Tibetan Headlines
Jul 19: HH the Dalai Lama Solidarity with Flood Victims
His Holiness (HH) the Dalai Lama has expressed his solidarity with the victims of flooding that has claimed 71 lives in the Indian state of Assam. Whilst committing funds from the Dalai Lama Trust “towards relief and rescue efforts” HH conveyed his sadness at the “the loss of life and devastation of property” and observed that “the situation has been made even more troublesome by the continuing coronavirus pandemic”.
Jul 19: Call for Unity Against China
A group of Tibetan non-government organizations (NGOs) have come together to call for “international communities, governments, organizations and leaders of the world to support Tibetans' struggle for freedom”. A statement from five NGOs, delivered at a protest in Dharamshala, India, calls for “international governments, organizations and world leaders to give witness to the urgency of Tibet's critical situation... and rebuke [the] ‘One China Policy’”.
Jul 19: US Dalai Lama Meeting
The United States (US) Ambassador to India has met with representatives of His Holiness (HH) the Dalai Lama. Ken Juster, said on Twitter that, “close cooperation with the Office of HH the Dalai Lama continues to grow” and that he enjoyed “meeting with Ngodup-la, Representative of His Holiness in Delhi, and Secretary Gyalpo” and that they are “partners in expanding ties between the American and Tibetan people”.
Jul 17: Disney “Bowing” to CCP
The United States (US) attorney general, William Barr, has criticised Disney for “bowing” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Citing an apology issued by Disney after it made the 1997 film Kundun about the life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Barr warned that, “if Disney and other American corporations continue to bow to Beijing, they risk undermining… their own future competitiveness and prosperity”.
Jul 17: CTA COVID-19 Update
The exiled Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has reported that 673 Tibetans are under COVID-19 quarantine across 38 facilities in India and Nepal. The CTA COVID-19 task force’s Dr Tsering Tsamchoe briefed that there have been a total of 62 coronavirus cases amongst the Tibetan community in India, Nepal and Bhutan, adding that of these there are 14 active cases with 46 recoveries and two deaths.
Jul 17: ICT “Tibet 2020” Campaign
Advocacy group International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) have launched a campaign in the United States (US) to “raise awareness of China’s oppression in Tibet among the US public and presidential candidates”, ahead of November’s presidential elections. The “Tibet 2020” campaign will reach out to Democratic and Republican presidential candidates and urge them to honour the Tibetan Policy Act and include the Tibetan issue in their foreign policy agendas and platforms.
Jul 16: Prison for Praising the Dalai Lama
Two Tibetans have been given prison sentences for producing and circulating a song that praises His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Sources report that lyricist, Khadro Tseten, has been sentenced to seven years, while singer, Tsego, was given a three-year sentence. The charging of the pair from Tsekhog County, Malho, with “subversion” and “leaking state secrets” is part of a pattern of Tibetan artists receiving lengthy prison sentences amid deepening oppression.
Jul 16: Tibetan Protestors Imprisoned
A group of ten Tibetans have been given prison sentences and hit with large fines after they protested the construction of a slaughterhouse in Barka Thang township, Sangchu. Leaked trial footage appears to show predetermined sentences of up to 13 years and fines of 70,000 yuan ($10,008) being handed down to the men aged between 50 and 70. The group had sought compensation for land seized by authorities for construction.
Jul 16: CTA Approves of Sanctions
The exiled central Tibetan administration (CTA) has praised the imposition by the United States of sanctions on Chinese officials who restrict access to Tibet. CTA spokesperson, TG Arya, has said that “this is a very good step that America has taken because China needs to follow certain rules and regulations. What China has been doing in Tibet, Uighur, Mongolia is not appreciable”.
Jul 16: Trip.com Tibet Deal
Online travel agent trip.com is reported to have signed “a strategic cooperation deal”with Chinese authorities to promote tourism in Tibet.The “three-year action plan for the high-quality development of the culture and tourism industry in Xigaze”, will be seen by many as part of Chinese efforts to legitimise their presence in Tibet, and raise concerns that the company, which also owns travel application Skyscanner, is involved in Tibet’s “disneyfication”.
Jul 15: Tibetan Hospital COVID-19 Tests
A Tibetan hospital in the Indian state of Karnataka has been given approval to process COVID-19 swabs. Hunsur Phende Hospital swab collection centre can now support the quarantine facility for Tibetan returnees. Attempts are being made to attain similar status for quarantine facilities elsewhere in India with the collection of samples from Dharamsala’s Tibetan Reception Centre due to be operational from tomorrow.
Jul 15: Tibetans Representatives Meet WHO
Representatives of 10 Tibetan associations have met with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to call for “a transparent investigation into the source of the [COVID-19] infection”. The group also raised human rights issues related to the outbreak, with Sonam, President of the Tibetan Association of Delhi, calling for an investigation into the “detentions and penalisation of 20 Tibetans… prosecuted under a guise of a pandemic counteraction taken by China”.
Jul 15: CCP Crackdown on Religion
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members have been issued, “ten prohibitions on religious beliefs”. The restrictions “bar Party members from holding religious beliefs but also provide strict guidelines for their daily lives”. In Tibet CCP members have been banned from “’having private discussions and wilfully spreading personal views’ on ethnic and religious policies”, and forbidden from abstaining from activities “in the name of deities or Buddha”.
Jul 14: Chinese incursions “about Tibet”
An Australian scholar has described China’s incursions into India as being “all about its repression of Tibet”. Salvatore Babones, of the University of Sydney, believes that China has “subordinated its genuine desire for friendlier relations with India to the all-important domestic goal of political control”, and its action along the India-Tibet border are intended to “widen the buffer zone that surrounds Tibet [and] cut off all contact across the border”.
Jul 14: Former Political Prisoner Dies
A former political prisoner in Tibet has died at the age of just 50. Samdup, formerly a monk known as Thinley Choedhen, is reported to have passed away due to “diabetes-related complications” having served at least seven years in Chinese prison on charges related to a peaceful protest in May 1992. Samdup is reported to be “the fourth known former political prisoner who passed away in Tibet this year”.