More witnesses to Nangpa La shooting

With over one hundred western mountaineers and sherpas at the Cho Oyu advance Everest base camp, it’s not surprising that witnesses continue to come forward and testify to what they saw: Chinese soldiers shooting and killing Tibetan refugees. Two Norwegian climbers have gone on the record with Norwegian TV 2. Thus far Norwegians, British, Romanian, Slovenian, Czech, Filipino, American, Danish, and Spanish climbers have gone on the record. I’m sure I’m missing some – Honestly I’ve lost track of how many climbers have gone on the record because the number grows every day.

Here’s the text of the Norwegian climbers statement, via Phayul.

When Chinese border guards shot and killed a nun on her way to the land of Dalai Lama, Geir Lysfjord, aged 59, saw the whole incident from nearby. Together with the mountaineer Jan Arve Andresen, the Norwegian was a witness to the bloody drama that unfolded on 30 September this year.

“A few hours after the shooting that left dead bodies on the glacier, 25 Chinese soldiers entered the base camp armed with automatic weapons,” says Lysfjord.

The following day they returned, this time with ten Chinese police officers.

“They went out to the dead bodies on the glacier. As far as I could see they tried to bury the bodies, but they failed,” says Lysfjord to TV 2 News.

The next day the bodies were removed. At the same time the base camp was searched in pursuit of more refugees.

“11 children were found and taken away by the police in full public view.”

One monk who was part of the group of refugees has already arrived in Dharamsala. Earlier today he spoke with some Students for a Free Tibet staffers and others (details of that meeting will be forthcoming). Tomorrow a larger group of refugees is expected to arrive in Dharamsala.

More testimony will continue to come out as the victims and witnesses to this inhumane and illegal shooting by Chinese soldiers of Tibetan refugees come forward. China has been caught red-handed and the international community must come together to condemn their crimes against Tibetans.

Also, the International Campaign for Tibet has many more pictures of the shooting and the aftermath.