(TibetanReview.net, Dec18’19) – China was reported to have arrested three Tibetans, including a thangka artist, in Kanlho (Chinese: Gannan) Prefecture of Gansu province days ahead of the 30th anniversary Dec 10 of the conferment of the Nobel Peace Prize on Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, for their WeChat online social media activities. They were held for communicating with friends and family outside Tibet.
Tsegan, in his mid-30s; Lubum Dorjee, a deaf-from-birth thangka artist; and an unnamed third person were taken away few days before the anniversary event from their Ri-ngon (Chinese: Ren’ai) Village in Gangya (Ganjia) Township, Sangchu (Xiahe) County, said Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet Dec 17, citing exile an exile Tibetan with local contacts.
There have been a number of previous arrests too of Tibetans for their WeChat postings.
Like in almost all cases of arrests in Tibet in such cases, the whereabouts of the trio remain unknown amid serious concerns for their wellbeing.
Earlier, in August, a Tibetan named Rinso from Village No. 3 of Thangkor township in Dzoege (Ruo’ergai) County of Ngaba (Aba) Prefecture, Sichuan Province, was held for 10 days after he shared a photograph of the Dalai Lama over WeChat.
On Sep 19, a Tibetan monk named Sonam Palden, 22, from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba County was held in in connection with his WeChat posts about the Tibetan language and Chinese policy.
Persecution for WeChat postings have been reported from back in 2014 when Lobsang Choejor, a monk of Drongsar Monastery in Chamdo (Changdu) City, Tbiet Autonomous Region, was arrested on Mar 4 for sending out information to “outside contacts” through WeChat and distributing teachings and talks by the Dalai Lama.
