Tibet: Lhasa witnesses analyze the protests

I thought that this [the uprising] was the right thing to do. I participated in the protests and was among the protesters in the area of Ramoche monastery for about two hours. I knew that the protests were expressions of Tibetan despair over Chinese oppression in our own country. The actual suppression and crackdown by Chinese forces began on the night of March 14. At roughly 8 p.m., Tibetans in the Lhasa area heard that Chinese forces were coming. Many left and went to their homes, while others continued their protests. That very night I saw many Tibetans being taken away and Chinese armed police firing on Tibetans.

“Within a short period, about 200 Tibetans were detained. In the midst of the commotion, it was hard to tell who was alive or dead and who was taken away. I saw some Chinese with head injuries. Then, my sister told me that she had seen nine Tibetan bodies in the area of Luphuk. I myself saw a Tibetan woman and a man lying dead in Ani Tsangku hospital. When I arrived at the Lhasa City People’s Hospital, I saw three Tibetans being brought in. One of the injured was Tenzin Norbu from Kham Pelbar. His sister brought him in, and I recognized him. He had been shot in the head, and the hospital suggested that he should be taken to the TAR People’s Hospital. He was vomiting and may not have survived. That boy was very young—about 21 or 22—and according to his sister he was a student in a school just below Sera monastery. Another youth had also been shot in the head. He was bleeding heavily, and there was little hope for his survival. Another Tibetan youth had been hit in the hip and had about four bullet wounds.

I saw them myself. I heard gunshots on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of March. One of those who died in Luphuk was Lhakpa Tsering. He was known to us. He is survived by a young daughter. He was from Toelung Dechen and worked as a driver. He died on Friday and his funeral was planned for the following Monday, but local officials took his body for a <em>post mortem</em> because of the gunshot wound to his head. Later, they handed over some ashes in place of his body. Most of the Tibetan families whose loved ones were killed could not be traced. It was difficult to know whether they were alive or dead or under detention. Most of the dead bodies were taken away and disposed of by the Chinese.

While I was in Lhasa, I heard that Tibetans who were detained were not taken to Drapchi or Toelung jail because of unrest in those places. So many were taken to the Gutsa and Nyethang detention centers near the railway station. About 200 Tibetans were detained and interrogated at Nyethang. Even in Phenpo Lhundrub county, the Chinese television showed protests by farmers, monks, and students. The Chinese ran programs saying that the protesters had surrendered to government authorities. But when I talked with some people from Phenpo, they denied having surrendered and said the Chinese authorities were telling lies.

— Tibetan woman, resident in Australia, who participated in an RFA Tibetan service roundtable discussion on April 5, 2008

There were Tibetan protests in Lhasa and in several other areas. The Chinese government is describing these protests as the work of the Dalai Lama and his clique. As a Tibetan living inside Tibet, I want to make very clear that the Dalai Lama has no connection to these protests. Chinese government officials and Tibetan officials in the Tibet Autonomous Region are blaming the Dalai Lama for the protests that took place in different parts of Tibet. False accusations like these will not heal the wounds in the hearts of Tibetans like me and others but only make them worse. I am sure that Chinese and Tibetan officials are listening to your programs, so I would like to send them a message that false accusations and condemnation of the Dalai Lama will not bring stability. It will only cause further unrest.

We are not allowed to move around, so your radio is our only source of information. Your radio is the most important way of knowing what is happening. It is so useful. These days, your programs are jammed by Chinese music, and we cannot get a clear reception. If you can find ways to make your broadcasts clearer, we will be greatly benefited.

RFA’s programs are very helpful. I am a Tibetan youth who was mainly brought up in the remote countryside. Our knowledge of politics is very limited and backward. Our educational facilities are poor, and we didn’t know much about the freedom that is enjoyed in free countries. So when we listen to your programs, we are greatly benefited. Who actually sponsors RFA? Oh, the U.S. Congress sponsors your programs? Though I am an ordinary Tibetan youth, I would like to thank–on my own behalf and on behalf of all Tibetans inside Tibet–Congress for providing this benefit for us.

Since we cannot move freely and our lines of communication are cut, it is very difficult for me to give you any details or comprehensive information. However, in our area, the Chinese crackdown and restrictions on monks and Tibetan youths and students have been shockingly rigid and ruthless. Monks are being ostracized, and the police look on them as objects of hatred. The situation is extremely tense. All Tibetan monks and students, regardless of their participation or non-involvement in the protests, are being treated as suspects.

While I was in Lhasa, I had the opportunity to speak with many Tibetans. What they told me is that they have no knowledge of any outside organization or individual who planned the protests. What they do know is that Tibetans in the Lhasa area were talking for many months before March 10 and saying that they should do something. It appears that Tibetans inside Tibet were greatly motivated when the U.S. Congress awarded His Holiness [the Dalai Lama] with the Congressional Gold Medal. They had great hopes of winning Tibetan independence. So the Tibetans themselves were talking about rising against Chinese rule … This was not the work of a small group of individuals. There was widespread involvement by Tibetans. The protests and riots affected not just the major streets of Lhasa, but almost every small street. Most of the protesters were young Tibetans under the age of 25.

— A Tibetan-American who was in Lhasa during the protests, interviewed by RFA’s Tibetan service, April 7, 2008