Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 17: Dhargye, a Tibetan monk, has been missing for more than four years after being arbitrarily arrested by Chinese police in Tibet’s capital, Lhasa. The news of his disappearance has only now surfaced outside Tibet.
According to Tibet Times, a Dharamsala-based Tibetan news outlet, Dhargye, aged 63, was arrested on August 5, 2021, along with two other monks. While his companions were released after several months, Dhargye never returned, and to this day, his whereabouts remain unknown despite repeated attempts by his family and local Tibetans to trace him.
Sources told Tibet Times that when relatives and acquaintances contacted Lhasa security personnel, they were assured that Dhargye was in good health and would be released soon. Trusting these assurances, locals withheld information about his detention, hoping for his safe return. However, with years passing without any word, his disappearance highlights the worsening climate of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances in Tibet under Chinese rule.
Before his arrest, Dhargye had traveled to Lhasa on an extended religious visit. During this time, he undertook pilgrimages to sacred sites, received teachings from prominent lamas, and engaged in retreat and meditation.
Originally from Golog, Qinghai province, Dhargye is a monk of Sera Thekchen Choekorling Monastery in Serthar County, Kardze Prefecture, Sichuan province. The report further cited that Dhargye was respected for his integrity and religious knowledge. Dhargye was especially skilled in consecrating sacred representations of body, speech, and mind. To meet the spiritual needs of devotees, he had also opened a small shop in Lhasa offering consecration services for religious objects.
