Tibetan Centre For Human Rights and Democracy
Human Rights Update, May 15th, 1997
Sentencing of three involved in Panchen Lama issue Almost two years after
his disappearance following the Dalai Lama's proclamation of the 11th
Panchen Lama, the head of the Chinese Search Committee for the
Reincarnation - 58 year old Chadrel Rinpoche - has been charged with
"plotting to split the country" and " leaking state secrets" and sentencd
to six year imprisonment by Chinese authorities. Champa Chung-la, a 50 year
old monk, and Samdrup, a 30 year old business man, were also sentenced for
their involvement in the Panchen Lama reincarnation. Chadrel rinpoche was
th Director of the Democratic Management Committee of the Tashilhunpo
Monastery (the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama) and head of the
offcial Chinese search for the reincarnation. He angered Chinese authoriies
in 1995 when he rejected China;s plan to choose their own Panchen Lama.
Following the Dalai Lama's Proclaimation of the reincarnationon 14th May
1995, he was arrested on 17 or 18 May 1995 under suspicion of having
communicated with the Dalai Lama in exile regarding the choice of the
reincarnation.
For the last two years he has been held incommunicado by Chinese
authorities and on 21 April 1997 Chadrel Rinpcoche (Ch: Qazha Qamba Chilai)
was sentenced by the Intermediate People's Court of Shigatse (Ch: Xigatse)
Prefecture in the "TAR" to a total of six years. Two otherTibetans involved
in the reincarnation controversy, Champa Chung-la and Samdrup, were
sentenced on the same day. Champa Chung la was charged with disclosing
state secrets and conspiring to split the country. He was sentenced to four
years imprisonment and two years subsquent deprivation of political rights.
Samdrup was charged with conspiring to split the country and sentenced to a
two year prison term and subsquent deprivation of politcal rights for one
year. Champa Chung la (Ch: Qamba Qung), a 50 year old monk from Namring
County under the Shigatse region, was Secretary of the Search Committee and
Deputy Director of the Administration of Dechen Kelsang Potrang (Ch: Deqen
Gaisang Pozhang), the Panchen Lama's residence in Shigatse. On 11 July
1995, the Chinese authorities forcibly returned Champa Chung-la from
Beijing to Tashilhunpo with the intention of making him confess to having
disclosed state secrets to the Dalai Lama. At the Shigatse Regional
Political Consultative Conference (PCC), the Chinese called all regional
administrators of Shigatse and a group of Tashilhunpo monks. Champa
Chung-la, forced to speak, declared that the issue of the Panchen Lama's
reincarnation was purely a religious matter and said that he had no
intention of interfering in China's state policy. When the meeting closed,
Champa Chung-la was immediately handcuffed and returned to Beijing. Since
that time his whereabouts remained unknown and the PRC told the UN Working
Group on Arbitary Detentions in May 1996 that Champa Chungla and Samdup
were being held under investigation " on suspicion of revealing important
state secrets"
Samdrup (Ch: Samzhub), aged around 30 years, comes from Panam County of
Shigatse region. In 1987, he completed the Shigatse Teacher's College and
worked in the main office of the large Gangjian Corporation in Dechen
Potrang, Shigatse. In 1995 he became the general manager of the Dram (Ch:
Cham) branch office of the Gangjian Corporation, and was arrested sometime
in May 1995 by Shigatse PSB (Public Security Bureau). alf years in prison
where he was subjected to daily abuse. The worst
torture he suffered was being handcuffed for a whole day to a blazing hot
chimney, left to burn and blister without food or water. Lobsang Dhargay,
aged 31 is from the Golok county of Amdo , (Ch:Qinghai) province. He came
from a nomadic family of the Chuva village near Ragya Monastery and joined
the monastery in 1989 aged 19. The enthronement ceremony of the sixth
reincarnation of the Shingsa Rinpoche Tenzin Choekey Gyaltsen (head of the
monastery) was held on 15 November 1992. Thousands gathered to commemorate
the auspicious day. During the ceremony, Lobsang and his friends, Lobsang
Palden and Yeshi Gyaltsen, both 30 years old, and Ngawang Phuntsok, 25
years old, distributed leaflets reading "Free Tibet" and "Chinese Quit
Tibet". At the same time they distributed printed paper copies of the
Tibetan national flag and hoisted a flag stitched from cloth on the top of
the monastery. Lobsang reported that they had secretly printed more than
forty thousand (40,000) copies of the leaflet on wooden block in the
monastery. The next dawn PSB and People's Armed Police officials came to
the monastery. When they saw the forbidden flag they immediately took it
down and collected all of the leaflets from the people. They then began
arresting monks from the monastery. By 25 November 1992, a total of 20 had
been arrested.
