The “extreme hardships” in Tibet, where the Chinese regime has imposed harsh lockdowns, are behind five recent suicides, according to a human rights advocacy group.
The lockdown in the west border region—which has dragged on for over 50 days—caused “a spate of suicides” in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, according to the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT).
“The Covid outbreak in Tibet has resulted in the expansion of already invasive and suffocating living conditions in Tibet,” ICT said.
One person who killed himself was a man who jumped from a mass quarantine site, according to ICT. The group also shared several video clips obtained from its sources in the statement, but all footage has been removed by YouTube over violation of the platform’s terms of service.
No Food
Posts describing how desperate conditions are under the strict lockdown—from food shortages, a lack of medical care, to chaotic scenes in quarantine sites—have appeared on China’s social media since September.“To save food, we could only sleep during the daytime,” a tour guide living in Lhasa who gave his surname as Zhao told The Epoch Times on Sept.16. “For over a month, I only eat once every day.”
Zhao, who had been confined in a rental apartment for more than 30 days, said the authorities are censoring people’s voices, after their plight drew some attention on social media.
The ICT called it a “tactical” apology. The group stated that “no meaningful remedial measures have been implemented to ameliorate the harsh lockdown and quarantine conditions imposed by the official zero-COVID policy.”
No Income
A small business owner said his friend’s relative committed suicide in a centralized quarantine center in Lhasa. While he didn’t know the details, he suggested that the economic pressures may have contributed.“How many people could stay calm after being deprived of income for 50 days?” a man, who gave his surname as Li, asked The Epoch Times on Sept. 27. Li said he had to pay off loans for his car and home and pay his staff, even though he was confined to his home,
Tashi, a Lhasa resident who has been sealed in his home for over 45 days, said he lost his job and faced difficulties paying a car loan. He said he knows people who are unable to pay their rent.
Tashi believes the authorities are using COVID-19 curbs to increase control over the far-western region.
“Such restrictions are not for preventing the pandemic,” Tashi told The Epoch Times on Sept. 27. “They purposely force people to stay at home with the goal of cutting their income. In the end, people would do whatever the government asked, because they want to survive.”
The ICT urged the Chinese authorities to “refrain from repressive measures.”
“Tibetans living under Chinese rule have already suffered for decades as second-class citizens due to Beijing’s hardline policies targeting Tibetan identity, culture, language, and religion.” ICT said. “Beijing must recognize that the combination of decades-long repression and the rollout of new, extreme and inhumanely enforced COVID restrictions are causing Tibetan suffering and suicides.”
