Tibetan Headlines
Aug 28: Nine Years
Geshe Tsultrim Nyandak, 40, of Rapten Monastery in Driru has been given a nine-year prison sentence. He was arrested in December 2012 in Lhasa, and then disappeared. His family have now been notified of his sentence and his whereabouts at Lhasa's Chushul prison. There are reports that his health has deteriorated while in the detention centre, and that his family have been refused permission to provide medical aid.
Aug 27: Pregnant Wife: Suicide
The pregnant wife of Jinpa Tharchin, 18, one of the people who died after being shot and detained by police during peaceful protests in Sershul, has hanged herself, a source has told Radio Free Asia. Jinpa Tharchin died of untreated gunshot wounds and torture in detention, one of at least five Tibetans protesters who have died while being detained and refused medical treatment.
Aug 26: Shoton Festival
Tibet's capital city Lhasa has been swarming with armed Chinese military forces during the annual Shoton festival or Yogurt festival. The festival is celebrated in Lhasa from 15th to 24th of the fifth lunar month, which generally falls during August, and includes the Great Buddha Thangka Display, a Tibetan Opera Show, and the Horsemanship (Yak) race show. A giant fabric Thangka (religious painting) has been unfurled.
Aug 25: His Holiness in Germany
HH the Dala Lama, who is in Germany, spoke on secular ethics to 7,000 people in Hamburg. Interviewed for the TV station ZDF TV, he spoke about violence in the name of religion, saying “If you believe in a creator god, and that all beings are created by that god, so all of us are brothers and sisters created by him, how can you then kill each other? It’s unthinkable.”
Aug 24: Hotel Campaign
Free Tibet is stepping up its campaign against the Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG), asking people to email Intercontinental Chief Executive Richard Solomons. The new IHG hotel in Lhasa is opening for a trial run this weekend. While the hotel claims to show sensitivity to Tibetan culture and traditions, in fact it is closely linked to the Chinese Communist Party and participates in repressive surveillance tactics against Tibetan people.
Aug 23: Visit Cancelled
Mongolia has cancelled the Dalai Lama's scheduled visit there this month. It is believed that China has put pressure on Mongolia to cancel because the Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting the country. Mongolia's economy is largely dependent on China as a source of investment and as an export market for its minerals. His Holiness was to have presided over a large-scale Kalachakra empowerment.
Aug 22: Evidence of Killings
A secret Chinese document detailing the killing of Tibetans by Chinese security forces during the March 2008 protests in Lhasa has been released by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. The document was smuggled out of Tibet by a Tibetan political fugitive and reveals that 101 Tibetans were shot during the protests, that machine guns were used, and lists the names and ages of the people killed.
Aug 21: New Railway
The new railway linking the Tibetan capital Lhasa with Shigatse, Tibet's second largest city, has been opened in the latest stage of China's extension of its controversial railway links in Tibet. As China extends Tibet's railways they facilitate the influx of Han Chinese into Tibet, the Chinese mining operations which depete the natural and sacred resources of Tibet, and military access to neighbouring borders Nepal, Myanmar and India.
Aug 21: Two Released
Two political prisoners have been released after completing their prison terms: Tsakyab of Serta Yarlung County, Karze Prefecture, after doing two years for allegedly distributing political literature as a member of "Anti-Communist Tibetan Youth Party"; and Damchoe Tsultrim, 42, who was arrested in connection with the self-immolation of Damchoe Sangpo, a monk from the Bongtak monastery in Themchen, after doing two and a half years.
Aug 20: TIPA Recruits
The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) based in Dharamshala is recruiting to fill 26 places for artists and performers, their first major recruitment drive since 2004. Applicants were allowed to select specific programs such as music, dance, or opera to perform for the auditions. TIPA is the only official organisation in the exile community catering to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan performing arts.
Aug 20: Three More Die
Three more of the Tibetans held in custody in Sichuan Province have died. They died of gunshot wounds sustained when Chinese police fired on peaceful protesters in Shukpa village in Sershul. The protesters have since been held in detention and refused medical treatment. The bodies of the three have been returned to their families. They are: Tsewang Gonpo, 60; Yeshe, 42; and Jinpa Tharchin, 18.
Aug 19: Conflict Resolution
A two-month intensive training course on non-violent resolution of conflict is underway in Dharamshala. The course is organised by the Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution which has been training people in peaceful resolution since it was set up in 2001. The current course is aimed at educated young leaders, training them to tackle conflict of all kinds in a non-violent and compassionate way.
Aug 18: Treatment Refused
Around 12 Tibetans in custody following their detention at a peaceful protest are being refused medical treatment. They were shot by Chinese police at the scene and their bullet wounds have been untreated while in custody, the bullets remaining in their bodies. One of the wounded has taken his own life and another has died from his untreated wounds, both in custody, while another is in a critical condition.
Aug 17: Sweater Sellers
Tibetan sweater sellers gathered in Ludhiana for their third general meeting since the fraternity was set up in 2006 to promote networking and business opportunities, and links with Indian sellers. The Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay, who attended the meeting, said the Tibetan sweater sellers of today must uphold the ethical values in business, and the trust between the Tibetan buyers and Indian sellers built up over four decades.
Aug 16: Independence Day
Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay and other senior Tibetan Government-in-Exile officials attended India's 68th Independence Day celebrations organised by the Indian Administration. Earlier, at a Tibetan event to celebrate the day, Sikyong said that democracy and unity in diversity in India is a role model for the whole world. “We would like to...convey our heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of India for their hospitality and kindness” he said.