Outspoken Tibetan writer rearrested

(TibetanReview.net, Feb06, 2011) The Chinese authorities in Sangchu County of Gansu Province had arrested on Dec 16’10 a young Tibetan writer whom it had earlier released on a six-month probation in Oct’10, according to Dharamsala-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy Feb 4. The centre said the reason for the arrest of Kalsang Tsultrim, also known as Gyitsang Takmig, was not known. It said he was summoned to the Tsoe city police headquarters and never released from there.

Kalsang Tsultrim had earlier been arrested on Jul 27’10 from Dzoege (Chinese: Ruo’ergai) County of Sichuan Province after he had circulated a VCD recording of himself that was highly critical of the Chinese government rule and policies in occupied Tibet. The hour-long VCD, recorded on Aug 18’09 and numbering 2,500, was said to have been widely distributed in the Tibetan areas of Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan provinces.

Its purpose was stated to be to “educate primarily the illiterates and general Tibetan public” about the "true history of Tibetan struggle for freedom, the Dalai Lama’s call for the genuine autonomy through middle-way approach and human rights situation in Tibet” to counter the “daily dose of government-sponsored propaganda”. It is also said to urge the international community to "act swiftly on behalf of the Tibetan people" to end the repression in Tibet while also calling for the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet.

Kalsang Tsultrim is said to be well known for his writings, especially for a 2008 book which highlights the concerns and aspirations of the Tibetan people. He was earlier a monk at the Gyitsang Gaden Choekorling Monastery in Sangchu (Chinese: Xiahe) county in Gansu Province. In 2005 he joined the Gansu Provincial Buddhist Institute and graduated from there in 2009.