Update on Tibet Demonstrations, 1 July 2008
Tuesday, 1 July 2008, 4:41 p.m.
Dharamshala: Update on Tibet Demonstrations, 1 July 2008
Last updated 4 p.m. (IST)
18 June 2008
Driru (Ch: Biru) County, Nagchu Prefecture, “Tibet Autonomous Region” – Four monks of Tarmo monastery arrested, their whereabouts unknown
Ngawang Gyalten (42), abbot and head of the Democratic Management
Committee of the monastery, Ngawang Jampa (40), one of the heads of
monastery, Ngawang Sangye (38) and Kalsang Lochok (20), all monks from
Tarmo monastery in Driru county, were arrested on 18 June by the local
Public Security Bureau when they reached the Nagchu prefecture. They
were on way to Lhasa for some monastery works. It is unknown where they
are being detained.
Their arrest was caused by an earlier incident. Following the
March protests, the Chinese authorities deployed a huge contingent of
forces and work teams in Sog Dzong (Ch: Sou), Drachen (Ch: Baqing), and
Driru (Ch: Biru) counties in Nagchu prefecture, and also intensified
the “patriotic re-education” campaigns.
When the work teams conducted “patriotic re-education” classes
including denouncing His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tarmo monastery in
March, the abbot Ngawang Jampa stood up and confronted the members of
the work team saying, “As we follow Buddha Dharma with His Holiness the
Dalai Lama as our root guru, we can not denounce him. He should be
welcomed back to Tibet.”
The work teams could not arrest him immediately due to the
presence of a large number of monks. However, the work teams said that
his offense would be dealt when they will again conduct “patriotic
re-education” from 1 July.
He, along with other three monks, was arrested this time. They were accused of not seeking permission for leaving the monastery.
No Specific Date
Phenpo Lhundrup (Ch: Lingzhi) County, Lhasa Municipality – Released nuns being expelled from their nunnery
Many of the nuns from Shar Bhumba nunnery in Phenpo Lhundrup
county, who were arrested for participating in a 2-day protest staged
in Phenpo Lhundrup county in March, were released recently.
Due to a strong request from the local people and the nunnery,
the local Chinese authorities could not stop those released nuns from
re-entering their nunnery. However, they were expelled from the nunnery
to their respective homes this month.
Similarly, the nuns of Phende Tse nunnery (a branch of Nalanda
monastery) in the same county, who were arrested earlier, were released
recently.
Moenpa (his nickname) and two others, all monks from the
Nalanda monastery and who were arrested in April, were beaten by the
People’s Armed Poice (PAP) after they were made to stand on their knees
on the stones and their necks tied with automobile tyres. Though, they
were released, their health has deteriorated due to such horrible
torture.