Tibetan Headlines
Oct 20: Tibet Film Festival
The Fifth Tibet Film Festival, dedicated to jailed Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen, was organised jointly by Filming for Tibet and Student for a Free Tibet at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, Dharamsala. More than 20 films by Tibetan film-makers inside and outside Tibet were screened. “Unchain the Truth”, a campaign calling for the safe return of Dhondup Wangchen, was also launched.
Oct 19: Four More Arrests
Reports from Tibet say that four more Tibetans have been arrested in Driru County, Nagchu for “disclosing state secrets”. Dawa Lhundup, 19, and Jampa, a 20 year-old nun were arrested by the county police on October 15. Jampa Lekshay, a 20 year-old monk and 25 year-old Kelnam were arrested on October 17. Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrests in Driru and called on China to put an end to arbitrary arrests and release the detainees immediately.
Oct 19: Cyclone Disaster
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has expressed his condolences at the loss of lives and the destruction caused by Cyclone Phailin in Odisha, India. Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay also wrote to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to express his sadness and condolences for the tragic losses. The cyclone has affected over 10 million people, with 25 fatalities.
Oct 18: Nagpur Tibet Campaign
The India-Tibet Coordination Office and National Campaign for Tibetan Support organised a day-long Tibet Campaign in Nagpur, India on the occasion of Dr B R Ambedkar’s Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din (the day Dr Ambedkar converted to Buddhism). Campaigners set up a banner with Dr Ambedkar’s statement at a stall that displayed and distributed books on Tibet, and films about His Holiness were screened.
Oct 18: His Holiness in New York
His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins a two and a half-day teaching on The Heart Sutra (sherab nyingpo) and a public talk on The Virtue of Nonviolence in New York, after concluding his Mexico trip. His Holiness has spoken and interacted with 42,000 people during his week’s stay in Mexico where he talked on issues like secular ethics, inter-religious dialogue, and world peace.
Oct 17: More Arrest in Driru
Kelsang, a local resident of Driru County’s Tsala township, has been arrested by the police on October 11 for “talking things”, keeping banned picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and having Tibetan songs on the mobile social networking app WeChat. Authorities refused to reveal anything, including her whereabouts, to family members until the matter is settled. Kelsang is a mother of three.
Oct 16: Forced Loyalty
Tibetans in the Malho Autonomous Prefecture are resisting flying the Chinese national flag from their homes, as demanded by the authorities. Deadly protests against similar orders have resulted in a crackdown in Driru County in Nagchu in the Tibet Autonomous Region. “I will never raise the flag, even if it means my death”, a local Tibetan told Radio Free Asia.
Oct 14: Shooting, Deaths, Arrests
Chinese security forces have shot dead four Tibetan villagers and wounded 50 others in the on-going crackdown in Driru County, Radio Free Asia said, citing sources. Their names are not known yet but three were from Sengthang village and one from Tinring village. Police arrested Tsultrim Gyaltsen, 27, a Tibetan writer, and his friend Yugyal, 26, a former policeman, from Driru County on charges of “separatist activities”.
Oct 13: Arrest in Kardze
Kalsang Choedar, age unknown, a Tibetan monk from Palyul monastery in Palyul county, was picked up from his monastic quarters by the Chinese police yesterday. He was arrested for allegedly giving information to "separatists" in the exile community about the recent crackdown in Driru. He is believed to have been taken to Chengdu.
Oct 13: Another Tibetan Sentenced
Washul Dotruk, 51, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail, according to a report on Radio Free Asia. A community leader, he is said to be a popular negotiator in resolving disputes and lives in Dungda township, Pema county, in Golog (Guoluo) in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Although the details are unlear, locals believe his arrest is linked with a self-immolation by the monk Lobsang Gendun in Dec 2012.
Oct 12: New Surveillance Techniques
A new surveillance technique is being used by Chinese authorities in a secret hunt for Tibetans from Nagchu. The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy reports that police are using code words to monitor the movement and activities of Tibetans, bringing Nagchu Tibetans in Lhasa under 24-hour police surveillance. Police officers constantly share information about peoples' whereabouts making it convenient for the authorities to immediately arrest potential "trouble makers".
Oct 11: Amnesty Condemns Crackdown
Amnesty International, one of the world's biggest human rights groups, has condemned the Chinese police for firing on peaceful Tibetan protesters in Driru County in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Exile Tibetans and supporters in Mcleod Ganj, carrying Tibetan national flags, condemned China’s crackdown on the unarmed Tibetan villagers that followed after villagers refused to fly China’s flags from their roofs. Over 60 Tibetans were injured.
Oct 10: Individuals’ Responsibility
His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke on Pillars of Responsible Citizenship in the 21st Century Global Village at the Gwinnet Center in Atlanta, US. “Society will not be changed by UN intervention or by rulings from Capitol Hill. Society is made up of individuals, so change must start with individuals”, the Nobel Peace laureate told an audience of around 10,000 people.
Oct 9: Lama Assassinated
Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche, a 73 year-old Tibetan Buddhist Lama, was stabbed to death along with his nephew and their driver in Chengdu city in the Sichuan province. Akong Tulku had led the search party that found the reincarnation of the Karmapa, and founded the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Europe, the Samye Ling monastery in Scotland. Three suspects have been detained by police.
Oct 9: Beaten and Sentenced
Dayang, a 68 years old Tibetan man from Dongla Rudo village in Tsachu township, has been sentenced to two years and five months in jail for shouting slogans of free Tibet in Driru County on September 3. Dayang was brought to a hospital in Lhasa amid strict surveillance, a month after he was beaten up by security personnel, sources said.