The Tibet Post International Online Newspaper

Stop the destruction of the Tibetan people’s identity Vol. 02, Issue 60, 29 February, 2012 Human Rights Discussion with Xi

I n t e r n a t i o n a l B o d - K y i - Cha- Trin

You are in our hearts and prayers every day

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Rs.5

Political leader's New Year Message To His Fellow Tibetans

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

President Barack Obama meets with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, February 14, 2012. Xi is expected to be China's future leader and is on a one-week visit to the United States.

Photo: White House

By Dane Holding, The Tibet Post

Washington: - During a meeting with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, Barack Obama mentioned China's human rights record while pro-Tibetan and pro-Uyghur protesters gathered outside of the White House.

During the meeting, Obama not only told to Xi See Page 4 ...

Solidarity with Tibetans Inside Tibet

Tibetans in Britain marked a troubled new year with a vigil outside the Chinese embassy in London.

Photo: TPI/Sam

By Samuel Ivor, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Tibetan political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration based in India has issued a message of greetings to all his fellow Tibetan people those who commemorate this year's Losar (Tibetan New Year), which falls on Feb. 22.

A statement published on the Tibetan government website, Dr. Lobsang Sangay sent his "warmest wishes to Tibetan people inside and outside Tibet, and all those around the world who are celebrating the New Year.

"Tashi Delek to Tibetans and friends around the world! Warm Losar greetings from Dharamsala, which falls on February 22", Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the political leader of Tibetan people said in the statement.

"As requested, please do not celebrate Losar this year, but do observe traditional and spiritual rituals by going to the monastery, making offerings, and lighting butter lamps for all those Tibetans inside Tibet who have sacrificed and suffered under the repressive policies of the Chinese government.

News from Tibet continues to be grim. Tibet is virtually sealed off with foreigners not allowed to enter. Even Chinese tourists are prevented from visiting Tibet, and the military buildup is very heavy. [The Chinese government has launched a massive crackdown on Tibetans who visited India

Dr. Lobsang Sangay, newly elected leader of Tibetan people sapeaking duiring a special event being held in Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI/File

for the Kalachakra Teachings. Several hundred Tibetans have been detained and are being forced to undergo political re-education.

Please see the news release from Human Rights Watch] . We are extremely worried over what is

Statement of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile on New Year

London: - Tibetans in Britain marked a troubled new year with a vigil outside the Chinese embassy in London, which resulted in clashes with the police as a member of the Chinese affiliation shouted an insult at the peaceful gathering, mourning the passing of a tragic year for Tibet under Chinese suppression.

happening and what might happen inside Tibet.

Under such circumstances, please do pray for all Tibetans inside Tibet especially on the third, eight, tenth and fifteenth day of Losar, as these are See Page 2 ...

Tibetans Fast at UN

By Dane Holding, The Tibet Post

See Page 6 ...

New York: - Despite interference from the New York Police Department, Tibetan protesters have successfully entered day three of their hunger protest in front of the United Nations.

H.E. 11th Shingza Rinpoche, Dorjee Gyalpo, and See Page 4 ...

Protest to China’s Future President

TYC Storm Chinese Embassy In Delhi

Tibet Activists Unfurl Banner from Arlington Memorial Bridge to Protest Visit of China’s Future President. Photo: TPI

Mr. Penpa Tsering, speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile delivering his official statement oduring the Solidarity Hunger Strike on the first day of Tibetan Losar at Tsuglhakhang, Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI

By Tibetan Official Media: Tibet Net

By The Tibet Post International

Dramatic climbing action in U.S. capital sends defiant message of freedom to Fifth Generation of Chinese leaders.

Washington - Tibet activists welcomed China's future President, Xi Jinping, to the U.S. capital by hanging a massive banner which stated, "Xi Jinping: Tibet will be Free" on the landmark Arlington Memorial Bridge.

Against the iconic American backdrop of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, two climbers - Bianca Bockman (age 31) of See Page 6 ...

Dharamshala: - Statement of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) on the occasion of the day-long Hunger Strike by its Members and the public on the first day of the Water-Dragon Tibetan New Year on 22nd February, 2012 at the Theckchen Choling, Main Temple, Dharamshala.

Amongst the patriotic Tibetan men and women who have been committing the heroic act of selfimmolations in Tibet under the two main slogans demanding "the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet" and "freedom and human rights for the Tibetan people", Venerable Tapey of Kirti Monastery set the trend on 27th of February, 2009.

Since then, between the 16th of March, 2011 and 19th of February, 2012, some 23 Tibetans both lay and ordained, have committed self-immolation in Tibet for the sake of Tibet and its people. Two Tibetans have done the same outside of Tibet totaling 25 so far. Fifteen of them including three nuns have lost their precious lives in the process and we have not been able to ascertain the condition and whereabouts of the rest.

We have also come to know from reliable sources that on the 23rd of January, 2012 which was the occasion of the celebration of the Chinese New See Page 2 ...

Members of the Tibetan Youth Congress storm the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi toprotest visiting Qinghai Governor, 16th February 2012. Photo: TPI

By The Tibet Post International

Delhi: - Forty-eight Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) members stormed the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi this morning at 11:30 to protest the arrival of Luo Huining, governor of Qinghai Province in the capital city of India.

Members of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, See Page 5 ...

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29 February, 2012 Dharamsala

Chinese Government Continues Violent Crackdown in Tibet

TPI EXLIE

The Tibet Post

Kalon Tripa Launches Tibet Policy Institute in Dharamshala

By Tibetan Official Media: Tibet

Tibetan Parliament and Kashag Meet on Critical Situation in Tibet, 14th February, 2012.

Photo: Tibet Net

By Dane Holding, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala - 16 February 2012.

Chinese security forces have been increasing their efforts to deny Tibetans their freedom of expression in Tibet. In the past week, there has been an outbreak of beatings and detentions committed by the Chinese government.

On 13 February at around 2.30 PM Tibetan time, Chinese security forces extinguished the monk Lobsang Gyaltso, who had chosen to self-immolate in protest, by beating him savagely.

Lobsang Gyatso had shouted words of protest against the Chinese government before self-immolating, according to a press release by the Tibetan Parliament in exile. After being beaten, he was taken to an undisclosed location.

Lobsang Gyatso is a 19-year old monk of the Kirti Monastery in Nagba County.

He was the oldest of four siblings, and was described as "one of the brightest in his class."

At the same scene, a pair of Tibetan youth and another monk were likewise beaten by Chinese police. One of the youths was able to escape with the help of onlookers, but the other was detained by security forces.

Nagba County is now in lock-down and random searches are being conducted

by Chinese police.

On 11 February at around 11.00 AM Tibetan time in Karze County, Tashi Palden, openly protested the Chinese occupation, demanded a return of His Holiness to Tibet, and declared that, "Tibet needs freedom." As a result, Chinese police brutalized him and removed him to an undisclosed location.

At the same scene, and unidentified businessman was also beaten by security forces and removed to an undisclosed location. Sources allege that the Chinese police "confiscated" a valuable coral necklace from this individual.

On 8 February in the afternoon, a group of Tibetans removed Chinese flags from a government building and a hospital in Akori Township in Choechen County.

In addition, they distributed pamphlets about Tibetan independence to locals.

Chinese police arrived on the scene and began searches of the local population.

Earlier, many Tibetan pilgrims who had been visiting Nepal and India have been required to register with the Chinese government. About one hundred of these pilgrims have been detained by police and forced to pay for their own room and board. A group of ten to twenty has been detained indefinitely at the Nepal-China border.

In addition, a new policy in Lhasa has expelled many of the residents who come from Kham and Amdo regions.

In a press conference with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on the 14 February, Jiabo claimed that, "What is happening in Tibet is being caused by a few monks encouraged by external forces. Their goal is to destroy the peaceful society that is developing in Tibet, which benefits neither Tibet nor the Tibetan people."The Tibetan Parliament responded by saying that, "Jiabao and the Chinese Government clearly have no interest in reviewing the causes of violence in Tibet, and they have constantly ignored our requests to do

Political leader's New Year Message... ...... Continues From front Page auspicious days.

