A powerful letter published today by 13 independent UN Human Rights Special Procedures expressed “deep concern” regarding the Chinese government plans to build the Kamtok dam in the Tibetan region of Derge. The scathing letter was sent to the Chinese government in July.
It demands a clarification from the Chinese government on the numerous reports of arrests and repression inflicted by Chinese government officials on local Tibetan protesters. It also requests details on how transparency, consultation, and respect for human rights will be ensured.
The Kamtok dam will submerge at least six monasteries and two villages and expel hundreds of residents. The 13 UN special procedures emphasized their distress regarding the irreversible destruction of religious and cultural heritage sites, as well as Tibetan ways of life. The letter also documented the lack of meaningful consultation with affected communities, a pattern of recent reprisals against protesters, and the irreversible impacts of dams on the environment and climate.
Kai Müller, Head of the UN Advocacy Team at the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), said: “This communication by 13 UN special procedures is a methodical examination of the Chinese government’s violent response to Tibetan protests against the Kamtok dam in Derge, as well as China’s so-called ‘sustainable renewable energy’ plan. In their letter, the UN human rights experts shine a bright light on the consequences of the Chinese government’s false claims about its development policy in Tibet. While Beijing pitches it as a climate-friendly and sustainable energy policy with hydropower dams as a key pillar, the reality is a ruthless strategy to exploit an oppressed country and marginalized people.
Müller continued: “The international community, governments, parliaments and civil society must not fall for China’s propaganda claiming that dam projects are clean and equitable “renewable” energy sources. Tibetans who are directly affected by environmental changes need to be consulted. Above all, Chinese development schemes in Tibet must be vigorously investigated and Tibet’s status as an unresolved political conflict must be honestly and seriously addressed.”
Meanwhile, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) has also welcomed the letter from the UN human rights experts and urged “respective governments to make strong representations against this construction, in favour of the fundamental rights of Tibetans.”