Thursday, April 5, 2012

Singer sentenced.

 Tibetan singer Ugyen Tenzin sentenced for 2 years in Jail. RFA news release seen at
 http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/sentenced-04032012135005.html?searchterm=None

Tibetan singer, Ugyen Tenzin from Nangchen (Yushul) was sentenced to 2 years in prison around March 20th, 2012 according to letter received from Tibet.  He was charged for singing Tibetan patriotic song, for obstructing mining and for being a ringleader of mass protest in Nangchen. See previous release on the singer’s arrest by RFA http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/song-03262012190715.html
Ugyen Tenzin was also arrested and jailed for one year in  2008, which was related to his effort of stopping Chinese mining on a mountain in Nangchen
(Ugyen Tenzin’s new album for which he was arrested  in Feb was available on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3x-YQlfEIw)
In the album the singer passionately addressed his fan “I wish for a quick reunion for Tibetan brothers and sister wherever you live in this world …I am the son of snow land, I have and will continue to dedicate my life to the snow land and the Potala...”
One of the song dedicated to Kalon Tripa Lobsang Sangay, hailing him “Tibet’s hope”.
“The distributor of the DVD song was also arrested and sentenced into 2 years , the Chinese are now looking for the composer of the lyrics” said Drudak Nyima, a Tibetan living in U.S who has contact in the region.

 Another Tibetan Urgon, and Youten Phuntsok were sentenced for 3 years and 2 years in prison respectively, on charge of political offense. Three other Tibetans (whose names unknown) were also sentenced into varying prison terms. Their arrest and sentence appeared to be connected with the mass protest in Nangchen in Feb this year, see RFA release at http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/defiant-02082012161711.html
  Early in March this year, Nangchen police issued public notice to Tibetans protesters to hand themselves in, see RFA release at http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/action-03132012194041.html
In the letter received from Tibet, and forwarded to us by a Tibetan living in US, Drudak Nyima la also stated,
 “Tibetans are given small sum of money in return for their resettlement from nomad land to modern town. All livestock are sold in whole sale to the Chinese. This campaign of encouraging Tibetans to move to the urban areas is forcefully carried out in full swing in different counties in Yushul. Tibetans in these areas are living in state of increasing anxiety and fear”.