Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 3: Several senior officials in the so called Dechen (Diqing) prefecture in southern Kham (Ch: Yunnan Province) have been investigated in recent months by China’s anti-graft agency, suggesting high levels of political instability.
According to a report by International Campaign for Tibet, the officials under investigation are Tibetans, including one who served as governor and at least three others who served as deputy governors of Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Two of the officials also headed the United Front Work Department (UFWD) in Dechen and nearby Lijiang. Chinese state media announced that they are being investigated for “serious violations of discipline and laws,” a standard rationale for such investigations.
Corruption has been a significant issue in Tibet under Chinese rule. Since Xi Jinping’s rise to power, his administration has focused on anti-corruption efforts, though some argue that these campaigns serve to consolidate party legitimacy and Xi’s indefinite rule rather than addressing deeper socio-political issues.
Since April 2024, investigations and actions have been launched against several senior Tibetan officials from Dechen. Kalsang Namgyal, the head of the UFWD and former deputy governor of Dechen, has been under investigation since September 22, 2024. Tashi Dhondup, a member of the Standing Committee of Dechen and Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, has been under investigation since August 30, 2024. Feng Yuxiang, deputy secretary of the Lijiang City Party Committee and head of UFWD, has been under investigation since June 24, 2024. Jangchup (Jiang Chu), executive vice governor of Dechen, was dismissed on May 19, 2024, while Qi Jianxin, former governor of Dechen, was dismissed on April 9, 2024.
Namgyal has spent his entire professional career in Dechen, beginning in 1991 in the finance bureau. Feng and Qi, despite using Chinese names, are reported to be of Tibetan ethnicity. Feng is originally from Dechen and worked there before being transferred to Lijiang.
The so called Dechen prefecture is in the southern part of Kham, covering an area of 9,189 square miles, larger than Israel and approximately the size of New Hampshire. After annexation of Tibet by China, it is currently divided into three administrative counties: Gyalthang (Shangri-La City), Jol (Dechen), and Balung (Weixi). Before being renamed Dechen in 1957, Gyalthang was part of the traditional regions of Baligyal and was an important stop on the “Ancient Tea Horse Trading Route.”
As of 2022, Dechen’s total population was recorded at 371,700, with Tibetans accounting for 36.26% of the population. Despite its size and history, Dechen is less known internationally. In 2001, authorities renamed Gyalthang as Shangri-La City to attract Chinese tourists.
Two of the officials under investigation had been leaders of the UFWD, an authority responsible for implementing policies to control Tibetan life under Chinese rule. Leadership within the UFWD is highly scrutinized, and only trusted individuals are appointed. The current governor of Dechen, Zhang Weidong, previously headed the UFWD in 2015.
The report further stated that, The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), responsible for these investigations, is secretive about its processes. Only after charges are finalized, will details about the reasons behind the investigations and dismissals of the Tibetan officials be made public.
