30-year-old man was detained amid a string of crackdowns targeting Tibetans in China

-By Radio Free Asia

Chinese authorities in Tibet have detained a 30-year-old Tibetan writer and former teacher for allegedly contacting exiles outside the country, sources told Radio Free Asia.

The writer, known only as Palgon, was arrested at his home in August 2022 and has been incommunicado ever since. “There is still no information on where he is being held at the moment,” a source inside Tibet told RFA.

“His family members were also not informed or given proper reasons for his arrest other than Palgon’s contact with people in exile to offer prayers to His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” the source added, insisting on anonymity for security reasons.

Palgon is from the Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China’s southeastern Qinghai province. He was an elementary school teacher in the prefecture’s Pema county, but he later  resigned from his role and continued as an independent writer.

“Palgon usually is very active on social media platforms and audio chat groups where he writes and engages,” another source inside Tibet told RFA.

Over the last few months, RFA has reported on China’s arrests of monks, writers, young protestors, and other Tibetan figures in a wide-ranging crackdown. Those detained will often be held incommunicado for months before being sentenced. Click here to read more.