The Tibet Post International-Online-Newspaper

Monk

Chinese

who died over

Modern Artist

Detained Page 08.

Vol. 01, Issue 39, 15 April 2011 Parliament Support Group for Tibet

Tortured In

2008

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

Bi-Monthly

Page 06. www.thetibetpost.com

Rs.5

US Censures China For Serious Human Rights Abuses in Tibet

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Members from BI are meeting with His Holiness DalaiLama (12. Jan. 2008, Drepung Monastery, India) Photo file

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Six Members of Estonian parliament led by Andres Herkel reassembled to transform a new support group for Tibet, a parliamentary body which has been active since Estonia regained its independence in 1992. Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will pay a 3 day visit to Estonia in Agust to give a Continues on Page 7....

Rudd Raises Human Rights with Chinese

Australian former premier Kevin Rudd speaks at Peking University, calling for China to solve its human rights problems in Tibet. Photo: FIle

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Australian Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, raised the issue of Human Rights in Tibet and Xinjiang during a Chinas fourth highest ranking leader, Jia Qinglin's recent visit to Australia.

Mr Rudd's spokesperson told Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph that: They discussed human rights in China and, while noting the different systems in Australia and China, Continues on Page 7....

Dharamshala: China's human rights record is on a "negative trend" with growing restrictions on freedom of speech and "severe repression" in the Tibet, Xinjiang and China, according to a US State Department annual report published Friday (8th April). The report also criticized China for its worsening human rights record and urged Beijing to release dozens of dissidents and human rights activists who were "arbitrarily detained" in a recent crackdown. Chinese authorities also increased the use of extralegal measures, including forced disappearances, strict house arrest, arbitrary detention in "black jails, and other forms of soft detention" to silence independent voices and punish activists and their families.

"The Tibetan population within the TAR was approximately 2.7 million and outside the TAR was an estimated 2.9 million. The government strictly controlled information about, and access to, the TAR and Tibetan areas outside the TAR, making it difficult to accurately determine the scope of human rights abuses," report said. The more than 7,000-page report focused on three disturbing global trends on the human rights front, including growing crackdowns on civil society groups and activists, violations of free expression by restricting internet access and discrimination

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gestures while speaking at the State Department Friday in Washington, on the release of the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2010. Alex Brandon/AP

against vulnerable minorities.

The report also pointed out "negative trends" such as "severe repression of freedoms of speech, religion, association, and movement".

Response to Chinese Allegations calling TYC a Terrorist Group

The intensified controls applied following the March 2008 riots and unrest in Tibetan areas eased somewhat after the second anniversary of the Continues on Page 10

Solidarity in Tibetan Monk

Tibetans holding a candlelight vigil for late Jamyang Jinpa on 6th April 2011, Dharamshala, India.

Photo: TPI/Sangay Dorjee

Promote Freedom and Human Rights

By Cornelius Lundsgaard, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Approximately 200 people on April 6 held a candlelight vigil at the main Tibetan Temple in Dharamshala to pay their homage to the late Jamyang Jinpa, a 37 year old monk of Labrang Monastery, eastern Tibet. Jamyang Jinpa died April See on Page 6....

Situation escalated in Ngaba, Tibet

Mrs Ngawang Lhamo, member of the standing committee of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (3rd R) with members of Maharashtra state legislative assembly at the first-ever meeting of Indo-Tibetan Friendship Society in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, on 2 January 2011/TPiE Photo

By Cornelius Lundsgaard, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - India Tibet Friendship Society Saturday March 26 has expanded its new chapter operation in Goa when the prominent Goans and Tibetans came together with an aim to engage the civil society in a dialogue about issues of freedom and human rights.

Briefing the media in a joint news conference in Goa on Saturday, the general secretary of the organization, Aparna Shah, said that the aim of the India Tibet Friendship Society (ITFS), which Continues on Page 9.....

TYC vice president Mr Dhondup Lhadhar holding a press conference in response to the Chinese allegation calling TYC a terrorist group, Dharamshala, India on 31 March 2011. Photo: TPI

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: The largest non-governmental organization in the Tibetan diaspora, the Tibetan Youth Congress Thursday (31 March) has held a press conference in Dharamshala, in response to the Chinese allegations in the ludicrous article titled 'Terrorist poised to rule "Tibetan government in-exile"?' which was published by the People's Daily."

