Montreal Gazette - Thursday, September 12, 1996

Beijing - China's military leaders have decided to pay a special monthly bonus to troops stationed in Tibet, raising their wages to 2.5 times the level paid to other Chinese soldiers. Chinese troops have occupied the remote Himalayan region since 1950. China claims it has had sovereignty over Tibet since the 13th century: but Tibetans say they enjoyed de facto independence for much of that time.