This content was first published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now being reprinted with permission.
According to two sources inside Tibet, Chinese authorities are also holding two suspected of being ringleaders and have released hundreds of monks and another Tibetans who were detained in February for peaceful protests against the construction of a bridge in a Tibetan-populated area of Chinese province.  ,
Tenzin Sangpo, top executive of Wonto Monastery, and a community national named Tenzin, were , arrested , on Feb. 23 on conviction of , leading protests , last quarter against the Gangtuo Dam initiative in Dege region, or Derge in Tibetan, in the province’s Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
The bridge is expected to bury six monks, including Wonto, and power the , settlement of at least two big communities along the Drichu River, or Jinsha River in Chinese.  ,
All told,  , more than 1, 000 Tibetan priests and people of Dege state were arrested , for protesting. Several of those arrested, including Sangpo and Tenzin, were transferred from where they were formerly detained , to the larger Dege County Detention Center.
Sangpo and Tenzin have been turned over to the state prosecutorial business, which is in charge of investigating and prosecuting major legal cases, according to the sources who spoke to the press for fear of reprisals from the government.
Authorities have since provided no information about their whereabouts or the charges brought against them, according to the options.  ,
The first cause, referring to Sangpo and Tenzin, said,” The regional Tibetan people are concerned that the government will accuse them of instigator the February protests and being accountable for sharing data with the outside earth.”
Another priest, who has assumed the role of convent executive in place of Sangpo, was likewise briefly detained by regulators, the sources said.  ,
Beaten and given much water or food.
Officials reportedly kept those arrested in filled cell meant to hold fewer than eight people, according to a priest who was arrested, detained, and released.
They even fed the detainees bad quality , tsampa , – ground- up, roasted wheat bread that is a Himalayan staple – fit for horses, mules or other animals.
” Some times, we were not given any fluids to drink”, he said. ” On other times, when there was waters, we were given quite much”.
The monk claimed that authorities punched the monks and punched them as punishment for their crimes or beat them if they refused to flee.
” One monk was beaten so badly that he could not even speak”, he said. ” He is now under medical treatment”.  ,
Tibetans who had been detained were subjected to psychological trauma, according to the sources.
Authorities have been closely monitoring villages and monasteries on both sides of the Drichu River since the protests and arrests in February, according to sources, and no outsiders have been denied entry to the township.  ,
Between Wonto village and Dege county, they have established five checkpoints, with dozens of police stationed at each, according to them.  ,
According to the sources, residents of the villages and monks from Wonto Monastery are not permitted to travel without a permit to the county.  ,
Before the protests, there were more than 50 younger monks at Wonto Monastery, but they were sent to the county government school after the protests.
Future of dam project uncertain
Concerning the future of the dam project, Chinese officials and media reports have provided conflicting and contradictory information.
The National Development and Reform Commission of China announced in 2012 that a massive 13-tier hydropower complex would be constructed on the Drichu. The total planned capacity of the 13 hydropower stations is 13, 920 megawatts.  ,
According to some, its future is uncertain, with preliminary checks being conducted to see if it is feasible to complete it, according to sources.  , Their findings will be presented to the State Council,  , the national cabinet of China,  , for a final decision.
However, other people  made it clear that the Gangtuo Dam project would continue, with a visiting county official telling the project coordination team leaders to follow their work orders and make arrangements for” the next step of work,” according to a local Chinese government announcement.  ,
