Tibetan Headlines
Jun 30: India Should Raise Tibet
India should raise the issue of Tibet in future bilateral talks with China as a means of securing last peace on the Indo-Tibetan border. President of the exiled Central Tibetan Administration believes that Tibet can act as a buffer zone between the two countries stating that China and India “have so many bilateral talks, during those talks, given all these tensions, Indian government should raise the issue of Tibet as well”.
Jun 30: Tibetans Protest in New York
The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress has led protests outside Chinese Consulates in New York and New Jersey, United States. The protests were intended to show opposition to China’s aggression along the Indo-Tibetan border which earlier in June resulted in the killing to 20 Indian soldiers with demonstrators shouting that, “we strongly condemn the Chinese aggressive intrusion in Indian territory” and “Tibet’s independence India’s security. Jai Bharat Jai Tibet”.
Jun 29: Tibetans Protest in Tokyo
Tibetans have been joined by human rights activists from Japan, Indian and Taiwan to protest Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “dictatorial style of working”. The protest took place at Hachiko statue near Shibuya station in Tokyo and sought to highlight China’s aggressive attempts “to expand and encroach territories of all its neighbours” as well as Xi’s attempts “to suppress the genuine voices of pro-democracy youth activists in Hong Kong”.
Jun 29: Indian Herdsmen Threatened
The Chinese military has been accused of threatening Indian herdsman along the Indo-Tibetan border. Urgain Chondon, a council leader in Ladakh has described how Chinese troops have come six kilometres into Indian territory to tell residents to remove a Tibetan flag as well as interventions by “the Chinese army that has been evicting our herdsmen from the meadows and grazing land”.
Jun 29: Chinese Artillery Moved to Tibet
China has deployed new artillery to Tibet following border clashes with India. The PCL-181 Howitzer is reportedly designed especially for rugged terrain and is “favoured in mountainous terrain because of the higher arc of the shells”. Additional reports state that China’s People’s Liberation Army “has stepped up drills for its border troops and conducted at least three exercises in the past two weeks in Tibet”.
Jun 28: Call for Justice for Murdered Tibetan
The niece of a Tibetan man who five years ago died in a Chinese prison has reiterated her call for an investigation and justice. Speaking on June 26, the International Day in support of victims of torture, Nyima Lhamo, described how her uncle, Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, was falsely imprisoned and “tortured severely during his 13 years in a Chinese prison” before passing away on July 20 2015.
Jun 28: CTA Support for UN Action
The exiled Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has declared that, “the CTA and the Tibetans from both inside and outside Tibet strongly support the call of the United Nations (UN) experts on the UN Human Rights Council to take urgent measures against the Chinese human rights violations”. CTA president, Lobsang Sangay, went on to call for, “a special session to evaluate the human rights violations being carried out by China”.
Jun 28: Campaign for Tibetan Democratic Development
Ahead of the 2020/21 Tibetan general elections an online tool, called Smartvote Tibet, has been launched in an effort “to foster a more transparent and smart voting culture”. Project Democracy, who are behind the tool, believe it is “a user-friendly solution that will assist voters to make an informed decision on election day”, by allowing them to evaluate prospective candidates by gauging their stand on various issues.
Jun 28: China Reinforcing Indo-Tibetan Border
Multiple reports have emerged of the Chinese military reinforcing its troops and preparing positions in the Galwan River valley on the Indo-Tibetan border. This has included the expansion of existing bases and the massing of troops in the region. Additional reports have suggested that China is seeking to bring specialist martial arts trainers into the area where hand-to-hand clashes on June 15 and 16 left 20 Indian soldiers dead.
Jun 26: China “Co-Opting” Elites
The President of the exiled Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has warned against the Chinese strategy of “elite co-optation”. Lobsang Sangay believes that Beijing targets “the top political leadership, business leaders, intellectuals and journalists, followed by spiritual leaders” in a country it wishes to dominate, adding that “Beijing is using this blueprint all over the world after its successful implementation in Tibet”.
Jun 26: Indian Official References Tibet
The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh (AP), Pema Khandu, has taken the unusual step of referring to the “Indo-Tibetan” border, a description likely to irk Beijing. Khandu was commending the valour of Indian troops when he tweeted details of his meeting “with the brave jawans today at Bumla post on the Indo-Tibet border”. China claims AP itself,protesting when the state is visited by Indian officials.
Jun 26: Trump Blocked Meeting with HH the Dalai Lama
The United States (US) President, Donald Trump, is reported to have blocked a meeting between US officials and His Holiness (HH) the Dalai Lama. According to former US National Security Advisor, John Bolton’s book, The Room Where It Happened, US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, requested permission to meet HH. However, “once Trump wondered how China would view Haley’s seeing the Dalai Lama, the trip was essentially dead”.
Jun 26: CTA Fighting COVID-19 Stigma
The exiled Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) Health Department has urged the public not to stigmatize COVID-19 patients. Health Kalon, Choekyong Wangchuk, has called on people, “to shed the stigma around the virus with the right information, sense of unity and compassion, instead of driving people to deny their travel history, medical conditions in the fear of being ostracized”, adding that, “the virus should be vilified not the person”.
Jun 25: CTA Warning to Nepal
The President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), has warned that “China is driving a wedge between centuries-old Indo-Nepal relations to quietly colonise the Himalayan country”.LobsangSangay told Indian news outlet WION that to Chinese leaders “Tibet is the Palm, now they have to go for 5 fingers-Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh”.
Jun 25: Diplomats Visit Tibet
A group of diplomats from ten European and other countries have been permitted to undertake a strictly limited visit to Tibet. Activists have warned against such visits “being used for propagandistic means” as China denies access to Tibet “except on state-sponsored, restricted tours”. Chinese state media reported that the delegation’s visit was intended to “show the positive image of the opening of Tibetan areas in Sichuan Province to the outside”.