Tibetan Headlines
May 10: Monks Take their Vows
His Holiness the Dalai Lama attended the Mahakala Puja and Gelong Ordination (vows for fully ordained monks) in TsuglagKhang, the main temple in Dharamshala, and in his residence. His Holiness addressed the monks saying, “You must feel fortunate for this momentous opportunity to render your service to the Dharma by becoming an ordained Gelong.” The Mahakala Puja is a ritual for eliminating obstacles.
May 10: Tibet Festival Japan
“Tibet Festival Japan”, a five-day online festival, was held in Japan from May 1 - 7 to coincide with the Japanese Golden Week holiday and organised by Tibet House Japan. The festival included talks and teachings, with an introduction to Buddhism, meditation instruction and emotional and stress management instruction. There were also demonstrations of making Tibetan butter tea and Thentuk, and traditional and modern Tibetan songs.
May 9: Tibetan Railway Project
Construction of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain tunnel - a major tunnel for the Yunnan-Tibet Railway project connecting China with Tibet - has been completed, reports the South China Morning Post. The tunnel is located near Lijiang city in Yunnan province. The SCMP reports that the entire Yunnan-Tibet Railway construction is scheduled to be completed by 2030.
May 8: Covid-19 Warning
The Central Tibetan Administration has reported a rising number of cases of Covid-19 in all areas of Tibet and subsequent problems encountered by people returning to Tibet from India and Nepal. Peoples’ Citizenship Identification Card and Household Registration have been revoked and permission to renew has not been given, causing hardship in terms of employment, medical and hospital treatment - people have died of Covid-19 as a result.
May 7: Teachers’ Workshop
A professional development workshop for teachers was held in Dharamshala. 43 teachers from Tibetan schools across India participated in the three-day workshop which looked at the responsibilities of teachers and their role in societal and educational development. The workshop was funded by USAID.
May 7: Another Release
Norzin Wangmo, a Tibetan political prisoner who has been in detention since 2020 has been released. She was given a three year sentence in May 2020 for sharing information about Tenzin Sherab who self-immolated Chumarleb [Ch: Qumalai] county in May 2013. She is in very poor health following torture and beatings while in prison; she is being closely monitored by the authorities and is not allowed to get hospital treatment.
May 6: Lithium Mining
The Lakkor Tso Salt Lake in Tibet is under threat from lithium mining: Zijin Mining Group, one of the largest mining companies in the world is set to acquire the lithium mine there. Their report states that “after the completion of the acquisition, it will decide the specific development plan.” Local Tibetans regularly protest against large scale mining and are often imprisoned and beaten as a result.
May 6: Child Snatched
Chinese police have snatched Kundol Sangmo, a five-year-old girl, and separated her from her mother, reports the UK-based research and advocacy group Tibet Watch. She was taken from her mother Dekyi, who was working at the time as a street cleaner in Takla Klar Town, Purang County in the Tibet Autonomous Region on 28 April. The police accused them of violating COVID19 regulations. There is no news of her current whereabouts.
May 6: Arrested
Palsang, 24, from Darlak County in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, was arrested in November last year shortly after posting on the messaging app WeChat indicating his support for the use of the Tibetan language. He was kept in Darlak County for 15 days before being taken to Xining City; his family has been given no information about his whereabouts and condition.
May 6: Released
Rinchen Dorjee, 54, a Tibetan who was arbitrarily arrested in August last year for sharing photos of a local event on WeChat with people outside Tibet, has been released after nine months in custody, reports Tibet Watch, the UK research and advocacy group. Police took Dorjee home on April 27 where he remains under strict surveillance. There is no news of Lhundup and Kalsang Nyima who were arrested with him.
May 5: Tibetan Artist Awarded Honorary Doctorate
Tenzin Rigdol, a well-known Tibetan artist, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by his old University, University of Colorado College of Arts & Media (CAM) who described Rigdol as one of the world’s most prolific contemporary Tibetan artists, and who reflects CAM’s three values of creativity, excellence and discovery. In 2011 Rigdol made news with his highly acclaimed art project of transporting 20,000 kg of Tibetan soil to Dharamshala.
May 5: Tibetan Couple Arrested
Loga, 36 and his wife Youtso, from Gyalser County in Dartsedo City in Kham in eastern Tibet, were arrested on April 17 at around 3 pm local time on suspicion of being in contact with relatives living in exile. They were taken to the county police station and refused a visit from their family, reports Tibet Watch. Currently there is no information as to their whereabouts.
May 4: Tibetan Town Twinning
76 towns across Europe have adopted towns and villages inside Tibet over the years and a book, Thank You Europe For Adopting Tibetan Communes in solidarity with Tibet, has been released to celebrate and publicise this project. The book was launched at a ceremony at the Office of Tibet in Paris, attended by members of the French Senate Tibet Support Group.
May 3: New Representative
Thinlay Chukki has been appointed as the new Representative of HH the Dalai Lama at the Tibet Bureau,Geneva from June 22. She was the former Special Appointee for Human Rights at the Tibet Bureau 2019 and 2021. Before that she worked as a researcher at the Central Tibetan Administration’s UN-EU and Human Rights Desk. Chukki graduated from Harvard Law School with an LLM degree in 2018.
May 3: “Deeply Dismayed”
The Central Tibetan Administration has issued a statement saying that while it welcomes the forthcoming visit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to East Turkestan [Ch: Xinjiang] in China, it is “deeply dismayed” by the High Commissioner’s lack of response to the CTA’s appeal that she include Tibet in her visit, and that her “silence on China’s human rights abuses in Tibet is deeply concerning”.