March 10, our National Uprising Day, is coming up soon. There will be many other activities as well where Tibetans and our friends will be requested to participate. Please remember and observe the guidelines issued by CTA, which is to organize and participate in events peacefully, legally and with dignity. Peacefully because nonviolence is our core principle. Legally as we are in a democratic country and have to follow the law of the land, and with dignity because we are seeking our freedom and dignity Tibet Lobby Day is also coming up when Tibetans and friends lobby parliaments or the congress and share with members our concern over Tibet and the continuing repressive policies of the Chinese government. This year is especially important given the

unfolding tragedy inside Tibet.

It is important that we do the best we can to approach as many Congressional members and Parliamentarians as possible so as to make them aware. If possible, please try to have a resolution passed in the parliament or have a good debate on the situation inside Tibet.

This way the suffering of Tibetans inside Tibet and their voices will be heard loud and clear around the world, particularly by the leaders in Beijing.

I would like to thank all those Tibetans and friends who participated in the global vigil on February 8. According to various accounts, hundreds of activities were organized around the world, thousands participated, and the day was very successful.

In conclusion, I want to say to our dear brothers and sisters inside Tibet that you are in our hearts and prayers every day."

Dharamshala:Net - Inaugurating the Tibet Policy Institute at the Kashag Secretariat today, Kalon Tripa said the institute aims to carry out comprehensive research works on all aspect of Tibet-related issues, which he underlined would help the administration in framing policies for the next fifty years and making the Tibet issue a competent case on the international platform.

The Kashag attaches great importance to the Tibet Policy Institute, Kalon Tripa said, adding that a clear and in-depth research materials on every aspect of Tibet issue would play a pivotal role in framing policies and plans for the next fifty years.

He underscored the need for the researchers at the policy institute to carry out research on both past and present political, environmental, and economical situation in Tibet, geopolitics of China, US and Asia vis-a-vis the issue of Tibet.

Kalon Tripa also expressed hope and emphasised the need to have competent researchers and pledged to make every effort to realise this goal. He called on the researchers including the staff of the Tibet Policy Institute and other CTA officials, to make best develop the know how and

so. Instead, Jiabao and the Chinese government lie to cover up what is happening by saying that those monks who self-immolate are alive and well."

"A good example exists in 2008, when Jiabao claimed that the Chinese were not shooting at the Tibetan people, despite graphic, photographic evidence of dead Tibetans."

"If they want to realize why there is no peace inside of Tibet, they cannot accuse outsiders. They need to see the anger and frustration inside of Tibet for themselves. The best way that they can do this is to allow international media and researchers into Tibet, and allow those people to show them what is

happening."

The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and the Kashag on Thursday, February 14th have jointly held a day-long meeting in view of the critical situation in Tibet, according to the Tibetan official media.

Mr Penpa Tsering, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and Dr Lobsang Sangay, Kalon Tripa, chaired the meeting attended by Kalons (members of the Kashag) and Parliamentary Standing Committee at the parliamentary secretariat. Extensive deliberations were held on efforts to be made by the Kashag and the parliament in view of the unending critical situation in Tibet and other important issues.

15th February, 2012 - Kalon Tripa Dr. Lobsang Sangay speaks at the launch of Tibet Policy Institute at Kashag Secretariat. Photo: TPI

their interests in research works on issues relating to Tibet.

Aiming to make Gangchen Kyishong, the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, as an "Intellectual Hub", Kalon Tripa said top researchers from India and abroad will be invited to hold monthly and annual debates and symposiums to hone the skills and knowledge of the Tibetan researchers.

Kalon Tripa praised the efforts made by former researchers of the Central Tibetan Administration for their valuable research work and the materials published.

In his remarks, Mr Thubten Samphel, the newly appointed director of the Tibet Policy Institute, said the policy institute would strive to focus on research towards evolving policies to tackle challenges in the coming fifty years in all spheres of Tibet issue.

"We highly appreciate and thank the director and staff members of the Research and Analysis Unit for their valuable research works considering the resources available to them, said Mr Samphel, who will take charge of the Tibet policy Institute on 2 March.

"To fufil the Kashag's aspirations, researchers at the policy institute would make their best possible efforts to pool their energy and interests in all aspects of the Tibetan issue," he said.

Mr Lobsang, Additional Secretary at the Tibet Policy Institute, presented an overview of some of the key research works carried out by the Central Tibetan Administration on the issue of Tibet till today.

Statement of the Tibetan Parliament .... ...... Continues From front Page Year, Tibetans in Tibet observed it as a day of mourning by holding peaceful demonstrations. But the Chinese police and the militia opened indiscriminate gun-fire on them and 4 Tibetans in Draggo, 2 in Serta and 1 in Zamthang totalling 7 were massacred.

We have further come to know that on the 8th of February of this year, the same type of peaceful demonstrations had taken place in other places like Nangchen, Trindu, Zatoe, Golok, Chuchen, Chabcha etc while observing ‘White Wednesday' which is the favourable prayer day for the long life of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

However, as the Chinese government had sealed of all internet and phone connection in most of the places in Tibet and especially those where demonstrations had taken place, we have not been able to ascertain the scale of oppression and the number of people killed, tortured or arrested. There is in effect, an unapparent military rule in Tibet at present and the Chinese government has declared an open "war" on the Tibetan people as whole.

The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile has continuously been appealing to the Government of China and the International Community regarding the urgent situation in Tibet through its series of press statements. Recently, a

special delegation of the TPiE travelled to New Delhi to brief a number of Embassies of different countries about the fast deteriorating conditions in Tibet. We also wrote an open letter to the Chinese President.

Through this statement, we once again appeal to the Government of China and the International Community as follows: Appeal to the Chinese leaders: 1. Withdraw the large reinforcement of military to reduce tension immediately and take measures to give due consideration to the aspirations of the Tibetan people.

2. Allow independent, non-partisan fact finding delegations to ascertain the ground realities. If you have issues with that, allow a Tibetan fact finding delegation to visit Tibet.

3. Stop the policies and programs aimed at destroying the identity of the Tibetan people. Provide religious freedom and undertake reconciliation measures to assuage the hurt sentiments of the Tibetan people.

4. Stop sedentarization of Tibetan nomads and include Tibetan participation in environmental stewardship by using their centuries old wisdom of having lived on the Tibetan Plateau.

5. All developmental activities in Tibet

must give due consideration to Tibet's fragile environment and should accrue due benefit to the native Tibetans.

6. Release all political prisoners including Panchen Rinpoche Gedun Choekyi Nyima, just as Burma did so to create more trust between the people and the government.

7. Resume dialogue with the Tibetans with the commitment and conviction to seek a lasting solution to the Issue of Tibet, and peace and stability in the whole geo- strategic region.

Similarly to the International Community, we call upon the leaders of the free world to not only express your concern but also seek your intervention in de-escalating the prevailing dangerous situation inside Tibet and help find a lasting solution to the Issue of Tibet for a mutually beneficial agreement through dialogue.

We are confident that while engaging constructively with China, you will not refrain from voicing your concern for the values of democracy, equality, justice and basic human rights that you so very much cherish.

Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile Dharamsala: Dated: February 22, 2012 Video Message of Mr. Penpa Tsering, Honourable Speaker of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile is viewable in tibetonline.tv

TPI TIBET

The Tibet Post

A Tibetan Arrested After Nangchen, Tibet Protests

29 February, 2012 Dharamsala

3

Teenage Self-immolation Death in Zamthang, Eastern Tibet

By The Tibet Post International

By The Tibet Post International

Dharamshala: A Tibetan businessman named Tamdin (??), 32, from Nangchen County was arrested in the Chengdu Shuangliu airport on Losar Febuary 22nd. He flew from Xining to Chengdu after participating in a mass protest/pray-in Nangchen County on Wednesday February 8th, 2012.

Tamdin's arrest was in connection to his participation in the protests.

Tamdin is a prominent Yartsa Gompo salesman and is said to have a strong

standing in Nangchen.

According to Tamdin's family, according to Tamdin's family, there is no information about where he is being held.

The source said "because no one was arrested on the day of the protest, the police are after many young Tibetans from Nangchen now." "Many Tibetans are being arrested trying to get to Chengdu" and the "Chengdu police are working with Xining police" to arrest Tibetans residing in both cities.

Dharamshala: - On 19 February 2012, yet another Tibetan teenager set himself ablaze and reportedly died protesting against the Chinese government, in Barma Village, Zamthang County, Ngaba, eastern Tibet, (Ch Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture).

According to a report of Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy based in India, Nangdrol,18 years old, set himself on fire at around 2 pm (Tibet Time) in front of the Zamthang Jonang Monastery last Sunday, according to sources. He died on the spot.

