nyamrup
ONE WORLD. ONE DREAM. FREE TIBET!
Protests in Golok
22 Mar 2008 16:00 EDT
This report is one in a series of word-of-mouth reports of the revolution in Tibet. Since China closed Tibet to foreigners, mainstream media has stopped coverage of the ongoing protests despite their continued spread. I hope word of Tibetans’ brave acts of defiance will spread, despite the present impossibility of confirming any details.
Golok, Amdo - At Minthang monastery (Chikdril county) and at another monastery in Pema county, Tibetans have raised the banned Tibetan national flag and stood up to police.
In both incidents, a small party of police officers came to the monastery, demanding the flag be removed. Local Tibetans explained that they were not committing any violence or acts of destruction, only peaceful expression. Armed nomads on the scene gave the police an ultimatum: they could take down the flag if they like, and everyone would die then and there. Fearful of nomads’ sincerity, police stood down and left the scene.
It’s unclear what action the authorities have since taken, whether the army has been deployed to confront the Tibetans again. Nomads in this region of Tibet are known for being extremely fierce and China historically had great difficulty controlling them.