(TibetanReview.net, Aug02, 2014) –Some 40 Tibetans had been detained and many others seriously injured in Darlag (Chinese: Dari) County of Golog (Guoluo) Prefecture, Qinghai Province, after a clash with Chinese police and the paramilitary People’s Armed Police Force (PAPF) on Jul 25 over an official miscarriage of justice involving the death of a Tibetan motorcyclist, reported Radio Free Asia (Washington) Jul 31.
A Chinese truck driver had been convicted for manslaughter after he knocked down and killed a Tibetan motorcyclist named Soebey on a highway. He was ordered to pay a compensation of 400,000 yuan (US $65,000) to the victim’s family. However, the police let him go scot free after paying only 50,000 yuan.
Enraged relatives and friends of the victim, when they learnt about it, rushed to the police authorities to demand an explanation. The police refused to offer any justification for their action, leading to a clash with the protesters which resulted in one police officer being injured.
Soon a contingent of the PAPF arrived, which only led to a further clash. It ended with many Tibetans, including relatives of Soebey, being injured and taken to hospital and around 40 others being detained.
The whereabouts of the detained Tibetans remain unknown while a security clampdown has been imposed in Darlag County, including with imposition of restrictions on communication channels and the local Tibetans’ movement.