Dharamshala — Chinese authorities began to demolish a famous Tibetan monastery called Atsog Moastery in Dragkar County, northern Tibet, in order to build a mega-dam on the yellow river that flows near the monastery. Hundreds of Tibetans are visiting the monastery these days to pray and bid farewell to the monastery, as which will be demolished soon.
Atsog Monastery (Atsog Gon Dechen Chokholing) was built in 1889 by Atsog Chogtul KunChok Dharjee Rinpoche and contains many sacred statues and images of deities. Atsohu Monastery was originally a county heritage conservation unit, but its status was revoked last year after the Chinese authorities issued a letter stating that it did not meet heritage conservation requirements, with believers criticising the decision as a move to facilitate the monastery's demolition.
Tibetan writer Tsering Worser shared some videos on April 11, 2024, that showing; hundreds of Tibetans came to pray and they prostrated at the monastery with heavy heart and unwilling let go of the Monastery as the Monastery will demolish soon by Chinese authorities. She wrote on her social media related to the videos: "Because of the construction of the Yachul hydroelectric power station on the Yellow River, the authorities decided to move the Atsog monastery. Recently, because the monastery will be demolished, local Tibetans came to the monastery to prostrate themselves before the Monastery, reluctant to give up, scene of sadness."
The Videos taken by the Atsog Monastery Committee on April 9, 2024, showing hundreds of Tibetans of all ages, particularly elderly Tibetans, prostrating themselves around the monastery, with heavy hearts and unwilling let go of the Monastery, which will soon be demolished by the Chinese authorities soon.
Atsog monastery is a Gelugpa monastery, located in Dragkar (Ch:Xinghai) county, in the north of TsoNgon (Ch:Qinghai) province, northern Tibet. The monastery is famous in Tibet, particularly in the Amdo region, as it is a holy place of the Kadrolma (goddesses), and many monks and lay disciples come there to retreat. The monastery currently has around 160 monks, and the Chinese authorities banned young monks from entering the monastery at the age of 18 from 2021.
Chinese authorities will build a dam called the Yachul hydroelectric power station on the Yellow River, which flows at a place called Karmo Yachul, in Dragkar (Ch:Xinghai) county, in the north of TsoNgon (Ch:Qinghai) province, in northern Tibet, over the next two years. According to Chinese media reports, the Yachul hydropower plant will be built using 3D printing technology and managed by artificial intelligence (AI).
Chinese authorities from the "Machu Company", which is responsible for building the Yachul hydroelectric power station on the Yellow River, came to inspect the site on December 26, 2021 and checked, for example, which monasteries and villages had to be moved, etc. The Chinese government has built more than 20 hydroelectric power stations in the TsoNgon province in northern Tibet over the past 40 years, and has displaced 114 villages in order to construct the dams.
A few years ago, the Yachul hydroelectric power station was criticised by various sectors and fined 200,000 dollars for its unapproved construction, which will flood the world's largest tamarisk forest. This ancient tamarisk forest, the largest in the world, is located in Bhal County, in the north of TsoNgon (Ch:Qinghai) province, in northern Tibet. The Tamarisk forest is in the reservoir area of the Yachul hydroelectric power station on the Yellow River, which is currently under construction, and will be flooded after the dam is completed. The final decision of the departments concerned is to "relocate and protect" the trees, but botanists believe that transplanting the trees is not useful and will lead to their disappearance.
The Tibetan writer criticised the Chinese authorities for building dams in these regions, which will flood the centuries-old Tamarisk forest and a monastery of great heritage value.
The Chinese government is not only violating the human rights of Tibetans inside Tibet, it is also seriously destroying the environment; constructing dams without the consent of local Tibetans, forcing them to relocate their homes, villages and monasteries; in the name of building railways and roads to improve Tibet, it is transporting minerals and natural resources to Chinese cities.
