Dharamshala — Chinese police have reportedly detained a senior Tibetan monk in eastern Tibet without explanation.
Tulku Lobsang, a monk of Boroe monastery in Sershul county in Kham Karze of eastern Tibet had been summoned by police on July 21, 2017, sources say.
"Police called him to come to their office in Dartsedo, and when he arrived, police in plain clothes took him into custody," the sources added.
“No reason was given for his detention,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He had been accompanied by the monastery’s manager and 'several other people,' who were sent by police back to Boroe to retrieve his identity card, which he had neglected to bring with him, according to the sources.
Boroe monks and laypeople from neighboring villages immediately began to offer prayer service for his safe return, while a group of community representatives went to Dartsedo to ask unsuccessfully for his release, the source further added.
Torture, arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, and government surveillance are commonplace. Chinese solders or intelligence agents reside in monasteries and that there is an extensive network of spies. A climate of fear pervades most parts of Tibet and religious figures are the primary focus of Chinese severe repression. Human Rights organizations around the world that have investigated the situation agree that freedom of religion is nonexistent in Tibet.
