SW CHINA: A TIBETAN PAP OFFICER SPEAKS POSITIVELY OF POLICE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 CHENGDU 000147

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/6/2034
TAGS: MCAP PHUM PGOV CH
SUBJECT: SW CHINA: A TIBETAN PAP OFFICER SPEAKS POSITIVELY OF POLICE
CAREER, IMPROVED WORKING CONDITIONS

REF: 08 CHENGDU 135

CHENGDU 00000147 001.2 OF 003


CLASSIFIED BY: David E. Brown, Consul General, U.S. Consulate
General Chengdu.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d)

1. (S/NF) Summary: A young Tibetan People's Armed Police (PAP)
graduate of a nationalities university, leads a unit of 28
ethnic Han Chinese primary school graduates in Ngari (Ari)
Prefecture in the western part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region
(TAR). Tibetans in this remote area commonly display the Dalai
Lama's picture, which the Tibetan PAP unit leader overlooks and
his ethnic Han troops do not recognize. Tibetans in remote
villages, often led by their local traditional healer, have
little idea about the outside world or the Chinese government,
although news of the disturbances in Lhasa and other Tibetan
regions has made some now begin to resent the PAP. The young
PAP officer says that the PAP now feeds and houses its soldiers
in the TAR much better than it did just two years ago, forbids
leaders from physically abusing soldiers, and tolerates
religious articles worn discreetly. This still-religious
Tibetan looks forward to a career in the PAP. The new tolerance
of religious articles often worn by Tibetans on PAP soldiers and
the PAP's willingness to put a Tibetan in charge of unit of 28
ethnic Han recruits is an example of how, given more tolerant
policies, Hans and Tibetans can work together as long as China
does not, as it often does in its minority policies, "drop a
big rock on its own foot." End Summary.



A Young Tibetan People's Armed Police Officer Tells His Story

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2. (S/NF) The ethnic Tibetan PAP unit leader, in his mid
twenties, is stationed in Ngari (Ari) Prefecture in western TAR,
not far from Xinjiang and China's border with Indian-controlled
Kashmir, discussed with Consulate General Chengdu his
impressions of life in the People's Armed Police. This leader
of a small, ethnic Tibetan PAP unit is from a poor Tibetan
family living in a Tibetan region outside the TAR. After
graduating several years ago from one of China's nationalities
universities, he had difficulties finding a job and was
eventually hired by the PAP in the TAR. The Tibetan officer is
now a PAP company commander ("lianzhang") who leads 28 PAP
soldiers in a county-level PAP unit. (Note: A PAP "lianzhang"
typically leads about 30 solders, while a People's Liberation
Army (PLA) "lianzhang" leads about 100 soldiers.
Organizationally, this P is under the TAR-level "zongdui," below
which is the Prefectural level ""zhidui." Below the "zhidui,"
is the county-level "zhongdui." One other difference between
the PAP and PLC is that the smallest four unit sizes in the PAP,
going from smaller to larger, are: "ban," "pai," "zhongdui" and
"dadui;" in the PLA, the corresponding unit sizes are: "ban,"
"pai," "lian," "ying." End note.)



Training Humane Except in Xinjiang

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3. (S/NF) This young Tibetan police officer's training included
a year of physical training in Shaanxi Province where he added a
lot of muscle, a one-month internship with a PAP unit in
Zhengzhou, Henan, and two months of classroom training -- do's
and don'ts for PAP and theory -- in Shanghai. The PAP commented
that his training has been difficult, but humane. He said that
over the last two years, in a policy change, the PAP ordered
that unit leaders no longer physically abuse their soldiers.
The PAP commented that one of his Tibetan colleagues resigned
over the training he underwent in a unit in Kashgar, Xinjiang.
That former colleague said that PAP were using dead bodies in
training, including sleeping with dead bodies, handling blood,
and seeing dismembered body parts, so that they would be
psychologically prepared should they be involved in a violent
incident. This training was too disturbing, so his Tibetan
friend resigned from the PAP.




4. (S/NF) The PAP said that he understand that in ethnic Han
areas of China, at the "lianzhang" level and at the next higher
level --"yingzhang" -- in the PAP, all the PAP have at least
bachelor's degrees and some have master's degrees. Educational
standards are lower among PAP lianzhang in the TAR than in
eastern China, but many in the TAR, like this Tibetan PAP, have
a bachelor's degree. The soldiers in his PAP unit enlist for
4-5 years. The Tibetan PAP officer, however, wants to make his
career in the PAP, and hopes after his PAP service is over to
become the political director of a county in western TAR. His
monthly salary is now RMB 5500 (USD 800),which is an attractive
salary for a recent college graduate.


