Incidents on the Nangpa La
The incidents on Nangpa La occurred on September 30, 2006. The Nangpa La mountain pass hit the media worldwide due to a shooting when 75 Tibetan refugees and two leaders tried to break through to Nepal. Chinese border guards opened fire and killed the 17-year-old nun Kelsang Namtso just before the pass. Kunsang Namgyal, 23, was hit twice in the leg and apparently died later after border police took him away. The officers alleged that they acted in self-defense. Of the refugees only 41 reached the Tibetan Refugee Transit Center in Kathmandu , Nepal , from where they moved on to Dharamsala ( India ).
This incident became public because it was watched by mountaineers on Cho Oyu. A doctor who was part of an expedition team notified a newspaper in his home country of what he had seen that same day. However, he and other witnesses report several deaths (around seven), while China only confirmed the death of Kelsang Namtso for the time being. Photos of the mountaineers show that the Chinese took away people who did not make it across the border. These were mostly children between the ages of seven and 16.
In October, China announced the death of another nun, 25-year-old Kelsang Nortso, during the shooting. Authorities also said that a prisoner died of lack of oxygen in a hospital.
It is believed that 18 people, including 14 between seven and eighteen years old at the time of the incident, are still in custody by Chinese authorities.
supporting documents
- The shooting on tibet-initiative.de
- Tibetans Survive Border Guards, Reach Nepal Capital on ipsnews.net
- Nangpa La Shooting - an eye witness account on phayul.com
- China tries to gag climbers who saw Tibet killings on independent.co.uk
- Death on Tibetans' long walk to freedom on guardian.co.uk
- Article on the shootings on Wikipedia
Coordinates: 28 ° 6 ' N , 86 ° 35' E