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Page 8 Vol. 01, Issue 36, 28 February 2011

Protests Spread to Libya

B o d - K y i - Cha- Trin

Dharamsala: The northern African nation of Libya has been the latest to join in the pro-democracy protests that have swept the region's Arab governments, as demonstrations broke out overnight in the city of Benghazi, only to be countered by pro-government demonstrations in Syrte, Sebha and the capital city Tripoli.

Continues on Page 7...

Railway will Connect to Shigatse

Critics also accuse China using it's railway: "Designed to Destroy Tibet." Tibetans fear that the Chinese Government will use the railway to further its colonization of Tibet by moving in ever-larger numbers of Chinese settlers and military personnel while transporting out Tibet’s vast natural resources.

Photo: file

www.thetibetpost.com

Rs.5

Tibet's Leader Confident, Tibet Issue Will Be Solved In His Lifetime By

A Libyan man distributes leaflets next to posters, one depicting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, left, during a protest against his rule by activists from the British Libyan Solidarity Campaign, across the street from the Libyan embassy in London, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011.

Photo: AP

Bi-Monthly

Ye-rinne Park, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: In Mumbai last Friday, the political and spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama didn't show a shadow of a doubt concerning the resolution of the Tibetan issue. In answer to a question about whether it would be solved within his lifetime, he asserted: "Of course it will, it definitely will, I am confident it will."

His Holiness underlined the increasing support of Chinese people to the Tibetan cause and presented it as as positive factor for an upcoming resolution. "There are more Chinese people than ever supporting the Tibetan cause", he said.

According to the Times of India, His Holiness asserted that Tibet's long struggle for freedom would soon end. "It is my belief that it will not be a loss for one and triumph for another. It will be a victory for all", he declared after a lecture given at the Mumbai University on the topic of "Ancient Wisdom and Modern Thoughts".

He quoted history and past conflicts in Europe, pinpointing the fact that though Germany and France had been enemies during the world wars, they were now working in unity within the European Union.

Talking about modern China, His Holiness pointed out that "genuine socialism is no longer there",

His Holiness the Dalai Lama waves to the audience before the teachings in Sarnath, India, on January 15th, 2011.

Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

but rather "a communist party without communist ideology. Capitalist communism: this is new". He took the opportunity to allude to "the life of some

The Situation Inside Tibet Today is Very Serious: Tibetan PM

Indian communists and a few leaders of the Indian communist party", which he heard to be "more bourgeois than socialist."

Continues on Page 3

Prayer for Tibet Freedom Fighter

Dharamshala: China has confirmed that the railway connecting Lhasa to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet, will be effective in 2015, according to the Times of India. The $2 billion construction, which started on September 2010, will cover 253 km and Taipei: Tibetans and Taiwanese supporters gathered in the prayer hall of the Tibet office in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan this evening, February 19, to combine their voices in prayer following the tragic death of Tibetan activist and freedom fighter Jigme Norbu on 14th February in Florida. The prayer was led by Jampal Chozin the Buddhist teacher of Tibet Office in Taipei.

Photo: TPI

Continues on Page 4....

XVIth Opera Festival held in Orissa

Taipei: Tibetans and Taiwanese supporters gathered in the prayer hall of the Tibet office in See on Page 8....

Japan Suspends Whale-hunt:

Exiled Tibetan girls from Tibetan Institute Performing Arts offering traditional prayers during the 15th Anniversary of Tibetan Opera Festival, 14th April 2010, Dharamshala, India: Photo: TPI

By Ye-Rinne Park, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: The XVIth Shoton Festival has started in Orissa on Wednesday (16 February) "amidst fanfare and jubilation", reported Tenzin Lhaksam, secretary of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA). More than 230 artists are gathered in Phuntsokling, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in East India to perform Tibetan Opera for one week.

It was held during the first month of the Tibetan calendar, the festival celebrates the coming of spring and plentiful harvests. Also known as the "Yoghurt Festival" outside Tibet (as "sho" means Continues on Page 6.....

Tibetan prime minister speaking to a German reporter in Berlin on 17th February 2011. Photo: TPI

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Berlin: - The Tibetan prime minister Professor Samdhong Rinpoche on February 17th, 2011 Thursday, voiced his deep concern for the current situation in Tibet: "The restrictions imposed after the uprising in 2008 have not been rolled back. In fact, things have gotten worse." At the moment, intellectuals, journalists, authors, and environmental activists are being targeted for political persecution Samdhong Rinpoche during a press conference held by the German Tibet support group Tibet Initiative Deutschland (TID).

Nevertheless, sees no alternative to His Holiness the Dalai Lama's "Middle Way": "We would like to continue the dialogue with the Chinese

leadership. For us, non-violence is not a mere strategy - it is a core belief," he said.

"The situation inside Tibet today is very serious, Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche said when asked to comment on the present situation inside Tibet. 2008 peaceful uprising was forcefully repressed. This repressive measure continues. Tibetans and other minorities are in constant fear. Detention and disappearance are order of the day. Tibetan poets and writers are under attack."

He expressed his admiration for the younger generation of Tibetans. "They have the greatest patience and determination," he said. Only a small Continues on Page 6......

Iceland’s whalers have killed 148 endangered fin whales and 60 minke whales this year, in the very waters where tourists go to marvel at these gigantic creatures. Photo: file

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: The Japanese government has allegedly called an early end to its whaling season in the waters of Antarctica, following harassment by US-based conservation group Continues on Page 9......

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28 February, 2011 Dharamsala

TPI VIEWS & ANALYSIS

China Hunts People like Animals in Tibet: Hu Jintao's Harmony?

Article by YC. Dhardhowa

Mr Bach says the recent violence in Tibet has prompted athletes to consider a Beijing boycott. (AFP Photo)

Dharamshala: Tibet sinks further into suffering and chaos, with Chinese military incursions increasing and nothing being done by the United Nations, United States or European Union or the African and Arab worlds.

And with the rise of Hu Jintao in the Chinese government, the future looks even grimmer.

The killing continues on a daily basis by machine guns and sniper fire, by air and mountain bombardment, and by Chinese undercover teams in civilian clothes sent into Nepalese territory to ambush and murder.

For how long will the international 'community' allow the slaughter to continue? The cruel repression of the occupied territories and of Tibet and western Tibet in particular, is one of the most scandalous in the world today. It is the blackest stain on China's patchy record as a would-be red state.

The situation is all the more urgent, because according to reports from China, something bigger and still more lethal is in sight. Fresh from the indiscriminate slaughter they unleashed on Tibetans - and no doubt eager to erase the memory of that fiasco - Chinese President Hu Jintao, several Ministers, and the chief of military staff, are said to be about to launch a military offensive against mountain barbarians (Tibetan monks and nuns), on a far larger scale than the bombardments and armored incursions of recent weeks and months and of 50 years ago.

They could not hide the crime of murder this time, because of the western iron eye.

Some form of intervention is urgently required, perhaps in the form of an international force on the border between Tibet and China, to protect each side from the other, to allow some air into the Tibet economy, and to bring relief to a humanitarian catastrophe. But how it can happen? How can the UN, the EU and the United States, on whom Tibetans have laid so much faith, not help Tibetans have basic human rights?

European Union, UN and United States - verbally, at least, staunch supporters of a two-state solution must feel a certain sense of guilt at having failed to persuade President Hu Jintao to advance the cause of Tibetan self-determination. By joining Chairman Mao in the invasion and occupation of Tibet, he may have imagined he could persuade the red chairman to advance the Tibetan-

Chinese peace process. He may have thought he had some sort of a deal. He was mistaken. He had not counted on the Soviet Union's pro-Russian neocons, and their influence on Chairman Deng's Tibet-China policy.

Far from reining in the Chinese hawks, messianic settlers, Han-killers and expansionists, Hu Jintao gave them a completely free hand - and continues to do so. This may explain why, addressing their last stand at a Conference 50 years ago, officials resolved to make the Tibetan-Chinese conflict the priority of their remaining time in office. It has been 50 years, but no action has followed these brave words.

Four and a half million Tibetans, 98 percents of them under the poverty line, suffering an unemployment rate of 84 per cent, packed into a narrow strip of a few square kilometers, are being besieged, starved, cut off from the world and having their monasteries bombed on a daily basis, while the EU, UN and World Bank talk about building Tibetan institutions, as a peace zone!

How about stopping the killing first?

Do the UN and the others' words count for nothing?

I have scoured Chinese government websites and have found stirring speeches and statements by the Chinese leaders and other officials about Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Eastern Turkistan, climate change and so forth, but not a word about the ongoing criminal subjugation of Tibet. It has been left just the same as 1959; the UN still describes Tibet as a "Long term Peace Zone".

China has already partially reoccupied so-called Chinese Tibet, as well as the corridors on the Tibetan borders with India and Nepal in an attempt to put an end to cross-border tunneling and smuggling. In the occupied eastern Tibet, the situation is less violent but it is growing and in its own way, is just as desperate. According to UN human rights officials on site in western Tibet, the territory has been fragmented by no fewer than several thousand Chinese military checkpoints, with imprisonments more than doubling, and severe restriction of Tibetan freedom of movement.

Not only has the whole Tibetan territory been chopped up into many regions - TAR, Sichuan, Gangsu, Yunnan province, and so on - but even within these zones Tibetan communities are isolated from each

other, making it very difficult for people to reach their land or gain access to basic services such as health and education. As the economy stagnates and the population suffers, China's mind separation wall continues to gobble up Tibetan land, while hundreds of illegal Chinese settlements enjoy a building boom.

Even more disturbing than the silence from the world at these developments, and the collusion of UNO, is the entry into the Chinese government of Hu Jintao and ministers. With the rise of Hu Jintao in the Chinese government, the future of Tibet looks even grimmer.

