Buddhist Monks Given Weapons in Lhasa - interview with Kalsang Thakhay

This interview about life in Tibet was conducted by the Tibet Oral History Project. This non-profit organization aims to preserve the history and culture of the Tibetan people by interviewing elderly Tibetan refugees about life in Tibet before and after the Chinese invasion. Learn more at http://www.TibetOralHistory.org. During his interview Kalsang Thakhay explains that the Tibetan government asked Buddhist monks from the monasteries near Lhasa to guard the Potala Palace, His Holiness the Dalai Lama's residence, in early March of 1959. The monks who volunteered were given guns, but then they were told to return to their monasteries and protect them.