A national no one will care about if dumped among the rubbish

Lama Jigme, a monk from Labrang monastery in Amdo, speaks in an exclusive video about his experience of being arrested, humiliated for his nationality and tortured while in detention. He examines his experience in light of international ideas of human and religious rights, Chinese laws, and China's stated policies for its society and nationalities.

To watch the interview of Jigme on VOA click here:

Shown by VOA on 3rd Sept and Tibetan transcript published by Tibet Times on 4 September

Jigme: This year on 22 March, after the monastic prayer session was over, I went to the market. I got my shoes mended near the bus station. As I was returning to the monastery, I received a phone call. When I checked, the caller had withheld the number. A white vehicle arrived and stopped in front of me. Four soldiers arrested me and dragged me into the van. When I cast glance backwards, I noticed a nun. So I called out, ‘Ani! Ani!” in order to alert her that I was being arrested.

In the van, they forced a black hood over my head and handcuffed me. Poking the rifle on my head, I was forced to lie down prone. I was taken to the Guest House of the People’s Armed Police which is located behind the Public Security Bureau office. Although they took off the black hood over my head I was left handcuffed. They did a body search and took away my cell phone and wallet. Then I was left on a chair with my hands tied behind my back. A boyish Chinese soldier pointed his rifle muzzle at me and said in Chinese, “This rifle has been made to kill you Tibetans. If you try to run even by one step, I am certainly going to kill you. After killing you, I’m going to throw your corpse among the garbage.”

At the time when he threatened me saying, “This rifle has been made to kill you Tibetans. If you are uncooperative, we’ll kill you and throw your corpse in the garbage and nobody would even know.” I didn’t feel any fear at having his rifle muzzle pointed at my head. However, the fact that he was a security officer and a soldier, and an upholder of the law of the country was pointing the muzzle of his rifle at the head of an ordinary citizen and making such threats, hurt me as though my heart was lacerated into two.
This is a case of a small, helpless nationality being bullied and brutalized by a big nationality; a big country making weapons to forcibly suppress a smaller nationality; and if this is what they do at the micro level, it is obvious how much more vicious they must be in trying to hurt us at the macro level. I was shocked by the realization that they brutally murder and suppress the Tibetans people, and make such threats! We Tibetans could be killed and thrown among the garbage and no one would care! No one would know. We are not accorded even the regard that a dog and a pig would enjoy. Even if a dog or a pig is killed, at least their owners grieve. But if we the Tibetans are killed, why can’t our loved ones claim our bodies? We were told that we are not allowed to claim even the bodies of our own brethren! This made me realize the lack of equality of the nationalities.

Among the many questions that they asked me were, “Did the Dalai Lama instigate you?”, “Are the recent looting, burning and destruction instigated by the Dalai Lama?” and “What’s your view of the Dalai Lama?” I expressed my views replying, “I’m a follower of Buddhism. The Dalai Lama is like my heart, soul and consciousness. As for the six million people of Tibet the Dalai Lama is the true object of worship and guardian in this and after lives. He has made a noble contribution to world peace. He is the Great Captain of World Peace. The Dalai Lama has shown the path of non-violence. I can never accept the allegation that the incidents of looting, burning and destruction are the work of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama would never say such a thing. Even an ordinary monk like me would not instigate anyone to burn, loot and rob. The Dalai Lama is like the conscience of the six million people of Tibet. We can never be separated from the Dalai Lama. Our connection with the Dalai Lama is steeped in history. We must continue to maintain this Master and disciple relationship. We have absolute faith and devotion to the Dalai Lama.” After holding us at the detention centre for a few days, we were taken to the prison. In the prison if one didn’t understand the Chinese words for one, two and three, they would beat us with rifle butts and say, “You are animals! You are stupid!” And when we asked why they were beating us, they said threateningly, “Because you don’t know Chinese!”

In that case, the Constitution as well as the laws of the PRC makes provisions for regional national autonomy and the use of the language of the nationality, and that the local nationality must be provided administrative authority. So for using our own nationality language on Tibetan soil and not understanding Chinese, how can they label us as animals and stupid?

