Every report we heard told of a dramatic reduction in the number of monks at each monastery. Many were imprisoned for not turning their back on the Dalai Lama or even refusing to give up pictures of him. Since the cultural revolution many monasteries had been largely destroyed. Rebuilding has been painfully slow. The slightest resistance to Chinese interference was met by the harshest punishment.
Imprisonment is for a long time.
Imprisonment means years of brutal beatings with infrequent visitors from the outside. And when imprisonment finally ends, monks are expelled from their monastery and exiled to their home village. Many try to escape to India or Nepal. Many do not make it. We were told on several occasions that all monks are afraid.