Updated at 4:40 p.m. EST on 2012-03-30
Chinese authorities in the remote Western province of Gansu have threatened residents of the Tibetan region of Kanlho (in Chinese, Gannan) with severe punishment if they circulate certain views or information, a Paris-based press freedom group said Friday.
According to police notices in the Tibetan language posted in public places in the prefecture, "criminals" who say certain things will be subjected to severe punishment at the hands of police, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a statement on its website.
The notices call on the public to inform on "criminals" who "threaten the social stability of Gan Lho [Kanlho]" with "ideas of splitting the nation." Also subject to immediate punishment is the "incitement of illegal activities and agitation between ethnic groups."
The destabilization of society and the promotion of "illegal organizations" is also cited as banned, as is any form of communication or information that is judged to be being used for "criminal purposes."
This could include "speech and the distribution of written information," "cartoons," "homemade materials," "videos," "websites," "emails and audio files," or "SMS text messages," the notice says.
"People found to be in possession of, or promoting any of the above materials, actions or ideas, will be met with [severe punishment] by the Public Security Bureau,” the notice says.
Informers, on the other hand, will get full police protection and confidentiality, as well as a reward of 5,000 yuan (U.S. $790).
'Outrage' at policy
RSF said it was "outraged by the policy of terror openly pursued by the Chinese authorities in Kanlho."
RSF has also hit out at the lack of Chinese media coverage of continuing Tibetan protests in Sichuan and Qinghai provinces, amid a series of self-immolation protests by Tibetans in recent months.
Thirty-three Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 as a part of stepped-up protests against Beijing's rule and a call for the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to Tibet from exile in India.
China fell six places in the 2011-2012 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index and is now ranked 174th out of 179 countries, RSF said.
Reported by Luisetta Mudie.