Tibetan Headlines
Aug 11: Diplomatic Immunity
A Queensland court has rejected a complaint lodged against the Chinese Consul General in the Australian state because he enjoys “diplomatic immunity.” Drew Pavlou, a 20-year-old student at the University of Queensland took the case to court after he alleged that the Consul General, Xu Jie, incited death threats against him. Pavlou accepted the courts decision but called on the Australian Prime Minister to expel Jie.
Aug 7: Access to Tibet
The US State Department has released its second annual report assessing the level of access to Tibet granted to US citizens. The report is part of the implementation of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018. It states that the Chinese government “systematically impeded travel to the [Tibet] Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan areas outside the TAR for U.S. diplomats and officials, journalists, and tourists in 2019.”
Aug 7: His Holiness Urges Disarmament
The Dalai Lama called for global disarmament and demilitarisation on Thursday, the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb. His Holiness urged governments, organisations and individuals to “rededicate themselves to making the achievement of peace the centre piece of our lives. The United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan at the end of the Second World War. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians were killed instantly.
Aug 6: New Election Rules
The Chief Election Commissioner (EC) of the Central Tibetan Administration has announced the rules and regulations for the 2021 general election of the Sikyong (President) and Members of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile. One major change is the prohibition of institutions or organisations nominating candidates. The EC has launched its new official website tibetanelection.net
Aug 5: Panchen Lama’s Whereabouts
Five United Nations Human Rights experts have raised concerns about Tibet's “disappeared” Panchen Lama - Gendun Choekyi Nyima - and about the Chinese government’s intended interference with Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. They express "grave concern at the continued refusal by the Government of China to disclose precisely the whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.” The Panchen Lama was abducted by the Chinese government in 1995 and has been missing since then.
Aug 4: Imprisoned for Protesting
Ten Tibetans have been sentenced to between 8 and 13 years in prison after protesting Chinese construction projects in Sangchu County. The protestors were arrested in 2019 for allegedly seizing machinery and blocking construction. They were charged with “disturbing social order”, “extortion”, and “verbal threats”. The Chinese claim that arrests like these are part of a campaign against “criminal gangs” participating with “underworld forces”.
Aug 4: Political Prisoner Passes Away
Ama Adhe, who served 27 years as a political prisoner in China, has passed away at her residence in McLeod Ganj, she was 88. She was imprisoned after joining a protest against Chinese rule in 1958, the same year that her husband was killed in front of her by Chinese authorities. In prison she suffered interrogation, torture and was condemned to re-education through forced labour.
Aug 3: Protesting Apple
Tibetans and Uyghurs in Washington D.C. held a protest at Apple store in the US capital to object to the tech giant’s role in censorship in China. Organised by activist groups including Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) and the Uyghur American Association, the protesters held face masks on which the Apple logo had been changed to resemble the logo of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Aug 3: Most Powerful
Tenzin Dasal Alexander, a Tibetan born to emigrant parents in America, has made it onto a list the “Most Powerful Women in Banking”. An executive at Columbus Ohio’s bank holding company Huntington Bancshares, Tenzin heads a team of nine that is responsible for the company’s social media strategy. Tenzin began her career at a call centre at 17. Her rise to prominence is a classic American Dream story.
Jul 31: Congratulations
Pema Jungney, the speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, has congratulated Shri Suresh Kashyap on being elected the 13th Chief of the BJP party in Himachal Pradesh. Speaking on behalf of Tibetans “inside and outside Tibet,” Jungney expressed deep and profound gratitude to the people and the Government of India “for the support and assistance given to the cause of Tibet and the Tibetans for more than 60 years in exile.”
Jul 29: Election Preparation Underway
The Election Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration has confirmed that the set procedure for the preparation of the upcoming 2021 general election is underway. Wangdu Tsering, the Chief Election Commissioner, said in an interview that the worsening situation with regards to the global coronavirus pandemic could cause problems but he remains confident that “the elections will be carried out as per the timeline.”
Jul 28: Additional Election Commissioners
Two additional Election Commissioners have been chosen to oversee proceedings in the upcoming 2021 Tibetan general election. Geshema Delek Wangmo, a teacher at Dolmaling Nunnery, and Mr Sonam Gyaltsen, a former parliamentarian and senior Professor at the College for Higher Tibetan Studies were both unanimously elected to their new roles. Geshema Delek Wangmo will become the first nun to serve as a commissioner for the EC.
Jul 28: Chinese Military Build-up
Indian satellite images have revealed a substantial Chinese troop build up in the Tibet region with tunnels possibly being used to amass military equipment in the area. The images are making the Indians cautious about the disengagement process being discussed by the two sides to defuse tensions on their border. At least 5000 Chinese troops have been deployed to the region in recent months.
Jul 28: Former Political Prisoner Dies
Ven Tenzin Choedak, 79, passed away on Sunday morning at Delek Hospital in Dharamshala. Ordained as a monk at the age of 10, Choedak was imprisoned for 12 years in 1968 after protesting against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. After his release he worked tirelessly to restore his monastery in Driru and others in Lhasa. He escaped to India in 1996 and dedicated his final years to Buddhist practices.
Jul 28: China Retaliates
China has retaliated against the United States’ closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston by ordering the US to close its consulate in Chengdu in Sichuan, saying this is a “legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States”. This Chengdu consulate closure denies the US its most valuable diplomatic outpost for gathering information on Xinjiang and Tibet.