Four Tibetan students arrested during escape to India, further four still missing
The eight students attempted to flee Tibet in early March 2023.
Four Tibetan students have been arrested while attempting to flee to India, and a further four are missing. The eight students from Second Middle School in Chuchen (Ch: Jinchuan) County, Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, tried to leave Tibet in March 2023 but were stopped when police uncovered their plans.
An anonymous source told Free Tibet’s research partner, Tibet Watch, that those who were arrested have been interrogated and assaulted while in detention. Furthermore, each student was fined 20,000 yuan (roughly £2175).
The source went on to state that police have contacted the parents of the four missing students and informed them that their children have crossed the border and are supposedly in the hands of ‘criminal or blacklisted organisations’. Parents were told that they may be able to retrieve their children, but only if they are willing to pay 80,000RMB per person (roughly £8700).
The veracity of authorities’ claims cannot be substantiated. However, locals suspect that the four missing students may actually be in police custody, and that police are trying to exact a high ransom for their release.
Parents, relatives, and friends of the missing students have been searching for them, but are yet to find any success.
Information supplied by Tibet Watch.
