I was born in 1973 in Lhoka Prefecture, which is to the south of Lhasa. My parents were farmers, growing potatoes, barley and radishes. Most Tibetans spend only about two or three years at school, but my parents knew how important education was and so made me go to school for a lot longer. As it turned out, I studied for fourteen years until I was twenty-one. At school, I was taught the Chinese version of Tibetan history with no mention made of the Dalai Lama, but when I was sixteen, a teacher of mine invited me and a few other students to a study meeting where he taught us the real history of Tibet. As I became more aware of the atrocities the Chinese were committing in Tibet, I felt that I had to do something for Tibetan independence. In 1994, along with other students and teachers, I pasted up five hundred pro-independence posters in my village. On 15 June, at three o'clock in the morning seven policemen burst into my boarding school room and arrested me. Another two students and two teachers who took part were also arrested. The two teachers were detained for two months, and the two other students just for two weeks before being released. As I was the leader of the group, I was held in the local detention center for six months, and then sentenced to five years imprisonment. So on December 1, 1994, I was transferred from Lhokha to Drapchi prison. I was sent to Unit 5, which along with Unit 3 (the Unit for female prisoners) is where the political prisoners were sent. At that time, there were 1600 prisoners total at Drapchi, out of which 290 were political prisoners.

To watch a video of Phuntsok Wangchuk discussing freedom and other related videos, click here.

Note: you may find this personal account upsetting.

Daily prison life in Drapchi

During the daytime, we had to either do military exercises, hard labor, or work in the vegetable garden. Every morning we did exercises and sometimes, while jogging, the guards tried to make us shout out our opposition to the splittists, confess our supposed guilt and promise to reform ourselves. We refused to do this during winter, and so the guards poured water, which quickly froze, over the courtyard and made us sit there for nearly an hour. As a result, many of the prisoners had rheumatic pains or caught dysentery, but none of them were taken to the hospital for treatment.

For each of the greenhouses certain targets were set for the prisoners, and if we failed to meet these targets we would get beaten, put in solitary confinement or even have our monthly visits with family members suspended. There were more than 30 prisoners assigned to the labor camp. We had to do renovation and construction work in the prison in which the most difficult part would be carrying very heavy rocks for hours on end. We had to work everyday and there were prison guards to supervise us. We weren't allowed to eat until we had finished all the allotted work. By the end of the day, most of the prisoners' backs were red raw with the skin peeling off.

From March 1995 onwards, everyday, instead of working, we were made to do exercises, which were watched over by three or four People's Armed Police (PAP) officers. The exercises usually involved jogging and marching, but sometimes we were made to stand up and then squat fifty times in succession, which was really tough. If we fell over or were not able to complete the exercises, the PAP officers would beat us with sticks or their belts. About once a month, we were made to stand still with the sun beating down on us for several hours. What made it worse was that we had had our hair shaved off, and so our scalp used to get badly sunburnt. If we made any small movements, wobbled or bent over, we would be sent to the flower garden where they would put newspapers and wooden planks on our outstretched hands. If we lowered our hands or if the newspaper fell down the guards would kick us, and then refuse to give us any food at meal times. I remember being put through this ordeal on countless other occasions during my stay at Drapchi.

On May 4, 1995, Lodoe Gyantso, a criminal prisoner from Sog dristrict, staged a protest calling for a free Tibet and distributing many pro-independence pamphlets. The Chinese prison official named Tang, along with other officials, arrived on the scene immediately, tied Lodoe Gyantso up and made him face the wall. They then trampled on his hand, struck him in the mouth with electric prods and hit him with metal sticks. Every one of us was shocked at this incident. Even though he looked like he was going to die, he continued shouting out for a free Tibet and the prison officials kept on hitting him. The officials eventually stopped, but not before they had maimed Lodoe Gyantso. After this incident he was put in solitary confinement for two months, and then transferred to the New Unit 5. He was then handcuffed and made to stand at the threshold of Unit 5 without any food for a whole day, while reading out the prison rules and regulations.

