This is Geshe Tenzin Phalsang, the fifth monk from Drango to be disappeared by Chinese security forces in the last year.

He was disappeared in April after helping Tibetans who had been wounded during the Drango protests in January, where Chinese forces had opened fire on Tibetan protesters, killing two and injuring dozens.

Geshe Tenzin Phalsang joins the Drango Four, a group of Tibetan monks who were disappeared in January, and haven’t been heard from since.

We need as many people as possible to take action. Geshe Tenzin Phalsang and the Drango Four are just a tiny minority of the Tibetans who have been disappeared by Chinese forces. Campaign for their release now. 

This is Lobsang Lobzin who set himself on fire and died in Tibet. The wave of Tibetan protests shows no signs of abating. Free Tibet!

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Tsering Gyaltsen, a Tibetan monk in his 40s who has been unaccounted for since February, is reported to have died in Chinese custody in Eastern Tibet. Free Tibet

This photo is of a protest that took place on 21 March. Around 100 monks marched to the local government offices in Bhora Township. They were carrying Tibetan flags and images of the Dalai Lama and calling for freedom.

China gives free gyms to Tibetan monasteries

In late March, Chinese authorities announced they have given Tibetan monks the gift of health and fitness by sending gym equipment to 20 Tibetan monasteries.

Each monastery will receive a full set of 14 pieces of equipment, including a treadmill, an elliptical trainer and a rowing machine. This is especially exciting to the many monks in centuries-old monasteries which are still housed in mud-and-brick buildings in the Himalayans.

According to Chinese sports experts, the monks’ traditional exercise regime that comes with their Buddhist practices is not enough to keep them in shape. 

“We want to improve the exercise conditions in the monasteries in order to enrich the cultural and athletic life of monks and nuns,” said Yang Zhanqi, deputy head of the regional sports bureau.

The modern gym equipment provides the monks the opportunity to target specific muscle groups, a luxury they didn’t have before.

Do the Chinese seriously think that some rowing machines and a few treadmills will make up for 50 years of violence and oppression against Tibetans including shootings , torture , detentions and much more?

To read more about the current situation in Tibet and recent protests visit our Tibet Rising pages.

photo credit: Pedro saraiva