Chinese police arrest two Kirti monastery monks at night
DHARAMSALA, Dec 3: Two Tibetan Buddhist monks of Kirti monastery have been arrested by Chinese police from their rooms at night in Ngaba county in traditional Amdo province.
Reasons behind their arbitrary arrest are not known except that both of them are former political prisoners, according to the exile seat of Kirti monastery in Dharamsala.
Losang Gempel, 28 was arrested by police from his monastic quarter on the night of Nov 30 and taken away. It is learned that he is being held at a detention centre in the county.
He was previously arrested in May 2011, detained for a long period, and eventually sentenced to three years in prison. He was released at the end of 2013 before the completion of his term.
Losang hails from division No. 2 of Me’uruma pastoral district and is the eldest of nine children born to father Urgyen Tsering and mother Lhamo Kyi. He joined the monastery at a young age and was working as a manager the medical college before his arrest.
Another Kirti monk, Drukdra, 49 was also arrested by police from his room one night around that same time. He was arrested in 2008 and sentenced to one year and four months. He is from Soruma.