As a native of Tibet, I was gratified by the editorial “Tibet merits reflection” (Globe, June 9).

For years, I have grieved over China’s ruthless destruction of the culture of Tibet. There is no historical, ethnic or linguistic justification for Chinese control of Tibet. The Tibetan spirit is not broken as witnessed by the uprisings before the 2008 Olympics. I hope I live long enough to see my native country stand free again.

Life in Tibet when I was a child was not exactly idyllic. There were no highways, airports or electricity at that time. Education was available only to the boys who entered the monastery. There were no educational or career opportunities for women. There were no hospitals or clinics in the country except for the small clinic that my father, a transplanted Nebraska doctor, operated.

There was violent religious warfare between the various sects of the Mahayana Buddhist religion. I remember the massacre of the Red Hat lamas by the Yellow Hat lamas. There were no prisons in southeast Tibet, but justice was swift and to the point. Public floggings greatly decreased juvenile delinquency. I was a small boy in Inner Tibet when the current Dalai Lama was discovered in a village near the northeast border. Thanks for reminding your readers of the need for a free Tibet.

Drashi Norbu (birth name)

Garland Bare (American name)

Joplin