Authorities have investigated between 4,000 and 5,000 households in Tibet that have family ties to exiles in Nepal, India and other places outside the country.

The investigations happened in Dingri County, Shigatse City, in the area of Tibet governed as the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Tibet Watch said. Officials forced Tibetans in the area to register their names and identification numbers for their WeChat online social media accounts.

Authorities investigate over 4,000 households in Tibet with ties outside the country

The Chinese government targets individuals and social groups who it sees as a possible destabilising influence, labelling them “black categories” or “underworld forces,” with blacklisted families kept under constant surveillance.

In February 2018, authorities in Tibet launched a campaign called the “fight against underworld forces,” which has given the government broad powers and seen many Tibetans arrested. The full number of arrests  under the policy is yet to emerge, although official figures released in the TAR last January already put the number of convictions at close to 400.

Free Tibet has previously reported cases of Tibetans arrested and sentenced as a result of the underworld forces campaign.