FREE TIBET! China rounds up 100 monks after lama vanishes
(AP)
Protesters on the streets of Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, in March 2008
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Jane Macartney in Beijing
Nearly 100 monks have been detained in northwestern China after an angry crowd attacked a police station following the disappearance of a fellow lama, marking the first major outburst of Tibetan unrest since last year.
The new eruption of anger demonstrates how volatile the situation remains in Tibetan-populated areas of China since peaceful demonstrations by monks last March triggered a violent riot in the Himalayan capital, Lhasa. On March 14 last year, Tibetans rampaging through the streets demanding the return of the Dalai Lama and independence for the region, setting fire to office and shops and leaving 22 people dead.
Thousands of troops and paramilitary have been deployed across Tibetan areas and all foreigners banned as China has tried to prevent an outbreak of last year’s protests that spread swiftly from Lhasa to dozens of Tibetan monasteries and communities.
This latest protest began when monks furious at the detention and disappearance of one of their number poured out of the Ragya monastery that overlooks the Yellow River and surrounded the local police station on Saturday, state media said. The official Xinhua news agency variously put the number of protesters at one hundred and several hundred.
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They assaulted police and government staff, leaving several people slightly hurt, state media said. The authorities finally persuaded the protesters to disperse in the early hours of today.
The report said the crowd had been deceived by rumours concerning Tashi Sangwu, who had been detained by the police on suspicion of involvement in advocating Tibet independence. There were conflicting reports about what had happened to him.
Police and witnesses told Chinese media that he fled after asking to go to the washroom. He was seen swimming in the Yellow River, apparently to try to escape.
A report on the phayul.com website that is managed by exiled Tibetans said the protest erupted after the monk jumped into the Yellow River to commit suicide after escaping the police. Tibetan exiles said the 28-year-old monk was being questioned after he unfurled a banned Tibetan flag on the roof of the monastery on March 10 – the 50th anniversary of an abortive uprising in Lhasa against Chinese rule that forced the Dalai Lama to flee into exile in India. He also distributed pamplets in the street, urging unified protest against Beijing.
Six people had been detained and another 89 had now turned themselves into the authorities after the attack on the police station, Chinese media said. All but two were monks from the Ragya monastery, the site of a demonstration last March.
One resident told AFP: “I heard that monks and other people gathered in front of the police station after the monk committed suicide by throwing himself into the river." She described paramilitary out in force on the streets of the town after the incident. “I didn’t go out yesterday or today because people say it’s best not to.”
So far, it appears that major demonstrations have been prevented this year, though small pockets of protests have been reported by Tibetan rights groups in recent weeks. Most could not be independently confirmed because communication is poor in those areas with mobile phone services and some Internet links suspended and residents usually will not talk for fear of official retaliation. ends |