And when it comes to monks, they don’t differentiate between whether one is guilty or not; whether one is young novice or an elderly monk. For example, young novice monks aged fourteen and fifteen and senior monks in their sixties and seventies are arrested. It doesn’t matter whether one has been involved or not in the protest demonstrations. We are denied clothes and shoes. Two monks were handcuffed together and shoved into the van. They are thrown into the vehicles like logs for fuel. Even though some people had their heads smashed and others with hands injured were also put in prison. They were not allowed food, clothes and bedding. We had to try to bear the cold with our body heat. The only reason why they beat us so much is because we are Tibetans. This really hurt us.

We were taken to the prison in Kacu. All the prisoners there were Han (Chinese) and Muslims (Huis). We were the only Tibetan prisoners. We had to move night soil and urine on a daily basis and scrub the floors. In the prison, our monk’s robes were taken off and forced to wear tight prison uniforms. I’m a Buddhist and a monk. As such, being taken away in a van, forced to wear a lay man’s clothes instead of my monk’s robes with my arms and legs shackled is downright insulting and contemptuous. In the prison the food and clothing was poor and there wasn’t even towels to wipe your face.

For a whole month I was kept hand-cuffed most of the days and nights. They accused me of having connections with people abroad such as the Dalai Lama, Samdhong Rinpoche and Akya Rinpoche. You must confess your confess having connections with people abroad. You have connections with educated people and Gesheys within the country. You are man of ability to get anything done within the country. You are the mastermind behind setting up (underground) organisations. What have you been trying to do phoning to people in different provinces? Where did you get the Tibetan (national) flags printed? How many flags did you print? How many members are there in your organisation? You have no choice but to admit those crimes. While interrogating me thus, I was left hanging with my hands tied behind. They boxed me on my face and chest. It was not like a human beating another but more like beating animals like dogs and pigs.
Eventually, I had lost consciousness and taken to the hospital. After regaining consciousness in the hospital, once again I was taken to the detention centre. I was beaten up and hung up. Once again, I lost consciousness, and taken to the hospital. For two days, I was continually beaten up in the detention centre and not given any food or even a drop of water. I experienced excruciating pain in my stomach and chest. I remained unconscious in the hospital for six days, unable to speak or even open my eyes. Eventually, when I was on the verge of dying, I was handed over to my family but then they lied to the Provincial authorities that they had not beaten me! They lied to my family members that I was not beaten. And I was myself made to put my thumb impressions on a piece of letter acknowledging that I was not beaten. I needed medical treatment in the hospital for twenty days at a cost about RMB 20,000.00.

When I returned to the monastery, friends told me that over 180 monks had been arrested. The monks are innocent. Our two disciplinarians and the officiating Lama were also arrested. They had been forced to stand on their toes at night and hit with rifle butts. They were trampled on their necks and then photographed with cell-phones. If you consider the fact that soldiers and security officers had ransacked the living quarters and stolen statues, cash, personal effects, meat and other food stuff of the monks, the real culprits guilty of robbery and murder are the Communist soldiers! They break the law and then arrest us, beat us and torture us. Even though they have murdered Tibetans, we are accused of instigating the people and causing the riots by following the urgings of the ‘Dalai clique’.

If there really was equality of the nationalities and freedom of speech; if there really was freedom of religion, then how come that we are not allowed to show devotion to the one we are devoted wholeheartedly? How come they stomp upon the portrait of HH the Dalai Lama deliberately within our sight; smash frames of his portrait with rifle butts and set to fire after tearing the portrait into pieces? To us, as a Tibetan and as a Buddhist, the hurt caused by stomping upon and tearing into pieces the portrait of HH the Dalai Lama who we are devoted from our hearts, cannot be measured in monetary values. If they claim that Tibetans have caused damage worth several billions of RMB for smashing a few windows, how would you value the insult caused by them in stomping upon the portrait of the Lama who we worship from our hearts? Monks been subjected to all sorts of beatings and one of the monks of Labrang who had spoken to the journalists was belaboured to the extent that his thigh bones were smashed. They used electric batons to smash people’s heads and mouth. Using electrical charges, those people have suffered brain damage. Those people have become senseless. That is the kind of torture our people had to endure.

Our greatest hope is for a fact-finding team of the international media and representatives of the UN to come to Tibet and to investigate the factual conditions and then dare to report what they find. That is our main hope. The Chinese accuse of us of violating the law and beat us and arrest us. They have killed many of our people and many others are still hiding in the mountains, unable to return home. If the media people of the world can investigate these and report to the world that would be helpful. They could find out whether or not HH the Dalai Lama had instigated us, and whether or not His Holiness had asked us to struggle for independence. HH the Dalai Lama has never said such a thing. Many of us support HH the Dalai Lama’s Middle Path approach, and a settlement of the issue of Tibet through peaceful negotiations.
However, we are deeply hurt to be subjected to such violent suppression. Today I hope to be able to testify and publicize to the world, through (you) the media, about the Tibetans killed, those who are still suffering torture in prisons and those who had escaped into the mountains and still dare not return home.

