(TibetanReview.net, Aug06, 2017) – Chinese police in Dragyab (Chinese: Chaya) County of Chamdo (Changdu) Prefecture, Tibet, have detained and severely beaten last month a Tibetan man for alleged contact with a relative living in exile claimed to collaborate with the ‘Dalai Clique’, reported the Tibetan Service of Radio Free Asia (Washington) Aug 4.
Jampa Choegyal, 30, was summoned by phone call sometime in Jul 2017 to report to the Nortom Township police, the report said, citing an anonymous local source. He was at that attending a religious festival called Tsechok at Chuwar Monastery, located about a mile (1.6 km) away.
He was immediately detained and beaten when he arrived at the police station. They then took him to the police station in the Dragyab County seat where he was held for two days.
The Dragyab County police wanted to know whether he and any of his family members were in touch with their relative Ngawang Jampa and other persons. They alleged that Ngawang Jampa, who now lives in Australia, was an active collaborator in the ‘Dalai clique’.
China uses the ‘Dalai clique’ to refer to all Tibetan groups in exile who are supportive of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, including the Central Tibetan Administration at Dharamshala, the Tibetan Youth Congress and the numerous other groups campaigning for Tibet.
The police suspicion was apparently based on report from its informers. Despite severe beating, Jampa Choegyal kept denying the allegation and the police did not find any evidence of it from his mobile phone.
They eventually released him after two days, told him to collect his mobile phone after a few days and warned him against making any contact with Ngawang Jampa for his own safety.
Jampa Choegyal belongs to Dragyab’s Khargang Sotri Township, with his father’s named being Dorje Namgyal and mother’s Dorje Dolkar.