Tibetan Headlines
Sep 24: Kirti Rinpoche Appeal
Kirti Rinpoche, the exiled head of the Kirti monasteries in Ngaba in Tibet, has condemned the death sentences of Lobsang Konchok and Dolma Kyab, and said the Chinese legal system is “unfair”. Rinpoche also appealed to the United Nations and the international community to release all the Tibetan political prisoners including the young Panchen Rinpoche.
Sep 23: His Holiness Congratulates Merkel
His Holiness the Dalai Lama congratulated German Chancellor Merkel on her third election victory, while expressing his admiration for her firm stand on human rights issues. The Central Tibetan Administration expressed appreciation for Chancellor Merkel for meeting HH the Dalai Lama in 2007, and sought Germany’s continued support for Tibet.
Sep 22: New Justice Commissioner
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has appointed Ngawang Choedak, former secretary of the Department of Religion and Culture, as the new Justice Commissioner of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission. Ngawang Choedak secured 21 votes against 16 for Kargyu Dhondup, the auditor general of the CTA, in an election held in the Tibetan Parliament in exile.
Sep 21: Freedom for Writers
PEN International, a worldwide association of writers, passed a resolution on Tibet during its 79th Congress held in Iceland, calling on the Chinese government to allow Tibetans to preserve and freely exercise their own language without interference. The resolution urged China to remove restrictions on Tibetan writers and allow freedom of speech, writing and artistic expression for all Tibetans in Tibet.
Sep 20: Self-immolator’s Body Cremated
Over a month later, Nepal authorities have secretly cremated the remains of Karma Ngedon Gyatso, the monk who self-immolated in Kathmandu, Nepal. Authorities secretly burned the body at a cremation site on September 2, a source told Radio Free Asia. Repeated requests from various rights groups to return the body to perform traditional death ceremonies for the deceased were denied.
Sep 20: New Book Launched
A new book by Bawa Phuntsok Wangyal, a 91 year-old veteran Tibetan communist living in China, was launched by Khawa Karpo Tibet Culture Center in Dharamsala, India. The book is the author’s views on nationalism and China’s policies regarding the different nationalities, and includes the letter he had written to various Chinese political leaders on 11 August, 2011.
Sep 19: Peace Marcher Missing
Lingtsa Tseten Dorje, the Tibetan peace marcher on a “walk to Tibet”, is missing. “I could disappear and never be heard from again, or I could be tried and sentenced to jail, or I could be tortured and beaten to death”, Dorje said in a recorded video statement. He was last seen on June 8 at a monastery in Kalimpong, West Bengal.
Sep 18: Tibetan Parliament Session
The 6th session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile in Dharamsala, starting today, will see the presentation of the annual reports of all seven departments of the Central Tibetan Administration, the annual report and recommendations of the 5th Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament, and deliberations on the current situation in Tibet. The session continue until September 28.
Sep 17: Father of Three Arrested
Rinchen Dhargay, 41, a father of three, was arrested last Tuesday in Kardze County, eastern Tibet. It is alleged that he was among a crowd who prevented authorities from seizing the body of monk Tsewang Norbu who died after a self-immolation protest on 15 August, 2011, and that he preserved the body before the post-death rituals. Rinchen has not been heard of since his arrest.
Sep 16: Three Monks Sentenced
Three Tibetan monks from the Wonpo Monastery have been sentenced in Shershul County, Kardze in eastern Tibet. Choedar, Sonam Gonpo and Sonam Choedar were arrested last year for their alleged connection with a Tibetan flag-raising incident, and have since been kept incommunicado. They were sentenced earlier this month; Choedar, 47, to one year and the other two monks, both 22, to four years each.
Sep 15: Amala Honoured
Jetsun Pema, the younger sister of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has been honored with the Light of Education Award in Uzwil, Swizerland by Tibetan schools in Swizerland, Liechtenstein and Europe. Popularly known as Amala (Mother) in the Tibetan community, Jetsun Pema took charge of the Tibetan Children’s Village schools for over four decades.
Sep 14: China “More Realistic”
The Dalai Lama has said that he believes China is being “more realistic” about Tibet after decades of failed hard-line policy. “(Chinese) leaders are really now trying to approach (it) more realistically. So that’s a hopeful sign,” he said after a lecture in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. “I am quite optimistic”, he added.
Sep 13: Gold Medal Winner
Tsomo Kyi, a 21 year-old Tibetan girl, has won a gold medal in the final 10,000 metre marathon at China’s 12th National Games held in Shenyang city. With a new record of 31 minutes and 55 seconds in the track event, Tsomo Kyi broke Qinghai provincial athletic meet’s record of 20 years. She is from Dashi county in Tsojhang, Tibet Autonomous Region.
Sep 12: Elderly, Beaten, Hospitalised
An elderly Tibetan was “beaten so badly that he was left in critical condition in a local hospital” for speaking out against the Chinese government’s campaign of “political education” in villages in Tibet. Dayang, 67, a resident of Nagchu in Driru county, called for Tibet’s independence and long life of the Dalai Lama while holding a white scarf in his hand on September 3. His condition remains unknown.
Sep 12: Released in Poor Health
A Tibetan prisoner sentenced to a three-year term has been released early in poor health. Sonam Choegyal, about 20 years old from Kaka village in Kardze Prefecture, eastern Tibet, was released on September 7. Sonam Choegyal and Tenzin Nyima had staged a protest against Chinese rule in 2011 in Kardze town, an RFA source said. Tenzin Nyima was released about two months earlier.