(TibetanReview.net, Feb 17) – Police in the politically sensitive county of Lithang in Kardze Prefecture of Sichuan Province arrested on Feb 15, 38-year-old monk Lobsang Lhundup of the local Nekhor Monastery while staging a protest in the county, reported Dharamsala-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) Feb 16, citing “reliable sources”. It said the monk staged a lone peaceful demonstration at the main market square of Lithang town, shouting slogans such as “Long Live the Dalai Lama,” “Independence for Tibet,” “Swift return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet” and “No Losar celebrations this year”.
The group said the protest lasted 15-20 minutes, after which the monk, who was limping and using a walking stick, was subdued and taken away in a police jeep.
The local Gemo Village-born monk had visited India in 2002 and stayed on to received the Dalai Lama’s postponed Kalachakra empowerment in Jan’03.