Dharamshala-- In the aftermath of Sangye Tso's self immolation last month, her husband in addition to three monks have been detained by Chinese authorities on unknown charges.
Local authorities have intensified the crackdown on local Tibetans following the self-immolation of Sangye Tso, a Tibetan mother of two, who died of from her wounds in Dokhok (Ch: aogao, Gansu Province), in Amdo, north-eastern Tibet.
Emerging sources report that the local Chinese authorities arrested Sangye Tso's husband, Tamding Wangyal, and Trinley Gyatso, a monk from Choepeshi Monastery on June 10th.
Other sources report that two monks from the same village as Sangye Tso were also detained in the first week of June from Choephel Shing Tashi Choekorling Monastery. Samten Gyatso and Lobsang Tenzin were detained on June 4th and June 5th respectively.
Although officers continue to provide no explanation for the arbitrary detention of the monks or their current wellbeing, local Tibetans suspect that they were most probably detained for sharing information regarding Sangye Tso's self-immolation protest via voice messaging services such as WeChat.
New information on Sangye Tso reveals that months before she had sent all her precious belongings including jewelry and other expensive clothing to her in-laws' home, hoping that these items could be used to fund her children's education.
Following her death, local officials visited Sangye Tso's in-laws' home and forced them to show all of her possessions and photographed them. Other family members of Sangye Tso are being subjected to severe interrogations.
Sources stated that restrictions on local Tibetans in the area have increased, with the authorities monitoring all communication channels including voice messaging services and emails.