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INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET
from Cholung nunnery, was so traumatised by what she had witnessed during the
crackdown on protests in Meldro Gungkar on April 12 that she committed suicide
later that day.
Dissent and crackdown in Rebkong
Rongwu monastery in Rebkong (Chinese: Tongren) county, Tsolho (Chinese: Huangnan)
TAP, Qinghai, is still under lockdown and the whereabouts of monks detained
after a protest on April 17 is unclear, according to reports from Tibetans with connections
in the area. Armed police raided the monastery and confiscated pictures of
the Dalai Lama after monks staged a protest calling for the release of other monks
detained following earlier demonstrations and incidents of dissent in the area in
February and March. Monks were seen being taken away from the monastery with
their hands tied behind their backs and being loaded onto trucks. Two days later, a
number of the monks taken into custody were released after being subject to severe
beating in custody, according to sources. Dawa, the disciplinary master who was first
detained on April 18, is believed to have been released.
In June, further raids of the monastery took place, and it is believed that no religious
activities are allowed there.
The former head of Rongwu monastery, Alak (an honorific title, meaning ‘lama’)
Khaso, a highly respected local figure, had attempted to mediate between the monks
and local authorities on April 17, but was injured following the police crackdown on
the protest. He is reportedly now recovering in hospital in Xining from a broken leg
that may have been the result of treatment while in custody. One reliable Tibetan
source said that some Tibetan women and an elderly man rushed to try to help the
lama after they saw his head bleeding, but were also detained. The same Tibetan
source said: “Their hands were tied with wires. At that time they arrested up to 100 people,
who filled four military trucks.”
The crackdown in Rebkong follows a protest on February 21 after authorities interrupted
the annual Monlam ceremony at a local monastery, which was scheduled to
end on February 22, and a further incident of dissent by monks on March 17. Radio
Free Asia reported approximately 200 protestors, mostly monks, were detained in
February after authorities used tear gas to disperse crowds gathered for the religious
celebration. It is believed that most of the detained have been released, but many were
reported to have suffered injuries. 10
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