Tibetan Headlines
Dec 25: Earthquake
China Earthquake Networks Centre reports an earthquake of 5.8 magnitudes has shaken the Shedthong Monzong (Xaitongmoin County) in Shigatse, Tibet on Monday. The focal length depth of the earthquake is 8 kilometers with its epicentre 344 kilometers away from Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. There are no reports of any major damage and casualties except for cracks of houses in rural areas.
Dec 24: Seminar
During his month-long visit to Bodh Gaya, His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated an International Seminar on the Tipitaka, which was jointly organised by the Buddhist Thai-Bharat Society, the Dalai Lama Trust and the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath on Saturday. The seminar was held at Wat Pa Buddhagaya Vanram Temple in Bodh Gaya which was also inaugurated by His Holiness in January this year.
Dec 24: Tibetan Activists Detained
Twelve Tibetan activists from Students for a Free Tibet, India staged a massive protest in front of Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, Delhi right before the arrival of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The protesters were calling for freedom in Tibet, but were immediately arrested by the Indian police. Mr Wang Yi is currently in Delhi to jointly inaugurate the high-level India-China people-to-people exchange mechanism with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
Dec 22: Activist Detained
A 47-year-old Tibetan man, A-nya Sengdra, was beaten and taken into custody by Chinese authorities after advocating for good governance, anti-corruption, and social accountability. The activist, who is from Kyanche in Qinghai, Amdo, has been campaigning against government corruption since 2014 when he and other nomads formed a voluntary group called “Mang Dhon Ling” (Public Affairs Forum) and filed a petition calling for an investigation of Gade County authorities.
Dec 21: Reciprocal Access
The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018 was signed into law by US President Donald Trump after it was passed by both houses of Congress earlier this week. The new legislation will impose a visa ban on Chinese officials who deny American citizens, government officials, and journalists access to Tibet. The International Campaign for Tibet has said that the law marks a “new era of American support for Tibet.”
Dec 20: Literacy Classes
The residents of Gatoe town in Tridu county in Tibet have launched classes for people to learn basic skills. The people attending are aged 50-80 and are learning to read and write with the aim of improving their command of the Tibetan language. They can speak Tibetan but their basic education did not include literacy in Tibetan. Zilkar Monastery is providing the resources for the classes.
Dec 20: TB
A study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of Wisconsin has shown that nearly one in five Tibetan children attending schools in north India has TB. The study is part of the “Zero TB in Tibetan Kids” project, an initiative by Delek Hospital in Dharamshala and the Central Tibetan Administration’s Health and Education Departments.
Dec 20: Learning Tibetan
The Tibetan language may be taught at the Australian National University as a part of a programme of teaching less commonly taught languages. The programme will include Mandarin, Hindi, Korean, and Japanese and it is hoped that it will include online teaching of Tibetan, Thai, Sanskrit, and Tetum. The project is a partnership between the National University and the Open University Australia.
Dec 19: Water Shortage
Researchers at Ohio State University have released a report saying climate change will have devastating effects on the residents of the Tibetan plateau and the Andes mountains. They say the glaciers are melting more rapidly than at any point in the last 10,000 years and that up to two-thirds of the ice will disappear by 2100. This will jeopardise water supplies to nearly two billion people in Asia.
Dec 18: Bodh Gaya
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in Bodh Gaya where he has made a pilgrimage to the World Heritage Mahabodhi Mahavihara Temple, the seat of Lord Buddha’s enlightenment and one of the four holy sites related to his life, and to his attainment of Enlightenment. The present temple dates from the 5th or 6th century. His Holiness is scheduled to give a three-day teaching from December 28.
Dec 16: Monk Detained
Sangay Gyatso, a 17-year old monk from Kirti Monastery, was detained on December 10 after carrying out a lone peaceful protest on the main street of Ngaba Town in Amdo. He is reported as calling for freedom for Tibet and staged his protest to coincide with Human Rights day and the anniversary of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to HH the Dalai Lama. His whereabouts are unknown.
Dec 15: Richard Gere Honoured
Actor Richard Gere, who is also the Chairman of the Tibet support organisation the International Campaign for Tibet, has received the Honorary Award of the German Sustainability Awards 2019 for his advocacy and lifetime commitment for human rights. The German Sustainability Award rewards exemplary sustainability achievements in economy, municipalities and research, it is the biggest award of its kind in Europe.
Dec 14: Acting Success!
Tsering Choekyi, a young Tibetan living in exile, has been awarded Best Young Actress at the Olympia International Film Festival held in Greece for her appearance in the feature film Barley Field on the other side of the mountain. The film is about the price of freedom told through the eyes of a teenage girl.
Dec 14: Sharling Resigns
Dhardon Sharling has resigned from her post as Information Secretary at the Central Tibetan Administration’s Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), saying she has completed her two-year commitment at DIIR and wishes to continue her studies. Phayul has reported some speculation that she has resigned so she can testify in the case concerning the former North America envoy Penpa Tsering.
Dec 13: Bill Passed
The United States Congress has unanimously passed the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act which now goes to President Trump, who is expected to sign the bill into law. It was passed by the US House Judiciary Committee and the full House of Representatives in September and the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee in November. The bill is bipartisan legislation designed to address China’s exclusion of American journalists, diplomats and citizens from Tibet.