Another monastery in China’s northwestern Qinghai province has come under scrutiny by Chinese security authorities after several thousand Tibetans, led by monks, marched in protest calling for freedom for Tibet and for the release of detained protesters, local sources said.
The Tsang monastery in Sogpo (in Chinese, Henan) county was surrounded by security forces beginning Sunday after the mass protest march to the county office, the sources said, adding that further details could not be obtained as telephone connections to the region had been cut.
The monastery is situated south of Rebkong where the latest self-immolations and protests against Chinese rule in Tibetan-populated provinces have occurred.
The Sogpo march, which was described as “peaceful,” followed three days of leafleting in which posters and flyers were posted in 30 different locations at and around the Tsang monastery, a participant in the protests said, communicating with RFA through an intermediary in London.
“Initially, the posters appeared around the monastery on March 15, and next morning, on March 16, Chinese authorities called the Tsang monastery and asked the monastery management about them,” the source said.
Main demands
The posters’ main demands were the return of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, “basic human rights” for Tibetans living under Chinese rule, and the preservation of the Tibetan language, culture, and environment, he said.
Additionally, the posters said, China and the United Nations would be held “responsible” for the life of a senior religious figure, Shingza Rinpoche, who with other Tibetan protesters had undertaken a hunger strike in front of the U.N. headquarters building in New York. The hunger strike ended Thursday without any incident.
“On the evening of March 17, leaflets again appeared saying that a peaceful protest would be carried out the next day, and warning that protesters would set themselves on fire if any attempt was made to interfere,” the source said.
Finally, on March 18, 16 monks from the Tsang monastery, accompanied by four laymen, went to the Sogpo county office to demand the release of three monks who had been sentenced to 10-year prison terms for taking part in protests in March 2008, he said.
The three were identified as Choktrin Gyatso, Tsulsang Gyatso, and Khedrub Gyaltsen.
After protesting for half an hour, all 20 were detained, prompting a march to the Sogpo county seat by an additional 300-400 monks to call for their release, the source said.
“In the beginning, around 2,000 people joined the protest, and by 4:30 p.m. [local time], the number had increased to 4,000. The Chinese police released the Tsang monks, and they were transported back to their monastery.”
Concerns
On Monday, a senior official from a neighboring Tibetan prefecture visited Tsang monastery and spoke to the monks about their concerns, the source said.
“The monks said that the protests were the result of the government’s long-term failure to address the grievances of the Tibetan people.”
“They also said that the protests had been organized only by themselves, and not by anyone abroad,” in a reference to Tibet’s India-based exile government and to the Dalai Lama, who is regularly blamed by Chinese leaders for attempting to stir up “turmoil” in the region.
Reported by Chakmo Tso for RFA’s Tibetan service. Translation by Rigdhen Dolma. Written in English by Richard Finney.