Born in China, Hu Jintao came to Tibet, red-eyed and a focussed hunter, in the 1990s. He was named the leader of the TAR province Chinese little bomb ("Tibet our home") far-right political party, composed mainly of Soviet Union immigrants. Best known for having recommended a bloody crackdown on peaceful demonstrations by killing hundreds of Tibetans 1987 and again in 2008, he is an ardent champion of the settlers and opposes any reality construction from the West in Tibetan territory. His solution is the "transfer" of millions of Chinese into Tibet so as to create an ethnically pure country.

He has advocated death for any Buddhist scholars, teachers and Tibetan leaders and freedom fighters who dare to meet members of the UN or EU. In any truly democratic country he would be denounced and shunned as a dangerous fascist.

Instead, the new leader of TAR is to be given the job of formulating Chinese policy regarding the "strategic threat" facing the country - a code word for terrorist activities. As the left-of-centre newspaper China Daily commented: "The choice of the most unrestrained and irresponsible man around for this job constitutes a strategic threat in its own people's rights." In the name of veto power, in the name of the red nation, they or he will spread atomic secrets everywhere, as was done in North Korea.

The fact that Hu Jintao will have access to China's atomic secrets - and will serve in fact as a sort of superdefence in Asia - must be a source of considerable anxiety. With Hu's entry into the government, the Tibet-China confrontation, one of the most dangerous in an already volatile region, will be ratcheted up a notch or two.

Many Chinese people - already a huge disappointment to the Left for Hu's bellicose policies in China and Tibet seem quite happy to sit at the same cabinet table with the notorious racist and 'mountain rat' hater.

With the unfolding murder of Tibetan nuns and children in Himalayan Mountains, in the name of repressing the resurgence as China barks about the Tibetan terrorists in exile, the whole world should be in shock. The Tibetan exile community is a very little group, without even a single arm to hurt others. The world should be thinking about how to moderate China over Tibet; there are huge problems for which no credible solutions have yet been proposed.

The Tibetans continue to bleed, starve and suffer unimaginable humiliations and hardships under China's pitiless rule.

The Tibet Post

China Must be Brought to Justice Over Tibet Crimes

Dharamshala: China's forceful occupation and annexation of Tibet is a major crime against humanity yet it has faced neither global nor international challenge. I believe the issue must be brought before an international tribunal for crimes against humanity; for the ethnic cleansing committed by the communist thugs in China and the fact that no one on the United Nations Security council has come forth in support of this mission. The need to prosecute communist officials in China for crimes against humanity must now be brought to full international public attention.

As a result I have notified several Tibetan organisations regarding my international appeal for more action for the return of the sovereign territory of Tibet. As we all know, it is a unique and historic culture that needs to be preserved, therefore I am encouraging organised international public protest campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and Youtube. I am advocating widespread protests to be held in the major public squares of cities around the world, calling for the return of the sovereign territory of Tibet back to the Tibetan people, focusing on China's human rights violations that have not been publicly addressed by the United Nations as a major crime against humanity.

All global demonstrations and protests should be conducted peacefully and non-violently within the frame work of Tibetan Buddhism, to support and organise the international movement for the call of the return of Tibet. The more the crowd engaged in protest becomes bigger the more of the will of the people across the world will come together and unite, and the will of the communist dictator Hu Jintao will thus be put into the spotlight. His actions will become less meaningless to the average person and more likely to cause the upheaval that is now overdue.

The dictatorial regime in China must cease to have control over Tibet and the focus of the international community must be on the crimes against humanity

the communist regime in China are responsible for. The more fierce the campaign for global justice for crimes against humanity becomes, the more the global political attack on the leadership of the communist party of China will be a manifestation of global interests. Trade organisations will join the movement as they echo the public's concerns for workers' rights and the rights of humanity, and the leadership of the communist government in China will find themselves isolated with no trade partners.

This is a continuing global human rights campaign because it boils down to trade being used to dissimulate the crimes, which then become worker persecution crimes. It should be an on-going campaign. I am advising all trade unions to come out and support the international cause for the return of Tibet; we will persevere from day to day, week to week and move forward whether it takes months or years, until the communist dictatorship in China caves in. That's the only way to free the Tibetan people from the ethnic cleaning that everybody knows is taking place in Tibet, but which they are prevented from seeing clearly.

The message against the communist thugs in China for international justice must be strong, and the will of the international public must be strong, for only then will the prosecution case against the CCP become a reality. It must be strong and forceful and advocate the peaceful return of Tibet; only then will we see the Chinese retreat from Tibetan territory. This is the strong message I am sending out to the international public community; let it clearly state that the communist regime in China must step down and return the sovereign territory of Tibet back to the Tibetan people. Crimes against humanity will and shall be prosecuted in the 21st Century.

Article written by Felix Carrasquillo jr., edited by Carly Selby-James for the Tibet Post International. Felix Carrasquillo Jr., the founder of Phylistic Political Science International.

The views expressed in the articles are that of the author and the publication of the articles on this website do not necessarily reflect the views of The Tibet Post International.

Tibet Leader Sends Condolence Over New Zealand Earthquake

His Holiness Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, speaking world media over 2008 peaceful protest in Tibet. Photo: TPI/File By

3 Tibet Lost Due to Lack of Modern Education: Tibetan Leader

TPI H.H THE DALAI LAMA

The Tibet Post

James Dunn, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: Tibet's political and spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has offered his personal condolences to New Zealand following the earthquake that has ravaged the country. The 6.3 magnitude quake, that struck the city of Christchurch, is the country's biggest disaster in 80 years and has claimed the lives of 75 people.

It is also reported that upwards of 300 people remain missing due to the collapsed buildings. New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key said the quake had "wreaked death and destruction on a dreadful scale" in the country's second biggest city, six

months after a 7.0-magnitude quake hit Christchurch causing much less damage The letter sent by His Holiness to John Key yesterday (22nd February) expressed his shock and sadness on hearing the news of a powerful earthquake that had once again struck Christchurch which he had fond memories of visiting in 1996.

His Holiness also expressed his deeply felt condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for the well-being of those who have been injured or lost their homes, with the hope that normal life is restored soon.

Tibet's Leader Returns to Dharamshala

By YC.Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: The younger Tibetans must work hard in their studies, particularly to put more efforts in studying Buddhism said Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 10 February in Jodhpur while emphasising the need for efforts in learning both traditional and modern education among the Tibetan community.

His Holiness also emphasised the need to excel in modern education. "We lost our country mainly due to the lack of modern education, so there should be no further negligence in this field. The parents should do their best to give education to their children," said His Holiness while addressing the exile Tibetan community in Jodhpur, according to Tibetan government official media; Tibet Net. His Holiness recounted the events which forced the Tibetan people to become refugees. "Around 52 years have passed since we became refugees. We did not become refugees not because of some illegal activities committed by us in Tibet or due to some natural calamity. It was rather because of a force imposed on us by a foreign power that made us refugees when situation became desperate in 1959."

His Holiness said the Tibetan people living inside Tibet have maintained their determination and courage. "This was proved by their peaceful protests across Tibet against the government of the People's Republic of China. The Tibetan people living in the free countries are also putting efforts on behalf their brethren in Tibet," said Tibet Net. His Holiness thanked the government and people of Rajasthan for their pledge to support the Tibetans doing winter business in the state for their livelihoods.

The Tibetan community presented a memento to His Holiness the Dalai Lama

28 February, 2011 Dharamsala

as a symbol of their deep gratitude and reverence. Over 400 people, including 300 Tibetans and members of the IndoTibetan Friendship Society, attended the address by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Earlier in the programme, His Holiness offered souvenirs to Maharaja Gaj Singh, the erstwhile ruler of Jodhpur, Chandresh Kumari, Member of Parliament, and the city mayor. In his address, the mayor expressed gladness to get the opportunity to invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Jodhpur.

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a renowned figure throughout the world and his deeds are highly praised by people in all parts of the world. "The

In her address, Chandresh Kumari, a member of the Jodhpur's royal family and the member of Indian Parliament, said: " I was fortunate enough to be able to meet and receive the blessings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama during the past 42 years of stay in Dharamshala." Ms Chandresh Kumari praised His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his remarkable service in promoting India's rich tradition of non-violence and ethics.

On behalf of the Indian community, Maharaja Gaj Singh expressed happiness to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama in their locality. "Many amongst the local Indian people have

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with former ruler of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh (2nd L) during a programme in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in western India. Photo: Tibet Net

Nobel Peace Prize conferred on him is only a small acknowledgment in comparison his remarkable service to the world," he said. "I have a firm belief that Tibet will accomplish freedom during the lifetime of the present His Holiness the Dalai Lama," he added.

never seen His Holiness the Dalai Lama, except in television and newspapers.

Today, we feel very proud and happy to meet you here." He said the local people prefer to buy garments being sold by the Tibetan community owing to their good quality and reasonable prize.

'World Should Emulate India's Religious Harmony and Non-violence'

By Tibetan Official Media: Tibet Net

His Holiness Dalai Lama returns to Dharamshala Photo:TIP/Flie

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday morning along Temple Road in Dharamshala, India, to welcome His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as his car drove, escorted by security, up to the main temple. His return marked the end of a twenty oneday tour in South India during which he inaugurated the memorial of the late

Sri S Nijalingappa in Karnataka and the Rato monastery in the Doeguling Tibetan settlement in Mundgod, and gave several religious discourses in various cities.

Following his arrival in Dharamshala His Holiness presided over a ceremony of new arrivals, welcoming Tibetans into the exile community.

Tibet Issue Will Be Solved........................

Describing Indians as "gurus" and Tibetans as "chelas" (disciples), His Holiness also told the Indian public that "essentially we (Tibetans) learn from you." He added though that "the caste system, dowry, discrimination, these may be a part of your tradition

but it is outdated, and must change.

The youth must change some of these... From your chela this is constructive criticism. Sometimes you are little bit lazy. You must be more hardworking, with full self-confidence to work hard."

Dharamshala: - The spiritual and political of Tibet and Tibetan people, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on Friday described non-violence and religious harmony as two treasures of India, and said people across the world should learn from these principles.

"Non-violence and religious harmony are the two treasures of India. I feel people should learn religious harmony and non-violence from India. The country is a role model for others for non-violence and religious harmony," His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, addressing a discourse on 'Ancient Wisdom, Modern Thought' at the University of Mumbai.

