Published by: World Tibet Network News, Tuesday, October 8, 1996

Text of dispatch by Zeng Xiangluand special correspondent Lan Peng

"Tibet border defence units build three-dimensional telecommunications network"; published by Chinese army newspaper `Jiefangjun Bao'

Lhasa, 17th August: A line, a transceiver and a military postal route were telecommunications "property" owned by the Tibet border defence units in the past. Now satellites, optical fibre cable, program- controlled telephones and other types of modern telecommunications facilities are the main liaison instruments employed by officers and soldiers stationed in the snowy region of Tibet. Maj-Gen Wang Shunhe, Tibet Military District deputy commander, today proudly told this reporter: "The Tibet border defence units have basically built an air, ground and underground telecommunications network, that is, a three-dimensional telecommunications network equipped with both fixed and mobile facilities."

After walking into a hi-tech telecommunications building located in a certain telecommunications centre of the Tibet border defence units, this reporter saw a female soldier operator lightly pressing a key on a keyboard. All of a sudden, telecommunications between Beijing, Shanghai, snowy mountains and frontier sentry posts were put through. Indeed, there was a world of difference between this mode of telecommunications and that of the 1950s and 1960s. In those years a signalman had to travel on a horse for several thousand li to deliver a message. Deputy Commander Wang had worked in Tibet for more than 30 years and seen with his own eyes that the Tibet border defence units had gradually developed and upgraded telecommunications facilities. He told this reporter: "We Tibet border defence units have upgraded telecommunications facilities to a great extent because the Central Military Commission [CMC] and the general departments have shown unreserved concern for us."

He revealed that since 1989, the CMC, the general departments, and the Chengdu Military Region have appropriated tens of millions of special funds to help the Tibet border defence units upgrade telecommunications facilities. As a result, the Tibet border defence units have successfully built satellite ground stations, laid optical fibre cables on snowy mountains and plateaus, and put through programme controlled telephones. Now officers and soldiers stationed in Lhasa, Shannan, Rigaze, Linzhi and other areas can make long-distance calls to the whole army through satellites or optical fibre cables. Now orders can be relayed from command posts to frontier sentry posts by telegram or telephone, he added.

Some units have also built telecommunications base stations, put through wireless, mobile and group telecommunications systems, and been equipped with portable transceivers, vehicle-based transceivers, terminal vehicles and mobile satellite telecommunications stations. It can be said that the Tibet border defence units have essentially built a "multi-means, three-dimensional, overlapping, overall-support, concealed and reliable" telecommunications network and ensured efficient telecommunications support for duty, patrol and combat operations.

Source: `Jiefangjun Bao', Beijing, in Chinese gmt 18 Aug 96 p1