The situation in eastern Tibet continues to remain grim following the severe clampdown enforced by the Chinese government.On 27th January, large numbers of armed Chinese forces have been stationed across the Barma Township besieging the region and preventing the residents from stepping out.Four monks from Lhawang monastery that lies three kilometers from Barma were arrested yesterday. There has been a continued state of unrest inside Tibet since then and the Chinese government has intensified the crackdown to control the protests.

Sources fron inside Tibet also stated that communication has been completely cut off in eastern Tibet after a string of protests against the Chinese repressive policies kept taking place. No means of communication involving telephone, fax and internet have been able to be established.

In a related incident, 31-year-old Choeying Logyal and 21-year-old Choepal Dawa were arrested in Sog County in eastern Tibet for sending letters and trying to establish contact outside Tibet on January 15. There is no information on their whereabouts since their arrest.