The Chinese policy of resettling Tibetan nomads and herders into so-called modern way of living in permanent concrete houses is in full swing.
Reports in the past had highlighted the plight of Tibetan nomads forced to abandon their traditional lifestyles with many driven to frustration and despair and unable to cope with the pressures of earning their livelihood through means alien to their traditions and upbringing.
China’s official website on Tibet, tibetinfor.com July 27 reported that 40,000 households of nomads and herders in Tibet will move into new houses in the first half of 2006. It said construction of houses for 13,552 households had been completed and 24,097 houses were still being built. The figures show the sheer magnitude of nomad-resettling in Tibet under government orders.
Some 53,000 Tibetan households have been resettled so far; the report claimed they had benefitted from the housing project. The government will soon begin building 15,360 houses with a total investment of 1,056 million yuan (about 132 million US dollars).
