Military

About 300,000 to 500,000 Chinese troops are permanently stationed in the Tibet Autonomous Region. These troops are called the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Some Tibetans are drafted into the PLA for various kinds of duties. In Tibet, the Chinese have about fourteen military airfields, seventeen radar stations, and five nuclear bases. One of China's largest intercontinental ballistic missile bases is also in Tibet. Nuclear accidents and pollution have been reported at a nuclear weapons facility located near Lake Kokonor. China has been known to ban eating fish from the lake and eating the meat of sheep near the site. Unusual diseases have caused the death of many children and many other area residents suffer from strange illnesses. China conducted a nuclear test at Lop Nor, which is a dried up lake just north of Tibet, in 1964. Now, to save money, China is discussing tossing nuclear waste in Tibet's northern plateau.