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CHINA LETS LONGEST-HELD FEMALE TIBETAN PRISONER
LEAVE FOR U.S.
WASHINGTON, March 28, 2003--Tibet's longest-serving
female political prisoner, Ngawang Sangdrol, has
obtained an exit visa from the Chinese government and
is en route to the United States, Radio Free Asia (RFA)
has learned.
Ngawang Sangdrol left China earlier Friday after
securing a visa permitting her to seek medical
treatment in the United States, sources in Asia told
RFA's Tibetan service.
No further details were immediately available, and the
circumstances surrounding her departure from China
were unclear. In the past, China has released or
exiled prominent dissidents ahead of high-level
meetings with U.S. officials, and U.S. Vice President
Dick Cheney is expected to visit China in April.
Ngawang Sangdrol, a Buddhist nun who is now in her
late 20s, was first detained at age 13. She was
paroled from Lhasa’s notorious Drapchi Prison on Oct.
18, 2002, nine years before completing her sentence,
for good behaviour. A nun at the Garu nunnery, she
took part in pro-independence demonstrations in Lhasa
in 1987-88. Ngawang Sangdrol’s sentence was extended
three times to a total of 21 years after she and other
nuns engaged in prison protests.
RFA broadcasts news and information to Asian listeners
who lack regular access to full and balanced reporting
in their domestic media. Through its broadcasts and
call-in programs, RFA aims to fill a critical gap in
the lives of people across Asia. Created by Congress
in 1994 and incorporated in 1996, RFA currently
broadcasts in Burmese, Cantonese, Khmer, Korean, Lao,
Mandarin, the Wu dialect, Vietnamese, Tibetan (Uke,
Amdo, and Kham), and Uyghur. It adheres to the highest
standards of journalism and aims to exemplify accuracy,
balance, and fairness in its editorial content.
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