30 January 2007
Nangpala refugees detained and beaten
(AP; ICT) Tibetans detained at the time of a fatal shooting of a Tibetan nun on the Tibet-Nepal border in September 2006 were beaten and held in detention for periods ranging from several days to several months, according to a 15 year old youth who has arrived in Dharamsala having finally escaped. Jamyang Samten said he was one of 75 Tibetans who were making their way over the Nanpala Pass on 30 September when Chinese border guards opened fire on them, killing a 25-year-old Buddhist nun and another person. Chinese police then took at least 25 Tibetans into custody, including at least ten young children aged between eight and 15. According to the youth, speaking from Dharamsala, the older teenagers and adults were severely beaten, and some children who were not immediately collected by their parents were detained for more than three months.