WASHINGTON, May 7, 2003--Callers to Radio Free Asia�s Tibetan-languagehotline report that Tibetans and Chinese in the Tibetan Autonomous Regionare buying traditional Tibetan medicine and incense in bulk in a bid to keepthe deadly SARS virus from spreading to the remote region.
Two hospital officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also affirmedthe Chinese government�s claim that no cases of SARS have been confirmed inTibet. But several callers reported on Wednesday that dozens of people havebeen quarantined in Tibet with SARS-like symptoms.
"Tibetan incense, medicinal powder, and Tibetan �precious pills� are ingreat demand here,� said one police officer who asked not to be named.�People believe that it can prevent the virus. And SARS hasn�t spread toTibet.�
�Chinese officials here are also purchasing the pills, and many are sendingthem to China in the belief that they will protect them from this terribledisease,� said another caller. �In our department, all the Chinese staffmembers are hanging wrapped pills around their necks and sniffing them fromtime to time.�
�Some Chinese are complaining that if they put on the protective pills theyfall sick. But they�re all using them--even members of the Chinese CommunistParty.�
Tibetan students in eastern China also report by phone that Chinese friendsand acquaintances have been asking them to obtain the "rilbu gunag" pillsfrom Tibet to help them avoid SARS.
The pills, which are black, comprise nine ingredients and prayers associatedwith nine medicinal deities. Many Tibetans believe these pills, which areworn around the neck and sniffed, may help prevent the spread of virusesincluding SARS, according to Dr. Tamding of the Tibetan Medical Center inDharamsala, northern India.
Tibetans and Chinese in the Tibetan region are also reportedly buying largequantities of Tibetan incense to burn in their homes in an effort to wardoff the SARS virus, which has sickened thousands and killed hundreds ofpeople around the world.
�A great portion of incense and pills are mailed to China. There is always agreat rush at the post offices with people--both Tibetans andChinese--sending Tibetan incense to their relatives and friends in China,�one caller said.
"Rilbu gunag" pills are worn around the neck, wrapped in a yellow cloth,said one woman, a secretary in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. �In our office,all staff members, Chinese or Tibetan, were issued one wrap of Tibetanpills. Many government offices supplied these to their staff members,� shesaid. �These pills are sold by the Tibetan Medical Center in Lhasa and theycannot keep up with demand."
China's cabinet, the State Council, last week sent a fifth SARS preventionand supervision team to help local authorities prepare for the possibleonset of SARS, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Tibet is one of thefew places in China where no SARS cases have been confirmed.
The Tibetan Medical Center has already manufactured 140,000 such pills thisyear, 40,000 of which have already been sold. No comparative figures forlast year were available. In Lhasa, the Tibetan Medical College and TibetanMedical Center also manufacture the pills.
RFA broadcasts news and information to Asian listeners who lack regularaccess to full and balanced reporting in their domestic media. Through itsbroadcasts and call-in programs, RFA aims to fill a critical gap in thelives of people across Asia. Created by Congress in 1994 and incorporated in1996, RFA currently broadcasts in Burmese, Cantonese, Khmer, Korean, Lao,Mandarin, the Wu dialect, Vietnamese, Tibetan (Uke, Amdo, and Kham), andUyghur. It adheres to the highest standards of journalism and aims toexemplify accuracy, balance, and fairness in its editorial content. #####