November 1999
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Chinese police open fire on 3,000 peaceful protestors
[ read ]
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Arrests of three monks
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Sinocisation of school syllabus
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Returning Tibetan faces detention
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Testimony of a juvenile political prisoner
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The cost of resistance
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Assault on religion: Patriotic re-education in monasteries
[ read ]
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Ngawang Dhipsel in critical health
[ read ]
On October 31, 1999, officers of the Karze County Public
Security Bureau (PSB) opened fire on approximately
3,000 Tibetan protestors in Karze County in Sichuan
Province, Karze "Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture" (TAP).
The protestors were demanding the immediate release of three
Tibetans from Karze County who were detained on grounds
of suspicion for their involvement in political activities
in October of 1999. The protest lasted for 30 minutes in
front of the Karze County People's Government and Karze
Detention Centre. The protest was held six days after
the arrest of the three Tibetans.
Information from Tibet has indicated that the police opened
fire at the demonstrators and threw tear gas shells to
disperse the crowd. PSB officers arrested approximately
30 protestors on the day of the protest. Local hospitals
were instructed not to attend to any of the injured
people. Furthermore, PAP forces were stationed at various
hospitals to ensure compliance. All of the major religious
institutions in Karze County were under tight survelliance.
At least 80 Tibetans were reported to have been arrested
in connection with the protest, of which names of only
five are available. Sonam Yeshi, Pema Phuntsok, Loga,
Wangdak and Wangdue are all detained in Karze Detention
Centre. The inmates were reportedly held in incommunicado
detention. Although the exact figure is not available
at this time, recent reports indicate that some of the
protestors were released and others will will be released
after paying a fine.
Several incidents of political unrest were reported
in Karze this year. Chinese authorities have reportedly
deployed large number of troops in Karze County following
incidents of resistance to Chinese policies.
On July 20, 1999, PSB officials arrested 11 monks from
Karze Dhargye Monastery after discovering pro-independence
slogans on the walls of the monastery. The monks were
charged with inscribing "Tibet is independent" with
red paint on the gates and walls of the monastery.
Their identities and whereabouts are unknown.
[ top ]
A respected and learned monk of Karze Dhargye Monastery,
Sonam Phuntsok,
along with two other monks, Sonam Choephel
and Agya Tsering were arrested on October 24, 1999 by
officials of the Karze County PSB. Sources within Tibet
report that Chinese authorities have detained Sonam
Phuntsok in Datsedo County in Karze "TAP". Sonam was
suspected of having "clandestine contacts" with the Tibetan
government-in-exile. Agya and Sonam Choephel are currently
held in Karze Detention Centre.
Sources indicate that Sonam Phuntsok's popularity was
an apparent threat to the Chinese authority. They were
reportedly aware that his arrest would create resentment
among the Tibetan people. The authorities had stationed
approximately 20,000 PSB and People's Armed Police (PAP)
officers in the area prior to the arrest of the three
monks.
Sonam Phuntsok is well-known figure and Tibetans in
the region regard him as a great Buddhist practitioner
and scholar. He is well known for teaching Tibetan
literature to young monks. He had also recorded the
historical description of 13 monasteries in Karze "TAP"
and two of his books have been published.
Prior to his arrest, Sonam Phuntsok had initiated a
long-life prayer offering for the Dalai Lama. In an address
he made around that time, he praised the Dalai Lama and
advised the people to follow his preaching. Aware of the
consequences for such an action, he informed the public
that he "did not regret anything".
Sonam Phuntsok was born in 1951 in Karze County,
Kham Province (Sichuan). Agya Tsering alias "Agyong",
47 years-old was first arrested in February 1990 for
allegedly printing and distributing leaflets calling for
Tibetan independence. In 1990, he put up posters on the
gates of various government buildings in Karze as well
as in prominent locations in Odoling City in Qinghai
Province. He was detained in Yushu "TAP", Amdo (Chinese:
Qinghai Province). He was remanded to 18 months of
"re-education through labour" without trial.
