China puts Dalai Lama birthplace under surveillance

3 months ago

The installation of CCTV cameras around the Dalai Lama’s birthplace is not about public safety—it is about surveillance, control, and the symbolic erasure of Tibetan identity.

The Dalai Lama was born in Takster village, Amdo (now part of Qinghai province). Once a humble hamlet, it has become a site of heavy monitoring by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Reports and eyewitness accounts describe CCTV cameras positioned around the house and village, part of a broader strategy to ensure that no spontaneous gatherings, pilgrimages, or acts of devotion occur without the state’s eye.

This is not incidental. The CCP has long viewed the Dalai Lama as a political threat, branding him a “separatist.” His birthplace, therefore, is not merely a village—it is a symbolic locus of Tibetan identity and resistance. By installing cameras, the state seeks to neutralize that symbolism, transf...

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