For Immediate Release
May 10, 2008

Today marks two months since March 10, 2008, when Tibetans carried out peaceful protests in Tibet, in an uprising against the Chinese authorities’ repressive policies. Consequently, we witnessed intense crackdown in which Chinese government brutally and violently suppressed, killed, and arrested countless Tibetans. The imprisoned Tibetans continue to endure immense physical and mental torture and the intense climate in Tibet remains the same.  

According to a reliable source, on May 7, 2008, thousands of People's Armed Police (PAP) and Public Security Bureau surrounded Labrang Monastery (in Domey Province) where a raid was conducted in which 140 monks were arrested and taken away for detention. The following day, a large number of monks from the monastery protested calling for the release of the monks arrested on May 7. The authorities feared protests can increase and released all the detained monks except for 18. A subsequent protest carried out on May 9, 2008 compelled the authorities to release 11 monks.

Undeterred by the heavy deployment of Chinese Armed Police, the monks again protested for the immediate release of the remaining 7 monks. This particular protest went unheard. The monks still has not given up even with the risk involved of being violently suppressed. In another case, two Tibetans monks, namely Thabkey and Tsundue's whereabouts remains unknown. The two monks were amongst the group involved in a protest during Chinese state-run tour at Labrang Monastery. The local Tibetans suspect that they both might have been secretly sentenced to death.

There are cases of many Tibetans (who secretly call from Tibet about the ground situation in Tibet) being arrested which evidently proves that the Chinese authority continues to impose heavy restrictions on all means of communication, particularly phone calls from India and abroad. These calls are illegally monitored (tapped).

 


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