Authorities in the Tibetan region of Karze in China’s southwestern Sichuan province have arrested a 22-year-old monk as part of a broader crackdown on anti-Chinese sentiment, making him the eighth Buddhist monk arrested or detained there this year, Tibetan sources said.
Lobsang Palden, a monk at Karze monastery, was detained Aug. 15, sources said. “When police raided his room in the monastery, they found several incriminating documents including photos of [Tibet’s exiled religious leader] the Dalai Lama,” a Tibetan from the region told RFA.
China has said some 200 Tibetans are currently in prison for “state security crimes,” which would include pro-independence activities, but Human Rights Watch said unofficial estimates are much higher. [Full Text]
Also RFA’s China Detains Tibetan Abbot in Sichuan on the arrest of Khenpo Jinpa of Choktsang Taklung Monastery based in Choktsang village, Serda county, Karze prefecture, on Aug. 23 and China Detains Teenage Girl for Writing Pro-Independence Leaflets