18. Jan 2012
Two abbots from Karma monastery arrested
(TCHRD) Two abbots, along with seven monks from Karma monastery (Chin: Gama) in Chamdo (Chin: Qamdo) county, Chamdo prefecture, were arrested on or around 29 October 2011, according to TCHRD. Security officials arrested the abbots, Lodoe Rabsel and Namsey Sonam, after they refused to cooperate with officials conducting patriotic re-education campaigns at their monastery. The monks refused to denounce the Dalai Lama and accept Tibet as part of China, as required in the classes, a TCHRD source claims. Karma monastery has been under constant surveillance since the 2008 protests, and the bombing of an empty municipal office building in Karma town on 26 October 2011 further intensified official restrictions on the monastery. The Buddhist dialectics school of Karma monastery, which used to have over 120 students, was closed after all the students fled to escape the repeated visits by security officials.