"Li Hongmei recently published in a Chinese Communist Party newspaper that 'the Tibetan Youth Congress is a Terrorist Organization.' The Chinese Government have resorted to making baseless allegations about the TYC; the movement most central to the Tibetan struggle for independence," said Mr Dhondup Lhundhar, the TYC vice president.

"In the 41 years since inception, the campaign activities of the TYC have consistently remained non-violent and peaceful. The assertion that the protests of 2008 in Tibet were imbued by the TYC is untrue, and we strongly believe that it was the Chinese government who infused these protests.

When attempts to prove the protests were violent in nature failed, the Chinese government used soldiers in Tibetan clothing to pose as violent protesters, and created propaganda films of 'violent mobs'; which were distributed and broadcast widely," he added.

Dhondup clarified by saying that the International community are well aware of the TYC's transparent goals to restore Tibetan Continues on Page 6.......

Chinese armed military forces present at Ngaba Kirti Monastery on 24 March 2010. Photo: TPI

By Samuel Ivor, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - A serious situation has escalated recently in Ngaba county, Amdo region of eastern Tibet as the Kirti Monastery in the region has been sealed off by armed Chinese security forces.

The armed forces this week also have prevented food from entering the monastery, and from Monks Continues on Page 5......

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15 April , 2011 Dharamsala

TPI INTERVIEW & RECAP

The Tibet Post

A Life In Music, The jji Brothers of Former Political Prisoner's Tibet Sing For Freedom "A Difficult Road" Book Article by James Dunn The Tibet Post

JJI Exile Brothers performing at the Tibetan Institute of Preformance Arts (TIPA), Dhramshala, India. Photo: TPI

Dharamshala: In the heart of McLeod Ganj lies a small authentic Tibetan restaurant, run by a famous rock band.

The band and the restaurant carry the same name - the JJI Exile Brothers. To understand how this came to be, we need to go back in time to when Chinese troops invaded Tibet. Back then, a little girl named Nyima escaped with her parents to India where she grew up and eventually had three sons: Jamyang, Jigme and Ingsel.

Raised in exile, the three brothers longed for a free Tibet, and one day in the late '90s they put their musical skills together to form what was to become possibly the most famous Tibetan rock band in history.

Encouraged and nourished by their biggest fan and first manager, mother Nyima, the JJI Exile Brothers dedicated their first album to her. More than a decade later, they have just hired a childhood friend, Phuntsok Choepel, to take over the manager role.

Phuntsok faces a daunting challenge - to further the career of a band which has already played concerts in North America, Europe and India, featured in countless music magazines, including Rolling Stone, and recorded a session in the studio of one of their greatest heroes, Bob Dylan.

Despite their Asian roots, The JJI Exile Brothers share a musical style with the Western protest singers of the '60s and '70s, whose songs of freedom and equality spurred political activism for a whole generation. Today, many young, freedom-yearning Tibetans also find reassurance and inspiration in the songs of the JJI Exile Brothers.

Anyone who has seen them in concert or heard their CD will have no doubt that their main message is to free Tibet.

Reporter and musician, Cornelius Lundsgaard, from The Tibet Post International (TPI), recently sat down at the band's family restaurant with the band's middle-man and unofficial spokesperson, 31-year-old Tenzin Jigme, for a chat about the band and what it's like to be an exiled musician: TPI: When did you start playing music with your brothers?

JJI JIGME: From childhood we used to play together as a band - strange instruments like flutes and things like that. Then after high school I went to college, but after three months I thought, no, the college thing is not

for me. My brothers had already dropped out from school and, well, my younger brother [Ingsel] is a professional Tibetan traditional musician, and my older brother is also playing guitar and was making songs like that and so I thought, okay let's do something different. Now, as a Buddhist, this human life is very precious for us. We should use it in the best way to reach Nirvana. If I get to Nirvana, I thought, maybe I can do something for my country. But also for selfish reasons - I like music, you know! So then I came back and I started playing music with my brothers and we decided to make a small show for family and friends. But Mama said, "No, you should have a concert in a huge place," and like that we had a concert. A couple of thousand people came. We recorded the concert and the next day we heard it and we said, "Is that us? Is that us?

Wow, that's sounding nice! Let's keep on!". Then it happened naturally.

TPI: How many songs have you written so far?

JIGME: I killed so many songs, so I don't know how many songs I have made, but at the moment I can say at least there is altogether maybe around 70-something. But a lot of these songs I have, what do you call it, murdered or killed. Because you make it and then the next day you find it so strange or whatever. You know what I mean, since you are a musician yourself?

