From:Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamsala, July 26, 1995

THE HUMAN RIGHTS DESK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, TIBETAN GOVERNMENT-IN-EXILE, DHARAMSALA INDIA.

YET ANOTHER DEMONSTRATION DEFYING THE CHINESE RULE-TIBETANS CALL FOR INDEPENDENCE.

On the morning of May 2, 1995, at around 11 o'clock, this eye-witness went around Bharkor. While walking around, he saw two monks carrying the Tibetan national flag and two nuns, shouting slogans "Free Tibet" and "Long Live His Holiness the Dalai Lama" in Bharkor Shar Dharngon street. Not walking much further, the demonstrators were pounced on by about eighty plainclothes police. These four demonstrators were severely beaten on the spot, handcuffed and bundled into a vehicle.

At that moment, all the old Tibetan people who were witnessing the incident cried and pleaded for mercy by gesturing at the police not to beat them severely, but instead the plainclothes personnel questioned the old Tibetans about their reasons for crying and threatened to beat them. After a short while, they took away the demonstrators in the vehicle.

According to the eyewitness, of the four demonstrators, the oldest was about twenty years old monk and rest three were below twenty years old.

This incident confirms that the number of plainclothes personnel deployed in and around Lhasa area are numerous.

After the Beijing Conference on Tibet Work Forum July last year, the Chinese have increased control over Tibet and more so recently after May 14, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama announced the reincarnation of the Xth Panchen Lama.

ARREST IN AMDO, EASTERN TIBET

In May 1995, several people suspected of forming an underground political organization in Amdo province were given sentences. All of them were arrested in October 1994 but were sentenced this year.

Mr. Namloyak is twenty five years old from Tsolho Dragkartri district. He was a staff of the Cultural Affairs office of the district before his arrest. It is believed that he was the president of the underground organization. He was given seven year prison sentence.

Mr. Tsegon Thar is about thirty years old from Tsojang Kangtza district. Prior to his arrest, he was a deputy police chief of the district. He was given an eight year prison sentence because of his membership in the underground organization.

Mr. Lugar Jam is about thirty two years old from Tsolho Dragkartri district. He was a businessman from this district prior to his arrest. He was a member of this organization and maintained contacts with different parts of Tibet because of his accessibility as a businessman. Therefore, he was given a maximum sentence of fourteen years imprisonment.

Apart from the above people, Mr. Dhukar Bhum, a twenty seven year old former editor of "Riwo Nyidha" magazine in Chabcha in Amdo province came to India to study English and returned to Tibet. He was arrested last year and still not sentenced. He was not a part of the underground political organization mentioned above.

AN ACTIVE FREEDOM FIGHTER ESCAPED TO INDIA

Ven. Ratoe Dawa, ordained name Gyaltsen Woser is from Nyethang Ratoe, southwest from Lhasa. Since his parental background was not clean according to Chinese category, he was denied education at a very young age. Therefore, from the age of 10 to 13 (from 1978-81), he was made to look after the commune animals. After dismantling the commune system in 1980s, he looked after his family animals for a while and at the age of thirteen to fifteen he was a laborer at the Construction unit in Lhasa. He became a monk at Ratoe monastery at the age of sixteen in 1984.

His first political activity began in March 1988 when he participated in the demonstration in Bharkor in Lhasa, where he was chased by the Armed/Riot Police Force on the roof of Jokhang Temple. In a futile run, he had to jump from a two storey building and landed in a sewage and broke his ankle.

Although incapacitate by it and could not move at all, he was further beaten severely as result of it, he lost his front teeth and severed his lips, and finally a baton was struck on his head as a result of which he lost his unconsciousness. He was later hospitalized in the Workers' hospital near Norbu Lingka, the summer palace of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Although the food provision was extremely bad that it was impossible to recuperate but the multitude of Tibetans brought foods daily and helped him to recover quickly. He was not allowed to stay in the hospital for more than ten days and since this duration was not adequate to convalesce, his father took him home for rest for two months. During those two months, although bedridden, the police came almost daily to interrogate him about his for intentions for participating in the demonstration. He was told to denounce the people who had instigated him to involve in political activity.

