Another Kirti monk detained, 'Patriotic Reeducation' continues
Dharamsala, May 26 – Chinese authorities in Tibet's Ngaba County have arrested a 27 year old Tibetan monk of Kirti monastery on May 19, a Tibetan source living here said. Lobsang Choephel was arrested from his monastic quarter but exact reason for his arrest and his current whereabouts remain unknown as is the case with several others detained earlier, added the source. However, the source said Lobsang did not comply with the officials during a session of what the Chinese call “Patriotic Reeducation”, a systematic interrogation and thought-influencing technique that requires Tibetans to denounce the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, among others. "And that might have led to his arrested and detention," added the source.
As Tibetan monasteries and communities in Ngaba, especially Kirti monastery, remain under tight restriction, the Chinese authorities continue to subject monks and local Tibetans to long sessions of ‘Patriotic Reeducation' campaign and arrested several monks for failing to comply. The details about each individual arrested is hard to retrieve, according to the source who added that 2 monks of Kirti monastery, Lobsang Jinpa and Lobsang Dorjee, were detained for 10 days and released later.
Earlier this month, the Chinese officials stationed at the monastery for carrying out the “Patriotic Reeducation” campaign took individual profile pictures of all the monks. The source said the monks who missed the picture taking session that day were warned against entering the monastery again.
Among the 300 monks who were forced into military trucks and taken to unknown location on April 22, 2011 those from Qinghai Golok Chikdril County are believed to have been sent back to their homes, according to source. Two elderly Tibetans among a group camped near the monastery were beaten to death while they tried to stop Chinese security forces from taking the 300 monks away on April 22.
Chinese authorities tightened security and its stranglehold on Ngaba in general and the Kirti monastery in particular since the death of a Tibetan monk named Phuntsok that sparked off protests by Tibetans and a massive arrest drive by Chinese authorities since mid March.
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