Monk Jigme Gyatso arrested for third time
On 20 August 2011, monk Jigme Gyatso was arrested once again by the PSB from a hotel called ‘Z-hong Yan’ in Tsoe city (Ch: Hezou), Kanlho (Ch: Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province. Sources say that before his arrest police and security personnel “raided” his room, thoroughly checking his belongings including his computer system. CD’s were also seized in the raid. There were around ten monks and few others present during Jigme’s arrest. They asked the police the reason for his arrest but the police did not answer.
Jigme a.k.a Jigme Gyatso of Labrang Monastery was first arrested on 28 March 2008 while returning to his monastery from market. He was detained and tortured for two months in detention center for his suspected role in 2008 Tibetan uprising.
The second arrest came when on 3 September 2008 (the same year), the Voice of America’s Tibetan News service aired a video in which Jigme testified and gave detail accounts of Tibetan people’s aspiration, hopes and also torture and inhuman treatment meted out to Labrang monks who were detained during 2008’s March Protest. After spending almost two months in hiding, on 4 November 2008 huge number of People’s Armed Police (PAP) and PSB officials in several military trucks arrested him from a Tibetan home. He was released on 3 May 2009.
Jigme, a 44 year old monk was born to a farmers family in Lhutang Village, Juicha Township, Sangchu County (Ch: Sangchu Xian) Kanlho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP) Gansu Province. He was a former head of the Labrang Monastery’s vocational training centre and was even a Vice-Chairman of the Democratic Management Committee (DMC) of Labrang Monastery.
Since his arrest on 21st of this month, there is no news about his situation and whereabouts.
