Dharamshala, September 25- The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said a few more cases of missing people in Tibet following the March unrest began to surface lately.
“In the recent few months after the outbreak of the major protests across the Tibetan plateau since March 10, 2008, a few more cases of, particularly, the enforced and involuntary disappearance of Tibetans are beginning to surface”, the Dharamshala based right group said in a press statement issued today.
The group say there are at least ‘more than a thousand Tibetans whose current whereabouts and well being remain completely unknown to their family members and their affiliated monasteries.’
The whereabouts of 80 monks of Drepung Monastery located on the outskirt of Lhasa City, still remains unknown after months of clampdown following the March protest.
The Chinese authorities in Tibet have particularly targeted monks from outside “TAR” for expulsion. Lobsang, a monk of Drepung Monastery, hailed from Lhatse County, Shigatse Prefecture “TAR”, disappeared from the monastery following the March protest in Tibetan capital. There is no information on his whereabouts so far.
Meanwhile, Migmar Dhondup, a former student of the Tibetan Children’s Village School, Dharamshala (home number 14)where he studied till class ten disappeared after the protest in Lhasa in March. Migmar joined TCV, Bylakupee in 1993, for commerce stream and finished his school in 1995. He is originally from Dingri County (Ch: Tingri Xian), Shigatse Prefecture, “Tibet Autonomous Region” (‘TAR’). Migmar worked in Lhasa as tourist guide before his disappearance during the March Lhasa protest. The TCHRD said, “There is no clear information of whether he participated in the protest or not but his family member and friends has not heard of him since the Lhasa protest in March.” However, other sources in Tibet have told phayul that he was arrested for filming the protest but this could not be confirmed.
Similarly, Thabkhey and Tsundue of Labrang Monastery who defiantly briefed in front of the state managed foreign media tour in Sangchu County (Ch: Xiahe Xian) in Gansu Province, “TAP” on 7 April 2008 were not seen since their sudden disappearance. Local residents fear that the security personnel secretly took them away.
Despite numerous cases of enforced and involuntary disappearances of Tibetans since March this year, a very few cases have come out, and that too after months of arbitrary detention, TCHRD says. “In one case, the death of a disappeared person surfaced only after two of her colleagues were later sentenced by the court. Guru, 25 years old nun of Samtenling a.ka. Watak Nunnery in Drango County, Kardze “Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture” (‘TAP’) Sichuan Province involved in June protest in Drango County disappeared and the news of her death since her disappearance came to light only after two of her colleagues Tsering Tso, 27 and Ugyen Lhamo 32 were sentenced 2 years’ imprisonment by Drango County Intermediate People’s Court.”