TPI: I know what you mean. In fact, I just killed a song the other day! With that many songs, how many albums have you released?

JIGME: As a band, just one, but we have recorded a couple of songs with Playing for Change - that's an organization from America. This guy called Matt Johnson, who won a Grammy award for sound engineering, he did a couple of really amazing jobs recording musicians from all around the world that we never met, but we still played on the same track. Then we met in the United States and we had a show there. We got a chance to record at Bob Dylan's studio. I used to listen to Bob Dylan when I was in school and everyone was listening to Abba and all these other pop star things, and my friends used to tease me - "Why are you listening to this stuff?" But then, you know, I kind of like it. My father introduced it to me,

and some of my friends now, they have become poets or whatever, and now they say, "Hey, Jigme, thanks for introducing Bob Dylan to us."

TPI: That's quite a feat!

JIGME: Yeah, but then we had a problem with some recording company. We didn't know much about the music business because we don't have any music industry among us we are still refugees. So we signed a couple of contracts with... I don't want to name this company, but we had big troubles with them. They wanted to make us like pop stars. I mean, if you make a song, if somebody then puts something on your song like an extra saxophone, an extra guitar or whatever, would you like that, without even being asked? These guys were doing that and we didn't like that, so we said "No, Charlie! Bye-bye!" Then we found out we had to wait till the contract is finished! So it's like, now we are free! It's been one and a half years, so we are happy for that.

TPI: You have quite a few songs in English. Why is that?

JIGME: Because... Let me ask you what is your mother tongue?

TPI: I speak Danish.

JIGME: So, why do you speak English to me? It's communication, yeah? The whole world speaks English. In some ways, I think English is the best medium for spreading [the message of] Free Tibet. We sing for a free Tibet, especially for the people who are in prison, still suffering.

TPI: Can you name some of your favorite Tibetan musicians?

JIGME: Dhungkar La - I think he is the oldest guy - a Tibetan guitar player, maybe the first Tibetan to do busking in England. I like the way he sings because he has this traditional touch you know - no brush. And the late Jampa Tsering - he was the first Tibetan guy to sing a song directly to the Chinese government inside Tibet, which is really brave, and gradually the Chinese murdered him. They blinded him, and now he's dead but his songs are still alive - they are in our hearts. And then I like to listen to Tibetan opera, and I listen to Techung - a traditional Tibetan music player I really like. My younger brother likes him a lot.

TPI: Okay, let's talk a little bit about Tibet. Why are in exile?

JIGME: Me? Because the Chinese would put a gun to my head, and therefore I'm in exile. I don't want to live under them. Even animals, farm animals, when you beat them, they will not stay with you - they will run away.

They are treating us like animals. We are not part of China - we never were.

Tibet belongs to Tibetans, from different literature, different history, everything. So when somebody puts a gun to your head, would you like to stay behind it?

TPI: Why do you think your music cannot be played inside Tibet?

JIGME: Because, since we are born as refugees, we talk about a free Tibet.

The Chinese call us "splittist". They call the Dalai Lama a terrorist - the devil with two horns. But we are not that.

We just want our country back.

TPI: Do you have an audience in

Released

Tsering Puntsok, the minister of Religious and Culture department releasing the book at a press conferecen in Dharamshala, India on 01 April 2011. Photo: TPI

By Tibetan government News Agency: Tibet Net

Dharamshala: Kalon Tsering Phuntsok, the minister of the Department of Religion and Culture, Friday launched the eighth book named A Difficult Road of a former political prisoner of Tibet Ven Bagdro.

The Tibetan writer said, on releasing the book said he has fulfilled his purpose to come into exile in India which was facilitated by his fellow political prisoners in Tibet.

Ven Bagdro's fellow political prisoners collectively contributed Chinese Yuan 1,500 to send him to exile to appeal His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Central Tibetan Administration, Tibetans and the international community about the plight of Tibet and the sufferings of the Tibetan people.

He said, "On 5 March 1988, he and others took out in the streets of Lhasa by shouting slogans- 'Long live His

Holiness the Dalai Lama, Return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet, and Freedom for Tibet." Following this he was put in prison for three and half years.

Despite being away from his dear parents, and facing many difficulties, he is pursuing his important work to tell the world about Tibet, added Ven Bagdro.

