Published by: World Tibet Network News, Wednesday, May 1, 1996

April 30, 1996

Human Rights Desk (DIIR)

According to reliable sources, in the first week of April 1996, a

bomb exploded at the residence of Lama Druk-khang Thupten Khedup

of Nagchu, Shabten Monastery.

Lama Thupten Khedup is the Vice-Chairman of the Nagchu Chinese

People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); Chairman of

Nagchu Buddhist Friendship Association; Member of the Standing

Committee of TAR's Buddhist Friendship Association; Member of TAR

CPPCC and member of national CPPCC.

Lama Thupten Khedup, a loyal supporter of the Chinese authorities

was closely involved in the installation of China's rival

Panchen Lama. Earlier on various occasions he had given speeches

pledging his loyalty to the Chinese motherland. He had strongly

urged the Tibetans to share responsibility in stabilising and

strengthening the `Party'.

According to our sources, there are rumours of Tibetans being

involved in this bombing at Druk-khang Labrang, the residence of

Lama Thupten Khedup, in Nagchu.

To date, we have not received any information on arrests or the

extent of damages caused by the bombing.

Bomb Explosions/attempts, reported from June 1995 - April 1996:

Since 1995, the peaceful protest of Tibetans inside Tibet has

taken on a more confrontational form. The following eight reports

of bomb blasts in Lhasa and other parts of Tibet have been

recorded since June 1995.

* June 25, 1995, the International Campaign for Tibet(U.S)

reported that on this day an attempt to blast a Chinese monument

dedicated to road builders was made. The bomb failed to detonate.

* July 2 & 18, 1995, a report was received of bomb blasts

occurring on these days at the site of a monument in Lhasa. The

monument included an inscription of a message from the former

Chinese leader Hu Yaobang. Unconfirmed reports say that one

person was killed on the July 18 attempt.(TIN News Update January

28, 1996)

(Note: These bombings occurred during the time when the Chinese

were trying to complete their much publicised 62 development

projects before the 30th anniversary of the so-called "TAR"

which were scheduled for September 1, 1995).

* Two separate sabotage attempts in August involved more

strategic objectives, one at the West Lhasa Suburban Power

Station and another at a fuel dump, also on the western outskirts

of Lhasa. The bomb in the fuel dump detonated, according to well-

placed sources, and local sources say that it killed a Chinese

driver who worked there. (TIN News Update, January 28, 1996)

* In September 1995, Guy Cotter, a mountaineer from New Zealand

staying at the Lhasa Holiday Inn was held for 48 hours for

sending a fax to his wife in which he mentioned he had heard a

bomb explode near his hotel. The fax was sent from the hotel but

was intercepted electronically by the Chinese police. He was

later deported, accused of "sabotage". Guy's travelling

companion, interviewed by TIN, said:"He was out walking on the

street the first evening and he heard a loud explosion which he

assumed was a bomb and he saw emergency vehicles racing in the

direction of the noise". (TIN News Update, March 21, 1996)

* On January 18, 1996, the home of Sengchen Lobsang Gyaltsen, a

pro-Chinese supporter who replaced Panchen Lama as the `nominal

leader' of the Tashilhunpo Monastery was bombed at 10 pm.

Sengchen Lobsang Gyaltsen was reported to have been in Beijing at

the time of the blast.

* South China Morning Post reported another bomb explosion on

March 18, 1996 outside the Tibetan Headquarters of the Communist

Party in Lhasa. The extent of damage is still not known.

Recently the Human Right Desk received information that due to

the impact of the blast at the Headquarters, a nearby Chinese

official book store had its front glass windows smashed.

Following this, tight security measures were taken and raids were

conducted in Lhasa on the houses of people suspected of being

involved in the bombing of the Headquarters of the Communist

Party.

* The latest reported case of bomb blasting in Tibet occurred in

the first week of April (details outlined above).