TIGblogs TIG | TIGblogs GROUP TIGBLOGS LOGIN SIGNUP
Katea's Blog
Katea's Blog
Eyewitness: Monk 'kicked to floor'
Related to country: Tibet

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Eyewitness: Monk 'kicked to floor'
With tension rising in Tibet following a series of anti-China protests, the BBC spoke to an eyewitness who saw police on Wednesday beating monks at one of three monasteries which have been sealed. He wishes to be identified only as John.

We knew something was happening because there were more road checks as we got into Lhasa.

Cars were being stopped and police were writing the licence plates down. We tried to stop at a shrine outside Lhasa but were told to keep moving.

Then we heard around Wednesday lunchtime that Drepung monastery was closed. We didn't know why.

That afternoon we went to Sera monastery to see the debating. It's famous - the monks debate points of philosophy and people come to see it.

Just when it was about to start, around three o'clock, we started to hear rounds of applause coming out of a courtyard in the heart of the temple.


They were grabbing monks, kicking and beating them


We thought the debate was starting but then suddenly the clapping reached a crescendo - kind of a hooting.

Then the gate of the debating compound opened and this stream of maroon humanity poured out, several hundred monks. It was impossible to count but I think there were at least 300.

We thought it was part of the tradition but when you looked at the expression on their faces, it was a very serious business. They were pumping their hands in the air as they ran out of the temple.

Plain-clothes police

The minute that happened we saw the police - two or three who were inside the compound - suddenly speaking into their radios.

They started going after the monks, and plain-clothes police - I don't know this for sure but that's what I think they were - started to emerged from nowhere.

There were four or five in uniform but another 10 or 15 in regular clothing. They were grabbing monks, kicking and beating them.


If we had gone to Sera monastery an hour earlier or an hour later, no-one would have known what these monks had done


One monk was kicked in the stomach right in front of us and then beaten on the ground.

The monks were not attacking the soldiers, there was no melee. They were heading out in a stream, it was a very clear path, and the police were attacking them at the sides. It was gratuitous violence.

The Tibetan lay-people started rushing to get out of the temple. Tibetan grandmothers were grabbing young kids and getting them out.

We were left behind when the monks left the temple. About 20 minutes later we felt as if we could leave.

Riot police

Outside the monastery the road curved to the left and to the right. We were directed left - but when we looked to the right there was a line of riot police with batons and helmets blocking off the street.

The monks were sitting in neat rows on the ground, surrounded by a phalanx of police. It was a very clear show of force - there were maybe as many as 300 riot police and regular police there.

It could have been civil disobedience, but it looked like the monks had been put there. They weren't moving.

As we turned left, we saw troop carriers with camouflaged army regulars arriving - those green trucks with soldiers in the back on benches. We saw guns, large guns that looked like automatic weapons.

There were two or three of those trucks as well as others - several units of public order personnel swarming the situation.

As we left, all the roads around the monastery were blocked by police. There was no access.

At the time, all the phones were dead - we were trying to call the hotel but none of the cell phones were working. But within an hour the phone service was back on.

It seemed as if within half an hour the thing had been totally brought under control.

Back in Lhasa, it was eerily normal. There were police around but not really a muscular presence. It seemed to have been a massive localised show of force.

We realised that if we had gone to Sera monastery an hour earlier or an hour later, no-one would have known what these monks had done.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7296134.stm

Published: 2008/03/14 12:15:32 GMT



---Because we have to know what's going on around the world. Let's speak up and be not silent on issues that trouble our world and threaten our human rights and security--hekatea

March 19, 2008 | 10:33 PM Comments  0 comments

Tags:
You must be logged in to add tags.


hekatea's Profile

hekatea's Friends


Latest Posts
Child/Youth...
On Reading Umberto Eco
Learning a New Language
Lucca Leadership Training
The 2008 Justice...