Police officers who reached at the spot tried to take his body away but the monks of the Zamthang Jonang Monastery managed to take possession of the body. The monks later performed rituals and prayers for the deceased. Nangdrol was son of father Chensig and mother Nyingmo.

The situation in eastern Tibet has consistently remained grim since March 2011 self-immolation by a Tibetan names Phuntsok. 20 more Tibetans have self-immolated in

list of recent self-immolations in Tibet. Photo: TPI/File

protest of the Chinese rule in Tibet since then. Choedon is the 24th

Tibetan since 2009 and the sixth the past 8 days to self-immolate.

China Sentences A Young Tibetan Writer to Two Years In Prison

Chinese Party Boss Demands Kirti Monastery Support Communist Party

kirti monstary in tibet.

By Dane Holding, The Tibet Post

DHARAMSALA: - A Sichuan Communist Party Boss recently implored monks at Kirti Monastery to cease their "separatist activities," on 26 February.

Liu Qibao, Communist Party chief of the Sichuan province, told the monks of Kirti Monastery to support The Communist Party, sources indicate.

Likewise, he warned all citizens to cast aside separatist aspirations and obey all local laws imposed by the Chinese.

"We should resolutely crack down on separatist activities and crimes of all kinds, uphold state unification, ethnic unity and the normal legal order. This upholds the basic interests of the people and upholds their religious freedom,'' said Liu, according to a local Sichuan Newspaper.

"Everyone is equal before the law.

No matter whether you are a monk or a nun, you are a citizen first," the paper continued.

Liu, despite being a party boss in an atheist government, is also quoted as having invoked Buddhist scripture in saying that, "there should be no reason to destroy an innocent life." He was obviously referencing the outbreak of selfimmolations in Ngaba County since 2009.

Kirti Monastery, located in Ngaba County, eastern Tibet, has been a hot bed of anti-occupation protests, including the recent self-immolation of the monk Lobsang Gyatso, 19, on 13 February, which spurred additional security measures around Ngaba county. Rigzin Dorjee, 19, former monk of Kirti Monastery, also selfimmolated on February 8.

Ngaba County, likewise, has accounted for a great number of the twenty-three self-immolations that have occurred since 2009.

Since the wave of self-immolations began in 2009, a great number of monks have allegedly disappeared

from Kirti Monastery, while others have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms on vague charges of "subversion."

Shortly after the immolation of Lobsang Gyatso, a Guardian reporter who snuck into the restricted areas of Ngaba County suggested that the area was reminiscent of conflict zones in Iraq and Northern Ireland, and that weapons that the Chinese Security Forces employed were reminiscent of "medieval" weapons.

The recent outbreak of protests and violence in Tibet has spurred the Chinese government to explore new means by which to subvert the Tibetan cultural identity.

Zhu Weiqun, vice minister of the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party and China's point man for Tibet, has suggested that providing Tibetans a separate legal identity may be the root cause of the unrest.

Zhu has implored the the two houses of Chinese parliament - the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - to review laws concerning Tibetan identity in legal documents during their upcoming sessions in March.

Zhu continued by saying that such laws that identify Tibetans as separate from Chinese can only serve to erode Tibetans' sense of Chinese nationalism and national cohesion.

"The best way to achieve national cohesion is to stop giving them a separate status as an ethnic minority on identity cards, to stop allowing them to use ethnic labels in for their schools and autonomous regions, and to stop giving them special privileges reserved for minorities." Zhu added.

By Dane Holding, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - The Chinese clampdown on the Tibetan intellectual diaspora continues to gather momentum. Chinese authorities in Central Tibet (Ch: Tibet Autonomous Region) have sentenced a Tibetan author to a two-year jail term on charges of writing a book about the 2008 mass protests in Tibet, according to a report received on February 14th.

Tsering Norbu, aged 28, was handed his sentence by a local court in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet in December 2010, the India based Tibetan government in exile told Reporters Without Borders, citing sources from inside Tibet. His Book was titled "If You Have That Inhuman Act And Violent Crackdowns, I Have The Truth of Compassion." (Translated from Tibetan) "After his sentence, Tsering was taken to Chushul prison in Lhasa," a statement said. Tsering was sentenced by a local court in Lhasa due to his political activities such as writing a book about the 2008 protest, then later distributing to Tibetans in Lhasa and surrounding areas as well as Tibetan scholars, intellectuals, and writers.

The author of the book, "If You Have That Inhuman Act And Violent Crackdowns, I Have The Truth of Compassion" was detained in 2010 and had been held since that time, sources said. He managed to distribute his books in his hometown called Palyul, eastern Tibet and surrounding areas, then was arrested by Chinese police in Lhasa when he was distributing his book.

He was born the son of the late Rigzin in Rachab town, Dege Palyul county, eastern Tibet. He completed his studies at the Rachab Monastery which is located in Rachab town. He joined the

monastery when he was young. Sources said, he was a very able student and used to write many articles related to Tibetan history and related issues. His condition and whereabouts are still unknown.

Against the backdrop of a stream of 24 self-immolations in Tibet in protest against Chinese rule, unrest in eastern Tibet with protestors shot by armed security forces and a severely increased military presence, several of the most popular independently-run Tibetan language blog sites hosted in China have gone offline as of February 3rd, according to a report.

Since 2008 Beijing Olympic, China has continued to place a heavy restriction on information inside Tibet, almost all of Tibetan websites related Tibet issues were closed-down in past few years, said sources. The new recent crackdown on some important Tibetan websites; a blog section of the website AmdoTibet has been closed and a notice in Chinese reads: “Due to some of the blog users not publishing in accordance with the goal of this site, the blog has temporarily been shut down, we hope that blog users will have understanding!”

Another very popular blog site Sangdhor.com is also offline, without any explanation. In October 2011, Sangdhor boldly published a poem titled “Mourning” that was about the selfimmolations in Tibet. The poem was quickly taken offline.

On February 3rd: a blog site Rangdrol.net is also offline and contains an interesting notice in Tibetan. “Site offline” suggests that the administrators have removed the site, and the Tibetan text underneath reads: ”For the sake of life, we are mourning and crying.”

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29 February, 2012 Dharamsala

TPI INTERNATIONAL

Tibet Cut Off From The Rest Of The World: Press Freedom Watchdog

A screen shot of the official website of Paris based International Press Freedom Watch Dog "Reporters Without Borders. Photo: RSF

By Reporters Without Borders

Paris: - Reporters Without Borders is alarmed at the blackout imposed by Chinese authorities on the provinces of Sichuan and Qinghai, as well as the autonomous region of Tibet, preventing all media coverage of protest movements there.

To this we must add disinformation activities such as the recent hacking of the French-language weekly Courrier International by Chinese propagandists.

“At least 15 Tibetan monks have set themselves on fire since March last year, yet little information about this, or about the recent demonstrations in Tibet, has emerged,” Reporters Without Borders said.

“Not only are foreign media organizations prevented from covering these events, but the authorities have also organized a veritable disinformation campaign, using pro-government media such as the Global Times, which play down the disturbances and accuse the

international community of interfering.

“Few media outlets are able to obtain firsthand information and fewer still manage to travel to the regions concerned.

“Out of sight of the world, a major crisis is unfolding. Even Pyongyang has an international media presence, which is not the case in Lhasa.”

The press freedom organization added: “As in the past, the Chinese authorities aim to control the Tibetan people behind closed doors, excluding journalists, foreign ones in particular, who might be troublesome witnesses of what is happening.

“They are also trying to restrict all communication between the region and the rest of the world. The Internet is a secondary victim of the crackdown.

Connections are cut off, access is blocked and content linked to the unrest is removed – any method can be used to prevent Chinese netizens taking over the baton from journalists and publishing

Tibetans’ Hunger Strike at United Nations Enters Day Three ...... Continues From front Page Yeshi Tenzing began their hunger strike on Losar in an effort to convince The United Nations to address ongoing human rights violations within Tibet, and to show solidarity with those Tibetans within Tibet who are protesting for their own freedoms.

The hunger strikers have five requests for The United Nations, all of which are intended to either reveal to the world the egregious human rights abuses committed by the Chinese Government, end the oppressive policies of the Chinese in Tibet, or preserve Tibetan culture and identity.

