THE STORY

OF Ti

ET

By ALAN: WINNINGTON

LHASA—After a still unbelievable flight across the
roof of the world at 21,000 feet in an oxygen mask I am
* again here in Lhasa — the heart of Tibet. The coming
weeks will be taken up thoroughly investigating the situ-
ation since I was last here and especially since the serf-
owning aristocrats’ abortive uprisng.

‘It is already obvious that
the serfs and poor lamas are
themselves smashing the an-
cient dictatorship of. the lam-
asaries and nobility.
; In the process’ they are ex-
__ posing a feudal repression as
black as any in history. |

Tibet’s. poverty - stricken
masses are Overcoming. their
fear of the nobility and are
‘quickly creating their own or-

-- ganizations to wipe out forced

labour and personal servitude
and reduce ‘rents and interest
to a level where they can get
enough to eat.

But they. are not harming
the lamaseries’ or taking rev-
enge on those nobles who ab-
stained: from rebellion,.no mat-
ter how cruel'in the past.

These deeply religious serfs
are beginning to realize the
nature of the clerical-lay dic-
tatorship of the nobility and
the lamaseries. -For the first
time Lhasa’s common citizens
are masters of the city.

* Tibet remains the same, with
the world’s bluest sky, glorious
snow mountains, flowers, lam-
aseries nestling in valleys —
but the people have changed.

*Bailiffs’ whips have disap-
peared and servility has gone.
Bowing, scraping and sticking
out of tongues are replaced by
handshakes and smiles.

“When the Humber Super-

Snipe that brought me from
Lhasa airport was halted, road-
menders thrust horny hands
into the car to shake mine. All
the way to Lhasa ex-serfs*clap-
ped and waved happy greet-
ings.
‘In Lhasa itself the Arabian
Nighis survives, with stone-
built, rambling houses, muddy
lanes, ownerless dogs, twirl-
ing prayer wheels, pilgrims,
monks,  Mosleras, - gold roofs,
‘wine houses, religion, colour,
dirt beauty and stench.
“When I strolled round the
city yesterday crowds gathered
to shake hands: and pat the
foreigner. It was ‘enough that
I came from Peking and as
such represented freedom from
serfdom.

_ Four years ago, a brocade-
clad nobleman passing through
the street brought everyone to
a halt, hats off, bowing low.

Yesterday the only aristo-

crats I saw were some progres-

sive ones walking in_a demon-}.

stration: ‘with. commoners
against forced labour, serfdom
and usury, or passing through

the streets without their. form-|

er escorts
lackeys.

‘Thousands. .of butter. ae
were still flickering dimly in
Jokang temple — burning 4;-
000lb of butter daily to light
its countless images and price

of whip-bearing

‘less relics. But I was shown

round by cheerful poor* lamas
who now administer’ the tem-
ple by committee.

Not one brick or relic has
been. harmed in. this holiest
place. of Tibetan, lamaism:

Nearby in a dusty courtyard
a-man was lying’ face down,
apparently being flogged: by
lama officials before a rapt
audience clad in tattered ‘sheep-
skin, patched - homespun --or
gaudy silks.

It was the new theatre group
of Lhasa commoners acting out
their past lives and mobilising
the people to wipe out forced
labor, servitude and usury:

A similar play about the suf-
ferings of a former vassal who
is now chairman of one of
Lhasa’s- street committees. is
drawing packed houses in the
city’ s first theatre. The phrase

‘not a dry eye in the house”
is literally true.

ALAN WINNINGTON

Tractors were introduced into ancient Tibet by the People’s Republic of China a few
years ago. Photo shows the first Tibetan girl to drive a tractor. In the background is

Lhasa, the heart of Tibet.

The Lhasa rebels deliberat-
ely. used such holy places as
‘Potala, Iron Hill, Depung, Sera
and Garden Lamaseries and
Norbhu Linka as strongpoints,
but skillful military. encircle-
ment reduced the. aristocratic
diehards to impotence in two

days and no signs. of damage

exist, except at Ramoche tem-
ple which is being restored

now:

In the Dalai Lama’s summer
palace, Norbhu Linka, his bed-
room remains exactly as it was
when he was abducted by the
rebels, with the bed still un-
made and the golden bowls
filled with holy water.

‘His air-conditioned bathroom
looks like any in suburbia ex-
cept for the plush ‘seat.

. Swans still float. on the lake
before the Dalai’s pavilion -in
a pure garden where I had a
picnic lunch, though the rebels
claim it was destroyed.

This morning there was a
meeting of 700 serfs belonging
to Lalu Tse- -wong Dorje, one
of the richest Tibetan aristo-
crats: and one of the cruellest,
judging him as he stood bow-
ing before his former serfs.

. Murder, rape, flogging to
death and incredible medieval
extortion were described in de-
tail. by shaggy-haired peasants

and tearful, bereaved and rap-
ed women.

Then all his records of poll
tax, usurious debt going back
generations, whips, chains and
other torture instruments were
burned as he watched.

Lalu: was commander of the
Lhasa rebels and a bitter op-
ponent of any shade of reform.

These are only scraps of
what must be going on
throughout Tibet. Formerly,
much that went on was hidden
in the dungeons of the lamaser-

‘ies and noble mansions. A serf

had to be brave who would tell
even part of the truth.
China hoped to achieve re-

form by peaceful negotiation
with the nobility and this per-
mitted the nobles to cover the
worst aspects of feudal life.

But:now the nobles have burn. '

ed their boats and the serfs,
are standing up

Getting the whole picture
will take time and mean trav-
elling long distances into re-
mote areas without means of
communication with the out-
side.

I hope to reitirn after some
weeks with a complete picture
of the past horrors and the
present progress of liberation
of Tibet’s million serfs from
the rule of whip and chain.

Farjallah Helow died
after jail tortures -

LONDON — News that Far-
jalla Helou, secretary of the
Lebanese Communist Party,
has died after being tortured
in a jail in the United Arab
Republic reached London this
week.

He. was arrested in Damas-
cus, Capital. of the Syrian reg-
ion of the UAR, on June 25.
No charge was made against
him, ‘but he was taken ‘to jail
in Damascus and. tortured.

Despite repeated official re-
presentations by the Lebanese
government, the UAR author-
ities refused to admit they
were holding him.

There were widespread pro-
tests at his arrest and torture
in Lebanon, other Middle East
countries and in Europe and
Norfh America.

Farjallah Helou had devoted
30 years of his life to the
cause of Arab liberation.

August 28, 1959—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 3

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