Buddhist Monk Flees Tibet, Looking for a Freer Future

April 27, 2006

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4946414.stm

On April 27, 2006 BBC News reported, "A 23-year-old monk, who wishes to remain anonymous, describes his recent decision to flee Tibet for the Indian town of Dharamsala, the seat of the Dalai Lama's government in exile: 'For the last 11 years I lived and studied in Ganden monastery in Lhasa, Tibet. We were always urged [by the authorities] to oppose the Dalai Lama. Any open expression of our wish to have a free Tibet would end in arrest. And then you had to be careful what you said about economic development in Tibet, changes in society and the railway. Because it is difficult not to see an influence of the Chinese presence in many of these general issues, it is equally easy to brand any criticism or any discussion as anti-Chinese and as a criticism to the Communist Party, which can land you in serious trouble. You could open your heart to a good friend, but then you don't know all of his friends, so you were always worried about others eventually coming to know of your views. There are monks who inform the government on the political views and activities of other monks.'"