The writer on the occasion said in this book he has written about the Great Fifth, Thirteenth and the Fourteenth Dalai Lamas to express his gratitude to them for their boundless blessings to the Tibetan people.

Tsering Phuntsok said His Holiness the Dalai Lama is making his best efforts to resolve the issue of Tibet, to preserve Tibet, and its religion and culture. But Tibetans themselves should take more responsibilities in this task.

Tibet?

JIGME: Yes, I think a lot - we are getting a lot of mails from Tibet. Not with their own name but with fake names - some Chinese name or some strange names - foreigners' names.

They really appreciate us. We love that and thank you for supporting us!

But they cannot contact us directly.

Once they are found out by the Chinese government, they are gone.

TPI: What is your biggest dream for the band?

JIGME: To play in front of the Potala Palace when Tibet is free. That's where I want to perform. No more freedom songs. I'm tired of it, but what to do...

Still, we have to it - it's our duty. And then I would like to have the best sound in the world you know. You know what I mean? The sound...

TPI: Can you make a living from playing music?

JIGME: Well, I think yes, but it's very difficult as we don't have any music industry. How you say? Money follows fame, fame follows money whatever. But we have been famous, we are famous, and still there is no money coming in, because there is no music business. And really, the stuff that we're doing is for a free Tibet. So,

money was never the issue through music. By the grace of our mama in this family restaurant, I get food and I get pocket money, which I am happy about.

TPI: Do you have a message for our the readers around the world?

JIGME: I would like to tell all the people who are reading this - all the people in the world - I think we are all the same basically. Since we are born, we are the same. We need our mother's compassion - everybody needs that.

And I just want to clear up that Tibet was never a part of China and Tibet belongs to Tibetans! Please study [this issue]. Go thoroughly through what happened. Because the world is a village - we all have to live in harmony together. And if one country doesn't have that, I think it will affect the whole world. So, that is my humble request to all the people in the world. We need all your support for a free Tibet. That's all I can say.

The JJI Exile Brothers and friends perform every Sunday evening at their restaurant on Bhagsu Rd, McLeodgand, Dharamsala, India. For details of their upcoming tour of Himachal Pradesh, visit www.jjiexilebrothers.com.

TPI H.H THE DALAI LAMA

The Tibet Post

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Arrives in Ireland for Two-Day Visit

His Holiness the Dalai Lama's arrival in Dublin, Ireland, on April 12th, 2011 on the start of a two-day visit. Photo: HHDL Website By dalailama.com

Dublin, Ireland, 12 April 2011 (by Maeve Connolly) - His Holiness the Dalai Lama has arrived in the Republic of Ireland to begin a two-day visit that will see him meet and address thousands of people at events in Dublin, Kildare and Limerick. His Holiness is the patron of the charity which helps children in developing countries and a friend of Mr Moore who he describes as "my hero".

It is his third trip to the Republic of Ireland although his last visit was 20 years ago and on his arrival at Dublin Airport yesterday he was shown a photograph that was taken at the same point in 1991. The Tibetan Buddhist leader's response was hearty laughter and to ask whether he had changed.

"You're younger," Mr Moore quipped to which the Dalai Lama replied "The only change is new glasses". He was invited on this occasion by Mr Moore and he appeared delighted to see his friend again. The 76-year-old exiled head of state is taking part in the Possibilities 2011 social change summit in Dublin today (WED) where he will speak about universal responsibility.

Possibilities has been organised by three Irish charities, Children in Crossfire, Afri and Spunout.ie, who want people to get involved in bringing about change at home and further afield. Two thousand people are due to attend the day-long conference.

Former UN High Commissioner for

Human Rights and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson is also participating in the event along with a host of musicians, poets, performers and speakers.

Afterwards the Dalai Lama will travel to Kildare to speak in St Brigid's Catholic Church about the spirituality of compassion. On Thursday the Nobel Peace Prize laureate will address an audience at the University of Limerick on the power of forgiveness.

A small crowd had gathered at the Dalai Lama's hotel to greet him yesterday and among them were some Tibetan families resident in Ireland as well as Buddhist monks and a nun who held burning sticks of incense and other gifts of welcome.

There are less than 20 Tibetan refugees living in Ireland and many had brought their children to be in the Dalai Lama's presence and he greeted them warmly, blessing a small child and gently touching the heads of the religious.

