Prisoners of Tibet
Almost three decades after the 1959 national uprising
by the people of Tibet against Chinese aggression, the
Chinese government had abandoned the possibility of another
uprising. Therefore the demonstrations that occurred in
1987 not only exposed the potential threat for the Chinese
government of their stability in Tibet but also became a
catalyst for further series of similar outbreaks.
Around eight o'clock in the morning, a group of 21
monks from Drepung Monastery gathered in a teahouse on
the Barkhor across from the small market where carpets
are sold. They had left early at dawn that morning in
three separate jeeps for Lhasa. They carried with them a
hand-drawn forbidden Tibetan national flag.
The previous night, the 21 monks took oath before the
Palden Lhamo (the protector diety) to stick together and
not betray each other if caught. On their way down to the
main road leading to Lhasa, they burned juniper leaves
as offering. Once in Lhasa, they met in a teahouse and
decided to initiate a demonstration.
Approximately at 9.00 am they went around Barkhor,
carrying the forbidden Tibetan national flag and shouting
the slogans "Tibet is Independent" and "Long Live the
Dalai Lama." This took the Tibetan people in the vicinity
by surprise, as it was the first of its kind since the
1959 Uprising. The first circuit around the Barkhor was
quite plain however, it immediately gained momentum and
hundreds of people joined in. By the time the demonstrators
completed the third circuit and reached the square and
were moving towards the offices of the `Tibetan Autonomous
Region' (TAR) government, the number had increased to
almost a thousand. There were approximately 200 Public
Security Bureau (PSB) officers waiting in front of the gate
of the `TAR' office to arrest the demonstrators. Once the
demonstrators reached there, the 21 monks and seven laymen
and two women were immediately taken away in different
vehicles to a police station west of Lhasa
(Chinese: Jiao Pa Chu suo). After 15 minutes of
detention, all 30 people were transported in a bus to
Lhasa Gutsa detention Centre. The crowd dispersed. There
was no violence reported that day.
Around 9.00 am a group of 23 Sera and eight Jokhang and
three Nechung monks started a demonstration. The plan
was settled three-four days prior to the actual day. On
22 September 1987, when the Dalai Lama made public the
Five-Point Peace Proposal, in Tibet, the Chinese were
making huge propaganda against it. The monks' protest
was to express solidarity to the Proposal, and the
previous demonstration. It was also timed to the founding
anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Like
the 27 September demonstration, the demonstrators advanced
towards the Barkhor while shouting independence slogans.
Five circuits were made where the first one consisted
of only a few monks. As the demonstrators proceeded,
more people participated. There were pilgrims from Amdo
(eastern Tibet) and children from school. By the time
the demonstrators took the fifth circumambulation,
approximately hundred Chinese officers had blocked the
path with their vehicles parked as well. The protestors
were stopped right in front of the police station. One of
the protestors went forward and said, "This is a peaceful
demonstration and we are not even armed. So if there are
any problems we are responsible. But, if you try stopping
us causing anybody to get hurt in the bargain, then it is
entirely your fault."
However, the policemen started applying force to
disrupt the protest using electric shocks and rendering
some unconscious. Forty-seven people were immmediately
arrested. They were all detained in the courtyard of the
local police station in the southwest of Jokhang Temple. At
10.30 am many high-ranking officials from the `TAR'
came and spoke to the detainees for almost half an hour
trying to talk them out of the political activity. When the
detanees showed no signs of giving up, a fire was shot in
the midst of the 47 detainees and a 25 year-old Sera monk,
Lobsang Deleg, died instantly. Two laymen were shot;
one on the shoulder and the other on the leg. The
police officers could not do much as there were Tibetan
policemen who stood with the crowd in order to prevent
more firings. However, when the people outside heard the
shot, the demonstration turned violent. Women and children
threw stones at the police while others set the police
vehicles on fire totalling up to 14. The 100 odd policemen
standing in front of the police station had no choice but
to retreat. From the stalls nearby, the protesters set
blankets and wooden tables on fire outside the door of
the police station.
When the police station caught fire, the people outside
got worried over those detained. In order to rescue them,
Champa Tenzin and Buchung and few others tried to save
the people locked inside. Buchung was shot and died
instantly. The fire had spread and when Champa emerged
from a broken door, his arms had badly got burned.
Firing started outside. There were policemen shooting
from the rooftop of the police compound, partly in flames
and people were running everywhere. Twelve people died
instantly and many others were injured.
Bodies of two Tibetan laymen were carried on wooden boards
into the crowd in Barkhor. Another body of a 14-year old
boy was carried down Renmin Lu which, was accompanied
by a crowd of 100. A fire engine arrived carrying many
policemen. The crowd set the vehicle on fire and the
policemen ran.
