Dharamshala, 12th February: As they returned from a pilgrimage, Chinese officials in Sichuan province arrested three Tibetan Buddhists, alleging they were in possession of “politically sensitive material.” On Jan. 10, while returning home to Chamdo prefecture’s Dakyab township from the enormous Larung Gar Tibetan Buddhist Academy in Sichuan’s Serta (in Chinese, Seda) county, Asang, Dodra, and Nortso were interrogated by authorities and then imprisoned.
RFA quoted their source saying “Their cellphones were examined by police in Drago (Luhuo) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and all three of them were arrested for ‘possessing politically sensitive information and pictures, They were handed over to police in Chamdo and are currently held at the Chamdo Police Station.”
Another source told RFA that the content on their phones was related to the destruction of a three-story Maitreya Buddha statue at Gaden Namyal Ling monastery in Drago late last month.
“They were interrogated by the police in Drago when they were arrested, The police looked into all the group chat apps on their cellphones and charged them for keeping videos and pictures of the recent destruction of the Buddhist statue in Drago and also using those images as their screensaver wallpaper.” The second source claimed according to RFA.
The confirmation of the dismantling of the statue of Maitreya, which Tibetan Buddhists believe is a Buddha who will arise in a future age, comes after RFA confirmed earlier this month that a 99-foot tall monument was destroyed 900 meters (2,700 feet) distant.
According to Tibetan sources in exile with contacts in the area, Chinese officials compelled monks from local monasteries and Tibetans living in adjacent cities to watch the demolition of the statue and 45 traditional prayer wheels, which began on December 12 and lasted for nine days.
According to a Tibetan living in exile who spoke to RFA through friends in Drago, the three-story statue and the structure that housed it were both demolished at the same time as the 99-foot Buddha, which officials argued was too tall.
According to accounts, Drago county chief Wang Dongsheng was present for the statue’s demolition and watched the savage police beating of local Tibetans protesting the demolition. Wang had previously led a campaign to demolish the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, which resulted in the expulsion of thousands of monks and nuns and the destruction of their homes.
Authorities in China keep a tight lid on information flowing in and out of the country’s Tibetan regions, and news of arrests and other occurrences often takes weeks to reach the exile population.
Authorities imprisoned a Buddhist nun named Lobsang Tsomo and “a few other Tibetans” in Drago county on Sept. 18 last year “for having connected with Tibetans in exile,” according to the third source of RFA.
The continued “They were beaten and tortured while they were in prison and released after more than three months, Despite their release, Lobsang Tsomo and the others who were released from prison are barred from leaving their county and remain under scrutiny by authorities,”
Experts and observers say the demolition of the sculptures in Drago county and other sacred sites show a growing pattern of Chinese control over traditional Tibetan religious practice, as well as Beijing’s efforts to redefine Tibetan Buddhism as a Chinese faith.
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