ngaba – Page 5

02/08/2013 News

Preview of Ancestors’ Tomb: ‘Kirti Monastery has become like a Leprosy Patient’

Armed police make their way into Kirti Monastery in March 2010

Mar Jang-nyug (pseudonym) is a Tibetan writer born and brought up in Marong village of Ngaba in the Tibetan province of Amdo. He represents in many ways the number of young University-educated Tibetans, schooled in the Chinese system, a system that Mar Jang-nyug rips apart in a stinging collection of journal entries and personal notes titled “Ancestors’ Tomb”.

TCHRD presents a translated and edited chapter from the book, which will be released in full on 14 August. In this chapter written on 27 May 2012, the author uncovers the oppressive conditions at Kirti Monastery, which continues to remain under lockdown.

12/07/2013 News

China appropriates Tibetan farmlands in the name of hydropower projects

A major land grab by Chinese authorities is being reported by local sources in Muge area in Sungchu (Ch: Songpan) County in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the Tibetan province of Amdo.

According to local accounts along with some photographs received by TCHRD, the Chinese authorities have appropriated all farmlands in Achu nomadic camp (Tib: dewa) in lower Muge area in the name of hydropower projects to generate electricity. (A dewa or rural nomadic camp at its smallest generally consists of about 30 to 40 families and over 100 to 200 families in bigger ones.)

In Achu camp, traditional grasslands used by local herds for grazing in autumn have been appropriated.

More farmlands have also been confiscated in neighbouring A-ngag and Agon camps for ‘development’ projects.

17/06/2013 News

‘So many myriad hellish sufferings’: Persecution of Tibetan artists

Cover photographs of the album feature Chakdor (middle in gold-colored shirt wearing dark glasses), Pema Trinley (in maroon shirt on right) and musician Khenrap (left in black shirt) — Cover photo of the album shows Chakdor (standing in the middle in gold-colored shirt), Pema Trinley (in maroon shirt on right) and musician Khenrap (on left in black shirt)

TCHRD has translated some of the songs from the album, ‘Agony of Unhealed Wounds’, to highlight the secret imprisonment of Tibetan musicians Chakdor and Pema Trinley in Ngaba County in the Tibetan province of Amdo. The release and distribution of the album in July last year led to the detention and imprisonment of Chakdor and Pema Trinley, and the disappearance of musician Khenrap and songwriter Nyagdompo.

Chakdor and Pema Trinley each received four years’ prison sentence in February this year. After being informed officially about the sentencing, family members of both the musicians made at least two unsuccessful attempts to visit them in Mianyang Prison. The Mianyang prison officials apparently had no knowledge about the musicians’ whereabouts.

13/06/2013 News

Two Tibetan singers secretly sentenced but whereabouts unknown

Tibetan singer Chakdor sentenced to two years in prison. His whereabouts remain unknown. — Tibetan singer Chakdor sentenced to four years in prison. His whereabouts remain unknown.

Two Tibetan singers who were detained last year for releasing a music album titled “Agony of Unhealed Wounds” had been secretly sentenced to four years in prison in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County in Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

According to reliable information received by TCHRD, singers Pema Trinley, 22, and Chakdor, 32, both hailing from Meuruma nomadic village, had recorded and distributed a music DVD containing songs about current situation in Tibet including self-immolation protests, as well as songs in praise of the Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama, Kirti Rinpoche (exiled head of the Kirti monastery) and Lobsang Sangay (exiled Tibetan political leader). In July 2012, days after the release of the music album, both singers were arrested in the neighbouring Machu (Ch: Maqu) County in Kanlho (Ch: Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province. For over six months, they were detained in Ngaba County, sources told TCHRD, before their secret sentencing in February this year.

25/04/2013 News

Two Tibetan monks die of self-immolation protest

Konchok Woeser, 23, died after setting himself on fire in protest against Chinese government.

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 24^th 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.

17/04/2013 News

Tibetan mother dies of self-immolation, denied proper cremation by Chinese authorities

A Tibetan mother of one has died after setting herself on fire in protest against Chinese rule in Dzamthang (Ch: Rangtang) County in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

According to information received by TCHRD, Chuktso, 20, died after her self-immolation protest on 16 April near Jonang Monastery in Dzamthang County in the Tibetan province of Amdo. Sources said the burning protest took place at around 3 pm (local time).

18/03/2013 News

Monk dies of self-immolation on protest anniversary

A Tibetan monk from the besieged Kirti Monastery died of self-immolation protest on 16 March in Ngaba County in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

16 March 2013 was the fifth anniversary of the 2008 protest in Ngaba in which many local people were killed by security forces, and the date has been marked by Ngaba people in various ways every year since. Notably, Lobsang Phuntsok committed self immolation on this day in 2011, and Losang Tsultrim in 2012.

13/03/2013 News

Kirti monk detained for second time in two years

Chinese authorities have detained a monk from Kirti Monastery on the eve of the 54^th anniversary of Tibetan uprising day in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

According to reliable information received by TCHRD, Tsepak, 29, was detained at around midnight on 9 March from his aunt’s home in the eastern part of Kirti Monastery in Ngaba County. Tsepak had been staying there for some time taking care of his sick aunt.

18/02/2013 News

Amdo Ngaba monk sheds light on repression in Tibet

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.

14/02/2013 News

Kirti Monastery monk dies of self-immolation protest in Ngaba

According to confirmed information received by TCHRD, on 2 February, at around 6 am, a monk named Lobsang Namgyal, 37, from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County committed self-immolation near the Public Security Bureau office in Dzoege (Ch: Ru’ergai) County in Ngaba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the Tibetan province of Amdo.

The monk, who died on the spot, was seen with running towards the police station, his body in flames, shouting slogans such as ‘May the Dalai Lama live for tens of thousands of years,’ sources told TCHRD.

Lobsang Namgyal 01 — Lobsang Namgyal in an undated photograph

Later, the Chinese police found a bag on the site of self-immolation, in which they found the monk’s identity card and a letter, which confirmed the identity of the monk as Lobsang Namgyal hailing from Kirti Monastery.

01/02/2013 News

Tibetans sentenced for ‘murder’ at show trial to discredit self-immolation protests

In the backdrop of relentless crackdown on self-immolation protests including arbitrary arrests, detention, intimidation, monetary inducements and long prison terms, the Chinese authorities have sentenced two Tibetans on “intentional homicide” charges, one was given suspended death sentence while the other received 10-yr prison term for “inciting” and “coercing” eight people to self-immolate, out of which three died. The five others did not self-immolate after they changed their minds or due to police intervention, so goes the account published in official Chinese newspapers.

On 31 January, the Intermediate People’s Court of Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture handed Lobsang Kunchok, 40, with death penalty with two years’ reprieve and deprivation of political rights for life. His nephew, Lobsang Tsering, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with his political rights deprived for three years, according to the Chinese government-owned news agency Xinhua.