For Immediate Press Release
                                                                                                                        April 29, 2008

Tibetan Death Toll at 203, says CTA

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) today released figures of deaths, injured and imprisoned Tibetans following China's brutal crackdown of Tibetan protesters in the aftermath of March 10 peaceful protests. The figures are based on information from various sources including Chinese state-run media. There have been 203 cases of deaths, more than 1,000 injured and 5,715 arrests from March 10 through April 25, 2008, as a result of the recent crackdown.

According to a confirmed report, yesterday on April 28, number of Tibetans from Zakhog Barma (Ch: Zhong Zha ke) and Derge County (Ch: Dege) assembled for a peaceful demonstration demanding the release of recently arrested monks of Gonsar Monastery. The Chinese authorities soon dispatched huge contingent of armed police and local leaders to pacify the crowd. 

The incident ensued when Gonsar monastery monks earlier defied the Chinese authorities' two consecutive attempts to seek their signature against His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The monastery's defiance had then resulted in arrest of the former abbot of the monastery, Tashi Gyaltsen and the Chanting master Samphel on April 26. Chinese authorities again arrested Lobsang Dhonyoe (a teacher of Buddhist philosophy), Phurga and Tanam the next day. However, on April 28, except for Phurga and Tanam, all other arrested monks were continually detained and transferred to Derge County. This enraged the local Tibetans and they assembled to go to the County headquarters to demand the release of other arrested monks. It is learnt that around 10 vehicles carrying People Armed Police and county authorities arrived at the scene on the midnight of April 28 and enforced check on monk’s movements, at the same time, Chinese warned they would reinvestigate the matter today (April 29).

Meanwhile, among the approximately 400 monks arrested earlier from Sera monastery, except the Disciplinary In charge of the monastery who was released, the rest of the monks’ whereabouts are still unknown.

The State-run Xinhua reported today that 17 Tibetans have been formally charged and sentenced to minimum of 3 years to life imprisonment. What the Chinese authorities in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) described as an "Open trial" was openly providing pictures of the proceedings. This demonstrates authorities’ attempt to deceive the world by depicting the trials as having been free and fair. In fact, none of the detainees have been provided with the opportunity to right to legal representation affecting the transparency of the proceedings. No one from the free world, including the Tibetan people, would accept and approve of such unfair legal proceedings. If the PRC government has the confidence, why are they shying away and denying the legal assistance offered by some Chinese lawyers to the arrested Tibetans?

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