Born in Jurenno Village in Diwo Township, Karze County,
he studied in Magtsuk School (People's School) in
Karze for five years and later joined Dargye Monastery.
Sonam Choephel is reportedly the assistant to Sonam
Phuntsok. No other details of Sonam are available.Due to
the increased security in Karze, efforts to obtain precise
details concerning the identities and place of detention
of those arrested has been limited.
[ top ]
Nyima
is a 15 year-old student from Sichuan Province
in Karze "TAP", Bathang County. His parents are farmers
and there are five members in his family. He attended a
mang-tsuk school called "mi mang lob chung"in his county
where there were approximately five hundred students. There
were three other primary schools in the district. Nyima
went to the school from the age of seven and completed his
education in 1998. There were both Chinese and Tibetan
students in his school. The head of the school was Chinese
and there were eighty teachers of whom fifty were Chinese
while thrity were Tibetan.
All the Chinese teachers taught in Chinese and the text
books were also in Chinese which Nyima found hard to
follow. One of the rules stated that Tibetan students were
not allowed to speak Tibetan during a Chinese class and
he was once beaten up for having spoken in Tibetan in a
Chinese class. There was a marked contrast in the kind of
teaching for Tibetan and Chinese students. In the Tibetan
class the students were only taught to read and write,
while in the Chinese class there were lessons on history
of the Chinese state. There were never any lessons about
the culture, religion or history of Tibet.
Most of the manual work like cleaning was done by Tibetan
students while the Chinese students were exempted from
such duties. Nyima finally fled Tibet on October 15,
1999 and 3, 1999.
[ top ]
Yonten Tharchin,
27 years old, was detained for six months
in Tsolho Prison after he was found to have brought some
cassettes from India to Tibet. Tharchin was returning to
Tibet after spending five years in India.
In January 1996, the Chinese army caught Tharchin at
Dram near the Tibetan border, when he was found entering
without valid documents. He was detained in Dram for 17
days along with seven members of his group. During his
detention he was forced to wash clothes and cut firewood
for the army. Tharchin was detained successively in
various places: Nyelam for three days, Shigatse for 50
days, Golmud for a day, and finally transferred to Tsolho
Prison.
While in Tsolho Prison, he was found to possess audio
cassettes with speeches of the Dalai Lama. As a
consequence he was tortured and forced to stand facing
the wall with his hand stretched upwards, while his
arm pit hair was removed. He was interrogated on the
administrations of the exiled Tibetan government
In April of 1996, Tharchin was issued an indictment
paper that said he would be sentenced to three years
imprisonment. However, one of his relatives helped
to get him released after bribing 6000 yuan (US $ 700)
to officials. Even after his release, he was constantly
kept under surveillance.
In June 1999, a relative who worked in the government
informed him that he needed to remove any thing in his
home which might cause for further trouble, since Chinese
officials would raid his house soon. Unable to bear the
situation, he again fled his hometown in Tibet for India,
and reached Dharamsala on October 10, 1999.
Tharchin is from Baku Town in Thurde County, Qinghai
province. He joined a village school at the age of seven
and studied there until he joined a monastery at the age
of 13. Tharchin had earlier visited India at the age of 19,
and stayed for five years.
[ top ]
Norzin Wangmo,
22 years old, is a former Shugseb nun who
spent five years in Drapchi Prison when she was 16 years
old. Originally from Ju Village in Gentsey Township in
Gongkar County, Lhoka Region, Norzin reached Dharamsala,
India on November 27, 1999. Norzin's parents are farmers and
she has 10 siblings. She joined Shugseb Nunnery in 1989 at
the age of 12.
In the morning of December 9, 1993,
Norzin and seven other nuns of Shugseb Nunnery demonstrated
in front of the Central Cathedral in Lhasa Barkhor.
