By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, February 3: Two Tibetans released along with nine others from Zoege County last week following a brief arrest on Jan. 28 in Chengdu have been arrested again in Zoege County.
Tsepak, 33, and Jigdel Kyab, 39, were among eleven Tibetans who sat outside the venue of the third session of the 12th Sichuan Provincial People’s Congress to protest against forced land grab in their county.
County and Township officials called a meeting on Jan. 29 and vowed to punish the Tibetans who had travelled to Chengdu in the nearby Sichuan Province. The officials also threatened to discontinue government aid for the protesters and their families.
The protesters decided to appeal to higher authorities at the Provincial level but were arrested by Chinese authorities on January 30. All except the two were released after hours of interrogation.
A Tibetan source said that the two maybe held as the authorities suspect their hand in sharing pictures and information about the Chengdu protest on the Internet.
Eleven Tibetans from Zoege County sat on a demonstration against forced land grab in Chengdu demanding protection of nomad land. They held banners in Chinese and raised slogans.
