Tibetan Headlines
Jul 17: Access to Tibet
Mr Joe Pitts, of the US House of Representatives and co-sponsor of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2014, has urged China to allow unrestricted access to Tibet. “The current regime says that Tibet is open to all visitors, but the truth is that actual access is highly restricted and is subject to arbitrary closures" he said, speaking in the US Congress.
Jul 17: Another Release
A Tibetan monk, Tenzin Rangshar, has been released after serving two years in Qinghai prison. He was welcomed home to Ba Shingtri monastery in Gepasumdo County, Rangshar, but there is concern about his health. Tenzin Rangshar was arrested in March 2012 for his involvement in a protest against the Chinese government.
Jul 17: Consecration
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has consecrated and inaugurated the new assembly hall at Ruthok Lhundup Choding monastery in the Sonamling Tibetan Settlement, Choglamsar in Leh, Ladakh. He has advised that it serves as a Buddhist learning centre for lay people. Ruthok monastery in Tibet was founded in 1337 CE, during the time of the 7th Dalai Lama; it was put under Sera Je monastery in central Tibet.
Jul 16: An Open Letter
Tibetan Non-Government Organisations are urging world leaders at the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit in Brazil to discuss the critical situation in Tibet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They delivered an open letter to bring the countries leaders' attention to the failure of Xi's party’s Tibet policies and their appalling human rights abuses, and the increased repression and tension in Tibet during Xi's first year of leadership.
Jul 16: Monk Released
Ngagchung, a Tibetan political prisoner, has been released in extremely poor health on completion of his sentence. He was sentenced to six years for sending information out of Tibet during the pan-Tibetan uprising in 2008. Ngagchung is a monk from the famed Serta Larung Buddhist Institute in Serta county in the Kardze Prefecture in Kham. Further details are unknown as communication lines have been cut in the region.
Jul 15: Monk Disappears
Tenzin Lhundrup, an accomplished Buddhist scholar and senior Tibetan monk, was arrested in May in Shagchu Town in the restive Driru County in Kham. Tenzin Lhundrup is known for his contribution to his local Tibetan communities and for advocating the need to preserve Tibetan identity. His followers and family have no knowledge of his whereabouts and his arrest and disappearance appear to be linked to the crackdown in Driru.
Jul 14: Nepal Revokes Permission
The government of Nepal has revoked its decision to allow the last rituals to be performed for Shamar Rinpoche, the prominent Buddhist leader who died in Germany last month and was to be cremated at his own monastery, the Shar Minub in Kathmandu. There is speculation that China has put pressure on Nepal to reverse its decision because a representative of the Dalai Lama was to participate in the rituals.
Jul 12: Lone Protester Detained
Sherkyab, 20, a Tibetan monk, has been taken into custody by police in western China’s Sichuan province. During his lone protest Sherkyab shouted slogans and scattered leaflets in Serthar town in Ngaba, calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet. He was taken to an unknown location by a number of police officers who arrived on the scene.
Jul 11: China Denounces Kalachakra
A leading Chinese Tibetologist has said that the Kalachakra, which is currently being led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Leh in north India, incites “hatred, terror and extremist action", and that it is being used for political ends by “separatists”. China has deployed troops to stop pilgrims in Tibet from attending Kalachakra initiations in Tibet and India, and from going to the sacred Mount Kailash.
Jul 10: Villagers Beaten
Chinese security forces have attacked and injured about a dozen Tibetans, including village heads, elders and women, leaving 10 in hospital, one in a critical condition. They were attempting to help a Tibetan truck driver who was being questioned at a checkpoint outside Benyul village in Dzoege, in the Sichuan province. He was taking building materials to a monastery for the construction of a stupa.
Jul 10: House Arrest
Tsering Woeser, the well-known Tibetan writer, has been placed under house arrest at her home in Beijing. She suggests the reason is that United States State Secretary John Kerry is in Beijing and Woeser had been invited to dinner at the US Embassy, possibly to meet him. Kerry wrote to her last year when she was awarded the International Women of Courage Award.
Jul 9: Tibet Festival
Hundreds of visitors attended a two-day Tibet Festival in Bangalore. The festival celebrated the Tibetan way of life with exhibitions, religious and cultural performances, talks, film screenings, and Tibetan food. Chief Guest, Shri RV Deshpande, Minister for Higher Education and Tourism in Karnataka, praised the achievements of Tibetan refugees during their stay in India.
Jul 9: SFT Video
Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) have released a video "The Tibet Solution" which explains China's foreign policy tactics, and urges world leaders to unite to counter China's bullying. The SFT campaign includes a petition and action points. The video can be watched and shared at: www.tibetsolution.org.
Jul 8: TCHRD: 2 New Reports
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy has released two new publications: "Nyamdrel Gyaltsog Ki Trim Yig Khag” (A Collection of United Nations’ Conventions) and “Sota Chen Ki Mangtso” (Monitored Democracy). The reports highlight China's failure to implement and abide by the many UN treaties and conventions it has signed, and instead uses its domestic laws to violate the basic and legitimate rights of its citizens.
Jul 7: “Stop the Violence”
The Dalai Lama has urged Buddhists in Myanmar and Sri Lanka to stop violence against Muslims, saying “I urge the Buddhists in these countries to imagine an image of Buddha before they commit such a crime". Reports say that a Buddhist mob set fire to buildings in a Muslim neighborhood of Mandalay in Myanmar, and in Sri Lanka last month Muslims were attacked by Bodu Bala Sena (the Buddhist Power Force).