Geshe Lobsang Tenpa (right) was born in Kham in 1963, and was a monk in
Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche's monastery before fleeing to South India in 1984.
Latterly he travelled back to Kham were he met up again with Tenzin Deleg
Rinpoche. He was then arrested and suffered torture at the hands of the
Chinese authorities. He was released and escaped in 2001 to India and
now lives in America. In November 2004, he visited Aberdeen to present
his thoughts on the case to the University. He was accompanied by
translator Tsering Topgyal (left)
His very detailed inside-knowledge of
the Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche case is extremely thought-provoking, and
tends to confirm Western suspicions of deliberate foul-play by the
Chinese regional authorities in the handling of the arrest and trial of
the two accused. In particular, his account details the little-known
fact that the Chinese Authorities had made several previous, abortive
attempts to arrest Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche on other trumped-up charges.
There is also little doubt that these attempts were aimed at silencing
a Tibetan spokesperson who, with his constant demands for equal rights
for Tibetans, was seen as an extreme nuisance to the
Communists. Further insights point to the fact that his
co-accused, Lobsang Dhondup, was also 'framed' for a crime he did not
commit, for very similar reasons, and the alarming fact that sixteen
other people with knowledge of this case, but no actual involvement,
have been arrested in an attempt to prevent the truth being
disseminated.
Following the talk, a question/answer
session went-into other thought-provoking areas of this case, and the
general treatment of Tibetans in occupied Tibet.
Perhaps the most significant point
which came out is the high importance of this case, a case which has
involved countless hours of work by Western supporters of the Tibetan
cause, and whose outcome will be extremely significant for the future
of the Tibetan people, as it will undoubtedly set a precedent for
any such future incidents of false arrest of Tibetans, for political
ends.
Many thanks to Geshe Lobsang Tenpa, his translator Tsering Topgyal,
Sophie from Free Tibet UK, Dave, Liz, Graham and Roger from TSG
Grampian, and of course our audience, and all the others who helped
make the event a reality.
