Tibetan Headlines
Aug 24: Flood in Tibetan Areas
Tibetan-populated regions in northwestern China’s Qinghai and Gansu province were struck by hailstorms and heavy rainfall causing massive flooding which damaged houses and cars and swept away livestock. Nomad herders caught on the open grassland with their animals had to be brought back by boat by rescue teams. The area around Gansu’s Labrang monastery was also affected by heavy flooding.
Aug 24: Tibetan Nurses Approved
The Government of India Department of Health and Family Welfare has written to the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to say that Indian Nursing Council has approved the registration of Tibetan nurses who have acquired a nursing qualification from recognised institutions. This move is in response to the registration problems faced by Tibetan nurses in Uttrakhand who are not in posession of birth certificates.
Aug 23: No Verdict
Tenzin Tsundue, the activist and writer, appeared in court in Bangalore, hoping to be acquitted of his “crime” there 11 years ago. He climbed a building at the Indian Institute of Science to display a huge banner and Tibet flag during the visit there by then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. However the court could not deliver the judgement. “The Judge told me to come again, two weeks later” said Tsundue.
Aug 23: Ladakh Trip Concluded
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s month long Ladakh trip comes to an end with the teaching on A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life and Avalokiteshvara empowerment at Shiwatsel teaching ground. On the last day of his teaching, he urged everyone to be more compassionate and sincere and to recognise that everyone is brother and sister belonging to one human family. From August 29 to September 1, His Holiness will continue teaching at Dharamshala
Aug 22: Young Tibetan Leaders
150 Tibetan youths from around the world gathered in New York for the Young Tibetan Leaders Summit 2016 which was organised by Office of Tibet in Washington DC and the Tibet Corps. It was the first of its kind with 17 sessions carried out by 42 speakers. The primary aim of the summit was to create a platform for young Tibetans to come together to learn, be inspired, to connect to work towards Tibet’s movement.
Aug 21: Tibet should be Free
In a press conference held by the Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat on August 20, Mr Indresh Kumar, a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader and a long time Tibet supporter said that Tibet should be free, be it through the Middle Way or complete Independence. He also spoke about the historical independence of Tibet and the role played by Tibet as a peaceful buffer between China and India.
Aug 20: Plea for Tibet
In the United States, Congressman Jim McGovern has led a group of 72 House lawmakers in calling on President Obama to make Tibet a priority during his final months in office. McGovern’s letter to President Obama makes specific suggestions for US action. Congressman McGovern last year went to China and Tibet to urge Chinese leaders to enact reforms to increase the freedom and autonomy of the Tibetan people.
Aug 20: Tibet Balloon
The world’s largest Tibetan flag, a hot air balloon, has been flying at the international Balloon festival in Barneveld, Netherlands. The balloon received an enthusiastic reception from the International Campaign for Tibet, the Tibet Support Group and the Tibetan Community in the Netherlands and the pilot was offered traditional Tibetan ceremonial scarves (khatag) by the Tibetans there.
Aug 19: Monk Arrested
Lobsang Sopa, a monk, was arrested on August 10 following a solo protest against a land grab by local authorities in Shershul County, Kardze Prefecture, in eastern Tibet. The United Kingdom based Free Tibet has reported that Lobsang set up a tent in front of his local government offices and displayed a large handwritten cloth banner. Lobsang has petitioned the authorities in the past regarding Tibetans' rights to grassland.
Aug 18: Horse Racing Festival
A traditional annual Tibetan horse racing festival has gone ahead, with official approval but under armed guard. The tenth Machu Grassland Festival and Gesar Horse Race, named after a legendary warrior king and Tibetan national hero, was held from August 13 - 17 in the Kanlho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture’s Machu county. Announcements were made forbidding protests, with warnings of “serious consequences” for transgressors.
Aug 17: Women’s Empowerment
A Women’s Self-Help Group (SHG) training session was held by the Women’s Empowerment Desk at the Department of Home, Central Tibetan in Doeguling Tibetan settlement, Mundgod. The three day course was aimed at empowering economically and socially marginalised groups of women. The Women’s Empowerment Desk plans to introduce more SHGs in the other exile Tibetan settlements.
Aug 16: Political Prisoner Released
Sang Ga from Ngaba County in Amdo province was released on August 12 after serving eight years in prison, reports Radio Free Asia. Sang Ga was accused of sharing state information outside Tibet and was arrested in August 2008. His family members were not informed of the details of his charges at the time of his sentence. His family lives in Thewu chung village in Ngaba county.
Aug 15: India’s Independence Day
The Tibetan government-in-exile, on behalf of the Tibetan community, greeted the people of India on their 70th Independence Day with a brief ceremony held at the Kashag Secretariat, and thanked the Indian people for their support. The Indian national anthem was sung and the Indian flag was raised by Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok who was officiating on behalf of Sikyong, who is away.
Aug 15: Flag at Rio!
The Tibetan flag is flying at the Rio Olympics despite the fact that the Tibetan competitors there have to represent China and not Tibet. The flag is flying at a stall in the food park, with speakers playing Tibetan music. The stallholder, Romero, spent 40 days in a Chinese prison after protesting about China’s human rights record at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Aug 13: New Campaign
Free Tibet, the United Kingdom-based pressure group, has launched its Grand Theft Tibet campaign aimed at stopping London’s transport authority from buying more buses from the Chinese company BYD. BYD, which operates in Tibet, produces electric vehicles and the lithium batteries needed to run them. Tibet has large reserves of lithium and its extraction is causing environmental damage in Tibet with no benefit to resident Tibetans there.