Tashi Dhondup's album, called 'Torture Without Wounds' contains lyrics about the suffering of Tibetans under Chinese rule, the crackdown on Tibetans after the 2008 protests and also expresses support of the Dalai Lama, and was first released in October 2009, selling some 5,000 copies in the Amdo area before it was banned.

Lyrics include: "The pain that there is no freedom in the land of Tibet. The pain that the heritage of our ancestors has been taken away" and "Our root-lama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama / Please stop the life of exile in the land of others and come home as soon as possible / All the devoted men and women are around your golden throne waiting for you".

The 30-year-old was reportedly arrested at gunpoint by four police officers in a restaurant in Xining as his wife held onto a police officer's leg in an attempt to prevent the arrest. Like many Tibetans in detention, there are fears for his welfare.

Tashi Dhondup was born into a nomadic family in Sarlang, a town in Yungan county, Malho prefecture in Qinghai province. He had also been detained between September 2008, accused of releasing songs containing 'counter-revolutionary content'. His song 'The Year of 1959' was singled out as an example of this. He was beaten by police over a seven day period.

Through the development of the internet and other methods of sharing both cultural and political information, the messages of figures like Tashi Dhondup are becoming powerful opposition to the Chinese regime as more and more Tibetans are inspired by the non-confrountational resistance which the arts can provide. The Chinese authorities are increasingly keen to limit free expression of this kind, especially content which includes Tibetan nationalist references, and continue to arrest those publishing literature and writing internet blogs on their feelings and experiences of Chinese occupation.