March protest 2011

A Tibetan monk arrested after lone protest.


Tibetans in Tibet have observed March 10th, in various covert forms despite of extremely clamp down. According to source from Kangdze in kham , a Tibetan monk has protested on March 10th in Kandze County, coinciding the the 52nd anniversary of Tibetan national uprising day.



Around 12:00noon on March 10, 2011, a monk from Kham Gonjo shouted slogans, for free Tibet in Kandze county market areas, in the presence of big crowd. He was alone. The monk is in his 50s.


His name is Wangchen Gelek , from Gonjo. He is originally from Amtsong Monastery in kham before joining Dothong monastery in kham Kandze and stayed there five years..





On March 10th, he arrived in Kandze county market areas alone, with bunch of leaflets and prayer flags. He threw them in the air, and then shouted Free Tibet and Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama. No sooner, he was subdued by the Kandze police officers and beaten mercilessly and whisked  away. When the monk was shouting slogans, he has put on laymen’s clothes, fully prepared to be arrested and put in jail. As no of now, his whereabouts is known.


Background


The monk, Wangchen Gelek has come to India ones and when returning to Tibet, he was arrested at the border. Owing to torture from detention, resulted in his lose of one eye. Before the protest, he has taken leave and quitted Dothong monastery, stating that he was going to Lhasa.


A different source in the Kandze  confirmed , after the incident, the security in Kandze has tightened up for fear of further protest.


It is learnt from those friends of the monk, Wangchen he has planned the protest 2 month prior to March 10th. As was told by the monks’ friend, he threw a party for his friends and at the party he told the gathering that he is leaving for Lhasa after some days, that he may meet them again in few years or he may never meet them again.


He has a 10,000 Chinese yuan in his possession, which he contributed to the monastery. But he kept the planned protest absolutely in secret and told nobody that he was going to protest.


The protest occurred five days after he left the monastery.

Kandze county and village people are organizing prayers for his well being.