www.TibetanReview.net, Mar 31’08
While troops and military vehicles, including tanks, rolled into Lhasa on Mar 14, there were at least three protests in rural areas of Lhasa city: one at Gaden Chokor Monastery in Phenpo Lhundrup (Chinese: Lingzhi) County of Lhasa City and another, small one in Shigatse, the TAR’s second city, which was broken up quickly by police, reported the ICT Mar 19 and 16. The Phenpo protest must have been rather big as the website of Tibet Daily Mar 19 spoke of surrender by 94 protesters from there. Samye monastery too was cited, by the Tibet monitoring and research group TibetInfoNet Mar17, as a place where a demonstration occurred.
Tibet.net said Mar 18 that on Mar 15 shootings were heard from inside the compounds of Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Shigatse and that at least 40 laypeople protesting behind the monastery had been arrested. The report also said a protest was held by laypeople near the monastery on Mar 17. No details were available.
Also, on Mar 16, a demonstration was held at Pangsa Monastery in a rural area of Lhasa City, followed by a larger protest on Mar 17 in which thousands from Pangsa and other monasteries in Maldrogongkar County took part. Seven truckloads of PAP troops arrived to stop the protests, reported the ICT Mar 19.
During a protest at Sakya Monastery in Shigatse on Mar 19, monks had expelled the Chinese authorities, said Tibet.net Mar 23. It said military and work teams were later sent to the monastery to advice the monks not to take part in future protests.
Tibet.net Mar 23 also said there were several small protests by Tibetans of Sa-Ngen village in Gonjo (Chinese: Gongjue) County of Chamdo Prefecture, although, it said, their dates could not be confirmed.
And on Mar 20, 16 people were arrested during protests held in several village, including Ngulru Dopa and Dogo Ruwa, in Markham County of Chamdo (Chinese: Changdu) Prefecture, reported Tibet.net Mar 22. This followed a Tibet.net report Mar 21 that one protest each was held at the county’s Tso-Nga and Rushoe townships, with around 20 Tibetans being arrested from the latter.
Tibet.net Mar 20 said monks from Khangmar monastery in Damshung County in rural Lhasa went to take part in a protest staged at Dechen town in Toelung County led by seven monks of Dhingkha monastery there in laymen’s dress. Tibet.net Mar 19 said that despite police attempts to stop them, many laypeople joined the protest. Around 30 protesters, including eight Khangmar monks, were detained and treated very roughly, the report said.