Crossing the Divide

Last fall Chinese border guards opened fire on a group of Tibetan refugees who were climbing a Himalayan pass that linked their homeland to Nepal. At least one young woman was killed. Several Tibetans fled, while the guards captured several others. The incident was witnessed by dozens of climbers from around the world who were camped nearby, including one who was a cameraman for Romanian television. He filmed the shooting, which helped propel it into an international story.

Now a fascinating coda has emerged. An Associated Press reporter in India has interviewed a teenager who says he was one of the Tibetans caught by the border guards. He says his group was imprisoned, tortured, and forced to do hard labor. The young man was eventually released and, according to the story, fled over the mountains once again. This time he made it.