Tibetan Monk Shot in Qinghai

— The leader of a Tibetan monastery in western China has been shot dead after he and other monks demanded that local police pay for medical treatment they required after being beaten in custody.

According to two witnesses who asked not to be named, a Chinese police officer, identified by the surname of He, shot and killed the head monk from Golok Topden Monastery on Sept. 14. The monk was identified as She Tse, sources told RFA’s Tibetan service.

The shooting is said to have occurred at the Darlag (in Chinese, Dari) County police station after a group of monks including She Tse went there to demand compensation for medical expenses they incurred as a result of being beaten in custody, the sources said.

Golok Topden Monastery is located in a traditionally Tibetan area under the administration of China’s western Qinghai Province.