WASHINGTON, July, 22, 1997 (ICT) - A new, modern prison has been built in t he northern outskirts of Lhasa, despite the existence of numerous other prison s and detention facilities which were thought to be sufficient even for Lhasa 's already large prison population. The new prison was found and photographed during a recent ICT sponsored trip to Lhasa.

The prison is different than others in Lhasa in that it has virtually no outdoor ground space for exercise or vegetable gardens, which may indicate that it is a higher security facility. It could also be a city or prefectur al level Public Security Bureau detention center. It has 2 cellblocks and possibly a third, which appear to have 12 - 14 cells each. Its guard towers are noticeably higher and more modern than others in Lhasa.

Located about 100 yards southwest of Outridu prison, the new prison is like ly to be part of the Sangyip prison complex. Its name remains unknown, but if it is part of the Sangyip complex, it may be named liutridou, meaning the sixth (liu) unit (tridou). (Tridou is the Tibetan transliteration of the Chinese word, zhidui, for unit or squadron.) The first unit is Yitridrou, the fourth isSeitru and the fifth is Outridu. The second and third are now closed. Sangyip is designated as a labor camp, although it is not distinguished by extra ordinary labor compared to other Lhasa area facilities. The new prison did not exist in 1993, but the exact constructi on and completion date are not known.

In addition, Chinese authorities are expanding the capacity of nearby Outri du prison by building several new blocks of cells. Pictures taken by ICT in 1993 show Outridu had 5 blocks of cells. With the new additions, Outridu will have 7 blocks of cells. The new blocks each have 16 cells which are likely to have a capacity of 6 - 10 prisoners per cell. Thus the prison's added capacity would be in the 200 - 300 range. Outridu is currently used almost exclusively for common criminals and the added capacity may be neede d because Lhasa's overall population is rapidly climbing due to the influx of Chinese settlers.

[Photos of both the new prison and the construction at Outridu are available from ICT, 1825 K St., NY, Suite 520, Wash. DC 20006.]