tawu – TCHRD

18/05/2016 News

Chinese police arbitrarily detain Tibetan monk to prevent self-immolation protest

Chinese authorities have arbitrarily detained a 23-yr old Tibetan monk because he was suspected of planning to stage a self-immolation protest against the repressive policies in Tibet.

Jampa Gelek, a monk from Tawu Nyitso Monastery, was detained by local Chinese police around 8:24 pm local time on 16 May 2016 while he was taking a walk in the park surrounding Namgyal Stupa in Tawu (Ch: Daofu) County in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the Tibetan province of Kham. At around 10 pm, a group of Chinese police ransacked his monastic residence and the same night he was taken to a detention centre in the prefectural capital of Dartsedo (Ch: Kangding).

24/12/2014 News

Monk dies of self-immolation calling for Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet

Exile Tibetan media have reported yet another self-immolation yesterday of a monk in Tawu (Ch: Daofu) County in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the Tibetan province of Kham.

Kelsang Yeshi, 38, a monk at Tawu Nyatso Monastery and a social activist set himself ablaze at around 11.20 am (local time) on 23 December before the entrance gate of a police station inside the monastery compounds. The monk who had studied in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in south India called for “the return of Dalai Lama to Tibet” and “freedom for Tibetans” as he set his body on fire.

31/08/2013 News

China tightens the screw after shooting Tibetan worshippers in Tawu

Armed police making their way down to beat, teargas and shoot Tibetans celebrating Dalai Lama's birthday. — Armed police making their way down to beat, teargas and shoot Tibetans who had come to celebrate Dalai Lama’s birthday.

China has launched a crackdown on local Tibetans who had organised a religious ceremony to observe the birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama last month in Tawu (Ch: Dawu/Daofu) County in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the Tibetan province of Kham.

On 6 July 2013, China’s People’s Armed Police (PAP) beat and fired teargas and live ammunition on hundreds of Tibetans who had gathered near Machen Pomra Mountain in Tawu to offer the ritual of incense-burning to celebrate the birthday of the Dalai Lama. At least 14 known Tibetans were injured in the firing and others were detained.

Since then, local authorities in Tawu have intensified surveillance and monitoring of local Tibetans and announced strict punitive measures against local officials and cadres for failing to ‘maintain stability’. Local authorities have vowed to crack down on any signs of ‘separatist’ sentiments and activities by implementing five major ‘stability maintenance’ measures in Tawu County, according to a report published in the official Ganzi Daily newspaper. (Also click here for related report in Chinese language)

17/07/2013 News

More injured by gunshots than earlier reported in Tawu

Smoke from incense and juniper leaves fill the air as Tawu Tibetans celebrate Dalai Lama’s birthday on 6 July.

New information from Tibet sheds light on important details related to 6 July shootings, beatings and teargassing by China’s People’s Armed Police (PAP) forces in Tawu (Ch: Daofu/Dawu) County on the 78^th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. (Click here for our previous report on Tawu shootings.)

According to information received by TCHRD, on the afternoon of 6 July armed police detained 18 Tibetans from a bridge on the foothills of Machen Pomra mountain, en route to the famous Tawu Nogen Stupa (Tib: Tawu Nogen Chorten). Out of them, 14 have sustained gunshot wounds and are receiving treatment. There is no death reported yet although the injured are not out of danger.

TCHRD has identified a few more injured Tibetans. Yama Tsering, 72, was severely beaten and got four of his ribs broken. Another Tibetan man, Dekyi Gonpo aka Goleb has become deaf in one ear due to beatings.

11/07/2013 News

Senior monk among the latest identified in Tawu shootings

Warning: This post contains graphic images.

An undated photograph of Chanzoe Tsewang Choephel, a senior monk and staff at Nyatso Monastery. — An undated photograph of Tsewang Choephel, a senior monk and staff at Nyatso Monastery.

Tsewang Choephel, a senior monk and administrative staff (Tib: chanzoe) at Nyatso Monastery, is the latest Tibetan to be identified among those injured in Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP) firing on 6 July.

According to information and photographs received by TCHRD, senior monk Tsewang Choephel was shot at multiple times on his hands and legs. His condition is critical. With Tsewang Choephel’s identification, the number of the injured in PAP firing has increased to ten, including a layman Ugyen Tashi who was shot with eight bullets.

The beatings, shootings and teargassing in Tawu led to the violent disruption of an otherwise peaceful religious ceremony observed to celebrate the 78^th birthday of the Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The scale and extent of the Tawu shootings appear to overshadow another brutal shootings in January 2012 in Drango (Ch: Luhuo) County.

10/07/2013 News

Environmental activist suffers broken ribs after savage beatings in Tawu

Chinese armed police arrive to surround the venue of birthday celebration. — Chinese armed police arrive to surround the venue of the Dalai Lama’s birthday celebration on 6 July in Tawu County.