"The Tibetan Youth Congress strongly calls on governments of this world and the United Nations to heed to the demands of the Tibetans suffering in Tibet. If you do not take the responsibilities to sincerely uphold the universal fundamental rights of human beings, you become willing accomplices to China's inhumane crimes towards Tibetans," stated a press release issued

by The Tibetan Youth Congress.

H.E. Shingza Rinpoche is 32 years old.

He was recognized as the reincarnation of 10th Shingza Rinpoche in 1993, and he fled to India where he joined Sera

Monastery in southern India in 1997.

He is a member of several Tibetan NGOs, and has worked extensively in the interest of preserving Tibetan Language and culture.

Dorjee Gyalpo, 58 years old, was born in the Kyidong Pang-Shing region of Tibet. In 1960, he fled to Nepal, and later moved to The United States under the US Tibetan Resettlement Project in 1993. He was an executive member of the RTYC Mainpat, and continues to be an active participant RTYC Minnesota.

Yeshi Tenzing, 38, was born in exile and studied at CST Dalhousie. He was the president of RTYC Herbertpur for two terms from 2004-2010.

On the second day of the protests, New York Police ordered the removal of the tent in which the hunger strikers were residing citing ‘Occupy Wall Street' protests. Despite freezing rain the following day, the hunger strike is ongoing.

Tsewang Rigzin, president of The Tibetan Youth Congress, commented, "Come rain, wind or NYPD, the hunger strikers are not deterred and ready to go on until UN hears them."

news and information that might embarrass Beijing over its handling of the Tibetan unrest.

“Local community networks are particularly targeted in order to nip in the bud any attempt at mobilising support online.”

Crackdown in Tibet More than 20 police officers went to the home of Gagkye Drubpa Kyab, a journalist and teacher, in Serthar county in Sichuan province, on 15 February and arrested him. He remains in detention.

The writer Kalsang Tsultrim, known by the pen name Gyitsang Takmig, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on 30 December 2011. He had been held without charge since 16 December 2010.

He was previouslyarrested on 27 July 2010 for “political error” and was released on 15 October that year on condition that he did not participate in political activity.

He had distributed a CD containing a personal video message urging the international community to take action and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama. He detailed the suffering of the Tibetan people and expressed concern about the disappearance of their religion and culture, as well as human rights abuses.

Tsultrim had already received warning from the authorities about the message, recorded in June 2009.

On 14 February, Reporters Without Borders also learned, from the Tibet Post International, of the sentencing in December 2010 of the writer Tsering Norbu for publishing and distributing a book about the 2008 demonstrations in Tibet. Police arrested him as he was distributing copies of his book in Lhasa, where is now in prison.

Some journalists and writers choose to go into exile in order to be able to write about what is happening in their region.

Such was the case of Gedun Tsering, who fled to the northern Indian city of Dharamsala where he published his book

“Ghost Writer”. The work is in the form of a journal of his journey to India and his life as a refugee. Copies have been given to monasteries, schools and universities and Tibet’s four provinces.

Online censorship Since 24 January, Internet and cell phone networks have been severely disrupted within a radius of 50 km around Seda district in Sichuan province, which was the epicentre of the violent protests.

Websites of Tibetan exile media organizations cannot be accessed.

Discussion forums and blogs in the Tibetan language, such as Sangdhor.com and Rangdrol.net, have also been blocked since 3 February.

On the same day the tag of Liu Zhiming (???), an investigative journalist with the Economic Observer, who posted a message about a demonstration on 23 January, was removed from the microblogging site Sina Weibo. This is just one example among many of the removal of content referring to the current disturbances in Tibet.

The strategy adopted by the Chinese authorities, namely cutting off certain provinces or regions from the media and online worlds in order to subdue them silently, is not new and has been applied elsewhere.

Tibet has already been the target of particularly harsh restrictions on communications. In May 2011, the Internet was a secondary victim of a crackdown on demonstrations in Inner Mongolia. The region of Xinjiang was cut off from the outside world for several months after inter-ethnic riots in the regional capital Urumqi on 5 July 2009.

Response to measures aimed at foreign journalists Foreign journalists, banned from entering Tibet, have been prevented by the police from covering demonstrations

by Tibetans in other Chinese provinces.

In the last week of January in Sichuan province, a crew from CNN was arrested

The Tibet Post at a toll barrier and prevented from travelling to neighbouring Tibet.

Aware that such restrictions are unlawful, the authorities regularly cite bad weather or the poor state of the roads to restrict access to the autonomous region.

Consequently, journalists are forced to resort to clandestine methods to get into the Tibetan-inhabited provinces.

Jonathan Watts, a reporter for the Guardian, was among those who managed to elude the barriers and to reach the town of Aba (Ngaba in Tibetan). He and others have spoken of the heavy military presence in the region.

Foreign journalists suspected of wishing to defy police instructions are victims of harassment by the security forces.

Some have complained of being followed, others that they have been escorted to the airport by the police, questioned for several hours, forced to wipe the pictures they have taken and have had their equipment seized.

Identity checks are not confined to press cards and passports but include temporary residence permits, which journalists must carry with them at all times. These infringements create an atmosphere of constant surveillance which add to the stress levels and affect the psychological well-being of some media workers.

On 2 February, some foreign correspondents working in China asked the authorities for free access to the provinces that were closed to them. In a statement issued by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China, which is illegal and has no official status, they claimed the right to travel freely and to interview anyone prepared to be interviewed.

Two days ago, the FCCC also urged journalists to take care and be alert in their work.

Social unrest a major worry for Beijing The conditions in which foreign media See Page 5 ...

US President Obama Raises Human Rights issues with China's VP Xi ...... Continues From front Page that China must follow the same trade rules as all other world powers, but vowed to pressure China to improve its human rights record. "On critical issues like human rights we will continue to emphasize what we believe is the importance of recognizing the aspirations and rights of all people," Obama said.Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary, has confirmed that, in the meeting, Obama mentioned specific human rights abuses inside of China.

However, no information has been released as to which specific issues were discussed.

In addition to the issue of human rights, Obama told Xi that, though he welcomed China's "peaceful rise," he indicated that tensions will remain as long as the economic and military rivalry continues. He also expressed his disappointment in China's resistance to UN action on Syria.

Xi, who will assume the Chinese Presidency in March 2013, responded by saying that he is interested in building a "cooperative partnership based on respect."

US Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also had a "candid exchange" with Xi about human rights abuses by the Chinese Government in Tibet.

To this Xi responded that "China has made tremendous and well-recognised

achievements in the field of human rights over the past 30-plus years, since reform and opening up," "Of course, there is always room for improvement when it comes to human rights," Xi mentioned, echoing a similar statement made by Chinese President Hu Jintao during a visit to Washington in 2011.

He did not directly address any of Obama's criticism, but later cautioned U.S. leadership that addressing topics like Taiwan and Tibet would only cause "further disturbance and damage" to their countries' relationship.

While the meeting was occurring, a number of protesters gathered outside of the White House and waved the flags of Tibet and the Uyghur autonomous region. The protesters' signs bore statements like: "Xi Jinping: Tibet will be free!" and "Tibet is not a part of China!"

Protesters believed that the meeting was a critical moment in which Obama could address human rights abuses inside of Tibet and the Uyghur autonomous region.

Tenzin Dorjee, the Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet stated that, "we are here to amplify [Tibetan] voices and to send a message to President Obama that he should use this opportunity to raise the issue of Tibet strongly and vigorously with Xi

Jinping ... and in fact as leader of this free and democratic country he should use his influence and authority to impress upon Xi that so long as Tibet remains oppressed and occupied the Chinese government will never truly be accepted by the international community."

Many of Obama's critics have used this opportunity to criticize his "conciliatory attitude" towards China.

"Responsible nations must be committed to confronting the Chinese regime on its dark human rights record," said Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, who accused Obama of "one dangerous concession after another" to China. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney called Obama's meeting with Xi "empty pomp and ceremony."

Much of what is being said regarding the meeting between Obama and Xi, including what occurred during the meeting itself, comes during an American election year. As a consequence, it is difficult to say how much of it is generated by sincere concern over human rights abuses and how much of it is generated by a need for American politicians to demonstrate that they are capable of pressuring China, who is considered to be The U.S.'s number one rival in the world.

