Tibetan Headlines
Jun 3: Great Nation?
HH the Dalai Lama is quoted in Russian news agency Sputnik as saying in an exclusive interview that Russia is a “bridge between the East and the West”. The quote continues, "I think that Russia is a great nation, very powerful [...] Today the world is passing through a critical period [...] President Putin should think very carefully, take into consideration a wider perspective and a long-term interest".
Jun 1: Photos Banned
China is ramping up its ban of photographs of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, with heavy penalties meted out to people owning, sharing or even displaying them in the privacy of their own home in printed or electronic form. Authorities are targeting Kham and Amdo particularly, including remote areas, in the run up to His Holiness’s birthday on July 4.
Jun 1: Shunned
Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, was not invited to Indian Prime Minister Modi’s swearing-in ceremony for his second term in office - as he was last time. Neither was Taiwan’s New Delhi representative, who also came in 2014. Modi’s exclusion of these two is seen as India kowtowing to China.
May 30: Homeless in France
In France, Tibetan asylum seekers staying in a migrant camp have been made homeless when the authorities dismantled their camp in a woodland at Conflans, 30 km from Paris. Their camp consisted of about 100 tents; the alternative accommodation offered could only take 120 of the 200 Tibetans needing a home. They escaped from Tibet earlier this year and are hoping to obtain work visas in France.
May 29: Nobel Laureats
Child rights activist and Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi has called on His Holiness the Dalai Lama at his residence in Dharamshala. They are scheduled to have a three-day intense discussion on how compassion can help solving the problems that confront the world.
May 28: Teachers Workshop
The Teacher Professional Development and Leadership workshop for Tibetan school heads and teachers is underway in Dharamshala. The six-day workshop was opened by Dr Pema Yangchen, Kalon of the Department of Education, who said, “Teachers can no longer stick to age-old methods and school administrators can’t simply function within the administrative walls”. Heads and teachers from 29 schools are in attendance.
May 27: No Invitation
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen has faced cricitism from the Taiwan Jury Association and political advocates because of her government’s failure to invite HH the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan: speculating that it is “fear of China” that is stopping her. Previous Taiwanese presidents have invited His Holiness to Taiwan. Taiwan’s independence is threatened by China who claims the territory as its own.
May 24: 17-Point Agreement Anniversary
May 23 is the 68th anniversary of the 17-point agreement which China forced on Tibet in 1951. The Central Tibetan Administration says they expect China to issue a statement about the “unification of Tibet with the motherland” and goes on to point out that the Agreement itself is a “testimony to the fact that Tibet was never a part of China before the agreement”.
May 24: Increased Harassment
The Chinese authorities in Golog in Amdo are using the excuse of targeting gangs and organised crime to increase their surveillance of Tibetans with a history of political activism. Radio Free Asia has published a report, quoting sources in Tibet, and the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy say the new regulations have led to “an increased restriction on human rights and lives of the Tibetan people.”
May 23: Practice Run
A mock emergency evacuation was carried out by the Central Tibetan Administration to train the security services in how to evacuate HH the Dalai Lama in case of illness or emergency. In response to the mis reporting in the media that His Holiness was unwell, a CTA spokesperson said “His Holiness’ health is excellent and he will continue to carry out public engagements and audiences as scheduled.''
May 23: Self-Immolators Identified
Photographs of three young people who self-immolated and died in 2012 have now been released for the first time. At the time of their protests, no photographs could be verified and so none were released. The three are Dorjee, 18, from Cha Ruwa, Ngaba, March 5; Lobsang Sherab, 20, from Cha town in Ngaba, March 28, and Damchoe (Lobsang Damchoe), 17, from Ngaba Kirti Monastery, August 27.
May 22: Propaganda
China has said that Terry Branstad, the US ambassador to China who is currently on a week-long visit to Tibet, is expected to report that all is well in Tibet. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said “the US side [is expected to] come to a fact-based conclusion rather than being misled or disturbed by long-standing hearsay and rumours”.
May 21: No Contest
This year’s Miss Tibet contest has been called off as nobody has applied to take part. The founder and director, Lobsang Wangyal, says he hopes people will apply for next year’s contest, which will be the 18th. He also announced the winner of his company’s Free Spirit Award for this year: Rebiya Kadeer, the Uyghur activist who campaigns against Chinese government policies in her native East Turkestan, or Xinjiang.
May 20: Official Visit to Tibet
Terry Branstad, the United States Ambassador to China, is on an official six day visit to Tibet. Branstad will visit the Tibet Autonomous Region and Amdo - Qinghai In Chinese. He will visit religious and heritage sites, reports Radio Free Asia. This is the first such visit by a US envoy since 2015 and also the first visit to Tibet since the US adopted the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act earlier this year.
May 20: No Teaching in Tibetan
The Chinese authorities in the Golog Tibetan Autonomous region have ordered schools to stop teaching all subjects through the medium of Tibetan - except for the Tibetan language, for first grades only. Radio Free Asia confirms that the new rules will take effect from this fall. Subjects such as history, geography, maths and biology are currently being taught in Tibetan; They will all be taught in Chinese only.