Updates on Tibet, 17 April 2008

17 April 2008

Rebgong (Ch: Tongren) County (Malho "TAP", Qinghai Province) - Protests held by the monks

On 17 April 2008, at around 11 am Lhasa local time, about 22 monks from Rebgong Monastery, Rebgong County (Malho"TAP", Qinghai Province) protested for the release of three monks who were arrested on 13 April 2008. They are Lobsang Dhondup(20),Lobsang Dhondup (30) and Dakpa, all from Gyupa Monastery. These three monks were arrested for primarily being involved in the protest on 17 March 2008. Hearing about the arrest of these 22 monks, another group of 80 monks followed the protest after the arrest of these three monks.

Some local people consisting of both young and old people also joined the protest. However a former abbot Alag Khatso-tsang, aged 80, from Rongpo Monastery, who tried to calm down the situation was badly beaten and injured by the Chinese army. Furthermore, about 140 people including the monks and lay people alike were detained, and the monastery has been kept under tight vigilance and no one is allowed to move in or out of the monastery.

15 April 2008

Sangchu (Ch: Xiahe,) County, (Kanlho "TAP", Gansu Province) - 13 monks from Labrang Tashi Kyil monastery continue to detain

13 monks from Labrang Tashi Kyil Monastery, Sangchu County, who were among those arrested on 15 April 2008, continue to be detained. It is estimated that these monks are the ones who recently spoke to the western media about the Chinese atrocities.

14-15 April 2008

Phenpo Lhundup (Ch: Lingzhi) County, Lhasa Municipality - 250 arrests

About 250 people have been arrested after a very strong protest on 14-15 April 2008, in Phenpo Lhundup County. Few of them have been released after being badly tortured and injured. From the first week of April, the Chinese army has started arresting nuns from the Shar Bhumpa nunnery, thereby leaving only seven from amongst 60 nuns who used to study in this nunnery. The People's Armed Police made these arrests. A nun named Tsering Lhathog who normally has hearing problem, was brutally beaten and tortured. Her head has been badly hurt and she is now admitted to Jang Ga-shang Hospital. Besides, on many occasions, several people including both monks and lay people have been brutally tortured and beaten. Due to the lack of space in County prison, arrested people are being kept in the assembly hall. Similarly, there have been continued arrests in Gadhen Choekhor Monastery as well.

12 April 2008

Many monks from Drepung, Sera and Gaden Monasteries arrested

Several monks from Drepung Monastery, close to Lhasa, have been arrested on 12 April 2008. Similarly, a few monks were also arrested on Wednesday in the beginning of April from Gaden Monastery and few more monks from Sera Monastery were arrested on Tuesday. However, there are no specific dates regarding these events.

"Education" campaign continue in Tibet University, Lhasa

Chinese media sources announced that Tibet University which remains under tight scrutiny with regular roll calls of people living within the campus, since the march 10 uprising this year, confirmed that there has been no cases of death, injury or disappearance of students as well as staffs of the university. With these kind of announcements, the Chinese government basically tries to claim that the students and staffs of the university are in no way involved with the recent uprising in Tibet on 14 March 2008.

However, this is not the truth. It has been noted by some higher authorities that, about 100 people from the university consisting of both the students and the staff were involved in the recent uprisings in Lhasa. Following these findings, they suspended one senior staff of the university and further strengthened their "education" campaigns. During such kind of "education" campaigns, they particularly condemn those students who graduated from the Tibet University about 20 years back and are currently working with the Central Tibetan Administration based in Dharamshala. Citing those students as an example, students are repeatedly advised to refrain from such "acts of ingratitude."

Similarly, Chinese Central Television also claimed that Mr Ngodup who was killed by the Chinese army during the 14 March protest in Lhasa was also not from the Tibet University. The fact is just the opposite. Ngodup whose full name was Tenzin Ngodup was from Gung-ru village, Chamdo Prefecture (Kham).

It still remains unclear whether Lobsang Tsephel [among the death toll list released by CTA] who was killed during the recent protest in Tibet on 14 March was actually from Sera Monastery or not. Nevertheless, it is known and is confirmed that he is originally from Toelung Dechen (Ch:Duilongdeqing) County, Lhasa and was killed by the Chinese army during the recent peaceful protest in Lhasa on 14 March 2008.

Issued by the Department of Information and International Relations, CTA