Tibetan Headlines
Jan 11: Hotel Indiscretion
Marriott International – the third biggest hotel chain in the world – has issued an apology to China and retracted a questionnaire survey it is carrying out there because it listed Tibet as a separate country. The questionnaire was sent to its members for feedback. The chain has 124 hotels in China and is facing a backlash there and calls to boycott its hotels.
Jan 11: Travel Plans Cancelled
HH the Dalai Lama has shelved the majority of his planned travels for this year including his visit in April to Raleigh in North Carolina in the United States. No reason has been given for the cancellation of the trips, however he commented at an event last November that he is now unable to recover quickly from long flights, especially to the United States, as he grows older.
Jan 10: Oldest Artefact
The Purang stele, discovered in the Ngari prefecture in the north of the Tibet Autonomous Region, is believed to date from the ninth century and to be the oldest in the region. It is 1.85 meters tall and is inscribed with the image of a standing buddha with 24 lines of old Tibetan language on its left side and 19 lines of Buddhist prayers on its right.
Jan 9: Teachers Needed
The Department of Education of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile (CTA) has announced158 vacancies for teachers at eight Tibetan schools. This follows the third phase of the transfer of schools from the Central Tibetan Schools Administration to the Sambhota Tibetan Schools Administration (STSS). The transfer has taken four years to complete. Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the CTA said the transfer is one of the education department’s most important projects.
Jan 9: Book Launch
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, together with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has launched a book on Buddhism, Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics. The book is the first of a series of four volumes which will, according to the Editor Dr Thupten Jinpa, provides contemporary readers with “an opportunity to engage […], from a scientific perspective, with ideas and insights of Indian Buddhist thinkers”.
Jan 8: Publication Shelved
The leading Sri Lanka newspaper, the Irida Lankadeepa, has dropped the publication of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s autobiography My Land and My People to appease China. It was being published in weekly episodes. The editor has said that he was instructed by “his management to hold the article due to pressure from the Chinese Embassy in Colombo.”
Jan 6: Spies?
The Indian online news agency theprint.in has reported allegations that China is paying young Tibetan refugees in north eastern India to spy for them, saying, “Amid rising India-China tensions along the Line of Actual Control, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has issued a string of alerts warning that Tibetan refugees settled in north east India are being approached by China to provide strategic information about the area”.
Jan 5: Sham Trial
The trial of Tashi Wanghcuk, the Tibetan rights activist detained two years ago for “inciting separatism” following his appearance in a New York Times video, has ended without a verdict. The trial lasted about four hours and was adjourned with no final verdict. There is speculation that a verdict and sentence may still be announced. Tashi Wangchuk’s family attended the trial as well as foreign diplomatic representatives.
Jan 4: Security Guards Suspended
Thirteen policemen in Bodh Gaya have been suspended following allegations of negligence while on security duty for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The police – two sub-inspectors, one assistant sub-inspector and ten constables – were reported as missing from their posts while on duty. His Holiness is in Bodh Gaya for a month and is accorded the Z-plus security rating – one of the highest – wherever he travels in India.
Jan 3: Menri Trizin Appointed
The Venerable Geshe Dawa Dhargay has been appointed as the new spiritual head of the Bon tradition, the oldest religion of Tibet; he will be the 34th in the lineage. He follows Kyabje Menri Trizin Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, the previous Menri Trizin who died aged 90 last autumn. Geshe Dawa Dhargay was born in Sharkhog in northeastern Tibet’s Amdo province.
Jan 3: Middle Way Conference
The first international conference on the Middle Way Policy is to be held in May in Dharamshala, organised jointly by the Tibetan People’s Movement for the Middle Way and Youth for Umaylam. The conference is aimed at increasing understanding of the policy, especially amongst young Tibetans. Other Tibetan non-government organisations have pledged support and it is hoped that Chinese scholars will attend.
Jan 3: New Year Message
In his New Year Message from Varanasi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, “It is important that when we begin the new year and look forward, we should project our intentions ahead so that we make this year a meaningful one. So that when we turn back to look at it, we can live our life with sense of happiness and joy.”
Jan 2: Tashi Wangchuk on Trial
Tashi Wangchuk, 32, the Tibetan who was arrested last year and charged with “inciting separatism” is to go on trial on January 4 and is facing up to 15 years in prison. He was arrested following a New York Times article about his campaign for the right for Tibetans in Tibet to be educated in Tibetan and not wholly in Chinese. International human rights groups have been campaigning for his release.
Jan 1: Education Portfolio
Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok, the Minister for Religion and Culture, will take responsibility for the Department of Education portfolio in addition to Religion. The Kashag (Cabinet of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile) announced that he will take over Education as Ngodup Tsering has relinquished his Education role to take up his post as North America envoy of the Office of Tibet.
Jan 1: Bodh Gaya
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has arrived in Bodh Gaya today where he will be for the next two weeks to give a series of Buddhist teachings. He will teach from January 5 – 7 and from 14 – 16. On the final day, he will give the Avalokiteshvera Initiation (chenresig wangchen), this will be followed by a long life offering ceremony (tenshug) to His Holiness.