(TibetanReview.net, Jun17’22) – A Tibetan language rights activist has remained disappeared ever since he was arrested from Sershul (Chinese: Shiqu) County of Karze (Ganzi) Prefecture which is now part of China’s Sichuan Province some six months ago, reported the Tibetan Service of rfa.org Jun 16. The exact date remains unknown.
No reason was cited for the arrest of Lodoe, son of Rigzin (father), a university graduate in his 30s, known for his fluency in Chinese and Tibetan. He was stated to have turned down a government job offer to advocate for the preservation of the Tibetan language.
His family, though still in the dark, like others, on his whereabouts or condition, was stated to have learnt from some sources that he will be convicted soon.
“Many believe that Lodoe was arrested for having communicated with people in exile and also for advocating for Tibetan language rights. Chinese officials have still not cited any reason for his arrest,” the report quoted a source in Tibet as saying, requesting anonymity.
The report saw Lodoe’s arrest as part of a larger crackdown by the Chinese government on Tibetan writers, intellectuals and cultural leaders in its ongoing, all-out Sinicization drive.
Arbitrary imprisonment of such Tibetans for long periods of time at undisclosed locations, with the authorities not stating the exact charges or the dates of their sentences to their families, is said to have become a familiar situation in Tibet today.
Lodoe was said to have been taken away by people from provincial authorities rather than by the local police, suggesting the seriousness of his situation.