Nearly 60 Tibetans arrested over Dalai Lama photos, ties with Tibetans outside Tibet
DHARAMSALA, 27 Aug: Chinese authorities have arrested nearly 60 Tibetans in Dza Wonpo, a township in Kardze in the traditional Tibetan province of Kham.
“Nearly 60 Tibetans were arrested by the Chinese authorities after came in large numbers and ransacked the Dza Wonpo monastery and the houses of local Tibetans,” a source from the region told the Tibet Express.
According to the source, the raids took place on 22nd and 23rd Aug.
Of the lot, 19 are monks while the rest are laypeople and that they were arrested for the possession of photos of the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and for keeping ties with Tibetans outside Tibet.
Additionally, the Chinese authorities summoned every Tibetan above 19 in the region for a large meeting in the region on 25 Aug.
“The Chinese authorities threatened us against keeping His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s picture and spreading sensitive news and photos online at the meeting,” the source added.
Chinese authorities have placed Dza Wonpo under heightened security as it reported sporadic protests including monks hurling hundreds of pamphlets demanding Tibet’s independence in 2019 among others.
Earlier this year in April, China equated possession of Dalai Lama’s portrait to illegal possession of arms in the region.
