----- Original Message -----
From: "Necron 99"
Newsgroups: talk.politics.tibet
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 6:14 PM
Subject: bad monk! bad! bad!

Feb. 13, 2004-Authorities in the western Chinese province of
Qinghai have jailed five Tibetan monks for two to three years each,
apparently for publishing politically sensitive poems, Radio Free Asia
(RFA) reports.

All five were arrested around Jan. 16 and sentenced 20 days later,
sources told RFA's Tibetan service on condition of anonymity. They are
now serving their sentences near Xiling in Qinghai Province, several
sources said.

The monks were identified as the monastery's lead abbot, Gen (teacher)
Tashi Gyaltsen, Tsultrim Phelgyal, Tsesum Samten, Jhamphel Gyatso, and
Lobsang Thargyal. All had been living at the Dakar Treldzong monastery
in the Tsolho area of Qinghai, the sources said.

In 1995, the monastery began publishing a newsletter, of which Tashi
Gyaltsen was chief editor. Chinese authorities alleged that some poems
in the newsletter carried tacit political messages, the sources said.

The newsletter's lead editors-Tashi Gyaltsen, Tsultrim Phelgyal, and
Jhamphel Gyatso-received three-year sentences, while Tsesum Samten and
Lobsang Thargyal were handed two-year jail terms, the sources said.

The government argued that the newsletter contained poems and articles
in praise of three other monks from the same monastery who are now
completing their own jail terms.

Tashi Gyaltsen "studied at [the] Tashi Khel [monastery] for many years
and came back... and started teaching," one source said, adding, "He is
highly respected in the monastery."

Chinese authorities familiar with the case couldn't immediately be
reached for comment, and the identity of the sentencing body was unclear.

In its 2005 report on human rights around the world, Human Rights Watch
said "the Chinese leadership continues to limit Tibetan religious and
cultural expression and seeks to curtail the Dalai Lama's political and
religious influence in all Tibetan areas."

"Severely repressive measures limit any display of support for an
independent Tibet," Human Rights Watch said.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a private, nonprofit corporation that
broadcasts news and information to listeners in Asian countries where
full, accurate, and timely news reports are unavailable. RFA adheres to
the highest standards of journalism and strives for accuracy, balance,
and fairness in its editorial content.

¶ 3:58 AM