Published by: World Tibet Network News, Tuesday, August 20, 1996

Delivered During the "March for Tibet's Independence"

March 10 to April 25, 1996

Translator: Techung (Tashi)

Edited by: Katie Murphy & Larry Gerstein

I have been a Buddhist monk since I was 10 years old. I studied until I was 28, when in 1959, the Chinese communists used force and occupied Tibet. On March 10th, 1959, the Tibetan people, including myself, rose against Chinese rule and demanded our freedom. We shouted, "Tibet should be ruled by Tibetans." Because of this uprising, I was detained and I remained imprisoned for 33 years. The communists told me that my crime was that I spoke against their will. I said that, "Tibet is not a part of China." It is a crime for Tibetans to use their voices for freedom.

Prison camps are not like those in Western countries. Conditions are very poor. In my 33 year imprisonment, I experienced various sufferings, such as hunger and severe torture. When captured, prisoners were handcuffed and their feet were chained. They were put into a room with no toilet, no bed, no medical facility, nor proper food--nothing. Day and night we could not move anywhere and we received only one bowl of tsampa (a barley type soup) each day.

When we were taken to labor camps, the handcuffs were removed, but our feet were kept chained. Prisoners were forced to work everyday for 9 hours, sometimes more, on only one bowl of soup a day! It was so demanding, so physically tiring, that we ate anything that moved on the ground. The famine was so severe, I saw people starve in front of my eyes. Many thousands of my colleagues and friends died of starvation. When they were dying, they would ask for water, but we had none. I would spit in their mouths and give them my own mucus for their survival. I, myself, ate the leather soles of my shoes in order to survive.

There were various kinds of labor that prisoners were forced to endure. One that I experienced was plowing a field like an animal. Human beings plowing farms! They would line us up sometimes six to eight people across and we would pull the plow. When we had no energy left, the Chinese would whip us. All of my back is now scarred.

While suffering in conditions like this, every week we were called to an interrogation session. The Prisoners were brought in front of soldiers and made to kneel in crushed glass with our hands and feet tied behind us. The soldiers would ask us, "Is Tibet a part of China? You have said that Tibet is a free country. Have you changed your mind?"

If I had said that Tibet is a part of China, they would have released me. I would have been praised in front of the other prisoners and told how smart I was. There were a number of prisoners who would say such a thing, but most Tibetans would not. Instead, they would give their lives. My answer was always the same, "Tibet has never been a part of China."

As a Tibetan, I feel that Tibet is my country. Ever since I was born, Tibet has had nothing to do with China. Tibet was an independent nation. We had our own government. Knowing this, I could not say that Tibet belongs to China.

Because of my firm answer and my resistance to not saying what they wanted to hear, the soldiers would become furious. They would tie my arms behind my back and hang me from the ceiling, like a light bulb. Then, they would beat me with sticks and pipes. They would beat me so hard, I would become unconscious and lose control. I would lose my bowels and bladder. Then, they would take me down and tell me that I had a chance to think about what I said. With no medical aid, I was taken back to work and when I recovered from the beatings, I was interrogated again. I would not change my mind, so the torture would continue. Such torture is occurring as I speak now.

The Chinese torturing systems are numerous. Sometimes, while hanging naked from the ceiling, the soldiers would pour boiling water over my body. Sometimes, a fire was burnt beneath me. I would lose my skin.

In 1987, the Chinese started using electric cattle prods on the prisoners, including violating the "private parts" of women. On October 13, 1990, when asked if I had changed my mind and I said no, I received this severe torture. Because I still believed that Tibet was not a part of China, the soldiers forced an electric prod into my mouth. This instrument has enough force to throw a human being fifteen feet. I became unconscious and when I woke-up, my whole body was covered in blood. My mouth was numb, my tongue was in pieces, and all my teeth slowly fell out. No matter how weak I would become, no medical treatment was ever given.

The Chinese claim to the world that they have liberated the people of Tibet and given us freedom. I am on the "March for Tibet's Independence" as living proof of how the Chinese have tortured the Monks and Nuns. I am also a witness to the horrible conditions in Tibet. The PRC allows no religious freedom. All the Monasteries are being destroyed and all the statues have been taken to China and melted down. People are not allowed to have photographs of The Dalai Lama in their homes. Gendhun Choekyi Nyima (named by The Dalai Lama's as The 11th Panchen Lama) is now under house arrest. Clearly, this proves there is no freedom or human rights in Tibet.

China's motivation is to wipe out the Tibetan race, our culture, our religion, and our land. The PRC is diluting the Tibetan population by paying incentives to Chinese citizens to move to Tibet. This massive population transfer and the encouragement of intermarriage have made Tibetans the minority in our own land.

Tibetan women are forced to be sterilized by The PRC. They say that the world is going through a population crisis and sterilization must be practiced. This is just propaganda. It's just an excuse for them to eliminate Tibetans.

The PRC is exploiting Tibet's natural resources as well. Tibetans have always been respectful of nature, and now the communist government is digging mines, excessively cutting down trees, and building nuclear power plants. The whole Tibetan environment is close to being extinct.

The situation in Tibet is very serious. My people are in an ocean of suffering. I urge the American people to pay special attention to the Chinese regime and to be involved in politics. You have a responsibility to be active, especially if you are an American Buddhist practitioner. Putting compassion into action is very important. After 33 years of imprisonment, I would not have been released, if not for a letter writing campaign. Make your voice heard in your government. You can make a change. I believe that one day Tibet will be liberated.

*Note. During the course of the 45-day "March for Tibet's Independence," from Washington, D.C. to the United Nations in New York City, Ven. Palden Gyatso had the opportunity to speak before a number of large community & university audiences. The statement that you just read represents a compilation of thoughts that Ven. Palden Gyatso shared during nine different presentations. Ven. Gyatso delivered his speeches in Tibetan & Techung (Tashi) served as the English translator.