Father succumbs to shock over son’s arrest in Shigatse

A Tibetan man died of emotional shock after security officers arbitrarily arrested his son at Tretroh village in Dopay Township in Ngamring County of Shigatse (Chinese: Xigaze) Prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region.

According to information received by TCHRD, Tsetan Tashi, in his 60s, died of shock after security officers arrested his 30-year-old son, Tsewang Norbu, who was a monk at Ngamring Riwoche Monastery in Ngamring County.

The Ngamring County Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers arrested Tsewang Norbu for writing Tibetan independence slogans, according to sources.

On 5 March 2012, during a film screening attended by local Tibetans in the village community hall in Tretroh village, Tsewang Norbu wrote ‘Tibet’ on one side and ‘China’ on the other side of a wall, then crossed out the word ‘China’. Below the crossed-out word, he wrote ‘Free Tibet’.

Immediately, the official work teams stationed in the hall confronted Tsewang Norbu. The work teams then informed the township authorities, who further reported the case to Ngamring County PSB.

At around 7 pm (Tibet Time), the County PSB arrived in three vehicles and arrested Tsewang Norbu at his home. Minutes later, Tsetan Tashi, father of Tsewang Norbu, was dead.

Tsewang Norbu was taken to an undisclosed location and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Four years ago, Tsewang Norbu became a monk after attending a religious teaching given by Thupten Rinpoche, a revered lama in the region, at Ngamring Riwoche Monastery in Ngamring County.