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4 Years Later: Remembering Kelsang Namtso
4 years ago today, one of the most important yet unfortunate events took place. Like many days before and after September 30th, 2006, a group of 75 Tibetans were attempting to flee the iron fist of China and reach the refuge of Nepal, via the Nangpa La Pass through the Himalayan mountains.
The trip had already been harrowing enough. From the truck packed with people, resembling sardines in a can, to the harsh travel through the mountains, to the twine holding one’s shoe sole to the rest of the shoe to keep their feet warm, it soon became a test of survival rather than a simple escape to freedom.
Morning had just broken, and the group was on the move, hoping that the journey would soon come to an end. It was not the case, and frostbitten toes were the last of their worries. From the peaks they saw shadows scrambling and then the loud popping noises were heard, as was the sound of bullets buzzing by.
As is common on the mountain of Choy Oyu, an expedition was preparing to climb. Luis Benitez (Climber and Expedition Coordinator), Paul Rogers (Expedition Coordinator), Pavle Kozjek (Photographer), Sergiu Matei (Videographer and man who took the video of the incident), Pierre Maina (Danish Doctor and Climber) were all shocked by the popping sounds they heard as well.They noticed an increased presence of the Chinese Military, but again, this was common in the mountains of Tibet. What they didn’t know, at first, was the soldiers were firing their weapons at Tibetans. As the Tibetans were forging onward, the Chinese soldiers were “shooting them like dogs”, a now infamous quote from the video of the shooting.
Read more at:
Remembering Kelsang Namtso
The trip had already been harrowing enough. From the truck packed with people, resembling sardines in a can, to the harsh travel through the mountains, to the twine holding one’s shoe sole to the rest of the shoe to keep their feet warm, it soon became a test of survival rather than a simple escape to freedom.
Morning had just broken, and the group was on the move, hoping that the journey would soon come to an end. It was not the case, and frostbitten toes were the last of their worries. From the peaks they saw shadows scrambling and then the loud popping noises were heard, as was the sound of bullets buzzing by.
As is common on the mountain of Choy Oyu, an expedition was preparing to climb. Luis Benitez (Climber and Expedition Coordinator), Paul Rogers (Expedition Coordinator), Pavle Kozjek (Photographer), Sergiu Matei (Videographer and man who took the video of the incident), Pierre Maina (Danish Doctor and Climber) were all shocked by the popping sounds they heard as well.They noticed an increased presence of the Chinese Military, but again, this was common in the mountains of Tibet. What they didn’t know, at first, was the soldiers were firing their weapons at Tibetans. As the Tibetans were forging onward, the Chinese soldiers were “shooting them like dogs”, a now infamous quote from the video of the shooting.
Read more at:
Remembering Kelsang Namtso
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