Tibetans in Southern Gansu, which they regard as part of Tibet's former north-eastern province of Amdo, have complained that large-scale military exercises in the area have led to looting, intimidation and environmental damage by soldiers.

The exercises are taking place near a village called Gan-gya Kongma, situated at 3,000 metres above sea level in a rural area 15 km north of Xiahe, where one of Tibet's most important monasteries is sited.

About 3,000 Chinese troops began the exercises three weeks ago, a move which some local Tibetan say may have been connected to current attempts by the authorities to deter Tibetans from involvement in political dissent.

At least five Tibetans have been detained since May as part of a police crackdown on underground groups in Xiahe county, following the appearance of pro-independence posters at Labrang monastery in Xiahe this May and in neighbouring Ngulra two months earlier.

The military manoeuvres began in the Labrang area in the last week of August, when the troops, reportedly equipped with some 80 artillery pieces, were moved to the area from their normal base in the neighbouring prefecture of Linxia.

Xiahe, known as Sangchu in Tibetan, is part of Gan-lho or Southern Gansu prefecture, known in Chinese as Gannana and officially described as an autonomous area run by local Tibetans. The Gan-gya area includes large stretches of flat high-level pasture land and is ideal for vehicle manoeuvres.

Troops involved in the exercises have been accused of stealing property from local people, according to a source in the area, who claimed that military authorities had told local Tibetans that nothing could be done to restrain the soldiers.

There were additional complaints that the exercises were affecting the local economy and fodder supply. "The military exercises are doing a lot of damage to the pasture land around the village, with the result that there is not enough grass for the animals," said a source, who also reported complaints that the troops were dumping their waste near the village.

"Tibetan people think that the training is intended to intimidate Tibetans, because there was a display of Tibetan independence posters in Labrang monastery", said the source, who asked not to be named. "The contradiction between Chinese and Tibetan people is getting bigger and bigger," he commented.

The manoeuvres appear to be part of large scale military exercises in Gansu which finished on 16th September, according to the Jiefang Bao, China's military newspaper. The exercises involved hundreds of camouflaged tanks, armoured cars, artillery launchers and warplanes from the 21st division of the PLA, according to the press agency UPI, citing the army newspaper. The agency said only that the manouevres took place "at the foot of Helan mountain" in Gansu. The exercises followed large-scale troop movements and^M guided missile tests in July and August near Taiwan, UPI noted.