On December 16, 1995 at 10am, there was a roll call for all the prisoners in the courtyard. There were three prisoners who were unable to make the assembly (one of them being ill), and so in order to test Ngawang Tensang, the man in charge of the assembly, Paljor asked him if everyone was present. Ngawang Tensang didn't want to give the other prisoners away, so he just said that everyone was present. Paljor was furious, and accusing Ngawang Tensang of cheating him, ordered him to be put in solitary confinement. The other prisoners were then made to stand facing a wall for an hour. After that the prisoners were ordered to do exercises by standing in line again and made to turn their head left and right alternately. Kelsang Gyaltsen from Dhinga monastery was then accused of looking at one of the prison officials insolently, for which he was struck on the face by Paljor. Blood started flowing from his face and so as to incriminate Paljor, Kelsang spread some of the blood on Paljor's back.

As it was difficult to tolerate this scene any longer, we all formed a circle around the two prison officials, Paljor and Nyima, and started protesting. After a few minutes, the Chief prison official Lobsang and some other guards came to the spot and took control, but as Kelsang Gyaltsen's nose was still bleeding he was sent to the hospital for treatment. By the time he had returned from hospital though, all the officials had left, and so Paljor hit him a further twenty times. That afternoon at around 3pm, the guards rounded up ten of those prisoners whom they could clearly distinguish as have participated in the morning's protest and took them to the prison office. Among them Sangye Tenphel, Topjor, Dorje and Dhondup Yougyal were severely beaten. Then in the evening at around 7pm, Paljor called the Serkhang monastery monk Tseyang to his room. Trinle Ngawang, Topgyal and I were afraid that Tseyang might well get tortured, so we decided to gather all the other prisoners in the unit and stage a demonstration. Paljor, not wanting the matter to become any more serious, just pretended to be interrogating Tseyang and after a few minutes let him go.

The prison officials at Drapchi were always worrying about news of the atrocities there getting out, and any prisoner who tried to communicate what was happening to the outside world was dealt with ruthlessly. Towards the end of January 1996, Ngawang Pekar from the Old Unit and Kelsang Gyaltsen from the New Unit were caught recording the names and details of all the prisoners. As a result Ngawang Pekar was put in solitary confinement and after a few days transferred to Utritru Prison's solitary confinement. At a later date he was brought back to Drapchi and again put in solitary confinement. As a punishment for recording the names and details of the prisoners, his sentence was increased by 6 years. He was also not given proper clothes to wear, or sufficient food to eat. After Ngawang Pekar's transfer, Kelsang Gyaltsen was also put in solitary confinement.

Deaths at Drapchi

On February 28, 1996, all the prisoners and prison officials assembled for the annual meeting. At the beginning of the meeting there was a report on each prisoner's behavior, how they did their work and how their attitude had changed. During this meeting the guards would assault and harass the prisoners, and two prisoners, Bhuchung and Trinle Ngawang, were badly beaten and then put in solitary confinement.
At around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Sangye Tenphel and I were interrogated at the same time, but in different offices. I was asked to write down how much my attitude had changed since being imprisoned. I simply wrote down that my attitude had not changed at all. When asked why there was no change, I wrote down that I had been falsely accused by the Chinese, and that a great injustice had been done to me by the Chinese government. At once, the prison guards kicked my legs, made me keel down and hit me on the back of the neck with a 'dagyuk' (a plastic hose that was filled with sand to make it heavier). This dazed me for a few seconds. The guards then took turns in beating me, and then I heard them discussing in Chinese how best to torture Sangye Tenphel. After some time I was put in solitary confinement, along with Trinle Ngawang and Bhuchung. That night, while we were all in solitary confinement, we were not given anything to eat. On top of that, we had no sheets or blankets, and were not even allowed to wear anything over our thin shirts and trousers. It was still winter, and we couldn't stop shivering in the bitter cold. We managed to get through the night by stamping our feet on the ground in order to keep warm. It was the most painful experience of my life.

I found out later what happened to Sangye Tenphel. Because he remained silent and wouldn't cooperate with the officials, Paljor hit him in the face with a plastic hose for a very long time. Then someone stubbed a cigarette butt out on his cheek. This was hard enough to bear, but then the guards Nyima, Tsenam and Hatuk went to work on him. Two of them held him down while the other one hit him on the stomach, intestines and the back of the head, then kicked the back of his knee and forced him to kneel down. Sangye Tenphel said afterwards that the guards seemed to be in high spirits, as if they were playing with him. They then stamped on his back, made him lie down on the ground and struck him with a plastic hose about thirty times. Twelve blows were to the head, which both dazed him and was very painful. A little while after this ordeal, as he was still in great pain, his friend Lobsang Gelek put him in a small cart and asked the guards to take him to the hospital. Lobsang was given twenty blows with a plastic hose on his head for his trouble, and when Sangye was eventually taken to the hospital the doctors just said that there was nothing wrong with him.

On March 2 around 12 noon, all the prisoners of our Unit sat together in the courtyard and called for Trinle Ngawang, Bhuchung and I to be released from solitary confinement. They told the guards that they would go on hunger strike unless the three of us were released immediately from solitary confinement. At once, the Chief prison official Lobsang came to the spot, and the courtyard wall was surrounded by PAP officers. He told the prisoners that they had five minutes to clear the courtyard, or else the consequences might well prove to be fatal. Some of the older prisoners advised against continuing the protest, but most of the younger prisoners were not prepared to give in. Even though the Chinese had taken a hard line and several prisoners, including Sangye Tenphel, were badly beaten Bhuchung and Trinle Ngawang were released from solitary confinement. I, however, was kept in solitary confinement.

On March 10, I was interrogated by Paljor for a very long time. He held me responsible for all the above protests. The following day, after being beaten by the guards, I was forced to write the following letter:

Respected Head of the Unit,

I am an uneducated ordinary person. I believe that Tibet has been a free nation for a long time. But to know the truth about Tibet, please assign me a teacher who could make the true facts clear to me.

From prisoner,
Phuntsok Wangchuk

After that day, I was only given two tingmos (steamed buns) and one cup of boiled water a day. The only blanket that I had was also taken away. This experience made me realize to some degree what Milarepa (Buddhist saint who meditated without any food or clothes in the mountains) must have endured during his meditation, and I felt a deep-rooted faith in Milarepa well up in me.

On March 17, which was the 30th day of the month according to our Tibetan calendar, all the prisoners of my Unit requested my release from solitary confinement. The prisoners also sent me a note, hidden in tingmo, asking me to try to make a good impression on the guards. That morning the prison officials Apho and Nyima asked me what I thought about independence for Tibet. They seemed to be pleased with my answer, and sent me back to the Unit. When I returned to the Unit I received a hearty welcome from all the Unit 5 prison inmates. As I was on my way back to cell no. 8 though, I was horrified to see how much Sange Tenphel had changed, his face now being a horrible sickly color. His health had deteriorated drastically, and so on April 30, Tenzin Choedrak took him in a small cart and asked the guards to take him to the hospital. Paljor refused to take him to the hospital and warned Tenzin Choedrak that if he did that kind of thing again he would be severely punished.

On May 5, Sangye Tenphel was so sick that he couldn't even eat his meal. His roommates tried to take him to the hospital in a small cart, but the guard made them wait for an hour near the gate. When the gate was opened Paljor and Penpa refused to take him to the hospital. At that time Penpa gave a sarcastic laugh, insulted Sangye Tenphel and even shook him roughly. That night, Sangye Tenphel fainted again and again, and yet he was still given no medical treatment. Just before sunset, all the prisoners in his Unit protested that Sangye Tenphel was very ill and badly needed to be taken to the hospital. Sadly, only when it was clear that he was going to die soon did the guards send him, along with Tenzin Choedrak, to the hospital.

On the afternoon of May 6, Tenzin Choedrak returned to the unit with his head held low. He told us that Sangye Tenphel had passed away at four o'clock that morning. We found out later that while he was being prepared for burial it was discovered that he had several broken ribs and related damage to his lungs. We felt compelled to make a stand against the prison officials after seeing the barbaric and savage way that Sangye Tenphel had been treated. So on May 7, we formed two groups, and each group prepared an appeal to the prison officials. The first appeal was drafted by the older prisoners and was a little more conservative than the appeal the newer prisoners had drafted. The older prisoners called for: the cause of Sangye Tenphel's death to be announced in a meeting the following day, a political prisoner to be able to go to the funeral, and that political prisoner to be allowed to ask the person who prepared the body what the cause of death was. The second appeal called for: an official mourning period for Sangye Tenphel, more respect for human rights and improved conditions in the prison, and the prison official Penpa to be transferred. The first letter was delivered to the authorities that evening. We had agreed that the second letter would only be sent if the first one was ignored.

On May 8, Tsering Phuntsok was taken to witness the giving away of Sangye Tenphel's body to the eagles. At around 11am, the Chief Prison Officials Phuntsok and Lobsang and other related officials arrived at our Unit to conduct a meeting. Before the meeting started, Paljor announced the rules to be maintained during meetings in the prison. He said that no prisoner was to speak back to, or make any special request to the prison officials. The meeting started with a speech from Chief Prison Official Phuntsok. He said that Sangye Tenphel died of a brain hemorrhage, but he said that this was a chronic disease, and nothing to do with his treatment at Drapchi. Then Chief Prison Official Lobsang said that the Chinese government was in no way responsible for Sangye Tenphel's death, and that any prisoner who claimed that they were would be severely punished. At that moment, Phuntsok Leksang stood up saying that he refused to accept the explanation given by the officials, and that Sangye Tenphel was beaten to death. One other prisoner also stood up saying that he disagreed with what the officials had said, and both these prisoners were then taken away by the guards to be interrogated. After the officials had called the meeting to a close we just sat there and refused to move. Then suddenly, we found ourselves surrounded by PAP officers, who were threatening to beat us up if we didn't return to our cells. We had no choice but to call off the protest and go back to our cells.

Another victim of Paljor's harsh treatment was Kelsang Thutop, a 49-year-old monk from Drepung monastery who had been arrested in 1989 and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. He was transferred to Drapchi prison in 1990. On the morning of July 4, 1996, Kelsang Thutop was suddenly called to the prison office and was interrogated for a very long time by Paljor and Penpa. He returned to the Unit two hours later, but he looked terrible and was unable to speak due to the severe beatings he had received. The prison officials took him to the hospital after all the prisoners had begged them to, but they didn't allow any of us to accompany him. The prison officials were afraid that we might well stage another protest in the wake of such an incident, and so we were locked up in our cells and made to read newspapers until dinnertime. We found out later that Kelsang Thutop died at around four o' clock the next morning. During the burial preparations for Kelsang Thutop, it was discovered that one of his testicles had been crushed.

Sadly, this was not the last time I had to witness such an incident. Pasang Dawa, a young monk from Dechen Sangak monastery, had been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment after staging a solo demonstration in Lhasa's Barkhor area, and had been transferred to Drapchi in 1995. During the year 1997, his health deteriorated quite dramatically, and by the time the winter came he was really very ill. In spite of this there were no provisions made for his poor health. For instance, even though he felt bitterly cold he was made to attend meetings, and was not even allowed to bring extra blankets to keep himself warm. In November, he was hospitalized for two weeks but the medical treatment he received was, to say the least, less than ideal. The doctors examined him only once and said that there was nothing wrong with him. To make matters worse, Pasang was sometimes even denied food in the hospital. After returning to the Unit, his health was continually getting worse. He had very little appetite and was also beginning to lose his memory. He couldn't walk by himself, and so was constantly relying on other prisoners to help him. Although he was obviously very ill the prison guards refused to take him to the hospital for any further medical treatment and even accused Pasang of pretending to be sick. On the night of December 16, Pasang fainted. He was eventually taken to the hospital but, unfortunately, it was too late and Pasang died on December 17.

May 1998 Protests

On May 1, 1998, to commemorate International Labor Day, the officials decided to make two prisoners raise the Chinese flag inside the prison, and then make nearly 600 assembled prisoners, including around 120 political prisoners, salute it. PAP officers had surrounded the courtyard so as to deter anyone from protesting. At around 10am all of the prisoners except those in Old Units 3 and 5, where I was being held, were assembled in the main courtyard. They were then made to sing 'Socialism is Good'. After that, they were to sing the Chinese national anthem while the Chinese flag was hoisted up. During the singing of the national anthem Karma Dawa and Sonam, two criminal prisoners from Unit 6, threw into the air many pro-independence pamphlets while shouting out "Free Tibet!" Immediately, the political prisoners from Units 3 and 5, and many of the criminal prisoners joined them. The protest, which the officials were having difficulty controlling, lasted for over an hour, after which the prisoners were forced to go back to their respective units. The political prisoners of Unit 5, though, were stopped as they were entering their unit and made to sit on the floor. Six prisoners, Norbu Phuntsok, Kapasang, Kungtuk, Migmar, Tenzin and Logyu, were severely beaten and then put in solitary confinement. The rest of the prisoners were taken back to Unit 5, and made to sit in the courtyard. Karma Dawa and Sonam, whose outburst sparked off the protest, eventually had their sentences increased by nine years.

After the protest, as the prison officials had failed to make the prisoners hoist up the Chinese flag, it was left to two prison officers to raise it.
May 4 was International Youth Day, and at around 9am the officials again tried to raise the Chinese flag. This time 400 prisoners, including 60 political prisoners, were assembled in the courtyard, and were to salute the Chinese flag. The military presence was double that of 1 May. There were 15 People with cameras lined up in a building to the south of the courtyard. Outside the main gate, four trucks full of soldiers were waiting. Even the doctors, sweepers, cooks and other members of the prison staff were equipped with metal sticks, electric prods, plastic hoses, etc. At around 10am, the prison officials tried to make us sing the Chinese national anthem. Then Lobsang Gelek, aged 24, from Nagchu Khamar monastery stepped forward, raising his right hand and shouting out "Free Tibet!" and "Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama!" All the political prisoners joined him, sparking off another large protest. PAP officers fired shots into the air, and the soldiers who had been waiting outside the prison were ordered to come into the courtyard. There were in total 600 policemen and soldiers who beat both the political prisoners and nearly 50 of the criminal prisoners savagely. The courtyard reeked of blood.

During the protest, the prison officials took photographs of the prisoners and also video taped their movements. Several prisoners were put in solitary confinement or transferred to Sangyip and Gutsa for interrogation, and five political prisoners were transferred to Units 1, 2 and 4 (the Units reserved for criminal prisoners). The rest of us in Unit 5 were locked inside our Unit. Emotions were running high at that time and there were some of us who felt like committing suicide, while others wanted to fight against the Chinese till the last breath.

At around 2pm, Lobsang Choephel, an inmate in the New Unit 5, committed suicide by hanging himself from a rope tied to the ventilator in their Unit's bathroom. He had written a suicide note, in which he said that he was committing suicide for the six million Tibetans and that he refused to salute the Chinese flag. He then stated his wish to meet his companions again in his next life. When his roommate, Lobsang Dawa, eventually found the body he burst into tears. Many prisoners heard him crying, and rushed to the bathroom. Gyaltsen Choephel, Buchung, Lobsang Dawa and Phuntsok Samdup lifted up the dead body and shouted out that the Chinese had killed Lobsang Choephel. We, in the Old Unit 5, heard what was going on and joined in the cry. The prisoners, who were locked in their cells, were raising their hands through the bars and shouting out that the Chinese had killed Lobsang Choephel. A Chinese prison official called Shaotu fired three times in the air to threaten the prisoners, but the prisoners were not intimidated, and Tsewang Dhondup, from Lhoka Danang, even ripped off his shirt and told the prison officials that if he was going to shoot he should shoot him in the chest there and then.

Then one by one, we were all called out and beaten by five or six guards. As well as beating us, the guards would pour water on the ground, then send an electric current through it and make us, who had already been tied up, stand in this electrified pool. Rinzin, Tsewang Dhondup, Ngawang Tsondue, Dhondor and Losel were the most badly injured. Dhondor was taken to a separate place and beaten for 2 hours by a guard called Pasang, as a result of which the lower part of his body was covered in bruises. As he was walking back to his Unit, he fell down again and again. It was very difficult for him to walk properly. The prison official was so cruel that he was threatening Dhondor with another beating if he didn't walk properly. Ngawang Tsondue and Rinzin were struck with metal sticks all over their bodies. They were bleeding profusely, and were taken to the hospital. Even after Ngawang Tsondue had been released, one of his ribs could still be seen protruding from his back.
Just after the body of Lobsang Choephel had been found, Ngawang Sungrap and Ngawang Dorje led a group that was planning to break down the Unit's gate. All of the political prisoners from our Unit came out of their cells and joined the group. PAP officers were on the rooftops of the prison, not only firing shots into the air but also threatening us by pointing the guns in our direction. Both Ngawang Sungrap and a prisoner called Jigme were shot and injured in the ensuing protest.

At that time, when Tanak Jigme Sangpo tried to explain the reasons behind the protest, an officer called Pasang knocked him down. A young man called Dawa, when he saw this, threw a handful of sand in one of the officer's face, for which he was beaten severely. The guard called Pasang, hit Tsering Phuntsok and Ngawang Dorje with a metal stick and then handed them over to the PAP, who took them both outside and beat them. They also dragged Tsering Phuntsok along the bumpy, hard ground, which tore at the flesh all over his body. He was then taken to the prison hospital, while Ngawang Sungrap and Ngawang Dorje were taken to the military hospital. The guards made the rest of us go back to our cells. From 6pm that evening till 5pm the next day, the guards Tung, Sung, Shaotu, Penpa, Pasang and Tsenam spent the whole time beating all of the prisoners in our Unit. Some of the prisoners were also sent to the office and tortured there.

The following day, on May 5, Ngawang Tenkyong, a monk from Ganden Monastery, was put in solitary confinement, and beaten by PAP officers. He was so badly beaten that on May 6, he had to be sent to the military hospital. Just as he was entering the hospital compounds, though, he died. He was only 27 years old.

Another victim of the authorities' barbarity was Khedrup, a monk from Ganden Monastery, who was put in solitary confinement and beaten by PAP officers. For a long time, while he was hanging with both arms tied behind his back, they beat him with a metal stick, as a result of which both of his shoulder blades were broken. He received no medical treatment whatsoever for any of his injuries, and he died sometime in May.

Interrogation

At around 7pm on May 5, the officials Tung, Sung, Tsenam and one other official took me to the tailor workshop in Unit 6, and interrogated me. They accused me of organizing the May 4 protest, for which they wanted me to confess. They tied my legs together, and then tied a rope so tightly around my neck that I couldn't talk. So that I could answer their questions, though, they would sometimes loosen the noose. They struck my face and head with a leather belt, kicked me in the back and also stamped on my body. Tung removed my belt from my trousers and continued to strike me with my own belt until he had broken it. The prison official who was in charge said he would give me 15 minutes to think again, and I was sent back to my Unit. After 15 minutes had passed, they resumed the interrogation.

This time I was taken to Unit 4 by three soldiers, who beat me on the way. When we reached the Unit, I was made to remove my coat and stretch my hands out. They then tied a piece of wood to my outstretched hands so that it came across the back of my neck, and tied my legs to a wooden plank so that I couldn't move. The prison officials then made me lie down on my stomach in this dimly lit room and started asking me questions. Suddenly, one of the guards trampled on my head three times. I was sure that I wouldn't leave there alive, and so, in Chinese, I shouted out "Free Tibet!" Six policemen then struck me with sticks and jingpa (tires filled with sand) all over my body and I passed out. To make me regain consciousness, the prison officials splashed water on my face. Again I shouted out "Free Tibet!" and again they hit me so savagely that I fainted for a second time. When I regained consciousness, they splashed water on my face and body. They then struck me with electric prods on my nose, face, and even on my penis, and stubbed out cigarette butts on my fingers. My condition got so bad that the prison doctor was called in twice to examine me. I was also taken to the hospital twice, and after returning to the Unit I was placed in solitary confinement.

That night I was made to sit bare foot on the cold floor, with water dripping from my clothes. I was very thirsty and crawled with great difficulty towards the water tap in that room, but I was so weak that I fainted again just as I was about to reach it. After sometime, when I regained consciousness, I tried very hard and was able to drink some water from the tap. But at once I vomited, and then fell down, my face landing right in the vomit. The prison officials said that whatever I was going through now was no more than I deserved, and that I had to put up with it.
The next morning, I was given some medicine and a cup of water was placed in front of me. I was on my knees, and after drinking the water vomited it back into the cup. Then I tried to drink it once more, but was sick again. I was removed from solitary confinement and kept in the courtyard. The doctors gave me an injection and checked my blood pressure, and I was then admitted to the prison hospital, but there was no improvement in my condition so I was eventually sent to the military hospital in Lhasa.