While in detention, the monks were severely beaten while being interrogated
as to the name of those who had initiated the movement. An announcement was
made, offering 300 yuan as a reward to anyone who provided information
about the main "culprits". After 10 days of intense interrogation, the
Chinese authorities were finally given the name and picture of Lobsang
Dhargay. On the night of 25 November 1992, Lobsang Dhargay was arrested
while hiding out in Gyugo township and taken back to the monastery. He was
shocked when he saw his picture in the hands of police but refused to
acknowledge the pictured monk.
After he ignored all of their questions the police dragged Lobsang to his
room. There, from under a wooden box, they took out the wooden block carved
with the forbidden leaflet. Eight armed police then handcuffed Lobsang and
took him to the van. On the way he was able to leave a hurried message with
two monks for his two friends to escape before the Chinese authorities
discovered them.
Lobsang Dhargay was detained in Golok prison, Golok county's largest
prison, for one year without trial. Every day in prison he was interrogated
and every day the interrogations were accompanied by torture: he was beaten
with sticks; kicked; punched and shocked all over the body with an eletric
cattle prod. Despite this daily abuse, Lobsang Dhargay described such
methods as the more lenient punishments. The worst torture he endured while
in Golok Prison was when he was handcuffed with his arms around a hot
chimney and left there for a whole day without food or water. The scorching
heat of the chimney resulted in blisters all over his body. Lobsang said
that there was water running from the blisters and that his wounds were
stinging painfully from heavy perspiration. At night, when the prison guard
finally came to release his cuffs, his boots were completely filled with
water from the sweat of his body.
When Lobsang Dhargay continued his refusal to 'confess', the authorities
charged him with 'spreading counter-revolutionary propaganda and
incitement'. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment but was released
early on 25 May 1995.
It was only afterwards that Lobsang came to know the reason for his early
release. His relatives had given goods worth 50,000 Chinese yuan (around
US$ 6150) to the prison guards including yak, sheep and a large amount of
Cordyheps Sinensis (Tibetan medical plant). After his release Lobsang
Dhargay was taken to stay in the Gyugo township (70 km from Ragya) where he
could be kept under vigilance.
On 2 April 1997 Lobsang Dhargay escaped with Shingsa Rinpoche. He had to
pay 8000 yuan to Chinese police at Nagchu, just before the Nepalese border,
and another 10,000 yuan to cross the border into Nepal. On 28 April 1997 he
reached Dharamsala.
His friends, Yeshi Gyaltsen and Lobsang Palden, fled the monastery the
night of 25 November 1992 having received Lobsang's warning and now studing
in Sera Monastery in south India..
Ragya Monastery is regarded as the 'problematic monastery' in the Chinese
Qinghai Region because of its independence activities. Chinese authorities
have established a special PSB branch to keep a watch on the monastery.
Visiting scholars are forbidden and students are restricted from pursuing
further studies outside Ragya.arrest list
phs of the Dalai Lama was ordered by Chinese 'work teams' in Gaden
Monastery, one of the three greatest monasteries in Lhasa. The order,
authorised by the "TAR" Department of Culture, had already been applied to
the Norbulinka Palace and the Potala Palace. Sources have recently provided
TCHRD with an updated arrest list pertaining to the Gaden incident. The
source reported that the mass protest by Gaden monks resulted in more than
41 arrests on 7 May 1996. That night a large number of armed police arrived
at the monastery and arrested two monks. On 9 May 1996, 17 monks were
arrested and on 30 August three more monks were arrested. In total, 62
monks and one layman were arrested. Of these, eight monks were released in
the first week of July and are now again in Gaden Monastery. The 23 monks
who were released from the prison on 30 August were subsequenlty expelled
from the monastery. There are reportedly 32 monks still in prison, as
listed below. The sources are not able to remember all names and thus this
list is incomplete.
