28. Jan 2007
Tibetan monk detained in Gansu
(RFA) Chinese authorities in a Tibetan region of northwest Gansu province have arrested a monk, possibly for helping local people listen to Radio Free Asia (RFA) broadcasts, local residents said. "Jamyang Gyatso, a monk at Bora monastery in Amdo Labrang [Chin: Xiahe] was taken away on the evening of 08 January 2007 by Chinese security officials", a resident of Labrang told RFA's Tibetan service. Gyatso, 27, wasn't known for political activism and worked quietly as a custodian of the forests in front of the Bora monastery, residents said. They were puzzled by his detention but mentioned his interest in RFA's Tibetan broadcasts, which he encouraged others to listen to. "Some people speculate that one reason could be his connection with Radio Free Asia, while others said it could be because he made copies of a book written by [Tibetan poet] Hortsang Jigme who lives in the United States", a caller from the Amdo region told RFA.