Monthly Archive
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
July 2008
August 2008

Change Language


Tags Archive
animation anime australia books chiangmai competition environment gender greenpeace humanrights internationalconference justice leadership movie outback philanthropy photography politics production reading scams selfdiscovery seminar thailand training travel writing youth ztenbn

Filter By Type
Events
News
Travel
Topics

Friends
Zainul Abedin
-franz-
-SB- Shobuz Bhai
A Better Community for All (ABC4All)
A.B. PobuwoloTowaye
Aare Kornar !
ABen-Shema
ABHIPRAYA
Adam Kaufman
Adel
Adrielle Saldanha
african prince
Ai
Ajit
AK
alfred ibulu jr
alima
AmakaforKids
Amanda Kefalas
amani007
Andrew
Angie
Anita Yip
ankag
ansh
Arundhaty Parida
Askia
Awais Aftab
AWellEarth.net
azaleaicornmill
Ben Holland
Benoit Couture
BERYL
Bettina Rudolf
bigpun007
BIR1935
Bishnu
bk
Blake Jacobi
BOLA OLANREWAJU
bundesliga
Caitlin
Cam
Camolot
Carlo
Carolyn
Carrie
Charles
Charles Candelario
Chase
Cherrie
cherry
ChieuNghi Truong
Chris
Chris Wells
Chris Williams
Christine
clarita zarate
Dan Tshin
danielle
Danish
Dave Matthews
Dhiviya
dia el deen abd el fattah
Dilip Kr. Saha
Donna Roy
dudu
Elijah C. Briggs
Eric
Eva Huijbregts
Evelyn
Evelyn
Farah Rahimtula
FEMI DUROJAYE
florabale
George C. Owens
Global Fund
Gloria
Greta
Hansha Sanjyal
Harikrishnan.G
Harry Bobor Stevens
Haylz
Helen
Henry Ekwuruke
idreeskhan
ISNAYP Media
J R
James
Jamil Ahmad Malik
jean celeste paredes
jeanne castellanos
Jewel-
Jonah Wittkamper
Jörg
jOrOss
Joyce Christine
JUSTICE FOR ALL
Kahendi
Karen Lee Gross
Karin Chisholm
Kat Birch
Katie Broad
Katja
khalid khan jogezai
KIMM
Kyna Mori C. Flores
Larin
LauraK
LorenzoHarewood
Luís Manuel Pin
Lula M
lutherking
lutherking
Malcolm Lawrence
Marc Ludwig
MARCKENSON
Mariane Vadeboncoeur
Marie
Marina Different
Mark
Mary
mary ann c
maryjn
Mateusz Palys
Medaer Frans
MEDJEEN
Michael Furdyk
michelle
michelle
Miguel Silva
Miles Robert (Rob) Aronson
mohamed elkashash
Muddasir Ali Issani
Naglaa
Naomi den Besten
Natalie Steiner
nielu natha
Nina
nockia
Noelle Anne Rodriguez
norhana
Nuijten
Ogunro Temitope
Ossama ALASS
Owulezi
Ozerova Irina
Padam Raj
Peace2Peace
Pham Thanh Nhon
Phyo Win Latt
princes chona regencia
rahul bhowmik
Rajesh
Ranjan K Baruah
Ranya
Rebecca Lohman
ROSANIE
Rotaract Club of Manila Metro
S.Senthilpushpa
S.Senthilpushpa
Saindique
Sandy Mae
Sara Hamilton
Sarah
Sarah Boyd
Schrodinger
Sebastain
Selene Biffi
Semakula Saidi
Shahnawaz شاهنواز
Shireen
sleemfesh
soccer-girl110
SSandifer
Sudip Aryal
Sunny
surendar
Swapnil
sweden45
Tamoy
Tanya
Teresa Allan
Terri Willard
TOPH
Tracey
tree
Uli Heinrich
Uranusz
VICTORY ASHAMOLE C
Vivek
vixie
W.Thomas Black
We-R-One
WeAreTeachers
wilfried fink
Will
Yama Enayat
Youth Develop Nepal
Yuming Ma
Zach
ZAM
zand
Zeljka Banicek
Zovya
~Caroline~

Links
ABC4All
Arts and Letters Daily
Association for Progressive...
Association for Women's...
Atikha
CocoNatur
Council of Europe
eldis
Feminist
Friends of Seven Lakes Kids
idealist
International Women's...
Nabuur
Native Planet
Youth Action Network
Youth for Change
Youth for Exchange and...


50600 views
Important Disclaimer