"Several international personalities are inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's principles of non-violence and harmony, which were born in India. It has been appreciated and accepted all over the world by leaders like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. They have understood India's values," His Holiness told a packed university auditorium.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama appreciated the communal harmony of India, saying that it is the biggest democratic and secular country.

"The constitution of this country holds

His Holiness the Dalai Lama receives a memento from Mumbai University, India, on 18 February 2011. Photos: Tibet Net, Jigme Tsering

the sacred word of secularism which asks for respecting all the communities and religions," said His Holiness.

"India needs to spread such sacred ideologies to the entire world for good.

And universities are the places where this spreading of thoughts can be started. Educationists should take a lead while involving students with these thoughtful ideologies of the ancient India leaders," he said.

Pointing out the responsibility of a university, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said it is the responsibility of teachers to put right values in the minds of

today's youth.

His Holiness also asked the youth of the country to play an active role in the promotion of non-violence and religious harmony.

Expressing concern over global warming, His Holiness said, "Global warming poses a real danger to mankind and could become a reason for flooding and mud slides across Asia".

Maharashtra Minister for Higher and Technical Education Rajesh Tope and Vice-Chancellor of the University Dr Rajan Welukar were present on the occasion.

4

The Tibet Post TPI INTERNATIONAL China Calls for Renewed US Top Official Discusses Fight Against His Holiness China-Tibet Talk Process the Dalai Lama with Tibetan Leader 28 February, 2011 Dharamsala

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee, addresses the opening ceremony of 10th Congress of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) in Beijing, capital of China on Nov. 17, 2007. Photo: File

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: According to a report from state controlled media 'Xinhua,' a top Chinese Communist Party official has called for a renewed fight against Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama's influence, as well as strengthened controls over Tibetan Buddhism.

The official Jia Qinglin's comments come weeks ahead of the 52nd Tibet National Uprising Day, and the 3rd anniversary of the most widespread uprising against Chinese rule by Tibetans in decades, which occurred in the lead-up to the 2008 unrest in Tibet.

China blamed the exiled spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama for fomenting the disturbances on March 14, 2008 which saw protest against Chinese rule, in Tibet's

capital, Lhasa. But, the protesting Tibetans, including Buddhist monks from the Jokhang Temple of Lhasa clearly told world media that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning His Holiness Dalai Lama and exile government were not behind the mass demonstrations that also spread to all parts of Tibet.

"The fight against the Dalai Lama clique must be continued and deepened while each task in maintaining stability must be circumspectly deployed," and "issues related to Tibetan Buddhism must be handled well," Jia was quoted by the state controlled media Xinhua as telling party officials at a meeting Thursday.

Officials must "create a positive environment for development" in Tibet and Tibetan regions of the four

neighboring provinces, the ruling Communist Party's fourth-highest ranking official, Jia claimed.

Jia also claimed the 'enhancement of ethnic unity, improved social management, and maintenance of social harmony' as reasons for the proposed crackdown, suspected to be an attempt to prevent another round of protest like the one in March 2008.

Jia's remarks reflect China's twopronged approach toward Tibet that combines pumping in funds to boost incomes while tightening controls over religious and political dissent.

The Tibetan side says one of the fundamental points that the Chinese officials fail to acknowledge is the fact that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is sincere and serious in his efforts to find a solution within the framework of the People's Republic of China, through his Middle Way Approach.

"The Middle Way Approach is a way to peacefully resolve the issue of Tibet and to bring about stability and co-existence between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples, based on equality and mutual co-operation," Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, Special Envoy of H.H. the Dalai Lama remarked on November 24, 2010, at the Institute of South Asian Studies, Singapore.

However, China accuses His Holiness the Dalai Lama of seeking to separate Tibet from China, despite his claims to be working only for a higher degree of autonomy under Chinese rule.

China says Tibet has been a part of its territory for at least four centuries, while Tibetans say Tibet was a fully functioning and independent state before the Chinese invasion. It threatened none of its neighbours, fed its population unfailingly, year after year, with no help from the outside world, and owed nothing to any country or international institution.

China's invasion of Tibet was led by the Communist Party of dictator Mao Zedong in the year the party took over China in 1949.

China Official Eyes Nazi 'Database' Idea eruption could occur in China and threaten Communist rule if not supressed quickly and forcefully. The country's uneven economic development has been one of the factors contributing to discontent, with rising food prices and a 4.9% inflation rate coupled with stagnant wages and poverty among rural populations causing long-term problems.

According to the Chinese government there have been a staggering 90 000 'mass incidents' - of public unrest, in other words - every year since 2007. Official figures published last year show that the government has spent almost as much on maintaining internal order as on defence.

Dharamshala: US Ambassador to New Delhi, India, Timothy J. Roemer Thursday (24th of February) met the political and spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The two discussed various issues including the dialogue process between Tibetans and China and global issues, such as environment and the recent situation in Middle East and Arab.

Roemer and his wife Sally, who reached Dharamshala on Wednesday afternoon for a two-day visit, flew back to Delhi after

the talks. Talking to reporters at Gaggal airport prior to his departure, Roemer said the meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama was "the first time in many years by a US ambassador".

Asked what transpired during the meeting, he said the dialogue process between Chinese government and the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai lama, which came to a standstill after the ninth round of talks held in January last year, were among the "many important issues"

US Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer Thursday (24th of February) meeting with students from TCV, Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI

By The Tibet Post International

that came under discussion.

"The US had asked China to continue the dialogue process on Tibet issue with envoys of Dalai Lama," he said and added that the US was very much concerned about human rights of Tibetan people.

"The talks were most engaging and most productive," Roemer said. The Dalai Lama's office did not comment in detail on Roemer's visit, but was upbeat over the "positive" outcome of the morning meeting that lasted for more than an hour, the Tibetan spiritual leader's private secretary, Chimme Choekyappa, told IANS: "It was very good".

Refusing to comment officially on the role of the US regarding resumption of talks between the Dalai Lama's envoys and Beijing, he said the meeting was focused on various global issues. "Of course, environment and recent socio-political conditions in Middle East and North Africa were among the major issues. His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed concern over recent incidents of violence," Choekyappa said.

According to a report of JANS, sources in His Holiness the Dalai Lama's office said only close aides of the Nobel laureate were present during the meeting. Tenzin Taklha, joint secretary at His Holiness the Dalai Lama's office, said: "It was just a courtesy call. Issues of common interest

were discussed."

A senior official in His Holiness the Dalai Lama's office said the visit was part of periodic contacts between the US government and the Tibetan leaders. He said the aim was also to encourage a dialogue between Beijing and the spiritual leader's envoys.

Roemer was the third among high-level US officials to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama since March 2008 when the US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi came to meet the spiritual leader.

His visit also comes less than two years after a high-level group led by White House advisor Valerie Jarrett visited this town to apprise the Nobel laureate and his functionaries on the best way the US could assist in the resolution of the Tibetan issue.

After reaching Dharamshala on Wednesday, Roemer inaugurated a newly founded refugee reception centre, a transit home for Tibetan refugees, on the outskirts of this town, which was funded by the US government. He met highranking officials of the Tibetan government-in-exile, including prime minister Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who believes in the "middle-way" policy that demands "genuine autonomy" for the people of Tibet, but Chinese government accuses His Holiness the Dalai Lama of seeking independence for Tibet.

A military present in Shanghai on 20 February 2011. Photo: AP

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: Zhou Yongkang, China's official in charge of the state security apparatus, spoke at a seminar at the weekend urging senior officials to improve 'social management' and to 'detect conflicts and problems early on', says state media outlet Xinhua.

In the hours leading up to Sunday's failed 'Jasmine Uprising', police in Shanghai detained several known activists and lawyers to rule out the possibility of them participating in the protest, which failed to draw large crowds due to government censorship

of the internet and a large police presence in the streets.

Mr Zhou is one part of the nine-man politburo Standing Committee and is responsible for maintaining law and order in the country. He recently suggested that the government create a centralised data-base of Chinese citizens, and use it to collect and record information, an idea with which scary comparisons can be drawn to the citizen surveillance policies of Nazi Germany.

China's autocratic ruling party has been worried by recent protests in the MiddleEast and North Africa, fearing a similar

China's Railway will Connect Lhasa to Shigatse by 2015

By Ye-Rinne Park, The Tibet Post

pass through five counties. Both passengers and goods are expected to be carried on the new line.

According to the official news agency Xinhua, the freight capacity of the railway will be of 8.3 million tonnes a year. A report recently presented the extension of the railway network and the airport inaugurated in Shigatse in November, as "vital" in "boosting tourism and accelerating the transport of natural resources". The 1956 km line, which has

linked Golmud (Qinhai) to the capital of Tibet since 2006, has already accelerated a number of mining projects, including the massive Yulong copper mine.

Many Tibetans however believe that investments from Chinese authorities primarily benefit Han Chinese migrants.

The controversial railway is also criticised as a threat to the fragile environment, and decribed as a way to speed up the "Sinofication" of the Tibetan plateau.

Besides the extension to Shigatse, a city also known as the traditional seat of the

Panchen Lama, the railway network is also expected by Chinese authorities to reach places near the borders of Nepal and Sikkim, India by the year 2017.

Critics also accuse China using it's Railway: "Designed to Destroy Tibet."

Tibetans fear that the Chinese Government will use the railway to further its colonization of Tibet by moving in ever-larger numbers of Chinese settlers and military personnel while transporting out Tibet's vast natural resources.

TPI TIBET

The Tibet Post

28 February, 2011 Dharamsala

5

China Steps-up Religious Tibetan Official Briefs Australian MPs on Tibet Environment Issues Restrictions Inside Tibet

By Tibetan government official media

Chinese armed military forces in front of the main square of the Jokhang temple in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet on 13th January 2011. Photo: TPI

By James Dunn, The Tibet Post

London: China is set to announce a new constraint on Buddhist practising in Tibet, with a barring of Buddhist monks outside of China to be recognized as a reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The ban, set to be made law next month would effectively permit the Chinese government to select the future Dalai Lama.