TPI TIBET

The Tibet Post

Jigme Guri's Impending Sentence: Arrest Warrant Surfaces

29 February, 2012 Dharamsala

5

Monk Self-Immolates In the Wake Of Restrictions On His Monastery

By Rajeshwari K, The Tibetpost

Dharamsala: 17 February - Dharamsala: Another Tibetan self-immolated in protest of oppressive Chinese policies inside of Tibet. Dhamchoe Sangpo self immolated at around 6.00 AM Tibetan time in protest of recent restrictions imposed on the Bongthak Ewam Tare Shedrup Dhargey Ling Monastery in the Tsongon region of Amdo, eastern Tibet. He passed away shortly thereafter.

Dhamchoe Sangpo, 38, was a monk of the same monastery and the youngest of ten siblings. He spent the period from 19941997 in India studying at the Drepung Gomang Monastery in southern India.

He is the 24th Tibetan to self-immolate since 2009.

An earlier protest against proposed silver mining in the region by a monk named Kalsang resulted in heavy Chinese restrictions in the area. The monastery was reported to have been surrounded

by Chinese military personnel, who would often interfere with prayer ceremonies and threaten to seal up the building if the monks misbehaved.

06 July, 2011, Tibetans including monks and nuns celebrating the birthday of His Holiness the Dalai in Tawao county, eastern Tibet. Photo: TPI

The Tibetan Parliament's press release states that the Chinese military is currently conducting an intensive search of the monastery, but contains no further details regarding Sangpo's immolation.

Expressing fear over continued selfimmolations in the wake of increasingly stringent policies in Tibet, the Tibetan

Parliament has issued an open letter to the Chinese Government. The letter contains seven requests for Chinese President Hu Jintao, most noteworthy among them the withdrawal of Chinese troops from the Tibet and a request to end polices that erode the Tibetan cultural identity.

Jigme Guri Arrest Warrant. Photo: TCHRD

By Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy

Dharamshala: - igme, also known as Jigme Guri, the intrepid monk from Labrang Monastery who exposed Chinese brutality to the outside world might be sentenced soon, Tibetan rights group based in Dharamshala, India said on Saturday, February 18th.

It is learnt that on 1 January 2012 at around 3 pm (Tibet Time), the Kanlho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture issued a procuratorate-approved arrest warrant for Jigme, according to information received by Tibetan Center For Human Rights and Demcracy (TCHRD).

The warrant states that Jigme is charged with engaging in activities aimed at splitting the country. The warrant (written in Chinese) further notes that Jigme is currently held in the Public Security Bureau detention Centre in Tsoe (Chinese: Hezuo) city.

Under the Chinese law, once the

procuratoracy organs approve a case and issue arrest warrant, the person accused will most likely be charged and sentenced.

Monk Jigme was arrested in the evening of 20 August 2011 by around 40 police officers of the Public Security Bureau from a hotel called 'Z-hong Yan' in Tsoe city, Kanlho Prefecture. Police officers raided his room and seized around 30 portraits of the Dalai Lama, two computer systems and two laptops.

The arrest warrant is the only information about Jigme Guri that TCHRD has received since his arrest on 20 August 2011.

For more information on Jigme Guri, please visit the following links: 1. More Details of Monk Jigme Guri's Arrest - 25 August 2011 2. Monk Jigme Guri Arrested Again - 24 August 2011

Tibetan Youth Congress Storm Chinese Embassy In Delhi ...... Continues From front Page Rohini attempted to jump the gate of the Embassy while shouting slogans such as "Luo Huning go back", "Free Tibet", Stop killing Tibetans".

The protests by New Delhi Tibetan college-going students conducted in two batches lasted roughly 20 minutes each after New Delhi police arrested all the students. Many of the students received severe beatings from the Delhi police at the time of arrest rendering one of them in a serious condition who, had to be rushed to the hospital.

Qinghai Province has witnessed two self-immolations and large-scale protests in the beginning of this year alone. Sonam Wangyal also referred to as Sopa Rinpoche, from Darlag County, a respected religious figure in his 40's drank kerosene and set himself on fire on 8 January and Sonam Rabyang, a monk from Yuthung Villgae, Lab Township in his 30's self immolated on 9 February. While Sopa Rinpoche died that same day, the fate of Sonam Rabyang is unclear.

We wanted Mr. Luo to know that "these events of self immolations and resistance inside Tibet should be

Teenage Monk Sets Self Ablaze as Wave of Self-Immolations Continues

Lobsang Gyatso, who self-immolated in protest against Chinese rule over Tibet.

Photo: TPI/file

By Dane Holding, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala, February 13: Reports indicate that Lobsang Gyatso self immolated at 2.30 pm Tibetan time on 13 February 2012 in Ngaba, eastern Tibet.

There is heavy restriction on movement of general public across the region.

The 19 year old Tibetan monk is the 24th Tibetan to self-immolate in protest of the Chinese occupation of Tibet since

2009, and was a practicing monk of the Kirti monastery.

Eyewitnesses claim that, while setting himself ablaze, Lobsang Gyatso shouted words of protest against the repressive Chinese policies in Tibet.

Chinese police forces extinguished Lobsang Gyatso and took him to an undisclosed location. His whereabouts at the time of this report are unknown.

Armed police have been deployed along the main street in Ngaba and At the scene, two Tibetan youths were also allegedly beaten by Chinese security personnel. One of the youths was able to escape with the help of onlookers, but the other was taken away

by Chinese police. He was described as "bleeding profusely from the head and arm."

Since the immolation, local reports have indicated that extra security personnel

have been deployed around Ngaba town and that people are being searched.

A British reporter who had snuck into the area claimed that the situation in Ngaba town was similar to conflict zones in Northern Ireland and Iraq.

Additionally, he described the weapons that Chinese security forces used as "medieval."

As of late, there has been a drastic increase in self-immolations protesting the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Six immolations have occurred in the last thirteen days to demand the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to his homeland.

The Tibetan leadership in exile and rights groups have expressed fear of more self-immolations and bloodshed as many parts of Tibet continue to experience undeclared martial law under Chinese security personnel.

....... Press Freedom Watchdog ...... Continues From front Page

viewed by the government of China as very, very serious threat and understand the potential magnitude that this represents," said Jigme, Cultural Secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress.

"The sacrifices of these warriors clearly exemplify that no amount of brainwashing, propaganda or so-called development or violence, threat and oppression has penetrated the minds and souls of the Tibetan people who will continue to rise up and resist as long as the occupation of Tibet persist".

"While situation inside Tibet remain dire and tense, for a Chinese leader to come to India as a delegation representing Tibetan Carpet at the India Carpet Expo scheduled to be held from 17-20 February 2012 is not only insensitive but arrogant and distasteful," Jigme added.

Although the students are currently detained in Chanakyapuri police station, it appears that they will later be transferred to Tihar Jail. The group consisted of 25 girls and 23 boys all in their early twenties.

workers try to function have been worsening elsewhere in the country since February last year. Journalists who try to report on the various protests around the country, particularly conflicts between residents and local authorities, have been the target of reprisals, which clearly bear the hallmark of local or central authorities.

On 15 February in Panhe in the eastern province of Zhejiang, three journalists were assaulted while they were covering demonstrations against the seizure and sale of land by the government, similar to protests late last year in Wukan over the sale of land against local people’s wishes.

The French journalist Baptiste Fallevoz, of the television station France 24, and his Chinese assistant Jack Zhang were on their way to the scene when their car was hit by another vehicle. They were then attacked by thugs in plain clothes.

Zhang, whose camera was smashed, received a severe blow to the head. Both were put aboard a plane for Wenzhou.

Police attributed the incident to village rivalries.

On the same day, the Dutch freelance

journalist Remko Tanis suffered a similar assault. Tanis, who worked for the Netherlands Press Association, was interviewing protesters when about 100 men burst into the building where he was and severely beat him and seized his memory cards and documents. The journalist said he was relatively unharmed but he feared for the safety of those he had interviewed.

The FCCC also reported an assault on a video journalist who was attacked by security agents in plain clothes who hit him several times in the face while he was covering protests on Wangfujing shopping street in Beijing on 19 February.

His equipment was seized.

A dozen or so other journalists were harassed and roughed up during the crackdown.

For their part, the Chinese authorities complain that they receive a bad press abroad, a criticism aimed expressly at foreign journalists who they say give prominent coverage to dissidents, demonstrations, popular discontent and pollution, rather than the country’s economic and cultural achievements.

