London, 1 Feb (TIN) - A 15-year old Tibetan who was attempting to escape from Tibet has been shot by Chinese police near the Nepalese border and later died in hospital. The shooting occurred just over two months ago (November 1998), but a relative of the boy who was with him when he was shot has only just arrived in exile. The family of the boy who died was reportedly given 40,000 yuan ($4,819) in compensation by the Public Security Bureau.

Fifteen-year old Yeshe Dundrub, who was leaving Tibet in order to become a monk in exile, was shot by Chinese police in Saga county, Shigatse prefecture, at around midnight on 21 November 1998. After the shooting he was taken to a local hospital and he died at 9am the following morning. A second 15-year old Tibetan was shot in the leg but survived and is said to be still in Tibet. Both teenagers were travelling with a group of about 40 other Tibetans. They were spotted near the border with Nepal by a group of about 30 or 40 policemen, who told them to stop walking and, according to several members of the group who have now arrived in exile, then fired warning shots. The Tibetans realised they would be arrested and ran away in different directions; the police then shot at them.

Following the incident, most of the group were arrested although a few of them managed to cross the border into Nepal and are now in Kathmandu. Relatives of Yeshe Dundrub later paid a lawyer to challenge the Shigatse Public Security Bureau over the killing. They reportedly won the sum of 40,000 yuan in compensation, indicating that the PSB may have acknowledged that a mistake had been made. Such a court case is highly unusual; most families do not have the financial resources to pay a lawyer to challenge the police and some may also fear repercussions. It is rare for Chinese police to shoot at Tibetans who are trying to escape and such incidents are unprecedented in recent years. Generally Tibetans who are caught attempting to cross into Nepal are arrested and held temporarily in prison.

The group of Tibetans Yeshe Dundrup was travelling with are likely to have chosen to escape through Shigatse and Saga county because there are said to be fewer border patrols on this route out of Tibet, which brings refugees into a region of Nepal some distance north-west of the border town of Dram. The route out of Tibet via Tingri and Dram is generally heavily policed.

Yeshe Dundrub was from Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) county in Kham (eastern Tibet). His brother, who was with him when he was shot, said that he was going into exile both for a Tibetan education and because he wanted to become a monk at a monastery in India. His decision to become a monk in exile reflects the current lack of religious freedom in Tibet. Had he stayed in Tibet he would in all probability not have been allowed by the authorities to become a monk on the grounds that he was under 18 years old.

He is the second Tibetan in five months to die after a shooting incident on the border. Last September, Namchung Gyatso, a 27-year old monk from Ragya monastery in Amdo, was shot by Nepalese police at Katari, a Nepalese town close to the Indian border and 100km east of Kathmandu. He died on the way to hospital a few hours later. [ Homepage ] [ NewsRoom ]



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Last updated: 5-Feb-99