Tibetan Headlines
Nov 7: EU Visit
A visiting Tibetan Parliamentary delegation has met EU officials in Brussels, and appraised them of China’s repressive policies in Tibet which have led to over 121 Tibetans setting themselves on fire in desperation and protest. Ngodup Dorjee, a representative of his Holiness the Dalai Lama, gave them a warm welcome at the airport in Brussels. The delegation leaves for an extended tour of France, the Netherlands, UK and Germany before heading back to India.
Nov 6: Tibetan National Anthem Played
There was surprise when China’s state controlled television and radio in Tibet launched a music video of the Tibetan national anthem on its new website. The anthem is sung by Tibetans in exile, but has been banned in Tibet for over 50 years. Playing the national anthem is normally a criminal offense and many people are confused, and wondering whether visiting the apps downloading page will mean that the song will be traced to their computers and smart phones, and result in punishment for them.
Nov 5: Happy 74th Birthday!
The Sambota Peton Mewon Tsuklag school in Dharamsala celebrated Professor Samdhong Rinpoche’s 74th birthday with cultural dances and recitations of poems written by the students and dedicated to the Rinpoche. The school’s founder and former Kalon Tripa, Samdhong Rinpoche spoke on the importance of educating young Tibetans in Tibetan schools, and on the aims of the Basic Education Policy which emphasises the teaching of all subjects through the medium of Tibetan.
Nov 4: Injured Tibetan Released
Yonten Sangpo has just been released from jail in poor health, after spending more than a year there without a trial. He was shot and wounded in early February 2012 by the Chinese police as they raided his home looking for the leaders of a protest held a month earlier in Draggo. His two brothers were killed in the raid and his mother and children wounded. He sustains gunshot wounds to the jaw and to the spine that make talking and walking difficult.
Nov 3: The Great Winter Debate
His Holiness the Dalai Lama met nuns from eight different nunneries who have gathered at the Dolmaling nunnery for this year’s Gan Gun Cho, the Great Winter Debate. On the matter of bikunshi ordination, the Dalai Lama said it was not something that he could decide as it requires “a consensus within the monastic community”. He reiterated that nuns have an equal right to study, which is why almost 40 years ago he encouraged nuns to embark on the study of philosophy.
Nov 1: Differently Abled Monk Sentenced
A differently abled Tibetan monk from Pema County in Amdo Golog has been sentenced to seven years by Chinese authorities. Tseyang, 33, disappeared when he was arrested in March this year. His family learnt of his arrest only when the authorities revealed the reason, which was for his involvement in many anti-government protests in Barkham, Kardze and Ngaba since 2008.
Nov 1: Bagro’s Latest Book
Ven Bagdro, a former political prisoner from Tibet, and a writer and monk, has released a new book: Tibetan Spirit Cannot be Crushed. In the book, his twelfth, Bagdro unfolds Tibet’s history through pictures. At the book release, the chief guest Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, commended Bagdro for his relentless effort in spreading awareness of the situation in Tibet.
Oct 31: Land Grab in Ngaba
Chinese police have forced a group of 16 elderly Tibetan villagers to end a month-long sit-in demonstration against appropriation of their land in Ngaba County in northeastern Tibet. Land of over 2680 square meters belonging to the group, representing 16 families, was seized by the local government in 1986 after it promised to provide government jobs to the affected family.
Oct 26: Tibetan Officials Fired
Three local Tibetan officials in Tibet’s Zatoe County in Yushul area have been fired from their posts for their involvement in the anti-mining protest last month. Locally elected Khetsa Soetop, Gyaltsen and Bhudak were removed from their posts during a meeting held on October 16. In protest, other Tibetan officials in Zachen also quit their jobs.
Oct 25: Train Collisions
A stationary passenger train on the Tsongon-Lhasa line in Tsongon Amdo region (Qinghai province) was hit by an empty train on Wednesday, leaving one person dead and over 50 injured. There were around 454 people on board, Xinhua, the state news agency reported. In a separate incident, a train collided with a coal truck in China’s Heilongjiang province yesterday killing the driver and injuring several people.
Oct 24: TCV Founding Anniversary
The Upper Tibetan Children’s Village School in Dharamsala is celebrating its 53rd founding anniversary. His Eminence the Karmapa, Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, also the Education Kalon, and Speaker Penpa Tsering joined the celebrations on the first day. In his address, Sikyong urged students to pursue excellence in studies. The three-day festival includes calisthenics, cultural performances, athletics meet, debates and art exhibitions.
Oct 23: Ngaba Tibetans Sentenced
China has sentenced three Tibetans from Khyungchu County in Tibet’s Ngaba region for preventing police and authorities from putting off the fire on Tibetan self-immolator Dupchok on 18 January. A Kyungchu County court has sentenced Gurgon and Sonam Yarphel to four years’ term each, and Norbu Dorjee to five years. The trial took place in July but news of their sentences has surfaced only now. They are currently in Sichuan province’s Mianyang Prison.
Oct 22: Mine Spill
A Chinese mining site in a Tibetan-populated area in Sichuan province has spilled polluted water into a nearby river “resulting in the deaths of countless numbers of fish and other animals” i.e. livestock owned by villagers. “The spill has also contaminated the drinking water of five to six villages,” a local resident was quoted by RFA. Complaints to the authorities resulted in troops arriving in the area.
Oct 22: Monk Released
A Tibetan monk has been released early from prison after serving five years of his term for his role in a 2008 protest. Choedrak Gyatso, 31, was initially sentenced to 8 years in prison. The reason for his early release is not known. He is from Shitsang Monastery in Gansu’s Luchu County. Friends, family members and several hundred local Tibetans welcomed him on his return.
Oct 21: Father of Three Arrested
A Tibetan father of three, Tenzin Rangdol, 34, is being held incommunicado by police in Shagchu town, Driru County since his arrest on October 18. The arrest triggered an overnight protest outside the local government office in Shagchu town. More than 10 protesters were arrested and later released. A local official from Nagchu Prefecture said the Tibetans were like eggs being banged upon a rock under threat of facing the fate of 1959 and 1969.