Among those who had come to see their spiritual leader was Tenzin Choeden (originally Marjorie Cross from England, but now a resident of Ireland) who has been a Buddhist for almost 35 years. The Dalai Lama ordained the nun 13 years ago in Dharamsala and she said it was "so special" to have him on Irish soil.

"He has a totally open heart, he embodies compassion," she said. Tenzin Choeden said she was drawn to Buddhism more than three decades ago because it is "very much based on love and compassion and how to develop that in a broader way".

15 April , 2011 Dharamsala

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His Holiness to be Honoured by Amnesty International London: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is to be honoured by Amnesty International next month in recognition of his lifelong

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.

Photo: file/TPI

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

commitment to social justice and human rights.

Amnesty International is a worldwide

movement of over 3 million people from more than 150 countries who campaign for internationally recognized human rights to be respected and protected for everyone.

The organisation has always been a strong supporter of His Holiness and the Tibetan movement, with regular campaigns held worldwide demanding China to address its human rights violations.

His Holiness will be bestowed the inaugural "Shine a Light on Human Rights" award during Amnesty International's 50th Anniversary celebrations on May 4th. The event will take place at the Carpenter Performing Arts Centre in Long Beach, California.

The Dalai Lama will deliver a keynote address, which will be preceded by a welcome from Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA's Executive Director.

His Holiness Reiterates Concern Over the Tibet's Glaciers Melting Dharamshala: - Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama Saturday (2 April) has reiterated his strong concern over the melting of glaciers in the Tibetan plateau; and for the millions of people that use the life-giving water that live in India. The glaciers feed vital lifelines for Asian rivers, including the Indus and the Ganges. Once the rivers dry up, water supplies in those regions

Delhi, to an audience of 400 people. He expressed his concern not just for the Tibetan people, but because; "millions of Indians use water coming from the Himalayan glacier, so you have a certain right to show your concern about the ecology of that plateau".

The speech highlighted a growing concern over water shortages in the region, and the strain that is starting to

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Inaugurates Royal Kangra Museum

Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama Wednesday (6 April) graced the opening of a museum dedicated to Maharaja Sansar Chand, the erstwhile king of Kangra, H.P, India. Photo: HHDL

By Tibetan government News Agency: Tibet Net

Dharamshala: - Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama Wednesday (6 April) graced the opening of a museum dedicated to Maharaja Sansar Chand, the erstwhile king of Kangra and a descendant of Katoch Dynasty which is considered to be one of the oldest surviving royal dynasty in the world.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Kalon Tripa Prof Samdhong said: "It is a great honour for all of us to have His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the official opening of Maharaja

Sansar Chand Museum. The museum gives the entire glimpse of the milleniaold history of Kangra's dynasty, culture and art."

Kalon Tripa said a museum is a centre for preservation, display and research.

It is not merely a destination of tourists but it should be a centre of learning and research."

"So this museum would greatly help us in understanding the history of Kangra in years to come. Kangra has been a valley of Buddhist monasteries and

temples but people have forgotten them with the passage of time," he said.

Kalon Tripa spoke on the importance of efforts to be made to excavate the historic site in Kangra so that it will give a new dimension to the history of India as well as that of Kangra.

Speaking on the occasion, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: "I don't know much about the history of Kangra even though I have been living here for the past 50 years. But today during my visit here to this exhibition of artifacts related with the royal dynasty of Kangra, I have learned something new about the region's history. Similarly, even if these antiquities are just memorabilia, it will certainly bring alive Kangra's hundreds of years old history in the interest of the visitors," His Holiness added.

Maharaja Sansar Chandra inherited the throne of Kangra when he was just 10 years old. By the age of 21 he had defeated the Mughals and had won back his ancestral fort of Kangra. True to the saying "He who hold's the Fort rules the hills" the young Maharaja ushered in an age of prosperity and the Indian renaissance of paintings, the Kangra Group which supervises the museum said in its website.

The period 1786-1805 was the Golden age of Kangra. Maharaja Sansar Chandra established law and order in his vast empire, at its peak it his empire stretched from Lahaul-Spiti to the plains of Hoshiarpur [18000 sq.miles].

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. Photo: file/TPI

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

will be threatened to dangerous levels.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama used research provided by Chinese experts, saying that "the Tibetan glaciers are retreating faster than anywhere else in the world". He added that the ecology in Tibet is "something very, very essential".

"India, a free country, I think should express more serious concern, that's I think important. This is nothing to do with politics, just everybody's interest, including Chinese people also," said the Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel laureate when he was delivering the 3rd Birth Centenary Lecture in honor of former Indian President R. Venkataraman.

