Dharamshala: - Emerging reports say two Tibetan senior teachers from Lithang county of eastern Tibet have 'disappeared' after their colleague Lobsang Dhondup was arrested in April 2002 by Chinese authorities at a hotel in Chengdu, capital of China's Sichuan Province.
"The Two senior Buddhist monks; Tenpa Rabgyal, 35 and Choedho, aged around 40, disappeared in 2002. Both were senior teachers at the Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's orphan school for Tibetans, situated near Nyakchukha county in Kham region of eastern Tibet," Gyaltsen, a Tibetan who newly arrived in India told the Tibet Post International.
"They have been missing for the last 10 years, all my relatives trying to find them over the years and have never found them. I was trying to search them by asking all people I know, particularly shortly after arriving in India. Tenpa is my relative," Gyaltsen added.
"They went missing while traveling from Chengdu to Labdrang for their further studies in April 2002. The Chinese police were searching them next day, where Lobsang Dhondup had been arrested on 7 April 2002 following a so called 'bombing incident' in Chengdu, on 3 April 2002."
"When Tenpa and Choedho arrived in Chengdhu, they shared a hotel room in Chengdu with Lobsang Dhondup, who was accused of involvement in explosion and later sentenced to death for immediate execution," Gyaltsen said.
According to Gyaltsen, "The two were forced to leave a school for over 350 orphans and children from poor families, established by Tenzin Delek Rinpoche in 1998, in a place known as Geshe Lungpa in Nyagchukha county.' Later local Chinese authorities shutdown the Tibetan orphans' school."
Born of Tibetan nomads in traditional Lithang county; Tenpa and Choedho joined 'Othok Nalanda Thegchen Choeling Monasery' to study Buddhism and Tibetan language, when they were young. Tenpa, who is originally from upper Thangkarma area, continued his studies at a small monastery in upper Golok village, Jetsuk township of Nyakchu county. Choedor is from Upper Trokhoro nomad area, near Thangkarma, currently part of Nyakchukha District.
'Othok Nalendra Thegchen Jangchub Choeling' usually referred to simply as Orthok monastery, was the largest single institution that Tenzin Delek Rinpoche served as the core of his growing network of monks, social and educational activists, and branch monasteries.
Also known as 'Orthok Tashi Dhargye-ling', the monastery was founded by Trichen Ngawang Chokdhen, who is recognised for being both the Ganden Throne- holder, and the tutor of the seventh Dalai Lama of Tibet.