The nuns demonstrated for approximately 15 minutes,
after which they were arrested by Barkhor Security Personnel and
policemen patrolling on the "shasar sur" lane of the
Barkhor. The nuns continued to shout independence slogans
even as they were being arrested. Many people witnessed the
arrest of the nuns.The police put them in a van and beat all
the nuns severely with cords made of rubber. Norzin was hit
hard on her right eye, resulting in severe impairment of her
vision which still effects her. The nuns were taken to Gutsa
Detention Centre where they were kept separately and
interrogated individually. They were detained in Gutsa for
around 11 months where they were interrogated at least 20
times.
During this detention, none of the nuns were allowed
to receive visitors. Their parents and the relatives who
came to see them were unable to do so. The nuns did not
receive the food and clothes which their parents or
relatives had brought. They were kept by the prison guards
who issued fake receipt to the senders or visitors. At the
time of interrogation, the nuns were asked various questions
regarding the demonstration: how they organised it and with
whose assistance. The nuns answered that "they came
on their own to demonstrate" and that "there was no
outside force responsible". These answers did not seem
to satisfy the officers because the nuns were severely
beaten again. Norzin was 16 at that time but she suffered
nonetheless. She was beaten with a wooden plank and given
shock treatments with an electric baton.
After eight months of detention and interrogation,
the nuns were tried in the "Tibet Autonomous Region"
(TAR) Intermediate People's Court on September 10, 1994.
Norzin and the eight nuns were charged with propagating
"counter-revolutionary" activities under article 102 of
the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of
China. Rinzin Tsondue and Jampa Choekyi were charged as
the primary leaders responsible for "spearheading" the
demonstration. The nuns" plea of innocence was ignored
and they were sentenced to six years" imprisonment and
two years deprivation of political rights on September 13,
1994. On September 17, 1994, they were finally transferred
to Drapchi Prison. Norzin Wangmo (16), Lodoe Pema (24),
Namgyal Choedon (22), Sherab Dolma (19), Choenyi Dolma (17)
and Norbu Yangchen (17) were sentenced to five years"
imprisonment and two years deprivation of political
rights. All six were released on December 8, 1998.
In Drapchi, Norzin was confined in the 3rd Unit along with
the rest of the nuns. Everyday, the nuns were assigned
to clean, prune and make yarn out of four sang (about
200 grams) of wool. This was a quota fixed by prison
authorities, which the nuns had to accomplish within a
day. After March 1996, the eight nuns were separated from
the older prisoners. The 3rd Unit was divided into two
sections as the Old and the New 3rd Unit. Norzin and the
eight nuns were kept in the old 3rd unit. Norzin reported
that the separation made it almost impossible for them to
even see let alone establish any contact with the senior
political prisoners.
When the eight nuns first arrived in Drapchi Prison, the
prison authorities issued them cotton quilts which were
immediately taken away by their unit leader. During the
winter of 1996, trouble arose when prison authorities
ordered the nuns to clean their unit. The nuns refused
and instead demanded that their new quilts be returned to
them. They were reprimanded and serious punishemnts were
imposed. Norzin in particular was confined in a solitary
cell for 45 days and was given only one meal a day.
On May 4, 1998, non-political prisoners and political
prisoners of the New 5th and the 3rd Unit were assembled
and ordered to participate in official celebrations
which inclded hoisting of the Chinese Flag and singing the
Chinese national anthem. These prisoners started protesting
whereupon they were beaten by the prison authorities and
the PAP. On seeing this from their prison windows , the
female prisoners of 3rd Unit (old) started shouting at
the authorities pleading with them not to beat the other
prisoners. In the process the prison windows were broken.
As a result PAP and Prison authorities stormed into
their prison cell, made them stand up facing the wall
and started beating them.They hit them with their belt
buckles. Eventually all the prisoners had head injuries and
were bleeding heavily. Ngawang Sangdrol who is serving 21
years was bedridden for two days. The beatings continued
despite repeated pleas from the women, and it resulted in
cases of broken limbs.
Since the protest, the prisoners have been confined to
their cells for the entire day and have not been alowed out
for any prision activities. They even have to urinate in a
container provided to them in their cell which is cleaned
only once a day.Even the extent of injuries suffered by
a prisoner is unknown to anyone other than her cellmate
since they are not allowed to go out and no one is allowed
to see them.
