China has chosen a former soldier as the new governor of restless and remote Tibet after his predecessor resigned abruptly earlier in the week.
Padma Choling is an ethnic Tibetan like the previous governor, Qiangba Puncog, who was in charge during demonstrations by Tibetans in the capital Lhasa that turned deadly in March, 2008.
The former solider (58) served for 17 years in the People's Liberation Army before joining the government, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday. He became vice-governor in 2003.
The most powerful official in Tibet remains the regional Communist Party boss, Zhang Qingli, a Han Chinese.
"Appointing a former military officer as the figurehead leader of Tibet, when the party secretary, the actual leader, also has a military background, suggests that China now sees Tibet as a problem of military control," said Robbie Barnett, a Tibet scholar at Columbia University in New York.
"This must be increasingly uncomfortable for China's international image about its handling of Tibet since the Tibetan quarter of Lhasa has been patrolled by troops night and day for the last 21 months now with no sign of any return to civilian policing," he added.
Padma Choling's name is also spelled Pema Thinley, Baima Chilin or Pelma Chiley.
People's Liberation Army troops marched into Tibet -- which is strategically located on the Indian, Pakistan, Nepal and Myanmar borders -- in 1950.
China has defended its rule, saying not only did it free a million Tibetan serfs but it also poured billions of dollars into the Himalayan region for development.
Tibetan protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in March 2008 gave way to torrid violence, with rioters torching shops and turning on residents, especially Han Chinese, who many Tibetans see as intruders threatening their culture.
At least 19 people died in the unrest, which sparked waves of protests across Tibetan areas. Pro-Tibet groups overseas say more than 200 people were killed in a subsequent crackdown.
China has given little explanation so far for why Qiangba Puncog stepped down. He held the post for more than six years, and now is 62, three years shy of China's mandatory retirement age for cabinet ministers or provincial governors.
The semi-official China New Service said, without elaborating, that it was due to "work needs." Qiangba Puncog has now become chairman of the regional rubber stamp parliament.
Reuters