Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, April 17: Two Tibetan monks from Chu Khama Monastery in Machu County, identified as Samten Gyatso and Jamyang Samten, have remained in detention for more than a year following their arrest by Chinese authorities, with no information available regarding their current condition or whereabouts, according to a report by the Dharamshala-based Tibetan media outlet Tibet Times.
Samten Gyatso had previously come under scrutiny for sharing images of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, on social media platforms including WeChat. Police are reported to have conducted multiple searches of his monastic quarters, confiscating religious and literary materials, including a book titled The Buddha’s Appearance in the Land of Snow. He was also reportedly questioned after composing a short tribute marking the anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s Nobel Peace Prize. Though he was released following earlier interrogations, these incidents appear to have contributed to heightened surveillance.
Similarly, Jamyang Samten had engaged in online community activities, including the creation of a digital group used to disseminate information among the public. He had also authored a book, which reportedly led to accusations of unauthorized publication without obtaining the required state approvals. Although he had previously been detained and later released on these grounds, such activities may have contributed to his subsequent arrest.
The two monks were reportedly detained under separate circumstances. Sources indicate that one was taken directly from the monastery, while the other was summoned by local police after his mobile phone had been confiscated. He was instructed to collect the device, but upon arrival, he was detained and has not been released since.
More than a year after their detention, Chinese authorities have yet to disclose any official details about the monks’ status. The exact dates of their arrests also remain unclear, and communication with individuals connected to the case has reportedly become increasingly difficult, raising concerns over enforced incommunicado detention.
Although no formal charges have been publicly confirmed, sources suggest that the detentions may be linked to material discovered on their mobile phones. Authorities are believed to have found images of the Tibetan national flag during routine phone inspections. Both monks had reportedly undergone repeated interrogations prior to their detention, despite the absence of any formal accusations at the time.
The prolonged detention of the two monks, in the absence of formal charges or access to legal representation, highlights persistent concerns over restrictions on religious freedom and freedom of expression in Tibet under Chinese colonial rule.
When Tibet was an independent nation, the nation’s most respected people were the monks and nuns. It was not a blind faith but because they are the torch bearers of the Lord Buddha’s teachings and the spiritual legacy of the ethical law (ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་ཀྱི་བསླབ་པ་vinaya vrata) that is the touchstone of Buddha’s path to liberation. A full-fledged monk is bound by 253 vows and a novice/nun are bound by 36 vows. The four defeats (ཕམ་པ་བཞི་) are same for both fully ordained monk and novice monk or nuns! They are no killing, stealing, telling lies about self-grandiosity to deceive people and sexual misconduct. Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns practise them to the best of their ability since they chose to commit themselves to such a life style by self volition and not forced by anybody. Owing to their reputation of observing these ethical rules of conduct in their lives, the Tibetan public respect them highly. To have a monk or nun in the family was perceived as a status symbol! All that changed when heathen Chinese communists invaded and brutally occupied Tibet since 1949/50. Monks and nuns were murdered to the verge of extinction and every monastery, library and stupas were ransacked, scriptures made into bon fire and Tibet was reduced to rubble like Gaza! Being the most highly educated people among the Tibetan society, they have been in the forefront of resistance to Chinese colonial occupation and cultural genocide! Taby (བསྟན་འཕེལ་) from Kirti Monastery was the first monk who committed self-immolation in 2009 and since then some 157 Tibetans have offered their bodies in order to highlight the monstrous occupation, subjugation and genocidal policies of the evil Chinese communist regime! Among the self-immolators, most of them were monks, nuns or ex-monks! Many scholarly monks have been incarcerated for life and died in custody. While many simply disappeared without a trace! The most persecuted among the Tibetan population in occupied Tibet are monks and nuns. As we saw with the demolition of Larung Gar and Yachen Gar, nuns committed suicide because their homes were demolished and they were expelled from their monastery! All well-known monk scholars, academics, teachers, authors and Tibetan language teachers have been imprisoned on trumped up charges and flimsy excuses. Their punishments are known even before the supposed trials! The two monks, Samten Gyatso and Jamyang Samten, who have been detained without trial for more than a year are obviously writers and authors of books! Every Tibetan whether clergy or lay are picked up and incarcerated on trumped up charges to stop them from doing their job to work for the wellbeing of the Tibetans in the field of education or spiritual sustenance of the people! The CCP cannot countenance the growth of any individual’s popularity among the public. It lives with the mortal fear of being overthrown by the people since it knows very well that its rule in China and especially in occupied Tibet are only through sheer brute force! However, despite an iron curtain between occupied Tibet and the rest of the world not only physically but even digitally, prominent leaders are starting to speak up against communist China’s cultural genocide in occupied Tibet! Rajya Sabha Minister of Parliament Sujeet Kumar of the BJP has said in an interview to the Calcutta based The Statesman, “Supporting the preservation of Tibetan culture, identity, and religious freedom is consistent with India’s values, and it is RATHER CONCERNING TO SEE THE CULTURAL GENOCIDE THAT PRC HAS UNLEASHED ON TIBETAN CULTURE AND IDENTITY. I THINK THE WHOLE WORLD NEEDS TO CALL OUT CHINA FOR THIS”! COMMUNIST CHINA’S GENOCIDE IN OCCUPIED TIBET MUST BE GIVEN THE SAME LEVEL OF INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY THAT IS GIVEN TO THE ISRAELI GENOCIDE IN GAZA AGAINST THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE!!!