L.I.T.’s founder, Tsering Sangpo, opened LI.T. as he wanted to give Tibetans the opportunities they are denied in Tibet, that of education. Therefore, with the help of his friends, he started Buddhist, Tibetan Grammar and English classes all available for free to Tibetan students. Approximately 300 Tibetan students have passed through their doors since they started in March 2009.
He also felt it necessary it educate tourists about the Tibetan situation. His experiences working at the Lungta Japanese Restaurant showed him that many tourists were not fully aware of the tragic situation occurring in Tibet. Therefore, as he was an experienced chef, he wanted to incorporate education with cuisine and entertainment as he knew this would be a point of interest to tourists on holidays.
So he started nightly events and classes for tourists at his school, which are all free to attend, as his main aim is to spread the Tibetan issue to anyone interested in learning and to share ideas about how people at a grassroots level can make a difference.
L.I.T.’s President and teacher of Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan grammar, Geshe Lobsang Gyatsen, has studied Buddhism for twenty years and is a Doctor in Buddhist Philosophy.
He began his studies at the age of sixteen when he joined Ratoe Monastery in Tibet. Here he graduated his Bachelor degree in with major in Buddhist practice and philosophy. Unfortunately in 1988 Chinese officials started making unnecessary restrictions on the practice of his religion in the monasteries all over Tibet. Deeply hurt and unbearable as it was he participated in many protests and demonstrations for Free Tibet. This involvement led to his arrest by Chinese police on August 24th 1988.
They mercilessly kept him in detention in Chushur prison in Lhasa for nine months. There they tortured him and inhumanely treated him. This left his stomach and liver permanently damaged. Once he was released he came to learn that he was officially banned from joining the monastery again. As he was dedicated to furthering his Buddhist studies in 1989 he escaped into exile in India, as it was his only option left.
In India he joined Dephung Monastery in South India where he studied for sixteen years. In 2006 he was awarded Geshe Lharampa (Doctorate in Buddhist Philosophy) degree. At present he is teaching over three hundred monks at Tserchokling Monastery in Dharamsala and at L.I.T free of charge.
He is doing so under the guidance of H.H. the Dalai Lama, who has continuously requested that Geshes take on the responsibility of teaching the masses about Buddhism in order to help preserve their culture.
He has especially set up this organization as he feels that there are many earnestly interested Buddhist students but there is an extreme lack of facilities where they can further their studies.
The Tibetan language teacher Tsering Sundup,was a political prisoner for six years.
Tsering Sundup was arrested in 1994, for peacefully protesting outside of the main temple in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
Tsering did such a courageous task because he could no longer sit in silence whilst all his religious freedoms were being taken away. At the age of eight Tsering was sent to live in the monastery as his father had died the previous year. In 1994 the local police came to his monastery and criticized it for having over the quota of monks. A law had been passed limiting the amount of monks allowed in monasteries. His monastery was only allowed to have 40 monks but it contained 200. As they had exceeded the limit many monks including him were asked to leave the monastery.
He was extremely upset and angry that the Chinese government could place such unjust restrictions on them. So the evening of June 18th 1994, three friends and he wrote posters and pamphlets denouncing the Chinese government and calling for a Free Tibet. They stuck these posters on the monastery’s walls, schools, main roads and other prominent places in our village.
The next day he went by vehicle to Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. At 12 noon he went out the front of the Jokang Temple and starting screaming slogans such as ‘Free Tibet’ ‘Long Live the Dalai Lama’ ‘China quit Tibet’. His peaceful protest lasted 6 minutes after which 12 policemen surrounded him. They beat him, tied his hands around his back and dragged him to a vehicle whilst hitting them with their belts.
After Tsering had been arrested he was taken to Gutsa Detention Center, where he endured intense interrogation sessions that involved severe beatings and painful torture.
When he did not tell the officials what they wanted to hear he was beaten with electric cattle prods, batons and rubber pods filled with sand, to near unconsciousness several times.
Tsering was even pressed under their chair and beaten beyond his limits.
Another form of torture used was electric shocks. Their fingertips were attached to electric wire and shots of electricity were sent through body, with the voltage constantly increased making the body limp and lifeless. Electric batons and rubber rods were also used on them which have had a harmful affect on their inner organs as it is one of the most damaging forms of torture.
In Gutsa, Tsering was forced to give large amounts of blood under the pretense of payment for food. However, the food quality was extremely poor, usually only get one piece of steamed bread all day which had been thrown in Chinese bins and contained dirt and animals.
After approximately four months of interrogations he was taken to Lhasa Intermediate Court. Here he was sentenced without any representation. He was unable to defend himself.
Tsering received six years imprisonment and three years denial of political rights also for counter revolutionary activities His three friends were given five years sentences. He received an extra year imprisonment for apparently carrying the banned Tibetan national flag.
After he was sentenced he was taken to Drapchi prison, the main prison in Lhasa in September 1994.
