China sentenced Tibetan whistleblower to eight months in prison for protesting illegal sand mining in Ngaba
Tsongon Tsering, a resident of Tsaruma village in Kakhog (Ch: Hongyuan) County, Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, has been sentenced to eight months in prison on 27 October by the Kyungchu (Ch: Qiongxi) County People’s Court. He was convicted on the trumped-up charge of “disrupting social order.” Tsering had been detained incommunicado after gaining widespread attention online for exposing large-scale illegal mining along the river in his village.
A reliable source informed TCHRD that Tsering is imprisoned at Kyungchu County Prison. The heightened restrictions recently imposed by Chinese authorities across Ngaba have further escalated regional tensions. Tsongon Tsering’s family has no means of contacting him, deepening concerns about his safety and rights, particularly given the common practice of fabricating charges against individuals who challenge the actions of the Chinese authorities.
On 14 October, Tsering posted a five-minute video openly filing a “real-name complaint” to draw attention to the mining operations conducted by Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering Company, allegedly under the guise of road construction work. His approach, filming himself holding his ID card while describing the violations, follows a well-known method in China for reporting abuses by officials or companies suspected of corruption, bribery, dereliction of duty, and abuse of authority.
After his video went viral, Tsering was summoned to the county office along with his family members and villagers. He was permitted to return home briefly before being summoned again and subsequently detained. Sources indicate he is now being held in Kyungchu County prison.
In early May 2023, Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering Company started illegal sand and gravel mining operations along the river in Tsaruma village under the pretext of road construction. This severely damaged the local ecosystem, polluted nearby waterways, and increased the risk to homes near the river.
A group of villagers filed complaints with the Tsaruma Township, Kakhog County Discipline Inspection Commission, Kakhog County Environmental Protection Bureau, Kakhog County Water Affairs Bureau, Ngaba Prefecture Water Affairs Bureau, Ngaba Prefecture Environmental Protection Department, and other relevant departments regarding environmental destruction, soil erosion, and risks to local homes.
Despite submitting photographs and videos documenting the damage done to the local area, none of the relevant offices took any action or responded. However, because the online video exposing the mining was widely circulated on Chinese social media, the Ecological Environment Bureau of Kakhog County was compelled to respond, stating they would look into the matter.
Although Tsering and several other Tibetans involved in repeated petitions and appeals were called to the Tsaruma village office and county government offices for “purported” discussions, the mining issue in the area has not been resolved.
Tsongon Tsering states in the video that environmental protection policies have existed for many years; however, there are still issues with policy implementation. Although the written response from the Ecological Environment Bureau of Kakhog County in April 2024 acknowledged that Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering Company (安徽先河建筑工程有限公司) had indeed conducted illegal sand mining operations, claiming that the company had been fined, it is evident that such measures were merely an attempt to quickly close the case and cover up the company’s illegal mining activities.
