By Luke Ward
On March 2nd 2006, the Free Tibet Soc at Leeds University and Amnesty International at Leeds Uni held a talk by two of the Drapchi 14, Namdrol Lhamo and Gyaltsen Drolkar. Students for a Free Tibet UK arranged the talk. In a moving talk, the nuns told their stories of their arrests and imprisonment for shouting for a Free Tibet. They went on to tell us of the disgusting treatment of political prisoners in prisons in Chinese-occupied Tibet, detailing how their sentences were extended as a result of singing and recording freedom songs in prison that were later smuggled out. The lecture theatre sat in complete silence as the nuns described the beatings they received for breaking a window and shouting ‘Bhod Rangzen’ during the Drapchi Prison protests in 1998, which left 5 dead. They explained how the authorities followed them in Tibet after their imprisonment, and they were unable to get a job, or to join a monastery.
Namdrol and Gyaltsen spent 12 years each in prison, and it is testament to their strength that they survived, and are also able to talk about their experiences. Away from the lecture theatre, the two nuns were very chatty, and were telling jokes late into the evening.
In Tibet, most families have suffered in some way from human rights abuses. Many Tibetans have lost family members, or suffered themselves. Whilst China frequently refers to Tibet as ‘A Socialist Paradise’, the truth is glaringly different. Forced labour still exists, and often, even when paid, the pay is as low as 20 Yuan £1.60 per month. Human Rights abuses remain common, if underreported. China’s recent patriotic re-education programme has seen a crackdown on all sectors of Tibetan life, but especially in monasteries. Whilst countries trade with China, we must force them to improve this shocking record, as by supplying capital for their industry and trade, we are also funding their prisons and other government institutions through taxes. Trade with China must be on the condition of improved human rights, particularly in light of the Beijing Olympics. The Drapchi Nuns case and the brutal put down of the Drapchi riots in 1998 are evidence of this.
The nuns and their translator, Ngawang showed little sign of nervousness in front of a huge crowd of around 150 – 200 people. The talk was the first of its kind in Leeds, and the first major event held by the newly reformed Free Tibet Society at Leeds University. We were delighted to get such a huge turnout, and would like to thank everyone who attended. We hope to continue spreading knowledge of the lack of freedom in Tibet, and the shocking human rights abuses perpetrated by Chinese authorities. Hopefully, there will be several positives arising from this talk- firstly the cause has got a lot more exposure, but there is also talk of establishing a non-student permanent Free Tibet group in Leeds. We were also pleased to see a number of Chinese students in the crowd, most of whom seemed very interested. As might be expected at a University with a large number of Chinese students, Ngawang was confronted by one rather rude girl, who said to him ‘We do not need to make this issue international.’ Ngawang’s response was simple: ‘Yes we do.’
