TIBETAN POLITICAL PRISONER DESCRIBES ABUSE IN CHINESE PRISON - RFA
Authorities notified Ngawang Sangdrol of departure for U.S. at last minute

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2003--Ngawang Sangdrol, the Tibetan political prisoner
who obtained a Chinese exit visa last week to seek medical treament abroad,
told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that Chinese authorities didn't officially inform
her that she was to leave for the United States until just before she
boarded a Chicago-bound airliner.

In an hour-long interview with RFA's Tibetan service, she also described
harrowing physical abuse by guards at Lhasa's notorious Drapchi Prison. In
one instance, she said, prison guards fired on prisoners who shouted slogans
in favor of Tibetan independence during a flag-raising ceremony. "I don't
know if anyone was killed or injured, but I could clearly hear prisoners
shouting, 'They are killing us!'" she said.

Ngawang Sangdrol was initially reported to be the longest-serving female
political prisoner in Tibet, but Phuntsog Nyidrol--detained continually
since October 1989--has spent more time in Chinese jails for peacefully
protesting Chinese rule in Tibet. Chinese officials say she is currently
scheduled for release in March 2005.

Ngawang Sangdrol also described intense official surveillance following her
early release from prison in 2002--nine years before her sentence was
scheduled to end. "After I was given medical parole from prison, there were
still guards watching me all the time, even at home." She said guards beat
her on many occasions, once smashing mugs and plumbing pipes on her head
until it bled heavily. She also said she had agreed not to engage in
"anti-Chinese" activities overseas.

"The authorities never officially told me I was leaving for America, not
until the last minute before I boarded the airplane," she said. "Before
leaving, I was told to sign a statement saying that I wouldn't say or do
anything anti-China. I signed the statement. I don't consider what I am
telling you today to be anti-China."

Ngawang Sangdrol arrived in Chicago late Friday after securing a visa
permitting her to seek medical treatment in the United States. The final
details of her departure from China were reportedly arranged during talks in
December between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human
Rights, and Labor Lorne Craner and his Chinese counterparts.In the past,
China has released or exiled prominent dissidents ahead of high-level
meetings with U.S. officials, and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is
expected to visit China in April. Several Western governments are known to
have raised her case with the Chinese authorities.

A Buddhist nun who is now in her mid- 20s, Ngawang Sangdrol was first
detained at age 13. She was paroled from Drapchi Prison on Oct. 18, 2002,
nine years before completing her sentence. A nun at the Garu nunnery, she
took part in pro-independence demonstrations in Lhasa in 1987-88. Ngawang
Sangdrol's sentence was extended three times to a total of 21 years after
she and other nuns engaged in prison protests.

At one point during her detention, Ngawang Sangdrol and 13 other jailed nuns
secretly tape-recorded songs touching on their love for Tibet and for their
families. They smuggled out a cassette tape, and Ngawang Sangdrol's sentence
was extended by six years.

Copyright © 1999, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. http://www.rfa.org.

8:41:17 PM    comment []

Countries in Asia Screen Airline Passengers for SARS - VOA
Katherine Maria
Hong Kong

Listen to Katherine Maria's report (RealAudio)  
Maria report - Download 286k (RealAudio)  

Countries around Asia are checking airline passengers for signs of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

Health officials in New Zealand have declared Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, a serious disease. That means people with symptoms will not be allowed to travel and will be given special medical attention if they arrive in the country.

Singapore, which has reported about 90 SARS cases and three deaths, announced nurses will screen outgoing and incoming airline passengers for SARS at its international airport.

Many countries are advising citizens to avoid traveling to China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam, where SARS cases are most common.

Asian airlines, which a few weeks ago began to see bookings fall because of concerns about the Iraq war, now are seeing a more rapid drop because of SARS. With fewer passengers, Hong Kong's main carrier Cathay Pacific is cutting back on flights, as is China Airlines, Taiwan's biggest carrier. Australia's Qantas Airways say it will cut international services by 20 percent.

Hong Kong on Monday quarantined the residents of a high-rise apartment building in the city's Kowloon district. Hong Kong Health Secretary Yeoh Eng-Kiong thanked the residents in Amoy Gardens for tolerating the quarantine, which will keep them housebound for at least 10 days. He explained that medical workers will visit residents daily to provide meals and check their health.

More than 200 residents of Amoy Gardens have been hospitalized with SARS symptoms. But many of the families in the complex fled their homes last week after some of their neighbors contracted SARS.

As of Monday evening, Hong Kong has reported 610 SARS cases, and 15 deaths. Together with China's Guangdong province, just across the border, southern China accounts for about two-thirds of the 1,600 cases reported globally.

SARS victims suffer a high fever and flu-like symptoms, and many develop a severe form of pneumonia. They can require weeks of hospitalization before recovering. Worldwide, more than 50 people have died from SARS.

A World Health Organization doctor in Manila said Monday that experts were on the verge of confirming whether a virus similar to the one that causes the common cold is responsible for SA

8:28:45 PM    comment []

Prayer Request for Today from Pray For China

Modern China is becoming vulgar, according to Communist Party deputies. A popular restaurant even use sex terms for all the dishes in Tianjin. Advertisements, TV shows and contemporary literature are full of sexual content.
In a society where Churches have little voice and impact, let us pray for the ability of churches to speak out against this evil trend, especially through the Government and registered churches.

8:07:37 PM    comment []