Map showing location of Chamdo prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region
Tashi, a Tibetan man in his 30s, has committed suicide in a Chinese police detention centre in Markham county in the Chamdo prefecture of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
Though it is not clear how he took his life, it was reported that he died on March 11 in Tsangshul detention centre in Markham county. Radio Free Asia’s Tibetan service reported a source as saying “He was severely beaten and tortured while in detention, and became so desperate that he ended his life.
Tashi was a member of the Deyang family. He was arrested shortly before the 57th Tibetan National Uprising Day on March 10; the reason for his arrest is still unknown.
Following the news of Tashi’s death, fellow Tibetans in the region gathered at the police station to protest. The Chinese police made a video of the protest which they then used to identify the participants, who they later arrested.
A security clampdown is in place in the Markham region and all Tibetan residents of the area who are away working or on business have been ordered to return home within 15 days.
According to RFA’s source, the internet has been blocked in Markham for some time which has added to the delay in the news of Tashi’s detention and death reaching the outside world.
The crackdown on communication channels in the region makes it difficult to get further details of what has happened, and information about what is happening to the Tibetans arrested in the protest following Tashi’s death.
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