The Xinhua news agency cited unnamed sources in the People's Liberation Army as saying the railway would become "a main option" for transporting soldiers.

Analysts say the move is likely to fuel concerns that China is using the rail link to tighten its hold on Tibet.

Chinese tourism and trade to Tibet has surged since its opening 17 months ago.

Journey times cut

The $4.2bn (£2.1bn) Qinghai-Tibet line boasts high-tech engineering to stabilise tracks over permafrost and sealed cabins to protect passengers from the high altitude.

China says the 1,140km (710-mile) line has cut travel time to Lhasa from Beijing and other cities to just two days.

Previously, Lhasa could be reached only by plane or after a long, arduous road journey.

Trains now carry about 75% of all goods between Tibet and other parts of China, according to Xinhua.

Tourism also soared by 64% during the first 10 months of the year, to 3.72 million tourists, compared with 2006, a separate report said.

Critics say the railway line threatens not only the delicate Himalayan environment, but also the ancient Tibetan culture.

Background

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(1) Stop the train!

As part of the "Stop the Train!!!" protests, the Tibetans around the world have started petitioning Bombardier Inc, the Canadian multinational company that this year signed a contract with China Railways, agreeing to supply coaches for the railway.

http://www.asianpacificpost.com/...

(2) Rally at the Annual General Meeting of Power Corporation of Canada Thursday, May 11th - Montreal

Power Corp – along with Bombardier – have partnered with the Government of China to manufacture railway cars for this project.  Many Tibetans fear that this first railway to link mainland China with occupied Tibet represents the final phase in the cultural genocide of the Tibetan people.

http://rushprnews.com/...

(3) Power Corporation - Shareholder Resolution

Under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, a number of these violations fall under the category of crimes against humanity. ( http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-45.9/41465.html). Corporations, their officers, and their directors may be criminally liable if found to be complicit in human rights violations. Corporations may also be sued in the United States for human rights violations under the Alien Tort Claims Act. ('Developments in the Law - International Criminal Law', Harvard Law Review, May 2001)

Companies globally now recognize their duty to protect and promote human rights and have implemented policies and management systems for this purpose. An increasing number of tools, resources, and learning opportunities have emerged to help companies establish and implement human rights policies. ( www.business-humanrights.org;  www.globalcompact.org).

Power Corporation does not disclose having in place a human rights policy and management system necessary to protect human rights and corporate reputation.

IT IS RESOLVED THAT: The company prepare a report to shareholders by November 2006, at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, describing Power Corporation's policies and management practices that promote and protect human rights in China and Tibet.

Updated: 27 March 2006

  http://www.amnesty.ca/campaigns/sharepower/power_corp_resolution.php