Tibetan Headlines
Mar 27: Dhasa in Lockdown
No new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Himachal Pradesh for the third consecutive day, the three cases to date are all in the Kangra district and all have a travel history. In McLeod Ganj a few food and medical shops were open between 0800 and 1100 under police supervision, there were long queues but things generally remained calm; one shop closed briefly when people started pushing.
Mar 27: Restrictions Lifted
The quarantine restrictions in Lhasa have been lifted. The notice was issued by the Lhasa City Epidemic Prevention and Control Leading Committee on March 23, and says that people from “low-risk” areas who have been in quarantine for a week can move outside, people arriving from “low-risk” places may not have to stay in quarantine and there will be quarantine requirements for people arriving from medium- and high-risk places.
Mar 25: 2nd Tibetan Dies
A second Tibetan man in the worldwide exile Tibetan community is reported by Radio Free Asia as having died of COVID-19, in London, UK, yesterday morning. No details are currently available at present beyond the fact that he was elderly. The first died in Dharamshala over the weekend.
Mar 24: Coronavirus in Dhasa
A 69 year old Tibetan man has died of COVID-19 in Dharamshala, he had recently returned from the United States. A helpline has been launched to support elderly people living in the area; Lha Charitable Trust, a local Tibetan non government organisation, is working with the Tibetan Settlement Office to provide assistance with obtaining food and medicine supplies. Over 60s needing support should ring 8351930708 or 9882646788.
Mar 23: Kangra Under Lockdown
To combat the spread of Wuhan-originated pandemic, Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar Prajapati of Kangra declared lockdown in the district. Two positive cases and one death have been confirmed in Kangra to date. Hospitals, Chemist stores, Optical stores, Pharmaceutical and soap manufacturing units would remain open. Daily need items like grocery, petrol pumps and online delivery systems would operate while public transport mediums would be suspended, said the announcement. The curfew will continue until further notice.
Mar 21: Arrests in Lhasa
Ten people have been arrested in Lhasa for violating government measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Lhasa police are reported to have registered seven instances of people violating these measures, but there are press reports that critics are saying that these government policies are “a guise for politically motivated harassment detentions”. The Tibet Daily reported, “Those guilty people were given a trial and sentenced in accordance with the law."
Mar 20: Ven Tashi Phuntsok
Ven Tashi Phuntsok, 60, a Tibetan monk who was in prison alongside the revered activist Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, has died after a lengthy illness. His health had been poor since his release from prison in 2003. He was falsely accused of colluding with Tenzin Delek Rinpoche in a series of bomb explosions in the city of Chengdu and initially sentenced to seven years, but released when his health deteriorated.
Mar 20: Virtual Lobby Day
Tibet Lobby Day will take place in the United States on March 23 and 24 - virtually, as all government offices are closed until April 1 due to Coronavirus. Participants will lobby their elected representatives to focus attention on the new Tibetan Policy and Support Act which will strengthen US support for Tibet, and condemn China’s plans to interfere in the succession of HH the Dalai Lama.
Mar 19: Journalists Banned
China has banned US journalists from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post; they will all be expelled and prohibited from working in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. The move is seen as a retaliation against the US’s recent designation of five Chinese media outlets as foreign missions of the Chinese government and subsequent reduction of staff there.
Mar 19: Man Dies in Tibet
The Tibet advocacy support group International Campaign for Tibet has reported Chinese state media as saying that Azi Lhundup, a 30 year old Tibetan man, died from “overwork” fighting to prevent the spread of coronavirus. He was reportedly deployed in prevention work in Kham [Ch: Sichuan] and had been “working continuously for 24 hours,” ICT says this report appears to be Chinese propaganda in their campaign against coronavirus.
Mar 18: Coronavirus Update
Schools in Tibet are to reopen as the region’s authorities say their measures to contain Coronavirus have been successful. Reports say there has been only one confirmed case in Tibet (now recovered) with no current active cases. And in Dharamshala the Central Tibetan Administration has issued guidelines which include school closures and cancellation of public events.
Mar 18: Water Shares Down
Tibet Water Resources Ltd, the Hong Kong based company which bottled and sold glacial water from Tibet, is in decline with shares having lost 89% of their value over the last three years. Tibet Water was the subject of a campaign when it signed a lucrative deal with the UK premier league Liverpool Football Club: the deal was dropped following the campaign.
Mar 17: One-day Budget Session
The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile Budget Session, scheduled to run from today until March 17, will now take place over a single day in response to the threat posed by Coronavirus. The session needs to be convened before the new financial year starts on April 1 and will present the Central Tibetan Administration’s annual budget for the year 2020-21.
Mar 16: Kangra Invokes Section 144
As Coronavirus hits India, Kangra has implemented section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CRPC) which prohibits gatherings of five or more people in one place. The order is usually invoked to prevent protests leading to unrest, but in this case is in response to the emergency situation. “Movement of public” is prohibited, as are all public meetings or rallies, and all educational institutions shall remain closed.
Mar 16: Gold Medal!
Tibetan student Tashi Lhamo has been awarded the Gold Medal and a cash prize for gaining the highest academic rank at Mangalore University. She completed her MA in Buddhist Philosophy in 2017 in Varanasi, and gained her Masters in July 2019 in Library and Information Science from Mangalore University. Tashi thanked all the Donors and Department of Education who made her studies possible.