Tibetan Headlines
Jul 6: Birthday Celebrations
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is celebrating his 79th birthday as he confers the Kalachakra Initiation in Leh, Ladakh. The Kashag, or Tibetan Government-in-exile, has issued statements of appreciation of His Holiness's leadership of the Tibetan people, and well-wishers around the globe are also celebrating his birthday over the weekend.
Jul 5: Kalachakra
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is giving the Kalachakra Empowerment for the 33rd time in Leh, Ladakh in North India. This is the 60th year since he first offered it at the Norbulingka in Lhasa. The ceremony will run to July 13. The Kalachakra sand mandala is being constructed in front of a large appliqué thangka of the Kalachakra deity. The teachings can be heard at: http://dalailama.com/live-english
Jul 4: Ringleaders Held
Four Tibetans are being held in custody, accused of being ringleaders, following the arrest last month of 27 people who opposed a Chinese mine in Karsel village in Chabcha county. The remaining 23 were released. The white marble mining operation had run beyond its contract and was encroaching on sacred sites. The four are being held in a prison close to the provincial capital Xining.
Jul 3: Order to Kill
Several Tibetans, including a woman, who were peacefully protesting against the mining in their area have been arrested and brutally beaten by Chinese police. A Chinese company is mining a sacred hill near Martak Village in Yamayultso township, Dechen county. The local residents have been further warned by the authorities that they have an order to kill if the protests continue.
Jul 3: Monastery Fire
A massive fire has gutted the main chapel at the 349-year-old Taktsa Gon Geden Tashi Choesang ling in Zoege County in Sichuan province. The cause and extent of the damage are not known. Taktsa Gon Geden Tashi Choesang ling is a monastery belonging to the Gelug (yellow hat sect) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and was previously destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
Jul 2: His Holiness in Ladakh
The Summer Seminar on the Perfection of Wisdom opened for the first time at Likir Monastery in Ladakh. Geshe Lobsang Samten welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Ganden Tri Rinpoche. He spoke about the re-establishment of Tibetan monasteries in India and the opportunity this has provided for Ladakhis to study, and of the value of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. His Holiness's teachings can be viewed live at: http://dalailama.com/live-english
Jul 1: Lobbying for Support
Tenzin Tsundue, the Dharamsala-based Tibet activist and poet was awarded the Human Rights Award by the Association for Human Rights and Tolerance in Italy. The Association invited Tsundue to Europe for the ceremony and a tour of six European countries where he spoke to students, press, the public and Tibetans living in Europe about the the situation inside Tibet and the need for greater support.
Jul 1: Support for Tibet
Indresh Kumar, senior leader of the Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has met Sikyong Lobsang Sangay and other Tibetan leaders in Dharamshala. He pledged to support Tibetans in urging the new government of India on policies regarding Tibetans' welfare, education, health and employment issues. Kumar said that Sangay's invitation to Prime Minister Modi's swearing in means that “India recognises Tibet as a nation”.
Jun 30: TYC in America
The North America Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) held its 14th Annual Working Committee meeting in Madison, Winsconsin. Representatives from seven regions – San Francisco, Seattle, Minnesota, Toronto, Capital Area, Wisconsin and New York/New Jersey joined the Madison Tibetan community members for the two-day meeting. “It is time to develop new ideas and strategies”, said the TYC president.
Jun 29: Indian Protester
An Indian Tibet supporter has staged a 48-hour sit-in protest in McLeod Ganj square, in solidarity with Tibetans both inside Tibet and in exile and to raise awareness of Tibet and its struggle among the Indian public. Vishwa Purush Tulsi, a lawyer and founder of the Tibet Liberation Front, said “After the Chinese invasion, Tibetans came to India as...our guests...I am very hopeful...with this new government led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
Jun 28: Caste Discrimination
His Holiness the Dalai Lama concluded his teachings and the Avalokiteshvara initiation in Padum, Zanskar, by calling upon the local people to eliminate the practice of caste based discrimination. “others don’t eat and drink with them, monks also don’t go to their house to perform prayers. This practice was called Serlam Ched (barred from prayer rituals)” he said.
Jun 27: Nun Freed
Ani Chime, a nun aged about 40, has been released from prison in Sichuan where she had been held for "political reasons", the precise nature of which remains unclear. She was taken straight home at around midnight to avoid the welcome gathering which the Chinese authorities feared that her family and friends were planning. Chime had served two years of her three-year prison term.
Jun 26: Safety in Schools
Students' safety and security in Tibetan schools, especially that of girls, is being prioritised as schools administrators from the major Tibetan schools meet to discuss ways of safeguarding children. Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, who the Education Kalon as well as Prime Minister, announced a new guideline for schools produced by the government-in-exile and urged zero-tolerance of any transgressions. Substance abuse was also discussed.
Jun 25: Prisoner Freed
Sonam Norgye, 30, has been freed after serving three years in prison. However, Norgye's mobile phone number has been recorded and he is to regularly report to police and must seek permission to travel. He was detained in June 2011, for desecrating a Chinese flag and was brutally tortured during interrogation. He lives in Pashoe county in Chamdo, and was held in Powo Tramo prison in Nyingtri.
Jun 24: His Holiness in Padum
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has arrived in Padum in Zanskar, Jammu & Kashmir, India, where he will give a two-day teaching on Tsongkhapa’s "Concise Stages of the Path to Enlightenment" on the mornings of June 23 and 24. The following morning, he will confer an Avalokiteshvera Initiation.