tsultrim gyaltsen

04/04/2014 News

Writer among two sentenced to harsh prison terms of 10 to 13 years in Diru County

Tibetan writer Tsultrim Gyaltsen, also known as Shokdril, and his friend Yulgyal, from Diru County, Eastern Tibet, have been sentenced to thirteen and ten years of prison respectively, according to a source from inside Tibet.

They were believed to have been sentenced on 28 October 2013.

On 27 September 2013, in defiance of the Chinese government, Tibetans, including those from Mowa and Monkhyim villages, Diru County, not only refused to fly the Chinese national flags, but also threw them in the Gyalmo Ngulchu (Salween/Nu) river.

Since then, Tibetans in the area have been protesting against the Chinese government policies.

On 28 September 2013, more than a thousand Tibetans gathered and launched hunger strikes throughout the night in front of the offices of the People’s Government in Diru County.

08/11/2013 News

No let-up in Diru crackdown: 17 Tibetans detained as party officials greet armed police

Chinese authorities have detained 17 known Tibetans in separate incidents following the outbreak of popular protests against China’s ‘mass-line’ campaigns in Diru (Ch: Biru) County in Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

According to information received by TCHRD, on the night of 3 November 2013, local authorities arbitrarily detained 15 Tibetans at Tengkhar Village in Shamchu Township in Diru County. Among them, three were women, who were identified as Sarkyi, 49, Tsophen, 47, and Yangkyi, 25. Sarkyi is the mother of two sons: Lamsang 24, and Tsewang Lhakyap, 19, both of whom were also detained. Others detained in Tengkhar village are Tsering, 22, Tsering Phuntsok, 21, Tador (perhaps a shortened form of Tashi Dorjee), 21, Kundak, 17, Gabug, 41, Tsering Tenpa, 22, Thupchen, 27, Soeta, 25, Tsering Jangchup, 21, and Jigme Phuntsok, 23.

17/10/2013 News

In defence of truth: Detained Tibetan writer’s poems translated

Tsultrim Gyaltsen aka Shogdril's photo on his blog at http://blog.amdotibet.cn — Tsultrim Gyaltsen aka Shogdril’s photo on his blog at http://blog.amdotibet.cn

TCHRD has translated two poems composed by the versatile young Tibetan writer Tsultrim Gyaltsen aka Shogdril who was detained late last week in the middle of night from his home at Tengkhar Village in Shamchu Township in Diru (Ch: Biru) County, Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region.

Tsultrim Gyaltsen, 27, and his friend, Yugyal, 26, continue to remain in secret detention since 12 October 2013. [For more information, please click here]

Both the poems, Ugly Lhasa and God Must Die were published in October 2012 on www.tibetcul.com, a website run by Tibetans inside Tibet. It seems the author had meant to complete the first poem Ugly Lhasa as it is still appended with a “To be continued”. Unsurprisingly, the second poem generated much criticism for its seemingly blasphemous views against religious belief. In fact, Shogdril castigates religious dogma and prevailing fatalism among believers, so his compatriots could wake up from their slumber of resignation and face life’s challenges on its own terms. It is a poem filled with existential angst, reminiscent of Nietzsche and Lu Xun. In God Must Die, twice Shogdril quotes Lu Xun.

14/10/2013 News

Crackdown in Diru widens: Tibetan writer and a former policeman detained

Tibetan poet and writer Tsultrim Gyaltsen

A Tibetan writer and his friend, a former police officer, were detained late last week in an ongoing crackdown at Diru (Ch: Biru) County in Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

According to information received by TCHRD, writer Tsultrim Gyaltsen, 27, was detained by a group of County Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers during a night raid at his home in Tengkhar Village in Shamchu Township, Diru County.

On 11 October 2013 at around 1 am, PSB officers detained Tsultrim Gyaltsen, who used to write under the pseudonym Shogdril (Eng: Morning Bell), from his home on accusations that he “engaged in separatist activities and disrupted social stability by spreading rumours” during the recent unrest in Diru County.

The Diru County PSB officers searched his house and confiscated his mobile phone, computer, books and other documents before detaining him.