DHARAMSHALA, December 18 – A 16 year old Tibetan was arrested on Nov. 25 by the Chinese police in Tibet’s Driru County where several anti – government protests were seen since September this year, a Tibetan source said.
According to the source, on the night of Nov. 24, Sonam Dorjee wrote in Tibetan “there is no freedom in Tibet” on several pieces of paper and pasted it on the walls of the office of Chinese Work Team responsible for conducting “thought education” sessions in the region. The source added that Sonam even wrote his name at the bottom of the papers.
Sonam is a native of Dhithak village, Chaktse township in Driru County. There is no information as to where Sonam is held or what charges are levelled against him.
Meanwhile, the authorities have released five Tibetans who were arrested earlier last month. They are Gapuk, M 41; Sarkyi, F 49; Tsophen, F 41; Thinlay Palmo, F 32; and Dolma Tsephel, F age unknown.
Driru has been at the centre of a collective act of defiance by Tibetans who refused to cooperate with the Chinese government orders to hoist the Chinese national flag atop their houses.
Sources say that the situation in Driru continues to remain “tense” amid crackdown and strict monitoring of information making it hard for exile sources to verify information.
