Tibetan Headlines
Nov 1: Forced Pledges
Nuns and monks evicted from Larung Gar Buddhist Institute are being forced to sign documents in which they pledge never to return. The pledges also contain promises to “uphold the unity of the nation” and not to engage in behaviour opposing government policy in the area. Radio Free Asia also reported that they “have to acknowledge that they will be held responsible if they break these promises”.
Oct 30: Visit to Arunachal
China has said that the forthcoming visit of HH the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh will damage relations between India and China. Arunachal Pradesh is an Indian state bordering Tibet which China claims as its own. An Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, "The Dalai Lama is a revered spiritual figure and an honoured guest of India and is…absolutely free to travel to any part of the country”.
Oct 29: Photographic Exhibition
The Tibet Museum in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala has launched a photographic exhibition Revisiting the Cultural Revolution in Tibet to mark the 50th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution. Mr Tashi Phuntsok, Director of the Museum, said “During the Cultural Revolution, more than 97% of monasteries and nunneries were destroyed and the population of the monks and nuns were reduced by 93%”. The exhibition will run for four months.
Oct 28: New Gaden Tripa
His Eminence Sharpa Chojey Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin, 79, has been appointed as the 103rd Gaden Tripa (Holder of the Gaden Throne), the spiritual head of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The former Gaden Tripa, His Eminence Thubten Nyima Lungtok Tenzin Norbu, had completed his seven-year tenure. The official enthronement of the new Gaden Tripa will be held on November 5 in Mungod Tibetan settlement.
Oct 27: Freed After 5 Years
Jigme Gyatso has been released after serving five years in a Chinese prison. He has returned to his home in Sangchu County’s Labrang town in Gansu province but is forbidden from wearing the monk’s robe again, and from returning to his monastery. Jigme was arrested in 2006 for attending a Kalachakra teaching by HH the Dalai Lama in India and was rearrested in 2008 for partaking in a peaceful protest.
Oct 26: Disappeared!
There is no news of Lobsang Sherab, 35, and Gendun Dakpa, 39, two monks from Thangkor Socktsang monastery who were detained two months ago. Their families have been given no information about their condition or whereabouts and the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy has expressed concern. The two were detained in Thangkor town in Dzoege County in Ngaba on August 24 by armed Chinese security officers.
Oct 24: Mindful Medicine
East meets West : Mindful Medicine - a three-day conference for Tibetan medical practitioners, together with eight doctors from the United States, is underway in Dharamshala. Prof Samdhong Rinpoche spoke, Mindfulness in Integrative Medical Practice -The Mind and Body Connection, followed by Dr Tsetan Dorjee of Delek hospital. The conference was jointly organised by Lha Charitable Trust, Tibetan Delek Hospital, Louisiana Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organisation and the Louisiana Himalaya Association.
Oct 24: Welcome Back!
His Holiness the Dalai Lama returned to his home in Dharamshala this morning after concluding his 15-day five-nation tour of Europe. Tibetans and well-wishers gathered to welcome him back. On November 17, His Holiness will teach Compassion - The Key to Happiness in Yokohama, Japan and from January 3 - 14, the Kalachakra in Bodhgaya in Bihar, India.
Oct 22: “Stop the Demolition”
United State Congress Human Rights Commission representatives have written to the Chinese Ambassador to the United States regarding the demolition and evictions currently underway at the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute in Tibet. They demand that the Chinese government should “stop the demolitions and evictions, rebuild and restore the affected infrastructure, and permit…those…who wish to pursue their Buddhist faith…without government interference or ‘guidance’.”
Oct 21: Young Tibetan Scholars
A conference Tibet and Tibetans: Prospects and Challenges is underway with over 60 young Tibetan research scholars and 29 researchers from across India participating. Dr Lobsang Sangay, head of the Central Tibetan Administration and Mr Jayadeva Ranade, President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, spoke at the opening of the three-day conference which was organised by the Tibet Policy Institute in Dharamshala.
Oct 20: Tibetan Stalls Attacked
Tibetan sweater sellers stalls in Bahadurgar in Haryana were taken down by local Indian shopkeepers. The Tibetans claimed that they have the necessary permissions from the District Marketing Committee. Police intervened and arrested six local shopkeepers. “We are here to earn our livelihood just like those shopkeepers who did this. We have never done anything wrong here in this town,” said Pema, a Tibetan shopkeeper.
Oct 20: Detained and Beaten
Lobsang Tsultrim, a monk from Kirti monastery in Ngaba County in Tibet, was detained by Chinese police for staging a solo protest in the streets of Ngaba county’s main town against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. He was severely beaten and is in hospital in a critical condition. He called out for Tibetan freedom and long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his lone protest.
Oct 19: Earthquake in Yushu
An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the richter scale shook Tibet early yesterday morning and was followed by two strong aftershocks. No casualties or major damages have been reported at the moment. The epicenter was in Atod Xiang, about 249 kilometers west of Yushu City where in 2001, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed over 2,698 people.
Oct 19: Yangthang Rinpoche
Yangthang Rinpoche, 88, one of the masters of Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and a former political prisoner in Tibet passed away on October 15 in Hydrabad, India. Rinpoche mastered the practice of Nyima lineage through extensive training. Following the Chinese invasion in 1959, he was imprisoned for over two decades with other monks of Kham province. He was released in 1981 and returned to Sikkim to continue his teachings.
Oct 18: Released
Sengdra, a Tibetan man from Kyangche township in Golog prefecture’s Gade was released after serving 15 months in a Chinese jail. Sengdra was elected as the chief of his town in 2014 and he had questioned local Chinese authorities about how they were using money assigned for local projects. He was then accused of illegal activities and detained on December 14, 2014.