After two months of recuperation, he returned to Ratoe monastery and began his activity. This time he aimed to spread the awareness of freedom movement to villages and countryside where people are illiterate. Therefore, along with his trusted friends, he stuck up wall posters about independence for Tibet and how Tibet was separate from China. These wall posters were put up on all the walls of countryside monasteries and stupas. On several occasions, he and his friends hoisted the Tibetan national flag on the monasteries to signify the importance of it.

On March 5, 1989, he and his friends again took part in a major demonstration, which lasted for three days. He was a witness to police shooting indiscriminately at the demonstrators which killed several people. As a result of which Martial Law was declared in Tibet on the night of March 7. Since he could not move out of Lhasa the very day, he took refuge in a friend's home until March 11. He left Lhasa on the night of March 11 and reached his monastery, west of Lhasa. Chushur district police came to his monastery for investigation. Few days later, four jeeps full of police came again to his monastery and arrested him. He was imprisoned in Sangyib prison where he was detained for seven months and interrogated eleven times. During the interrogation, he was incessantly beaten with electric cattleprod, baton and punched. After several interrogations, he was given a four-year prison sentence and was transferred to Drapchi prison. The condition in Drapchi prison was atrocious. The provision for food and bedding we

re severely inadequate. The workload in the prison was extremely heavy and so he had to work under severe conditions. All the prisoners had to fulfill their share of requirements. In case of failure to fulfill the requirements, the prisoners would be send to solitary confinement. There are twelve solitary confinement cells in Drapchi prison.

During his four year prison sentence, he went to three different prisons such as; Sangyib, Sitru and then to Drapchi, where he served the longest duration.

He arrived in Dharamsala on July 1, 1995 and plans to study Buddhist philosophy and dialectics.

NEPALESE POLICE DEPORTED NINETEEN TIBETANS.

On June 18, 1995, Nepalese police handed over nineteen Tibetans to Chinese authorities in Dham (Zhangmu) bordering Nepal, according to Ven. Ratoe Dawa, who managed to escape from the Chinese by jumping from a truck in which all the deportees were carrying.

Of the nineteen deportees, two of the victims were former political prisoners and were under surveillance. It is believed that these two people may face severe repercussions from the Chinese authorities.

Mr. Tsewang Palden is sixty four years old and lived at Rabsel in Lhasa. Since 1980 he contributed voluntary service to the construction of Gandhen monastery. He had participated in a number of independence demonstrations in Lhasa. As a consequence, he was arrested in 1991 and given a five year prison sentence. However, he was released in 1994 for prior to completing his sentence along with the famous political prisoner Yulo Dawa Tsering. Although he was released he was placed under surveillance. As a result of his prison background, it is now believed that he may face severe repercussion from the Chinese authority.

Ven. Thupten Tsering who is seventy one years old was a former monk of Sera monastery. From 1965 to 1970, he was imprisoned for his alleged attempts to escape to India. He had participated in the 1987 independence demonstration in Lhasa and was given a six year prison sentence but was released along with Yulo Dawa Tsering in 1993. Until his recent attempted escape, he was under medical treatment and always remained indoor. It is believed that he too may receive severe repercussion.

Therefore, the Human Rights Desk is requesting the international community and individuals to exert pressure and intervene on their behalf to Tibet Autonomous Region government to release them without any delay.

Please write to:

President of Xizang Autonomous Chief of Xizang Autonomous

Regional People's Government Regional Public Security

Gyaltsen Norbu Zhuxi Bureau, Lhasashi 850000

Xizang Zizhiqu Renmin Zhengfu Xizang Zizhiqu (PRC)

1 Kang'andonglu

Lhasashi 850000

Xizang Zizhiqu (PRC)

-end-

THE HUMAN RIGHTS DESK

The Department of Information and International Relations

Central Tibetan Administration

Dharamsala 176 215 (H.P)

INDIA

Please contact above address for information on Tibet. We would also like to have any information on China's policy in Tibet and human rights situation in Tibet.