Tibet: Report of Shootings at Nangpa La Pass
A reliable source close to ExplorersWeb who wishes to be undisclosed until he gets out of
A group of Tibetans were allegedly shot on their way to Nangpa La pass, at
Shots at Nangpa La
“Early morning of September 30th, I walked out of our dining tent to gaze over towards the Nangpa La pass. I saw a line of Tibetans heading towards the start of the pass - a common sight, as the trade routes are open this time of year.”
“Then, without warning, shots rang out. Over, and over and over. Then the line of people started to run uphill – they were at 19,000ft. Apparently the Chinese army was tipped off about their attempted escape, and had showed up with guns.”
"2 people were down, and they weren't getting up"
“Watching the line snake off through the snow, as the shots rang out, we saw two shapes fall. The binoculars confirmed it: 2 people were down, and they weren't getting up. Then more Chinese army swarmed through ABC.”
According to the climber, Tibetans on the mountain later said that up to seven people might have been shot dead, their bodies then shoved into a crevasse not far from
A traders, trekkers and refuges route
The wide Nangpa La pass, located between
Since the Chinese invasion of
The fact is, caravans across the Nangpa La are often seen by climbers in
Not the first time
These unregistered travelers have rarely raised attention from the Chinese troops in BC, neither from the Liason Officers always present in ABC. Some climbing teams through the years have however reported on hearing shots. But this is the first time we have first-hand reports of a westerner witnessing people being shot on the way to
Nevertheless, it is not the first time such a fact hit the news. Canada’s Tibet Committee reported a similar incident on December 4, 2003: “Last year, there were separate eyewitness reports by Western mountain climbers of Chinese border police firing upon Tibetan refugees as well as pursuing refugees across Nangpa la into Nepal territory,” the NGO’s reported. “In mid October of this year, a group of 34 Tibetan refugees were fired upon by Chinese border security while attempting to cross into
We ran in all directions
According to the report, one of the refugees who finally made it to
Approximately 2,500 Tibetans annually escape from
Nangpa La is situated only a few kilometres west of
The Nangpa La pass has also been used by “illegal” climbers who have started from