A Tibetan monk of Labrang Monastery in Sangchu County (Ch:Xiahe Xian ) Kanlho (Ch: Gannan) “Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture” (‘TAP’) Gansu Province was arbitrarily abducted from his residence during a raid in May this year, according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).
Tsayul Kelsang Gyatso was hailed from Tsayul Village in Sangchu County, Kanlho “TAP” Gansu Province. He was ordained as a monk at Labrang Monastery at an early age. He was a student of the dialectics school of Labrang Monastery at the time of his abduction. Tsayul Kelsang Gyatso was abducted from his residence when a sudden raid was carried out by a large number of Sangchu County Public Security Bureau (PSB) forces in the evening of 22 May 2009.
According to sources, he was taken with his head covered with black cloth by the security forces during the raid. The exact reason for his abduction was not known at the moment, but sources told the Centre that he could have been abducted under the suspicion of his past involvement in political activities. Labrang County in particular witnessed one of the biggest and most sustained protests last year. Tsayul Kelsang Gyatso was known to have been closely watched and followed by security forces before being arbitrarily abducted in a raid in his Labrang Monastery’s residence quarter. There is no information on his current whereabouts and physical well being.
This is not the first known case of the abduction of a Tibetan monk in the Labrang Monastery. On 14 May 2009, two monks of the same monastery were arrested during a raid. The whereabouts of the arrestees still remain unknown to their family members.
TCHRD strongly condemns the arbitrary abduction of Tsayul Kelsang Gyatso from his residence. TCHRD also calls upon the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to immediately release all the Tibetan prisoners of conscience arbitrarily detained over the peaceful exercise of their fundamental human rights. It is matter of great concern that monastic institutions in particular have come under a severe clampdown in the recent past. There are still hundreds of Tibetans whose whereabouts and current status remain unknown to their family members and close associates. The government should guarantee, under all circumstances, the physical and psychological integrity of Tsayul Kelsang Gyatso and ensure that his family members are informed of his whereabouts and wellbeing.
