By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
BEIJING, China – The Buddhist monks in Tibet held large-scale demonstrations against the Chinese government around a key Tibetan anniversary on Monday, an act that the Chinese government called “an illegal activity that threatened social stability.” In the Lhasa protests, the involvement of monks from Sera and Drepung is particularly provocative. The monasteries traditionally trained Buddhist scholars who led theocratic Tibet before China supplanted the Dalai Lama and the rest of the theocracy.
Three hundred or more monks from Drepung marched on the streets of the capital. A smaller group of monks from Sera protested. Soldiers and police have been deployed around two Buddhist monasteries in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. According to reports and witnesses, eleven protesters, including the nine monks from Sera monastery were severely beaten then detained by police.
During the second day of protests, the monks, estimated at 500 to 600, demand the release of fellow Sera monks who were detained for protesting a day earlier. They shouted slogans, “We want freedom!” “Free our people!” “We want an independent Tibet!” and “Free our people or we won’t go back!” as they walked. Armed Chinese police fired tear-gas to try to disperse the crowd, a source told Reuters. “There were probably a couple of thousand armed police, PSB personnel, wearing different uniforms. Police fired tear-gas into the crowd,” one witness told RFA’s Tibetan service. PSB denotes the China’s Public Security Bureau.
Monks in two more monasteries in Qinghai province—Lutsang monastery in Mangra county, and Ditsa monastery in Bayan county—also held small protests Monday but were not intervened with or detained by police, according to U.S. government-funded Radio Free Asia.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang confirmed that protests had taken place, but said the situation had “stabilized.” He said the demonstration is a political scheme by the Dalai group, attempting to separate China and try to make some unrest in the normal harmonious, peaceful life of Tibetan people. Qin also said China’s determination to “safeguard national unification” is firm, so further protests “will not take place.”
For more information, please see:
AP – Military, Police at Tibetan Monasteries – 13 March 2008
BBC – China admits Tibet monk protests – 13 March 2008
Radio Free Asia – Chinese Police Fire Tear-Gas at Protesting Tibetan Monks – 12 March 2008
Reuters – Tibetan protests ripple across mountain region – 13 March 2008
