Gadhe kyab, aged 30, served as an English language teacher at the Gyatso Institute for Orphans in Lhasa. As a member of the teaching staff, he contributed to the education of Tibetan orphaned and underprivileged children enrolled at the institution.

In 1999, he was arrested together with the school’s director and other staff members during a wave of detentions targeting the institution. The arrests resulted in the immediate closure of the school and disrupted the education of dozens of Tibetan students. His detention illustrates the risks faced by Tibetan educators working in privately managed cultural and educational institutions.