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[ back ] URGENT
ACTION
: DEMOLITIONS IN OLD LHASA Demolition appears to have begun last Thursday (April 25th, 2002) on the building on the southeast corner where Dekyi Shar Lam (aka Beijing Dong Lu) and "Snowland Street" meet. Tenants of this building are reported to have been evicted. The city is planning to demolish the whole building complex which apparently includes an old residence called Samding. Reports indicate the city plans to demolish the entire block around this building complex. The area concerned is the block beside (immediately north of) the well known tourist hotel "Snowlands," including the French restaurant, opposite (east of) the Pentoc Hotel and the Xiangbala Hotel. This block contains some important old aristocrat buildings, such as Phunkhang (a.k.a. Ganglha Metok) and is one of the few remaining centers of traditional Tibetan buildings. This area is approximately 3 mins walk from Jokhang square, which is the historic center of Lhasa. These traditional areas now constitute less than 1 square kilometer of Lhasa, which has expanded to 53 square kilometers (more than double what it was in 1980.) Many buildings in this area are old and in disrepair, but in most cases they are perfectly capable of renovation. While this demolition does not include monasteries or temples, it does include physical symbols of the remaining Tibetan cultural heritage. There are no signs of any consultation with local people. It seems as if this demolition is being rushed through. In addition to the lack of consultation with local people, there are no signs of any sufficient consultation process with the relevant international bodies such as ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Statues), either, which have long shown interest in the preservation of the physical and cultural heritage of Tibet. One major political issue is that there is no longer any group to monitor and protect Tibetans from this kind of activity. A major architectural monitoring and restoration group was expelled in 2000. China has ratified and is obligated to accept the terms of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which states in Article 15 that "The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the realization of this right [to take part in cultural life] shall include those necessary for the conservation [of] culture". China has also ratified the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which binds states to "the duty of ensuring the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to future generations of the cultural and natural heritage referred to in Articles 1 and 2 and situated on its territory." The traditional areas of historic Lhasa apparently targeted for demolition are clearly part of the Tibetan cultural heritage, and of universal value. Tibetans
and supporters around the world are demanding that all demolition be halted pending
full consultation with international bodies, and that all remaining buildings
of Tibetan cultural significance be renovated and not demolished. |