They accused 900 foreign reporters of

covering events in the country in a negative fashion, based on a double standard and a “Cold War mentality”. To counter what they see as biased coverage of the country, the authorities have embarked on a campaign of disinformation. Courrier International, which translates and publishes excerpts of articles from international newspapers, was hacked by an official Chinese website, China Tibet Online, for propaganda purposes. It attributed an article translated from the Beijing newspaper Huanqiu Shibao to the Parisbased weekly.

The article, headlined “French media: harmony, development mostly desired for Tibetans”, quoted a report from a remote area of Tibet purportedly published in Courrier International. The article in reality contained passages from Huanqiu Shibao, which is part of the People’s Daily group. It condemned secessionist aims of Tibetan exiles abroad and was never published by Courrier International.

China fell six places in the 2011-2012 world press freedom index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, and now stands in 174th places of 178 countries.

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29 February, 2012 Dharamsala

TPI

The Tibet Post

Taiwan Festival to Promote A New Chinese Boss Appointed to Run Tibetan Cultural Heritage Tibetan Areas in Sichuan

By The Tibet Post International

Tibet Culture Festival 2012 in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. Photo: TPI

By Matthew Singh Toor, The Tibet Post

Taipei: - Tibetan artists and musicians will gather in the Tawainese capital, Taipei, over the coming weeks to take part in a festival promoting Tibetan culture and tradition.

The first Free Tibet Festival, which kicked off February 18 and runs until March 11, will include a photo exhibition, film screenings, lectures, music, dance and theatrical performances.

Taiwan Friends of Tibet's president Chou Mei-li said her organization and local theatre group Dark Eyes Performance Lab have worked together on the festival with the aim of giving the Taiwanese public a better understanding of Tibetan culture.

"For many Taiwanese, the mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism come to mind when they think of Tibet," said Chou, "but

we hope that people can obtain a broader understanding of the diversity of Tibetan culture through the festival."

Since his Holiness the Dalai Lama's flight to India in 1959, Tibetan culture has gradually been eroded by the Chinese authorities. Dharamshala, in northern India - home to the Tibetan government-in-exile - has subsequently become the hub of Tibetan culture in exile, and is visited by artists and writers from around the world, eager to participate in the preservation of Tibetan culture.

The festival stems from a trip by Hung Hung, artistic director of Dark Eyes Performance Lab, to Dharamsala last April.

Around 40 artists and musicians from Dharamshala and other international Tibetan communities will participate and

Tibet Activists to Protest Visit of China’s Future President ...... Continues From front Page Hoboken, New Jersey and Tenzin Jigme (age 32) of Vienna, Virginia - rappelled over the edge of the bridge and unfurled the 52' x 20' foot protest banner. They were later arrested along with Matthew Zaccarino (age 32) of Milford, Massachusetts and Tenzin Yangsel (age 25) of Queens, New York.

The action kicked off a day-long festival of protest in the capital by hundreds of Tibetans and their supporters including a rally and march from the Chinese Embassy to the White House, a mass Buddhist prayer offering, life-size puppets, solidarity rallies, and a candlelight vigil.

"As a Tibetan-American born in Tibet, I have to speak out at this critical moment when Xi Jinping and the Chinese government have literally declared war against my people and are shooting peaceful protesters in the streets of Tibet," said Tenzin Jigme, of the International Tibet Network. "Xi Jinping has come here seeking American friendship and approval, and President Obama, as the leader of the greatest democracy in the world, has the power to influence Xi and stop this bloody crackdown."

Vice President Xi Jinping's visit comes as reports that Losang Gyatso, age 19, self-immolated in Ngaba town in eastern Tibet at 2:30pm Beijing Standard Time today. Twenty-four Tibetans have now set fire to themselves in Tibet since 2009, 11 since January 2012, in an

unprecedented show of defiance to Chinese rule. In an effort to stop news of the unrest reaching the world after security forces opened fire on protesters calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, the Chinese government has sealed Tibet off to foreigners and journalists.

"Xi Jinping is here representing a regime that is right now engaged in an-all out vicious assault on the Tibetan people, while at the same time directly supporting the Syrian dictatorship in massacring its own people," said Bianca Bockman, member of Students for a Free Tibet. "Is Xi really the person that we want our President to be on a date with on Valentine's day? I don't think so.

Americans care most about freedom, democracy and basic human rights."

"I believe that all Americans would want to see freedom and independence for Tibetans in Tibet, for Syrians in Syria," said Tenzin Yangsel, of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of New York and New Jersey. "Xi Jinping is a representative of a murderous authoritarian dictatorship, and is in fact the last person President Obama should entertain at the White House on Valentine's Day." A joint rally in support of freedom and democracy will be held outside the White House tomorrow by a coalition of Tibetan, Chinese, Uyghur, Taiwanese and human rights groups as Xi Jinping and President Obama meet.

Dharamshala - The Chinese government has appointed a so called law enforcement official to run Ngaba of eastern Tibet ( Ch: Aba prefecture in Sichuan province), amid increasing protests in the area.

Liu Zuoming, a Han Chinese was appointed as Communist Party secretary of Sichuan province's Aba region over the weekend. It is not clear whether his transfer was prompted by the latest unrest or part of a regular rotation of officials. His predecessor in Aba, Shi Jun, was promoted to police chief for Sichuan.

In a speech posted on the Aba government website, Liu told local officials Saturday that they "must correctly handle the relationship between stability and development.

There can be not the slightest relaxation on stability, nor the slightest paralysis or laxity."

The 54-year-old has a track record of almost 30 years in law enforcement. The area has seen increased protests and a spate of self-immolations, according to

perform - among them world-famous singer Kelsang Chukie Tethong, who will perform traditional Tibetan folk songs on March 3.

JJI Exile Brothers - a rock band comprising three brothers living in Dharamshala - will perform at the Wall Live House on February 29. Their music fuses traditional Tibetan music with rock, jazz and blues.

The festival will screen 16 documentaries by Tibetan, Taiwanese, European and American directors between March 2 and 9, on issues ranging from human rights to religion, environmental protection and education. A photo exhibition about Tibet prior to Chinese rule will also run throughout the festival.

Tibetans in Yulshul county of eastern Tibet ( Ch: Aba prefecture in Sichuan province) carrying a huge banner calls the return of His Hoiness the Dalai Lama. Photo: TPI

media reports.

Aba, a sprawling region that rises from the Sichuan plain up steep valleys to the Tibetan plateau, saw some of the most biggest protests in a rebellion against Chinese rule in 2008. Since then the government has poured in investment to boost the region's economy and heavy security to prevent unrest, though protests - and selfimmolations by monks and nuns - have ticked up over the past few years.

"We must strictly prevent and severely strike at the activities of domestic and foreign hostile forces seeking to split, infiltrate and sabotage," Liu Zuoming was quoted as saying by AFP in a speech he gave to local officials Saturday. "We must thoroughly smash any plot seeking to sabotage the stability of Aba and endanger the unity of the motherland," Liu was further quoted as saying.

International media are denied access to the area, making it difficult to verify conflict accounts. Officials in the restive area are under increasing pressure from the government to contain the protests.

Last week, the Chinese Communist Party chief in so called Tibet Automonus Region sacked four officials for ''endangering stability'' in the region,

Chinese state controlled media, Xinhua reported.

The officials were alleged to have left their posts in the Chamdho region during the Lunar New Year. The regional government had issued a warning to officials to maintain stability or face dismissal or criminal charges.

In a recent press conference with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on the 14 February, Jiabo claimed that, "What is happening in Tibet is being caused by a few monks encouraged by external forces. "A good example exists in 2008, when Jiabao claimed that the Chinese were not shooting at the Tibetan people, despite graphic, photographic evidence of dead Tibetans," Penpa Tsering, the speaker of Tibetan parliament said in a statement.

The situation in eastern Tibet has remained consistently grim since the March 2011 self-immolation of a Tibetan named Phuntsok. 23 more Tibetans have self-immolated in protest of the Chinese rule in Tibet since then.

Lobsang is the 24th Tibetan since 2009 and the seventh in the past 8 days to self-immolate. As many as 19 monks, nuns and ordinary Tibetans have set themselves on fire over the past year.

New Year Marked in Britain with Solidarity for those in Tibet ...... Continues From front Page The welcome of 2139, the Tibetan Year of the Water Dragon, was a mournful affair, both in Tibet and across the global community.

