By Kalsang Rinchen
Dharamsala, May 3 – Tibetan students of Machu Tibetan Nationality Middle School in Machu County in Gansu Province (traditionally in Tibet’s Amdo Province), have been sitting on a hunger strike from April 22 demanding the release from detention of a Tibetan teacher and reinstatement of him and two others sacked by the authorities over protests by students in the school, Dolkar Kyab, a researcher and native of Machu currently living here, said.
The school’s headmaster Kyabchen Dedrol, and his two assistants—Do Re and Choekyong Tseten—were fired by Chinese authorities following a pro-independence protest by students of the school on March 14. Sources say that Choekyong Tseten was detained by the authorities later at an unknown location.
The students are also demanding that the Chinese government must stop its forced inclusion of communist doctrines and policies in school curriculum.
The local authorities have also warned the school administration to immediately advice the students to stop the hunger strike.
Meanwhile, 2 students were expelled from the school around last week of April for demanding the reinstatement of the three teachers and expressing their opposition to the expulsion and arrest of two Tibetans students, Tsering Dhondup and Thupten Nyima, the same source said. Tsering Dhondup and Thupten Nyima were arrested in April 6 for allegedly leading the students’ protest of March 14.
The students of Machu Tibetan Nationality Middle School also carried out a peaceful protest on April 3, in protest of the sacking of the three Tibetans.
