By Kalsang Rinchen
Dharamsala, October 8 – The Lhasa Intermediate People’s Court has sentenced a Tibetan monk to life imprisonment and another to 20 years in jail in June this year, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy based her said on its website.
The two monks of Drepung monastery, Jampal Wangchuk and Kunchok Nyima, were arrested from their monastery on April 11, 2008, a month after some 350 monks of the monastery set off on a peaceful rally to the Tibetan capital Lhasa from the monastery on March 10, 2010. Jampal Wangchuk was sentenced to life imprisonment and Gen Kunchok to 20 years in jail.
Jampel Wangchuk, 51, is a native of Tsotoed Township, Phenpo Lhundup County. He became a monk in 1982 and held the post of monastic disciplinarian until the time of his arrest. Kunchok Nyima, 41, is a native of Zari Township, Zoege County, and taught Buddhist scripture at the monastery before his arrest.
On March 10, 2010, around 350 monks of Drepung monastery, located on the outskirts of Lhasa started to walk towards Bharkor Street, an important landmark in the Tibetan capital. However, Chinese armed police stopped the monks on their way before reaching their destination.
The Chinese authorities eventually launched patriotic reeducation campaign in the monastery on April 11, 2010 and handed over several monks from Amdo and Kham regions to their respective Public Security Bureau authorities.
The TCHRD said over 40 monks of the monastery have been already sentenced. A monk named Gyalpo died after succumbing to injuries sustained in prison in August last year, said TCHRD, adding that the conditions or whereabouts of Ngawang Choenyi, Ngawang Serdo and Machen Gyakpa, all monks of Drepung monastery, are not known.
About 60 Chinese officials including a deputy party secretary of the “Tibet Autonomous Region” are stationed permanently to monitor the activities of the monks at the monastery, one of the three monastic universities of Tibet.