Published by: World Tibet Network News, Tuesday, August 13, 1996

Lhasa, Xinhua - 12th August: The Tibet Autonomous Region has not encountered the problem of large numbers of people transferring from other parts of China, according to a senior Tibetan official.

Raidi, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Regional People's Congress, said, "Officials and technicians sent by the central government and province-level areas are helping Tibet expand its economy."

A recent sample survey shows that Tibet had a population of 2,389,000 on 1st October 1995, 193,000 more than on 1st July 1990 [Note: the figure for Tibet's population as given in the Five-Year Plan, published in SWB issue FE/2688 section S1, page 7, is 2.57 million and the increase rate is to be held at under 16 per 1,000. On that basis, 1996 figure should be around 2.47 million.]

Han people accounted for 3.3 per cent of the figure, down from 3.7 per cent in 1990, Raidi said.

"From this we can see that the ratio of Han people to Tibet's population has shown an annual tendency towards decline," he said.

Some overseas organizations have claimed that large numbers of floating and non-permanent persons are not included in the count of Han people residing in Tibet. Raidi said that the latest sample population survey covered all persons living in Tibet for more than six months.

The survey indicates that some 30,000 people from other parts of China worked in Tibet between January 1990 and May 1995, he said, adding that they were engaged primarily in commercial activities and moved from place to place.

He said, "Over the past few years the central government and governments of some provinces have sent a number of younger officials to aid construction in Tibet."

The officials serve as a "bridge" in economic cooperation between Tibet and other parts of China, he said, adding that they are also using their work experience and managerial expertise to accelerate economic growth in Tibet.

Last year 591 officials from other parts of China arrived in Tibet to work for three years, he said [see report in today's Tibet subsection on welcome for volunteers from Chinese provinces].

Raidi praised the officials for their sense of responsibility in helping areas where they are working achieve prosperity and improve efficiency.

Together with their Tibetan colleagues, they have been reforming the operational system of enterprises, the financial system and teaching system.

He said 168 workers from other parts of China will journey to Tibet later this year, most of them specializing in culture, education, science, technology, public health and enterprise management.

According to Raidi, coastal provinces of Guangdong and Fujian have set up funds to aid Tibet in order to increase assistance to Tibet.

Last year the Tibet regional government sent 1,000 Tibetan officials and technicians to other parts of China for study and work, in a move to speed up the training of local personnel and improve efficiency of Tibetan officials.

Raidi repudiated the claim of some overseas people that "Officials from other parts of China sent to work in Tibet serve as tools of the Chinese government to strengthen its rule in Tibet."

He said that those holding this view either do not know the actual conditions in Tibet, or harbour ill intentions.

He expressed the hope that when possible, they should come to Tibet to see for themselves the changes that have taken place in Tibet before drawing conclusions.