China crush monks for celebrating His Holiness' medal in Tibet

Monday, 22 October 2007, 10:00 a.m.

The newspaper reported that members of the paramilitary People’s Armed Police moved in to stop the monks of Drepung monastery, who left peacefully to take part in morning prayers. When the monks returned to resume whintewashing the monastery buildings, the police moved in again, resulting in violent scuffles, according to sources who declined to be identified for fear of repercussions.

3,000 armed police surrounded the sprawling monastery, once the largest in the world with as many as 10,000 monks in residence, and refused to allow anyone to leave. Local sources said that hundreds of monks may have been arrested and several injured. Similar clashes were reported at the smaller Nechung monastery.

It did not say if there had been any arrests or injuries, but there had also been clashes at a nearby monastery and police had set up checkpoints on the main roads in the area.

After the clash, about 1,100 monks and dozens of visitors were not allowed to leave the Drepung monastery in Lhasa, which was surrounded by 3,000 armed police, the Hong Kong newspaper said.

The clashes coincided with China’s ruling Communist Party concluding its 17th Congress yesterday with an announcement that it had included a reference to religion in its constitution for the first time.

U.S. President George W. Bush awarded His Holiness the Dalai Lama the highest US civilian honor on Wednesday and called on China to open talks with him.

  (www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.)

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