Tibetan Headlines
Nov 13: Protest in Chone
A protest against a fresh drinking water diversion has taken place in Se Tsang township in Chone county; the government plans to divert water from Se Tsang to nearby Hrin Tsang township in Batse county. Radio Free Asia reported that several police vehicles arrived on the scene, but there were no known detentions or assaults. Other protests have taken place in Chone against Chinese policies affecting herders there.
Nov 12: Thousands Evacuated
chinadaily.com.cn has reported that over 34,000 people have been evacuated along the Drichu river in the Karze Prefecture because “a lake, formed by mud blocking the Jinsha River, is expected to discharge a flood”, and an emergency situation has been declared. Recent landslides have blocked the river – landslides which are understood to have been caused by the way China is overdeveloping the area.
Nov 9: Military Hotline?
A meeting between India’s Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and China’s Lt General Shao Yuanming of the People's Liberation Army looks set to discuss a hotline linking India’s and China’s military headquarters in an attempt to defuse escalating tensions along the border between Chinese occupied Tibet and India. There is speculation in the Indian press that a hotline for the Tibet-Xinjiang border will also be discussed.
Nov 8: Tibet Study Group Meets
A meeting of the Tibet Study Group has been held in New Delhi to discuss the situation regarding the Karmapa and the two claimants to the title. The Delhi meeting was convened by India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and held ahead of his forthcoming visit to China. The Tibet Study Group is made up of officials from various Indian intelligence agencies.
Nov 7: China’s UPR
China’s Universal Periodic Review is taking place in Geneva at the Human Rights Council, you can watch the proceedings live at: https://www.facebook.com/CTATIBETTV/videos/1006597086186207/
Nov 7: Tallest Statue
A new statue of Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, has been unveiled in Sikkim. The 137 foot statue, said to be the tallest statue of Chenrezig in the world, was unveiled by India’s longest-serving chief minister, Pawan Kumar Chamling, the Chief Minister of Sikkim. The statue has been consecrated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Nov 7: Memorial Gathering
A memorial gathering was held for Tsewang Norbu, the activist and a journalist who died in August in Berlin, Germany. Friends, family, fellow activists and colleagues paid tribute to him. He moved to Germany in 1973 where he founded the Tibet Initiative Deutschland, who said of him, “ He was not only the heart of our organisation but of the Tibet movement in Germany and beyond.”
Nov 7: Second Landslide
A second landslide has hit the Drichu River near Chamdo city in Tibet, damaging more than 1,000 houses and a hydro power station nearby. 8,300 people have been relocated and reports say that around 24,600 residents in 15 counties have been affected along the 300 kilometres (186 miles) downstream. Tibet advocacy groups are saying the landslides are caused by inappropriate Chinese development in the area.
Nov 6: Monlam Festival
A life size portrait of the Karmapa was displayed and honoured at the five-day Kagyu Monlam festival in Tibet, reports Radio Free Asia. The Monlam festival coincided with the traditional Buddhist Lhabab Duchen holiday and was held at Japa monastery in Nangchen county in Qinghai, with 4,000 monks and nuns and “tens of thousands of Tibetan lay devotees from all over Tibet” taking part.
Nov 5: China Withdraws
Chinese exhibitors have withdrawn from Expotural 2018, the Mountain and Sustainable Tourism Trade Fair at the International Trade Fair of Madrid in protest at the refusal of the the trade fair organisers to withdraw their invitation to Sikyong Lobsang Sangay - President of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile - to speak at the Fair’s opening ceremony. Sikyong spoke on Tibet’s environment and its global significance.
Nov 3: DIFF in the Rain
The 7th Dharamshala International Film Festival is underway and playing to packed audiences despite heavy rain. Alongside the films, a film appreciation competition attracted 26 student competitors who wrote reviews of short films screened at the festival. This year the festival is using DCP projectors and Dolby digital surround sound. 30 feature films, documentaries, short films and children’s films are being screened.
Nov 2: Historic Meeting
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is leading a group discussion between a group of Tibetan Buddhist scholars and a panel of Chinese quantum physicists. The three-day dialogue on the Quantum Effect is taking place at Dharamshala, organised by the Dalai Lama Trust. His Holiness said that Buddhism has much in common with the fields of cosmology, neurobiology, physics, and psychology.
Nov 2: “Sinicising” Buddhism
Human Rights Watch has reported that the Chinese authorities are “sinicising” religion by requiring Tibetan monks and nuns to act as propagandists for the Communist Party. They are now required to undergo political training and to demonstrate willingness to “play an active role at critical moments.” The implication is that they must agree to forestall or stop any attempts to protest against state policy.
Nov 1: Karmapa’s Travels
The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, has announced via Instagram that he has acquired a Dominican passport to enable him to travel in order to carry out his religious duties. He cited difficulties in the past when travelling with his Identity Certificate (IC) – the document issued by India to Tibetan refugees. There is speculation that he may now only visit India on a visa permit.
Oct 30: Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari
Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, who has worked tirelessly on behalf of Tibet, has died in San Francisco aged 69. He was instrumental in setting up and running the International Campaign for Tibet and has served as Special Envoy of HH the Dalai Lama. He was known as a skilled diplomat in the international arena, and an impassioned advocate for the Tibetan people, universal human rights and global democratic reform.