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.

The Tibet Post International