The European Union voiced concern on May 28 over the recent crackdown human rights activists by Communist Party authorities in China before the approaching anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre.
“Please don’t take her,” my sister pleaded with me. “You’ll end up in a prison camp.” She, along with the rest of my family, lobbied forcefully against my bringing my two-year old daughter on a recent peace-building mission to North Korea.
Two men, two paths—although many aspects of their lives are different, both men, due to their backgrounds, experienced the pain of extreme measures of deprivation, intimidation and ostracism. This two-part article will explore the main thing they have in common: a suppressive political system shaped their future.
With the increased security, Lhasa’s monks seem to have thinned dramatically in numbers. Reports from the foreign media allowed into the capital suggest they have been almost absent from Lhasa’s streets, and few remain at the Buddhist monasteries.