Today, I thought to tell you about a person named Phuntsok Wangyal, a Tibetan socialist who despite his dedication to the ideology would be imprisoned by the CCP for much of his life

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phuntsok_Wangyal

Hailing from Batang, a city in the Tibetan province of Kham, Phuntsok Wangyal secretly founded the Tibetan Communist Party in order to counter the Chinese Guomindang (Nationalists), which at that time had military influence over Kham

Under his leadership, the Tibetan Communist Party had two goals. One, gain influence and support from progressive Tibetan students, intellectuals, and members of the Central Tibetan aristocracy in order to help modernize and democratize Tibet

Two, wage a guerrilla war against Liu Wenhui, the Chinese Nationalist warlord that ruled over Kham.

Phuntsok wanted an independent and united Tibet and to challenge the feudal system in his country. For that, he was expelled from Tibet

He would join the Chinese Communist Party to fight against the Guomindang. Chinese military leaders pressured him to merge the Tibetan Communist Party with the Chinese Communist Party, meaning Phuntsok was forced to abandon the goal of an independent Tibet

Despite being extremely loyal to the CCP, his dedication to help the Tibetan people got him under house arrest in 1958; almost seven years after the Chinese annexation of Tibet. He would be under solitary confinement for the next 18 years of his life

His wife, who was also imprisoned, died when he imprisoned. Their children would also be sent to different prisons. Phuntsok's younger brother would be sent to the infamous Qincheng Prison for 16 years. Phuntsok would eventually be released in 1978

Ever since his release, Phuntsok has continued to advocate for his people. He wrote a letter to former Chinese leader Hu Jintao, advising him to let the Dalai Lama return. He warned that if the issue of Tibet was not resolved soon, it would become a lot more problematic

He passed away on March 30th, 2014. His life was a very tragic one. It's about someone who aspired to help liberate his people, but would be backstabbed by those he thought would be his allies. His story shows another side of the Tibetan struggle very few know about

There's an biography about him called "A Tibetan Revolutionary: The Political Life of Bapa Phüntso Wangye". I hope to read it one day and to learn more about this person

/End of thread