IMAGEIMAGE DHARAMSHALA, April 2: Three monks of Sog Tsenden Monastery and a layman have been arrested by the Chinese police on the night of March 28 in Sog County, Ngawang Tharpa, a Tibetan with contacts in the region told Phayul.
Choephel Dawa, Jigme Wangyal, Choeying Choega, all monks of Sog Tsenden Monastery, and a layman named Drakpa were taken away during the night of March 28.
No explanation was given as to the reason for their arrest, said Tharpa.
Choephel Dawa, 27, had already served two years imprisonment sentence following his arrest on January 5, 2012, and subsequent sentencing in a secret trial to two years’ imprisonment. He is the son of Gopey Rangdol, native of village 2, Yakla Township, Sog County.
Jigme Wangyal’s family – Laru Dechentsang – live in Kharmar village, Yakla Township, Sog County.
Choeying Choega and Drakpa are sons of Minyak Abhutsang family, natives of village 1, Yakla Township, Sog County.
This is the third arrest of monks of Sog Tsenden Monastery in less than a month. 7 monks – Namgyal Tsultrim, Lodoe Tenzin, Tsultrim Gojhay, Tsultrim Namgyal, Thabkhay Lhundup, Jigme Tsultrim, and Jigme Drakpa – were arrested on March 14, 2015. Another monk named Lobsang Dawa was arrested on March 20.
There are over 50 CCTV cameras installed in the monastery premises to monitor the movement and activities of the monks of Sog Tsenden Monastery, Tharpa told Phayul last month. He further said that it is hard to verify information due to severe restriction on communication and travel in Sog County.
