02. Mar 2009
Chinese forces surround Tibetan monastery
(AFP; ICT; SFT) Security forces have surrounded the monastery of Sey in Ngaba (Chin: Aba) TAP in Sichuan after monks held a rally a week before the 50th anniversary of the Lhasa uprising, US-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said, citing sources in the region. Monks demonstrated close to where another monk set himself on fire one week before. Scores of monks from the monastery rallied after officials outlawed prayers during the Monlam prayer festival. The New York-based Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) also reported on the rally, saying between 300 and 400 soldiers tried to stop the protest as the monks marched out of the monastery. "The monastery is now sealed and there is a heavy military presence outside the main road", the group said in a statement.