The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: Radio Free Asia reported yesterday that Tibetan residents in the region affected by the Kyigudo quake are currently resisting Chinese authorities' attempts to repossess their property.

"The local government has forced local residents out of their houses-they said they had to clean the area to build office buildings, schools, and parks, and they are planning to take away the sites for our homes and our fields," an anonymous Yushu county resident told RFA.

"This has upset the local Tibetans, and they have argued the land has belonged to them for generations. So they have been going to the local government office in their hundreds over the last few days," he said.

"Every day there are about 100 Tibetans protesting and appealing for the right to return to their land and fields, but the local authorities didn't listen."
RFA reported that the Chinese are even trying to claim property that was not damaged by the earthquake that devastated this region in April. Tibetan residents protest that the 80 square meter (860 square foot) houses being offered by the government as compensation are not sufficient.

"We Tibetans always have big families with many family members living together. Therefore, an 80 square meter unit is too small for them," the unidentified Yushu resident told RFA.

An unidentified Yushu county official told RFA reporters that more than 1000 Tibetan protestors had camped out in front of the government's regional office for days. She said that Chinese officials had been dispatched to negotiate with the protestors, and that none have been arrested yet.