Ordinary stories...

Interview of Piero VERNI

to Nawang YANGDON (24 years, nun)

I have never received any schooling. I came from a village called Toelungma. I wanted to become nun and study in a monastery but I failed to receive the permission from the Chinese authorities. After I became nun I spent sometime in Lhasa. What I saw everywhere saddened me very much. There is no freedom of religion, Chinese army were everywhere. Tibetans are suffering everywhere, everyday. I made prostranation three times in front of Tsuklagkhang and shouted slogans like Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Free Tibet. I was alone. Immediately, police arrested me, tied by hands at the back and hit me mercilessly. They covered my mouth to suffocation saying this mouth has shouted unwanted words. They accused me of being splittist. They then put me in a big hall. All parts of my body specially my legs were so painful, I could not get up to walk, so two Chinese women guards dray me to this hall. They then gave me a photograph of Mao Zedong and told me that Mao is very kind to you, look at his picture and lear

n from this great man. When I looked away they started to hit me. I wasn't particularly sad to receive these beatings, for when I began to shout Free Tibet, I expected harsh treatment in the hands of Chinese police but what really hurt and saddened me was when they accused His Holiness the Dalai Lama of being splittist and use other mean words.

Chinese always claim that there is religious freedom for Tibetans, but thats not true. Their main propaganda is 'safeguard religion, revolt splittist'. They accused person like me to be following splittist actions. I have not done any splittist actions but Tibet was an independent country, thats my belief and I keep the truth. Tibet has a unique culture different from Chinese. When our highest spiritual guru, the Dalai Lama's pictures cannot be adorned in the shrines, what kind of religious freedom do we get.

During my imprisonment I have many nuns and lay women with me who undergoes the same tortures. Due to tortures, I became coma. When my parents learnt this, they immediately applied for my release on medical ground. They managed to bribe some Chinese officials too. So I became free. While I am physically a free person, I have no freedom of education, no religious freedom etc. My parents remain under constant fear of me. So I decided to flee without telling my parents and family members in the ninth month and 24th day of tibetan month 1993 . I suffered a lot on the way but when I saw the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, all my hardships were forgotten and I felt so happy that my amibition to receive His blessings and to receive education under His blessings were fulfilled.