DHARAMSALA, January 09, 1996 (DIIR) -- The following details the account of two monks of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet, who recently escaped to India shortly after being released from prison. The two monks bear witness to China's intolerance of and interference in the religious matters of Tibet and the Tibetan people.

Heavy Surveillance on Tashi Lhunpo Monks

The two monks (whose names we are not disclosing for security reasons), escaped to India in order to practice their religion free of fear and oppression. According to the monks, ever since His Holiness the Dalai Lama's proclamation of Gendun Choekyi Nyima as the reincarnation of Panchen Lama on May 14, 1995, the Chinese authorities have placed the monks of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery under heavy surveillance. The proclamation was followed by the arrest of Chadrel Rinpoche, the abbot of Tashi Lhunpo who was also the head of the Chinese appointed Search Committee for the reincarnation. Chinese "work-teams", literally moved into the monastery and started a campaign of denunciation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and "re-education" of the monks.

Chinese Work-team's Re-education Programme:

The Chinese work-team, consisting of 13-14 officials, who arrived at the monastery two weeks after His Holiness' announcement of the reincarnation, spent hours lecturing the monks. The work-team charged His Holiness the Dalai Lama of illegally announcing a reincarnation and Chadrel Rinpoche of communicating with the Dalai Lama, which they said were attempts to "split the motherland". The work-team denounced the reincarnation as invalid and forcefully urged the monks to do likewise. During all these meetings, which the work-team held almost regularly, the monks were forced to listen without questions and comments.

Escape and Arrest:

The two monks, unable to endure this campaign of criticism and denunciation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Chadrel Rinpoche by the work-team, and the pressure, ran away from the monastery on June 21/22, 1995. However, the very next day, they were arrested in Lhasa.

They were kept in a Lhasa detention centre for thirteen days during which they were provided food only on two occasions. Other Tibetan prison inmates passed on some food to them which they managed to sneak in from their families and relatives. Several times they fell unconscious as their health deteriorated. After being detained in Lhasa for thirteen days, they were taken to Shigatse.

Imprisonment:

In Shigatse, they were taken to the Shigatse police headquarters for interrogation. During these interrogation sessions, the monks were kicked and slapped when their answers did not satisfy their interrogators. Finally after four days of constant questioning they were taken to Nyari Prison. At around mid-night of their third day at Nyari Prison, the two monks who were in deep sleep were woken by loud noises. When they looked out, they saw monks from their own monastery being brought in by policemen. They saw the monks were hand-cuffed, their clothes torn and their faces covered with blood. They counted twenty one monks from their monastery. While in prison, the monks had no opportunity to speak to the other monks from Tashi Lhunpo, for they were locked up in separate cells. They could only see each other once in a while. It was only after they were released from prison did the two monks know what really happened at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery while they were in prison. The twenty one monks had been arrested at mi

d-night on July 12, following their boycott of the Zamling Chisang, a religious ceremony which involves the display of a giant thangka painting for public viewing.

The two monks noticed that most of the monks arrested sustained injuries. According to them, some of the more seriously wounded were Chime Dorje, Tendor whose teeth were broken, Gyatul Rinpoche and Dorje Gyaltsen. Later, both Gyatul Rinpoche and Dorje Gyaltsen were hospitalised. Dorje Gyaltsen spent nineteen days in hospital.

While they were in prison, the two monks observed that the monks were being treated more severely than the lay prisoners. They were left hand-cuffed for upto twenty days during which time they were not allowed outside their prison. At the same time, the Chinese had appointed 5-6 old prisoners, who were promised leniency to keep constant watch over them.

Release and Expulsion:

Almost two months after their arrest, the monks were released. At the time of their release, they were forced to sign confessions. Then they were escorted back to Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. However, the same day, the monks were expelled from the monastery by the Managing Committee of the Monastery.

Escape:

On October 4, 1995, the monks left Shigatse for India. They were arrested once by Bhutanese police but they managed to make it to India and finally arrived at the Tibetan Reception Centre on December 15, 1995. The two monks now hope to pursue their studies in India.

Speaking of general conditions in Tibet and specially in Shigatse, the monks expressed their concerns about the growing poverty of the farmers in Tibet, who they say are victims of Chinese taxation policy. "At the end of a year of hard labour, the farmers have to "sell" (actually a form of taxation), their produce to the government. The amount that the farmers collect from this deal is barely enough to buy fertilizers for the next year's crops".