The new law stipulates that Buddhist monks in Tibet must seek permission from Chinese communist regime for reincarnation has been described by Chinese state administration for religious affairs as an important move to "institutionalize management of reincarnation".

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has made it clear in recent months that the next Dalai Lama will be born and receive religious training in a safe and free environment outside of China. As the new law stands, however, it would seem that two Dalai Lama's would emerge, one Communist state backed and the other religiously supported.

This is not the first time the Chinese government has created limitations to reincarnations, in September 2007, the State Administration for Religious Affairs passed a directive stating, "The so-called reincarnated living Buddha without government approval is illegal and invalid." The same law also stated that the 14th Dalai Lama could play no part in the process of seeking and recognizing a living Buddha.

Reacting to the development, de facto Prime Minister of Tibet, Samdhong Rinpoche, has accuses China of, "formulating various methods to finish the two major Tibetan religious institutions-Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama as these two were very important for Tibetans."

"The new Chinese law is nothing but a ploy to take control of Tibetan religious institutions. He said that China was perhaps waiting for the departure of the Dalai Lama as it believed that his departure would resolve the problem of Tibet itself," he added.

Canberra: The head of Environment and Development Desk at Department of Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Mr Tenzin Norbu, met with members of the Australian All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet (AAPGT) and briefed two Australian parliamentary committees on Tibet's environmental issues in Canberra on 10 February.

This was the first time in Australian parliament to discuss Tibetan environmental issues. The meetings were organised by Australia Tibet Council, which works closely with the AAPGT in political lobbying in the Australian parliament. Mr Norbu's visit to Australia was organised by Tibetan Information Office in Canberra as a part of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 75th birthday celebration.

The Australian All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet has currently 28 members out of the 226 parliamentarians from both houses of the parliament, and has grown in size and activity in the last few years. During his meeting with seven members of the AAPGT, Mr Norbu raised environmental concerns on the Tibetan plateau such as forced removal of nomads from their grasslands and exploitation of natural resources by the Chinese government. He also discussed the importance of Tibet as the third pole and as the water tower of Asia. He was able to offer suggestions on how the Australian government can help to protect the Tibetan environment including providing guidance to the Chinese policy makers in making the

right choice of policies to help restore the grasslands and the nomadic communities.

He later briefed on the same issues with members of the Human Rights Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade and House Committee of Climate Change, Environment and the Arts. Apart from these three formal meetings, he met privately with a Greens

From left: Mr Paul Brauke, President of Australia Tibet Council, Mr Tenzin Norbu, head of the CTA's Environment and Development Desk and Mr Ngodup Gyaltsen, an official at the Office of Tibet in Australia, during a meeting in Canberra, Australia. Photo: Tibet Net

senator and the international adviser to the leader of the Greens Party.

During his visit to Canberra, Mr Norbu also met with a social scientist who has done extensive research on the Tibetan environment for the last six years.

Mr Tenzin Norbu also travelled to Melbourne for a presentation organised by the Australia Tibet Council under the auspices of Victoria Naturally Alliance.

Front-cover of Tibet's Forgotten Heroes.

Photo: TPI By birgit van de Wijer, Author of Tibet's Forgotten Heroes

Dharamshala: Tibet's Forgotten Heroes.

The Story of Tibet's Armed Resistance against China is a unique historical document on Tibetan resistance to Chinese oppression. For the very first time since the events, forty-eight stories by Tibetan warriors involved in the struggle for freedom are given unabridged,

creating a vivid and emotional spectrum of events in Tibet since 1949.

The author, Birgit van de Wijer, has been careful to provide an honest transcription of the interviews, acting only as a 'service hatch'.

The book with stories of these surviving ancient freedom fighters, by now at high age, presents for future generations a first hand and multi-angled view on one of the most tragic periods in the history of Tibet.

The first hand interviews as well as the translation into English were conducted by native Tibetans. The book is the result of a two years work with dozens of Tibetans involved.

Tibet's Forgotten Heroes. The Story of Tibet's Armed Resistance against China.

A highly emotive collection of first hand accounts of the struggle to resist Chinese oppression in Tibet.

by Birgit van de Wijer www.amberleybooks.com or available on www.amzon.com From the same Author: Child Exodus from Tibet (2006, translated in French and Dutch - www.childexodus.org) and to be published soon: Escape to Freedom. The Dangerous Trek of Tibetan Youth. (Paljor Publications, 2011)

for follow up. Several expressed the wish that there be more such briefings and visits, since the environment movement in Australia is quite well developed, but not well aware of Tibet.

Mr Norbu also was interviewed by the editor of the bimonthly magazine Habitat, the flagship of the Australian Conservation Foundation, due to feature EDD and its work in its May 2011 issue.

Many People Around the World Unaware of the Tibet Issue

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

"Tibet's Forgotten Heroes", Latest Book Released

Mr Norbu provided a powerpoint briefing on the many environmental problems facing Tibet, focusing particularly on nomad displacement, hydropower dams and melting glaciers.

The audience of 95 people, mostly members of environmental NGOs, were shocked at the many difficulties Tibet faces, and asked what they could do.

Many of those attending the presentation left their e-mail addresses

Dharamshala: - The sad truth today is that many people around the world are unaware of the Tibetan issue or of the plight of Tibetan refugees fleeing Chinese torture. Despite campaigns in many countries aimed at raising awareness, not enough is being done to inform people. I spoke to writer and Tibet Exile Project founder Tammy Winand this week about her experiences with the exile community in Dharamsala and the Tibetan cause, and we discussed what more could be done.

It is surprising in other countries to see just how many people are curious about Tibet, and how little they seem to know.

From Tammy's experience in the United States, she says that "around 90% of people had no idea that there even existed an ‘exile-community'," and that many people were blown away to hear some of the harrowing tales of Tibetan refugees.

"Many people would just be like ‘wow, she's hanging out and having tea with someone who was tortured for thirteen years', they were so blown away, they just don't know," she explained, adding that her main goal now is to spark an interest in Tibetan culture itself, so that people will be encouraged to find out more on their own.

Everyday Exile Project is a website set up by Tammy as a platform for Tibetans in exile to share their stories. Here in Dharamshala, Tammy is involved in conversation classes at the Guchusum

Tammy Winand and her student at Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI

Movement of Tibet for former Tibetan political prisoners, and says that many in the centre have permanent disabilities as a result of Chinese beatings and torture, suffering from physical mutilation and badly healed broken bones as well as other conditions such as memory and hearing loss, usually caused by beatings to the head.

Another condition that many of the refugees suffer from is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In our interview, Tammy recalled a heart-wrenching afternoon spent with a Tibetan friend that left her in tears. During a conversation the young man seemed to drift away in his mind and began staring at his scarred wrists, reliving the horror of the handcuffs that inflicted the injuries and the torture he suffered for thirteen years in Chinese custody. As his fingers ran over the damaged tissue he looked up at Tammy and asked, "What is the word for this?" When she gave him the English word he replied with "yes, scars. This is what the Chinese did", and began telling the haunting story behind his wounds.

His experiences and the torture he suffered at the hands of the Chinese must have been traumatic to recount, but in the end it was Tammy who was brought to tears. "It's so incredible that after all he'd been through, when I started crying all he kept saying was, ‘are you okay?

Do you need anything?' Before I knew it he was offering me cookies, and I just thought, ‘you're the one who has been through all of this, and yet you're the one comforting me.' It was amazing."

There is an aspect of Tibetan culture that hinders the Tibetan cause: humility. The Tibetan people are so humble and giving that they hesitate to stand up and share their story with others. People are reluctant to speak out and put their voice above the others in their community.

What they don't realise is that this is the only way to make their voices heard by the international public, who still remains largely unaware of the situation in Tibet after all these years.

Tammy, like many others who have been fortunate enough to have contact with Tibetan people, has been swept away by their warm and giving nature, and asserts that "It's really moving to know that after everything they've lost they still haven't lost their humanity. That's why it's so important for their culture to be preserved".

The trouble is that people don't know about it and they want to know, but they don't know where to look. They're curious about Tibet, but they know Continues on Page 10

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28 February, 2011 Dharamsala

TPI TIBET IN EXILE

The Tibet Post

Late Jigme Norbu's Brother, Tibetan Parliament Expresses Solidarity Sons to Carry on his Mission with Jigme Norbu's Family

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post YC.

Kunga, Tenzin and Jensen Norbu at press conference. Photo: TPI

By Chime Tenzing, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - February 23: Family, friends and the public gathered at Bloomington City Hall to hear late Jigme Norbu's family speak for the first time since loosing him in an accident on 14th February. The family vowed to carry on his mission from where Jigme left off.

The Norbu family bowed, honoring their late fallen hero. "Such a tragic loss but then out of the loss there's so much good. So much, because now I hope other Tibetans will step up and won't let this dream die. We won't let this dream die, but now others will step up and say we need to do something," said his brother Kunga Norbu.

Two of Jigme Norbu's sons and his brother Kunga plan to continue the walk Wednesday through Saturday in Florida . "These two right here, along with me, we're going to go many places,"

said Kunga.

The Herald Times of Bloomington reported that 13-year-old Tenzin and 9year-old Jensen Norbu will walk, but their 6-year-old brother won't make the walk due to his age.

The family trio will complete Norbu's incomplete walk to bring attention to the campaign for freedom in Chinesecontrolled Tibet , picking up from where Jigme Norbu died last week in Florida.

The 45-year-old Jigme Norbu was struck and killed by a sport utility vehicle (SUV) Feb. 14, about 25 miles (40 kilometres) south of St. Augustine . It happened on the first day of a 300-mile (480-kilometre) walk.

Norbu was a Bloomington native and was deeply involved in the movement to free Tibet . His family plans to have a memorial service on 1st March at Bloomington City Hall .

Dharamshala: The Tibetan Parliamentin-Exile has expressed solidarity with the family of Tibetan freedom fighter, the late Jigme Norbu, son of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's late brother Taktser Rinpoche.

