BEIJING:
Chinese authorities imposed a two-tier system for issuing passports to Tibetans and Pakistanis, the New York based Human Rights Watch said on Monday.
The system requires residents from areas that have substantial Tibetan or Muslim populations to provide more extensive documentation than other citizens, and has led to waits of up to five years or outright refusals of passports without explanation, the group said.
The government has intensified controls over ethnic minority groups who have protested against Chinese rule, fearing instability in the sensitive border regions in which they live.
The system for getting a passport would appear to be part of government attempts to stop travel for certain forms of religious study and pilgrimage, such as attending an event abroad by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, Human Rights Watch said.
The Foreign Ministry directed questions to the Ministry of Public Security, which did not respond to a request for comment.
The government has repeatedly rejected criticism of its policies in minority areas, saying it has provided much-needed economic growth to underdeveloped regions.