Tibetan Headlines
Aug 27: Billboards
Millions of people are expected to see two billboards being erected by the Free Tibet NGO in New York and London this month. The billboards will highlight Chinese human rights abuses in Tibet. Free Tibet aims to raise public awareness of the Tibetan issue and ask people to “act now” to change the situation. 6 October will mark 70 years since the Chinese occupation.
Aug 25: Tibet Censored
TikTok’s English language news app, News Republic, has started censoring stories concerning Tibet and the Dalai Lama. The company has a blacklist of topics which its algorithmic news aggregator is prohibited from sharing, an anonymous source was quoted as telling The Telegraph. TikTok is owned by Bytedance, which the US government classifies as a national security threat along with other Chinese companies like Huawei.
Aug 25: Nowrojee to Close
The iconic Nowrojee & Sons General Store, which has been a feature of the main square in McLeod Ganj for 160 years, is due to shut its doors for the final time next month. The Parsi family who have owned the premises for six generations is currently in the process of winding up the business. “Sometimes you have to let go of things,” owner Parvez Nowrojee said.
Aug 24: New COVID-19 Cases
Six new cases of COVID-19 and one death have been recorded among members of the Tibetan exile community in the last week. 1 case was found in Ladakh, 2 in Delhi, and 3 in Mundgod settlement. One of the three from Mundgod, a 67-year-old female passed away from the disease. There are currently 23 recorded active cases in the exile community in India and Nepal.
Aug 24: Voter Registration
The Election Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration has announced that voter registration for the 2021 General Elections for Sikyong and members of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile shall begin on 1 September 2020 and must conclude by 15 October 2020. Any Tibetans aged 18 as of 31 October 2020 are eligible to register to vote. The Tibetan Green Book will be the accepted document to prove voters age.
Aug 21: COVID-19 meeting
The Department of Health recently organised a virtual meeting between the Health Kalon and eight Settlement Officers to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Tibetan settlements across India. Matters raised included quarantine and testing facilities, distribution of sanitizers and masks, and provision of immunity boosting Tibetan medicine for the elderly. The Health Kalon commended those on the front lines and assured them of the continuing support of the CTA.
Aug 20: Tibetan Animator Nominated
Kunsang Kyirong, a Tibetan animator who spent her childhood as a refugee on the banks of the Yarlung Tsangpo in Arunachal Pradesh, has had her short animation film selected for the prestigious Ottawa International Film Festival, the largest animation film festival in North America. The five-minute animation, Yarlung, follows three children who depend on the river for sustenance and fun, using charcoal drawings strung together into a poetic flow.
Aug 20: Sino-Tibetan Dialogue
A Canadian committee has unanimously passed a motion calling for dialogue between the Dalai Lama and his representatives and the People’s Republic of China. Several Tibetan groups were involved in lobbying efforts prior to the passing of the motion. The motion will now be brought to the Canadian House of Commons next month. Official Sino-Tibetan talks broke down in 2010 after nine rounds of discussions reaped little reward.
Aug 20: Political Prisoner Released
A Tibetan woman who was imprisoned last year in Kardze Autonomous Prefecture for sharing news of her nephew’s arrest has been released from prison with damaged limbs and bruises all over her body. Dolkar’s nephew and two of his friends were arrested last year for praying for the Panchen Lama. Dolkar was sentenced to 15 months in prison on charges of “endangering national security” and “leaking state secrets.”
Aug 19: Loans for Tibetan Enterprises
Loans of up to 5 crore-rupees will be granted to Tibetan businesses across India by the Finance Department of the CTA under an initiative called “Gang Jong Finance.” Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay told the press that he hopes the initiative will help Tibetans to become self-sufficient. No interest will be charged on the loans granted this year. In future the interest rates will be between 10% and 12%.
Aug 18: Sikyong Election 2021
Dolma Gyari, a former minister in the Central Tibetan Administration and a former deputy speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, has announced her candidacy for the 2021 Sikyong election. Others candidates to have announced so far include former minister and current Tibet Fund Director Mr Lobsang Nyandak, current Deputy Speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, and former CEO of the Association of Tibetan Co-Operatives in India Mr Tashi Wangdu.
Aug 17: 74th Independence Day
As India celebrated 74 years of independence on Saturday, Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay offered his congratulations to the Indian people and expressed eternal gratitude on behalf of the Tibetan people for the generosity India has shown to the Tibetan cause. Sangay attended a celebration at the police ground in Dharamshala and made a speech equating the Indian independence movement with Tibet’s own struggle for freedom.
Aug 14: Resettling Tibetans
China is stepping up its efforts to resettle Tibetans along its border with India to boost national security. Resettlement is “voluntary” but will require Tibetan families to relocate to previously uninhabitable areas which have year-long winter climates. The families will inhabit areas 5 kilometres from the Indian border. A report in a Chinese government mouthpiece said that for these families, “herding is patrolling and living is guarding the frontier.”
Aug 13: USIP dialogue
His Holiness the Dalai Lama held a video conference with young peace-builders associated with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on August 12 . His Holiness said that “world peace can only be built by individuals who are at peace with themselves.” It was not a time to think only of “my nationality or my community,” His Holiness said, but to think of “the whole of humanity.”
Aug 11: Peace March for Tibet
Four Tibetans have arrived in London after a six day Peace March for Tibet, walking 118 miles from Bristol. March leader Ms Tenzin Sangmo says they are calling for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Government to apply the Magnitsky Act sanctions on Chinese leaders for violating human rights in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong, and to support the Tibet issue based on historical fact.