malho – TCHRD

07/04/2016 News

Revoke discriminatory, unjust verdict against Tibetan writer Shokjang

Drukar Gyal, also known as ‘Druklo’ wrote under the pen name 'Shokjang' — Drukar Gyal, also known as ‘Druklo’ wrote under the pen name ‘Shokjang’

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) calls on the Chinese authorities to revoke the verdict to sentence Tibetan writer Drukar Gyal, also known as ‘Druklo’ (pen name: Shokjang) on baseless charge of “inciting separatism”. Shokjang’s sentencing is discriminatory, unjust and politically motivated with no basis in Chinese law.

On 17 February 2016, the Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Shokjang to three years imprisonment and two years deprivation of political rights for “inciting separatism”. As reported by TCHRD, Shokjang had rejected the court verdict, calling it groundless, and decided to appeal against the verdict. A 12-page appeal letter handwritten by Shokjang in Tibetan is now being circulated on social media networks. The letter dated 24 February 2016 was addressed to Qinghai Higher People’s Court and provided a detailed rebuttal of the charges leveled against him.

26/05/2014 News

Plight of Tibetan ‘substitute teachers’ in Rebkong County

Tibetan 'substitute teachers' petition local government authorities on 30 April 2014. (Photo: Tibet Times) — Tibetan ‘substitute teachers’ petition local government authorities on 30 April 2014. (Photo: Tibet Times)

In the People’s Republic of China, a ‘substitute teacher’ is someone who is employed to teach in a primary or middle school but is not on the official payroll and in the vast majority of cases are “high school graduates who did not go to a university or college.[i]

In contrast, their public teacher counterparts or ‘formal teachers’[ii] are expected to have “at least a three year college education” to work as a primary school teacher, while middle school public teachers “should have four years of university education”.[iii] Furthermore, unlike their substitute teacher colleagues, public teachers are on the official payroll.

In regards to rural Tibetan regions, substitute teachers have played a fundamental role in increasing the availability of education. However, despite playing a crucial role in providing education to some of the most disadvantaged regions in Tibet, they have never been granted the same degree of benefits as their public teacher counterparts.

19/12/2013 News

[Updated]Tibetan monk dies of self-immolation, calls for unity among Tibetans in last note

[Warning: Graphic images in this post]

A Tibetan monk died of self-immolation protest today calling for unity among Tibetans and the return of the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Amchok (Ch: Amuqu) town in Sangchu (Ch: Xiahe) County, Malho (Ch: Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province.

According to information received by TCHRD, Tsultrim Gyatso, about 43, set his body on fire at around 2.45 pm local time today and died soon after. He was a monk at Amchok Monastery. He died instantly and soon local Tibetans and monks took his charred body to his monastery.

Sources told TCHRD that over 400 monks have gathered at to recite prayers and conduct rituals at the deceased’s residence at the monastery.

29/08/2013 News

Tibetan singer secretly sentenced to five years in prison amid major crackdown in Rebkong

Tibetan singer Shawo Tashi sentenced to five years in prison

A Tibetan singer has been secretly sentenced to five years in prison following his arbitrary detention in November 2012 in Dowa Township in Rebkong (Ch: Tongren) County in Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.

Shawo Tashi, 40, was charged with “distributing photographs of self-immolation protesters; writing last notes left by self-immolation protesters on these photographs; participating in protest against Chinese government and singing patriotic Tibetan songs”, according to information received by TCHRD.

Sources with contacts in Rebkong cannot immediately confirm the exact date of sentencing, however, they believe he is now being imprisoned at a prison in Siling (Ch: Xining) city, capital of Qinghai Province.

21/05/2013 News

Tibetan writer sentenced to 5 yrs in prison for writing book on self-immolation

Gartse Jigme, monk and writer, sentenced to five years in prison

By branding Dalai Lama as their enemy and neglecting the demands of self-immolators, they have shown that they consider more than 99% of the Tibetan population as their enemies.

~ Gartse Jigme, imprisoned monk and writer

On 14 May 2013, two days before the launch of Chinese state television broadcaster CCTV’s fifth propaganda film on self-immolations, a Tibetan writer was quietly sentenced to five years in prison for writing a book on the issue of Tibet issue including self-immolation protests.

According to exile Tibetan sources, Gartse Jigme, 36, a writer and monk, was sentenced to prison on 14 May 2013 for authoring a book with political contents by Tsekhog (Ch: Zeku) County People’s Court in Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.

20/03/2013 News

China uses religious propaganda to counter Tibetan self-immolations

In a rare departure from its usual propaganda narrative on Tibetan self-immolations, the Chinese authorities called His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with His Eminence Kirti Rinpoche “the root cause” of self-immolations in Tibet. In earlier statements, the Chinese leadership had been careful to directly blame Dalai Lama, instead blaming the so-called ‘Dalai clique’ or ‘separatist forces’ for self-immolations.

On 7 March 2013, Chinese state media quoted Wu Zegang, governor of Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province as saying, “We oppose the self-immolation … first of all, [we should find out] the root cause of the [self-immolation] problem, the root cause is the 14^th Dalai Lama, and Kirti Rinpoche, who live outside [Tibet].”[i] But the fact that there had been no credible evidence to prove this reckless claim is beside the point for the Chinese authorities whose fanatical drive to stamp out popular Tibetan protests and criminalize the so-called instigators, inciters and abettors of immolations have only increased repression, instability and violence in Tibet.

20/03/2013 News

Pressure mounts on Labrang Monastery after expulsion order

Chinese authorities in Gansu Province last year issued an order to expel monks who had come from Tibetan areas outside Gansu to pursue their religious studies in monasteries (including the famed Labrang Tashikyil Monastery) located in the province.

This was revealed by Samten Jigme (name changed), a former Labrang monk, in his testimony to TCHRD. Samten Jigme fled Tibet and arrived in India this month.

The order is now being implemented at Rongwo Monastery in Rebkong (Ch: Tongren) County in Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, according to Samten Jigme. (For more on Rongwo, please see here, here, and here)

04/02/2013 News

China detains uncle of Tibetan self-immolator in Rebkong

Amid news of heightened restrictions and increased detention, an uncle of Dorjee Lhundup, a Tibetan farmer who set his body on fire in protest against the Chinese government, was detained recently in Rebkong (Ch: Tongren) County in Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.

According sources with contacts in the region, Yarphel, 42, uncle of Dorjee Lhundup, a farmer in his 20s, was detained on the morning of 2 February. Yarphel, a monk at Yershong Monastery, was detained along with fellow monk, Rabyang. Both were taken to the local police station and interrogated for long hours.

22/10/2010 News

Rebkong students Rise Against Sinicization of Education

On 19 October 2010 in Rebkong (Chinese: Tongren) county in Malho “Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture” “(TAP)” in Qinghai province, thousands of Tibetan students came out in the streets to protest against the education reforms and the inequality faced by the Tibetans.

The meeting on education reform by the Education Department of Qinghai province, the local Communist Party Secretary and Chairman ordered that all subjects are required to be taught in Mandarin and all textbooks to be printed in Chinese and except for Tibetan and English language classes.