TCHRD has been informed by a reliable source that Chinese security forces detained 60 Tibetans on 23 August from Wonpo village in Dzachuka area and took them for a two-day interrogation 70 km away in Sershul (Ch: Shiqu) County, Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the Tibetan province of Kham.
In his first speech as the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein declared “courage is the first human virtue… The courageous individual is he or she who has nothing to wield but common sense, reason and the law, and is prepared to forfeit future, family, friends and even life in defence of others, or to end injustice.”
On the same day that High Commissioner Al Hussein opened the 27th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva with these strong words, Radio Free Asia reported that Jigme Gyatso of Labrang Monastery in Gannan (Tib: Kanlho) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province had been sentenced to five years in prison for “splittist activities.” This is the first news of Jigme Gyatso since the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) obtained a copy of Jigme Gyatso’s arrest warrant in February 2012. The arrest warrant was issued almost five months after Jigme Gyatso was arrested from his hotel room by 40 police officers.
Four Tibetan laymen who were detained two weeks ago for petitioning the Chinese central authorities have been released. The petitioners were calling for the release of Trulku Tenzin Delek, a popular religious figure from Nyagchu (Ch: Yajiang) County in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
According to information received by TCHRD, four Tibetan laymen Sogren Lori, 66, Lugzi Abey, 50, Lhagma Choedup, 64, and Trinley, 46, were detained on 20 July at Chengdu after their return from Beijing. Trulku Tenzin Delek’s sister Donkar Lhamo, 47, was also among the group although she was not detained. The group, representing local Tibetans in Nyagchu County, visited Beijing from 9 July to submit petition to the Chinese central government and other relevant offices.
Chinese authorities have intensified the ban on holding religious rituals for those who die of self-immolation protests as another Tibetan, third in this month alone, set his body on fire in Bora township in Sangchu (Ch: Xiahe) County, Kanlho (Ch: Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province.
On 22 January, at around noon, Kunchok Kyap aka Kunbey set his body on fire in protest at the courtyard of Bora Monastery. He is believed to have died. Kyap set himself on fire when the monks at the monastery were holding their daily prayer session. In their absence, Chinese security forces took away his body to an undisclosed location.
Sources tell TCHRD that Chinese security forces who arrived at Bora after the self-immolation consist of Sangchu County Public Security Bureau officers and and a Special Police force team.
Local Tibetans from three major villages in the area including Kyap’s village, Bogtsa Gyangring (or Gyara), Datue and Chewo villages marched to the local government office and called on the authorities to release Kunchok Kyap’s body. The local officials also warned them that not a single monk or a person was allowed to go to Kyap’s home to offer prayers and condolences to his family members.
Around 10 September 2011, three Kirti monks were sentenced to 2- 3 years’ of ‘Re-education Through Labour’ by the Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Prefecture Public Security Bureau (PSB). The three monks: Lobsang Dhargye, Tsekho and Dorjee were all arrested around 12 April 2011 on suspicion related to the 16 March 2011 self immolation of monk Phuntsog.
According to our sources, Dorjee, 16, from Lhoengtsang Village, Ngaba County, has been sentenced to three years re-education through labor.
Tsekho is 30 years old, born in Tru-tse Township, Ngaba County and 22 years old Lobsang Dhargye is from Myeruma, Ngaba County. Both Tsekho and Lobsang Dhargye have been sentenced to re-education through labor for two years and six months.
According to confirmed information received today, three Tibetans from Tawu (Ch: Daofu) County in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, had been arrested recently by Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers. On 19 August, a Tibetan man named Norbu from Rinah Lungpa village of Tawu was arrested in Siyo near Chengdu. Moreover, Gyaltsen from Nyeshap village, was arrested on 21 August while he coming out of a hospital in Chengdu city where he was accompanying a relative for treatment. The third Tibetan who was arrested on 22 August remains unidentified. The charges against them, their present condition and whereabouts remain unknown.
On 20 August 2011, monk Jigme Gyatso was arrested once again by the PSB from a hotel called ‘Z-hong Yan’ in Tsoe city (Ch: Hezou), Kanlho (Ch: Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province. Sources say that before his arrest police and security personnel “raided” his room, thoroughly checking his belongings including his computer system. CD’s were also seized in the raid. There were around ten monks and few others present during Jigme’s arrest. They asked the police the reason for his arrest but the police did not answer.
Jigme a.k.a Jigme Gyatso of Labrang Monastery was first arrested on 28 March 2008 while returning to his monastery from market. He was detained and tortured for two months in detention center for his suspected role in 2008 Tibetan uprising.
Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) has been informed by reliable sources that the Chinese authorities are stepping up arbitrary arrest drive inside Tibet with renewed vigour and fervour. The latest information emanating from Tibet indicates over 2,300 Tibetans from various parts of Tibet have so far been arrested by the Chinese authorities currently detained in detention centres located in Townships, Counties and Prefectures in various administrative regions of Tibet.
According to TCHRD documentation since 10 March 2008, the Centre has documented a list of 301 Tibetans whose identities were confirmed as of today.
According to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), a 29-year old Tibetan youth, Dolma Kyab, has been sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment term for writing and maintaining a commentary manuscript about Tibet. He is currently imprisoned at Chushul (Ch: Qushui) Prison, “Tibet Autonomous Region” (“TAR”).
Dolma Kyab a.k.a Lobsang Kelsang Gyatso (pen name) was arrested on 9 March 2005 in Lhasa where he was teaching History at a Middle School. As a passion for writing, he maintained a commentary manuscript written in Chinese titled “Himalaya on Stir” (Chinese: Sao dong de Ximalayashan), which was a compilation of 57 chapters written on various topics about democracy, sovereignty of Tibet, Tibet under communism, colonialism, religion and belief etc. Along side the manuscript, he also began writing another one on the geographical aspects of Tibet, which was comparatively short, yet touched on sensitive topics about the location and number of Chinese military camps in Chinese occupied Tibet etc.
In its latest attempt to intensify hard-line policies, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has relaunched the “strike hard” campaign to systematically curtail Tibetan political dissent and to control religious institutions. A series of recent official meetings held in Lhasa has re-affirmed the need to curb dissidence by “striking hard” in the “Tibet Autonomous Region”(TAR).
According to the State media China Tibet Information Centre (www.tibetinfor.com) and Lhasa Evening daily on 4 November 2004, “the “Strike hard” campaign for the winter – 1 November to 30 December 2004 – in Lhasa, TAR, has begun. The current campaign aims to eliminate internal secret splittist groups, separatists based outside, influence on religion, terrorists and their activities, criminal activities, stability stiflers and exile returnees linked with splittist groups.”