The following is the detailed testimony of Dorji Rinchen given to the Human Rights Desk on February 29, 1996.

Testimony of Dorji Rinchen - Dharamsala, February 29, 1996:

"My name is Dorji Rinchen and I am a businessman living in Pashupati, India. Two years ago, I escaped from Tibet and have since settled in India with my family. In July 1995, I travelled to Tibet with my wife to visit our relatives there.

In Tibet, we went to Samdog (village) near Tenkhye Dzong under Shigatse administration. We stayed at my mother-in-law's house at Samdog. My birth place is Biru sub district under Nagchu administration and so wishing to visit my home town, I went to the Samdog local authorities to seek permission to visit Biru sub district. The local police authorities refused me a travel permit. Their refusal disappointed me and so I spoke out against them saying that in India and in other foreign countries people enjoy freedom of movement while it was not so in the case of Tibet. The next day, on August 14, 1996, at around 2.00 pm in the afternoon, I was arrested from my mother-in-law's house by six fully armed police officials. They said I belonged to the "Dalai Clique". I was taken to the Tenkhye Dzong detention centre.

On reaching the Tenkhye Dzong detention centre, I was strapped and stretched on a wooden plank and left without food for the night.

On August 15, 1996, two prison officials came to question me. They wanted to know why I had come to Tibet. So in response I told them that my wife had gone through a difficult child birth and that she wished to meet her mother. I told them that I was just accompanying my wife and also that I wished to visit my own birth place. The two officials then told me that they had suspicions about me and that they had evidence to support their suspicions. They wished to know if I had seen the Dalai Lama; whether I possessed the `Rangzen Lagdeb' (Tibetan voluntary contribution book); Whether I had ever received the Kalachakra etc. I replied that I had met His Holiness the Dalai Lama and that I had received the Kalachakra initiations. I also told them that I had the `Rangzen Lagdeb'. The officials asked me what the Dalai Lama looked like and I told them that His Holiness the Dalai Lama looks like a Buddhist monk. After all these questions the officials hit me with a stick on my back and accused me of carrying documents

about the Panchen Lama reincarnation issue

produced by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. They also accused me of having come to Tibet with the purpose of disrupting the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The interrogation lasted two full hours during which they kept me standing. Later, they placed me in solitary confinement in a prison cell with no food or clothing. After two days, my relatives brought me food and clothing. While the police authorities had accused me of being a spy for the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, my wife was informed in writting stating that I was being arrested "for not having valid travel documents" (translation of Chinese official document, copy available at the Human Rights Desk).

While in the detention centre, I learnt that there were about twelve or more cells. I also learnt that two political prisoners (one called Tashi Migmar) were under detention. They were accused of being spies for the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and of communicating with the Tibetan Government.

The prison officials were always firing shots into the air just to frighten the inmates.

After being detained for twenty seven days, on September 9, 1995, the prison authorities told me that I was to go to Shigatse. So I was taken to Nyari Prison in Shigatse.

The next morning, I was interrogated by the Nyari Prison authorities. They asked me the same questions that I was asked at the Tenkhye Dzong detention centre and I gave the same answers to their questions. Finally exasperated, they accused me of trying to hide something. They pointed out that I had given the same answers before and so I must have something to hide. They asked me why I was in Tibet just before the 30th anniversary celebrations. They said they had evidence to support their suspicions. On hearing this, I told them to reveal their evidence but they failed to do so. Following this exchange, two Chinese officials of the People's Armed Police (PAP) came and started hitting me with sticks. They hit me all over my body and boxed my face. My eyes were stung with each blow. During the whole interrogation session, I was handcuffed and by the time they had finished questioning and torturing me, my wrists were bleeding.

Finally they said that I could not be trusted to tell the truth and so they locked me up in a cell with five other Tibetan prisoners. Later I found out that we were in Block No. 6 of the prison.

The other five prisoners were Lobsang Tsultrim, a twenty-year old monk from Tashi lhunpo Monastery; Samdrup a man from Dram who was in his thirties and was accused of theft; Bhuchung a painter who was also accused of theft; Tsering a man in his thirties who was accused of murder and Karsong a man in his mid thirties who was accused of theft. Lobsang Tsultrim, the monk from Tashilhunpo Monastery said that the monks of Tashilhunpo recognise Gendun Choeky Nyima alone as the true reincarnation of the Panchen Lama and that he had an auspicious sign of the syllable `Aa' on his forehead as predicted by the previous Panchen Lama.

In Nyari Prison, I was given a breakfast of one tingmo (Tibetan bun) and a cup of boiled water in the mornings and for lunch I was given either one tingmo or rice and one cup of boiled water. There was nothing for dinner and neither were our relatives allowed to visit us and bring us food and clothing.

I heard from other prisoners that the prison held more than five hundred prisoners and that the prisoners were all Tibetans except for two Chinese prisoners. I also learnt that most of the prisoners were political prisoners who were accused of possessing reactionary materials like video tapes, cassette tapes etc.

On September 16, 1995, at around 11.00 am in the morning, as I looked out of the prison bars, I was shocked to see two prison officials bringing in Ngawang Choephel. Ngawang Choephel was wearing a jacket with a hood and held a sleeping bag in his hand. I recognised one of the officials as a man called Migmar.

Earlier, I had met Ngawang Choephel in Nepal.

Ngawang Choephel was placed in block no. 8 of the prison. While in prison, I met Ngawang Choephel on two occasions. During these brief meetings, he told me that he had been recording old traditional Tibetan music and dances on video and that the Chinese authorities had arrested him from the market place in Shigatse. Ngawang Choephel also told me that the Chinese had confiscated his passport, camera and two video tapes. Ngawang Choephel requested me to inform his mother that he was fine and not to worry about him.

One night Ngawang Choephel sang for the prisoners and he was given a big applause by all.

I was released on October 8, 1995, after spending twenty seven days in Nyari Prison. Ngawang Choephel was still in prison at that time and he appeared to be in good health".

I left Tibet on October 13/14, 1995.