UPDATES! 6.27.99
The Western Poverty Reduction Project will further the efforts of the Chinese government to dilute the concentration of Tibetans in Tulan County (the Tibetan population will drop from 22% to 14% if the project is completed).
Also, the population of the arid and environmentally fragile ecosystem will double in size.
The Executive Directors of the World Bank are scheduled to vote on Thursday, June 24.
1) Please visit International Campaign for Tibet to instantly send a Free Fax and email message to the World Bank Executive Directors and President telling them why you think this ill-conceived project should be stopped.
You can also read more background about the project and see current news coverage of how Tibet supporters are mobilizing to prevent the WPRP from becoming a reality.
2) CALL James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank in Washington, DC, at 202-458-2907 and tell him Do Not Fund the China Western Poverty Reduction Project.
If that number is busy, call Patricia Brereton-Miller of the World Bank's China Unit at: 202-458-2569. If both numbers are busy, call Lucy Oh at the World Bank at: 202-473-2561. If you cannot get through, call the World Banks' general number and say you want to complain about a World Bank project in China at: 202-477-1234.
3) FAX the letter provided below to James Wolfensohn at: 202-522-0355. If that fax number is busy, fax the letter to the China Unit at: 202-522-1556.
4) MAIL the letter provided below to James Wolfensohn.
5) ***** CONTACT the World Bank Executive Director for your country and tell her/him "Do Not Fund the China Western Poverty Reduction Project." The names of, and contact information for, all World Bank Executive Directors is available at this link. (The U.S. Executive Director is Ms. Jan Piercy; Tel: 202-458-0110; Fax: 202-477-2967; Email: jpiercy@worldbank.org )
6) Also, what's critical now is that we get parliamentary opposition to the project. If folks in Europe, Canada, Asia or Ausrtalia know members of parliament who are sympathetic to Tibet, please have them write letters like the one below to their countries Executive Director to the World Bank.
James Wolfensohn
President, World Bank
1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433 U.S.A.
Dear Mr. Wolfensohn,
I am shocked that the World Bank may finance the large-scale population transfer of Chinese farmers into Tibet. I call on you to exercise your leadership to withdraw World Bank support from the China Western Poverty Reduction Project (WPRP).
I object to the WPRP for several reasons: the population transfer will contribute to the destruction of Tibetan culture; the project may cause serious environmental damage; prison labor may be used; and the project violates World Bank policies on ethnic minorities, environmental assessment, and involuntary resettlement.
First, the project facilitates China's continuing population transfer efforts. The area covered by this project is part of the Tibetan plateau and is historically a part of Tibet. The Chinese government intentionally divided contiguous Tibetan areas in order to weaken Tibetan opposition to Chinese rule, and has been moving Chinese into these areas to assert control. The WPRP will therefore assist this population transfer policy, which has made Tibetans a minority in many parts of Tibet and is destroying Tibetan culture.
Second, the proposed project also has serious environmental implications because it involves the doubling of the population in a fragile ecological area, including increased desertification and construction of a 40-meter dam. The Environmental Impact Assessment fails to adequately address these concerns, or to recommend measures to minimize them.
Third, forced labor may be used. This area has been part of China's vast laogai (prison labor) network since the 1950's, and forced labor has often been used in land reclamation projects. There is no way to guarantee that the Chinese will not use forced labor.
Fourth, I am concerned that this project is being rushed for approval without complying with important World Bank policies concerning ethnic minorities, environmental assessment, and involuntary resettlement. "Special action" is required when ethnic minorities are affected; however, there is no evidence that Tibetans and others who live in the region have been meaningfully involved in the project. Also, the World Bank calls this a "voluntary" resettlement; however, the Chinese Government's lack of transparency and harsh suppression of all dissent means that this population transfer may well be involuntary, which would violate World Bank policies.
I therefore urge the World Bank to withdraw support for the China Western Poverty Reduction Project.
Sincerely yours,
Students for a Free Tibet at UC Santa Cruz