Dharamsala (
AsiaNews) - After serving five years in prison , the Chinese authorities have
released the Monk, poet and environmentalist Kunga Tsayang . The
cleric was arrested on 13 March 2009 and sentenced
November 15 of the same year on charges of "revealing state secrets"
: in reality the local government wanted to punish him for denouncing the
destruction of the region's environment by Chinese industries .
his
native county Chikdril, where Kunga is returned yesterday after his release,
welcomed him with great pomp and celebration. The
local population wore the traditional clothing and hoisted the "wind
horses" prayer flags, which in theory are forbidden.
Kunga
Tsayang (pictured), a monk at Amdo Labrang Tashikyil Monastery, has written
several essays on Tibet under the pseudonym of "Sun of the land of snow"
(Gang Nyi in Tibetan) . He
is originally from the "Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture " ( TAP ) of
Golog , Qinghai Province. Passionate
about travel, photography and literature, he has published a number of photos
in which he denounced the environmental degradation in Tibet and the impact on
the population.
According
to a source in the Tibetan Centre for
Human Rights and Democracy , which broke the news of his release , it is
these writings that led authorities to arrest him. In
the texts - with titles such as "Lhasa Lhasa is no longer" and "Where
is our government and where is the justice of the Chinese? " -
He denies Beijing's long standing claim that is has modernized Tibet. In
one of his most famous books we read: "It 's true that they have
introduced many laws and regulations, but if not then if they do not respect
them and apply them, what purpose do they serve? " .