Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
17 September 2015
Details have emerged on the identities of some of the unknown number of peaceful Tibetan protesters Chinese authorities have detained less than a month ago in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County in Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the Tibetan province of Amdo. Their identities remained unknown for weeks due to state surveillance and Internet blockade in Ngaba County, which has steadily intensified in the past several years partly due to the rising number of self-immolation protests. It was Tapey, a monk of Kirti Monastery in Ngaba who staged the first self-immolation protest in Tibet.
The situation in Ngaba County has deteriorated with the deployment of a large number of armed police and special anti-riot police force on major roads and intersections in Ngaba County town. Barring government offices and institutions, all Internet lines continue to remain disabled to block the flow of any information among the general public in Ngaba County.
New information received by TCHRD confirms the arbitrary detention of at least nine known Tibetans – among them are a 65-yr-old woman and a 29-yr-old mother of three – who had been detained in different incidents in the past weeks in Ngaba County town.
On the afternoon of 10 September 2015, two Tibetan youths, whose identities remain unknown at the moment, staged a peaceful protest in the main market of Ngaba County town. Other Tibetans present at the protest site soon joined them. Just then, local security forces arrived and detained both men. Security forces also detained a 64-yr-old Tibetan woman named Ghuemo and took her to an undisclosed location. Before her detention, Aye Ghuemo was a daily wager employed to clean the streets of the county town. She is married to Mr Namkha Kyab and is a resident of nomadic camp no. 2 in Rong Khar Sar Township in Ngaba County. The identities of the two young men and others who were detained that day cannot be confirmed immediately.
The next day on 11 September, at least five monks from the Buddhist Logic class at Kirti Monastery were suddenly detained while they walking beyond the boundary set by the monastery during the Yar-ney (summer retreat) ritual in Ngaba County. The Yar-ney ritual is common to many Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and it requires monks to stay within the monastery compounds or specific limits set by the particular monastery. In this context, Chinese police officers had no right whatsoever to detain the monks since it was the monastery administration that was responsible for addressing any breach of ritual requirements. Without any explanation, the monks detained for about two to three days and released, except for Lobsang Samten, age 22, who is still being held at an undisclosed location. Lobsang Samten belongs to the same village as Ghuemo, the 64-yr-old street cleaner who was also detained the day before. Son of Mr Kalsang and Mrs Dolma, ge is the eldest of among his four siblings and became a monk at a young age at Kirti Monastery.
A Tibetan mother of three detained less than a month ago has now been identified as the 29-yr-old Dorjee Dolma who staged a peaceful protest, shouting slogans against the Chinese government in the main market of Ngaba County town. She staged her protest at around 8.30 am local time on 20 August, marching on the main market street and shouting slogans, but was caught by a group of about ten local police officers and taken to an unknown location. Dorjee Dolma is a resident of nomadic village no. 2 of Meruruma Town, and is married to Mr Tendar. The couple has three children. Her parents are Mr Dorjee Rabten and Mrs Tamdin Tso.
