Tibetan Headlines
Sep 8: Eight More Arrested
Six monks from Dza Wonpon Gaden Shedrup Monastery and two women from Dza Wonpo township, Sershul county in Kham Kardze were arrested by the Chinese authorities on September 3 following the previous arrests of 113 Tibetans for keeping pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama or communicating with Tibetans in exile. Details of the detainees are currently not available owing to the strict restrictions imposed on communications in the Tibetan areas.
Sep 7: Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Cup
Tibetan National Sports Association (TNSA) announced the dates and place for the Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Cup (GCMC) 2021. The annual Tibetan sports event will be held in Clementon Town in Dehradun from October 1 to 12. The organisers confirmed that ten teams will be participating. The sporting event was cancelled last year and postponed from May this year due to COVID-19 pandemic. From GCMC performances, TNSA selects players for the National Team.
Sep 7: Birthday
Sakya Losel Choe Dzong, a Tibetan Buddhist Society in Canberra, Australia, hosted an online celebration of Kyabje Sakya Gong-ma Trichen Rinpoche’s 76th birthday on September 6. An interview conducted with Rinpoche by the Tibet Oral History Project in 2017 was screened and Representative Karma Singey, from the Tibet Information Office, gave a speech praising Rinpoche’s consistent support for the Dalai Lama and his life long contribution to Tibetan Buddhism.
Sep 6: Book Launch
Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa, the representative of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Taiwan, has spoken at a book launch event at the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan cautioning that the decades long Chinese oppression of the Tibetans should serve as a warning to the Taiwanese people. The warning comes as Taiwan faces an increasing threat from the Communists in Mainland China, who claim that Taiwan is part of their territory.
Sep 3: Yarlung Sotang Award
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)’s department of home conferred Yarlung Sotang Best Farmer award to Tenzin Thinley from Phendeling Tibetan settlement in Mainpat and Yarlung Sotang Best Young Farmer award to Lodoe Gelek from Bylakuppe. They received a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000 [$1,360 / £990 ]. Through the awards, the department of home aims to inspire and encourage new agriculture and farming techniques in the Tibetan community.
Sep 3: Gold Medalist
Tenzin Noryang, a Tibetan student was awarded a gold medal for securing the highest marks in Bachelor of Science Nurse in KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research in Karnataka State. The Central Tibetan Administration’s Education Department congratulated her for her achievement and hopes that more youngsters will be inspired to excel in their academic field. Tenzin wants to become a head nurse in a health institute in future.
Sep 2: Tibetan Democracy Day
Tibetan Democracy day was celebrated in an official ceremony at Sikyong hall in Gangkyi. The ceremony was attended by Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the Chief Justice Commissioner Sonam Norbu Dagpo, Justice Commissioners Karma Damdul and Tenzin Lungtok. Sikyong spoke about the evolution of Tibetan democracy. A video was screened showing HH the Dalai Lama speaking on the importance of democratic institutions.
Sep 2: More Arrests
A further 53 Tibetans have been arrested in Dza Wonpo, making the total around 100 reports Tibet Watch, the UK based Tibet advocacy group. The arrests follow raids and police searches, with intense surveillance, targeting people who they suspect are keeping images of HH the Dalai Lama and are in contact with Tibetans in exile. Three people have been released, the others remain in custody.
Sep 2: Dhondup Dorjee
Dhondup Dorjee, 74, a former political prisoner in Lhasa, has died in Tibet. He spent two years and eight months in prison for campaigning for human rights in Tibet while working for the administration. He came from Lhalu in Lhasa and is survived by his wife and younger daughter Penpa Dolma in Tibet, his older daughter Tsering Dekyi, lives in Australia.
Sep 1: Awarded for Humanitarian Work
Tsering Dolkar, a Tibetan refugee also known as “Tibetan Mother Teresa” and known for her humanitarian work in Chandigarh, has been awarded a grant of three lakh rupees ($4,000 / £3,000) by the governor’s secretariat of Punjab Raj Bhavan. The grant is to go towards helping needy and ailing people in Chandigarh. Tsering Dolkar said it was an honour,“Your appreciation inspired me to keep working hard”.
Sep 1: Day of the Disappeared
Tibetans around the world have been honouring and remembering Tibetans who have given their lives, or been imprisoned or tortured, by the Chinese régime for their political beliefs. International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances takes place annually to draw attention to those who have been imprisoned without their friends or relatives knowing where or why.
Aug 31: Cycling for Tibet
80 Tibetans and Tibet supporters in Switzerland held a one day cycle protest against the Winter Olympics to be held next year in China. The protest was organised by the Tibetan Community of Switzerland and Liechtenstein who are calling on the International Olympic Committee, and the international community, to heed the voices of people who are living under the suppression of the Chinese communist regime.
Aug 30: Two Teenagers Arrested
Gyuldrak and Yangrik, both 19, have been detained for opposing the Chinese policy of Chinese language only education in Tibetan schools. Radio Free Asia reports that they are residents of Darlag county, Golog in Kham [Ch: Qinghai]. They are understood to have spoken out against the policy on WeChat, the popular social media platform. There is widespread opposition to the policy in Tibetan populated areas.
Aug 27: 60 Arrested
Around 60 Tibetans have been arrested in Dza Wonpo township, Kardze in Kham [Ch: Sichuan] after being found with photos of HH the Dalai Lama, reports Radio Free Asia. Those arrested included 19 monks and people’s houses were searched. Police followed up with a meeting, threatening penalties for anyone not attending, and warned people against keeping or sharing pictures of HH the Dalai Lama. A second raid followed.
Aug 26: Funding for Road Scheme
A 300 lac rupees [$4,000 / £3,000] road development scheme has been approved by the Karnataka government for the Doeguling Tibetan settlement in Mundgod, Karnataka, in south India. Karnataka is home to the largest Tibetan community in exile.