In the aftermath of severe crackdown on the Tibetan protesters by Chinese military forces across various parts of Tibet since 10 March which led to the deaths of scores of Tibetans, a subtle form of protests are surfacing from Tibet in the form of staging peaceful solidarity prayer procession despite authorities’ placing severe restriction.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) received confirm information from reliable sources that on 2 April 2008 at 8 AM (Beijing Standard Time), around 200 nuns of Ratroe Nunnery in Tawu County (Ch: Daifu Xian), Kardze “Tibet Autonomous Prefecture” (“TAP”), Sichuan Province set off a peaceful procession to showcase their solidarity with and pray for those who lost their lives in the recent spat of protests across the Tibetan plateau by chanting Buddhist prayers. The nuns of Ratroe Nunnery marched towards the county headquarters chanting Buddhist prayers such as, prayer for the Dalai Lama’s longevity and Dolma (Tara prayer).
According to sources, the People’s Armed Police (PAP) and the Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers ordered the chanting nuns to return to their nunnery or be forcibly returned. The nuns dispersed and return to their nunnery after offering prayers in front of Tawu County government headquarters. There is no immediate report of arrest of nuns although eyewitnesses report a heavy presence of the PAP and PSB during the peaceful procession.
In a similar peaceful protest in Holkha Township in Tsigorthang County on 25 March, where hundreds of Tibetans staged a peaceful solidarity march and later held a prayer session for those who lost their lives in the recent series of protests in Tibet. Following the peace march and prayer session at the township government headquarters, three Tibetans were arbitrarily arrested in an early morning raid in their home by the PAP and PSB officials. In the following days four more Tibetans were also arrested and their whereabouts are still unknown to their families.
