The Sun-Herald

Tibet's saddest anniversary

Last Tuesday, Tibetans all over the world commemorated the 50th anniversary of their first uprising against Chinese rule, as I wrote in the Sun-Herald last week.

On the day I joined some of Sydney's Tibetan community at the opening of the compelling photo exhibition Tibet: Never Give Up at the Tap Gallery in Darlinghurst and found them in an upbeat mood, surrounded by images highlighting their indefatigable spirit.
Local Tibetans publish an English language magazine - the first in this country - called Tibetan Voice, and the latest issue was hot off the press. The editorial team were justifiably proud. Toasts were raised, friends welcomed. The looming ghosts of the past could not diminish the warmth, compassion and solidarity in the room.
Tibetans are so adept at hiding their grief and emphasizing positives that it's sometimes easy to forget what they've suffered. Many of the exiles living here have been incarcerated, tortured and endured the treacherous escape route from their country across the Himalayas in search of freedom, and yet they're perpetually cheerier than the average Aussie.
You can be chatting and laughing with one of them about trifling stuff and then suddenly remember this laid-back character has seen several family members die before their time, or has loved ones lost somewhere in the Chinese prison system or is agonisingly familiar with the PSB's torture toolbox.
Tibetans talk sparingly about past ordeals but when they do, their testimonies are an abrupt and chilling reminder of their plight. They bring you up short.
The three veterans of the 1959 uprising I interviewed for last week's story spoke of experiences which seemed from a distant, more brutal world. As these stories poured out beneath the shade of a tree in a sunny park in Dee Why I was overwhelmed with sadness that these smart, gentle men of around my father's age had had to endure so much. Between them they'd lost 53 years of their lives to prison. For Tibetan exiles, that's nothing unusual.
The memories of Sonam Choepel, Sonam Topgyal and Abu Gaga deserve some more space. Here are extra recollections we couldn't fit into the original article:
On Tibet before the Chinese invasion:
Abu Gaga: "Tibet back then was very peaceful and prosperous; we were not a complete democracy but we had total freedom and independence, we were self-sufficient, we could move freely around our country. Whether we did business or practiced our religion, we were free to do so. My family and community were happy."
Sonam Topgyal: "The Chinese say we were backward and needed modernising. We were not an industrialised nation, we spent our lives looking after our farms or leading a nomad life. We were not technologically developed but we were self sufficient, our way of life was simple, peaceful and happy.
"If the Chinese had not come, we would have modernised at our own pace. And we could also have continued our ancient traditions. We had our own form of prosperity, spiritual and cultural. From the outside we would not have looked like a very modern nation but we had other things to contribute to the world."
Sonam Choepel: "The dream of this Dalai Lama was to make change and improvement for the economic and social lives of Tibetans. He had set up a separate government department and planning commissions to bring about a completely democratic way of life. But when the Chinese came and took our land they stopped all these programmes. If the Chinese had not come, Tibet would have changed and become a democracy as an independent state, without interference."
On the uprising:
Sonam Choepel: "They bombed the houses of normal people, killing innocent people and animals. When that first night was over, the streets were full of dead bodies of people and their dogs. The streets were running with blood.
"At the time we didn't really have an army, just mainly ordinary people and we surrounded the Norbulingka palace to protect His Holiness the Dalai Lama. A lot of tanks were coming, running over houses, shooting people. At that time there were not that many armed people - a few had little shotguns or knives and they were standing in front of these big tanks and trying to stop them, but we couldn't. Wherever people gathered, they were bombing those places. We few survivors pleaded with the Chinese to say please stop firing on innocents; we have no arms now. Then I was arrested."
Abu Gaga: "Our country is a peaceful country so we did not have armies and soldiers and weapons. I was so surprised because the Chinese came by air, land, in tanks and with missiles. We seemed so few. We had small guns which could only shoot one bullet, then you had to put in another bullet. What could we do?
"When I tell my children they cannot picture it, and find it hard to believe it happened in our country, to our family and everyone we knew."
On prison:
Sonam Choepel: "If I could tell everything that happened to me in prison I would never have time. I tried to escape twice and was arrested again and handcuffed, and tortured a lot. They handcuffed my hands behind my back for six months. When they released the cuffs after six months I could not put my hands to the front of the body. My hands were paralysed. The feeling came back gradually.
"When I was in prison there were 60 of us arrested together. Only 15 of us came out alive. The rest died in prison. We were given very small amounts of food and had to do hard labour, planting fields. Many died from starvation and weakness related to lack of food.
"When we came back from work then there was no rest; they made us have meetings to berate us for having a bad attitude and then we were tortured. If they decided you weren't doing a good job they might just shoot and kill you without warning.
"I have experienced these things. And if I tell them to people like you in such a free and developed country they cannot believe it, cannot imagine."
Abu Gaga: "I don't feel upset or have regrets. But I am happy. Yes, I went to prison for 20 years, but it was for fighting for freedom and justice and for the liberty of humanity. I did not commit a crime like killing or raping so it was not shameful for me to be in prison. I am hoping that humanity, not just the Tibetans, will benefit from it."