BEIJING - Chinese army troops moved into a Tibetan-inhabited region of western China and arrested five men after a months-long investigation into prayer ceremonies held in honor of the Dalai Lama, an overseas Tibet support group said Thursday.
The five, aged 35-55, were arrested on Oct. 18 in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, the New York-based International Campaign for Tibet said. Authorities have not told relatives what charges they might face, saying only that the crimes were serious, the group said in a news release.
The group said the arrests appeared to be related to a series of traditional Buddhist rituals held in Ganzi in February to pray for long life for the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual and temporal leader who lives in exile in India.
A spokeswoman from the Ganzi police department said she had no information about any ceremonies, troops or arrests. However, she said police were conducting investigations classified as state secrets. The woman identified herself only as Miss Wang.
A secretary with the Ganzi local government said some troops had been in the area in October for maneuvers. They left after a few days, said the woman, who gave only her surname, Hou.
China considers the Dalai Lama a political meddler campaigning to overthrow Chinese rule in Tibet and works relentlessly to disparage him among Tibetans.
Police discovered videos taken of one of the largest meetings, which featured dancing, feasting and speeches in front of portraits of the Dalai Lama, which are strictly banned in Tibet, International Campaign for Tibet said.
Beginning on Oct. 17, about 400 PLA soldiers armed with automatic rifles arrived in the area and began a week of patrols and night maneuvers, the group said.
"While Chinese authorities have given no official explanation, Tibetans in Kandze told (the International Campaign for Tibet) that they believed the arrests were directly connected to the organization of the prayer ceremonies for the Dalai Lama," the news release said.
Those arrested were identified as: Shamba Tsangpo, 37, a Communist party member and government employee; Namgyal, 35; Kayo Dogha, 55; Tsering Dorjee, 49; and Jampal, 40. Others from the area fled to India after being summoned for questioning by police, the group said.
Ganzi, known in Tibetan as Kandze, was traditionally regarded as part of Tibet, but was placed under a neighboring province after Chinese troops occupied the Himalayan region in 1951.
The report comes after developments that appeared to indicate a possible thaw in relations between China and the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese communist troops.
China has released six Tibetan political prisoners this year and permitted the Dalai Lama's brother and a separate delegation of top officials of the Tibetan government in exile to visit Tibet. The delegation's visit in September marked the first formal exchange between the sides in nine years.
However, John Ackerly, President of the International Campaign for Tibet, said the arrests indicated China had made no fundamental changes to its rigid controls over Tibetan culture and religion.
"Despite what looks like a thaw in Sino-Tibetan relations at the diplomatic level, the religious tolerance situation in Tibet hasn't improved," Ackerly said.