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Latest Updates on Tibet Demonstrations
Arbitrary arrests continue
In Lhasa, the main entrance to all residential complexes has been blocked off by the Chinese military. Households are raided every night and non-family members (even those with proper identification) are being arbitrarily arrested on the grounds that non-family members must have presumably taken part in recent protests.
According to BBC news, "A Chinese source with links to the security forces told the BBC that 600 monks had been flown overnight on military planes from Lhasa to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. The report could not be independently verified."
With such large numbers of Tibetans being arrested, and with some arrestees having to be flown outside of Lhasa, it can be inferred that prisons in Lhasa are overpopulated from all the recent arrests.
First the Police and now the Army
After the recent Lhasa protests grew in both size and intensity, a massive number of People’s Armed Police (PAP) continue to patrol the streets however more recently the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was brought in as additional reinforcement to suppress the protests.
Military presence increased in Border area
Around the border area of Tibet, there has been a huge build up of Chinese military to prevent people from secretly entering Tibet.
18th March 2008
Four killed and fifteen arrested in Karze County (Karze "Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture," Sichuan province)
Four people were killed and fifteen were injured in yesterday’s protest which was attended by around 400 people.
Among the four killed, two of the names can be confirmed:
1) Ngoga Chukhatsang (male)
2) Jamyang or Jamphel (monk, age 50)
Among those arrested in yesterday's protest, the following names can be confirmed:
1) Tsetan Phunstok (male, former prayer recitation leader of Karze monastery)
2) Chemi Gonpo (male)
3) Pema Dechen (she was severely injured during yesterday’s protest)
4) Gonpo (male, injured during protest)
5) Shao Mimi (female, around age 40, injured during protest)
6) Tashi Palden (male)
7) Tsering Dorji (male)
8) Loyang
9) Sangpo
10) A fourteen-year-old monk from Tsetsung monastery.
During the protest held in Karze County on 17th March the names of two monks( among others who were arrested) can be confirmed. They are:
1) Jampa Thupten (former head of Karze Dhargye monastery)
2) Tenzin Namgyal (from Karze Dhargye monastery)
17th March 2008
Many arrested at Toelung County (Lhasa)
Around 3pm local time, sixteen monks from Dhingkha monastery who were dressed in plain clothes started a protest on their way to Dechen town. Police personnel from Dechen town were not able to stop the determined monks from protesting and additional police personnel were called in from the County. The local people joined the protests after the County police tried to stop the protestors. People’s Armed Police was called in later from Lhasa after the protest grew in size and intensity. Around thirty of the protestors were arrested and treated very aggressively. Three of the names (laypeople) can be confirmed as follows:
1) Samdup (from Tashi Khangsar, Dechen town, Toelung County, Lhasa).
2) Lobsang (from Tashi Khangsar, Dechen town, Toelung County, Lhasa).
3) Tsering Dolkar (from Tashi Khangsar, Dechen town, Toelung County, Lhasa).
Also, among the thirty arrested we can confirm that twelve of them were monks from Dhingkha monastery. Five names can be confirmed as follows.
1) Ngawang Ignyen (born in Dechen town, Toelung County)
2) Jigme (born in Dechen town, Toelung County)
3) Ngawang Tenphel, former name Kalsang Dawa (born in Dechen town, Toelung County)
4) Karma Dawa (born in Yangpachen, Damshung County, Lhasa) 5) Ngawang Thakchoe
Around 2000 military personnel brought into Gyalthang County (Dechen "Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture" Yunnan province)
Fearing a ripple effect from the recent Lhasa protests, around 2000 People’s Armed Police (PAP) personnel was brought into Gyalthang County from Kunmin city (Dechen "Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture," Yunnan province). The PAP has been on 24-hour surveillance and patrol.
(www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.)