His Holiness was speaking at the centenary celebrations of India's former President R. Venkataraman in New

show on access to freshwater in both India and China. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and panelists also discussed about the "Non Violence and Spiritual Values in a Secular India" at the 3rd Birth Centenary Lecture in honor of former Indian President R. Venkataraman in New Delhi, India, on April 2nd, 2011.

"In terms of the ecological aspect of the issue, more than a billion people in the Asian regions maybe depend on the water that comes from rivers that originate on the Tibetan plateau.

Therefore, people in the region who will be impacted by changes to the Tibetan environment have the right to express their concern at the future of Tibet," said His Holiness, during the sixth International conference of Tibet Support Groups which held in last November.

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15 April , 2011 Dharamsala

TPI INTERNATIONAL

The Tibet Post

Well-known Chinese Modern Artist Weiwei Nepal Agrees to Deport Tibetan Refugees to Chinese Remains Detained

Ai Weiwei — artist, blogger, and guy who refuses to shut up — has been posting photos to his new blog. Photo: File

By Samuel Ivor, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Ai Weiwei has not been seen since he was stopped trying to board a Hong Kong-bound plane on Sunday. The 53 year old Artist, who currently has an exhibition in the Tate Modern; London, was arrested with no explanation. A short statement was released by Chinese authorities this week, acknowledging Wei Wei was taken for suspected ‘economic crimes'.

It has been the first news on Ai Weiwei since he was detained by officials at Beijing airport on Sunday 3rd April.

Ai Weiwei, who co-designed the ‘Bird's Nest' Olympic stadium, is deemed as China's most famous artists.

In the last couple of months, dozens of activists have ended up in custody or house arrest. None of these activists however, are as open in their criticism as Mr Weiwei, who enjoys a huge following on social networks such as

Twitter; often ridiculing the Chinese Government on issues such as human rights, and Tibet's sovereignty. Ai greatly angered authorities by listing the names of children who died in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, when schools collapsed killing thousands. Officials censored discussion of the subject after public anger developed over shoddy construction.

The news that he is being investigated for economic crimes may signal that China's authorities will seek to characterise him as a common criminal, rather than a political prisoner, BBC correspondents argue.

The Global Times, a Chinese state run newspaper, described him as a ‘maverick' who took part in legally ambiguous activities. Foreign governments however, have called for his immediate release. The US

Ambassador Jon Huntsman, mentioned in a speech in Shanghai that the artist in among other activists who "challenge the Chinese government to serve the public in all cases and at all times".

Chinese Police visited his studio 3 times prior to his arrest. Police later seized computers and money at his home and his wife, Lu Qing, told reporters the raid involved more than 40 policemen . She says she has heard nothing since.

"I am waiting for news" his mother said.

"I so far have no information from the authorities about the fate of Ai Weiwei.

"He felt a premonition that he would be detained," she added.

She is also added her concerned for his health, saying the 53-year old artist takes medication for a range of illnesses.

Human rights groups say China's current crackdown on dissent is a response to protests in the Middle East and North Africa. However, Wei has been vocal on social networks not to begin the ‘Jasmine Revolution' at present, highlighting the enormous use of the internet for the people of China who want change at present.

Human Rights Watch said up to 25 lawyers, activists and bloggers had been either detained, arrested or had disappeared. Dozens more had been subjected to harassment, it said.

Concern is also growing for Wei Wei's friend Wen Tao, 38, who has also been unreachable since his reported detention on the same day.

He widely regarded as China's bestknown modern artist, also famous for his installation of 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds at London's Tate Modern, and also helped design the bird's nest stadium for the Beijing Olympics.

A Nepal police Repatriating Tibetan Refugee monk in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: TPI

By Samuel Ivor, The Tibet Post

Dharamsala: Nepal Officials agreed to curb anti-Chinese Government activities in Nepal, this comes just days after the European Parliament and US criticised Nepal authorities for their treatment of Tibetan refugees in the country. Bijaya Poudel, the Nepali Chief of the Tatopani Immigration Office, said Nepal "agreed to deport Tibetan arrestees to the Chinese officials," a growing concern for human rights activists.

The Tibetan community in Nepal, which numbers at around 20,000, faces yet more restrictions during this sensitive period, which saw polling stations being destroyed in recent weeks by Nepali police. On 13th February, police prevented Tibetan community elections, the opportunity to vote for a new Government in Exile. Storming polling stations in full gear, they seized ballots and other election material.