Defiantly, the British diaspora chose to stand shoulder to shoulder with those suffering in their homeland. Although Tibetans were to resist New Year celebrations and observe a period of mourning for those suffering in a year of self-immolations and unrest in Tibet, the British community gathered in London with a series of prayers, speeches, traditional music, pledges, and peaceful protest.

Students for a Free Tibet UK highlighted the positive use of Losar as a tool in exile: a tool to get peoples' attention to the Tibet issue, a method for Tibetans inside to defy the Chinese authority, and as a tool for Tibetans living around the world to be themselves and celebrate our existence.

"Today is Losar, Tibetan New Year, but instead of celebrating, we are here in front of the Chinese embassy" highlighted Phuntsog, a Tibetan student in his twenties. "We are standing against the Chinese rule of Tibet, and in solidarity with Tibetans who have self-immolated.

We want to strongly give this message to China - allow media and the United Nations in Tibet, end the crackdown; give Tibetans basic human rights".

Prayers were led by esteemed Buddhist monk Geshe Tashi, marking the tragic loss of life in Tibet, which has witnessed at least 16 deaths from the desperate acts of self-immolation since March last year alone.

Representative of the Dalai Lama in the UK, Thubten Samdup, also gave a moving speech to a crowd of onehundred, stating the importance of dialogue with China, despite repression, adding: "Our struggle is never going to be a violent one. One day it will prevail, not only for us, but our children and their children. I appeal to all of you not to despair."

Traditional Tibetan singing, accompanied by skilled musicians, cheered the mood. Tibetans dressed in traditional chubas, held banners, and waved the national flag; which is banned under Chinese rule. Obviously frustrated and embarrassed at the spectacle outside the Chinese embassy however, a member of the Chinese assemblage who was

stood near the open doorway of the embassy, swore at the grieving protesters, leading to a rush of around forty furious Tibetans gathering outside the entrance. Police immediately removed the provocateur, and a large delegation of constables, along with around seven police vehicles, surrounded the protesters, who remained peaceful.

Tibetans in Tibet marked the New Year quietly amid a heavy security presence

by Chinese armed forces in major towns and cities. Tensions are expected to remain high amid the run-up to March the 10th, the anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule, which witnessed the Dalai Lama's escape into exile.

Unlike the colourful and widely celebrated Chinese New Year's celebrations in Britain, Tibetans have marked their traditional New Year with grief and anguish. As the world turns a blind eye to the unfolding human rights crisis in Tibet, global resistance continues. February 22nd, marked the end of a tragic year for Tibetans in Tibet.

The year of the Water Dragon must surely offer a brighter future.

TPI INTERNATIONAL

The Tibet Post

Midwest Tibetans And Supporters Protest Visit of China’s VP Xi

A large group of Tibetans, many from Minnesota, bussed to Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday, February 15th to protest conditions in Tibet. China's Vice President, who is expected to be the country's next president, was in Iowa's capital city as part of his U.S. tour. Photo: TPI

By The Tibet Post International

Des Moines - Protests in Washington, and Iowa send defiant message of freedom to Fifth Generation of Chinese leaders. Tibet supporters and five hundred Tibetans from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois traveled to Iowa today to continue the wave of protests targeting China's future President, Xi Jinping during his US visit.

In Des Moines, Tibetans rallied carrying flag draped coffins in a symbolic act of mourning and

solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet.

The Iowa stop follows days of proTibet demonstrations in the nation's capital, including the unfurling of a massive banner reading Xi: Tibet Will be Free from a landmark bridge.

"When Iowa Governor Branstad meets with Vice President Xi Jinping, he must publicly and vigorously raise Tibet and call for the end to China's violent crackdown. The values Americans cherish most - human rights, democracy, and freedom are not just a ‘federal government

responsibility' but the moral and civic responsibility of every elected official," said Tenzin Khando of the Midwest Coalition for Tibet. "We also appeal to Iowa State Senators to stand with Tibet and to support the calls of Tibetans for freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet," she added.

Vice President Xi Jinping's visit comes just two days after Losang Gyatso, age 19, self-immolated in Ngaba town in eastern Tibet. Twenty-four Tibetans have now set fire to themselves in Tibet since 2009, 11 since January 2012, in an unprecedented show of defiance to Chinese rule.

In an effort to stop news of the unrest reaching the world after security forces opened fire on protesters calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, the Chinese government has sealed Tibet off to foreigners and journalists.

"Governor Branstad should open his eyes to the true face of the Chinese government, a tyrannical oppressive regime that has not only declared an all out assault on the Tibetan people but also enabled the Syrian dictatorship to massacre its own people," said Gabriel Feinstein, a spokesperson with the Midwest Coalition for Tibet. Xi Jinping's next stop is Los Angeles where further protests await the Vice-President.

Ten of Twenty Seven Journalists Jailed in China Are Tibetans

Journalists prison in China. Photo: file

By The Tibet Post International

Dharamshala: - As the Chinese authorities continue to ban access to journalists attempting to report on the situation inside Tibet, a global annual census on imprisoned journalists conducted by a leading international NGO promoting press freedom reveals that 10 out of 27 known journalists imprisoned in China are Tibetans. Six are Uyghurs.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in its December 2011 Prison Census on China said that Tibetans and Uyghurs form the bulk of journalists jailed in China, adding this unfortunate trend dates back to the widespread 2008 and 2009 protests in Tibet and East Turkestan (Chinese: Xinjiang) respectively. (Please click here for the CPJ Survey: http:// w w w. c p j . o r g / i m p r i s o n e d / 2011.php#china)

The ten imprisoned Tibetan journalists are documentary filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen (sentenced to 6 years since December 28, 2009, detained in March 26, 2008); Kunchok Tsephel Gopey Tsang, online writer for Tibetan cultural issues website, Chomei (15 years since November 2009, detained in February 26, 2009); Kunga Tsayang aka Gangyi, political essayist, photographer and environmental activist (5 years since November 2010, detained in March 17, 2009); Tashi Rabten, writer /publisher of Shar Dungri magazine (4 years since 2 June 2011, detained since April 6, 2010); Dokru Tsultrim, the twicedetained monk writer for Khawai Tsesok journal (formal charges undisclosed); Jolep Dawa, writer and editor of Durab Kyi Nga magazine (3 years since October 2011, detained in October 1, 2010); Choepa Lugyal aka

Meycheh, freelance writer for Shar Dungri magazine (formal charges and wherabouts are unknown, detained in October 19, 2011).

The writer and editor Jangtse Donkho aka Nyen and his fellow writer for Shar Dungri magazine Buddha were detained since June-July 2010. Both were sentenced to 4 years imprisonment subjected to hard labor since October 2010 while another writer for Shar Dungri, Kalsang Jinpa aka Garmi who was arrested along with Nyen and Buddha was sentenced to 3 years in October 2010. In January 2011, the three were imprisoned subjected to hard labor in Mianyang jail near Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

In light of extreme restrictions and censorship laws placed on any information related to Tibet as ''state secrets'', the number that this survey throws up may not be the complete picture. There might be more unknown and unreported cases of rights violations and power abuses on the part of the Chinese government. John Kamm of Dui Hua Foundation had said the current number could be inconclusive.

Dechen Pemba, editor of High Peaks Pure Earth reported on 1 February 2012 that some very popular privately-run Tibetan language blogs had gone offline. According to Pemba, the offline message on 1 February on the blog site Rangdrol.net said, â•œFor the sake of life, we are mourning and crying.â• But attempts by TCHRD to access the site on 10 February met with a warning/ error message.

Likewise on 10 February, when TCHRD

29 February, 2012 Dharamsala

7

Japanese Supporters Join Global Solidarity Vigil for Tibet in Tokyo

A Japanese priest lead a prayer service for Tibetans suffering repression in Tibet at Gokoku-ji Temple in Tokyo, Japan, on 8 February 2012

By Tibetan Official Media: Tibet Net

Tokyo: - Tibetans and Japanese supporters organised a memorial service to express their solidarity with the Tibetans in Tibet in view of the spate of tragic self-immolations by young Tibetans and the Chinese government's heavy-handed response to the Tibetans' peaceful calls for freedom and human rights in Tibet.

The memorial service, organised by the Office of Tibet at Gokokuji Temple in Tokyo on 8 February, was part of the global solidarity vigil called by the Central Tibetan Administration.

Prayers were offered in both Tibetan and Japanese languages. A candlelight vigil also organised in the evening.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Representative to Japan, Mr Lhakpa Tshoko, and his staff attended the vigil.