Name Age Place of Origin Prison Term
Date imprisoned
Yeshi Rabgyal
(Bhagdro) 28 Meldro Gyama 15 years 7/5/ 1996
Jampa Lodroe (Poloe) 22 Drigung 15 years 7/5/ 1996
Jampa Tenkyong 23 Drigung 15 years 9/5/ 1996 (Pasang
Tsering) 37 Gyalding 12 years 7/5/ 1996 Tenzin Gelek
(Penpa) 23 Tsawa 12 years 9/5/ 1996 (Yonten Gyalpo) 27 Meldro Gyama 12
years 9/5/ 1996 Lobsang Dawa 28 Phenpo 12 years 7/5/ 1996 (Konchok
Dhondup) 24 Dhada 12 years 9/5/ 1996 (Khedrukpa) 25 Lubumkhang 12 years
7/5/ 1996 (Atsak) 29 Lhoka 10 years 7/5/ 1996 (Takchoe) 39 Meldro
Gyama 2 years 7/5/ 1996
Gyatso Rinchen
(Bhakdroe) 19 Meldro Gyama 2 years 7/5/ 1996 (Phurbu
Tsering) 21 Kyegu 2 years 7/5/ 1996 Yeshi Samten
(Tenzin Yeshi) 20 Tsawa 2 years 7/5/1996 (Sangye) 24 Khampa 2
years 7/5/ 1996
(Tashi Dorji) 35 Jhekha 1 year 9/5/ 1996 (Lobsang
Wangchuk) 23 Drigung 10 years 9/5/ 1996 (Jampa Thaye) 21 Kham 5
years 9/5/ 1996 (Sonam Tsering) 22 Kong 5 years 7/5/ 1996
(Phuntsok Dhondup) 26 Dhrushi 10 years 7/5/ 1996 Choesum
Gyaltsen 25 Taktse 3 years 30/8/ 1996 (Penpa) N/A Bongtoe 3 years 30/8/
1996 (Tsultrim Gyaltsen) 27 Thargey 3 years 30/8/ 1996
(Tasang) 21 Drigung 10 years 7/5/ 1996 (Sonam Tenpa) 26 Lubum 2
years 7/5/ 1996
Chadrel Rinpoche - the man who found the XIth Panchen Lama
Almost two years after his disappearance, Chadrel Rinpoche, the abbot of
the Tashilhunpo Monastery and also the head of the Search Committee for the
reincarnation of the 11th Panchen Lama was sentenced to six years
imprisonment and three years deprivation of political rights. A close
disciple of the 10th Panchen Lama, Chadrel Rinpoche was appointed the head
of the Search Committee by the Chinese Government, but was subsequently
charged with "plotting to split the country" and "leaking state secrets"
and sentenced on 21 April 1997.
Rinpoche, popularly known as Chadrel Rinpoche, was born in 1939 in a place
340 km west of Lhasa in the Namling county of the Shigatse region. In 1954,
at the age of 15, he joined the Tashilhunpo Monastery located in Shigatse,
south-west of Lhasa.
Chadrel Rinpoche's ability in religious study made him a close disciple of
the 10th Panchen Lama. In 1962 the Panchen Lama sent Chadrel Rinpoche to
study for one year at Lhasa Shol School and then for four years in Beijing
before returning to Tashilhunpo. During the Cultural Revolution Chadrel
Rinpoche was forced to work in a labour camp. On 19 August 1989, Chadrel
Rinpoche was appointed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) government
as the head of the Search Committee for the 11th reincarnation of the
Panchen Lama. From June 1994 the Chinese authorities reportedly attempted
to replace Chadrel Rinpoche with Sangchen Lobsang Gyaltsen, a noted Chinese
Communist Party supporter. On the 28th day of the 12th month of the Tibetan
lunar calendar (around February 1995), Chadrel Rinpoche and Champa Chung-la
(Secretary of the Search Committee), left Tashilhunpo Monastery and took a
flight from Lhoka Gonkar Airport to Beijing. There they attended the
meeting of the 3rd General Meeting of the 8th CPPCC (Chinese People's
Political Consultative Committee).
This meeting, commencing on 4 March 1995, would ordinarily last for ten
days but on this occasion it was extended after Chadrel Rinpoche refused to
accept China's plan to instate its own choice of Panchen Lama. At the
meeting's end Chadrel Rinpoche was reportedly harassed and detained
virtually under house arrest.
On 14 May 1995, the Dalai Lama officially proclaimed Gedhun Choekyi Nyima,a
six-year old boy in Tibet's northern region of Nagchu, as the next Panchen
Lama. On that day Chadrel Rinpoche managed to leave Beijing en-route to
Tibet but, when the PRC government heard of the Dalai Lama's announcement,
they arrested Chadrel Rinpoche on 17 or 18 May in Chengdu and took him back
to Beijing. There he was held incommunicado under house arrest, suspected
of having communicated with the Dalai Lama in exile regarding the choice of
the reincarnation.
