Two months after a massive crackdown ended the worst anti-Chinese unrest in Tibet in nearly 50 years, Tibetan residents report small and scattered shows of public defiance—along with swift detention by the authorities.
“Manyseparatists have been detained,” a spokesman for the Public SecurityBureau in Kardze [in Chinese, Ganzi], Sichuan province, said May 15, whenasked to comment on a new spate of detentions. “They were detained according tothe laws of China.You can tell anyone you want.”
Earlier thisweek, three Tibetan Buddhist monks staged a brief public protest in Kardze town, which is heavily Tibetan, before police took them into custody, witnesses said, amid reports of furtherdetentions in Tibetan areas.
The threemonks from Kardze monastery gathered May 13 at around9:30-10 a.m., handing out leaflets and shouting for the long life of Tibet’s exiledleader, the Dalai Lama, witnesses said.
“There arehundreds of soldiers dressed as ordinary laborers in the town,” one sourcesaid. “The monks protested briefly and then were detained.”
The monks wereidentified as Lobsang Tenpa, 20; Palden Tsondru, or Tsultrim, 19; and LobsangChoeden, 19. Five Tibetans from Palden Tsultrim's Kardze hometown of Seshutin Yaratinare now detained, one source said.
“Theydistributed leaflets and protested for a while in the presence of Chinesesecurity forces in Kardze town,” another source said. “Then they were takenaway by police, but no violent beating was reported. Since there was a hugepresence of armed security forces in the city, the local Tibetan populationcouldn’t back them up.”
Stress hasworn down Kardze Tibetan residents, Tibetan sources say, with sporadic protestserupting since April 23 despite a massive presence by the authorities.
Also inKardze, authorities this week detained 14 nuns for protesting despite a massivesecurity presence and handed jail terms to seven others for joining widespreaddemonstrations in March.
The 14 nunsfrom nunneries in Kardze demonstrated May 11-12 in a central area of Kardze,near the local television station, witnesses said.
They wereprotesting the detention of two nuns from Drakar nunnery. Bumo Lhaga, 32, andSonam Dekyi, 30, were detained April 23 for calling for the Dalai Lama’sreturn.
Sourcesidentified the 14 nuns as Sey Lhamo, 36; Thubten Drolma, 40; Ani Taga, 36;Lhawang Chokyi, 41; Yangkyi, 28; Gyayul Seyang; Gyayul Thinley; GyayulShachotso Bodze; Tamdin Tsekyi; Seshuktin Tamdin Tsekyi; Seshuktin Dekyi, 29;Bendetsang Yangchen; and two others whose names weren’t immediately available.
“Theyprotested in support of those two nuns who protested April 23 and weredetained. These nuns shouted for the independence of Tibet, and for the long life andreturn of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” one source said.
“Theyprotested right at the center of Kardze town, close to the local TV station.”
Sources saidall 14 nuns are believed to be held at Kardze prison.
Retirees detained
In the TibetAutonomous Region (TAR) capital, Lhasa,Tibetan sources said police had detained a retired couple for allegedly passingon information about the condition of Tibetan prisoners.
The husbandwas identified as Shelok, 63 and retired from the Chinese border patrol. Thewife, Yangdzom, works in retirement as a doctor at the Lhasa People’s Hospital,one source said. Yangdzom’s age wasn’t immediately available.
“On May 3,Shelok was taken away from his residence between midnight and 1 a.m.,” thesource said.
“He wasaccused of passing information about the death and detention of Tibetanprotestors [and about] the conditions of prison to his sources outside Tibet. He wasalso accused of helping Tibetan protestors in the hospital. He was taken toGutsa prison.”
Yangdzom wasdetained three days after her husband, the sources said “She was accused ofsecretly taking painkillers and other medications from the hospital to treatTibetans injured in the protests. Where she was taken isn’t known.”
The couple’stwo children, both at university in China, returned home to Lhasa—now slowlyreturning to life with a trickle of tourists, restored phone service, andre-opened monasteries—to find the family home had been looted, the source said.
Crackdown after protests
Chineseauthorities have made numerous arrests and launched a “patriotic education”campaign aimed at Tibetans in the wake of rioting that began in Lhasa in mid-March andthen spread to other Tibetan areas.
Beijing says 22 people were killed inthe rioting. Tibetan sources say scores of people were killed when Chineseparamilitary and police opened fire on crowds of demonstrators.
Chineseauthorities have blamed the Dalai Lama for instigating the protests andfomenting a Tibetan independence movement. The Dalai Lama rejects theaccusation, saying he wants only autonomy and human rights for Tibetans.
TAR monks detained
Theexile Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) meanwhile reportedthe arrest of 16 monks May 12-13 and two lay people May 14 in Markham [in Chinese,Mangkang] county, Chamdo prefecture inthe TAR.
The monks, from Woeser and Khenpa Lungpa monasteries, weresaid to have argued with members of a Chinese work team when they were asked tosign criticisms of the Dalai Lama.
Original reporting by RFA’s Tibetan service. Tibetan servicedirector: Jigme Ngapo. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written and produced inEnglish by Sarah Jackson-Han.