in
Lhasa, the official said the monks were "resting." The
diplomats, however, met with a long-term Japanese resident of
Lhasa, who said the number of monks in the city dropped
suddenly after the March 14 riots and had yet to recover.
The same contact, Tsuchiya stated, reported that the Tibet
Museum in Lhasa had recently opened a new exhibit about the
March 14 unrest, with authorities organizing "field trips" to
the exhibit for "all" of Lhasa's elementary and junior high
students.


6. (C) Aside from the many PAP soldiers, Tsuchiya said he saw
few other signs of tension in the city. PAP troops
confronted one of the Japanese diplomats after he had taken a
picture of PAP standing at an intersection near a television
station, but the group's movements otherwise were not
controlled by Chinese authorities. Few signs of the March
violence were evident except for an occasional unrepaired

BEIJING 00004279 002 OF 002


building. Several hotels damaged in the March violence,
however, had yet to reopen, Tsuchiya said.

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


7. (C) Tsuchiya's observations, particularly regarding the
continued presence of large numbers of PAP troops and the
lack of monks, echo reporting from AmConGen Chengdu following
an August visit by four Consulate staff (refs A, B). During
that visit, Chinese authorities explained the lack of monks
by telling ConGenOffs that the monks were "preparing for an
upcoming festival." The Japanese Embassy's description of
Lhasa also tracks with a readout provided by the Dutch
Embassy following a visit to Lhasa in July (ref C).
RANDT