Norzin was released on December 8, 1998. She didn"t know
how many prisoners were in her "unit" as she was confined
all day in her cell until her release. She reported that
since May, 1998 she felt terrible suffocation in her
cell and after the protest there were far more severe
restrictions than before. Norzin escaped from Lhasa on
October 25, 1999.
[ top ]
Lobsang Samten
(lay name: Phurbu) 23, a former monk of
Sera Monastery in Lhasa, arrived in Dharamsala, India,
on November 15, 1999. His parents have a small business and
work in Lhasa. He has two brothers who are monks, also of
Sera Monastery and two sisters. Lobsang attended primary
school for three years from the age of seven. He joined the
monastery in 1985 and stayed there until 1996. He studied
dialectics and English while staying in the monastery.
While he was in Sera Monastery, a 160 member "work
team" first came in May-June of 1996. They distributed
four documents for the monks to study and conducted
"re-education" sessions. They collected all the
pictures of the Dalai Lama in the monastery and banned
its display. They forbade the monks from engaging in
any religious activities in the monastery. On June 12,
1996 a monk named Gyaltsen Thokmey (27) pasted a poster
inside the monastery hall calling on the monks to boycott
and protest against any type of gatherings organised by
"work team" members. He was arrested on September 15, 1996
for this incident and sentenced to six years" imprisonment
in Drapchi Prison. He is from Nyemo County.
The monks discontinued the activities of the monastery
until June 15, 1996. On June 16, 1996 the "work team"
members attempted to force a few young monks and their
teachers to perform the normal monastery rituals. This
was resisted by the monks who continued to boycott the
gatherings. The "re-education" then became even more
organised when the "work team" assigned 10 officials
for every hostel of the monastery and started giving
instructions. The "work teams" then required monks
to denounce the Dalai Lama and oppose "splittists".
The monks were divided into small groups of 15 and asked
to express their opinions on "splittisms". The "work team"
members were mostly high officials of the "TAR" government.
Lobsang vehemently resisted the instructions of the "work
team" members. He refused to denounce the Dalai Lama and
oppose "splittism". He assertively expressed that Tibet
was a free nation as it has its own history, culture and
money. He was later accused of "disrespecting the law of
the nation" and "siding with splittists". That same night
on September 27, 1996, five PSB officers came to his room
arrested him and searched his room. He was handcuffed and
taken to Sangyip Detention Centre where he was interrogated
regarding his background and family. At the time of his
arrest, other monks were also arrested. They were Tashi
Pelthar (25) of Meldo Gongkar County, Norbu (29) of Lhoka
Yamdrok County and Bhu-chung (34) of Chamdo Teng-chen
County. They were all later remanded to three years of
"re-education through labour" and released on September
24, 1999.
Lobsang was later taken to Seitru Detention Centre where
he was detained for five months. He was interrogated
there at least 15 times and confined to a solitary cell
for three months. During interrogation, he was forced to
stand and kneel on a chair for approximately two hours. He
was given shock treatments with an electric prod at the
time of interrogation when he refused or disobeyed the
interrogators. Many times he fell unconscious while being
tortured.
On February 22, 1997 he was transferred to Gutsa Detention
Centre where he was held for another two months. He was not
allowed to meet any of his relatives or his parents. When
he was in Gutsa, he was informed of his remand to three
years "re-education through labor" without any trial or
court proceedings. On April 22, 1997, he was transferred
to Toelung Trisam Prison. While in Trisam Prison, he was
made to do strenous work on a vegetable farm for six hours
every day. There were approximately 40 political prisoners
in Trisam when he arrived and all of them were assigned
separate duties. Lobsang was once beaten severely by a
prison guard for violating a prison rule while working. In
addition, he was confined to a solitary cell for seven
days provided with only water.
