Press Release


August 21, 2008

Cases of Arrest, Sentence and Unknown Whereabouts

According to a reliable source, on August 13, 2008, a Tibetan monk named Sengha from Tokden Mindrol Tashi Kyil (Yungdrung Bon monastery) in Ngaba Area in Amdo province was arrested by the Chinese police, on the alleged accusation of revealing secret information about the peaceful demonstration to the outside world. On August 14, 2008 some Chinese armies and police surrounded his home and thrown out his old-aged mother living in it. They also raided his home and confiscated several items however we have not received information what items were confiscated.

He also served an imprisonment sentence of more than three years after being accused of sticking pro-independence posters in 2000 and distributing 1000 of pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama below which an ode to His Holiness the Dalai Lama was written which reads, "We held high His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet and we pray his immediate return to Tibet."   

In the end of July this year, Nagchu Area court has sentenced a Tibetan called Takla, aged around 22, hailing from Nangchen (Kham Province) with one and half year detention, however it is known that the victim was arrested a year earlier on the ground of distributing pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, recorded teachings and speeches for preventing using animal fur.

According to a new information we received, amongst those several monks arrested during the peaceful demonstration at Jokhang temple on March 13, 2008, the whereabout of monk called Sonam Rabgay, was not known in spite of numerous attempts by his near ones to locate the place of his Chinese prison. Sonam Rabgay was born in Markham and was known to have served as an abbot of Ramoche monastery. He was also known to have particularly kept under close watch by the Chinese authority after he read out the political statement during an introductory speech to the large gathering. His statement reads, "Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama and immediate resolution of just cause of Tibet"     

-Tibetan Solidarity Committee

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