International Campaign for Tibet

Tibet scholars’ petition to China and UNESCO on destruction of Old Lhasa City

May 15, 2013

International scholars on Tibetan studies have launched a petition to China and UNESCO expressing “grave concern over the rapidly-progressing destruction of much of the traditional architectural heritage of the Old City of Lhasa and its environs.”

The petition, addressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bukova, urges them to send “independent investigative teams” to Lhasa and to see “whether local officials and business interests have violated the responsibilities incumbent upon China through its participation in UNESCO.”

The scholars say, “This is not just a Tibetan problem; it is not just a Chinese problem. It is an international problem.”

In a specific request to UNESCO, the petition says, “Most importantly we ask that UNESCO provide a clear-cut plan outlining what needs to be done immediately to preserve the Old City of Lhasa, to halt the current destruction, and to prevent Lhasa from being turned into an early 21st-century tourist town, shorn of its uniqueness and its innate traditional culture.”

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