By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, October 12: A Tibetan political prisoner who was released earlier in May has been arrested again by the Chinese authorities over alleged possession of materials containing texts including “All the six million Tibetans, wake up from your sleep” and “Return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama back to Tibet”. He is currently held in Dashi Detention Center of Serthang town in Dashi County in the Tsojang (Haibei) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
Samdrub Gyatso, in his 30s, was arrested in May 2010 after carrying out a solitary protest in front of Jhokang temple in Lhasa, calling for the return of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, immediate release of the 11th Panchen Lama Gendun Choekyi Nyima and restoration of property belonging to Tibetans from their land following a devastating earthquake in Yulshul. He raised his slogans for about five minutes, after which seven police officers surrounded him and took him away.
Samdrub was secretly released on May 1 this year by the authorities in order to avoid celebration of his arrival by local Tibetans. He was imprisoned in Drapchi prison in Lhasa, known for exercising third degree tortures on political prisoners, serving his five-year sentence.
He had been arrested before that and released in July 2009 for possessing books containing teachings of by the Dalai Lama, which he brought from India. His relatives paid 10,000 Yuan for his release with a condition that he was not to leave the area for two years.
Samdup was born in a nomad family and later became a monk at Jabdrung Gartok Monastery. He came to India in November 2007 and for a year he studied at Sherab Gatsel Lobling School near here.
