Contact is taking a holiday!

Photo: RFA

Jampa Sonam, 59, a resident of Lhachu village in Chamdo prefecture’s Dzogang county has been living under a travel ban for the last eight years for keeping a photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his phone. He was accused of having contact with “separatists” and was put under Chinese surveillance and his freedom of movement severely restricted, reports the Tibetan service of Radio Free Asia (RFA), May 11.

He was arrested during one of the random checks by police while selling walnuts – his means of livelihood – in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. RFA’s source, who has a contact in Chamdo, reported that Jampa was taken into custody on November 20, 2012. After a five day detention in Lhasa he was transferred to the police in his hometown. The source reported that Jampa was “accused of associating with separatists and accomplices of the Dalai Lama, and since then he has remained under Chinese surveillance, with his freedom of movement severely restricted”.

For the last eight years, he has been required to apply for permission from the Chinese authorities to leave his village, both in his own village and in addition from the local town.

In Tibet, keeping or sharing photos of His Holiness the Dalai is considered a serious crime which can lead to a prison sentence.

On December 30, 2019, Jamphel Dorjee, 75, and his son Tsewang Gyurmey from Chamdo Prefecture in eastern Tibet were detained for listening to teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on their mobile phones, and for receiving calls from Jamphel Dorjee’s daughter who is in India. The authorities warned them that this offence could bring about a minimum of a four year jail sentence.

Again in December 2019, three more Tibetans were arrested by the Chinese authorities for their social media activities on WeChat – the Chinese microblogging app – around the time of the 30th anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

In recent years, mobile phone and social media apps have become one of the medium for Chinese authorities to keep tabs on Tibetans – with especial interest in any discussions they may have with exiled Tibetans in India and abroad.