13 May 2008
Monks pray for quake victims
(ICT; Xinhua) The Dalai Lama led prayers in Dharamsala, and Tibetan monks in monasteries across all Tibetan areas within the PRC also held ceremonies, for those who died in the Sichuan earthquake. Monks have also donated money to relief efforts. Many of their monasteries are still under lockdown in the crackdown that followed the protests that began in March. Monks at Kirti monastery in Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, where at least 10 Tibetans were shot dead during protests, applied for special permission to hold a ceremony for the dead and injured. They also sent a message from inside their monastery expressing compassion for those who died, and explaining that their protests had not been aimed at the Chinese people, but at the government. Kirti Monastery has been surrounded by Chinese security forces since 16 March, and the local community has not been allowed access after large public demonstrations were held there. About 500 monks attended a service at the Drepung monastery in Lhasa, which was also under tight restrictions.