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[ back ] URGENT
ACTION
: DEMOLITIONS IN OLD LHASA President
George W. Bush Dear President Bush, I am writing you today to alert you to the fact that the Chinese Government has begun demolitions in one of the few remaining old Tibetan sections of Lhasa, Tibet, and to urge you to demand that the Chinese Government immediately stop this destruction of Tibet's remaining cultural heritage. It has come to my attention that a new phase of demolition has begun in an area adjoining the historic center of Lhasa, Tibet. The area in question contains several historic Tibetan buildings, and their destruction is a matter of grave concern. There are no signs of any sufficient consultation process with local people or with relevant international bodies such as ICOMOS, which have long shown interest in the preservation of the physical and cultural heritage of Tibet. It seems as if this demolition is being rushed through. I hope you will share our view that these buildings must be conserved with a view to renovation, and take steps to stop the demolition before it is too late. Many of the buildings slated for demolition, which have stood for centuries, have wooden pillars which the Chinese have said are unsafe and need to be replaced by thin-walled concrete frame structures with concrete slab ceilings. In addition to my great concern regarding the impact this will have on Tibetan cultural heritage, the construction of these new concrete-slab buildings poses a second, also critical, issue of concern. These thin-slab concrete structures are extremely dangerous in the case of earthquakes; the ceiling slabs in these buildings are laid between beams with a half inch clearance so that even a slight earthquake causing movement in the beams would be disastrous. Given that Lhasa is a special earthquake sensitive zone this is a particularly hazardous development. In addition, residents who are evicted from destroyed buildings have to actually pay significantly more money to move into the new buildings, more than many of them can afford. Demolition appears to have begun last Thursday on the building on the southeast corner where Dekyi Shar Lam (also known as 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 that the city also plans to demolish the entire block to the south and east of 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. These areas of traditional Tibetan architecture now constitute less than one square kilometer of Lhasa. The surrounding city has expanded to 53 square kilometers (more than double what it was in 1980.) Many buildings in this area are quite old; in most cases they can be safely renovated. While this demolition does not include monasteries or temples, it does include physical symbols of the remaining Tibetan cultural heritage. As you may know, the People's Republic of China has on several occasions declared to the international community its commitment to respect the culture of all nationalities living under Chinese jurisdiction, including their physical heritage. 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. To destroy them without community consultation would be a serious violation of China's duty to protect cultural heritage, and constitute an escalation of China's ongoing destruction of Tibetan culture as part of their effort to destroy Tibetan identity and resistance to China's brutal occupation of Tibet. Please use your good influence to demand that the Chinese government immediately stop these demolitions and ensure that these traditional areas of old Tibet will remain part of Tibet's architectural cultural heritage. I look forward to your positive response. Sincerely, CC:
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