Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh), Feb 1: Jamyang Samten, a teenaged Tibetan boy, trekked all the way from Tibet to Dharamsala, covering a distance of over 1000 kilometers, to escape Chinese repression.
Fifteen-year-old Jamyang successfully crossed the Tibet-Nepal border in his second attempt.
Jamyang, who was part of a Tibetan Group on its way to India, claims to have witnessed the killing of two of his group members while attempting to cross over to Nepal in his earlier attempt.
“When they first arrested us at Takola, the border police put guns at our heads and threatened to kill us. We were taken to Shiputa and were asked who was responsible for taking us to this road. The police also asked the description of the guide and people (who guided us). They threatened to execute us if caught next time,” said Jamyang.
After reaching Dharamsala, home of Tibetan spiritual head, the Dalai Lama, on Monday, Jamyang said his group split into two when they were shot at by Chinese border guards while trekking the snowy mountains to cross over to Nepal.
In September last year, a group of 73 Tibetans, while trekking towards India via the Himalayas to meet the Dalai Lama, were shot at by Chinese border guards.
Of the 73 people, only 41 managed to reach India. The group comprised of children, young men, monks and nuns.
Two teenaged Tibetan girls – Kelsang Nortso, a 17-year-old Buddhist nun, and Dolma Palkyid, 16, were part of the group that wanted to meet the Dalai Lama. But on September 30, tragedy stuck. Chinese troops positioned on the Sino-Nepalese border opened fire on the group, and killed Kelsang, as they reached the Nangpala pass located at a height of 18,753 feet.
European mountaineers in the area caught the shootings on camera and released their video on the Internet. The video of what appeared to be the shooting was also aired on Romanian Pro TV.
The video clearly shows a Chinese border guard calmly firing from a mountain ridge on a group of Tibetans as they struggle through the snow to escape from occupied Tibet. Two figures drop to the ground.
At least half of the Tibetans making the journey are children whose parents want them to grow up with a strong Tibetan identity.
Nepal is home to more than 20,000 Tibetan refugees. These refugees are not allowed to stay in Nepal and must travel on to neighbouring India. India is home to around 1, 50,000 Tibetan refugees.
