Beijing jails Tibetan singer for criticising Chinese policies in latest song

According to tibet.net,  Lhundrub Dakpa, a popular Tibetan singer from Kham Driru in Nagchu, was detained by Chinese authorities in May 2019, two months after the release of his latest song ‘Black Hat’.

The 36-year-old singer was in 'arbitrary detention for more than a year during which he was subjected to beatings and harsh interrogations', the report said.

"Lhundrub Dakpa was earlier known to be imprisoned in a Nagchu jail but details of his current location and health condition are not known at the time of reporting," the report added.

In April 2015, Chinese authorities jailed another Tibetan singer for singing a song that mentions prayers for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Why does the Dalai Lama anger Beijing?

"The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the head- both temporal and religious- of Tibetan Buddhists. He became the head of state in 1950, at the age of 15.

The same year the Chinese occupied Tibet.

"The Dalai Lama held negotiations with Chinese officials on Tibetan self-rule with little success. In 1959, he fled Tibet for exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Over the years, the Dalai Lama has continued to lobby for self-rule in Tibet," read a CNN report.

A Nobel Peace Prize winner, while the Dalai Lama enjoys a cult status and is revered overseas, Beijing sees him as a troublemaker.

"Chinese officials have vilified him as a "wolf in monk's clothing" who seeks to destroy the country's sovereignty by pushing for independence. The Dalai Lama maintains that he does not advocate independence but wants an autonomy that would allow Tibetans to maintain their cultural, language and religion under China's rule. China remains unconvinced," the report added.