Tibetan medical school remains under lockdown, Three students arrested

A screen grab of the students' protest in Chabcha, eastern Tibet on November 26, 2012. The Sorig Lobling medical school in Chabcha (Ch: Gonghe), eastern Tibet, continues to remain under military lockdown following yesterday’s mass students’ protest against the Chinese government. Also, three of its students, Wangchen Tsering of Ba County, Mama and an identified student, have been arrested. In reports received by Phayul, Chinese armed forces continue to cordon off the school, keeping the students captive within the school premises. Parents and relatives, on the second consecutive day, have been barred from meeting the students. Five students, who were severely injured in police beatings, are said to be in critical condition and have been shifted to a bigger hospital in Tsongon. Around 20 students are still admitted in hospitals in Chabcha. Chinese security personnel have not allowed them visits from their family members. Yesterday, over a thousand students from the Sorig Lobling medical school carried out a massive protest, raising slogans for equality of nationalities, freedom of language, respect for truth, and re-establishment of governance. In a short video clip that has reached exile, students can be seen running on the streets, raising slogans. Chinese armed forces used violent force to break up the demonstration, injuring many young protesters in the process. The protest occurred after local Chinese authorities distributed a ten-point political questionnaire to the students and gave “patriotic education” sessions that contained disparaging remarks against His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Dharamshala based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said the students were required to answer “trap questions” in the questionnaire titled ‘Ten ways of looking at the present situation in Tsolho Prefecture.’ “Relevant government officials, after distributing the questionnaires, spoke on interpreting the document’s content stressing the need to protect and maintain stability in Tsolho region,” TCHRD said. “The speech by the relevant authorities also included allegations and abusive remarks against His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the so-called “Dalai splittist clique,” holding them responsible for the continued unrest in the region.” The questionnaire contained questions such as, ‘Who is agitating for separatism and causing unrest?’ ‘What is the reason behind self-immolation protests?’ ‘What harm is caused by illegal public protests?’ ‘Does bilingual education mean the deterioration of minority language?’ In 2010, more than 2000 students in Chabcha had protested against the Chinese government's plan to remove Tibetan textbooks from schools. This month, more than 5000 students in Rebkong carried out a massive protest demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama.