Monks Escape From China
In the New York Times, Edward Wong tells the gripping story of three monks from Labrang Monastery who took part in a protest in front of foreign journalists. To avoid punishment they left the monastery, hiding for more than a year and, eventually, escaping to India.
The protest was in April 2008, after the crackdown on the March 2008 Tibetan uprising. Chinese officials were taking 20 Chinese and foreign journalists on a media tour of Labrang when about 15 monks came forward to protest religious oppression, holding up banners and a flag of Tibet. Edward Wong writes that the monks scrawled their wills on the back of the flag because they believed they might be killed.
Before that day, the monks had been forced to take daily "patriotic education classes" in which they read tracts denouncing His Holiness the Dalai Lama. “As a Buddhist monk who believes in the Dalai Lama as our foundation, it was unbearable to read this,” said one of the three monks, Lobsang Gyatso. After the protest, some Labrang monks were arrested and beaten.
Two nights later, another of the three named Jamyang Jinpa left the monastery and went into hiding. For months he wandered, often sleeping outdoors or in nomad tents. Lobsang and Jigme Gyatso left a few days later. The three arrived in Dharamsala, India, only last week.
For previous posts with more background on Labrang Monastery, see "Life in Labrang Monastery" and "Labrang Monastery Update."
Comments
After the terrible riots that occured in Tibet prior to the Olympics and the oppression/crackdown which quickly followed, it’s uncertain what to expect next.
This “escape” reminds me of others, not only the intrigue that surrounded Ogyen Trinley Dorje’s flight, but also Sonam Chodon, who claimed to be a Tibetan nun fleeing persecution in China.
I’m not sure how thes latest events will effect China’s relationship with others, especially in cases of propeganda from either side of the China/Tibet issue and the ever-growing frustration of younger Tibetan generation.