Contact is taking a holiday!

Contact is taking a break after 25 years of bringing you news of Tibet and Tibetan issues. We are celebrating our 25 years by bringing you the story of Contact and the people who have made it happen, and our archive is still there for you to access at any time, and below you can read the story of Contact, how it came into being and the wonderful reflections of the people who have made it happen over the years.

When and how Contact will re-emerge and evolve will be determined by those who become involved.

News From Other Sites

How China got a U.S. senator to do its political bidding

By Josh Rogin, The Washington Post – 17 December 2017 In its effort to cultivate foreign influence, the Chinese Communist Party boldly mixes economic incentives with requests for political favors. Its dealings with Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) this year offer … Continued

Dalai Lama launches free iPhone app

The Dalai Lama has launched a mobile app for followers to stay up to date with his travels and teachings. The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, 82, already has a Twitter account with more than 16 million followers. His free app, … Continued

Treat Tibet as ‘core issue’, Tibetan govt-in-exile president to India

Economic Times – 14 December 2017 NEW DELHI: India should treat Tibet as a “core issue”, Tibetan government-in-exile’s President Lobsang Sangay said today, expressing concern over Beijing’s growing influence in India’s immediate neighbourhood. The chief of the Central Tibetan Administration … Continued

Inside China’s secret ‘magic weapon’ for worldwide influence

by James Kynge in London, Lucy Hornby in Beijing and Jamil Anderlini in Hong Kong – Published in The Financial Times on 26 October 2017 Read original story here. On the Google map of Beijing there is an empty quarter, … Continued

China’s ‘long arm’ of influence stretches ever further

For more than a year, Americans have fretted over the extent to which Russia influenced the outcome of last year’s presidential election. A special counsel probe into Russian meddling continues to roil politics in Washington and may yet ensnare more figures … Continued

The Incredible Linguistic Diversity of Tibet Is Disappearing

By Ryan P. Smith – smithsonian.com –  December 12, 2017 Tibet may be best known for its bounty of ancient Buddhist monasteries and stark natural beauty—but it’s also blessed with a vast diversity of languages. The Tibetan Plateau is home … Continued

Images show China may be using a secret tunnel to divert Brahmaputra water into desert

The Print, 13 December 2017 Read original story here Latest satellite imagery shows the river Brahmaputra disappearing into a 900 m underground tunnel in China. In what is perhaps the first evidence of a possible diversion project by China, latest … Continued

Meet Nepal’s man in Tibet, building bridges on the roof of the world

South China Morning Post, 12 December 2017 Read original story here High on the Tibetan plateau, Gobinda Karkee holds one of the most enviable diplomatic postings in the world. As Nepal’s consul-general to Lhasa, Karkee is the head of the … Continued

Tibetan market vendors come ahead for a good cause

Udaipur Times, 11 December 2017 Read original story here Vendors in the Tibetan market in Samor Baag Udaipur initiated an act of humanitarian values on the International Human Rights Day on 10th December. The vendors decided to distribute 10 thousand … Continued

US lawmakers slam China for ‘repression, rights violations’ in Tibet

By Press Trust of India, Press Trust of India, Washington Top American lawmakers, across the aisle, joined by eminent experts on Thursday slammed China for the “continued repression and human rights violations” in Tibet, even as they praised India for accommodating … Continued

Richard Gere welcomes lawmakers’ words of support for Tibet

By Judy Kurtz, The Hill – 6 December 2017 Richard Gere says he’s “knocked out” by lawmakers’ words of support for Tibetans. “I’m going to be incredibly blunt with you,” the “Pretty Woman” star said Wednesday at a House Foreign Affairs Committee … Continued

Farewell comrade: Why communist China and Vietnam are drifting apart

By Cary Huang, South China Morning Post – 3 December 2017 (Read original story here) Political liberalisation by Hanoi is improving its relationship with the United States and Asian democracies like Japan, India and Taiwan – guess how that’s going … Continued

Dalai Lama to Obama: ‘You are young and can do a lot’

CNN, 3 December 2017 Read original story here (CNN) — Former US President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama on Friday in India, where they discussed “compassion and altruism,” according to a representative from the Tibetan spiritual leader’s office. … Continued

Dalai Lama Meets ‘Old Trusted Friend’ Barack Obama In India To Discuss World Peace

Huffington Post, 3 December 2017 Read original story here The Dalai Lama sat down in India with his “old trusted friend,” former U.S. President Barack Obama, to discuss promoting peace in a world “torn by strife and violence.” The 82-year-old … Continued

Report: Tibetan monk sets himself on fire in western China

Washington Post, 30 November 2017 Read original story here BEIJING — A Tibetan monk set himself on fire in western China in an apparent protest against Chinese rule in the traditionally Tibetan region, a monitoring group said Thursday. Citing an … Continued