Name: Dolma
(Alias: Yes)
Gender: Female
Interview Age: 81
Date of Birth: 1931
Birthplace: Gonjo, Kham, Tibet
Year Left Tibet: 1963
Profession: Trade
Monk/Nun: No
Political Prisoner: Yes
Interview No.: 27D
Date: 2012-05-20
Language: Tibetan
Location: Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India
Categories: Oppression and Imprisonment
Keywords: childhood memories, Chinese -- oppression under, Chinese rule -- life under, Chushi Gangdrug guerrillas, escape experiences, forced labor, imprisonment, Kham, March 10th Uprising, thamzing/struggle sessions
Summary:
Dolma is from Gonjo in Kham Province where she worked in the fields and grazed animals as a young girl. She recalls that no money was used and everyone produced their own food and clothing. She was fortunate to be taught a little reading and attempted a few times to run away to Lhasa with other village girls. Dolma married a trader from Amdo and they decided to go to Lhasa after he travelled to China and anticipated problems soon coming to Tibet.
Dolma remembers the turmoil in Lhasa and the decision of her husband to join the Chushi Gangdrug Defend Tibet Volunteer Force to resist the Chinese onslaught. She recounts the horrifying experiences she underwent along with her one-year old son after her husband left. Dolma was arrested after the March 10th uprising in Lhasa and subjected to forced labor. She recalls stories of the prisons and many deaths and suicides as well as starvation due to severely limited rations.
Dolma narrates how the Chinese caught her twice as she fled from her home in Lhasa. She talks about the experiences of being the wife of a "rebel" as the Chinese labeled her. Dolma briefly describes her third and final attempt to escape into Bhutan and her fortunate reunion with her husband.
Interview Team:
- Rebecca Novick (Interviewer)
- Ronny Novick (Videographer)
- Thupten Kelsang Dakpa (Interpreter)
