Communist Tibetan authorities issue new border ban to prevent outside infiltration

The Tibetan authorities have issued a ban to tighten control over the Sino-Indian border area and “maintain the security and stability of the border. The ban, which consists of 15 articles, is mainly aimed at preventing “infiltration activities” from outside the country.

Tibet’s official media, the Tibet Daily, published a notice on Thursday (April 8) titled “Circular on the ’15 bans’ on border activities in the Tibet Autonomous Region”. The prohibition includes no entering the border restricted area, no moving or altering border markings, no forging documents, no organizing or transporting people without legal documents across the border, and no illegal flying activities in the border area.

Hong Kong’s English-language media, the South China Morning Post, quoted unnamed sources as saying that the bans were modified from the previous ones, mainly to prevent exiled Tibetans from entering the country for infiltration activities.

The so-called Tibetans in exile are those who went into exile overseas after the failed Tibetan uprising by supporters of the Dalai Lama in 1959. Most of them have stayed in India, while many others have strayed to Western countries.

Last June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a serious armed clash between Chinese and Indian troops in the Garhwan Valley, and four Chinese border guards were also killed, according to the Chinese side. The Indian army reportedly has a special force of more than 10,000 members made up of exiled Tibetans.

The military standoff, which had lasted nearly a year, was temporarily eased in mid-February when the two countries completed their disengagement plans by pulling back from each other’s forces.

The “15 bans” also include a ban on carrying and distributing newspapers and electronic publications that “contain content that endangers national security and undermines national unity,” as well as a ban on unauthorized scientific research and exploration activities in border areas. All Chinese citizens living outside Tibet must have a special permit to travel to the Himalayan region.