DHARAMSHALA, August 2: The Chinese authorities in Tibet’s Chamdo region have sentenced three Tibetan monks to two and half years’ imprisonment for allegedly providing protection to criminals.
Namsay Sonam, the administrator of Karma monastery, Chant leader Dhondup Gyaltsen and Rabsel were arrested earlier in October 2012 for pasting anti government posters around the local government’s administrative premises.
Sources say the Chinese authorities made all attempts to try them under charges of separating the motherland and anti-national activities but their lawyer managed to convince the authorities to book them under charges of much less serious activity of providing protection to criminals.
Meanwhile, the Chinese authorities in Tibet’s Ngaba region have arrested a Tibetan monk of Thangkor Sogtsang monastery on July 31 for his alleged involvement in the self-immolation by a Tibetan monk named Kunchok Sonam of the same monastery earlier on July 20 this year. Yonten Gyatso, 35, is among several Tibetans arrested in the aftermath of the latest self-immolation by a Tibetan.
18-year-old Kunchok Sonam set himself on fire on July 20 at around 8:40 AM (local time) protesting China’s occupation of Tibet. He passed away at the site of his protest. Chinese security personnel arrived at the site of the protest and, as in earlier instances, tried to bundle away Kunchok Sonam’s body. However, local Tibetans present there succeeded in rescuing the deceased’s body from falling into Chinese hands.