"The Standing Committee of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile" has sent a letter of condolence to Taktser Rinpoche's wife, Mrs. Kunyang Norbu, to share their sadness over the demise of the Tibetan freedom fighter who was killed in a road accident on 14 February - Monday along the side of a Florida highway during a 300-mile "Walk for Tibet". Mr. Topgyal, the secretary of the Tibetan parliament in exile also told Tibet online TV that the committee had sent a letter to the family of the late Norbu and expressed its solidarity with his family.

In his condolence letter dated 16 February, Mr. Penpa Tsering, speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, said that "The Standing Committee of the Tibetan Parliament in exile express its deep appreciation for the services that the late Jigmey Norbu has dedicated to bring awareness to the continuing struggle of the Tibetan people."

"At last, the dedication of his life was made to this last struggle movement, a 300-mile "Walk for Tibet", was rendered to the Tibet cause in following his late

father Taktser Rinpoche, and we offer our prayers for peace for the departed soul."

Tibetan communities around the world organised prayer ceremonies to mourn the loss of a Tibetan freedom fighter who was a patriot in following in the

Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in-Exile, Mr Penpa Tsering. Photo: TPI/File

attention and awareness to the continuing struggle of the Tibetan people to gain their independence from communist China.

The "Tibet Walk" has made him a hero to thousands of Tibetans around the world. Norbu was struck by a car during

considers the timing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's planned resignation to be consistent with his plans for democratic reform. It will strengthen the government and the new prime minister who will be elected on March 20th, 2011.

The Tibetan prime minister Samdhong Rinoche's visit with politicians in Berlin was organized by TID. "We demand strong support from our politicians for the legitimate rights of the Tibetan people and open lines of communication with their democratically elected representatives in exile," said Wolfgang Grader, chairman of the TID. TID founded in 1989, advocates for the Tibetan people's right to selfdetermination and the protection of human rights in occupied Tibet. With 60 regional groups and nearly 2,000 members througout Germany, the TID is a strong voice for Tibet. Primary funding for the TID comes from membership dues and private, individual donations.

XVIth Tibetan Opera Festival.... "curd", and "ton", "festival" in Tibetan), the popular event carries a long and still enigmatic history.

According to TIPA, "there exist two main theories to explain the origins of the Shoton (...), derived from two historical events surrounding the Drepung monastery." One of them, "the

more factual and supported by written accounts", links the event with the opening ceremony of Drepung monastery in 1416. The celebration took place at the same time with the the monks' summer retreat, when "all the nomadic people had plentiful stocks of dairy products. The curd, being white

the first day of a 300-mile walk. The walk was the latest in a journey that had seen the 45-year-old activist log more than 7,800 miles on foot and bicycle in the U.S. and overseas to support Independence for Tibet and highlight the suffering of its people.

Tibetan Prayers for Tibet Freedom Fighter Jigme Norbu

Dharamshala: Several hundred people gathered at the main Buddhist temple in India's Hiamalayan town of McLeod Ganj this morning, February 16, to combine their voices in prayer following the tragic death of Tibetan activist and freedom fighter Jigme Norbu on Monday in Florida.

The ceremony was attended by people of all ages, from the young to the elderly, and attracted Indian as well as Tibetan

lay people and many monks. Throughout the ceremony cups of tea and Tibetan bread were distributed by monks and volunteers to the chanting crowd, while the traditional white scarves were laid in the temple over the statue of the Buddha.

It is thought that more people may have attended if it hadn't been cold and raining heavily.

Also present was Tibetan activist and writer Tenzin Tsundue, who sat at the back of the crowd and read from his

prayer-book. When asked about the significance of the ceremony, he answered "This is our appreciation of his work, and we find solidarity with him.

With Dharamsala being at the centre of the Tibetan exile community, it's very important for us (to have this here)".

"For us, the legacy of his work, and of his father's work, is very important. It's a strong reminder of his legacy and our struggle for independence," he continued, adding that for those in the free world the reality of freedom is often taken for granted.

Jigme Norbu was the son of the eldest brother of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Thubten Jigme Norbu (the reincarnation of Taktser Rinpoche), also an activist for the Tibetan cause. He was killed in a car accident on Monday 14th February as he set out on the last leg of his 'Walk for Tibet' in Florida, in the United States.

Mr. Tsundue also expressed the sadness felt by many at the fact that Jigme, like his father and so many others, did not get to see the return of a free and independent Tibet within their lifetime: "It's a long struggle, many people have died. The struggle will continue and there will be independence. We will see many deaths but the struggle for Tibetan independence will continue."

in color, represents auspiciousness.

During the Drepung ceremony, they served the sho to all the monks.

Therefore, this particular day is called Shoton."

The Drepung Shoton also became a Tibetan Shoton through the efforts of the Tibetans in exile, after Chinese authorities destroyed Drepung monastery and began to lead a policy against Tibetan culture and tradition.

The revival of the Shoton is described

as a way to fight against the loss of this rich heritage and to highlight a strong cultural identity.

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself has specially advised the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts to establish a separate body that would work towards revival of Tibetan opera and also in organizing the Shoton Opera Festival in various settlements, other than Dharamshala, the hub of Tibetan exile community", says Tenzin Lhaksam,

quoting Sonam Choephel Shosur, Director of TIPA. During the annual celebration, organized

by TIPA and supported by the Heinrich Boell Foundation (Germany), artists perform various opera stories on an open stage with public all around and musicians accompanying their songs and dances with drums and cymbals.

This year, seven opera associations among the nine opera companies in exile are taking part in the festival.

The Situation Inside Tibet Today............ percentage of the youth talk about violence but so far, no individual have advocated violence.

The Tibetan prime minister also gave his view on the future resignation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama: „At some point, the Tibetan people must learn to govern themselves without the support of the Dalai Lama", said the Tibetan prime minister. He further explained that, considering the progressing process of democratization of the Tibetan community in exile, His Holiness the Dalai Lama's announcement should be taken very seriously.

Professor Samdhong Rinpoche also made clear that in large part the Tibetan people want the Dalai Lama to remain as their political leader: "We received hundreds of petitions calling on His Holiness the Dalai Lama to stay in his position as leader of the Tibetan People". The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile echoed the sentiment. Nevertheless, Professor Samdhong Rinpoche

footsteps of his illustrious father on his travels and walks, seeing what his father did for Tibet.

Norbu had done several other similar walks, including a 900-mile trek in 2009 from Indiana to New York. Norbu, 45, was in the midst of a walk to bring

Tibetans in Dharamshala, India on 16th February 2011 holding a prayer ceremony for Jigme Norbu, who passed away during a Tibet walk event in Florida, US on 14th February 2011.

Photo: TPI

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

TPI INTERNATIONAL

The Tibet Post

Ambassador Roemer Greeted

by Tibetan Refugees in Dharamshala

On 24 February, U.S. Ambassador to India, Timothy J. Roemer, inaugurated a new Tibetan Refugee Reception Center , funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement between the State Department and the Tibet Fund, a U.S.-based non-government organization that works to preserve the Tibetan identity in exile. Photo: TPI

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: US Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer continued his twoday visit to Dharamshala today (Thursday), accompanied by his wife, inaugurating a new Tibetan Refugee Reception Centre in this small Himalayan town of India.

Ambassador Roemer was greeted by a congregation of more than 100 newlyarrived refugees from Tibet, as well as senior members of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), upon arrival at the new centre built to accommodate 500 people at a time.

The centre was funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement between the State department and Tibet Fund, a USbased NGO that aims to help preserve Tibetan culture in exile, and also receives services and financial support from the CTA. A metal plaque unveiled at the new facility reads: "Tibetan Reception Center Complex. Funding provided by the United States Government.

Inaugurated by Honorable Timothy J. Roemer, U.S. Ambassador to India".

It is the arrival point for many Tibetans fleeing Chinese oppression, who often spend weeks travelling to Dharamshala via mountain passes in the Himalayas and then through Nepal, where they are received by the Kathmandu Tibetan Refugee Transit Centre, operating under the auspices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Following the inauguration, the Ambassador is scheduled to have an audience with H.H. the Dalai Lama at

his residence, after which he will visit the Tibetan Children's Village (TCV) in Lower Dharamshala. The Village, home to many Tibetan orphans and children separated from their parents, aims to ensure that all children under its care receive a sound education and maintain their cultural identity.

The journey out of Tibet is long and dangerous and has been undertaken by tens of thousands of refugees since His Holiness the Dalai Lama's escape into exile in 1959. Recently, there have been reports of refugees being handed over

by Nepalese immigration to Chinese officials, sparking accusations that Nepal has been giving in to pressure from the Chinese government.

Once in Dharamshala all arrivals receive an audience with the Tibetan leader, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, before being resettled by the CTA into schools, monasteries and cultural institutions in Tibetan communities around India.

The US government has also pledged some financial support for the CTA's new Settlement Revitilisation Plan, which aims to redress some of the issues created by 50 years of large-scale Tibetan immigration to Nepal and India.

It was only a matter of days ago the US Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria Otero, who also serves as US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, visited Nepal. On her agenda was a trip to the Transit Centre in Kathmandu, and a discussion with government officials about Tibetan issues.

Anti-Regime Protests Spread to Libya

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

According to online news reports the demonstrations were the result of anger over the arrest of Fathi Terbil, a lawyer and outspoken government critic involved in the alleged 1996 massacre of prisoners of Tripoli's Abu Slim jail, and more recently with the families of 14 people killed during a 2006 Islamist rally in the city of Benghazi.

The crowd voiced their discontentment with rising living costs, corruption and the nation's autocratic government, shouting slogans such as "The people will end the corruption" and "The blood of the martyrs will not be in vain."

President Muammar Gaddafi, who has ruled the country since overthrowing a Western-backed monarchy in 1969, now faces the possibility of nationwide protests on Thursday after calls for

action were made on the internet.

