Monk official of Drango Monastery arrested

A learned Tibetan monk who is also a high-ranking official at Drango Monastery has been arrested by police officers from the Sichuan Province Public Security Bureau.

Geshe Tenzin Pelsang of Drango Monastery was arrested on 2 April 2012 from his monastery in Drango (Chinese: Luhou) County, Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Geshe Pelsang was arrested on suspicion that he acted as ringleader of the protests that rocked Drango on 23 January 2012.

It is not known where he is detained and in what condition.

Before his arrest, Geshe Pelsang was the chanzoe or the administrative staff at Drango Monastery.

Geshe Tenzin Pelsang, also known as Tengah, was born in 1965 in Norpa village, Drango County. He is the son of parents Dhondup Tashi and Dewang. As a child, Geshe Pelsang attended the local primary school and learnt Tibetan and Chinese languages. Later he became a monk and studied Tibetan Buddhism.

In 1986, he joined the Drepung Loseling Monastery in south India to study Buddhism. In 2009, he graduated with a Geshe degree (Doctorate Degree in Tibetan Buddhism) and returned to Tibet. He re-joined Drango Monastery and began serving the monastery in various capacities, most recently as a chanzoe.