Approximately 175 people experienced an emotional hurricane last Friday night during a contentious lecture delivered by Bhadko, a Buddhist monk who escaped from Tibet.
Bhadko gave his lecture on the political atmosphere of Tibet, where he said Chinese police arrested and tortured him for political demonstration in 1988. Bhadko's depressing tale caused him, and several members of the audience, to openly weep, bringing an end to his speech. A number of Chinese graduate students then stood before the room and denounced Bhadko as a liar and defended their home country.
Nima Taylor '00 -- a founding member and co-head of Dartmouth's Students for a Free Tibet and a student of Tibetan descent -- introduced Bhadko as an activist for freedom and provided some history for the audience: "Tibet was invaded by China in 1949, and since then 1.2 million Tibetans have died as a result of Chinese policy in Tibet." He said this number is a combination of political killings and deaths by starvation due to mismanagement of food stores.
Taylor and Middlebury sophomore Tenzin Dolkar translated for Bhadko, who spoke for about an hour and 15 minutes.
Bhadko said China has destroyed 6,000 monasteries and has been trying to eradicate Tibetan culture, but the Communist government allows several monasteries to remain active to bring in tourist revenues. Bhadko said he became angry with the condition of Tibet and resented the Chinese occupation.
In early 1988, Bhadko participated in a peaceful demonstration in Lhasa, which Chinese soldiers violently dispersed; the soldiers shot into the crowd then arrested several of the activists, he said.
Bhadko then went into excruciating detail about the horrors he claims he faced while undergoing 10 months of torture and interrogation.
He said he was given several forms to read over while composing a forced confession. These official documents listed names of prisoners and details of the interrogations. Bhadko hid the forms and when asked about their whereabouts, claimed he lost them.
After three years, the government released him from prison in 1991, he said. Bhadko escaped from Tibet and fled through Nepal into India. He carried the documents with him, and has since shared them with the Dalai Lama and sent copies to the governments of western nations. Friday night he had the tattered sheets on hand to show the audience.
Taylor said, "These documents are hard evidence proving that, contrary to the Chinese government's claims, there are political prisoners in Tibet, and torture does occur."
After Bhadko spoke, he broke into tears. He covered his face and wept, as did several audience members.
Taylor called for an end to the lecture and invited people to join the reception following. Then, he asked if anyone had any questions or comments.
Hongjun Xiang, a Chinese graduate student, said into the microphone, regarding Bhadko, "I think he is a liar."
Hongjun defended China and implored people in the audience to get the facts themselves. He was supported by several other Chinese students, but the vast majority of the room angrily bristled as he spoke. Many audience members laughed at what he had to say and a handful shouted.
Ming Guo, an engineering student, said, "There was never an invasion of Tibet. Tibet has been a Chinese province since the 16th century."
Quickly drying his tears, Bhadko grabbed the microphone and responded by saying, "If it was a part of China, then why did 1.2 million Tibetans have to die?"
Trying to mediate, Taylor reiterated an earlier point of Bhadko's: that he does not denounce China or the Chinese people, merely its Communist government. But the contingent of Chinese students continued to denounce Bhadko and stand up for their government.
Zhaohui Zhang, another graduate student, said, "I feel it is a grievous accusation on China tonight." Zhang challenged the audience for "blindly" believing Bhadko and he asked who in the room had ever been to Tibet.
The only ones were Bhadko and Taylor. The Chinese students themselves had never been there, but said they had friends who told them the province was politically stable and the people content.
An unidentified woman said that she had been to Nepal, and supported Bhadko's claims. "Every week monks would come over the Himalayas with stories like this," she said, on the verge of tears.
After about 45 minutes of this heated debate, the dialogue came to an end. Prompted by the audience to have the final word, Bhadko said directly to the Chinese students, "I don't blame you for the things you say."
Bhadko then said to the audience, "A Communist government gives you an iron mask that soon becomes part of your own face. If every single Tibetan has to die, we will die for the truth. The situation in Tibet is getting worse. The Tibetan people are drowning in a sea of sorrow. We need someone to reach out to save us; everyone please help."
The speech, held in room 3 of the Rockefeller Center, was sponsored by Dartmouth Students for a Free Tibet.
