Melody in Prison: Ngawang Choephel
	UPDATE 20 August 2000

The following report appeared in The Hindustan Times.

Woman Finally Allowed to See Her Son in Tibetan Prison

SIXTY-SIX-year-old Sonam Dekyi had been agitating since the last several years to get a glimpse of her only son, who is serving an 18-year prison term in Tibet. Her untiring struggle bore fruit this month when the Chinese authorities gave her permission to see her son.

But what she saw across the wire mesh in the prison made her shriek. Surrounded by gun-toting security guards was a frail body with mere skin and bones. That was her son, Ngawang Choephel. “I burst out in tears and asked he was indeed my son,” recalled Sonam, holding Ngawang’s photograph with which he now bears little or no resemblance.

“It was only when Ngawang spoke that I recognised his voice. When I inquired about his health he held his chest and said he was suffering from constant chest pain,” she said. What has left Sonam horrified is that despite being so ill, her son has not been given adequate medical treatment. Now she is planning to embark on another struggle. To get her son back. “I want to tell the Chinese Government to please return my son so that he does not die in the prison. I will plead with the entire international community to get him released so that he can live,” she said.

The wrinkles on Sonam’s face and her weak frame tell the story of her struggle, which started in 1968 when she fled from Tibet with Ngawang who was then two years old. A pregnant Sonam delivered her second child on the way but the new-born did not survive the treacherous journey.

But her struggle did not end there. In 1995, Ngawang left for Tibet to document and record Tibetan music and dance. But he never returned. He was arrested by the Chinese officials, which admitted to his arrest only on October 15, 1996 when he was charged with espionage and sentenced for 18 years. This happens to be one of the longest jail terms to be served on a Tibetan political prisoner. On that day Sonam literally started living off the roads—holding dharnas to pressurize the Chinese authorities to allow her to see Ngawang. But the meeting has left her more depressed. “He looked so weak and the security guards would not even let me touch his forehead. I am afraid that if he does not get immediate medical attention, he may not survive,” said an anguished Sonam.