The meetings follow a week of heated discussion in Brussels, focused on

The Third Pole in Danger – China’s Environmental Policies in Tibet

TID-Conference in Berlin on 25th March 2011. Photo: TPI

By The Tibet Post International

Berlin: - On March 25th more than 100 people accepted the invitation of Tibet Initiative Deutschland e.V. (TID) and came to the Hessische Landesvertretung (Permanent Representation of the Federal State of Hessen) in Berlin to learn more about the ongoing environmental destruction inside Tibet. The reckless extraction of natural resources, China's water policies and the situation of Tibetan nomads are only a few of the many topics that environmental experts like Tenzin Norbu, Claude Arpi and Gabriel Lafitte included in their presentations.

The famous German author and journalist Franz Alt, patron of the conference, and Kelsang Gyaltsen, Special Envoy of H.H. the Dalai Lama, also inspired the

audience with their lectures. While Alt in the beginning especially concentrated on the global environmental crisis, Kelsang Gyaltsen turned to the political dimensions of environmental policies in Tibet and also talked about the dialogue with the Chinese government.

"Without humans the world would be better off", Franz Alt in his introduction quoted H.H. the Dalai Lama as saying and made clear what consequences the world's rampant waste of energy will have in the future. He said in one day the world consumed the amount of energy that it took one million years to accumulate. At the same time he also pointed to possible solutions through new technologies. But those technologies also needed to be applied

and not only put into a museum, Alt said, referring to Volkswagen's 1-litre-car that never made it onto the market. "When the world starts using energy in a smarter way, there will be one reason less for China to occupy Tibet", Alt said in his closing remarks and hinted to the rampant exploitation of natural resources on the Tibetan plateau.

Subsequently the Australian scientist Gabriel Lafitte talked about the situation of Tibetan nomads, who from their position as nature's guardians instead increasingly turned out to be on the wrong side of history. As is widely known Chinese propaganda tried to characterize the forced relocation of the nomads as progress. Although the true reason for the relocation was, to set suitable conditions for Chinese settlers, who thrust themselves deeper and deeper into Tibet. The Chinese government was expecting the rise in global temperature and speculating that the barren areas currently inhabited by the Tibetan nomads in the future could be at the disposal of Chinese agricultural production.

After a lunch break the French expert on Tibet, Claude Arpi, in his talk concentrated on "China's water policies in Tibet". He said China saw Tibet as a water reserve for its own country, which became obvious taking into account the enormous dams China was building all over Tibet. Chinese officials not only accepted that countless people lost their home, but were also provoking social conflicts in other countries. Because

most of the neighboring countries' rivers originated from Tibet, China's policies were endangering the water supply of hundreds of millions of people. Mr Arpi also made the audience aware of the possible geopolitical implications and the imminent threat of armed conflict that could arise due to water shortages in the region.

Tenzin Norbu, Director of the Environment and Development Desk at the Tibetan Government in Exile, also put his emphasis on the exploitation of resources in Tibet. He joined the conference live via Skype video-call.

Besides the logging of Tibet's forests he also expounded on Tibet's mineral wealth.

Gold, copper, chrome, lithium, salt and gas were excessively being extracted what is left is toxic waste that endangeres the lives of humans and animals.

Furthermore he emphasized that every Tibetan, who advocated for the protection of the Tibetan environment, was risking being labeled a separatist and/or being arrested.

The Special Representative of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Kelsang Gyaltsen, identified the environmental issue as symptomatic for the disenfranchisement of the Tibetan people. These kinds of problems could only be solved if there was a political solution for Tibet. Therefore it was important to continuously put pressure on decision makers and the general public. In this context he explicitly praised the work of Tibet Initiative Deutschland which as the oldest Tibet Support Group in Germany

Nepali relations with Tibetans seeking refuge in the country. The European Parliament this week called for the rights of Tibetans to be respected in Nepal. With the support of all the major political parties of the house, a resolution was adopted calling on the government of Nepal to respect the democratic and human rights of the Tibetan community living in the country.

The resolution from the European Parliament says that Tibetans have a right to participate in democratic rights, and that this is a "fundamental right of all citizens that must be upheld, protected and guaranteed in every democratic state". There is growing concern for China's influence in the Nepal, and the decision from Kathmandu to deport Tibetans to China highlights a closer relationship between the neighbouring countries.

