Disappearances Continue across Tibet

International Campaign for Tibet
December, 2008

A Tibetan female cadre in her thirties, Norzin Wangmo, has been sentenced to five years in prison for passing on news through the phone and internet about the situation in Tibet to the outside world, according to two sources including the Tibetan government in exile. Norzin Wangmo, from Ngaba Trochu county of Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP), Sichuan province, was convicted on November 3; exact details of the charges against her are not known.

In a letter written upon receiving the news about her imprisonment, a friend of hers wrote: "In your thirties, the prime of life, the critical juncture when your child needs educating, you and other heroes and heroines like you parted ways with your parents, split up with your spouses, and made orphans of your children for the sake of truth, and had to take the path alone. Five years is 1,825 days. It is 43,800 hours. To have to spend the best years of your life in a dark prison cell, what misery!"

A further report received by ICT details the detention of an 81-year old man, Paljor Norbu, by People's Armed Police on October 31 in Lhasa, according to sources in exile. According to a separate source, Paljor Norbu, who has been in prison before, may have been sentenced to seven years, and his whereabouts is unknown. Paljor Norbu runs a family printing business in the Barkhor, which has printed and published Buddhist texts for monasteries for some generations. The business has now been shut down by the Public Security Bureau, which also took many of the wooden printing blocks. This indicates that he is not accused of involvement in any protests from March 10 onwards in Lhasa, but possibly in providing publications. The same source said: "The family wants to know what prison he is in because it is getting cold, he is very old, and they want to get warm clothes and blankets to him."

Losar 2009.
For Tibetans and most of the Asian world, Losar (the New Year) is being celebrated on February 25th. 2009 also marks the 50th anniversary of the Lhasa Uprising. In honor of the many people who are missing, being held in captivity, and in prisons, Tibetans and their supporters will be holding prayer vigils, fasting, and other related activities. We hope you can participate in this solemn occasion.

Staying Informed.
Here are some excellent media sources to find out what is going on.

The Office of Tibet, New York
www.tibetoffice.org

The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
www.dalailama.com/news.htm

Phayul.com
www.phayul.com.

Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)
http://www.tchrd.org

World Tibet News (World Tibet Network News, or Canada Tibet Committee)
www.tibet.ca

The International Campaign for Tibet (or Free Tibet Campaign)
www.savetibet.org

Students for a Free Tibet
www.studentsforafreetibet.org

The Tibet Connection
www.thetibetconnection.org

TibetInfoNet
www.tibetinfonet.net

Voice of Tibet
www.vot.org