China Police Shoot Tibetan Monk After Complaint

China Police Shoot Tibetan Monk After Complaint

Oct 2, 4:23 am ET

BEIJING (Reuters) - The head of a Tibetan monastery has been shot dead by a policeman in western China after he and other monks demanded payment for medical treatment after they said they were beaten in custody, a U.S. broadcaster said.

Radio Free Asia said the shooting took place on Sept. 14 after a group of monks went to the police station in Darlag county in Qinghai province, part of a greater Tibet region divided into administrative districts by Beijing to curb unrest.

Several monks were wounded, it said, quoting unidentified sources.

A police officer from the Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which has jurisdiction over the county where the shooting took place, said Saturday he knew of the incident but that it did not happen exactly as the radio station had reported.

"It is still not clear if it was a police mistake or the crowd's mistake," the officer said. "It is under investigation."

He declined to confirm that a police officer had shot dead a monk.

A worker at a restaurant near the police station where the shooting took place said he had heard about the incident.

"This event happened. It is correct. A monk was killed," said the restaurant worker, who declined to give his name. He said a police officer had shot the monk.

The monk was identified as She Tse, head of the Golok Topden Monastery in Machen county near the border with the provinces of Sichuan and Gansu, Radio Free Asia said.

Police reinforcements were brought in from neighboring townships, and Tibetan civic and religious leaders appealed for calm, the broadcaster said. They also asked local people to cancel or postpone planned protests, it said.

Beijing imposed Communist rule on Tibet after its troops entered the Himalayas region in 1950. Its rule over the "land of snows" has led to resentment among many Tibetans, who want independence or more autonomy.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, fled in 1959 after an abortive uprising and has lived in India ever since.

Many Tibetans live in provinces and regions, such as Qinghai and Sichuan, neighboring the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.