Lobsang was released on September 24, 1999 after the
completion of his three years in prison. When he was
released, there were approximately 11 political prisoners
remaining in the prison. The oldest political prisoner
in Trisam is Kushab Dawa (65) of Lhasa Tse-mon Ling who
is serving a three year sentence. He will be released in
July-August of 2001. Lobsang stayed for two months in
Lhasa and reached Nepal on November 15, 1999.
[ top ]
Between July and August of 1996, a four member work-team
from Lhoka Prefecture conducted a "patriotic re-education"
campaign in Kharchu Monastery in Lhoka Region, Lhodrag
County, "TAR". The "work-team" remained at the monastery
for three months. During this period, religious activity
at the monastery was severely curtailed. All 17 monks
at the monastery were given "re-education" materials and
required to study them for three hours every morning,
and hold discussions on the materials in the afternoons.
The "re-education" consisted of four primary subjects: How
Tibet is a part of China, Opposing "splittist" activities,
The history of Tibet and Legal studies. After the monks
had studied the materials for one and a half months,
they were a given an exam. Monks who did not answer
the questions according to the authorities wishes were
required to re-take the exam after an additional month and
a half of study. The monks were instructed to oppose the
Dalai Lama and "splittist" activities. All photos of the
Dalai Lama were removed. The work-team appointed a new
Democratic Management Committee (DMC) and new regulations
were established overseeing management of the monastery.
Approximately one month after the work-team left Kharchu
Monastery, Lama Namkhai Nyingpo, a monk from Bhutan came
to the monastery to perform teachings. During his stay
at the monastery, his photo was displayed. After his
departure, his photos were removed and banned by Lhodrag
County officials. Religious scriptures he had distributed
were confiscated.
Lobsang Tashi is a former monk from Dechen Monastery who
was expelled from his monastery by "patriotic re-education"
"work-team" members in November of 1998. He is originally
from Taglung Village, Lhakhang Thang Township in Trika
County, Tsolho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Amdo
(Chinese: Qinghai Province). He arrived in exile in India
in November of 1999.
Lobsang reports that in September of 1998, a three-member
work-team from Trika County came to Dechen Monastery to
conduct a "patriotic re-education" campaign. Approximately
60 monks from the monastery attended the sessions, with
the other monks excusing themselves, either complaining of
illness or going on religious pilgrimage. The monks were
forced to study political documents related to the history
of Tibet, the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama. The monks
were made to denounce the Dalai Lama, oppose "splittism",
and accept the Chinese appointed Panchen Lama. The monks
were given a questionnaire to fill out regarding the
aforementioned items. Many monks resisted, particularly
regarding questions related to the Dalai Lama and the
Panchen Lama. The work-team left the monastery after
five days.
In November of 1998, the work-team returned to
the monastery, this time with members of the Public
Security Bureau. All monks were required to attend the
ìre-educationî sessions. The same questionnaire was
distributed to the monks. Initially, many of the monks
refused to comply with the demands of the "work-team"
members. After some time, except for ten monks, the rest
succeeded to the demands of the work-team. The ten monks
(including Lobsang Tashi) were immediately expelled
and were forbidden from joining any other religious
institution. All photos of the Dalai Lama were banned
and removed. The "work-team" then set age parameters for
the monastery. All monks over 50 or under 18 years of age
were expelled. After four days, the "work-team" left the
monastery. Lobsang Tashi returned to his village, though
he continued to study religious text and wear his monastic
robes. The work-team returned to the monastery a third
time in May of 1999 to conduct further "re-education". The
"work-team" sent a message to Lobsang Tashi's home that he
must discontinue his studies and remove his robes. He was
additionally summoned to a meeting with the "work-team".
Fearing reprisals or further trouble, he escaped to India.
Samten Tsering was a 19 year-old monk of Awam Monastery,
which is located in Thang-gya Shang of Meldo Gongkar
County. His parents were farmers, and he had enrolled
in mangtsuk' school from the age of 9 to 10 where he
studied Tibetan. At the age of 11, he joined Awam
Monastery. Presently, this monastery has around 12
monks. Before 1959, there were around 500 monks in this
monastery.
