Tibetan Headlines
Aug 12: More Support
A new chapter of the India Tibet Friendship Society has opened in Calicut, Kerala. The Society is a prominent Indian Tibet support group with chapters across India. The new chapter is proposing a programme of Tibet related events during the 10 day Onam festival in September this year in Calicut, Kerala.
Aug 11: Anti-Demolition Vigil
A candle-lit vigil was held in Dharamshala as a peaceful protest and message to China condemning the destruction of Larung Gar Monastery in Tibet. Much of the Monastery, the largest Buddhist Academy in the world, is being demolished and the resident population of monks and nuns halved from 10,000 to 5,000.
Aug 10: Ex-Prisoner Dies
Khenrab Tharchin, aged around 40 and a Tibetan political prisoner and monk from Dingri Shelkar Choedhe monastery who served a five year sentence for refusing to participate in a "patriotic re-education campaign" has died. He had been beaten and tortured in prison and was released in 2013 in poor health. Since then his health has deteriorated and he died on the way to hospital.
Aug 9: TWA Conference
The annual meeting of the Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) is taking place at Rabgyeling Tibetan settlement in Hunsur in Karnataka state. 105 executive and regional members from 30 different regions in India have gathered to discuss issues including the Tibet movement, the Middle Way policy, population increase, scholarships and environmental protection. The meeting will conclude on August 13.
Aug 6: Fake Passports
Four Tibetans have been arrested at New Delhi airport in possession of fake Korean passports. The Times of India reported that they were aiming to board a Swiss Airlines flight to Zurich but the airline staff spotted fake visa stamps in their passports; the Indian visas, however, were genuine. They admitted that the fake passports had been arranged through a Chinese agent in Nepal.
Aug 6: Ceremony Banned
A traditional Tibetan religious gathering and horse racing festival has been banned in southwestern China’s Sichuan province because participants have refused to fly the Chinese national flag at the events. At the sang-sol ceremony Juniper branches are burnt to propitiate mountain deities for timely rainfall and a good harvest. Religions gatherings are gaining popularity in Tibet, possibly to show defiance of the Chinese regime there.
Aug 5: Three Year Sentence
Adrak also known as Lobsang Drakpa, a monk from Ngaba Kirti monastery in Tibet has been sentenced to three years in a secret trail. Adrak was arrested on September 10, 2015 for protesting against the Chinese regime. He walked down the street calling for Tibet’s freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet. Until now his family had no clue about his whereabouts.
Aug 4: Reports Blocked
Authorities in Serta County in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous region have put restrictions on all communication channels in the area. Since the start of demolition of Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, officials are keeping a close watch on phone calls and social media messages. People are not allowed near the destruction site, or to take photos or videos which makes reporting on the situation difficult.
Aug 4: China’s Denial
China has denied that Tenzin Delek Rinpoche died of poisoning in prison last year. The revered monk died in suspicious circumstances and his niece who arrived in Dharamshala from Tibet recently has spoken publicly about his death and her belief that he was poisoned. the story has hit the international media, prompting China's response.
Aug 3: Visit to Slovakia
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is set to visit Slovakia’s capital Bratislava for three days from October 15. During the visit, His Holiness will deliver a lecture at Bratislava’s National Tennis Centre, the Aegon Arena, which the organisers say will be a strong voice calling for peace and hope. It will be his third visit to the country, his first was in September 2000.
Aug 2: Three Year Sentence
Jampal Gyatso, 22, a monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba who has been detained since September last year, has been given a three year sentence for staging a solitary protest opposing Beijing’s rule. He has not been given the opportunity to hire a lawyer and his family were not allowed to attend the hearing. They know he is being held in a prison in Maowun county.
Aug 1: Lobbying Group
The Tibet Advocacy Coalition has met Indian Members of Parliament to “raise concerns about the impact of China building dams affecting India’s water security”. The coalition is made up of Students for a Free Tibet, the India-Tibet Friendship Society, the Tibetan Women’s Association and the Youth Liberation Front of Tibet, Eastern Turkestan, Manchuria & Inner Mongolia, in collaboration with the International Tibet Network.
Jul 31: Prostration Protest
Three young Tibetans staged a protest against the demolition of Larung Gar Monastery, the largest Buddhist academy which is being reduced by half. They prostrated along a ten kilometre route from Koramangla to Brigade road in Bengaluri. Tsultrim Dorjee, Jigme Wangchuk and Lungrik Dorjee each represented one of the three regions of Tibet, and fellow students distributed pamphlets and explained the protest to passers by.
Jul 29: Shugden Connection
Three Chinese journalists from the Chinese state-run Xinhua whose Indian visas were not renewed have now been revealed as having a connection with Tibetan Shugden practitioners in south India. The Indian media reported the connection; it is widely believed that China supports the now discredited Shugden (or Dorje) sect which actively campaigns against the Dalai Lama in order to discredit His Holiness and create disunity in the Tibetan community.
Jul 28: Rinpoche’s Niece Escapes
The niece of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, Nyima Lhamo, has escaped from China and arrived safely in Dharamsala. Rinpoche, who died in July 2015 in a Chinese prison under suspicious circumstances, was a highly popular Tibetan monk. At a press conference, Nyima said that she decided to escape from Tibet so she could tell the world what is going on, despite risking the lives of her family at home by doing so.