Tibetan Monk Detained ‘For no Reason’ in Kardze

Police in western China’s Sichuan province detained a senior Tibetan monk this week without explanation, leaving followers and friends unsure of his present whereabouts and concerned for his well-being, sources said.

Tulku Lobsang, a monk of Boroe monastery in Sichuan’s Sershul (in Chinese, Shiqu) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture had been summoned by police on July 21, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service.

“They called him to come to their office in Dartsedo, and when he arrived, police in plain clothes took him into custody,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“No reason was given for his detention,” the source said.

Lobsang had been accompanied by the monastery’s manager and “several other persons,” who were sent by police back to Boroe to retrieve Lobsang’s identity card, which he had neglected to bring with him, he said.

Boroe monks and laypeople from neighboring villages immediately began to offer prayers for Lobsang’s safe return, while senior monks and community representatives went to Dartsedo to ask unsuccessfully for his release, the source said.

No word has yet been received on Lobsang’s whereabouts or any charges made against him.

Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Rigdhen Dolma. Written in English by Richard Finney.