As a result of the beatings, not only was my hearing impaired, but I couldn't see a thing for four days. For a whole month, I was completely bedridden. When I regained my sight, the first thing I saw was Ngawang Sungrap, who had been shot. On May 25, the prison officials Tung, Penpa and one other Chinese official came to interrogate Ngawang Sungrap. He was questioned again about his hand in the May 4 protest and also about the plan to break the Unit gate. He said that he was innocent and so they continued the interrogation on May 26. He had just undergone an operation, but the Chinese official Tung showed no mercy and still hit him with an electric prod. Even though he had not fully recovered, he was discharged from the hospital and then put in solitary confinement.

On June 20, even though I had still not fully recovered, I was discharged from hospital and put in cell no 13. I shared the cell with two Chinese criminal prisoners, who were put there to spy on me. I continued to deny my involvement in the planning of the May 4 protest, and on July 11, unable to bear the torture any more, I tried to commit suicide by swallowing four needles and two pieces of glass. I had written a suicide note and placed it over my stomach. On the note it said: 'I am sure that the lotus of freedom will bloom from the sea of a history filled with blood and tears.'

I was in agony all through the night, and as morning came I started to cough up a lot of blood. The two prisoners in the cell with me saw how ill I was, and told the prison officials. On the next day, I was taken to the military hospital again, and was hospitalized for three days. When I returned I was put in cell no. 13 again. On my return, I was asked by several Lhasa officials why I had to tried to commit suicide, and I told them that I couldn't put up with the way I was being treated any longer and that I would continue to try to kill myself.
On August 20, I was transferred to cell no 12 along with some other prisoners. Those prisoners who were placed in solitary confinement on May 1 and 4, namely Lhaksang, Kelsang Phuntsok, Yeshi Jinpa, Pasang, Wangdu, were also detained there.

This is how, as a result of the authorities' brutality during and after the May protests, three monks died, many prisoners were badly injured, and several had to spend a considerable time in solitary confinement. On top of this, as punishment for their involvement in May 1 and 4 protests, twenty-one monks had their sentences extended by one to five years.

Release from Prison and Search for Freedom

On the morning of June 16, 1999 the Unit Head Paljor called me to his office and talked to me for three hours about the rules of the prison and Chinese policy. He also gave a detailed account of my behavior in the prison for the five years I was there. He asked me whether there had been any changes in my attitude during that time, and what I thought the chances were of Tibet becoming free. I told him that my attitude had not changed one bit, and that I was sure that Tibet will one day be free. I said that we would get independence not by waging a war, but through a peaceful dialogue between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Jiang Zemin. Paljor replied that Tibet would never be free in our lifetime, and advised me to behave myself once released. He also warned me that I would not survive a second term in prison, so I had better make sure that I didn't get arrested again. He then struck me on the nose as a kind of warning and sent me back to my Unit so that I could prepare for my release.

When I left my cell and approached the Unit gate, I turned back towards the Unit. I saw all my friends looking through the bars and waving their hands to me, saying good-bye. It was a really painful sight. It made me wonder why we had to spend so much time behind bars. Was it just because we had asserted that Tibet was free and not a part of China? I then made a vow to carry on the struggle so that all Tibetans can enjoy basic human rights.

After I had been released, I spent nine months at home in Lhoka before going to Lhasa. Even though I had been released, I was still given no peace. Police would constantly come to my house and interrogate me, and I was always being followed. I was really afraid of getting arrested again, and so after living for six months in Lhasa, I decided to leave Tibet. I left Lhasa on October 30 and went by car to the Nepalese border, which I then crossed on foot, pretending to be a local Nepali. I managed to cross the Chinese checkpoint, but I was stopped at the Nepali checkpoint, and subsequently detained in a Nepali prison for five days. Then members of the UN High Commission for Refugees helped me get in touch with the Tibetan reception center, and from there I came to Dharamsala. I arrived in Dharamsala on 4 December 2000. On 7 December I had the great honor of receiving an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I was very happy to meet His Holiness after all I had been through, and I felt how good it was to finally be free.

However, I know it will be a long time before I will be completely free from my experience at Drapchi. As a result of the several beatings I received there, I still have to go to a hospital in Chandigarh, in northern Punjab, for about ten days every month. I cannot bend my right ankle properly, which is very painful when I walk, and so I have to use a walking stick. My lower back is also very painful, and I have a mild heart problem. As well as these injuries I am still haunted by nightmares of those days at Drapchi; whenever I fall asleep I am back in that small cell again, gripped by fear as the prison guards come to take me away to be beaten again.