By SAM BISHOP
SILENCED, jailed and tortured for speaking out against the treatment of his people, the Venerable Bagdro, a Tibetan monk, could be forgiven for abandoning his religious crusade.
But the Venerable Bagdro shows no obvious signs of the three torturous years he spent in a freezing prison cell at the hands of violent guards.
In Australia for his latest round of public speaking engagements, the Venerable Bagdro will spread the word about the plight of his people and his religion.
His previous audiences include the British Parliament, Hollywood star Richard Gere and the former French first lady, Madam Mitterrand, who paved the way for his release and recuperation from the prison after three years.
Australia is the 33rd country on his world-wide tour to spread the word of human rights and religious freedoms.
After his release from prison, the Venerable Bagdro spent a year in a French hospital recovering from wounds inflicted during his incarceration.
“We have Tibetans talking about continuing freedom for Tibet, in a peaceful, non-violent way,” the Venerable Bagdro said.
“I’m (here) to talk about experience and torture and how to make it stop in Tibet.
“We need to fight to stop religious persecution.”
He has written three books on his experiences and his religion. The last, A Hell on Earth, detailed the story of his arrest, imprisonment and torture after a demonstration against human rights abuses.
Bec Gyaltso, a Geelong woman married to a Tibetan migrant, helped bring the Venerable Bagdro to Geelong
“This visit is about raising awareness for the profile of the cause. . . of the Tibetan people and Buddhists in that country,” Ms Gyaltso said.
“People like Bagdro have been tortured and locked up just for asking for religious freedoms.”
She said the visit was about awareness and raising the profile of the Tibetan and Buddhist causes.
“About 43 per cent of all political prisoners in Tibetan jails are monks and nuns. . . because they are quite often the ones out there protesting,” she said.
The Venerable Bagdro will speak tonight at Clonard College’s Kildare Theatre at 7pm. For information contact 0407 878 645.