The monastery was one of those which had been completely
destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Since 1982,
with monetary assistance and manual help of the local
Tibetans there had been renovation work carried out in
Awam monastery by a monk named Namgyal la.
In May-June of 1997 a "work team" of approximately ten
members came to the monastery. They stayed for about four
months and conducted "re-education" sessions. The monks
were ordered to denounce the Dalai Lama but refused to
do so. As a result the duration of the "re-education" was
raised from three months to four in an attempt to pursuade
the monks to accede to the demands of the "work team".
In the beginning of June, the "work team" announced
that they would return in January-February of 1997. This
announcement was also coupled with threats stating that
monks who attempted to evade the "re-education" would be
dealt with personally and "re-educated" forcibly. They also
threatened to prosecute such "rebels" with the charge of
"protesting against the nation", which could earn them
three to four years in labour prisons.
In July-August of 1999, the Bhar Monastery invited Geshe
Lobsang Sherab for the second time to Taktse County to
give religious discourses to the monks of three different
monasteries. At that time, around 60 monks gathered in
Bhar Monastery to receive religious discourses from
Geshe Lobsang Sherab. On the third day of religious
discourse in Bhar Monastery, the Taktse County PSB came
to the monastery and ordered the monks to stop giving
or receiving religious teachings. The PSB then accused
Geshe Lobsang Sherab of misleading the masses through
his teachings. They threatened to arrest people if the
teachings was not stopped immediately.
On August 6, 1999, the religious sermon in Bhar Monastery
was forcibly interrupted by approximately 20 PSB officials
of the Taktse County. The monks of Awam Monastery and
Phak-mo Monastery were sent back to their respective
monasteries. Geshe Lobsang Sherab was interrogated about
his "aim" and "reasons" for giving religious discourses. He
was immediately ordered to return to Lhasa the following
day.
At that time, approximately 400 people, including monks
present for the religious sermon protested against the PSB
officers" interference. Geshe Lobsang Sherab advised them
to calm down, in order to avoid tension with the PSB. The
PSB officers later individually interrogated the people
about the contents of the preaching.
Since then, the three monasteries have been regularly
inspected by the County Authorities. An order was issued on
August 23, 1999 that, "no monks from any monasteries were
allowed to practice religion outside of their monastery"
and "no monk is allowed to receive religious discourses
from any lama in any villages of Taktse County"
The County authorities issued an order which prohibited
the monks from attending or performing any prayer services
in private homes in villages. They announced that "the
sermon from August 5-6, 1999 was organised against the
law and security of the nation and whoever attended it had
violated the law". Samten escaped from his monastery and
reached Lhasa on September 30, 1999. He left Lhasa and
reached Nepal on November 14, 1999.
Lobsang Namkha is a 25 year-old monk of Dong-thok Monastery
in Kandze "TAP", Karze County, Karok Shang. His Parents
are farmers. Lobsang went to school from the age of seven
to ten after which he started looking after his family's
livestock. At the age of 15, he became a monk of Dong-thok
Monastery.
Dong-thok Monastery was one of the monasteries which
had been completely destroyed during the Cultural
Revolution. After 1983, this monastery was reconstructed
with the help of local Tibetans. When Lobsang joined this
monastery, there was around 10 monks but at present there
are around 50 monks in the monastery.
In 1997 the "work team" came to the monastery for the
first time after which they visited the monastery twice a
month. The "work team" organised meetings in the monastery
and instructed the monks to oppose "splittists" and to
denounce the Dalai Lama. There were usually five to seven
official members of the "work team". All pictures of the
Dalai Lama were banned in the monastery. The monks were
also forced to study books given to them by the "work team"
during the meetings. In May-June of 1998, a mass meeting
was organised in Karok Township and around 300 monks and
nuns from five different monasteries and nunneries of the
Kandze County were called. During the mass "meeting",
the monks and nuns were instructed to write "opposition
letters" and sign "pledges" against the Dalai Lama.
