Arbitrary arrest of a Tibetan in Taktse

On 1 November 2011, around 3 p.m (Tibet Local Time), Lhaten received a telephone call from a Chinese lady teacher from Taktse County Primary School, where his son is studying, asking him to get his son. When he went to get his son from the school, several civilian dressed policemen were waiting for him at the school. The school gatekeeper reportedly said that they took him away in a black car when Lhaten’s relatives inquired.

Lhaten, around 44 years old, was suspected of having connection with Dhondup Wangchen, a Tibetan film maker who was sentenced to six years imprisonment, charged of ‘subversion’ for making a documentary titled ‘Leaving Fear Behind’ ahead of the 2008 Olympics.

A farmer and the sole bread earner of his family, Lhaten lives with his wife Passang Choedon and their three children in Shingtsang Village, Taktse County, Lhasa Municipal (Tibetan Autonomous Region).

He continues to remain ‘disappeared’ since he was arbitrarily arrested. Currently, there is no information about his health and his whereabouts.