Rongpo Monastery is a Criminal, Declares China
23 July 2010
The Tibet Post International
http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/inside/51-news-in-focus/1018-rongpo-monastery-is-a-criminal-declares-china-

Dharamshala: April this year, a group of Chinese officials visited
Rongpo monastery of Sog county, Nagchu region, eastern Tibet to
'educate' the monks on the virtues of loving one's religion and, more
importantly, one's government - for an entire month. Later, on 17th
May, communications in the monastery were cut, Mr Ngawang Tharpa told
The Tibet Post International.

Recently Dawa Rinpoche was arrested in the Tibetan capital Lhasa; he
was accused of recognising the 5th reincarnation of Rongpo Choeje, and
later contacting the Dalai Lama about the discovery. Simultaneously
three other monks were arrested: Dongpo, Ngawang Jangchup and Ngawang
Thokme - alongside a layman, Tashi Dhondup. One by one there were
released, except Ngawang Thokme (35 years old), who was found to have
kept photographs of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his dormitory, and
was sentenced for two years.

Around that time 50 Chinese officials and 150 soldiers came to the
monastery and interrogated the monks: they were all commanded to state
their opposition to both the His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Dawa
Rinpoche. And from that day, any further communication with the Dawa
Rinpoche was forbidden, who was furthermore de-recognised as a lama -
a prohibition that would extend to any reincarnations. Each monk had
to sign a written declaration condemning the Dawa Rinpoche. During the
process, one monk, Jampa, fell unconscious. Another monastery
official, politically appointed, by the name of Tashi Tensang, became
mentally unwell and lost his position in the monastery, having to
return to his family home.

The monastery was forced to temporarily close, due to ongoing disputes
between monks and Chinese officials. Later a monk called Nagwang
Gyatso, at 17 years of age, committed suicide on 20th May, on account
of the stresses of the events so far described. He was said to have
been well respected among his immediate community. Before his death he
wrote a letter - swiftly stolen by the Chinese authorities; the
contents are so far unknown. The Chinese furthermore denied that he
committed suicide, claiming illness instead - and anyone caught
uttering the word 'suicide' was to be arrested.

Dawa Rinpoche was released after a month, but was disallowed from
taking up any further monastic positions; he was forbidden from
entering any monastery, and had to stay put firmly within the vicinity
of his home town; and he was prohibited from contacting any of his
former monk colleagues. He is currently 75 years old and his health is
failing. The Chinese authorities have placed him under permanent
surveillance; his activities are still closely monitored.

Rongpo monastery has since re-opened and Ngawang Lobsang and 17 other
monks have demanded from the Chinese government that contact be
permitted between them and the Dawa Rinpoche, and that they be allowed
to express their support for both him and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
All demands were refused, and so they left the monastery on 17th July.
Weekly they have to report to state authorities, and for two years
they are forbidden from travelling long distances. Their future, and
that of the 'criminal' monastery of Rongpo, remains uncertain.
---------
Tibetan lama deposed for consulting Dalai Lama, monks quit in Nagchu
Phayul, July 23, 2010
By Tenzin Tsering
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=27804&article=Tibetan+lama+deposed+for+consulting+Dalai+Lama%2c+monks+quit+in+Nagchu

Dharamsala, July 23 - Seventeen Tibetan monks of Shag Rongpo monastery
in Nagchu county have been forced to leave their monastery after
Chinese authorities turned down their repeated requests not be
subjected to patriotic re-education and denunciation of the Dalai Lama
on July 17, Ngawang Tharpa, an exile Tibetan with contacts in Nagchu
said.

According to information received by Ngawang, Chinese police had
arrested the monastery’s head lama Dawa Rinpoche Khenrab Wangchuk
Samten Tenpai Gyaltsen and four others, identified as Tashi Dhondup
and three monks namely Ngawang Jangchup, Ngawang Thokmay and Dhungphug
from Lhasa on May 17.

The three others were later released but Ngawang Thokmay, a 35 year
old caretaker of the monastery, was held for alleged possession of
banned pictures of the Dalai Lama whom Beijing reviles as a
“splittist”. He was later sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

The authorities removed Dawa Rinpoche from all posts of the monastery.
Dawa Rinpoche is currently held incommunicado at his residence near a
place called Thoego La. A ruling was also been made that the aging
Rinpoche, 75, would not have any association and contact with his
monastery. The monks are also barred to visit him or even be near
Thoego La.

Chinese authorities accuse Dawa Rinpoche of consulting the exiled
Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama over the search for the 5th
reincarnation of Rongpo Choeje.

Following Rinpoche's arrest, around 50 Chinese work team officials
arrived at the monastery heavily guarded by around 150 armed security
personnel to conduct patriotic re-education sessions forcing the monks
to denounce the Dalai Lama and Dawa Rinpoche.

Meted out with serious threats involving imprisonment and expulsion,
monks were forced to give their signatures or finger prints to express
their non-allegiance to the Dalai Lama. Amid the mental trauma caused
by the interrogation a monk named Jampa suffered severe breakdown and
fell unconscious and another monk identified as the monastery’s
disciplinarian Tashi Tensang was forced to leave the monastery due to
depression.

The onslaught on their religious institution and faith has also led to
the death of a senior monk Ngawang Gyatso, 70, by suicide on May 20.
The authorities confiscated the suicide note he had left behind and
warned the monks not to discuss the suicide and to resort to the
official explanation of a “natural death”.

At present, the situation is extremely tense, said Tharpa, adding that
the monastery is under constant surveillance by security forces.
Chinese officials have reportedly said that among the 113 monasteries
in the county, Rongpo monastery will continue to remain under their
watchful eyes.