Police dispersed the crowds using tear gas, water canons and rubber bullets, however state television later showed pro-Gaddafi demonstrations taking place in Benghazi as well as in other cities.

Libya is situated between Tunisia and Egypt, which have both seen massive demonstrations leading to the ousting of their respective leaders. Antigovernment protests have also been seen in recent days in Yemen, Bahrain and Iran.

The domino-like effect of the outbursts has toppled seemingly unshakable regimes and has worried other governments in the region, as well as in China, where news of unrest in Egypt was heavily censored.

28 February, 2011 Dharamsala

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US Envoy Timothy Roemer to Meet with Tibet Leader

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: The US Ambassador to India, Timothy J. Roemer, is set to arrive in Dharamshala later today (Wednesday) for a two-day visit which will include a meeting with Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Roemer has been declared a Himachal Pradesh State guest, and as such will be greeted by officials of the Tibetan government-in-exile, including Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche, in a ceremonial welcome upon his arrival at Kangra airport. He is accompanied on the trip by his wife.

Later today the Ambassador will attend the inauguration of a new reception centre for Tibetan refugees in Lower Dharamshala, and tomorrow he will pay a visit to a Tibetan school for children before having an audience with His Holiness, whom he met once before in Delhi.

During their meeting the pair are expected to discuss issues relating to Tibet and Tibetan exiles, with the Dalai Lama's private secretary Chimme Choekyapa affirming "Everything is positive. The outcome will also be positive."

Dharamshala has seen several high-level visits by officials over the past three years, from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in March 2008, to a group visit in 2009 led by White House advisor Valerie Jarrett, accompanied by US State Dept.

special coordinator for Tibetan issues, met with Tibetan officials earlier this month in India, Nepal and Bhutan to review the 'specific challenges' faced by exiled Tibetans in the region.

Roughly 140,000 Tibetans are now living

US Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer meets His Holiness The Dalai Lama after his address on " The Art of Happiness in Troubled Times" during Hindustan Times Leadership Summit at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi. Photo: FIle

Under Secretary Marie Otero.

Otero, who is also the US government's

in exile, with over 100,000 of them residing in India.

Pro-Democracy Protest Repressed in China

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: The recent prodemocracy demonstrations that have swept the Arab world have finally landed in China, after activists used online sites to organise a nation-wide protest in 13 major cities, including Shanghai and Beijing.

The 'Jasmine Revolution', inspired by recent political unrest in the MiddleEast and North Africa, was met with a stronger than usual police force in the two major cities, with several demonstrators being detained by authorities. Media were however able to capture interview footage and photograph the attempted uprising before protesters were dispersed by authorities, with footage now viewable on Youtube.

According to Hong-Kong based group Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, over 100 activists have been detained by police, confined to their homes or claimed to be missing.

Searches for the word 'jasmine' have been blocked and several microblogging sites have been warning users against 'political, sensitive... or other inappropriate content'.

The call to protest was first posted on US-based, Chinese-language website Boxun.com by an unknown source, and participants were urged to voice their demands by shouting 'We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness'. The slogan highlights common grievances among the Chinese people, who are dealing with high inflation and rising food costs, as well as increasing unemployment and forced evictions by the government.

All land in China is 'State owned', meaning that at any time the Communist authorities have the right to evict residents and turn their land over to developers, often for inadequate compensation, a practice that has sparked many small protests nationwide that have been quickly repressed.

President Hu Jintao yesterday gave a speech to top leaders, asking them to

'solve prominent problems which might harm the harmony and stability of the society', and advising on the need to better manage the internet 'to guide public opinion'. On Chinese blogs and chat sites, the Chinese word for

and anyone who speaks out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) faces the risk of imprisonment and torture. It has become common knowledge that people who disagree with government policy will soon 'disappear'.

In Beijing and Shanghai, hundreds of people gathered today but were dispersed by police in both places, Chinese police were deployed to quash the Jasmine Revoltion protests on 20 February 2011, Sunday. Photo: Retures

'harmonious' is often substituted for the word for 'river crab', which has the same pronunciation, by those wishing to mock the central government's claim to a 'harmonious society' which is largely seen to be a cover meaning 'controlled society'.

The Chinese government has clearly been unnerved by the uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Libya, blacking out much of the press attention and focussing instead, by use of the State-run Xinhua news agency, on the instability caused by the demonstrations. The attempts by authorities to discredit these uprisings have highlighted the instability of the Chinese regime itself, which is struggling to control its large population by shielding it from the increasingly encroaching outside world.

Charges such as 'inciting subversion' have been a common way for authorities to arrest just about anyone for committing very ambiguous 'crimes',

Even after dissenters are released from prison, they are often placed under illegal house arrest and prevented from having any contact with the outside world. Earlier this month, video footage emerged showing blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng and his wife under military guard in their own home following his release from prison, after four years behind bars for uncovering government-forced abortions in his local Shandong province. Following the release of the footage to overseas media, Chen and his wife were 'beaten senseless' by authorities.

China has become notorious for its internet and media censorship and use of brutal force to silence dissent among its people, and the question that has been hanging in the air for some time now is not one of 'if', but rather of 'when', with many people wondering just how long it will be before the autocratic Chinese regime is overthrown by the Chinese people.

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28 February, 2011 Dharamsala

TPI TIBET IN EXILE

Police Disrupt Dhokham Chushi Gangdruk Election in Nepal

Hundreds of Nepal polices deployed on 10 March, the Tibetan National Uprising Day, Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: TPI

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Kathmandu: Nepal police seized ballot boxes in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, preventing Tibetan exiles from electing a local leadership, according to a latest report received by The Tibet Post International. This is the second time Nepal government have disrupted elections held by Tibetan refugees in the region.

Our sources said police last Sunday raided three places in Kathmandu, Swoyambhu, Jawalakhel and Boudha, where voting for the new members of standing committee of the Welfare Society of Central Dhokham Chushi Gangdrug was taking place.

Around 08 a.m., a van arrived at the voting hall in Boudha and police wearing riot-gear and carrying guns and batons said the raid was ordered by the chief district officer on the ground that Tibetans were prohibited from taking part in any election. But, the police returned after they got explained from

the members of the local election committee, saying "Nepal Dhokham Chushi Gangdrug in Kathmandu is a registered organisation in the country and the election has nothing to do with politics."

Around 11 a.m., several vans arrived at the voting places in Kathmandu, Swoyambhu, Jawalakhel and Boudha, repeating Tibetan refugees are not allowed to hold elections for any reason.

Some of ballot boxes were seized from the Boudha area. However. other two locations Swoyambhu and Jawalakhel elections had already been concluded in the voting centers before police arrived.

The police action was the latest police harassment of Nepal's long-staying Tibetan community and underscores Nepalese authorities' effort to prohibit what it perceives as anti-China activities

by Tibetan refugees in its territory. In October last year, police seized ballot

Australian Dentists to help the Tibetans in-Exile

boxes and prevented Tibetan exiles from voting in the primary election for the next prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamshala, India. There are more than 20,000 Tibetan refugees living in about 12 settlements across the country.

Nepal officially claims the so called Tibet Autonomous Region part of China and has vowed to prevent antiChina activities by Tibetan refugees in the Himalayan region. More than 20,000 registered Tibetan refugees live in Nepal, but thousands more who arrived after 1989 when Nepal stopped granting refugee status to Tibetans, are believed to be living in Nepal.

The Welfare Society of Chushi Gangdrug in Nepal election is also decades-old practice and the organisation is registered as "Nepal Dhokham Chushi Gangdruk" in Kathmandu. The Welfare Society of Central Dhokham Chushi Gangdrug has 5 regional chapters in Asia, North America and Europe and over thousands of members from eastern Tibet outside their homeland. Today, the central and it's chapters principally looking after the welfare of hundreds of Tibetans in exile mainly veterans of the Tibetan resistance force that battled the so called Chinese People's Liberation Army from 1958 to 1974.

The Tibet Post

Tibet PM to visit Germany and Switzerland

Tibetan prime minister, Prof Samdhong Rinpoche speaking at a function, Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI/file

By Tibetan Official Media: Tibet Net

Dharamshala: The prime minister of Tibetan government in exile (Kalon Tripa) Prof Samdhong Rinpoche will leave Dharamsala today for a five-day visit to Germany and Switzerland from 16 - 20 February.

Kalon Tripa will meet officials of the

governmental and non-governmental organisations in Berlin from 17-18 February.

He will address the Swiss-Tibetan Friendship Association's general meeting and members of the Tibetan community in Zurich from 19-20 February. He will return to Dharamsala on 22 February.

Freedom Fighter Killed in a Car Acident.........

Dharamshala: Jigme Norbu, nephew of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, was to start the last step of his "Walk for Tibet Florida" when he got struck and killed by a car yesterday in the evening. "He was walking on the edge of the road, on the white line, or very close to the white line, and he was walking with traffic", said a Florida Highway Patrol trooper to a local reporter.

According to the highway patrol, the reasons of the accident were still under investigation on late Monday evening.

Alcohol was apparently not a factor.

Norbu, 45 and father of three, already covered 7800 miles by bike and had just flown from Indianapolis to Jacksonville on February 13.

"On February 14th, our walk will cover over 300 miles and have many oppourtunities to share our message of world peace, human rights, and the Tibetan struggle for independence. I am asking for your support on spreading the news of this walk for our global

Walk for Tibet and Taiwan: A Global Campaign Beginning in Taipei, Taiwan, Jigme Norbu, a nephew of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama with president of Taipei Tibetan Youth Congress. Photo: TPI

By Tibetan Official Media: Tibet Net

cause", he wrote on his website few days ago.

Norbu was well-known as a restless

activist for the Tibetan struggle. Last December, he undertook a 250-mile walk in Taiwan, just after achieving a 557mile walk from Indianapolis to Toronto on last fall.

Tibetans and Taiwanese in Taipei Pray for Tibet Freedom Fighter Hundreds of Nepal polices deployed on 10 March, the Tibetan National Uprising Day, Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: TPI

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: A team of two Australian dentists will arrive in Dharamshala next month to provide vital aid to the Tibetan Children's Village. Dr Jonathan Leonard and his wife Debra, from Tenterfield Dental Surgery, have declared that they will stay in Tibetan settlements for around two weeks, and see 40 patients each day.

