suo – TCHRD

29/10/2014 News

Tibetan monk sentenced to 12 years for ‘inciting separatism’

A senior Tibetan monk who was the chief chant master/presiding priest (Tib: umze) at his monastery has been given 12 years sentence in Sog (Ch: Suo) County in Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region.

Tsangyang Gyatso, the former umze of Drilda Monastery, located at Trido Township in Sog County, was sentenced early this month on charges that he “contacted outsiders” and “incited other monks to protest against the Chinese government”, according to information received by Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).

“We learned today [27 October] from our source that it’s been 26 days since Tsangyang Gyatso was sentenced, a source with contacts in Tibet told TCHRD.

15/05/2014 News

Monk disappears after sending protest writings to Chinese cadres’ phones

A Tibetan monk has disappeared after sharing his writings criticizing Chinese rule to the mobile phones of Chinese cadres stationed at Tsenden Monastery in Sog (Ch: Suo) County in Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

Sources told TCHRD that Choeying Kalden, 20, a monk at Tsenden Monastery was detained by Sog County Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers on 16 March 2014. The monk had shared his writings among his friends as well as Chinese ‘work team’ members through social media.

It is still not known where he is detained. Local Tibetans believe that he had been taken to Nagchu area although the exact location of his detention is not known.

Choeying Kalden, whose lay name is Athog, hails from Yeggu Village of Yagla (Ch: Yala) Township in Sog County and is the son of Mr Lhakhyil and Mrs Bumsang. He often used to write essays and poems on Tibetan culture and identity under the pseudonym Sog Thug (Eng: ‘Mongolian Child’). Some of his writings have now become available outside Tibet and are being shared through the popular instant messaging app WeChat owned by Chinese company Tencent (see images).

14/11/2013 News

Tibetan man disappeared amid heavy surveillance in Sog County

Arbitrary arrests and detention have increased amid unusual intensification of state surveillance measures in Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

A Tibetan man has been detained and disappeared in Sog (Ch: Suo) County, which neighbours the restive Diru (Ch: Biru) County in Nagchu Prefecture.

Information received by TCHRD confirms that Thupten Gyaltsen aka Thupgyal, 27, was detained by local Public Security Bureau officers on the night of 11 November 2013 from his home at Village No. 5 in Gyalchen (Ch: Jiaqin) Township in Sog County.

For the past few months, unrest has increased in many areas in Nagchu Prefecture due to the repressive nature of Chinese policies particularly the “mass line” campaign which has made Tibetans vulnerable to mass surveillance and propaganda campaigns. In particular, conditions in Diru County has deteriorated a great deal leading to the alarming rise in the number of arbitrary arrests and disappearances.