During the demonstration Namdrol Choesang and Pema were carrying a photo of the Dalai Lama. They were later detained in Lhasa's notorious Drapchi Prison.

The following are the details of the nuns who were imprisoned in Drapchi prison. Two are minors below the age of 18 years.

Name Age Birth Place

Namdrol Choesang 16 Toelung

Phuntsok 18 Phenpo

Yangdrol 18 Phenpo

Pema 16 Kongpo

We obtained the above information from a nun of Tsang Khung Monastery who recently escaped to Dharamsala on 16 September, 1996 and is at present at the Bir Transit School. The name of the person has been withheld for security reasons.

MONKS IMPRISONED FOR OPPOSING "PATRIOTIC-EDUCATION" CAMPAIGN

In recent times Chinese authorities have launched a fresh _Patriotic Education_ campaign amongst the monks in various monasteries in Tibet. According to a letter received from Tibet by a monk of Sera monastery and on the basis of four other letters, it was reported that on 18 July, 1996, Deputy Secretary Tenzin and others of the Communist Party of "TAR" led a "Work Team" to launch a _Patriotic Education_ campaign for the monks of Sera monastery. The "Work Team" preached the Chinese ideological position on _Politics, Administration, the Rule of Law and Opposition to Splittists_ and asked the monks to be, _patriotic and religion loving_.

However the monks of Sera monastery were in no mood to accept any more Chinese campaigns. Five monks entered the Sera monastery at night and pasted wall posters which read: "Free Tibet" ," Denial of Freedom of Religion" and "Human Rights in Tibet", for which they were immediately arrested. The Human Rights Desk was able to identify them as :

1. 1. Monk Lobsang Sherab (lay name : Norbu), who work as a care taker (Tib. kunyer) of Sera Tamdrin Temple
2. 2. Ngawang Woser (lay name : Buchung) born in Toelung
3. 3. Kalsang (about 33 year-old) born in Nyemo
4. 4. A girl, and a boy who worked as a printer at the monastery and lived nearby.
   

A few days later some more people were arrested for their protest against the Chinese campaign. They were identified as :

1. 1. Lobsang Nyima (lay name : Migmar Yugyal) aged 40, born in Tsang Ringpung,
2. 2. Bu Tsering born in Phenpo, aged 30
3. 3. Lobsang Samten, born in Meldro Gungkar, aged 25
4. 4. Tashi Pheldar, a care taker (Tib. kunyer) of Sera-mey monastery
   
   
   

Karze Monks Detained For Posters Denouncing Chinese Panchen Lama

The following is the information received by the Human Rights Desk from a person who visited Tibet in 1995. He is not named for security reasons.

Two monks from the Kham Karze Monastery, Passang and Norbu alias Topgyal, aged 30 and 20 respectively, were arrested in the beginning of March 1996 by Public Security Bureau officials (PSB) of the "Karze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture" in the eastern province of Kham. They were arrested for pasting wall posters near Karze Monastery towards the end of 1995 which denounced the Panchen Lama reincarnation chosen by the Chinese authorities and called for Tibetan independence. After this incident PSB officials of Karze county came to the Karze Monastery and distributed forms, which the Human Rights Desk has obtained, to be filled by the monks. The questions on the form required the monks to give their : name, bio- data, sex, family address, monastery's name, view on Tibet's independence, and view on the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Although the forms were distributed with the intent of identifying the handwritings of the monks who wrote the posters, PSB officials failed to do so at the time. Later they took the forms to Lhasa where they were able to ascertain the handwritings to be those of Passang and Norbu alias Topgyal. At present they are incarcerated in the Karze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture's prison. Since the Chinese officials have not allowed any visits from their relatives and friends their well being is not known ; nor is the duration of their sentence known.

Our informant was told by the high level PSB officials of the Karze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture that the two monks confessed their responsibility for pasting the wall posters only after the use of determined force by their interrogators. The arrest of these two monks was earlier reported in the Human Rights Update of 15 July 1996, hence this report confirms their arrest and imprisonment.

Nubsur Monastery Lama Detained

Lama Jigme Sangpo of Golok Sethar Nubsur Monastery was arrested by Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials on 5 July 1996. He was arrested for pasting wall posters calling for a free Tibet on July 20 1995, which coincided with the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of Golok Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

Despite every effort made to free Lama Jigme Sangpo by friends and the Nubsur Monastery monks, he has not been released. Two persons known to Lama Jigme Sangpo requested our sources in Lhasa to report the Lama's case to the Tibetan government-in-exile, Voice Of America (VOA) and concerned Human Rights Organizations around the world.

1 October 19996

Human Rights Desk
Department of Information and International Relations
Central Tibetan Administration
Gangchen Kyishong
Dharamsala 176 215
INDIA

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Last updated: 12-Aug-97