Sunday, May 8, 2011

More than 300 monks forcibly removed from Kirti monastery – two Tibetans dead - fears of further forced removal


As the crackdown in Ngaba deepens (1), more than 300 monks were forcibly removed from Kirti monastery between 9 p.m. and 3:10 a.m. local time, 21-22 April 2011. Their well-being is unknown. Local people, mostly elderly women who had been acting as a human-shield were violently removed beforehand. In the course of the crowds being forcibly removed, two people died. The following night (22 April) buses, with identifying symbols masked, returned to the monastery. Local eye-witnesses suspect that more monks were to be removed.

Monks first heard rumours that the government planned to detain monks on the evening of 21 April and gathered together inside Kirti monastery for their own protection. But their concerns were placated when a Tibetan Ngaba Prefecture Official was sent to the monastery and advised them that the authorities had no such plans and that they should return immediately to their individual houses within the monastery complex.

Mobile telephone and internet communications were cut in the town and remained cut until the same time the following day (22 April 4 p.m.)

From approximately 9 p.m. individual teams of up to thirty police, army and government officials began to attend the individual houses within Kirti monastery and forcibly removed at least 355 monks. There were taken from the monastery in buses, more than 10 were counted by eye witnesses and the last vehicle departed at 3:10 a.m. on 22 April.   link

No comments: