Tibetan Headlines
Jan 8: China’s Claims
China claims to have halted Tibet self-immolations with the arrest of alleged instigators Lorang Konchok, 40, a senior monk of the Kirti Monastery, and his nephew Lorang Tsering, 31, said a Beijing Review report posted on the official eng.tibet.cn Jan 4.
Jan 7: Call for Investigation
H. H. the Dalai Lama has renewed calls for a “thorough investigation” into the causes behind the self-immolations inside Tibet. Speaking to NDTV, a major Indian news channel, he said that the time has come for the Chinese government to carry out a thorough investigation and find the cause of these sad events. He noted that two to three generations of Tibetans inside Tibet have “really suffered a lot” under China’s rule.
Jan 6: Tibetan Teachers’ Meeting
The ‘First Tibetan Teachers’ Meeting,’ organised by the Department of Education under the Central Tibetan Administration, was held at Dharamshala. More than 150 Tibetan teachers and educational administrators met for three days of discussions and brainstorming, and to enable teachers to interact directly with Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay. Similar meetings are likely to be organised in the near future as well.
Jan 3: Travel restrictions eased
The Chinese government of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has eased the highly restrictive conditions introduced for non-Chinese visitors for most of 2012, apparently to promote tourism in the lean winter season. Other restrictions, such as certain regions being banned for foreign travelers and the requirement for a special permit for travelling to the TAR, apparently still remain in place.
Jan 2: Sino-Tibetan Conference
A two-day International Conference was held in Sydney, organized by Sino-Tibet Study Group, New York and Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Association, Sydney. About 100 Tibetan and Chinese scholars, human rights activists, media and students participated in the conference. At the end, the Sydney Declaration supported the legitimate rights of the Tibetan people for independence and blamed the Chinese government for the grim human rights situation in Tibet.
Dec 28: China experts confer
Experts on China from around the world are participating in a 3-day conference in Dharamsala on Leadership Transition in China: Implications for the Chinese, Tibetans and Others, organised by the Tibet Policy Institute from 28-30 Dec. Young staff of the Central Tibetan Administration will attend and it is hoped they will receive new insights and perspectives from these China scholars.
Dec 25: Russians in Delhi
H.H. The Dalai Lama was warmly greeted at the start of his 4 day Teaching in New Delhi by an audience of nearly 1500 people, more than a thousand of whom were Russian. A group of the students plan to send Russian President Vladmir Putin an open letter appealing for His Holiness to visit to their country.
Dec 24: Honours for Tibetan writers
4 Tibetans are among 41 writers from 19 countries honoured by New York-based Human Rights Watch for their “commitment to free expression and their courage in the face of persecution.” Their names have not been revealed due to dangers of further persecution against them. The awards are given annually to writers who have been targets of political persecution or human rights abuses and who remain in financial need.
Dec 24: Chinese State media
The urban Chinese population has greater trust in anonymous online microblogs than state run newspapers and television news, a new study by The Epoch Times has revealed. The Chinese government has long tried to keep a tight rein on media to prevent any challenges to its political authority, and ranks among the world’s worst media offenders in the press freedom index.
Dec 21: CBC reporter undercover
A Canadian Broadcasting Company correspondent travelled undercover into Tibet where she spoke people in a monastery where self-immolation had occurred. They told her that the protests against the Chinese administration in Tibet will continue, and people are willing to sacrifice their lives to do it.
Dec 20: 5 Tibetans disappear
Five monks from the Bora monastery in Sangchu, Gansu Province, have been missing since Dec 3 when Chinese police took them from the monastery. The incident occurred a day after Bora monk Sungdu Kyap self-immolated. 200 police were deployed to carry out a severe clampdown on local Tibetan residents and monks, including an information blackout and cutting off communication services.
Dec 19: Aid Programmes inefficient
Central government programs aimed at promoting economic development in the Tibet Autonomous region have been disappointing, according to Jin Wei at the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China. He said the region continues to rely heavily on cash donations and has failed to create a foundation for sustainable growth.
Dec 17: China condemns pleas
China made it clear that there will be no let up in its policy of continued intensification of crackdown against Tibetans as more and more of them stage self-immolation protests despite rising international concerns and criticisms. China’s ministry spokeswoman Ms Hua Chunying demanded that the international community stop interfering, saying "Tibetan affairs are totally China's domestic affairs."
Dec 16: Thai Buddhists talks
A group of Thai elders, monks and scholars met to engage in an inter-Buddhist dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Delhi. Nearly 300 lay Buddhists from Thailand listened rapt to their deliberations. The purpose was to strengthen faith in the Dharma and reinforce relations between Thais and Tibetans.
Dec 16: Tibetans drowned
5 Tibetan would-be self-immolators have leaped into a river and drowned after being pursued by Chinese police. They, and 2 others, had allegedly planned a collective self-immolation on 9 Dec but had to run away as the police came to arrest them. Those who died had refused to surrender.