Lhasa’s Dystopian Grid System – Image: earthstar geographics – click for more detail

The Tibetan people are controlled through a number of layers of ‘security’ imposed by the occupying Chinese regime. These include bio-metric identity cards, housing registration, facial-recognition CCTV systems, and 24/7 monitoring across the internet and social-media platforms.

In addition to such asphyxiating measures residential areas are also laid out in a grid system which enables in-situ surveillance of Tibetans. With communist party cadres and so-called residents’ committees to ensure compliance with the dictates of Xi Jinping. Informants populate each designated component of these grids, and any sign of dissent or ‘wrong thinking’ is reported to the authorities.

Below is an extract we researched and translated from a document, issued August 2024, by the so-called ‘Lhasa Municipal Party Committee’. Like all Chinese official documents its saturated with euphemisms, we’ve emphasized those for easier reference.

“Grass-roots governance work, Wiba village uses “grid + police grid” the dual-grid linkage mechanism to achieve party building led by the “multi-network fusion”, weaving firm pluralistic common governance “a net”. Wiba village sound grid work mechanism, a reasonable division of five integrated grid, each grid is equipped with a grid leader, a full-time grid, a community worker, part-time grid several, co-ordination of public security police and other grass-roots forces, to optimize grid services. In order to further promote the grid management work, and constantly improve the “three understandings” rate of knowledge, participation, give full play to the function of the grid, to provide quality and efficient service to the masses. Wiba village grid is covered by, the village task force, and the grid of the police’s name, contact information, such as contact information of the convenience of the people’s contact card, to ensure that the masses have something to find Grid members, to promote the integration of resources and power to the front line, service to the masses in-depth to the front line, urgent problems in the front line, so that the people have a call, must be responded to..”

This post was originally published on Digital Activism In Support Of Tibetan Independence.