DHARAMSHALA, December 12: Chinese police have arrested three monks of Driru Tarmoe monastery in Lhasa on November 23, 2013, a Tibetan source told Phayul. The monks of Tarmoe monastery in Driru had gone to the Tibetan capital during their annual vacation.
The source further said that armed Chinese police and security personnel arrived at Tarmoe monastery where only a few monks and the monastery’s temple caretaker were present. The police asked where the rest of the monks had gone and demanded keys to the locked rooms of the monks who were on vacation. The monks told the police they did not have the keys. Armed police immediately surrounded the monastery, and broke into the rooms ransacking them, and took away several personal belongings including laptops, cellphones, CDs, and other items.
Meanwhile, Rabten monastery and Dongna monastery in Driru have also been surrounded by Chinese armed personnel. Eight monks of Rabten monastery who had goe to study in monastery and institutions in Palyul, Sershul and Serta have also been detained.
There is no information on the whereabouts and other details of the arrests amid strict monitoring and surveillance by Chinese authorities in Driru that has seen several protests and crackdown since September 2013.
Monks and nuns from Driru who are studying in other counties and prefectures have also been asked to return for ‘Thought Education Campaign’, the source said.
Chinese government considers Driru as one of the most restive regions brewing anti government sentiments and activities in the Tibet Autonomous Region, added the source. “They fear that instability in Diru could cause ripple effect in other areas in the TAR. Therefore, they have been engaged in forcing Tibetans in Driru to rigorous ‘Thought Education Campaign’ since September.”
