Free Tibet's eyewitness said that the monk, Tashi Sangpo, jumped after fleeing from the local police station where he and six other monks had been taken the previous day.

Another monk who was a friend of Tashi Sangpo and a fellow student at Ragya, who now lives in London, had spoken to contacts in Machu who told him that there had been tension in the town since 9 March, when local monks raised a Tibetan national flag above the monastery prayer hall. Free Tibet's sources confirmed that on 8 March, armed troops had begun to arrive at the monastery. Free Tibet's contacts also said that the monks who raised the flag had also scattered leaflets around the monastery which "expressed solidarity and mourning for Tibetan martyrs", presumably those killed during the spring 2008 protests.

The London-based monk said that his contacts told him troops had forcibly removed the Tibetan flag after the monks refused to do so. His contacts said that the police had returned to arrest Tashi Sangpo and others on 20 March, suspecting them of having raised the Tibetan flag.

Free Tibet's eyewitness source said that the next day at around 2pm, Tashi Sangpo was seen running from the police station towards the Machu river (known in Chinese as the Yellow river), having managed to escape from the police station, saying that he had needed to use the (outdoor) toilet. Eyewitnesses said they saw Sangpo jump into the river from their vantage point on an overhanging bridge. They said they saw Sangpo's body swept under the bridge by the current and then lost sight of him. Free Tibet could not confirm whether Sangpo had stated he was intending to commit suicide of whether he was attempting to escape the authorities by running into the river, and has not received any reports stating whether he is alive or dead.

The London-based monk said that his contacts told him sangpo's younger brother went to the police station at around 4pm, and a very large crowd soon gathered. Sources said that this was a mixture of monks and laypeople, numbering over 1,000. The sources said that there were far more protesters than there were security personel in the police station at the time. The sources said that the protesters were angry, and believed that Sangpo had been forced to jump into the river as the only way of escaping beatings and ill-treatment by the authorities. They said that the authorities believed he had committed suicide, though there was no way to verify his intention when he jumped into the river.

The sources said that protesters threw rocks at the police station, and that one security official was badly injured. The sources said that the protesters left the scene only when one of the senior lamas at Raja asked them to leave. During this time, it seems that at least one protester recorded the scene on a mobile phone, and the video of the protest was soon posted on YouTube; it can be seen below.

The People's Court of Machen County in Qinghai Province sentenced six monks and two laypeople for taking part in the protest on 21 March, charging them with inciting protests. The court also stated that Tashi Sangpo had taken his own life by jumping into the river. It was stated that the authorities arrested many monks and laypeople during the protest, eight of whom were facing trial.

The sentences were:

Palden Gyatso (monk)
Disciplinarian at Ragya monastery, sentenced to seven years.

Tsultrim (monk)
Former disciplinarian at Ragya, who received four years.

Sopa Sangpo (monk)
Given three years.

Jamyang Khedrub (monk)
Given two years.

Sherab Sangpo (monk)
Given two years.

Gedhun Ralo (monk)
Given one year.

Hu-Lo (Layperson)
Given one year.

Yang-Kyab (layperson)
Given six months.

(From top-left) Palden Gyatso, Jamyang Khedrub, Sherab Sangpo, Gedhun Ralo, Sopa Sangpo.

Tashi Sangpo, believed to have died after jumping into the river