Tibetan Headlines
Jun 20: More Control, Tibet
China has completed a stringent monitoring system in central Tibet requiring all internet, telephone lines and cell phone users to register under their real names. The English medium Chinese news source Xinhua quoted an official as saying that this is “conducive to protecting citizens’ personal information and curbing the spread of detrimental information”. In June 2012, a Tibetan monk was sentenced to 7 years for sharing information on self-immolation protests in Tibet.
Jun 19: Karmapa’s New Book
The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa’s latest book, ‘The Heart is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out’, was released in New Delhi. Karmapa said, “I may have certain responsibilities because I received the name and position of ‘Karmapa’ but we all have responsibilities based on what we receive from the world.” The book tackles major issues the world faces in 21st century.
Jun 19: Beaten to Death
A Tibetan man is reported to have died after he was “brutally beaten” by police personnel in Sershul County in Eastern Tibet. According to sources, on June 16 a Tibetan man accused of stealing "Yartsa Gunbu" (a herbal remedy, Cordyceps Sinensis, known in English as "caterpillar fungus") was beaten so severely by police authorities that he died the following day but local police blamed the man’s death as suicide.
Jun 18: G8 Unity for Tibet
Tibet campaigners urged leaders of the G8 countries to address the crisis in Tibet and unite for Tibet during their 39th Summit in Northern Ireland. Tibet activists submitted the report ‘A New Global Approach: Unite for Tibet’ to 10 Downing Street, along with a petition with 10,000 signatures. British MP Tim Loughton said 'It is time to stand up against the abuse going on within China’s own borders'.
Jun 18: Tibetan Artists Missing
Musician Khenrap and songwriter Nyagdompo disappeared after the release of their album ‘Agony of Unhealed Wounds’, raising concerns about the artists’ well being. Another two musicians, Chakdor and Pema Thinley, were arrested and detained, and later sentenced in February this year. There is no information on the status and whereabouts of Khenrap and Nyagdompo.
Jun 17: Speaker Visits Australia
Speaker Penpa Tsering of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile is currently in Australia. In Sydney, he spoke about the Tibetan people's duty to preserve Tibetan language and culture which are facing annihilation under the Chinese rule, emphasizing that families in the west speak in Tibetan at home so that the children could learn Tibetan. He will visit Melbourne and Canberra the following days.
Jun 15: Sikyong in Lithuania
Sikyong Lobsang Sangay arrived in Vilnius on Wednesday, accompanied by Mr Thubten Samdup, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Northern Europe. This is Sikyong’s first visit to Lithuania. The two-day visit aims to gather support in Lithuania during the next six months of Lithuania’s stewardship of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union starting next month.
Jun 14: Student Leader Sentenced
Wangchuk Dorjee, a Tibetan student leader, has been sentenced to four years in prison for allegedly leading a peaceful student protest in Rebkong, eastern Tibet, last year. Dorjee is a student of the Middle School of Nationalities in Malho. Apparently Dorjee was subjected to “harsh interrogation” following his detention. However, details of Dorjee’s date of sentencing and his current whereabouts are not known.
Jun 14: Dalai Lama on Self-immolations
During his visit to Australia, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has expressed doubt over the effectiveness of Tibetan self-immolations while stressing that Tibetans were not sacrificing their lives because of simple social or family grievances. "this [is],,,a symptom of some causes...Chinese officials...must investigate what is the cause of this symptom, of these events. It's not the solution just to blame someone" he said.
Jun 14: Tibetan Singers Sentenced
Two Tibetan singers from Ngaba in Tibet were secretly sentenced to two years imprisonment in February 2013. Pema Thinley, 22 and Chakdor, 32 were arrested in July 2012 and detained for six months after the release of their music album containing songs about the self-immolation protests, as well as songs in praise of the Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama, Kirti Rinpoche and Sikyong Lobsang Sangay. News of the sentence has only now been received, and their current whereabouts is unknown.
Jun 13: Lone Tibetan Missing
Tsetan Dorjee, 36, who was on his second attempted peace march to Tibet, has reportedly gone missing after marching over 2000kms. He began his march at Dharamshala on March 10 and went missing from Gangtok in Sikkim, 54kms (34 miles) from the border with Tibet. He made a phone call on Monday, but his phone has been switched off since yesterday and there is no information about his current whereabouts. Dorjee spent time in prison in Nepal after his first attempted peace march to Tibet last year.
Jun 13: Online Threats
"Targeted Online Threats in the Tibetan Community", an awareness raising event organised by the Tibet Action Institute and Students for a Free Tibet, was held at TCV Day School in McLeod Ganj, Key speakers included Masashi Crete-Nishihata from the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab and Lhadon Tethong, Director of the Tibet Action Institute. Masashi said Tibetans are targeted as a community and not as individuals. Lhadon explained that Tibetans are targeted becuase they have been “effective in undermining Chinese control inside Tibet and in exile”. "They are fighting us because we are strong,” Lhadon said.
Jun 12: Tibet Environment Conference
A conference on Tibet’s environment entitled “Tibet’s Environment: Denuding, Degrading & Depopulating” will take place in Brussels to coincide with the European Parliament’s Tibet Intergroup’s 97th meeting. The conference, which will be jointly organised by the Office of Tibet in Brussels, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), will be an occasion for all to “discover the multiple facets of Tibet’s struggle against the degradation of its land, air and water.”
Jun 11: Political Prisoner Released
Tsewang Dakpa, a monk at Jangang Monastery in Drango region of eastern Tibet was released on June 5. Drakpa was arrested on June 6, 2008, along with two other monks, Thupten Gyatso and Jangsem Nyima, for staging a peaceful protest in front of the regional Chinese government headquarters. Currently Dakpa, who is in his late 20s, is in “poor health” and one of his hands is “severely injured.”
Jun 9: Documentary on Self-immolations
Voice of America releases ‘Fire in the Land of Snow a Documentary on Self-Immolations in Tibet’: “a sobering and comprehensive look at the reasons behind the deadly wave of political self-immolations that have taken place in Tibet since 2009”. It gives audiences in Tibet and China access to information they cannot get on domestic media.