Tibetan youth arrested for solo protest in restive Ngaba county

By Lobsang Tenchoe

DHARAMSALA, Dec 20: A Tibetan youth has been arrested by Chinese police in restive Ngaba county in the traditional Tibetan province of Amdo for carrying out a lone protest against China’s continued repressive rule in Tibet.

Tenpa, an 18-year old Tibetan carried out his lone protest on the afternoon of Dec 16 on the street now popularly known as ‘martyr’s street’ in Ngaba county.

According to Mew Kungyam, a Tibetan living in exile with contacts in the region, Tenpa held out a Tibetan National flag with a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the center of the street and shouted slogans calling for the the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet and Free Tibet. Within minutes, a group of Chinese policemen took him away, kicking and punching.

Tenpa, son of Lochoe and Gyalmo hails from Meruma township in Ngaba region. He is a former monk of Kirti monastery in Ngaba county. His condition and whereabouts following the protest remain unknown.