08. Dec 2009
Eleven Tibetans arrested in Golog over VCD
(TCHRD) TCHRD reports that eleven Tibetans, mostly monks from Tsakho and Khakhor monasteries in Matoe (Chin: Maduo) county Golog (Chin: Guoluo) TAP, Qinghai province, were arrested on 04 December 2009 by the county PSB officials on accusation of producing and distributing subversive songs on a video compact disc (VCD). According to TCHRD, the VCD, called "Chakdrum Marpo" (Red/Blood Omen), was jointly produced by five monks from two different monasteries in Tsakho township and released on 01 September 2009. It comprises mainly of songs with lyrics expressing nostalgia for the Dalai Lama, and complaining over the deaths of Tibetans following the protests across Tibet since 2008. Around 5,000 copies of the VCD were distributed free of cost by six other Tibetans in and around Matoe county. Although the monks remain in police custody, the six distributors were released on bail and given a deadline of 10 December 2009 to retrieve all the distributed VCDs. A TCHRD source said: "Since it [the VCD] was widely distributed in various places it's impossible task to meet the deadline given by authorities and their arrest is quite imminent".