Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, July 23: Chinese authorities have reportedly imposed sweeping security measures in the Lower Zako region along the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Ganzi (Kardze) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Kham, the hometown of late Tibetan independence activist Lobga Rangzen, according to information obtained by Phayul from a member of the Sino-Tibet dialogue platform Lhasa Spring, who requested anonymity due to security concerns.
The source told Phayul that armed personnel from China’s National Security and Public Security agencies have maintained a heavy presence in the area since early July, with residents’ movements and communications have been placed under strict restrictions. The situation has left the township under intense surveillance, while local people are reportedly living under constant monitoring and fear amid the continued security crackdown.
Earlier this month, Lobga Rangzen set himself on fire in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York and later succumbed to his injuries. A Tibetan refugee based in New York, he worked as a taxi driver. He escaped to exile in India in 1992, where he later pursued monastic studies at Ganden Monastery in southern India. His entire family still resides in Tibet.
According to the source, security forces, including personnel from China’s National Security and Public Security agencies, entered the area shortly after July 2, following Lobga Rangzen’s self-immolation. Since then, the village has remained under heightened surveillance, with residents subjected to stringent controls aimed at preventing any potential unrest.
“The area has been controlled tightly,” the source told Phayul. “We are trying to establish contact with them.” The source added that fear has spread among local residents, making it nearly impossible to obtain information about Lobga Rangzen’s family members and relatives.
“For his family, we don’t know what has happened,” the source said. “Local people are afraid to visit them. They told me they don’t even dare to call them because they are being guarded and are under the watch of National Security.”
As of publication, the whereabouts and condition of Lobga Rangzen’s family members remain unknown. The source said efforts to reach them have so far been unsuccessful due to the extensive security restrictions imposed in the area.
The reported security crackdown reflects a pattern frequently documented by rights groups, in which Chinese authorities intensify surveillance and impose collective restrictions on the family members and hometowns of Tibetans who engage in political activism abroad. While the precise situation facing Lobga Rangzen’s family could not be independently verified, sources indicate that the area remains under tight security, with communications and travel severely curtailed.
