Name: Dhingri Ngawang
(Alias: No)
Gender: Male
Interview Age: 80
Date of Birth: 1932
Birthplace: Dhingri Gangkar, Utsang, Tibet
Year Left Tibet: 1980
Profession: Army
Monk/Nun: No
Political Prisoner: Yes
Interview No.: 2D
Date: 2012-05-14
Language: Tibetan
Location: Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India
Categories: Oppression and Imprisonment
Keywords: army -- Tibetan, brutality/torture, childhood memories, Chinese rule -- life under, environment/wildlife, farm life, forced labor, government/administration, imprisonment, refugee in India -- life as, resistance, taxes, thamzing/struggle sessions, Utsang
Summary:
Dhingri Ngawang's father was a soldier in the Tibetan army and died when Dhingri Ngawang was 8 year old. His father issued an oral will at the time of his death asking the army major to take care of his children. To honor this will, Dhingri Ngawang was recruited into the army at the age of 10 years old. He talks in detail about the army, his responsibilities, the types of guns used by the Tibetan soldiers and the rankings in the army.
Dhingri Ngawang's describes many aspects of Tibetan laws, including those to prevent the killing of wild animals, punishment for crimes, and the taxation system. He also tells about the crops that were grown by the farmers, the barter system between the farmers and the nomads, and the various breeds of domestic animals of Tibet.
Dhingri Ngawang talked at length about his 21 years in prison, including 11 months in solitary confinement. He talks about torture and forced labor, specifically how the prisoners were made to build an electricity plant in Lhasa. He reveals how he and some prisoners formed an underground organization and how they suffered when the Chinese discovered the group.
Interview Team:
- Rebecca Novick (Interviewer)
- Ronny Novick (Videographer)
- Thupten Kelsang Dakpa (Interpreter)