Dissenting Voices Series: TCHRD releases Tibetan monk’s book that was banned by China

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is pleased to announce the release of “Fifty-four Days”, a book written by Tibetan monk named Lu Kunchok Gyatso, who lives in Tibet. The Tibetan language book is a collection of journal entries on the author’s dangerous journey over the Himalayas in the year 1994 to seek blessings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and receive Tibetan monastic education in India. On his arrival in India after 54 days, he joined the Drepung monastery in south India and in 2000 returned to Tibet after completing his studies. He had completed the book in late 2015 after working on it for two years.

Lu Kunchok Gyatso is a monk at Lamo Dechen Monastery in Chentsa (Ch: Jianzha) County, Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, in the Tibetan province of Amdo. He was arbitrarily detained on 7 November 2015 by the local Public Security Bureau officers who also ransacked his home and confiscated the author’s mobile phone and laptop. The arrest was a preemptive move by local police to stop the author from publishing the aforementioned book. Later in the day, he was interrogated in the Chentsa County PSB office and handed over to the prefectural State Security Bureau office where he was held incommunicado for six days. The SSB officers gave him stern warnings not to publish the book or face imprisonment.

The book is published under the ‘Dissenting Voices’ series that is aimed at promoting and protecting the right to freedom of expression and opinion in Tibet. The series provide a platform for writers, intellectuals and bloggers to publish their memoirs, biographies, journals, blogposts and other writings that are banned by Chinese authorities in Tibet. Lu Kunchok Gyatso’s “Fifty-four Days” is the latest in the series.

TCHRD has made no changes to the book including its language, design and layout in order to retain the author’s original voice and style. The book that you will read is the one we obtained directly from Tibet. An English translation will be released soon.

Hard copies of the book can be collected free of cost from TCHRD office.

To read the full book Click here