Dharamsala: - Local Tibetans and monks from all monasteries in Drango county, Kardze region, Tibet, recently came together to pray for Tsering Gyaltsen, Yeshe Samdrup, Yeshe Rigsel and Yonten Sangpo and others who were killed on February 9 during a brutal crackdown by the Chinese police.
On January 23, two Tibetans were shot dead and 34 others shot and wounded when Chinese state security forces opened fire on protesters in Drango during a peaceful protest demanding the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibet. Immediately after the incident, the Chinese detained hundreds of civilians and monks who they suspected of taking part in the protest.
Tsering Gyaltsen, a 40-year-old monk at Drango Monastery, was also arrested on February 9 and taken to an undisclosed location. His Parents, Sangdor and Tsemo, together with other family members, repeatedly asked the police about his whereabouts and conditions but given no answers.
Yeshi Rigsel, a monk from Drango monastery, attended the January 23 protest and took photographs. Students For A Free Tibet reported that three units of Chinese state security forces approached Yeshi Rigsel's family home in Norpa village very early on the morning of February 9. Yeshi Rigsel and Yeshi Samdup were shot dead and their brother Yonten Sangpo was shot in the neck. Teir mother was shot in the left hand. Three of Yonten's daughters and his two nieces were also injured.
It is reported that the mother of the three brothers, Sang Lha, the five children, and Tsering Gyaltsen were sent to Kardze County hospital to be treated for their injuries. Unfortunately, it is believed that Tsering Gyaltsen succumbed to his injuries there.
The Chinese Police still choose to remain silent about the issue of Tsering Gyaltsen's whereabouts but his family, after hearing the accounts of Sang Lha, have accepted that he has indeed passed away.
According to Tibetan custom, after a person's death the body is usually taken to a nearby monastery and prayers are offered. As the Chinese Police did not give the family any information about his body, they took his picture to Sera Monastery and prayed for him. Hundreds of people also came to offer prayers for those others who were killed or have been taken away during the crackdown.
