Chime Dhondup, a supporter of Lobsang Sangay, who bashed a group of Penpa Tsering supporters in Orissa on 8 March 2016. Facebook
Tibet Sun Newsroom
MCLEOD GANJ, India, 16 March 2016
A supporter of Lobsang Sangay for the Sikyong 2016 election assaulted a group of supporters of rival Penpa Tsering for Sikyong in Orissa Tibetan settlement on 8 March, according to sources.
Chime Dhondup, a resident of camp 5 in Orissa Tibetan settlement, has beaten a few people including Jamphel Dhondup, 65, who received a blow on his face.
“I was walking with a few people after a chat on some general issues. I was confronted by Chime Dhondup and he just hit me in the face. I fell down on the spot. But I didn’t sustain any injuries,” Jamphel Dhondup said by phone to Tibet Sun.
The incident occurred on 8 March, but the news circulated much later on the social networking sites. Discussion forums on WeChat, the text and voice messaging app, are abuzz over the incident.
Jamphel Dhondup said that he is a staunch supporter of Penpa Tsering, and said that Chime Dhondup knows about it.
“He was saying some negative things about Penpa Tsering before he came to hit me. He also hit another person, Bhuchung, and chased away another,” Jamphel Dhondup said.
It was the first-ever case of violence related to the exile Tibetan elections.
The Orissa Tibetan settlement has 1,035 registered voters, according to the Tibetan Election Commission.
Tibetans all over the world will go to the final round of voting on 20 March to elect Sikyong 2016. Incumbent Lobsang Sangay and Speaker Penpa Tsering are the two candidates running for the post.
The results will be declared at the respective polling places within 24 hours after they are counted. Tibet Sun will be publishing these results as and when they become available.
[[ In keeping with the wishes of the Election Commission, Tibet Sun will not publish any more election-related comments until after the election is over. Thank you — Web Admin ]]
Following what many in the social media and micro messaging sites claimed was an incident of battery by a supporter of one Sikyong candidate on another, the Settlement officer of Orissa Tibetan settlement Chonor Samdup told Phayul that the incident has been “misconstrued” and “twisted”.
More details about the truth: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=37260&article=Orissa+assault+incident+%E2%80%9Cnot+election+related%E2%80%9D%3a+Settlement+Officer
Tibet Sun would lose its credibility if it reports false news.
Please be careful and maintain full neutrality.
Dear Tibet Sun — From this article, I’m not sure you investigated this with the local residents or the Orissa Tibetan settlement office.
It looks like you may have been fooled by the same voice message which fooled many. But now the truth is out. Here is a differing story at Phayul.com.
Thank you for your work; it isn’t easy to please everyone!
Credible journalistic job is not to please anyone, but to report whatever it is, truthfully and factually after thoroughly investigating the news, not based on some hearsay.
If any media want people to take them seriously, and respect them as a reliable source, they need to stay away from reporting false stories.