After reaching Upper Tibetan Children's Village, the team will visit the outlying communities. "We generally stay in one place for two or three days, treating both children and adults," said Dr

Leonard to local media.

Mrs Leonard described the work with the Tibetan Children's Village as "very close to [their] hearts, and personal ethos of giving back". "We benefited from working in the dental practice, so it is good to be able to help", she explained.

The Tibetan community in exile based in Dharamsala has received help from Australian dental programs for many years, especially since the 1986 inauguration of the "Australian-Tibetan Dental Project" by Dr Jamie Robertson.

By Keary Huang, The Tibet Post

Taipei, the capital of Taiwan this evening, February 19, Saturday to combine their voices in prayer following the tragic death of Tibetan activist and freedom fighter Jigme Norbu on 14th February in Florida. The prayer was led

by Jampal Chozin the Buddhist teacher of Tibet Office in Taipei.

The ceremony was held by Taiwan based NGOs including Taiwan Walk for Tibet, Taiwan Student for Free Tibe, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Regional Women's Association and Taiwan Friends of Tibet, and attracted Taiwanese supporters as well as Tibetans.

Throughout the prayer ceremony for who was struck and killed during a walk to draw attention for the campaign for freedom in Chinese-controlled Tibet, portraits of Jigmey Norbu, banners and posters with late Jigmey Norbu's messages and slogans for Tibet cause; such as "No matter how hard during the walk, even windy or raining - when it reminds me Tibetans in side Tibet...I never give up", were distributed by volunteers to the chanting crowd, while the traditional white scarves were laid in the hall over the portrait of the late Jigmey.

Over 60 Tibetans and Taiwanese

supporters held a traditional prayer for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's nephew, they have also remembered his message for world peace, Tibet and Tibetan people and many of banners and posters were displayed during the ceremony, said Keary Huang, the editor of the Chinese version of The Tibet Post International.

The Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington, US says it's holding 49 days of prayer in memory of Jigme Norbu, the public is invited to join monks at 3 p.m. daily at the Buddhist temple. It says another communal prayer is scheduled this Saturday at 4 p.m.

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The Tibet Post

Egypt, Tunisia follow Gandhi's 'Principle of Non-violence'

His Holiness the Dalai Lama (2nd left) during the 16th Convention of Acadamecia Eurasiana Neurochirugica held in Mumbai, India, on 18 February 2011/ Photo: Tibet Net, Jigme Tsering

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Tibet's spiritual and political leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on Friday said recent popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia sat firmly in the tradition of non-violent protest espoused by the likes of India's independence icon, Mahatma Gandhi.

The exiled Tibetan leader said the principles advocated by Mahatma Gandhi had inspired US civil rights leader Martin Luther King and South Africa's Nelson Mandela against apartheid. "Many years ago, from the Philippines up to Chile,

popular peaceful movement really brought a lot of change," the 75-year-old nobel peace laureate said on a visit to Mumbai, the India's financial capital.

"Now the same thing has happened in Egypt and Tunisia without a single shot from the demonstrators. So, things are changing. They are following the principle of non-violence."

The anti-government protests that began last month in Tunisia and spread to Egypt saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets, successfully

demanding the ouster of presidents Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak.

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported, however, mainly between proand anti-government factions as the authorities tried to shut down the protests with force. His Holiness said the world "really needs" to learn the principle of peaceful protest after many bloody wars in the last century.

"We should not consider non-violence as a sign of weakness but rather a sign of strength," he told a neurosurgery conference at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, which itself was the focus of the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166.

"The 20th century became a century of bloodshed... If that immense violence, including the use of nuclear weapons, had brought some kind of peace to the world, maybe there would have been some sort of justification," he added. "But that was not the case... The 21st century should be the century of dialogue... in order to create a more peaceful society."

According to the Tibetan government official media, Tibet Net, the Tibetan prime minister Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche in Berlin yesterday also said that the situation in the world is changing very fast - referring to the recent changes in the Arab world. "The Chinese totalitarian regime cannot remain forever. It is against the law of nature. When positive changes come to China, then definitely Tibetan people will get freedom," he said.

It was difficult to predict, he said. But looking at the speed of changes taking place in Mainland China, the dream of freedom for all the people of People's Republic of China is not far, he told the gathering while addressing the Tibetan community and the Tibet Supporters in the country.

US Diplomatic officials Raised Tibetan Refugee Issues with Nepal PM

Under Secretary for Global Affairs Maria Otero who also serves as the Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues at the dedication of the Nepal Police Command Center on 13 February 2011. Photo: U.S. Embassy Kathmandu

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: The United States has strongly called on Nepal Monday (15 February) to honor a United Nationsbrokered "gentlemen's agreement" on Tibetans fleeing their homeland. The 1989 pact suggested allowing Tibetan refugees a free passage through the Himalayan region of Nepal to Dharamshala in India.

U.S. diplomatic officials led by Undersecretary of State Maria Otero who also serves as the Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues raised the issue in a meeting with Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal. Otero also raised the issue of problems experienced by the children of Tibetan refugees living in various camps in Nepal for several years due to a lack of identity cards. She was joined in the meeting by Scott H. DeLisi, the U.S. ambassador to Nepal.

After the meeting Otero told media persons that the need for the government to treat Tibetan refugees as per international human rights obligations.

"We made it clear that this is an important issue for us and that we are concerned about. And we will proceed to look at it very carefully."

The envoy called on Nepal to honour the UN-brokered "gentlemen's agreement" on Tibetans fleeing their homeland. She raised the issue of free passage for the refugees from Tibet. "There is a stable practice while dealing with Tibetan issues which ensures providing them free passage to India," the US envoy was quoted as saying by the Kantipur online.

She highlighted the problems faced by the Tibetans in the Himalayan region, according to Milan Thuladhar, foreign relations adviser to the Nepal PM. He reported that Prime Minister Khanal told the officials that his government has been dealing with the issue of Tibetan refugees according to its international human rights obligations. "We will deal with the issue taking into account the concerns of our immediate neighbors -- China and India," he quoted the prime minister as saying.

Nepal claims it supports the so called "one-China policy" that views Tibet Autonomous region as an integral part of China. It has repeatedly claimed its giant northern neighbor that it will not allow its territory to be used against China. Despite tight security enforced by the Nepalese and Chinese government in the Tibet-Nepal border areas, every year some 2,500 Tibetans cross the border on their way to seek refugee status and to meet their spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

There are more than 20,000 Tibetan refugees living in about 12 settlements

across the country. Earlier in the day Otero also visited Tibetan Reception Center in Kathmandu and also met with Tibetan refugee leaders to know about the problems and hardships they face in the country, some of newly arrivals whom are awaiting clearance for going to Dharamshala, where their spiritual leader Dalai Lama is based since fleeing from the occupied Tibet.

China has used its financial muscle to pay off the Nepal government to crackdown on Tibetan refugees living in Nepal, according to secret US cables recently published by WikiLeaks.

According to international media reports, for offenses as minor as staging peaceful demonstrations, shouting anti china slogans or demanding human rights and religious freedom in their occupied homeland Tibet, large numbers of Tibetan refugees including women and school children were badly beaten and detained regularly, and in some cases imprisoned, by Nepal security forces and police since a deadly riot broke out in the Tibetan capital Lhasa on March 14 followed by mass demonstrations in all parts of Tibet.

In 1989, strong pressures from the Chinese government and the growing number of new arrivals led Nepal to initiate a strict border-control policy. The Nepalese government made clear that it would henceforth refuse to accept or recognize new Tibetan refugees.

Presently the Chinese influence is so strong that Nepal, which was once supportive of the Tibetan, is now turning away Tibetan refugees and handing them over to the Chinese.

28 February, 2011 Dharamsala

9

China Overtakes Japan, World's #2 Economy rankings but working to improve citizens' lives".

It is unclear whether his comment was directed at China, who has made great efforts recently to win the 'rankings war' by beating out other countries in fields such as computing and green energy, but who has done little to improve the living standards of the Chinese people, many of whom still live in poverty and face a rising cost of daily necessities.

China's recent manufacturing boom, fuelled by cheap and abundant labour, has led to phenomenal economic growth.

For Japan, the rising strength of its currency the Yen combined with a drop

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: China is now the world's second biggest economy, and is predicted to become the world's biggest, surpassing the United States, within the next decade.

The announcement marks the first time in over four decades that Japan's economy has been overtaken, but Japanese Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano has welcomed the news by saying it is advantageous for China's trading partners in the region. In speaking of Japan, he stated that "as an economy, we are not competing for

Chinse flag, Photo: file

in exports and consumer demand has led to a decline, and Mr. Yosano has said that Japan must closely watch "risks from overseas economies and currency moves".

China is now Japan's largest trading partner, but experts are warning that the size of its economy alone can be misleading. Mr. Miller of GK Dragonomics has pointed out that while China's GDP is about $4,500 per person,

Japan's sits at a much larger $40,000, and that the average Chinese person is far poorer than citizens of many other countries.

Another problem faced by Japan is its aging population, and with the population crisis in China and the CCP's one-child policy which has been running since 1979, it is likely that China too will be hit by the same problem in the years to come.

Japan Suspends Whale-hunt:....

'Sea Shepherd Conservation Society', whose ships have been following Japanese vessels and preventing them from their activities, turning this season into Japan's "worst yet".

Japan kills hundreds of whales every year in the internationally-recognised sanctuary using a loophole in international whaling regulations which allows it to hunt the animals

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Advicer Advicer Editor in Chief Chinese Editor Assistant Editor Circular Publisher Editor, Tibet Post Europe Reporter

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for 'scientific research', but it is well known that the whale meat is sold to Japanese restaurants.

There has been no official confirmation from the Japanese government, however Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson has stated that "every whale saved is a victory to us, so we've gotten a lot of victories down here this year".

