China arrests 59 Tibetans in Lhasa Raid

Dharamshala, India (RushPRnews)12/30/08- According to an overnight report by the semi-official China News Service, 59 Tibetans were arrested in a series of raids conducted by the Chinese police in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, Reuters news agency reported. The raids took place December 24. The 59 were accused of acting under the influence of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and of downloading "reactionary" songs for distribution within Tibet, the report said.


"After the violent incident in March, some people with ulterior motives under the scheming and encouragement of the Dalai splitist clique intentionally spread rumours and incited ethic feelings, threatening national and personal security," the report said.

Police also swept through markets in Lhasa looking for people selling songs illegally downloaded from the Internet, the report added.

The Chinese government executes repressive measures of torture, arbitrary detention and patriotic forcing Tibetans to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama, under the pretext of preempting separatist activities.

The international community heaped chorus of criticism on China's violent clampdown on peaceful protests by Tibetans against the wrong policies of the Chinese government since 10 March this year, which left 219 Tibetans dead, 1294 injured, around 5,600 people are still under arrest or detention and more than 1000 missing.

The Tibetan protesters across Tibet call for return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and fundamental human rights in Tibet.

Patriotic Education session in Chamdo [file picture: Xinhua]
Earlier on Monday, a Washington-based human rights group said a Chinese court has jailed a Tibetan who worked for a non-governmental organisation for life for passing on information about the situation in Tibet to the outside world.

Wangdu was given the sentence last month, the International Campaign for Tibet said in a emailed statement, quoting a report in a regional Tibetan newspaper published on 8 November.

Six other Tibetans were also given long prison terms, the rights group said.

"The sentences are unprecedented in their severity for Tibetans accused of passing on information to people outside Tibet," the group said.

"This new development indicates a harder line approach to blocking news on the current crackdown in Tibet and also appears to represent a challenge to NGOs working on the plateau."

File Photo/Tibet TV via Reuters TVA Tibetan TV showed an arrested protester signing a confession at an unknown location on 20 March 2008. File Photo/Tibet TV via Reuters TV.