Tsewang Tashi, a 64-year-old man from Sakya District, Tibet, joined the Tibetan resistance following the entry of Chinese forces into Tibet in 1949. He fought against the Chinese military in Kamtsok Tsowa, Derge, and on several other fronts resisting Chinese control over Tibet. He was arrested in 1960 during a resistance campaign in Tredo and taken to Panipat Tse Zong, where he reportedly witnessed the killing of thousands of Tibetan prisoners of war. He was later transferred to Powo Tramo Prison, where he was subjected to forced labour. After approximately 21 years of imprisonment, he was released in 1981 and subsequently escaped to India.