Tibetan film director detained for disrupting public order

A Tibetan movie director has been detained for disrupting public order after he was involved in an altercation at an airport, police in northwest China's Qinghai Province confirmed Wednesday.

Award-winning director Pema Tseden is in police custody after he trespassed into an off-limits area at Caojiapu Airport in Xining on Saturday, the public security bureau at the airport said in a statement.

Pema, who arrived in Xining at around 8:15 p.m., had been trying to locate a piece of missing luggage when he attempted to access the controlled area, the document said.

He was physically restrained by airport security staff, who called the police after Pema refused to back down, it said.

Three policemen arrived at the scene, but they could not persuade Pema to leave, despite promising that the airport would deliver his missing luggage. Pema refused to cooperate, it said.

Police took him in for questioning at around 8:49 p.m. He sustained bruises from the handcuffs due to his erratic behavior, the statement said.

He was detained for five days for disturbing the peace under the security administration punishment act, it said.

On Monday morning, Pema felt dizzy and complained of tightness in his chest. Two policemen took him to hospital, where he was diagnosed with high blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Pema was briefly hospitalized. The police said he would complete his detention after recovery.

The detention and interrogation were both recorded on audio and video devices, police said.

Pema's detention came as a surprise to those familiar to him. "He is always friendly and happy," said Hao Jian with Beijing Film Academy, where Pema used to study. "He never even talks loudly."

Pema Tseden, born in 1969, is from Qinghai Province. He has won many Chinese and international film awards. Last year, he won the best adapted screenplay award at the Golden Horse Awards for his film "Tharlo." Endi