By Tenzin Tsering
Dharamsala, August 3 – A video footage of a Tibetan man making “anti Chinese government” statements at a public event before an audience of thousands of people including Chinese officials was made public Monday, three years after the incident.
On 1st August 2007, Runggye Adak, a Tibetan nomad from Yonru Village, Lithang in the traditional Tibetan province of Kham, now redrawn under Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture(TAP) gave a valiant speech at an annual horse racing festival leading to his eventual arrest and detention. He is now serving eight years’ imprisonment for the act that was ruled as ‘inciting separation of nationalities” by Chinese court.
Before a large gathering of thousands of Tibetans who had come from nearby villages primarily to witness the popular annual Lithang horse race festival, Adak went up on stage, seized a microphone and began his speech by calling for unity among fellow Tibetans.
After drawing attention from the audience, he called for the release of the Panchen Lama, Tulku Tenzin Delek, a senior and respected lama from the area who is serving a life sentence for ‘splittism’ under alleged charges of bombing.
An eyewitness to Runggye Adak’s protest told ICT, which had acquired the footage, said: “I saw him walk onto the stage, which was full of Chinese military and officials. He was very calm, very dignified and he spoke clearly. I couldn’t understand what he was saying because I don’t know the Kham dialect, but I could see Tibetans around me shaking their heads in sadness, because they were fearful for him, and others openly agreeing with him.”
The footage, subtitled in English, shows an extract of Adak’s statement saying “…These things have happened to us; did you hear what has happened to us? Although we can move our bodies, we cannot express what is in our hearts. You know? These days there are those who say we don’t need the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is the one that we six million Tibetans truly [need]”
ICT said the video captured by a foreigner at the vicinity could not record Adak’s complete statement. Adak, a respected nomad from his village was immediately taken away by Chinese security officials.
His nephew Adak Lupoe, a senior monk from Lithang monastery and another Tibetan identified as Kunkhyen received a longer sentence of ten years and nine years respectively for “endangering national security” by sending information regarding the matter outside Tibet.
The Washington based advocacy group says Adak and the two other Tibetans’ imprisonment speaks volume about how a civil expression can be termed as “crime” and earn years in Chinese jails.
In prison for three years, Adak , father of 11 children has met his family only once since his arrest. According to International Tibet Support Network, the meeting occurred after 50 people filed a request to local Chinese officials.
“My father, Runggye Adak is innocent because what he said was true and represents the wishes and aspiration of all Tibetans inside Tibet,” said his son Jamyang Lobsang.
According to new information received, Adak’s health calls for concern, he is suffering from stomach ailments and loss of eyesight.
