KATHMANDU—Chinese authorities have detained two Tibetans, including a police officer, with no word left of their whereabouts or charges made against them, according to Tibetan sources.
One of the men, identified as Thinley, in his 40s and a resident of Markham county in the Chamdo prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, was visiting his family home on March 18 when an “unidentified group” arrived and took him away, one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Thinley was reportedly placed in a black hood as he was taken away, the source said.
“According to local information, Thinley was detained for making calls outside of Tibet,” the man said.
A male relative in India confirmed the account, and identified the men who detained Thinley as plainclothes Public Security Bureau officers.
Formerly an official in the Garthok subdivision of the Ngari prefecture, Thinley was removed from his position after criticizing Chinese policy in Tibet, the relative said.
"Since then, he has done some business in the Ngari area," he added. "He married a local girl in Ngari and has a son."
Local police could not immediately be reached for comment.
Police officer held
Chinese authorities also recently detained a Tibetan security official, Nyima Tsering, the head of the investigations unit of the Chamdo Police Department, another source in the region said, also on condition of anonymity.
Nyima Tsering, a native of Markham, completed his primary and middle school education in Markham, attended high school in Chamdo, and then received police training in China, the source said.
“No one knows the reason for his detention or where he was taken.”
Tibetan police officers, though members of the Communist Party, are often distrusted by Chinese authorities and are usually accompanied by Chinese officers when assigned to rural areas, sources have said.
Original reporting by RFA's Tibetan service. Tibetan service director: Jigme Ngapo. Translations by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. Edited by Sarah Jackson-Han.