Life in Drapchi is extremely difficult. All day, every day they were forced to do menial tasks. Each section of prisoners were given different daily duties.
Tsering was made to do what they called “exercise” or “military drills”. These drills meant that we were forced to run around a square from 9 a.m. to 8.p.m doing a range of different stances. Some of these activities involved having to jump for hours with their hands tied behind their backs or stand in lines moving their legs in a range of difficult poses. The command of which activity they had to do was given to them mostly in Chinese, a language many of them did not understand. They had to do these activities facing the hot sun.
If Tsering could not complete their duties or make their quotas they were beaten severely. As they were very difficult to complete this meant they were beaten frequently.
In prison they were received very poor quality food. Their daily food was only two small bowls (half the size of a coffee cup) of very old rice and vegetables which contained animals and sometimes excrement Most prisoners became very weak from the lack of food that completely their daily tasks was extremely difficult hard. Therefore illnesses were rampant in the prison and given inadequate medical treatment many prisoners died or came close to death whilst they were there.
Between 1994 and 1998 Sundup witnessed nine people killed from beatings.
On May 1-4, 1998 Tsering Sundup was involved in a massive demonstration in the prison. The Chinese authorities had requested prisoners swear allegiance to the newly hung Chinese national flags. They refused and started protesting. The Chinese then opened fire with live ammunition on the protestors. Five monks and three nuns were killed. Everyone received beatings and injuries from this incident without being given medical treatment.
Every prisoner was subject to intense interrogation in order to find the leader of this protest. Sundup was unable to walk after their interrogation and had to be dragged back to their cell.
Whilst Sundup was being interrogated he witnessed a protestor requesting medical treatment as he had just been shot. The prison guard not only refused but inserted an electric prod into the bullet wound.
After this incident the all prisoners’ freedoms were further restricted. They were forced to spend their full days in their cells, which they shared with twelve other men, only allowed to go outside for five minutes.
Twice Tsering was forced to endure a spinal tap whilst in Drapchi. This painful procedure involved having the clear spinal fluid withdrawn from his back and an unknown black liquid was inserted in its place. Afterwards there would be a constant ringing sound in his ears and he would have severe migraines.
These kinds of tortures that occurred to Tsering whilst he was in detention and prison have had lasting affects on his body. He continues to suffer from liver, kidney, heart and brain problems from these procedures and they constantly have to receive medical treatment.
When Tsering was released from prison in June 19th 2000 like most former political prisoners, he was constantly harassed by the authorities. Tsering, unable to rejoin his monastery so was forced to return to his family’s home. He was unable to gain proper medical treatment for the wounds he had received in prison as he was rarely granted permission to leave their villages. The constant harassment by the authorities also left him unable to gain employment.
Therefore, he thought it would be best for his families’ security and their own health to escape to India. So they went to Lhasa where they found a tour guide to take them on the dangerous journey from Tibet to Nepal.
The journey across the Himalayas took Tsering 25 days by foot and there was a group of 25 people. As he was in extremely ill health due to his years spent in prison, walking was very difficult. They had to walk at night under the cover of darkness because if they we were caught making the journey they would be arrested or maybe even shot. They had with them very few things in a small bag including a small blanket and a little bit of food. This was in no way sufficient for the journey we were making. Most of the time, they were hungry and cold. The youngest in his group was a six year old girl; she got frostbite on her finger and middle toe so he carried her most of the way. Both her finger and toe were cut off once they reached Nepal.
As is evident byTsering’s story, he is dedicated to fighting for basic human rights in Tibet. Therefore he joined as board members of L.I.T. as this organisation gives them the opportunity to continue their struggle by using education and idea- sharing about Tibetan issues. He believes it is his duty as an ex-political prisoner to educate a range of people about Tibet and the suffering many people such as themselves endure under China’s occupation of the region.
Sales director and English teacher, Lauren Smith, graduated from the University of Melbourne, Australia in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in International Relations/ History. After doing so, she went to Dharamsala to volunteer for six months in 2008. She worked as an English teacher at Gu Chu Sum & Tibet Hope Center and as the Editor/ writer of Contact magazine, the local monthly magazine.
Having begun teaching in February 2008 she was overwhelmed with sadness for the local Tibetan community when the killings occurred in Tibet in March 2008. In order to show her support she participated with them in several protests in Dharamsala. It was during these protests that she first meet Tsering Sangpo, Samdup and Geshe Lobsang Gyasten. (photo on the right is Lauren and Sangpo protesting in March 2008)
She was so moved after hearing their personal stories that she wanted to help them spread their inspirational stories and tell people about the injustices occuring in Tibet. So she returned to Dharamsala in February 2009 and helped Tsering open his school.
Here she teaches Tibetans English so they can share their stories and teachers foreigners about the Tibetan situation at L.I.T’s evening events so they can help spread these stories.
Together these four people are dedicated and committed to not only educating people about Tibet but also to help find positive new ideas which will bring a new light to the Tibetan struggle, so that one day Tibet can come out of darkness and become a free open society.
