Tibetan Headlines
Feb 26: More Suppression of Buddhism
A new ruling gives the Chinese Communist Party further control of religious clergy in Tibet and undermines the authority of Tibetan Buddhist leaders and the Catholic Church. The Measures for the Administration of Religious Clergy (Order No. 15) will standardise state management of clergy, who will be required to support the CCP and legally underpin the CCP’s measures to bring all aspects of society under government control.
Feb 23: Heightened Restrictions
Restrictions on public gatherings at Buddhis monasteries have been tightened in Tibet, reports Radio Free Asia, saying these restrictions are limiting attendance at the important - and normally widely attended - religious ceremonies that take place around Losar, the Tibetan New Year. This includes the annual Monlam Chenmo prayer festival which usually draws thousands. Precautions against the spread of Covid is given as the reason for the restrictions.
Feb 18: Death in Prison
A Tibetan tour guide serving a 21-year prison sentence for reporting protests in his native region 7 years ago has died in a hospital in Lhasa. Kunchok Jinpa, 51, was transferred to the hospital 3 months ago without his family’s knowledge. Local sources said he suffered from a brain hemorrhage and was paralyzed. Jinpa was educated at Suja school in Himachal Pradesh and attended the Tibetan Studies Institute in Varanasi. He returned to Tibet in 1998.
Feb 16: Bail for Spy
Baimadajie Angwang, the police officer caught spying for the Chinese government on the ethnic Tibetan community in New York, has been granted bail on a $2 million bond. Angwang will be kept under house arrest until his trial. Bail was granted, in part, because of the spread of Covid-19 in the prison where he was being held. Angwang himself tested positive for virus on February 3.
Feb 13: Tibetan Independence Day
The 108th anniversary of the declaration of Tibetan independence was celebrated in Dharamshala and by exile groups around the world with ceremonies raising the Tibetan National flag. Students for a Free Tibet Director Rinzin Choedon said, “Observing independence day is a powerful expression of the people’s desire for freedom”. The day is marked annually to counter China’s claim that Tibet was historically part of China.
Feb 12: Walk a Mile for Tibet
Tibetans and many Asian communities across the world celebrate the Lunar New Year from today. Amidst the festivities Tibetan activist and writer Tenzin Tsundue starts his “Walk a mile for Tibet" - a month long peace march from Dharamshala to Delhi to raise awareness among the Indian people of the issue of Tibet as a missing link in the India-China conflicts. He is inviting people to join him for a mile on the way.
Feb 11: New Dam on Yarlung Tsangpo
China has announced plans to build the worlds largest hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The dam, along with other hydropower projects in Tibet, will be a signature feature of China’s efforts to become carbon neutral by 2060. Environmentalists fear that the dam will have negative downstream effects. Others are concerned that the construction of the dam will require the relocation of residents.
Feb 11: Coercive Labour?
The regional government of the Tibet Autonomous Region has announced plans to “help 700,000 farmers and herdsmen find jobs in 2021.” Vocational training will be offered to farmers and herdsmen and then “60,000 people will be employed after training.” Human rights groups are questioning whether this will mean coercive labour in military style re-education camps in practice, with many relocated from land they have lived on for centuries.
Feb 5: Longest Freedom March Concludes
Tenzin Dhondup, 29, a Tibetan peace marcher has reached his final destination on February 3, Nathula, near the Tibetan border in Sikkim, after covering 2300km from Dharamshala crossing nine states. Dhondup started his march in November to raise awareness about Tibet’s environmental issues, to recognise Tibet as an occupied country and to boycott Chinese goods. Another activist, Tenzin Nyima, joined him from Chandigarh. The activists assured that they will continue to work on raising awareness about the issue of Tibet.
Feb 3: Curfew Imposed
Chinese authorities in Qinghai province are restricting travel in Tibetan populated areas ahead of the Losar (Tibetan New Year) festival. A 10pm curfew has been imposed in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Matoe counties in the name of “sanitation” and “social stability”. Anonymous sources told Radio Free Asia that security personnel have been dispatched to restaurants, hotels, internet cafes and other places of recreation. Anyone breaking the curfew risks severe punishment.
Feb 3: Tibetan National Sports Association
Sikyong Lobsang Sangay has inaugurated the new Tibetan National Sports Association (TNSA) office, saying the new office, which functions as part of the Health Department, will help to nurture future talents in achieving national and global distinction, promote public health and engage the youth in recreational activities. TNSA organises the Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Gold Cup and participation for Tibetan exile football teams in international tournaments.
Feb 2: COVID-19 Outbreak
Twelve elderly residents of the Jampaling Old People’s Home, located on the Lingkor around the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamshala, have tested positive for Coronavirus. Jampaling is now a designated Red Zone with six police guarding the surrounding area. The Lingkor area has been closed for two weeks. The oldest resident to test positive is a 96-year-old female. The other positive cases are among residents in their 70s and 80s.
Feb 1: Protect Tibetan Refugees
The United States has urged the government of Nepal to comply with its own domestic laws and international commitments by ending the practice of forcing refugees from Tibet to return to face punishment at the hands of Chinese authorities. Tibetan refugees in Nepal have felt the noose tightening around their necks in recent decades as Nepal has forged stronger economic and political ties with China.
Jan 29: Released After Five Years
Tashi Wangchuk, a Tibetan language rights activist who was jailed in 2016, has been released from prison and returned to his family in Trindu County in Yushu, Qinghai. Rights campaigners have expressed concerns for his safety and wellbeing, saying his sentence will effectively continue because he faces a further 5-year deprivation of political rights and will not have the rights to “free expression, association or publication.” He will also remain under constant surveillance.
Jan 28: Kind and Compassionate Leadership
In conversation with mayors from around the world on January 27, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said kindness and compassion could help humanity overcome all economic, social and political challenges. “Scientists say that humans are social animals and every animal has a sense of togetherness by nature,” the Dalai Lama explained, going on to say that human beings needed to practice the thinking of “we” instead of “I”.