Inside, the people could not do anything so they started
praying. Several policemen were also locked inside. There
were few kind Tibetan officers who got into a row with
the Chinese over releasing the detainees, which, they
reasoned would sudue the commotion outside. The situation
was becoming chaotic as the building was almost collapsing
and it could claim the lives of policemen locked inside as
well. After few frantic phonecalls to the Chief Police, the
decision to release the detainees finally came through.
By 3.30 pm reinforcement arrived. Lobsang Jinpa, one of
the 47 detainees, who is now in exile recollects, "when we
ran away from the police station, we witnessed five Tibetan
police officers handcuffed and being taken away. We never
saw them again and not heard anything about them since
then." In the meantime the angry mob charged and looted
the policestation, scattering the files into the street.
By 7.00 pm that day, everything had subsided and the situation
was taken under control by the militarymen.
"During the following days convoys of trucks with soldiers
armed with automatic weapons and motorcycle-sidecars
with tripod-mounted machine guns paraded through the main
streets surrounding the Tibetan section of Lhasa."
1
Two days later, on 3 October 1987, 17 Sera monks were
arrested from their monasteries and 39 from their homes.
A group of approximately 60 Drepung monks walked into Lhasa
in front of the `TAR' government gate, demanding for the
release of the 21 Drepung monks arrested in September. A
few minutes later around 4.30 pm 250 PAP arrived and took
away the monks before they reached Barkhor. While being
taken, the monks were brutally beaten with belts, sticks,
riflebutts and pieces of metal. That night around 10 pm
the monks were released.
On 3 March 1988 the third Monlam (Great prayer)
festival was held in Lhasa since the Liberalisation Policy
was introduced. Due to the earlier demonstrations and the
subsequent killings, arrests and detention of monks and
nuns, religious institutions were reluctant to attend the
festival, as it was not a true representation of `Freedom
of Religion.' Finally, the PRC got the high lamas to come
thereby getting the monks from the three seats; Sera,
Drepung and Gaden and other smaller monasteries to join
in as well. Although the number was much less than usual,
Monlam was organised. However, fearing threat of
demonstration during such a large gathering, hundreds of
Chinese armed police and PSB officers were prepared to
suppress a possible protest. On 3 March Jampa Phuntsok,
a monk from Tashichoeling Monastery, stood up amongst the
crowd and shouting, "Tibet is an independent country,"
"Tibet belongs to Tibetans" and "Chinese must go back
to China." Jampa was not arrested that day, as it would
have provoked other monks to join him. The monks did not
particpate because they did not want Monlam to be
disrupted mid way.
The day was the last day of Monlam. According to
Bagdro, "at about 9.40 am that morning the maitreya Buddha
was being carried back into the Tsuklhakhang and around
65 monks were starting to chant protest slogans as they
came into the Barkhor. They were chanting, "Tibet is an
independent nation! Free Tibet! Chinese must go back to
China!" and Long Live Dalai Lama!"
2
Other monks immediately joined in and the Chinese at once
opened fire into the crowd while throwing monks into the
big military trucks. Anyone with monastic robes were being
beaten everywhere, not taking into consideration if they
were involved or not. The resistance was suppressed
with extensive force applied on the people. Many
of the political prisoners who served sentences in
Drapchi have been due to their participation in this
demonstration. Monlam was banned and have never
been held since then.
On this day, one of the biggest demonstrations that
took place in Lhasa. In the morning, a large gathering
in Barkhor sparked off the demonstration which, was
partially planned. This large contingent of protestors,
including monks, nuns, laymen and women and even children
carrying the national flag and pictures of the Dalai Lama
went around Barkhor, in front of the Jokhang Temple and
streets of Lhasa. Although force was applied to suppress
the demonstration, it was not so effective because of the
magnitude of the demonstration. In the meantime, many
Chinese shops were burned down, offices were stoned. The
demonstration continued the next day. Flames were rising
everywhere.
On 7 March, as the PSB officers could not handle
the situation, reinforcements of armed soldiers with
automatic machine guns and tanks were brought in. By 3
pm soldiers had surrounded Lhasa and started infiltrating
into the city. They shot anyone at sight. All the streets
in Lhasa were blocked and by mid night Martial Law was
imposed. Following the imposition of martial law, waves
of arrests and detention took place. PSB officers started
visiting religious institutions and individual homes
asking people to produce alibis during the three days of
demonstration. The two detention centres, Seitru and
Gutsa were so packed that hundreds were reportedly detained
in Outridu (now called Lhasa Prison). Units were created in
Drapchi Prison, exclusively for political prisoners. Trisam
`re-education through labour' was opened specifically to
house prisoners detained due to these demonstrations.
Drapchi Prison authorities planned a ceremony marking the
International Labour Day. Prior to the occasion, nuns in
new rukhag # 3 were informed that they would have to
sing `patriotic' songs in favour of Mao and Chinese. Many
prisoners resented this plan as it would be repeated if
it was allowed to happen the first time.
