Tibetan Headlines
Dec 28: Reunited!
Dhondup Wangchen, 43, the Tibetan film maker who served six years in prison for his documentary Leaving Fear Behind has escaped Tibet and arrived to join his family on Christmas Day in San Francisco in the United States. Wangchen was tortured during his time in prison and there has been great concern for his health, and for his safety following his release.
Dec 26: Football Cancelled
The Chinese Under-20 football team has refused to play in the string of friendly matches planned with lower league German clubs. They had walked out of the opening match last month following protests by Tibetan activists, but had planned to resume the programme next month.The German Football Association has refused to ban the Tibetan flag at matches, drawing criticism from the Chinese authorities.
Dec 25: Concern for Choekyi
There is concern about the health of Choekyi, a monk from Phurbu monastery in Serta county who is currently in prison. Voice of Tibet has reported a local source as saying that Choekyi’s health is deteriorating under prison conditions and his family have not been allowed to bring him food since October. He is serving four years for celebrating HH the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday in 2015.
Dec 22: McLeod Hotels Closed
Fifty five hotels in Dharamshala – mainly in McLeod Ganj and Naddi – have been declared illegal and a court order served on them to close, and for their electricity and water supplies to be cut. A Public Interest Litigation had been filed; that hearing prompted an inspection by the Pollution Control Board regional officer and it was found that they were running without seeking the requisite sanction
Dec 22: Medicare 2018
The Tibetan Medicare System (TMS) – a health insurance plan for Tibetan refugees – is open for registrations for the year 2018-2019. TMS is a holistic Secondary and Tertiary Health Care Programme for all Tibetan refugees under the direct cover of Tibetan Voluntary Health Association. It was launched in 2102 and has 24,155 members. There were 1,554 beneficiaries between April and December this year.
Dec 21: Parasitic Outbreak
The Chinese state media Xinhua has reported an outbreak of parasitic tapeworm infestation in the Tibet Autonomous Region. After screening around 3 million people, 30,000 cases of hydatid disease (Echinococcosis), which can be fatal, have been confirmed. A screening and treatment programme has found cases in the herding areas of China's Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet and Xinjiang. The tapeworm carried by dogs.
Dec 21: “World’s Biggest Prison”
The media watchdog Reporters without Borders has designated China the "world’s biggest prison for journalists" for the second year running in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index. It says China is "continuing to improve its arsenal of measures for persecuting journalists and bloggers”, and that "journalists in China meet with slow death behind bars". China is ranked 175th out of 180 countries. Norway was top, North Korea bottom.
Dec 20: Visa Regulations Simplified
The Government of India is now allowing one-year multi-entry visas to Tibetan Identity Card (IC) holders to simplify the documentation required for foreign travels. The Office of Tibet, New Delhi announced that “Tibetans may apply for one-year multi-entry visa at all the Indian embassy/consulates in the US and Canada.” The Central Tibetan Administration is hoping the current exit permit requirements will be dropped.
Dec 20: BJP Victory
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won the Himachal Pradesh state elections at which Tibetans voted for the first time. Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the Central Tibetan Administration, said, “The Tibetan people welcome BJP’s victory with fond memories and hopeful optimism”. Local Tibetans are hoping the new government will resolve ongoing issues of concern, including the 218 cases of encroachment of forestland in McLeod Ganj.
Dec 19: Refused School
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), the organisation supporting Tibetan political prisoners, has reported that the daughter of a former political prisoner in Tibet has been refused the right to attend school. The man, Shonu Palden, 40, was released early in very poor health, and because of his former political activities his eight year old daughter Namkyi Dolma has been refused school.
Dec 18: App Blocked in China
The new App for HH the Dalai Lama’s website is reported as being blocked in China. It is not available in China’s App Store, making it inaccessible to Tibetans in Tibet as well as His Holiness’s followers in China. There are reports that Apple has not made iPhone Apps related to His Holiness and other exiles available in China in the past.
Dec 15: Free iPhone app
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has launched a mobile iPhone app with the news, photo and information about his teachings, available free at http://apple.co/2C5zpco. His Twitter account has more than 16 million followers. The app launch was reported by BBC who, after giving some background information on His Holiness, comment "The BBC has been unable to find a photograph of him using a smartphone".
Dec 15: Larung Gar
Checkpoints have been set up on the approaches to Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, the major Buddhist Academy in eastern Tibet which has recently undergone partial destruction. All visitors, including monks and nuns, are being questioned and are required to show permits before encountering a second checkpoint where they are questioned further before being allowed to enter.
Dec 14: Access Ban
Access has been banned at the Achen Gangyap or, in Chinese, Hoh Xil Nature Reserve in Qinghai, this includes the nomads who have lived sustainably off the land there for thousands of years, with threats of punishment for transgressors. The reserve was given UNESCO World Heritage status earlier this year which at the time caused concern for the future management of the area.
Dec 14: Tsongkhapa Remembered
Monasteries across Tibet observed the anniversary of the death of Tsongkhapa, the fourteenth-century founder of the Gelugpa school of Buddhism, with the traditional displays of lamps and offerings presented to the communities of monks. Large crowds gathered for the celebrations, with Chinese security police much in evidence but there were no reports of disruption or crackdown.