A Tibetan environmental activist has his ribs broken after enduring savage beatings at the hands of China’s People’s Armed Police forces on 6 July when local Tibetans in Tawu (Ch: Daofu/Dawu) County gathered to celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 78th birthday in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

According to information received by TCHRD, Gyaltsen, a Tibetan layman and environmental activist from Dunkye camp, was among a group of Tibetans who were savagely beaten at a bridge near Machen Pomra mountain. Gyaltsen suffered two broken ribs and many others in the group also sustained serious injuries. After the beatings, armed police detained 14 known Tibetans including Gyaltsen but they were released on the night of 7 July following protests from local Tibetans who had gathered at the courtyard of Nyatso Monastery to protest the detention.

09/07/2013 News

Tibetans in critical condition after Chinese armed police shoot into crowd celebrating Dalai Lama’s birthday

Gyen Tashi Sonam was shot in his head; receives treatment in a hospital in Dartsedo.

Several known Tibetans are in critical condition and many more injured after Chinese armed police fired into a crowd of Tibetans gathered to celebrate the 78^th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 6 July in Tawu (Ch: Daofu) County in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

According to information received by TCHRD, at least nine Tibetans have sustained serious gunshot wounds and are believed to be in critical condition. Many others, both monastic and lay Tibetans, whose exact numbers cannot be determined immediately, have been injured after paramilitary forces from People’s Armed Police (PAP) lobbed teargas shells and beat them. The injured are mostly monks from Nyatso Monastery, nuns from Geden Choeling Nunnery and a considerable number of lay Tibetans in Tawu County.

Gyen Tashi Sonam, a monk and teacher at Nyatso Monastery, who was shot in his head, is being treated along with others at a hospital in Dartsedo (Ch: Kangding) County.

18/06/2013 News

Nun dies of self-immolation, family placed under house arrest

An undated photograph of nun Wangchen Dolma

According to sources inside Tibet, on 11 June, Wangchen Dolma, a nun from Tawu (Ch: Daofu) County in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture self-immolated in protest against Chinese rule.

Wangchen Dolma, 31, committed her self-immolation near Nyatso Monastery Tawu County in the Tibetan province of Kham. She hailed from Dragthog Village in Tawu County and her father’s name is Tenzin and mother’s Youdon.

The Chinese police immediately arrived at the scene of the self-immolation and took her to a local hospital in Dartsedo (Ch: Kangding) in Kardze Prefecture.

Three days later on 14 June around 8 am, she succumbed to her injuries and died.

Wangchen Dolma became the 119^th Tibetan and the third from Tawu region to self-immolate in protest of China’s repressive policies.

Sources said the Chinese police refused to give Wangchen Dolma’s body to her family and cremated it.

16/08/2011 News

Tibetan monk self-immolates to protest Chinese rule

On 15 August 2011, at around 12.30 pm (local time), 29 yrs old monk Tsewang Norbu of Nyitso Monastery in Tawu (Ch: Daofu) County in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) self-immolated to protest against Chinese rule in Tibet and ill treatment of the local Tibetans by the Chinese authorities. For ten minutes, Tsewang Norbu raised slogans of ‘Freedom in Tibet’ and the ‘Return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet’ while scattering leaflets with similar messages at Chume Bridge in the centre of Tawu, before burning himself with petrol.

Since 6 July, there have been severe restrictions and strict vigilance of the area, after local Tibetans defied government orders joined the celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 76th birthday which was headed by nuns of Gaden Jangchup Choeling Nunnery. Chinese authorities have cut down water and electricity supply to Gaden Choeling Nunnery and Nyitso Monastery since the celebration last month.

03/10/2003 News

Prisoner on medical parole succumbs to torture inflicted in prison

TCHRD has learned through reliable sources the demise of Nyima Drakpa, 29, in his home on 1 October 2003. Nyima Drakpa, who was serving nine years’ imprisonment sentence, was released in early September 2003 on medical parole. At the time of his release from the prison, Drakpa was reportedly in severe health complications. Drakpa was arrested in May 2000 and subsequently sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment on charges of “endangering state security” and “incitement against the masses”.

In late 1999, Drakpa pasted pro-independence posters on the gates of a Memorial Garden in Tawu County, Kardze Tibet Autonomous Prefecture (“TAP”), Sichuan. The posters contained slogans such as “Free Tibet”, “Tibetans in Tibet have no freedom”, “Tibet is not a part of China”, was signed at the end with his name. The County Public Security Bureau (“PSB”) officials started investigations the very next day and detained another person with the same name from Drakpa’s monastery, Nyitso Monastery.