For Immediate Release
May 5, 2008

Tibetans Refuse to Fly the Red flag

What could be termed as a "civil disobedience" was the monks of an ancient Tibetan Bon monastery in Minyak Drapa Ngonde township in Tawu (Ch: Daofu) county under Karze (TAP) refused to fly China's Red flag over their monastery. The incident occurred on May 3 when the local authorities forced the monastery to fly the red flag, but was soon removed. Similarly, the monks of Mindroling monastery and Yangdhen monastery in Wado under Nyagchu County also refused to fly the red flag and denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Consequently, a monk called Aku Ako from Mindroling monastery and Trulku Thubten Nyima from Yangdhen monastery has been arrested and is being held in custody in Nyagchu county prison. Local Tibetans in Minyag Garthar have still not resumed their farming activities (i.e., cultivation) in protest against Chinese government. 
In Amdo Ngaba (Ch: Aba), a lady named Ney-chung from Charu village, who had been  arrested earlier on March 18 for allegedly removing the signpost of the local Police station during March 16-17 demonstration, was released on March 26. However, she had become appallingly disabled and her speech had been impaired due to severe beatings and torture during detention, Family and friends of Ney-chung sought to take her to a hospital, but the authorities denied permission for her movements out of the township. Ney-chung passed away on April 17 without receiving timely medical help. She is survived by four children and her husband who is still in the nearby hills evading arrest. 

In exile, Tibetans are continuing with their non-violent peaceful protests of hunger strikes, demonstrations, peace marches and prayer sessions to draw urgent attention to the plights of Tibetans in Tibet and to alleviate their immediate sufferings. 

In view of the ongoing critical situation inside Tibet, we urge the United Nations and the International community and organizations to the following urgent needs:

1. To immediately send an independent international fact-finding mission into Tibet
2. To exert pressure on the PRC government to allow unfettered access to free press in whole of Tibet
3. To pressure the PRC to end the brutal killings in the whole of Tibet
4. To immediately release all the arrested and imprisoned Tibetans
5. To extend immediate medical assistance to those injured Tibetans
6. To allow free movement of people and provide access to daily needs

 - Tibetan Solidarity Committee