Five arms and ammunition smugglers had death
sentences suspended and commuted on Tuesday.
The Higher People's Court of Tibet
Autonomous Region gave one Nepalese, named Ananda, and one Tibetan,
Qubzhag, death penalties with two-year reprieves and confiscated
all of their personal property.
Another Nepalese, named Gyaljen, and two other
Tibetans, Celo and Lobsang Qoizhag, had death penalties commuted to
life terms. All Gyaljen's personal property was also
confiscated.
The court heard that Qubzhag sold 270 rounds of
rifle bullets to Ananda in April 2003 and bought a submachine gun
modeled on the "August 1" type in northwest Xining, capital of
northwestern China's Qinghai
Province. He also purchased another 2,000 rounds of bullets in
southwestern Sichuan
Province with the help of Lobsang Qoizhag in the June-October
period of the same year. Qubzhag and Celo shipped the submachine
gun and bullets to Zhangmu County in Tibet and sold them to Ananda
and Gyaljen who smuggled them out of China.
In October 2000, Qubzhag bought eight submachine
guns, six pistols and 70 rounds of bullets, which were forwarded to
Qubzhag and Lobsang Qoizhag at Zhangmu County in Tibet and
subsequently sold to Ananda and Gyaljen. When those hired by Ananda
sneaked the arms and ammunition out of China at his order, they
were captured by Chinese public security officers.
The Xigaze Intermediate People's Court gave capital
punishment to Qubzhag, Celo, Ananda, Gyaljen and Lobsang Qoizhag in
the first instance trial held on August 27.
The High Court held that Ananda and Gyaljen had
violated the law by illegally purchasing weaponry and ammunition in
Chinese territory and smuggling them out of China. As they were
principal culprits and the case was grave, they deserved severe
penalties.
The court, nevertheless, gave both Ananda and
Gyaljen suspended sentences in view of the fact that Ananda had
confessed all his crimes and Gyaljen was an accomplice and
repented.
The regional court promptly informed the consulate
general of Nepal in Lhasa, capital of Tibet.
(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2005)