Melody in Prison: Ngawang Choephel
	UPDATE 22 November 1998

Summary of Sonam Dekyi's visit to Norway from November 16-22

The following update on campaign activities in Norway was made available to us by the Norwegian Tibet Committee. Kjell Tore Nannestad kindly served as English translator for Sonam Dekyi (referred to as “Sonam Dicky” below) during her visit.

November 16: Interview with Aftenposten, the national newspaper in Norway.

November 18: Meeting with the staff of Amnesty International. Ms. Dicky briefed the members about her son's case and reminded them of all the appeal letters she had sent them. She said “As soon as I heard about my son's arrest I sent many fax messages to your organization. It is now more than three years two months that I have seen or heard from my son and I am extremely worried about my son's condition. I hear that he has been transferred to Drapchi and his health condition is not good, so kindly treat this issue urgent and accordingly help me for his release.”

Mr. John Peder Egenaes, Press Officer of AI informed Ms. Dicky about their efforts in campaign for her son and that six Amnesty groups in Europe had adopted her son's case which meant that her son received special focus. They also told Ms. Dicky that they will follow the case by writing a special report on her son and submit it to the Norwegian government for discussion with China during their Human Rights dialogue.

11.00 am: The Norwegian Tibet Committee organized a Stand at the Blinden University in Oslo and collected signatures for Ngawang Choephel's release. Different information pamphlets on Ngawang and Tibet were distributed. Mr. Jigme Drukpa, a musician from Institute of Performing Arts in Bhutan studying music and dance, expressed his solidarity for Ngawang by playing flute for two hours. Ms. Tsomo Vestre, President of NTC, Bodil and few other members from NTC, Mr. Choepehl Norbu from Voice of Tibet and President of RTYC, and few other Tibetans helped the stand in signature collection.

7.00 pm: Ms. Dicky addressed a gathering at the Amnesty again and requested that they suppport her by writing to the Norwegian government for her son's release and the access to visit her son in prison until he is released.

The film “Missing in Tibet” was screened and at the end she received wide sympathy from the group.

Mr. Jigme performed few songs and dances and said “I cannot believe that a musician was arrested and given 18 years sentence simply for filming dances. Both I and Ngawang used cheap instruments like the flute and guitar to sing our songs. They cost nothing but it is the power of music which keeps the tradition and culture alive for many years and it is for this reason that the Chinese Government arrested him. I pray for him and, Mother, you will definitely see him soon.”

November 19: Meeting with the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Ms Bodil from Norwegian Tibet Committee, Mr. Choephel Norbu from Voice of Tibet, Ms. Sonam and Norzom met Mr. Leiv Lunde, State Secretary of Development and Human Rights, Ms. Betzy Ellingsen Tunold, Head of Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ms. Margaret Slettevold, Asia Desk at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Ms. Dicky briefed the delegates about her son's plight and requested them to have sympathy on her from being separated from her only son. “My son is in Drapchi Prison and I have been told that his health condition is not good. I believe that he has been tortured very badly and suffered very much for something that he has not done. He is innocent and yet he does not have the right to appeal for his case. He has been denied his right to lead his life as a musician and I have been denied the right to meet my son in prison. So please help me to put pressure on China for my son's release.”

Mr. Leiv expressed his sympathy for Ms. Dicky and said she provided them with a very informative news about her son. He said “We shall ponder on these information and discuss on the issue to consider what can be done on this case from outside. We cannot give you any explicit response but will definitely give serious consideration on the case and include it in our human rights dialogue with China.”

Ms. Norzom thanked the delegates for giving the opportunity to listen to Ms. Dicky and informed them that there were many other political prisoners like Tanak Jigme Sangpo and Ngawang Sangdrol and others whose cases should also be raised with the Chinese authorities. She also thanked the Norwegian Government for providing financial assistance to the Tibetan Government-in-exile as well as inside Tibet. She also thanked them for giving scholarships to students from Tibet to study in Norway and requested them to continue this project for a longer time. She reminded them that it was very important to solve the political problem of Tibet which automatically would resolve the human rights violation.

Mr. Leiv said “We agree that human rights is very much interlinked with the political situation of Tibet and will work towards the dialogue with the Chinese Government which will contribute in solving the political problem of Tibet.”

Ms. Tunold was almost in tears and said “Being a mother I can understand her pain of her son's loss. She has a very convincing way of informing people about her son's case. I hope she will see her son soon.”

PM: Meeting with Mr. Borge Brende , Member of the Storting (M.P) and President of the Parliamentary Committee for Tibet. He was briefed by Ms. Sonam about her son and requested for his support by writing to the Norwegian Government as well as to the Chinese government for her son's release and to meet her son in prison until he is released.

Ms. Norzom provided him a copy of the letter written by the members of the Congress of the United States to the Chinese authorities and requested him to send a similar one signed by as many Parliamentarians. She further requested him to find opportunities where Tibetan MPs could attend Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) meetings in the future.

PM: Signatures were collected at the Stand at Egertorget (market place in Oslo). The temperature was minus 8.

PM : Interview with K.K Magazine. It is a popular women's magazine in Norway and they bring out a special story every month on a women who has contributed something special. They felt that Ms. Sonam was special because she travelled all around the world fighting for son's case.

She was asked to give her opinion on what Love meant to her : Ms. Dicky said “Love is caring for others. A mother loves her children very much. E.g. The mother cat when shifting her kittens holds them with the mouth because carrying by hand (nails) will hurt the kittens. So deep is my love for my only son and I am longing to see him soon.”

On Time : “Time runs very fast for people who enjoy their life. But for me every day and night is very long and I cannot wait for another fifteen years to see my son.”

On Freedom: “If I speak from a larger angle I have lost my country and speaking from an individual case then I have lost my son. Both my son and myself have been denied our freedom by the Chinese Government.”

Ms. Dicky was out of control when she was asked to give a message for her son. She also requested the women and mothers of Norway to help her by writing to their Government for her son's release.

November 20: Meeting with the Norwegian Human Rights House. It consists of five organizations working under the same house to promote human rights world-wide. They are The Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NoHC), The Norwegian Forum for Freedom of Expression (NFEE), The Norwegian Tibet Committee, The Norwegian P.E.N. Club and The Human Rights House Foundation (HRF).

Ms. Dicky briefed them about her son's case and requested them for their assistance in her son's release.

Ms. Ole Benny Lilleas, Programme Officer informed her that they had sent petitions on her son's behalf and that they would further work on it by joining any campaign that works for her son's release. They also said that they would send a letter to the Norwegian government to raise the issue with the Chinese authorities as well as inform their groups to work on the case.

Ms. Norzom reminded them not to lose sight of other political prisoners in Tibet who are also suffering the same tragedy as Ngawang Choephel. She briefed them about general human right situation in Tibet. She was told by Ms. Ole that whenever they meet with the Foreign Affairs, Tibet was always on their agenda.

November 21: Meet with local Tibetans and members of the NTC “Tibet Night.” The trip is sponsored by the local Tibetans and all the meetings have been arranged by the NTC.

November 22: Depart to Switzerland.