Tibetan Author Imprisoned

Around 4 pm on 19 November 2012, a posse of China's Public Security Bureau personnel arrested Gartse Jigme from his home in a small nomadic community in northeastern Tibet. Thirty-six-year-old Jigme is the author of Tsenpoi Nyingtob (The Warriors' Courage, Vol-1), which was published in 2008. The second volume of the title -  containing 25-chapters focussing on various issues such as self-immolation, Tibetan government-in-exile, environment etc. - was published in 2012.

Due to China's media blackout, Jigme's arrest and imprisonment remained unknown until 11 January 2013 when the Voice of Tibet Radio service broke the news. According to VOT, Jigme has been under surveillance since 2008 and his arrest is most likely linked to the publication of The Warrior's Courage Vol-2. He is currently being held in a prisoned located somewhere in Xining.

Following is a short excerpt from my piece on Jigme's book. Please read the full review from YAK HORNS: Notes on Contemporary Tibetan Writing, Music, Film and Politics.

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Jigme was born on 6 January 1976 in Gonshul, a nomadic encampment in Amdo. He spent three years in school and then joined the local Gargon Choeling Monastery where he mastered all traditional fields of learning. In this book Jigme asserts that the current crisis in Tibet has direct links to China’s occupation of the plateau and its subsequent campaigns such as the Democratic Reform and Great Leap Forward. During these gigantic Communist experiments hundreds of thousands of Tibetans died from hunger, including six members of his mother’s family. Beijing, Jigme writes, cannot wish away the hurts and pains buried deep inside each Tibetan just by chanting ‘liberation’ again and again. As long as a fundamental solution is not reached that satisfies the Tibetan demands, ‘the protests will go on’. 

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