Mr Lhakpa Tshoko addressed the gathering about the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibet. He reiterated the Central Tibetan Administration's deep concern over the self-immolation incidents and the Chinese authorities' killing of peaceful Tibetan demonstrators for simply claiming their basic rights. He also reiterated the Central Tibetan Administration's urgent call for support from the international community to press the Chinese government towards resolving the Tibet's problem through dialogue.

tried to reach the blog section of website AmdoTibet, a curt offline notice in Tibetan said the blog was unavailable from 1 February to end of March 2012. But the 1 February notice on the blog, according to Pemba said, ''Due to some of the blog users not publishing in accordance with the goal of this site, the blog has temporarily been shut down, we hope that blog users will have understanding!''

These are just few of the examples of many other Tibetan websites that are shut down frequently by the Chinese authorities to block information and opinions inconvenient to the Chinese government. This state-supported practice to gag Tibetan voice, by arresting and imprisoning their collective spokespersons, steadily contribute toward silencing the conscience of a people.

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Advicer Advicer Editor in Chief Chinese Editor Project Manager Tibetan Editor Assistant Editor Circular Publisher Editor, Tibet Post Europe Designer

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Mr. Thomas Keimel Dr. Vincent Brucel Mr. YC. Dhardhowa Ms. Keary Huang Mathew Singh Toor Mr. Sangay Dorjee Ms. Pema Tso Ven Phuntsok Dhondup Mr. Sonam Sangay Mr. James Dunn Mr. Sangay Dorjee

Contributors for this Editon Keary Huang Mathew Singh Toor Sophie Jay

Carly Selby-James Samuel Ivo Colleen McKown Dane Holding Rajeshwari K YC. Dhardhowa Sangay Dorjee Pema Tso The Tibet Post International Himalayan Literacy Trust (Head Office) 1st Floor, Exile House Road, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, Distt.

Kangra H.P 176219 India

Taiwan India USA Australia UK US US India India India India

Tele: 0091-1892-224641 Moble:+91-9882423566 E-mail: editor@thetibetpost.com www.thetibetpost.com

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29 February, 2012 Dharamsala

TPI

Tibetan PM Dr. Lobsang Sangay Calls for Fact-Finding Mission in Tibet

Tibet's political leader, Dr. Lobsang Sangay was interviewed by Emma Alberice of Lateline, Australian Broadcasting Cooperation (ABC). 21 February 2012. Photo: TPI

By Dane Holding, The Tibet Post

DHARAMSHALA: - In the wake of increasing violence in Tibet, Tibetan Prime Minister Dr. Lobsang Sanjay called for greater actions to be taken by the international community in support of Tibet.

During Dr. Lobsang Sanjay's visit to The United States, he has indicated that he believes that the governments of the world should organize a factfinding committee to enter into Tibet and reveal the human rights abuses being committed there.

"We want the Australian government or the US to send delegations to Tibet as to find out what exactly is happening, why Tibetans are selfimmolating. Why they're protesting, why the repressive policies of the Chinese government is resented by Tibetan people. This kind of factfinding delegation will provide a better light as to what are the main grievances of the Tibetan people, and how best to find solutions," said The Prime Minister in an interview with Australia Broadcasting Corporation's Emma Alberici.

When Alberici asked The Prime Minister if he had appealed to international powers to investigate Tibet, he responded, "Yes, we have

actually, from the Tibetan parliament and [inaudible], and we have written letters to different heads of state urging them, and we have issued open statements to international community to send fact-finding delegation to the United Nations as well - to send special investigator to Tibetan areas, and for journalists to have access to the area so we know exactly what is happening."

He went on to mention that, though representatives of The United States from Chengdu attempted to enter Tibet, they were unable to do so due to Chinese Security Forces.

When Alberici asked about Australia's efforts, she mentioned that China and Australia had close economic ties that may be preventing the Australian government from condemning human rights abuses in Tibet. Despite this, Lobsang Sanjay only had words of praise for Australian Foreign Minister Paul Rudd's human rights record, as well as his willingness to address the Tibetan issue with Chinese dignitaries.

During his trip to The United States, Dr. Lobsang Sanjay has also expressed a great deal of optimism

regarding the Tibetan cause. In both a lecture in Western Connecticut State University and in his interview with Alberici, Lobsang compared the Tibetan cause to other "hopeless" causes like the end of Apartheid in South Africa, the end of the partition of Germany, and Mahatma Gandhi's struggle against the British colonizers.

Despite this, he is quite aware that the situation in Tibet is getting direr with each passing day. "...there is more hardline reaction. [The Chinese are] sending more troops. They're cracking down on more Tibetans and no tourists are allowed now, no journalists are allowed. Even Chinese visitors are discouraged from visiting Tibet. So they're really sealed off," The Prime Minister said in his interview with Alberici.

He expressed further concern that the security may become more intense with The Tibetan New Year and Uprising Day fast approaching, "We are extremely worried as to what kind of hard-line policies and crackdown the Chinese government is going to implement."

He also expressed a great deal of concern over the Chinese reaction to protests and self-immolations, "the local party official in Lhasa has declared quote-unquote ‘war' on protestors and Tibetans. Which government in the world would declare war against their own people?"

When asked about the ballooning number of self-immolations occurred in Tibet, he offered only words of sadness for the self-immolators, "They would choose to die than leave. This is a sad commentary on the failed policies of the Chinese government."

Dr. Lobsang Sanjay is currently visiting the United States, Canada, and European Union over the course of 11 days to spread awareness about Tibet. He is scheduled to return to Dharamshala on March 3.

The Tibet Post

Dr. Lobsang Sangay, Tibet's Political Head Visits America and Europe

Tibet's political leader, Dr. Lobsang Sangay addressing during a special event being held in Dharamshala, India, 15th February 2012. Photo: TPI

By Rajeswhari K, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala, India: In an attempt to spread awareness about the current situation in Tibet, Tibet's political leader Dr. Lobsang Sangay commenced his 11-day official trip to United States, Canada and Europe yesterday.

Amidst various other engagements, he is scheduled to deliver the President's Lecture Series address on ‘Democracy in Exile: The Case for Tibet' at Western Connecticut State University today.

He will be publicly addressing the Tibetans living in New York city and

Toronto on 25th and 26th February respectively and proceed to South Tyrol in Italy on the 27th.

He will meet with official dignitaries the same day and attend various programs at South Tyrol and Trentino for two days.

29th of February will see Dr. Sangay visit Dublin to attend the Gold Medal awarding ceremony by the College Historical Society (CHS) at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

He is scheduled to return to Dharamsala 3 March 2012.

Tibetans To Observe Hunger Strike on Tibetan New Year

Tibetan Protesters Arrested in Nepali Capital Kathmandu

By Dane Holding, The Tibet Post

Kathmandu: - Thirteen Tibetan exiles were arrested at The United Nations building in Kathmandu.

They were appealing to The U.N. to send an investigatory committee into Tibet to explore Chinese human rights abuses.

"This protest is intended to urge The U.N. to pressure the Chinese authorities to stop killing Tibetan protesters," the exiles stated.

According to government statistics, about 20,000 Tibetan refugees live in Nepal. However, thousands more are believed to live in the country as undocumented migrants.

As of late, Nepal has come under increasing pressure from China to crush anti-China or pro-Tibet activities.

The Tibetan Parliametn in exile speaker Mr. Penpa Tsering speaking to media in Delhi during a fast being held in 2011. Photo: TPI/file

By The Tibet Post International

Dharamshala: - Tibetan Parliament in Exile will observe A Day long Solidarity Hunger Strike for the victims of Chinese police firing and Self Immolations in Tibet on the first day of the Tibetan New Year on 22 February 2012.

After the completion of the official ceremony, presides over by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Tsuglha Khang, Dharamsala, the solidarity hunger strike will begin at 10.00am (IST).

Aftermath the series of self immolations inside Tibet, the

Tibetan Parliament in Exile has made several press statements and sent an Open Letter to China's President, Hu Jintao, according to a report published by the Tibetan official media, Tibet Net. In the letter, the Tibetan Parliament expressed deep anguish and concern at the prevailing critical situation inside Tibet.

The program of the Solidarity Fast for the victims of Police firings and Self Immolation in Tibet, which is to be held on the first day of Tibet New Year. More details about the event.