DHARAMSHALA, June 20: Police in Tibet’s Chamdo region had arrested five Tibetan monks of a monastery known for past anti-China protests and later released four with special orders for one not to travel outside Karma town, reported the Radio Free Asia.
Kargyal and Tenzin were taken away from their monastic quarters at the Karma Monastery in Karma town, Chamdo, on the morning of June 13. The two were beaten up severely during interrogation, a source told the RFA asking not to be named.
Two others, Kunkyab and Shedrub Dawa, were detained in the afternoon of June 13 for questioning during which they had been subjected to torture and beatings.
The monks were held until late into the night but later allowed to go except for Kargyal who continues to be in detention. The exact reasons for the arrests are not known.
The Chinese police arrived at Karma Monastery the following day and questioned another monk, Tashi Gyalsten. Tashi was taken to the local government headquarters for further questioning. The same source added that Tashi was subjected to torture and beatings during the interrogation. Tashi was eventually released after his brother informed the police of his father’s illness.
Karma monastery’s abbots, Khenpo Rabsel and Namsey Sonam were detained in October 2011 when they refused to “cooperate” with the Chinese officials conducting patriotic reeducation campaigns at the monastery.
With the celebrations of the 80th birthday of the exiled Tibetan leader being planned all over the world including Tibet, the Chinese authorities are careful not to allow huge public gatherings due to fear of protests by Tibetans.
Following the self-immolation of Tenzin Phuntsog, a former monk of Karma monastery, and the reported bombing of an empty municipal office in the region in 2011, monks of the monastery had faced severe restrictions leading to the arrest of around 70 monks.
The Karma monastery, located on the eastern bank of the Dzachu river in Chamdo, was founded by the first Gyalwang Karmapa, the head of Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism in the 12th century. Repression had been intense in Chamdo, particularly since the 2008 pan-Tibet protests. The area witnessed a dramatic tightening of security and imposition of ‘emergency’ measures by the authorities.
