Tibetan Headlines
May 7: Emmy Award
Kunchok Dolma, 21, a Tibetan living in New York, has won an Emmy - the highest recognition in the American Television industry - for her role as creator and producer of the television series Rolando’s Rights, part of her work helping immigrants in New York learn English through the We Speak NYC initiative. Kunchok donned her chupa to receive her award, and saying “Bhod Gyalo!” [Victory for Tibet] in her acceptance speech.
May 7: Ex-Prisoner Dies
Yeshi Gyatso, 50, a former political prisoner in Tibet who was tortured during his detention has died. He was arrested in March 2008 for participating in the peaceful protests which took place across Tibet that year and was detained for several months, during which time he was tortured and beaten, leaving him with severe mental and physical infirmities. He died from ill health brought on by his treatment in prison.
May 6: Noodle Factory Fire
The iconic Kalimpong Noodle Factory has been destroyed by fire. Owned by Gyalo Thondup, older brother of HH the Dalai Lama, the factory became famous after the publication of his book The Noodle maker of Kalimpong: The Untold Story of My Struggle for Tibet in 2015. His nearby home, Taktser house, named after his birthplace in Tibet, was not affected. Dhondup, 91, plans to rebuild the factory.
May 6: Death Threats
Canadian Intelligence has reported that the threats against Chemi Lhamo, 22, the Tibetan-Canadan student who has received constant harassment and death threats since being elected President of the Students’ Union in Scarborough Campus of Toronto University, are likely to originate with Chinese diplomats in Canada. This revelation follows a police investigation.
May 5: Buddhist Conference
His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke during the first day of the first non-sectarian Buddhist Conference on the Kalachakra Tantra at Tsuglagkhang, the main temple in Dharamshala. The event was timed to coincide with the sixth centenary of Master Je Tsongkhapa’s death. Kalachakra belongs to the class of Highest Yoga Tantra and is preserved only in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
May 4: Tibetan Students Questioned
Classmates of the Tibetan student detained for writing an essay detailing the lack of job opportunities for Tibetans in local government are being questioned. The student, Sonam Lhundrub, is still in detention and now the spotlight is being turned on his classmates and close acquaintances, reports Radio Free Asia who say the essay has been read over 27,000 times.
May 3: Denisovans in Tibet
Scientists say the jawbone of a Denisovan found in the Gansu region of Tibet is a prehistoric human species, proving wrong the previous belief that Homo Sapiens was the only species able to survive in extreme environments. Denisovans - the third species of human - were previously believed to have lived only in Siberia. A monk in Tibet discovered the jaw in 1980 while meditating in a holy cave and it later found it way to Chinese archeologists.
May 2: RC Fine Reduced
The government of India requires Tibetans living in the country to register themselves as foreigners and renew their Registration Certificate (RC) and Residential Permit annually. Fines on the failure to do so promptly have been reduced to Rs 100 [$1.4/£1] (1 to 90 days late), Rs 200 [$ 2.8/£2](90 days up to 2 years) and Rs 500 [$7/£5/(more than 2 years). Earlier government circulation fixed the fines between Rs 13,900 - Rs 34, 700 [$200 - $500 / £150 - £380].
May 1: Three Tibetans Detained
Four Tibetans in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture were detained for reciting prayers and shouting slogans calling for the release of the Panchen Lama who was abducted by the Chinese government in 1995. Wangchen, 20, shouted slogans and Lobsang, Yonten and a disabled person with them were arrested as his accomplices, reports Radio Free Asia. The three are still held while the physically disabled person who is unable to speak was released.
Apr 30: Military Buildup
The Tibetan Review has reported a steady and ongoing increase in China’s military capacity in Tibet and along the border with India. Airfields are being upgraded for military use and the H-6, one of China’s most deadly aircraft, is now deployed in the Tibet Autonomous Region, with that airfield now under full military control. There are also reports of a secret guided missile unit near the border with Arunachal Pradesh.
Apr 28: Ex-Prisoner Dies
Pema Wangchen, 31, a Tibetan singer who spent around two or three weeks in jail in 2016 and has been in poor health ever since, has died. He was detained when a video of him singing the Tibetan national anthem went viral on social media; he was severely beaten in prison and on his release never regained his health. He died in hospital in Chengdu. He briefly went to school in India and returned to Tibet.
Apr 27: Sikyong Meets Emigrants
Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, met a group of 29 former Tibetan political prisoners who are about to leave for Australia. They were the first of 250 former prisoners and their families selected to go to Australia via a special immigration service extended by the Australian government. They have been given training on culture and customs, duties and responsibilities, etc to prepare them for their new lives.
Apr 26: His Holiness Meets Young Tibetans
His Holiness the Dalai Lama met a group of young Tibetans at the Tibetan Youth Hostel in Delhi before returning to Dharamshala after his short spell of ill health. Students and other Tibetans from all over Delhi gathered to get his blessing and to hear him speak. He encouraged them to become proficient in the Tibetan language, saying that logic and philosophical views can be best explained and understood in Tibetan.
Apr 25: 30th Birthday
Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama is 30 today. He was abducted by the Chinese government at the age of six; no one has seen him since then. Tibetans across the world mark his birthday and rights groups continue to call for him to be found. The Central Tibetan Administration based in Dharamshala in an official function celebrated his birthday and expressed gratitude to the work of the 10th Panchen Lama.
Apr 25: Fake Letter
A letter apparently from Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in which he is said to support a “new and controversial non-profit promoting Tibetan reunification with China” is a fake. The letter is circulating on social media but the Toronto Star reports that the letter is a fake and did not come from Justin Trudeau. Six established Canadian Tibetan groups have dissociated themselves from this supposed new organisation.