Dharamsala, Dec 23 

Chinese authorities have jailed three Tibetans, including a singer, for allegedly "attempting to split the Chinese nation" in Nagchu prefecture's Diru county in Tibet Autonomous Region, a human rights watchdog here said Monday.

Tibetan singer Trinley Tsekar (22) was imprisoned for nine years, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) said in a statement.

Two other Tibetans, Choekyap and Tselha, were sentenced to 13 years and three years in prison, respectively.

All the three accused were arrested last month.

The Chinese government has recently stepped up its crackdown on Tibetan artistes and intellectuals as part of its tactics to crush their language and culture, say exiled Tibetans here.

They say the Chinese authorities have been enforcing a ban on songs that either invoke their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, living in exile here, or highlight their aspirations.

Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese communist rule in 1959.

Around 140,000 Tibetans now live in exile, over 100,000 of them in different parts of India. Over six million Tibetans live in Tibet. The Tibetan administration, which is headquartered here, is not recognized by any country.

By:IANS