TCHRD urges the Chinese authorities to guarantee human rights of all Tibetans particularly those who provide much-needed information about the pandemic situation and the challenges and hardships faced by local people. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of people prosecuted for merely exercising their right to freedom of expression and other human rights.
China’s widespread and intrusive practices of mass surveillance and censorship have served as a perfect foil to continue perpetrating human rights violations with impunity in Tibet. Since 2008 when Tibetans held widespread protests calling for freedom and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Chinese authorities have tightened control to ensure that such an event will never happen again. For years now, the Chinese Communist Party (‘Party’) authorities have enforced a model of social control that has proved highly successful in silencing Tibet and encouraging the rapid forced assimilation of Tibetans.
TCHRD has received a Chinese language copy of a manual published by the Sichuan Provincial Political Department of the People’s Armed Police Force (PAPF, also called PAP), titled “Guide on Psychiatric Wellbeing While Maintaining Stability” that was circulated among different contingents, detachments and squadrons located at the province, prefecture, and county levels of Sichuan. The manual contains issues raised during a videoconference meeting held by Sichuan Province People’s Armed Police Force regarding the psychological and moral issues arising from stability maintenance work in Tibetan areas. Although the manual was drafted before Xi Jinping’s appointment earlier this year, there is no sign that he will change any of his predecessor’s policies regarding Tibet.
An imprisoned monk from the restive Nyatso Zilkar Monastery in Trindu (Ch: Chenduo) County, Jyekundo (Ch: Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Qinghai Province) was released on an unknown date last month before the expiration of his prison term due to medical emergency.
According to information received by TCHRD, Sonam Yingyen, 44, became seriously ill soon after he was sentenced to two-year imprisonment in October 2012 in Siling (Ch: Xining) city, capital of Qinghai Province.
Despite extreme measures implemented by the Chinese authorities to crack down on self-immolation protests, burning protests in Tibet continue unabated as two more Tibetans died yesterday after setting themselves on fire on the eve of the 24th birthday of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, Tibet’s XIth Panchen Lama, one of the most important Tibetan spiritual leaders who was disappeared along with his parents by the Chinese authorities almost 18 years ago.
According to confirmed information received by TCHRD, at around 6.40 pm on 24 April 2013, two monks of Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery set themselves on fire and died in Dzoege (Ch: Ruergai) County in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
Lobsang Samphel, 25, was born in Tsoduk nomadic village in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County in Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, in Amdo province. He became a monk at 13 and joined Gomang Monastery, which had over 900 monks prior to 2008. Lobsang Samphel saw first-hand the deaths of unarmed Tibetan protesters from police firing at a protest in Ngaba County town. He reached in exile in India in November 2012. He shares his story with TCHRD:
“After the widespread protests in 2008 in Tibet, the Chinese authorities appointed 25 permanent staff at Gomang Monastery, to carry out ‘patriotic education’ and oversee the entire teachings and administration at the monastery. Restrictions on day-to-day affairs have since increased at the monastery, posing great obstacles to the monks. Beginning 29 March 2008, the Chinese authorities launched an intensified three-month ‘patriotic education’ campaign at Gomang Monastery. The objectives of the campaign were to oppose and condemn ‘splittist cliques’ and ‘Dalai clique.’ Monks undergoing political education classes had to sit for exams every ten days, finding the correct answer for sensitive political questions such as ‘Is the Dalai clique responsible for ‘splitting’ the Chinese Motherland or not?’ Such derogatory remarks and baseless allegations against our root spiritual teacher filled our hearts with anguish and we felt as if our hearts have been wounded.
The Chinese authorities have demoted six officials of Tibetan descent from their high-ranking posts in Toelung Dechen (Chinese: Duiling Deqing) County in Lhasa Municipality, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
Dawa Tsering, the Vice-Party Secretary of Tolung Dechen County; Passang, the Vice-Head tof he County Religious Affairs Bureau and Nyima Wangdue, the head of the County Religious Affairs Bureau and three other Tibetan officials were demoted from their posts, reported the Chinese government-owned Xizangradio.com on 17 May 2012.
The decision to demote the officials was taken by the Lhasa City branch of Communist Party of China (CPC) which held a meeting to discuss the demotion. The reason for their demotion was their failure to strictly undertake their duties and responsibilities in maintaining stability.
Chinese police have arrested two more monks; identified as Gyatso and Lobsang Gendun, from the Kirti monastery in Ngaba, Sichuan Province.
Sources reported that on 21 November 2011, monk Gyatso was arrested and taken from his room by authorities. Gyatso, age around 42, is from the Ragtsa family in Mesip Village in Ngaba County. He was ordained as a monk at a young age. He was a teacher of the monastery’s school before the school’s closure. Many of his compositions have appeared in regional newspapers and magazines.
Lobsang Gendun, age 48, a former disciplinarian of the Kalachakra college at Kirti, was arrested and detained in mid October. He belongs to the Sego family in Kanyag Village, Trotsik Township.
According to the latest information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), Chinese authorities in Lithang County have significantly beefed up security measures by bringing more forces amidst severe restriction imposed on the movement of the people in Lithang following days of protests.
According to sources, “hundreds of People’s Armed Police (PAP) -a paramilitary force- in full combat gears has arrived in Lithang County in the past couple of days following protest by Tibetans in the area. Severe restrictions are being put on the movement of the people in Lithang. People from villages and monasteries were told not to move out of their houses and warn of serious consequences if they come out in the street. All the shops, and restaurants remain closed with streets bearing complete deserted look except for the hundreds of security forces in full combat gears. The situation is very tense in Lithang at the moment.”
The Chinese security forces severely beat and then arrested a nun of SamtenLing Nunnery in Drango County, Kardze “Tibet Autonomous Prefecture” (‘TAP’) Sichuan Province, following her act of defiance by staging a peaceful solo protest in Drango County, by raising pro-Tibet slogans and distributing pamphlets calling for ‘the swift return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet” and “freedom in Tibet”, according to confirmed information received from reliable sources by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).
On 8 June 2008, at around 9:00 AM (Beijing Standard Time), Tsering Tsomo, 27 years old nun of SamtenLing Nunnery a.k.a Watak Nunnery, originally from Chakra Village, Drango County (Ch: Luhuo Xian) Kardze “Tibet Autonomous Prefecture” (‘TAP’) staged a peaceful solo protest in Drango County by raising Pro-Tibet slogans and distributing pamphlets calling for “swift return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet” and “freedom in Tibet” among the people. After a short stint of her solo protest, Tsering Tsomo was known to have been surrounded by the security forces and was severely beaten and tortured by pounding her with iron rods, kicked and punched her indiscriminately. The county PSB officials later took her away to the county Detention Centre for further questioning.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) has been closely monitoring the situation inside Tibet particularly since 10 March 2008 when the first peaceful protest led by Tibetan Buddhist monks broke up in Lhasa on the 49th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day.
For the past more than two weeks, the exact figures on the number of arrest, death, injury or disappeared from the violent crackdowns during protests in various parts of Tibet is difficult to ascertain due to various circumstances such as censorship of information, lack of immediate and on the ground assessment, absence of third party fact finding mission and free media reporting in Chinese administered Tibet. However, TCHRD has been able to filter considerable information based on eyewitnesses accounts, evidences and information given to the Centre by brave and conscious Tibetans inside Tibet. The information available to TCHRD has been reported to various human rights monitoring organisations, media and concerned UN bodies after our meticulous research and verification.