Thinlay Ngawang, also known as Ngawang Tendhar, was a Tibetan monk from Kyepa Township in Lhoka Prefecture. He joined Woeser Monastery at the age of 17 and later became involved in peaceful political activities advocating Tibetan independence.

In 1993, he wrote and displayed pro-independence slogans in Lhoka town, for which he was arrested in April that year. After a brief release, he continued his activism in 1994 by distributing leaflets near the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. He was re-arrested in May 1994 after authorities linked his handwriting to earlier materials.

Thinlay Ngawang was sentenced to six years in prison by the Lhoka Intermediate People’s Court and held at Drapchi Prison. During his imprisonment, he faced repeated interrogations, strict surveillance, and constant suspicion from both security forces and religious authorities. He was released from prison on 7 May 1998.