On 14 July 1995 the local Religious Affairs Bureau in Shigatse issued a
formal order removing other leading lamas of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery from
their posts.
Eight new pro-Chineseleaders were appointed as the new administrators of
the monastery including Sanchen Lobsang Gyaltsen as the new head. On 22 May
1996, Chadrel Rinpoche was stripped of his membership of the Sixth 'Tibet
Autonomous Region' ('TAR') Chinese People's Political Consultative
Committee (CPPCC) and removed from his position as Vice-Chairman because he
"went against the fundamental stand of the nation and lost his political
direction". On 24 May 1996, Radio Lhasa announced that "In doing this, we
have purged the CPPCC of bad elements and have made it clean ..".
In September 1995 the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention referred the
cases of 48 persons detained for their involvement in the case of the
reincarnated Panchen Lama, including Chadrel Rinpoche, to the PRC. The
reply, when finally received in May 1996, claimed that China had
"scrupulously adhered to the sentiments of the Tibetan people and the
religious rites of Tibetan Buddhism in their choice of Panchen Lama". With
regard to Chadrel Rinpoche, the PRC stated that, after leaving Beijing in
mid-May 1995 to return to Tibet, he had "suddenly been taken ill and had to
be hospitalised. Considering the fragile state of his health, the Managing
Committee of the Tashilhunpo Monastery thought it best to relieve him of
his function as Administrator. He is at present under medical care." On 21
April 1997, almost two years after his disappearance, Chadrel Rinpoche was
sentenced by the Intermediate People's Court of Shigatse (Ch: Xigaze)
Prefecture in the "TAR" to four years imprisonment and three years
subsequent deprivation of political rights for "plotting to split the
country" and three years in prison for "leaking state secrets". The total
sentence was subsequently reduced to six years imprisonment and three years
deprivation of political rights.
Chadrel Rinpoche allegedly "confessed" to these charges and refused legal
representation yet, quoting as the reason the involvement of 'state
secrets', Chinese authorities closed his trial to the public.
We call on the People's Republic of China to adhere to international
standards of due process in allowing Chadrel Rinpoche legal representation
and the right to appeal and to provide humane conditions of detention
including visits by family and friends. If you would like to help, please
contact the TCHRD at the address given below .
Painter dies in prison
Kalsang Dawa, a 29 year old painter from Phenpo, one of the more than 1000
political prisoners in Tibet, has died mysteriously while serving his
prison term. According to his close friend, Kalsang died in October 1995 in
Sangyip Prison.
The prison officials reported to his mother Tenzin, aged 50, that Kalsang
died in hospital as a result of a complicated old disease. However his
friends and relatives report that he was totally fit and had no health
problems whatsoever. They believe that Kalsang Dawa was severly tortured
and received harsh treatment in prison which could have been the reason for
his death. As compensation the prison authorities paid his mother 10,000
Chinese yuan (US$1250).
Kalsang Dawa was first arrested in 1979 when he was just 13 years old. He
had reportedly opposed the Chinese Commune System by writing insults on a
piece of paper which was seen by Chinese Officials and was imprisoned for
one year and a half.
He was arrested again in late April 1993 after forbidden Tibetan national
flags, cassettes and other materials on Tibet were found in his possession
during a raid.
Results of Panchen Lama art competition
In commemoration of the Proclamation Day of May 14, 1995, when the Dalai
Lama officially announced Gedhun Cheokyi Nyima as the XIth reincarnation of
the Panchen Lama, TCHRD invited Tibetan school children in India to design
a picture or cartoon relating to the Panchen Lama. The response was
outstanding with 211 artworks received and we congratulate all those who
participated for their great effort and creativity. Congratulations in
particular to the following 22 winners.
Name Class School
Tsering Ten VIII D Upper TCV
Tenzin Norzom X K Lower TCV
Tenzin Choedak VIIIB CST Dalhousie
Tenzin Norbu IX B THF Mussoorie
Choephel X THF Mussoorie
Gyaltsen VII THF Mussoorie
Tsering samdup VIII P Upper TCV
Tenzin Yangchen XB Lower TCV
Tenzin Ngawang VIII B Lower TCV
Tenzin Choephel VIII B Lower TCV
Tashi Gelek VII B Upper TCV
Kalsang B IX P Upper TCV
Chemi Rinzin VII THF Mussoorie
Darsel VII A CST Dalhousie
Tenzin Dhonten VII THF Mussoorie
Tsering Topgyal VI THF Mussoorie
Thakchoe VII THF Mussoorie
Ngawang Dorjee VII THF Mussoorie
Dorjee Gyaltsen IX THF Mussoorie
Phuntsok X THF Mussoorie
Tenzin Tsegyal n/a CST Mussoorie
rejected this proposal and condemned His Holiness. This is unbearable to us
and we are unable to remain silent.
