By Tendar Tsering  Tsetan Dorjee, his younger sister Lhamo Kyi and mother Dhumpo Kyi being confronted by border police at the Nepali border in Sonauli, May. (Phayul file photo) DHARAMSHALA, July 18: Tibetan NGOs based in Nepal are all geared up to seek the release of jailed Tibetan peace marcher Tsetan Dorjee. According to sources, the NGOs will be re-appealing Dorjee’s case in the court. Last month, a court in Nepal had sentenced Dorjee to five years and five months and 25 days in prison for illegally entering Nepal. He was arrested by the Nepali police at Thumpo Rin, 15 kms from the Nepali capital Kathmandu on May 21 while on his return march to Tibet and kept in detention for nearly two months before his sentencing. Earlier this month, coinciding with the Dalai Lama’s birthday celebrations, Dorjee’s mother, Dhom Po Kyi was seen distributing pamphlets in the exile headquarters o Dharamshala, requesting Tibetans, Tibetan NGOs, and the international community to help secure her son’s release. “My son has been jailed in Nepal just because he was on a peace march to Tibet, demanding the resolution of the ongoing crisis inside Tibet based on the principles of genuine autonomy,” Dhom Po Kyi said, appealing for her son’s release. Dorjee’s younger sister, Lhamo Kyi has also brought out a newspaper titled, “Tsetan Dorjee,” which has information on the arrested marcher in Tibetan, English, and Chinese langauges. Dorjee along with his mother, Dhumpo Kyi and sister, Lhamo Kyi had embarked on their peace march to Tibet from Dharamshala on March 10. After marching for over two months and covering more than 1,300 kms, the exile family was stopped by Nepali border police and forcibly returned to India in May. However, slipping past Nepali border posts, Dorjee left behind his mother and sister on the Indian side and carried on with his March to Tibet in Nepal. He was arrested eight days later on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Reports in May had indicated that Chinese authorities in Tibet are planning to re-launch the infamous Strike Hard Campaign not only in Tibet but also in Nepal. According to the exile Tibetan administration, Chinese authorities have commissioned plans to “crackdown” on Tibetans across Tibet, and those living in Nepal through “collaboration with the Nepalese police.” |
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