The "work team" warned them that any disobedience
or protest would be met with punishment as well as
expulsion. They would also be labelled as being a
"political suspect" which implied that they would be
constantly harassed even after their expulsion. It was
also announced that no new monks would be admitted in
any monastery or nunnery of the Karze "TAP" above the
limitation set by the "work team" members.
As a result of the interferences in the religious workings
of the monastery, Lobsang Namkha decided to leave the
monastery in October-November of 1999 and went to Lhasa. He
then escaped to Nepal through the Nepal border after paying
900 yuan to a guide. He reached Nepal on November 30, 1999.
[ top ]
Ngawang Dhipsel
(lay name: Penpa) is 30 years old from
Phenpo Lhundrup County, Lhasa City. Ngawang studied for
four years in a Mangtsuk School(school established by local
people) after which he stayed home to help his parents on
the farm.
In 1986 he joined Drepung Monastery. On May 13, 1992,
Ngawang along with ten other monks from Drepung staged a
peaceful demonstration demanding ìFreedom for Tibetî in
the Barkhor area in Lhasa City. All of the monks were
immediately arrested by Public Security Bureau (PSB)
officers.
According to confirmed reports, at the time of arrest
the monks were severely beaten. They were initially
detained in Gutsa Detention Centre and were beaten
during interrogation. In September of 1992, the Lhasa
Intermediate People's Court sentenced Ngawang Dhipsel to
four years" imprisonment with two years deprivation of
political rights. The other monks were given sentences
ranging from two to ten years. All the monks were
transferred at the end of the year to Drapchi Prison
in Lhasa.
1992 was a labourious year in Drapchi. The inmates
had to engage in difficult tasks such as contsruction,
growing vegetable (green house) and accumulating manure.
Around May of 1993, Ngawang and his cellmates were required
to construct a canal. The inmates were given a specific
period of time to complete the project. Prisoners were
required to work late in the evenings and early in the
mornings to complete the project. Ngawang Dhipsel was
required to dig a foundation for a wall. Due to the
harsh conditions, Ngawang Dhipsel fell unconscious.
He was taken to the his room but was denied medical
treatment. Componding his condition, Dhipsel suffered
from hypertension and epilepsy but continued to serve his
prison term.
On May 12, 1996 Ngawang Dhipsel was released after four
years" imprisonment. He was not allowed to re-join his
or any other monastery.
After his release he was subjected to constant surveillance
and his activities were closely monitored by the PSB.
Unable to withstand this harassment, he attempted to escape
to India in November of 1997.
When he reached near the Tibet - Nepal border (Gyala Pass),
he encountered heavy snow. Without adequate food and
clothing, he was forced to return to Lhasa.
On December 22, 1997, after one month in Lhasa, he
was arrested by the PSB under suspicion of "political
activities" from Zehtoe Restaurant (a well-known
restaurant in Lhasa). He was taken to Lhoka Bureau in
Lhasa and interrogated for several hours. Later that
evening he was taken to Sietru Detention Centre in Lhasa.
The following day he was taken to Tsethang Detention Centre
and interrogated repeatedly. In both the detention centres,
he suffered brutal beatings at the hands of the Lhoka PSB
officers. He was denied visits from his parents throughout
his time of detainment.
In January 1998, the Lhoka PSB remanded him to three years
of "re-education through labour". He was charged with
"attempting to flee Tibet" and "suspicion of engaging in
political activities". In May of 1998 he was transferred
to Trisam "re-education through labour camp". Ngawang
Dhipsel is currently in Trisam and his health is reportedly
extremely poor.
In Trisam Prison, prisoners are forced to work in
construction of buildings and in the winter, prisoners have
to do military drills. In November of 1998, Dhipsel was
injured while performing prison exercises but was denied
medical treatment.
In April of 1999, he had a severe epileptic attack and was
taken to Trisam Prison Hospital. However, he is reported
to have not received adequate treatment and his health
further deteriorated. There are grave concerns for his
health and safety.
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