May 01, 2014

Tibet: Monk Detained After Staging a Lone Protest


Lobsang Tempa, a 19-year old Tibetan monk, has been detained by the police after carrying out a lone street protest and chanting prayers against the Chinese repression.

Below is an article published by Tibetan Review:

Chinese police in Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) County of Sichuan Province have detained on April 26 [2014] a 19-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk after he carried out a lone street protest against Chinese rule. The monk, named as Lobsang Tenpa of the local Kirti Monastery, draped over his head a hand-drawn Tibetan national flag while carrying a picture of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leaded vilified by China, as he shouted slogans. 

The monk was said to be shouting prayers of long-life for the Dalai Lama, his return to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans while condemning the Chinese repression in his homeland as he marched along the main Ngaba street towards the country government offices. The street has seen several self-immolation protests by Tibetans over the past few years. He was noticed by a group of Chinese police on patrol duty who beat him severely before taking him away, reported Radio Free Asia (Washington) April 27 [2014]. The protest lasted only a short while and the monk’s whereabouts remain unknown. The monk, who is a ninth grader at his monastery, was born in Village No. 2 of Meruma Township in the same county where his parents and an elder brother still live.