Chinese Soldiers Serving In Tibet Are Suffering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Members of the Chinese People's Armed Police Corps (CPAP) conducting anti-terrorism exercise to stimulate the situation where it may have to handle terrorist attack. Photo from Chinese Military Review

Chinese Troops Suffering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Tibet -- The Telegraph

The battle to keep Tibetans under control is inflicting severe psychological damage on Chinese armed police, an internal training document has revealed.

The leaked 25-page training manual was given to members of the People's Armed Police charged with keeping order in Tibetan areas of Sichuan province.

Among the advice it offers are ways of combating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for paramilitary troops involved in recent atrocities.

One section is titled: "How should you deal with flashbacks of brutal episodes?" It specifically refers to an incident in Aba county on March 16, 2011 when a Tibetan monk named Phuntsok self-immolated in a market and to a protest on March 18, 2009 in Seda and Ganzi counties where Chinese armed police, confronted by protesting Tibetans, fired into the crowd.

"For some of the troops who joined these operations, there may be brutal scenes that reappear in their minds, causing nightmares and insomnia. These are called flashbacks, a symptom of PTSD," the manual states.

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My Comment: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a universal condition that has probably been with us since the beginning of time .... the only difference is that we now have a better understanding of what causes it.