CHENGDU 00000147 002.2 OF 003




Assigned to Western TAR for the Past Two and One Half Years

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5. (S/NF) The Tibetan PAP leads 28 ethnic Han Chinese in a
small unit assigned to Ngari Prefecture in western TAR. Part of
their responsibility has been to caution ethnic Tibetan Khampas
in the Gerze (Gaize in pinyin) area (some from Chamdo in eastern
TAR and some from Ganzi in Sichuan Province),a center of gun
trafficking (both rifles and pistols),against getting involved
in the trafficking of weapons) between the TAR, and Kashgar in
Xinjiang. Some of the weapons, he said, are rumored to be
coming in from Nepal, but the PAP has no proof of this. Some of
these weapons are rifles used in the Gerze area to hunt tigers
and other animals for their skins. These activities are less
common now since demand dropped sharply a few years ago after
the Dalai Lama ordered that killing animals for their fur was
against their religion. [Comment: Nearly all Tibetans complied
with the Dalai Lama's order. Chinese government officials in
big media events often try to force Tibetan entertainers, over
their protests, to wear animal skins, apparently so that they
will be seen as taking a public anti-Dalai Lama position. End
comment.] The Tibetan PAP's unit has been stationed in three
different areas, including near Gar (Ge'er in pinyin),about 100
kilometers east of the southern end of the China's border with
Indian-controlled Kashmir. The Tibetan PAP commented that an
airport now under construction near Gar would be useful to the
PAP.




6. (S/NF) This 25-year old Tibetan PAP gets 90 vacation days a
year, although the 2008 unrest in Tibetan areas cost the PAP
their vacations. Still religious, he has been visiting Buddhist
religious sites during his vacation. He commented that the PAP
previously objected to PAP wearing religious objects, but now
this is permitted as long as the PAP otherwise follow
regulations. He added that during his two and a half years in
western TAR, housing and rations have improved considerably,
with more vegetables and now Internet access. [Comment: One
Chengdu Tibetan has observed that PAP on the Tibetan plateau
used to be skinny, but now they look much better fed. End
comment.]




7. (S/NF) The Tibetan PAP leader is the only Tibetan and only
Tibetan language speaker in his unit. In their operations, the
Tibetan PAP said, he often comes across pictures of the Dalai
Lama openly displayed in Tibetan homes. He ignores the photos
and his ethnic Han troops, who are just elementary school
graduates, have never seen a picture of the Dalai Lama, and so
do not recognize him. The Tibetan PAP said for these Tibetans
the Dalai Lama is purely a religious leader and they do not care
about government or politics. People in remote villages do not
hide their Dalai Lama pictures because they do not think there
is anything wrong with the pictures, and have not been told that
they should not display them.



Traditional Tibetan Healers are Often Village Leaders

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8. (S/NF) The Tibetan PAP said that when they have to work with
villagers, they often seek out a healer skilled in traditional
Tibetan medicine since these people are very influential. These
people often have not had formal training, but learned their
skills from family members as part of a family tradition.
Sometimes medical workers sent by the government to staff a
clinic have this same position of influence. Recently, the PAP
unit leader said, the Chinese government has increasing used the
influence of these local leaders for government purposes. These
people have little or no knowledge of foreign countries or even
of China, although this is changing now. The PAP have not been
disliked by local people in remote villages. Now, however, since
news has reached them of disturbances in Lhasa and other Tibetan
areas, some local people now dislike the PAP, although relations
with local people are still fairly smooth.



Comment: A Trusted Tibetan Looks Forwards to a Career with the
PAP

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CHENGDU 00000147 003.2 OF 003




9. (S/NF) Over the past year, relations between ethnic Tibetan
and Han cadres in the TAR and Tibetan areas of China have
deteriorated sharply (reftel). For Party and Government, there
is already a rising generation of ethnic Han who have grown up
on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, some of whom speak Tibetan. For
military units, especially those operating in rural regions
where the population is overwhelmingly Tibetan, the services of
ethnic Tibetans are still indispensable. The new tolerance of
religious articles often worn by Tibetans on PAP soldiers and
the PAP's willingness to put a Tibetan in charge of unit of 28
ethnic Han recruits is an example of how, given more tolerant
policies, Hans and Tibetans can work together as long as China
does not, as it often does in its minority policies, "drop a
big rock on its own foot."
BROWN