DHARAMSHALA, APRIL 28: Two Tibetans from Gengya nomadic village have been arrested and four others missing in Tibet’s Sangchu County, where protests by Tibetans against forced acquisition of graziing land for expansion of highway.
Local Chinese government authorities summoned Sonam Gyatso and Sangay Khar on Sunday and took them in custody. Four others were also summoned a day later to Labrang and the locals fear they too have been arrested.
Tibetans from Rinchen division of Gengya village have been sitting on protests against government project of highway expansion and demanding compensation for the local community. Two of the four have been identified as Tamding and Tsedor.
Tibetans of Richen Dewa sat outside the government headquarters demanding immediate and unconditional release of the Tibetans arrested.
Tibetans of Rinchen Dewa have refused to sign on government documents for acceptance of the project, and have submitted a seven point petition to the government demanding fair compensation for the nomads. The petition questioned why a bridge over their grazing land could not be made instead of destroying their grazing land.
When the government authorities arrived with construction equipment the Tibetans lied down in front of the bulldozers to stop the advance.
Last November, hundreds of Tibetans gathered outside the Chinese government building in the same County, protesting against forced acquisition of land in Malinthang village.
Tibetan protesters were complaining of the lesser rates of compensation given to them than that of Chinese for land in the same area of Sangchu County.
Earlier this month, a Tibetan man went missing after a visit by officials from the local Chinese government in Tibet’s Dzoege County. The visit by officials was in connection with his involvement in a protest against forced land grab five years back.
Jigjey Kyab, a 39 year old Tibetan living in Thangkor township in Dzoege County, disappeared shortly after officials from the local Chinese government came to his home reportedly to arrest him in connection with a protest against county government’s forced acquisition of land five years ago.
