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During a government meeting on urbanization this week, the administration of Tibet stated their decision to increase the permanent urban population of Tibet by 30 percent by 2020 — a figure that represents roughly 280,000 new Chinese immigrants to Tibet.

The urban population of Tibet has risen dramatically since the 1980s, when China launched a “National Strategic Project to Develop the West” following the end of the Cultural Revolution.

Before the campaign, under 300,000 people lived in 31 towns and cities in Tibet. According to Chinese estimates for 2013, over 740,000 people now live in 140 towns and cities in Tibet. The new push will bring that number to over one million.

Because the majority of new residents in Tibet are ethnic Chinese, many Tibetans have expressed concern about a threat to their distinct cultural, religious and national identity. The Chinese population has increased in all Tibetan regions since China invaded Tibet in 1959.

In the administrative capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, Lhasa, Chinese outnumber Tibetans three to one, while in 1990 there were only 81,200 Chinese in all of TAR.

In addition to the Chinese resident population measured in government figures, there are also an additional 300,000 to 500,000 (150,000 to 250,000 in TAR) ethnic Chinese stationed in Tibet as cadres, administrative staff, and ordinary and military police.

The chairman of the Tibetan regional government, Losang Jamcan, said at the meeting that Tibet still lagged behind many regions of China, and that urbanization especially was lagging behind the rest of China.

Losang said that Tibet wanted to improve public services in urban areas in order to attract more people to move to Tibet, and to boost local economies.

Analysis by James Haleavy

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Freedom House, a prominent US-based human rights organization which monitors and rates various global freedoms, has found that under President Xi Jinping repression has increased in China. Of the 17 categories assessed by Freedom House in their China Report, repression has increased in 11 since 2012 when Xi took power, indicating an overall intensification of repression.

“The current leaders appear to be increasing repression, expanding the targets and reach of the security agencies even more than their predecessors,” wrote Sarah Cook, senior research analyst for East Asia at Freedom House and author of the report.

The categories in which repression had increased since Xi took power in 2012 include grassroots rights activists, online opinion leaders, ordinary internet users, civic-minded businesspeople, CCP cadres, labor leaders, scholars and professors, print and television journalists, Christians, Buddhist Tibetans, and Muslim Uighurs.

Since 2012, the Chinese government has begun to targeted new entities as well, Cook found. CCP authorities conducted detention, imprisonment, public humiliation and physical abuse on individuals who had previously been safe in the nation, including a pastor from a state-sanctioned church, a highly popular businessman, an acclaimed lawyer, an internet entrepreneur, and several middle class professionals. Party cadre had also suffered increased physical abuse — to the point of death — Freedom House reported.

Five categories maintained a level of repression consistent with pre-2012 findings: political dissidents, human rights lawyers, formal nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), protest participants, and Falun Gong practitioners.

Freedoms in China increased in only one category, according to Freedom House: petitioners, and the increase was minor, involving the abolition of the “reeducation through labor” camp system.

Freedom House noted that particularly prevalent in China since Xi took office was the incidence of religious persecution. Falun Gong adherents, Muslim Uighurs and Tibetan Buddhists were more likely than other classes of people to suffer prison sentences of over 10 years, systemic torture and death while in custody.

The Chinese government has shifted tactics since Xi entered office, Freedom House found. The government began using less overtly political charges — instead using public assembly- and disturbance-related charges for arrests. Bribery, illegal business offences and prostitution were also used against politically-involved actors in China, including journalists, according to the report.

The CPC also increased it’s use of short detention terms and high monetary fines, and revived televised forced confessions.

“On the one hand, there seems to be a greater emphasis on more formal types of punishment — such as administrative detention, brief criminal detention, and full prosecutions — and on punishments that discredit or humiliate the target, most likely a bid to enhance the legitimacy of the crackdown. On the other hand, this has not translated into an actual reduction in the use of extralegal detention, since the abolition of the discredited RTL system has led to the reported proliferation of less visible alternative facilities,” wrote Cook in the report.

“Repression has increased under the new leadership, yet fear of the regime appears to be diminishing,” she concluded.

The data from which Freedom House completed their study included that from their own interviews (conducted for the purposes of their research), media reports, Chinese human rights groups, the China Labor Bulletin, the Duihua Foundation and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

The report, “The Politburo’s Predicament,” was completed by Sarah Cook and was published on the Freedom House website.

By James Haleavy

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JUBA, South Sudan —  The government has hailed the just concluded meeting with the rebels and mediators in Khartoum as a step towards the attainment of lasting peace.

South Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Benjamin Marial, praised the initiative by the Chinese government to mediate between the warring parties in an effort to restore peace to the country.

“The fact that China, People’s Republic of China, got involved in trying to push forward the peace process also shows the commitment of the Chinese government to peace in South Sudan. We endorsed it because it does not deviate from the IGAD peace process.”

Marial spoke to journalists in Juba upon arrival from the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Wednesday, saying the meeting would boost the IGAD brokered peace negotiation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“The safety of personnel who are involved in important economic institutions in the Republic of South Sudan; that of course includes economic installations and I think is very important thing – that they wanted the assurance that these institutions are properly protected and not to be destroyed in any form.”

The foreign minister said that they and the SPLA opposition rebels have agreed to allow access to those displaced by the war.

