A leading official of the Tibet Autonomous Region said on Sep.24 inLhasathat there has been no immigration of other ethnic groups intoTibet.

Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Tibetan Autonomous Regional Government, told a group of Russian journalists at a joint interview that the population growth in the region was mainly natural growth rather than immigration of any other ethnic groups.

"Tibetnow has a total population of 2.62 million, and 92 percent are ethnic Tibetans,"he said of the Tibetan ethnic group as the majority of the Tibetan population and no such issue as immigration inTibet.

The birth rate inTibetis 18 per thousand and the mortality rate six per thousand. This makes the growth rate around 12 per thousand, which means a natural growth of about 30,000 persons annually, he said.

Tibet's rural areas are free from the implementation of the national family planning policy. Instead the local government encourages local residents to "bear and rear better children."

The chairman said the migrant population in the region is increasing with economic development and the construction of a railway into the region.

But these people will not end up as permanent residents because of the bad weather and geographical conditions, he stressed.

"The ratio of ethnic groups inTibetwill not change dramatically," he said.