Since 1959 and the brutal occupation and colonisation of the Chinese
regime, the Tibetan people have been roused to call for their freedom and
demonstrate against the brutal Chinese suppression. This resulted in the
death of 1.2 million Tibetans and the ongoing imprisonment of Tibetans
still today. However the truth will last forever.
>From 27 September 1987,Tibetan people once again staged apeaceful
demonstration against China. Led by monks and nuns, hundreds of Tibetans
joined the uprising to demonstrate their opposition to Chinese rule in
Tibet. In the clamp-down of successive demonstrations, the Chinese army
opened fire, killing and critically wounding many on the spot and
imprisoning thousands of unarmed demonstrators. The Chinese authorities
forced the detainees to confess under harsh interrogation. In Tibet torture
is the only method of interrogating. In prison, cruel and degrading methods
of torture are inflicted to extract confessions. These include: deprivation
of food, water, and air; confinement in a freeze room; setting guard dogs
onto prisoners and the use of electric cattle prods. In some cases
prisoners are charged as 'criminals' and administrative detention is
imposed by local authorities without supervision by an independent
judiciary. The legal procedure established by the Chinese authorities is
regarded as the highest authority, thus the Tibetan people have no right to
appeal before the court. After imprisonment, political prisoners are
detained incommunicado. They are kept under strict vigilance by special
guards sent by the Chinese authorities and there are limits placed on their
visitation rights. Only a single member of a political prisoner's family
isallowed to visit once a month, while the other prisoners have no limit on
their visitation rights. Political prisoners are frequently prohibited from
receiving rations provided by their relatives, while other prisoners have
no restrictions on such rations.
Political prisoners have no bed, instead they must use rubbish cloths as
their bed. Political prisoners are forced to eat rotten and contaminated
food and no one has the right to appeal for their good health. On political
grounds prisoners are required to denounce from their heart His Holiness
the Dalai Lama and Tibetan freedom, and to pledge their love for
the Communist Party. At the same time, prisoners must accept the
Chinese laws and regulations upon prisoners, renounce what they have done
in the past and agree to accept the laws in the future. If the prisoners
refuse to accept these principles, they are subjected to cruel and inhuman
treatment using all torture instruments: beating with iron rods, sticks,
iron padlocks and cuffing of hands and feet for many days without any food.
This resulted in the death of Sangay Tenphel.
The Chinese do not take any responsibility upon themselves for sick
prisoners. Even if sick inmates are taken for consultation, only outdated
medicines and equipment are used. It was as a result of this that Lhakpa
Tsering2 and Kelsang Thutop3 died in prison. Political prisoners are
regularly subjected to forced blood extraction and intensive exercises.
Political prisoners are also compelled to praise whatever the jailer or
prison guards say. Even when the guard makes a false statement we are
forced to praise the communist values and ideologies. Nonetheless we are
united and never listen to these statements. That is why we are severely
beaten and deprived of food, water and sleep. It is very hard to write the
whole story in detail. If we complain about the maltreatment in the prison
to the relevant offices, they not only ignore the complaint but also our
prison sentences are greatly extended. We are kept under strict
surveillance and brutal suppression. In this way the prison guards are
promoted and rewards are presented to them by the higher authorities.
In the "Tibet Daily" newspaper it was stated that, during an official
meeting, the Public Security Bureau and the Judicial Office of the
Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) decided to award those guards who had
worked hard in disciplining the political prisoners with the extra
facilities. Now we have 253 political priom all political prisoners of
Drapchi Prison. 10th March 1997
1 Sangay Tenphel - 19 year old monk, lay name Gonpo Dorjee, died on 6 May
1996, from torture-related injuries.
2 Lhakpa Tsering died in Drapchi prison on 15 December 1990. 3 Kelsang
Thutop - 49 year old monk from Drepung monastery died in Drapchi prison on
1 July 1996.
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THE OFFICE OF TIBET, TIBET HOUSE, 1 CULWORTH STREET
LONDON NW8 7AF, UNITED KINGDOM
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Tel: 0044-171-722 5378 Fax: 0044-171-722 0362
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