Aid agencies earlier raised the issue of access to those in dire need of assistance by both sides of the conflict by placing numerous roadblocks in place and demanding money.

Marial added that the two sides had agreed to allow aid workers access to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people in need of humanitarian assistance.

According to the minister, the two sides recommitted to ending the conflict peacefully and to respect the cessation of hostilities agreement signed nearly a year ago between the government and rebels.

However, accusations of attacks have been occurring recently, according to SPLA spokespeople.

He further said that the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, who mediated in the talks between the two warring parties, met the two sides’ delegates, Sudanese and Ethiopian, separately and held discussions with the IGAD mediators.

On the talks, Marial said the government hopes to resume peace talks in Addis Ababa at the end of this month with new momentum to reach a permanent peace deal.

China is sending 750 combat troops to South Sudan as part the UN peacekeeping mission by next March.

Marial supported the Chinese troops adding that they adhere to the UN Mission in South Sudan mandate and will not side with either party to the conflict.

China is the main investor in South Sudan’s oil industry, which contributes more than 90 percent of government revenues.

This is the second time that another country has come and held talks on ending the one year conflict that has ravaged the country. Last year, Tanzania invited the two sides of the conflict to try to unify their factions in an intra-party dialogue, wherein President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar accepted responsibility for the current crisis facing the nation.

By Moi Julius

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JUBA, South Sudan — The leader of the minority party in the National Legislative Assembly, Onyoti Adigo, has suggested convening a national consensus dialogue to resolve critical issues rather than conducting partial elections in June.

“The Government should call all political parties, civil society organizations, faith-based groups and people to decide the way forward,” Onyoti told the New Nation.

According to the minority leader, if the government is accepted by all, the mandate should be to bring peace, reconcile and unite people, build trust, and afterwards elections could be organized — “After census and geographical constituencies is known,” said Onyoti.

“Supposing the government goes for elections in June and in July there is peace, you might have wasted time by establishing another transitional period again. If you think about elections, it means the government is not for peace.”

The warring parties in the IGAD-brokered talks have agreed on the formation of a transitional government as a final deal is negotiated to end the war.

They have agreed on a 27 cabinet ministers, but the most sticky issue is who heads the government, as the rebels propose their leader, Riek Machar, and Juba insists on South Sudanese President Salva Kiir as the leader of the transitional government of national unity.

“They brought the example of Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan, which ran elections. Are those countries peaceful now? They are killing their own citizens,” he said.

The minority leader added that those dying in both sides of the conflict are South Sudanese, so the example of Syria and Iraq holding elections during turmoil are irrelevant to the country.

He further said partial elections are not democratically acceptable, and in the case of South Sudan there maybe four states: Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity and Lakes.

“How can the government talk of elections when thousands are in IDP camps and those in towns experience hunger even in Juba? Instead of thinking of the people — for them to eat — you talk of an election. Money should have been for the suffering people. The displaced are in dire need of food, sanitation, water and medical care, and you want to take billions for elections.”

According to the leader of minority, the money allocated for elections is not within the law as it is not reflected in the budget and appropriation bill endorsed by Parliament when the national budget was passed last year.

“When we approved the budget, the amount was not there. It should have been approved by Parliament. They want to use it, as previous billions were lost. It is a violation of the law,” said Onyoti.

By Moi Julius

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Since mid December 2013, South Sudan has been experiencing a political crisis that erupted within the ruling party’s top leadership. The crisis started in the national capital, Juba, in Central Equatoria state and engulfed other states like Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei.

Western Equatoria state has been one of the states that has experienced relative peace compared with other states in the country, with the exception of smaller insecurity problems caused by Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in some parts of the state like Ezo, Nzara and Tombura counties that border Central African Republic–CAR and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) respectively.

However, last year parts of Mundri West, Mundri East, Mvolo and Maridi Counties have been invaded my cattle keepers from Lake State. The coming of these cattle keepers into the area is causing tension with the local who are mostly farmers. The pastoralist communities often graze on the farms of the host communities in almost all the counties mentioned above.

Apart from this problem, the host communities accused the invading communities from Lakes States of cattle rustling. Cattle are often raided from other communities, either in Jonglei or in Lakes states, and being driven to Western Equatoria State. This conflict has caused the death of a large but unrecorded number of people on both sides.

The cattle keepers have also started raiding the cattle of the locals. On Dec. 26, 2014 at midnight cattle raiding occurred in an area called Modubai Boma, about 20 km north of Maridi town. Three locals were killed and one injured. Many herds of cattle were driven to unknown areas towards Lakes State.

Apart from the insecurity of cattle raiding, the evading communities have been accused of taking part in ambushing and looting vehicles travelling within the states.

Last week, the police in Maridi County intercepted a plan by the suspected cattle raiders who staged an ambush along Mambe-Yei road. One suspect was killed.

This new development in the state has caused worry to the governor, Mr. Joseph Bangasi Bakasoro, and the whole population, who know nothing about warlike situations.

In an effort to defuse the worrying situation, the state government is organizing for a peace conference to take place soon in the most affected areas of Mundri East and West as well as Mvolo and Maridi Counties. The conference is targeting both the cattle keepers and the host communities.

By Stanley Puji Dagule