Tibetan Headlines
Nov 8: Monk Sentenced
Geshe Sonam Gyatso, a monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba in eastern Tibet, has been sentenced to two years in prison, reports the Tibet Post, for allegedly “sending money abroad to seek the protection and prayers for his family from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Kirti Rinpoche”. He was arrested in Chengdu in April last year when evidence of the payment was found on his mobile phone, and sentenced recently.
Nov 7: Border Issues
China has named nine bridges after four Chinese soldiers who were reported as killed in the India-Tibet border clashes in 2020 in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh in the far north of India, reports the Tibetan Review. China’s official state media the globaltimes.cn reports the bridges “commemorate the heroes who have become the epitome of Chinese people’s ever-growing patriotic sentiment [...] They have been nominated as the country’s ethical role models.”
Nov 7: 200 Detained
Around 200 people were detained in Lhasa following the protests in the city last week against the Covid lockdown, reports Radio Free Asia. Protestors included both Tibetans and Han Chinese, mostly resident in Lhasa and RFA’s source reports that many were leaders of the protest. The Chinese detainees were later released, many Tibetans remain in custody.
Nov 4: Sikyong in Arunachal Pradesh
Sikyong Penpa Tsering, President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), has arrived in Arunachal Pradesh, the far north eastern Indian state, for a two-week assessment visit to Tibetan communities - his first visit there since his appointment as Sikyong. He spoke to Tibetans in Tezu Tibetan settlement, and visited local CTA branch offices and civil society organisations.
Nov 4: Dharamshala International Film Festival
Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) begins today at the Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts in McLeod Ganj after a two year break during the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the many independent films presented at the festival are three films by Tibetan directors - Dhulpa by Kunsang Kyirong, You Tibetan? by Tenzin Yeshi and Cafe Illiterati by Tenzin Kalden. Over 40 short films have participated in the film festival.
Nov 2: Lockdown Relaxation
Tibetans living temporarily in Lhasa who have been caught in the Covid lockdown are to be allowed to return home if they live in some regions in the far west of Tibet, reports Radio Free Asia. People wishing to return are required to register for processing and will be provided with transport, they are not to travel independently. The lockdown has sparked protest and unrest in Lhasa.
Nov 2: Tibetans to Vote
720 Tibetans in Dharamshala have registered to vote in the forthcoming Indian Himachal Pradesh elections - most Tibetans prefer to retain their status as foreigners living on temporary residential permits and are therefore not eligible to vote. Others have opted for Indian citizenship and the right to vote.
Nov 1: Award for His Holiness
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been awarded the Sivananda World Peace Foundation Award for his “generous contribution to promoting Peace, Non-Violence and oneness among humanity in the world”. The award was presented by the Foundation’s President, Prince Ishwar Ramlutchman Mabheka Zulu who said it was “an honour and privilege”. The Sivananda World Peace Foundation, a South African organisation, promotes peace and unity.
Oct 31: Paying Online
Tibetans living in North America can now pay their Chatrel, or contributions to the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, online and everyone is urged to use this new facility which has been made available following requests from Tibetans in America. It has been set up following a pilot scheme; an app can be downloaded, users can link their Gmail account to their Green Book ID, and payments are made via PayPal.
Oct 28: Sakya Celebrates
Sakya College held an event to celebrate its 50th anniversary; Sakya is a Buddhist institute in Rajpur, giving special emphasis to the commentarial and scholastic traditions of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. Sikyong Pena Tsering, who was the special guest, said, “through dedicated efforts made by HH the Dalai Lama, Kyabgon Gongma Trichen Dorje Chang and other heads of Tibetan Buddhist lineages, Tibetan Buddhism had been revived in India.”
Oct 28: Tibetan Nomads Exhibition
A temporary exhibition Tibetan Nomads: Speaking Through Donors Memories has been launched at the Tibet Museum in Dharmshala, in association with Tibetans Children's Village Ladakh. 26 nomad children from Ladakh gave a presentation of nomadic culture and lifestyle. The exhibition aims to promote understanding of Tibetan nomadic culture and the crisis currently faced by the nomads living under China’s development policies which are exploiting their homeland.
Oct 27: Lhasa Hits Global Media
Lhasa is prominently featured on the British BBC’s World news page on their website with this article about uprisings protesting about the Covid lockdown there. You can read it here
Oct 26: Launch of Guidebook
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) has launched a guidebook in Tibetan, United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms. The guidebook aims to facilitate the work of Tibetan advocates, human rights activists and academics, and to be a reference point and information source for Tibetans generally, and contains a section on China. The guidebook was launched to mark United Nations Day.
Oct 25: TCV Celebrates
Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) School, Dharamshala celebrated its 62nd anniversary with hundreds of faculty members, alumni and public gathered. Sikyong Penapa Tsering, President of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, acknowledged the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in setting up schools for Tibetans saying, “It is all thanks to His Holiness’s blessings, the support of the host government and the hardworking staff today and in the past”.
Oct 25: Chinese Spy?
A Chinese woman called Cai Ruo who has been living as a Tibetan nun in Majnu-ka-Tilla in Delhi under the name of Dolma Lama, and claiming to be Nepalese, has been arrested on suspicion of being a Chinese spy, reports the Tibet Express. She is reported to have claimed that she had received death threats from Chinese Communist Party leaders.