3.17.2008

News on Tibet

17 March: Around 40 middle school students arrested in Marthang

Around 40 Tibetan middle school students were known to have been severely beaten before being arrested at around 8:30 AM (Beijing Time) following students' call for the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) multiple sources within Tibet.

Around one hundred Tibetan students of Marthang Nationality Middle School in Marthang County (Ch: Hongyuan xian), Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Prefecture, "Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture" ("TAP"), Sichuan Province, erupted into a spontaneous demonstration inside the school compound calling for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet during the morning school hours. According to witnesses, the People's Armed Police (PAP) and Marthang County Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials blocked and immediately crushed the students while they came out of the school premises shouting slogan calling for the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet . Students were severely beaten and manhandled before being dragged into the waiting police vehicles.

According to the latest information coming out of Tibet , it indicates that around 700 students of the Marthang Nationality Middle School in a solemn gesture of solidarity with the arrested students are staging protest outside Marthang County PSB office. The conditions and identities of those middle school students could not be ascertained at the moment

16th March 2008: Reliable sources have confirmed that at least 80 people were killed on 14th March 2008 in Lhasa . One very reliable source has confirmed that many of the dead bodies have been stashed in front of a Public Security Department office in Lhasa .

16th March 2008: At 9:30am this morning at Kirti monastery (Amdo province) which has remain completely sealed off by Chinese military, over a thousand monks fled the tight security and were joined by another thousand layperson-protestors outside the Monastery compound. Tear gas was used on the demonstrators and gun shots were heard according to a reliable source. Unofficial reports have confirmed that at least one Tibetan has been shot and killed and a few others who were also shot remain in critical condition.

At least seven shot dead in demonstration in Ngaba County

According to the latest confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), at least seven people were known to have been shot dead including monks of Ngaba Kirti Monastery by the People's Armed Police (PAP) during the peaceful demonstration by thousands of people in Ngaba County (Ch: Aba) this afternoon. Hundreds of people are also known to have been injured in the incident following PAP crackdown on the protestors. The demonstration is still going on when the Centre received the information from the venue of demonstration.

The demonstration started around 11.30 AM (Beijing Time), when thousands of Tibetan monks of Amdo Ngaba Kirti Monastery, in Ngaba County (Ch: Aba), Ngaba " Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture " ("TAP") Sichuan Province , gathered for a prayer session this morning. Shortly after the end of morning prayer session, thousands of monks erupted into spontaneous protest by raising slogans calling for " Tibet independence", "return of the Dalai Lama" and "freedom for Tibet ". The demonstration was later joined by common citizens of Ngaba County total numbering thousands of people who were heading towards Ngaba County government headquarters.

16 March, Eight dead bodies brought into Ngaba Kirti Monastery

According to TCHRD, eight dead bodies have been brought into Ngaba Kirti Monastery according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. The bodies were brought in from the protest scene in Ngaba County , Sichuan Province. Sources say at least "30 Tibetans felled" after armed troops shot indiscriminately into the peacefully protesting Tibetans. Out of the eight bodies, one has been identified as Lobsang Tashi, a former monk in his mid 20s. The remaining bodies are unidentified at the moment. The monks in Kirti Monastery are currently offering prayers for the deceased.

16th March 2008: Higher Chinese authorities have instructed Tibetan officials inside Tibet to not take part in any of the protests. Their movement has been restricted and they are required to sign in and out if they wish to leave outside their homes according to a reliable source.

16 March 2008: Mass abductions in midnight raids by Chinese security forces in Lhasa , according to Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy, Dharamsala , India

Hundreds of Tibetans are arbitrarily arrested in the ongoing house-by-house raid by Chinese security forces in Lhasa beginning from 15 March 2008. All former political prisoners have already been rounded off and thrown into prisons by the security forces according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).

With streets filled with patrolling Chinese armed troops and tanks in Lhasa city, the security agencies comb each and every house in Lhasa and pick up all suspected Tibetans, especially youth, from their houses accompanied by severe beatings by the armed forces. In testimonies received by TCHRD, mothers and elderlies in the families helplessly plea at security forces upon seeing their sons and loved ones being beaten and dragged away.

Law enforcement authorities in the so-called "Tibet Autonomous Region" had on Saturday (15 March) issued an ultimatum to the protesting Tibetans to voluntarily surrender before Monday midnight (17 March). However, the actual arrests have already begun in house-by-house raid since yesterday while the world expects it to take place from tomorrow.

Although Martial Law is not officially imposed in Lhasa , it has all the elements of the Martial Law imposed in 1989 by the then "TAR" Party Secretary Hu Jintao, currently the President of People's Republic of China .

15th March 2008: One reliable source has confirmed that a military truck full of dead bodies was seen being carried away towards Toelung county (under Lhasa municipality).

15th March 2008: In Lithang (in Karze, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture , Sichuan province) during two minor protests, at least two of the protestors were arrested and taken into custody as confirmed by a source.

15th March 2008: In Amdo, Labrang, from 5000-6000 people took part in a major protest. Among many other things, they were demanding for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

15th March 2008: In Phenpo Lhundup Dzong (under Lhasa municipality) there was a protest by monks and laypeople.

15th March 2008: Gaden Monastery (about 50 kms east of Lhasa ) remains under extremely strict Chinese military presence. The number of military personnel is so high that they are running out of tent space for their personnel.

15th March 2008: There was shooting inside the compounds of Tashi Lhunpo monastery (Shigatse) and at least 40 laypeople protesting behind the Tashi Lhunpo monasteries have been arrested as confirmed by one source.

15th March 2008: Over 500 people have been arrested in Lhasa alone; however the numbers are expected to be astoundingly larger since all those arrested are being taken to prisons all over Tibet .

15th March 2008: All media personnel (including foreign media) inside Tibet are being questioned and there are reports that their recorded materials (video footage, pictures) have been destroyed or confiscated.

11th March 2008: In Dabpa (Karze, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture , Sichuan province) we have confirmed reports that the three Tibetans shot by the Chinese Police were killed and at least ten people have been injured. Instructions were given to shoot at the protestors since they were believed by higher Chinese authorities to be engaging in "splittist activities."

China continues to disguise martial law situations

  • There are reports of Chinese military and police being deployed to all parts of Tibet . Various Chinese military units have been reorganized and are being deployed even to rural areas of Tibet . Even Home Guards and Surveillance police has been called in by Chinese authorities to suppress the protests inside Tibet .
  • Schools, universities and shops remain closed.
  • Monasteries continue to be guarded with extremely strict surveillance and security.
  • Lhasa remains completely sealed off. All exit and entry points to Lhasa have been blocked off.
Courtesi of the Tibet Bureau in Geneva

1 comment:

blogspot said...

Bravi ciccini. Ma perchè non andate anche in Colombia a marciare contro il macellaio Uribe o in Kosovo a difendere la minoranza serba?