At about 10 am on 1 May, except for the prisoners of old
rukhag 3 and 5, all the rest of the prisoners,
including the new rukhag 3 and 5 were summoned to
the main prison courtyard. There were approximately 900
prisoners assembled that day.
The programme commenced with the prisoners singing
pro-Chinese songs (Socialism is Good) which was followed
by the flag-raising ceremony. Criminal prisoners who
reportedly threw political leaflets in the air started
the initial shouting. The female and the male political
prisoners immediately took part. Warning shots were fired
in the air and the female political prisoners were subdued
individually by officers who were lined up accordingly
prior to the advent of the programme. The prisoners were
immediately separated. The nuns were beaten with plastic
tubes or hoses filled with sand, belt buckles and rifle
butts. They were also jabbed with electric shocks all
over the body. This was carried out individually for three
hours.
After the initial beating stopped, 16 nuns were randomly
taken away to be put in solitary cells. According to a
former political prisoner from the same unit, "The solitary
confinement cells were packed and could not house more,
otherwise, the officers would have taken more." The nuns
were kept there for seven months except for three of them
who were released before receiving sentence extensions.
After the 16 nuns were taken away, the rest were made to
kneel on hard concrete slab. Pema Bhuti, the principal
official for unit 3, is a key perpetrator of torture and
beatings and is responsible for death and serious injuries
of many female political prisoners in Drapchi. That day,
she beat the nuns while they knelt in the courtyard.
They were allowed to return to their cells only in the
evening, and as further punishment, the nuns were made to
sleep on the bare floor. That evening Chinese construction
workers came to Drapchi where converting the bathroom,
shop and interrogation room into solitary confinement cells
started. The same evening, despite the beatings and the
exhausted condition of the nuns, they nonetheless decided
to launch a hunger strike.
On 4 May 1998, while the nuns continued with their hunger
strike, the prison authorities made a second attempt to
celebrate International Youth Day. Same arrangements
were made as the previous occasion however, this time
with more security personnel to immediately crush any
threat of similar protest. There were 20 nuns from the
new rukhag # 3 who were selected and forced to
participate in the ceremony. Most of the nuns were very
sick but they were almost dragged to the courtyard. The
monks from the new rukhag # 3 cut short the ceremony
by shouting slogans. The nuns did not join in, as they
were too sick to shout. They were returned to their cells
although beatings did not take place at once.
However, the nuns in the old rukhag # 3 who could
view the entire incident from their windows, started
to break widows and shout. There was no consistent
slogan as it was a sudden outburst and not planned. The
nuns' shouting was not subdued immediately. It took
the authorities almost half an hour before they could
intervene. According to Norzin Wangmo who was in the
old rukhag # 3 at the time, "there was no one
who had been spared for beating that day. The beatings
lasted until 2.30 pm from 11 in the morning. We were
wearing light clothes that day. The nuns tried to cover
their heads with their hands at the time of beating. The
authorities thrashed us so viciously that everyone had a
serious injury, a torn ear, peeled hands, large open cuts
and blood everywhere. Pema Bhuti took it a personal
responsibility to beat everyone individually and later
single out some of those she had grudges on, for further
beatings.
3
In the meantime, the nuns in the new rukhag # 3
were locked in their cells. By the fifth day,
the nuns were showing signs of severe emaciation and none
of them could stand up properly. When prison staff made
the nuns sweep the floor, they did not have the strength
to lift a broom. By the sixth day, some of the nuns
started vomitting blood and the weakest nuns were put on
intravenous drips. The same day, a high-ranking official,
who is in charge of the all prisons, tried to talk the nuns
into eating but the nuns vehemently refused and refuted
claims made by Pema Bhuti that "you ate and wore too much
that you shouted." The nuns reasserted that in actual fact,
food was insufficient. The officer, interested with the
explanation acknowledged that prison authorities "had
made some mistakes." The officers' visit was successful
in terminating the hunger strike. The Drapchi Protest
claimed death of five nuns and extensions for 11 political
prisoners. The events in the male rukhag # 5 have
not been included in this report. Following the incident,
the inmates in rukhag # 3 were under a complete
lock down. The units had informers detained with the
nuns who watched every move the nuns made or did not
make. Visitation rights were also suspended although some
former inmates report of visits as early as July 1998
which were highly scrutinised.
Strike Hard Campaign">
China launched `Strike Hard' Campaign in April 1996 which
was specially designed to target religious institutions
although this campaign has been extended to the lay sector
since 1997. Under this campaign `work team' members visit
religious institutions to conduct `patriotic re-education'
sessions thereby getting rid of `splittists' activities.
One of the main component of these sessions comprise of
opposing the Dalai Lama which the monks and nuns vehemently
reject resulting in their detention and expulsion from
their monasteries and nunneries.
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