Potala Palace Monk Detained Before TAR 40th Anniversary

January 26, 2006

Chinese security officers in Lhasa detained Sonam, a monk employed at Lhasa's Potala Palace, on or about August 21, according to a September 17 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. In his early 40s, Sonam has worked at the Potala since the 1980s, and was considered a trustworthy employee, according to the report. Authorities sent him on an official visit to Nepal in the mid-1990s, and recently promoted him to the position of chapel caretaker. HRW received unconfirmed reports that two other Potala monks were detained about the same time, and may have been released.

Chinese security officers in Lhasa detained Sonam, a monk employed at Lhasa's Potala Palace, on or about August 21, according to a September 17 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. In his early 40s, Sonam has worked at the Potala since the 1980s, and was considered a trustworthy employee, according to the report. Authorities sent him on an official visit to Nepal in the mid-1990s, and recently promoted him to the position of chapel caretaker. HRW received unconfirmed reports that two other Potala monks were detained about the same time, and may have been released.

NGOs also reported that Lhasa authorities detained several Tibetans during a period of intensified security bracketing the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), which was commemorated on September 1, but only two persons have been identified so far. State Security Bureau officers ransacked the home of Sonam Gyalpo, a 50-year-old tailor, on August 21 and detained him after they found religious material featuring the Dalai Lama's likeness, according to a report on September 9. The central Chinese government sent a high ranking delegation to Lhasa, headed by Politburo member Jia Qinglin, for the anniversary ceremony. The period of heightened security ended on September 10, according to HRW.

The Potala Palace was the Dalai Lama's winter residence until he fled into exile in 1959. The Chinese government took over administration of the Potala as a "cultural relic" and tourist site in the 1980s, but it remains a primary destination for Tibetan worshippers. The Potala was added to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 1994. A UNESCO report issued in September 2002 provides information about Chinese government management of the Potala.