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Mr. Thomas Keimel Dr. Vincent Brucel Mr. YC. Dhardhowa Ms. Keary Huang Mr. Sangay Dorjee Ven Phuntsok Dhondup Mr. Tenzin Kunga Mr. James Dunn Ms. Pema Tso

Contributors for this Editon

Keary Huang James Dunn Mathew Singh Toor Carly Selby-James 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 UK India UK India India India Tele: 0091-1892-224641 Moble:+91-9882423566 E-mail: editor@thetibetpost.com www.thetibetpost.com

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28 February, 2011 Dharamsala

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Tibet PM Thanks Swiss for 50 years of Refugee Shelter

People of Tibet Have to Manage Themselves, Tibetan PM

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Kalon Tripa addresses the annual general body meeting of Swiss Tibetan Friendship Association. Photo: Tibet Net

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: The Tibetan prime minister (Kalontripa) Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche thanked Swiss people and government for sheltering thousands of exiled Tibetans who have been forced to flee their homeland Tibet over the 50 years. "Switzerland was the first Western country to invite a large number of Tibetan refugees for resettlement and these settlers have been the happiest among the Tibetan Diaspora...said Rinpoche who arrived in Zurich, Switzerland on 18 February evening.

"I take this opportunity to express our gratitude on behalf of 6 million people of Tibet to all of you and through you to the international community in general and people of Switzerland in particular," said Rinpoche, according to a report of Tibetan government official news agency "Tibet Net." "We will never forget the kindness of Swiss people and government for their help offered when we were badly in need of it," said Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche.

He was invited by The Tibetan Swiss Friendship Association and the Tibetan Community in Liechtenstein and Switzerland. In the afternoon, Rinpoche addressed Tibetan Swiss Friendship Association's Annual General Body meeting in Zurich.

The Tibetan exile community has been based in the the Switzerland since 1959, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama, their spiritual leader, escaped over the Himalayas following Chinese occupation over Tibet. Switzerland is home for over 4,000 Tibetan refugees but this figure was expected to grow further recent past years as family members reunite with the Tibetans who have settled in the country for the past many years.

The prime minister also spoke about the

democratic system practiced by the Tibetans in exile and contribution of the Tibet Support Groups' to the Tibetan struggle and their relevance in the future.

The Tibetan Swiss Friendship Association was established in 1983 to foster closer relationship between the growing Tibetan community and the Swiss people. Rinpoche addressed a packed hall of Tibetan community in Liechtenstein and Switzerland members on 20 February morning.

In his opening address, Kalon Tripa thanked the Tibetan community on behalf of the cabinet (Kashag) for their support. He said that the Tibetan diaspora were living in about 55 countries across the world. As the Tibetan community in Switzerland is largest in Europe, Kalon Tripa said that the community has a greater responsibility and role in the Tibetan issue.

He emphasized the importance of the younger generation speaking Tibetan language. He said that parents have a big role to play in ensuring their children speak Tibetan language and learn Tibetan culture. At the same time, he said he personally knows many Tibetans who don't speak Tibetan language, but are very patriotic and dedicated to the Tibetan issue.

However, he said able to speak Tibetan is an added advantage.

The question and answer session covered several topics include SinoTibetan dialogue, Tibetan communities, financial and education affairs of the Central Tibetan Administration. Over 450 Tibetans listened to him initial address for about 20 minutes and followed by one and half ours of questions and answer session.

Berlin: The Tibetan people have to manage themselves without Tibet's spiritual and political leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama's patronage, said Tibetan prime minister (Kalontripa) Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche on Thursday (17th February) in Berlin during a round table discussion with journalists.

"Better to face the reality now, Tibetans will have to face it sooner or later," the Tibetan PM told the reporters, according to a report of the exile Tibetan government official media "Tibet Net" published on February 18. During a media interview last November in New Delhi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had expressed his wish to retire from political life. His Holiness further said that he will ask the forthcoming session of the Tibetan Parliament in March to debate on the issue.

Dharamshala has received hundreds of letters and appeals from Tibetans all over the world. In early January, the Standing Committee of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile requested His Holiness not to retire and continue to lead the Tibetan people.

When the issue is debated in the Tibetan Parliament, the Tibetan PM said he will speak in favour of Tibetan people's wishes as he was directly elected by the Tibetan people. But as the head of the cabinet (Kashag), he will have to

media to their full advantage. Volunteers from all over the world are helping to show Tibetans how to best use the internet to educate foreigners about the situation in Tibet. Some volunteers come for a weekend; some for longer. The important thing is just to help, however the Tibetan people also need to help themselves. Explains Tammy: "They're always saying they're so grateful for what I'm doing for the community and I'm like, ‘don't you realise you can do that? You can reach 2000 people."

"The longer I'm here, the less I know. It's like I tell people all the time, there are as many answers as there are Tibetans who

speak on His Holiness' behalf.

Since the establishment of the Ganden Phodrang Government of Tibet by the 5th Dalai Lama in 1642, successive Dalai Lamas have been the spiritual and political leader of Tibet. There is an extraordinary bond between the Dalai Lamas and the Tibetan people.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama established the Tibetan Parliament in exile in 1960. For the first time in history, the Tibetan people directly elected their Kalontripa in 2001. Since then His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been saying he is "semi retired."

Tibetan prime minister, Prof Samdhong Rinpoche speaking at a function, Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI/file

Speaking on the forthcoming Tibetan elections, Kalontripa said the Tibetan people's participation and awareness was much higher. He said that the future role of the Kalontripa will become more important given His Holiness the Dalai Lama's recent statement.

When asked to comment on the present

situation inside Tibet he said, "The situation inside Tibet today is very serious. 2008 peaceful uprising was forcefully repressed. This repressive measure continues. Tibetans and other minorities are in constant fear. Detention and disappearance are order of the day.

Tibetan poets and writers are under attack."

He expressed his admiration for the younger generation of Tibetans. "They have the greatest patience and determination," he said. Only a small percentage of the youth talk about violence but so far, no individual have advocated violence.

"Our commitment to non-violence is not a strategy," said Kalontripa. "It is our principle and faith." When asked why the Tibetan issue was more popular than other movements, he gave three reasons:(1) His Holiness the Dalai Lama -- a charismatic leader (2) Non-violence -- strong commitment and (3) Tibetan spiritual culture - day-to-day relevance to people.

Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, the exile Tibetan PM was invited to Germany by the Tibet Initiative Deutschland, the oldest Tibet Support Group in Germany.

He said that the visit also provides him an opportunity to thank people for their support for the Tibetan issue. He said Germany is one of the most important countries.

Lha Association Seeks Long-lasting Sponsorship

Lha Class and students, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI

By Ye-rinne Park, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala:-Lha doesn't look like many other schools. Founded in 1997 by an American Social Work Professor from the Tulane University in Louisiana, the non-profit organisation based in McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala) provides various courses to students from heterogenous backgrounds. From

Many People Around the World Unaware of the Tibet Issue nothing about the situation. Many people aren't aware of the Chinese invasion, and they have never met anyone from Tibet to explain it to them.

This is something that needs to be changed, and everybody can help in the education process. Social networking websites such as Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, or blogs where people write down their thoughts are also useful, but so far not enough Tibetan people are using the internet to get their message to the world.

At places like Guchusum and the Lha organisation in Mcleod Ganj, people are being taught how to use these forms of

The Tibet Post

have come here from Tibet," she continues. For every Tibetan living in exile, there is a story to be told. Let's try to make them all heard.

The Lha and the Guchusum organisations are always welcoming new volunteers. One potential project in need of some attention is the suggestion of a ‘Guchusum group blog', requiring volunteers with computer knowledge to help with the blog's creation and maintenance. Tammy is also currently accepting sponsorship on Facebook and donations are more than welcome on the Everyday Exile Project website: http:// everydayexile.blogspot.com/.

English lessons to photography classes, the assocation gives many learning opportunities to those in need.

"We especially target people from above 25 years old who cannot go to school because of the age limit", explains Ms. Tsering Dolker, office secretary and accountant for Lha. "Basically, the school is aimed at people coming from Tibet. Normally, they can go to school if they are below the age of 18. Between 18 and 25, they can also attend one of the Tibetan schools called a ‘transit school', near Dharamshala. For those who are above 25, they can come here and learn any kind of language, though we have less facilities in comparison with other schools", she explains.

As Tibetan students have been in winter holidays for two months since January, some of them grabbed the opportunity to come and improve their knowledge in different areas.

Photography and computer courses are some of the most popular among them. Rinzin Trinley, a young Tibetan student who aspires to be a journalist, says that he "learned a lot" from the photography courses and hopes that this knowledge will help him in his vocation."First I thought many of the students came here out of curiosity, but many of them expresssed their wish to be journalists and spread the truth about Tibet", confirms Lilian Bird, the photography teacher.

Around five to ten volunteers help the association everyday, from teaching classes to managing accounting matters. "Volunteers come mostly from

England and the United States, asserts Mr. Lobsang Rabsel, volunteer coordinator. They also come from Canada, Australia and European countries. Most of them stay here for a short time, like two, three weeks. But some of them stay here for a couple of months, sometimes even more."

Though he describes December and January as the off-season, he asserts that they usually have "plenty of volunteers".

Beside educational programs, Lha also devotes its efforts to different social projects, such as the "Eye Testing Project" launched in September 2009 after many Tibetan refugees complained of eye sight problems. This initiative, supported by various donators, has so far allowed 145 people to get free prescription glasses.

For the association, one of their "disadvantages" remains the fact that they don't have any longlasting sponsorship. Tsering Dolker explains that without permanent donators, they can't guarantee specific projects. She says that on the other hand, "if we have particular donators, we can direcly tell them that we are working on a project and that we need money for that."

Despite those obstacles, Lha still plans to start various initiatives for the Tibetan community and also for local people in Dharamsala. "We have some ongoing projects, especially concerning the environment. Hopefully these will be finished at the end of May", declares Mr. Ngawang Rabgyal, director of Lha.