Tibetan Headlines
Apr 6: Prisoners Released
Tsering Lhagon, who has been a political prisoner for 14 years, was released on March 23. He was arrested along with four monks from Sog Tsenden Monastery, and a lay person, in March 2000 for allegedly distributing and pasting leaflets that read “May His Holiness live long,” “Tibet is independent,” and “Chinese out of Tibet.” The others were released some time after sentencing. Another prisoner, Tsedak Gonpo, was released from Mianyang prison on April 1 after serving six years for his role in leading protests in his hometown of Meruma in Ngaba in 2008.
Apr 5: Self-immolation Exhibition
The Tibet Museum, located near the main temple in Dharamshala, has inaugurated an exhibition on the self-immolation inside Tibet. Inaugurating the exhibition, Dicki Chhoyang, the minister for the Department of Information and International Relations said, “This exhibit is an effort by the Central Tibetan Administration to ensure that the international community gets to know about the cause of the self immolations inside Tibet.”
Apr 4: Monks Beaten
Six monks from Drilda monastery in Sog County have been “severely” beaten up by Chinese officials, Ngawang Tharpa, a Tibetan with contacts in the region, has reported. The monks had gone to the authorities to plea for the release of the four monks from their monastery who were arrested on March 17. They were detained and beaten. Following pleas from local people, they were released but it was clear that they had been beaten up and severely tortured in custody. Their names have not been released.
Apr 4: Arrests in Sog
Two young people have been arrested in Sog County, an exile with contacts in the region has said. Phurtse, son of the Chajigtsang family, and Rinchen Wangdue, son of the Pelhatsang family, both of village no 4 in the Trido township, were arrested for exchanging messages with politically restricted content through micromessaging apps on their cellphones. In addition, Adey, a monk from Drilda Monastery was arrested on March 28 following a massive hunt for "miscreants" who painted "Tibet is independent" in Tibetan on an iron bridge. Surveillance and security has been stepped up.
Apr 4: Village Leaders Sentenced
Ngangtak, 54, and Rigsal, 31, who are both village leaders in Mokhyim village in the traditional Tibetan province of Kham, have been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. They allegedly failed to fulfill their duties as leaders when residents did not obey Chinese government orders to fly the Chinese National flag from their rooftops in September last year, and failed to suppress protests in Mokhyim last year. Another Tibetan man named Trigyal from the same village has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Apr 3: Xi in Europe
Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Brussels where the President of the European Economic and Social Committee has reiterated his call for dialogue to resolve the issue of Tibet, and the importance of raising human rights issues with Xi. Addressing a demonstration in Brussels on human rights in China, Mr Malosse said “President Xi Jinping paid a visit yesterday to the pandas in Belgium, but there is something much more important – human rights in China”.
Apr 2: Torture in Prison
Goshul Lobsang, the prisoner who died on March 19 following his release from prison, may have been subject to torture. The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy says Chinese prison authorities may have used “injections designed to cause and exacerbate” pain, and alleges that the use of such treatments violates international law and medical ethics, saying “The widespread and systematic torture in Chinese prisons cannot exist without the active and implied consent of medical professionals.”
Apr 1: Two More Sentences
Two people in Tibet’s Driru county have been given prison sentences of up to 13 years. Writer Tsuiltrim Gyaltsen, 28, a former monk and teacher who wrote under the pen name "Shokdri"’ and Yougyal, 27, a former policeman, were sentenced for “disturbing the social stability” and “misconduct with government officials.” Arrested last October during the unrest in Driru over flying Chinese flags, they are now being held in Chushul near Lhasa. Until now, family members had no information on their whereabouts.
Apr 1: Chantleader Sentenced
Thardoe Gyaltsen, chantleader and administrator at Drongna monastery in Driru County has been sentenced to eighteen years in prison on charges of "inciting separatism". He was allegedly found to be in possession of pictures of the Dalai Lama and recordings of his speeches and teachings. Thardoe studied Tibetan Buddhism at the Ganden monastic university near Lhasa, and joined the Drongna Monastery in 1998. The situation in Driru remains very tense.
Mar 31: Phuntsog Wangyal
Phuntsog Wangyal, or Phunwang, has died aged 92. Phuntsog Wangyal founded the Tibetan Communist Party which later merged with Mao’s Communist Party, and wrote to Chinese leaders calling for a review of their attitude towards the Dalai Lama. He condemned the political environment in China, writing that stability in regions such as Tibet cannot be maintained with “the gun and the renminbi [Chinese currency]”. “I am deeply saddened" said HH the Dalai Lama, "He was genuinely motivated to fulfill the interests of the Tibetan people...we have lost a trusted friend.”
Mar 30: Released!
Dhondup Gyatso from Tibet's Sangchu County, was released from a Chinese prison in Lanzhou yesterday, a Tibetan source told the Tibet Times. Gyatso had been sentenced to six years' imprisonment on charges of “inciting activities to split the nation”. He edited a journal called la sog (lifeline) which has been deemed to contain politically banned material.
Mar 30: Writer Released
Tashi Rabten (pen-name Theu rang), a writer and university student, was released from Mianyang prison in Sichuan. Tashi was the editor of the banned literary magazine the Shar Dungri (Eastern Snow Mountain) and wrote the book "Trag yig" (Written in Blood). He was missing from July 2009 until April 2010 when he was traced to a detention centre in Barkham county, Ngaba. In June 2011 he was sentenced in a closed trial to four years’ imprisonment on charges of “inciting activities to split the nation”.
Mar 29: Singer Banned
Chinese authorities in Qinghai have reportedly enforced a ban on the sale and distribution of a Tibetan singer’s DVD for its alleged content of politically restricted lyrics. According to exile sources, DVDs of Gar Samdup Tsering’s music album entitled "Tsebar ki Marmey" (Life-long butter lamp) were confiscated or destroyed by authorities who raided music stores, and local television channels and nightclubs were ordered not to invite Samdup for performances or appearances.
Mar 29: Paris Arrests
Five members of the France regional chapter of the Tibetan Youth Congress were arrested for a protest against Chinese President Xi Jinping near the Chinese embassy in Paris. The five protesters, Kyilay Namdol, Sonam, Tenzin Wangdu, Tashi Dorjee and Tashi Dolma, were later released. They raised slogans such as "Free Tibet","‘Tibet belongs to Tibetan", and "Shame on you Xi". Over 100 Tibetans and supporters also carried out a protest yesterday near the Eiffel Tower.
Mar 28: NY Rally
The Students for a Free Tibet chapter based in New York City organised a rally at 14 Union Square for the release of a Tibetan political prisoner, Dhondup Wangchen. Dhondup Wangchen is a Tibetan filmmaker and activist who has been detained by the Chinese authorities since March 2008 on charges related to a 25-minute documentary titled “Leaving Fear Behind”. Wangchen's wife, Lhamo Tso, said that as his prison term end approaches, she prays for his safe return.