My monk’s quarter has been visited by members of the Public Security Bureau, Intelligence Bureau, and the Work Team, and one person assigned especially to keep watch over me. I’m not allowed to go outside or make phone calls. I’m required to study a thick copy of the Constitution and told to write a self-confession report. Thus, apart from not being held in a prison, I’m not allowed any freedoms. The current series of campaign being launched against us is not merely confined to Labrang monastery alone nor to the Amdo region alone. This is taking place in all the three provinces of Tibet - Amdo, U-tsang and Kham. Many Tibetans have been killed and many others forcibly arrested. We’ve heard that about 200 people have been killed and over a thousand arrested. These arrests and beatings have not ceased yet.

We’re denied access to news media. We are not allowed to watch news reports; there is ban on putting up movie satellite dishes; we are not allowed to listen and watch to American and foreign media reports. We are told to watch national news and TV coverage and prohibited from listening to foreign discourse. We are not allowed to speak to foreigners. So where is the freedom of expression? Where is the freedom of religious belief? The people of Tibet are suffering a multitude of problems.

Personally, I’m a monk of Labrang monastery. I’m one of those arrested this year. I have made a statement to them (the Chinese authorities) to the effect: “If you kill me, then that is the end of it. Otherwise, if get out and get any opportunity to talk, I’m going to testify to the people of the world about the torture I had to endure and all the hardship and privations that my friends have to suffer. I’m going to publicize all this through the various news media. ” Although at the time of my release I was warned not to tell that I had been beaten up, and that I should not make contact with outsiders, it’s impossible for me not to tell the torture that I personally had to endure, and the suffering of my friends. That is the reason why I am speaking to you today.
Furthermore, there is tight control of life in the Tibetan areas. Tibetans are not allowed to travel. Although the Olympics games are on these days, we are not allowed any facilities to watch. We are not allowed to go to Beijing or Lanzhou. And we are not even allowed to move outside our own local area. Although the Olympic Games are on, we are not allowed to do business; not allowed to engage in religious practice; not allowed to hold horse racing; not allowed to perform the masked ‘cham’ dances; we are not allowed to participate in many different traditional activities. Each of our areas is surrounded by soldiers. In the compound of the Office of Pastureland in Labrang, they have put up straw figures dressed in Tibetan clothing, and the Chinese soldiers are ordered to practice martial skills to ‘kill’ those straw-figures in Tibetan dress. Their enemies are the Tibetan people and the monks wearing religious robes.

The Tibetans being arrested are not all guilty of participating in protest demonstrations. Why are they conducting military training in bayoneting Tibetan straw figures? The suffering caused by the treatment of Tibetans as enemies is not limited to us monks. Tibetan cadres, students and ordinary people also suffer. The great (Communist Party) Government, the great country (PRC), the great (Han) nationality uses weapons upon a humble nationality like the Tibetans, use weapons against this humble nationality; use armoured tanks; point canons against us; surround us with tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers; and order the death of recalcitrant Tibetans.

In this 21st century, the people of the world are marching on the path of peace and non-violence. The peace loving people and those who support justice must highlight the fact that China is guilty of preventing journalist’s free access and beating them up. If the UNO and the Human Rights organisations and the Tibet Support groups manage to investigate the actual situation in Tibet, they could put pressure on China.
The cold blooded murder of the Tibetans could be checked; the arrests of the Tibetans can be checked.

Further still, those who are hiding in the mountains could be encouraged to return home. Peaceful talks with the Envoys of HH the Dalai Lama; seeking a mutually beneficial solution to both the Tibetans and Chinese; and to invite HH the Dalai Lama to Tibet, is the hope and aspiration of all Tibetans inside Tibet. If HH the Dalai Lama is invited to Tibet and the Sino-Tibet issue is settled through negotiations, there is no reason why peace and happiness cannot prevail. Our hopes lie with HH the Dalai Lama and HH the Panchen Lama. If you force out HH the Dalai Lama and HH the Panchen Lama, there can be no way to make peace with the six million people of Tibet.

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