23. Mar 2009
Ragya monastery encircled and under severe restriction
(TCHRD; VOT; Xinhua) Some 95 Tibetan monks have been arrested or surrendered after hundreds of Tibetan protesters attacked the local police station in Gyala township, Golog TAP, Xinhua reported. Angry Tibetan protesters clashed with police after a 28-year-old monk from Ragya monastery, named Tashi Sangpo, tried to escape police custody by jumping into the Machu (Yellow) river but drowned. It is unclear whether his death was accidental or a suicide. Tashi Sangpo unfurled a Tibetan flag atop the main prayer hall of the monastery on 10 March 2009. According to TCHRD, around 4,000 Tibetans gathered at the police station and shouted slogans such as: "Tibet Independence" and "Long Live the Dalai Lama". TCHRD said the situation around Ragya monastery and the surrounding area is very grim and volatile. Contingents of PSB and PAP security forces have completely sealed off and encircled the monastery. The telephone, mobile and postal services have been cut off. Tashi Sangpo's family was offered monetary compensation of 200,000 Yuan (UK£20,650; US$29,260; EUR€22,145), a prominent Tibetan Lama living in a Tibetan monastery in south India told the Voice of Tibet radio service.