Tibetan Monk Protesters Escape to India

The New York Times today reported on three Tibetan monks who risked their lives by protesting Chinese restrictions on Tibet in front of a group of foreign and Chinese journalists last spring.

Although fifteen monks took part in the protest, only these three have made it out of Tibet thus far. The fate of the other twelve is unknown.

The three monks, all in their early 20s, approached the twenty journalists and their official Chinese minders, unfurled banners and Tibetan flags, and told the journalists "We have no freedom of speech."

Immediately after this show of defiance, the three ran for their lives. They stayed in the countryside with nomadic families, then made their way over the border into Nepal. They eventually made their way to the Dalai Lama's compound in India.

The Chinese government had arranged the tour to demonstrate how calm and peaceful Tibet was after the suppression of massive protests associated with the 49th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising.

Photo of Tibetan monks in exile in India by Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images.