TIBETAN-HAN TENSIONS; LHASA TOURISM UP; HOTELS, HOSPITAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000170 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/26/2034 TAGS: CASC PHUM PGOV CH SUBJECT: TIBETAN-HAN TENSIONS; LHASA TOURISM UP; HOTELS, HOSPITAL PREPAREDNESS FAIL TO IMPRESS REF: A) 08 CHENGDU 188; B) 08 CHENGDU 43; C) 08 CHENGDU 183; D) 08 BEIJING 4279 CHENGDU 00000170 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: David E. Brown, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Chengdu. REASON: 1.4 (d) ¶1. (C) Introduction and Summary: Conoffs traveled July 16-20 to Tibet to evaluate hotel options for a possible high-level U.S. delegation, as well as to evaluate emergency preparedness in Lhasa. The number of Chinese and foreign tourists in Lhasa is up from last year, when tourism halted for several months after the March 2008 riots. Military and police presence remains strong, especially in Tibetan areas. Tensions between Tibetan and Han Chinese were evident. Few Lhasa hotels can accommodate high-level delegations and the city's hospital emergency preparedness appears weak. End Introduction and Summary. On the Barkhor: Intimidating Police Presence and Tibetan Unhappiness -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) During the evenings after inspecting hotels, Conoffs took advantage of free time to visit and explore the historic Barkhor Tibetan quarter. One Conoff who had visited Lhasa in August 2008 -- five months after the March 2008 unrest -- noted a significant increase in the number of Western tourists over the last 12 months. Of these, American tourists appeared to be the largest group. The Kyichu hotel appeared to be completely full with Western tourists, whereas last year, there were few other guests apart from the four-person group from Consulate General Chengdu. (refs A and B) ¶3. (C) Conoffs observed that ethnic Tibetans in the Barkhor marketplace were openly criticizing ethnic Han Chinese customers and cursing Han Chinese shopkeepers in their stalls. One shopkeeper told Conoff, "Don't buy from them, they're Han. Buy from us, we're the real Tibetans." ¶4. (C) Just as during the August and November 2008 diplomatic visits to Lhasa (refs C and D),snipers were seen on rooftops and armed military were routinely patrolling the Barkhor area. Conoffs also saw a group of six People's Armed Police (PAP) standing in front of a popular tourist restaurant, each carrying a weapon and a fire extinguisher. Conoffs also observed what appeared to be undercover police or military patrols, which consisted of groups of baton-wielding men wearing black and yellow "Lhasa Sports Club" track suits. ¶5. (C) Conoff spoke with a group of German tourists who stated they had been harassed by local police after taking pictures of military and police patrols in the Barkhor area. The police told them to stop taking pictures and threatened to confiscate their cameras if they did not comply. Potala Palace: A Tibetan Speaks Up -------------- ¶6. (C) During Conoff's tour of the Potala Palace, one of Tibetan Buddhism's holiest sites, most visitors appeared to be ethnic Han Chinese tourists. During the visit, an ethnic Tibetan palace employee approached Conoff and asked where he was from. After hearing that he was from the United States, he said how much the U.S. helps Tibetans, and how all Tibetans are grateful for American assistance. The FAO host immediately broke away from the group, asked Conoff to move forward through the palace, and appeared to gather information about the Tibetan man from his name tag. Limited Hotel Options in Lhasa For High-Level Delegation -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) Only two of the seven hotels that Conoffs visited appear acceptable, yet these also have significant drawbacks: -- According to its promotional materials, the Brahmaputra Hotel is owned by a former Han Chinese military officer who served on the China-Burma border. The hotel displays an extensive collection of Tibetan artifacts of unclear provenance which, according to the Consulate's Tibetan LES, may have been misappropriated. -- The Xinding Hotel's owner also owns the largest mining CHENGDU 00000170 002.2 OF 002 company in the TAR and, according to the same Tibetan LES, may be guilty of human rights abuses. Lhasa's Emergency Preparedness Lacking -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Facilities and conditions at Lhasa's two largest hospitals have improved since last year's consular visit: hospital beds are up over 20 percent and the number of available ambulances has doubled. ¶9. (SBU) Responses to questions put to hospital management and medical personnel indicate that there is no planned response to a major crisis. There appear to be no emergency trip-wires, evacuation plans, or triage plans for large scale disasters such an earthquake. The hospitals' current facilities, despite recent improvements, are not well-prepared to handle a large, sudden influx of patients. BROWN