China begins work on rail spur to Tibet monastery town

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Reuters
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A train leaves the Tibetan capital Lhasa on its way to Beijing at first light 02 March 2007. Since it opened eight month ago, China's rail link to Tibet, the world's highest railway line, has boosted the economic development in this poor region but has also raised concerns on the massive emigration of Han Chinese to the region with fears it could endanger Tibet's unique culture and way of life. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS.

Beijing-- China began work on Sunday on a rail spur that will connect the Tibetan capital of Lhasa with Shigatse, the monastery town that is the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second-most powerful figure in Tibetan Buddhism.

The 13.3 billion yuan ($1.98 billion) spur follows the 2007 completion of a rail link to Lhasa, which critics charged would speed the Sinofication of the Tibetan plateau and enable a sharp increase in mining and other industry in the environmentally fragile region.

Many Tibetans chafe under Chinese rule and believe that a sharp influx in central Chinese investment primarily benefits Han Chinese migrants.

The spur will "play a vital role in boosting tourism and promoting the rational use of resources along the line," the Xinhua news agency cited Railway Minister Liu Zhijun as saying.

The spur, which will take four years to complete, is designed to transport 8.3 million tonnes of freight annually.

By opening up transport of ore to the industrial regions of China, the rail line has accelerated a number of mining projects, including the massive Yulong copper mine, under development by Western Mining and Zijin Mining Group Co Ltd.

The new line may also open tourism and migration to Shigatse, traditionally the seat of the Panchen Lama, who is second in importance to the Dalai Lama in Tibetan Buddhism. Many of Shigatse's historic structures were left in ruins after the Cultural Revolution.

Much of Tibet is still remote and very poor. In a separate report, Xinhua said one person had died from pneumonic plague in Tibet's Nyingchi prefecture. Four others were diagnosed with the disease, all of whom had contact with the victim.

(Reporting by Lucy Hornby; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)