Humanitarian aid and military assistance from China to Nepal, at an estimated worth 13 million US$, is also bound to strengthen ties. Nepal's economic and trading ties with China have also increased since the fall of the monarchy in 2006. In addition, the rise to power of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal, and the Unified Marxist-Leninist Party has also forged a closer bond with Communist China.

The United States expressed criticism of Nepal this week, when on April 8th it released the ‘2010 Human Rights Report'.

During this report, concern was raised over Nepals forcible return of Tibetans attempting to flee Chinese rule. The report highlighted that: ‘For the first time since 2003, there was a confirmed forcible return of three Tibetans from Nepal'.

Despite the rallying call from Europe, and the Human Rights Report released by the U.S this week, the so called NepalTibet border security meeting concluded on Sunday with abysmal results for Tibetans. The meeting, held in the town of Khasa (Zhangmu), located in Nyalam County, on the Nepal-Tibet border, apparently ignored pleas from the West.

Led by joint secretary at the Home Ministry Jaya Mukunda Khanal of Nepal, and vice chairman of Tibet Eazy Gaozi for the Chinese team, the discussions led to officials of Nepal and China agreeing to coordinate closely with each other on security affairs in the future. It suggests that there will be an increase of forcible return of Tibetans to China. for decades had been advocating for the rights of the Tibetan people. With their campaign "GreenTibet.FreeTibet" the Tibet Initiative Deutschland was taking up an issue that was of great importance to H.H. the Dalai Lama and the Government in Exile.

TPI TIBET

The Tibet Post

2500 Monks of Tibet Ngaba Monastery Face Food Shortage

Three monks from Kirti monastery of Ngaba, eastern Tibet; Lobsang Choephel, Lobsang Ngodup and Samdup. Photo: TPI

By Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy

Dharamshala: - Since the self-immolation of Phuntsok on 16 March 2011 at Ngaba County, Sichuan, coinciding with third anniversary of the 2008 uprising in Tibet and to protest against continued repression by Chinese authorities in Tibet, the situation has aggravated at Ngaba Kirti Monastery - the monastery to which Phuntsok was affiliated.

According to latest confirmed information, Chinese security forces have cordoned the monastery and additional contingents of armed security forces (estimated to be around 800) have been brought in on 9 April 2011 to reinforce security clampdown in Ngaba County. The movement of the monks is totally restricted with no one being allowed to go in or come out of the monastery. Gaps in boundary barb wire in north of the monastery have been closed with concrete walls. Since the cordon, monks are facing shortage of food and depend on voluntary food offerings by locals through the monastery administration. Authorities have prohibited the faithful local Tibetans from offering food to monks.

Reports from ground indicate that if the situation remains same, over 2500 monks in the monastery will face starvation which will most probably lead to a mass revolt. In such an event security forces will unleash its deadly assault leading to extrajudicial killings as it happened three years ago on 16 March 2008 in Ngaba County. The lamas and monastery officials have been able to maintain peace so far by advising the monks to remain calm despite the ongoing repression.

In the aftermath of Phuntsok's protest and subsequent show of solidarity by monks of Kirti Monastery, the authorities have taken drastic measures to bring the monks under control. According to latest information, since the begining of April 2011, security forces who were earlier surrounding the monastery have entered into the campus. They have stopped elderly monks from even walking the outer circumambulation path (Kora), and made observation posts (with binoculars) on stepped platforms of stupas in the monastery. The guards keep round the clock vigilance of activities in the monastery. Over 33 people have been arrested out of which 22 people (8 monks and 16 lay people) continue to be under detention.

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) appeals to the international community and the United Nations mandates on human rights to urgently issue their intervention in order to stop the ongoing security clamp down and arbitrary arrests and detentions of

Tibetans and the overall deplorable human rights situation in Ngaba County.

The Centre urges the authorities to immediately stop the gross human rights violation of denying food to monks of Kirti Monastery and to ease restrictions on movement.

Factsheet about the situation in Kirti Monastery and Ngaba County (documented till 11 April 2011) * Three monks from the Kirti Monastery, Dhonyoe Dorjee, Tenzin Jamko and an unidentified monk have been arrested on 8 April 2011. * On 8 April, around 30 people staged a protest in front of the Public Security Bureau Office at Warma Township in Dzamthang County. One Tibetan (a young man from Gyalrong County married into a family in Dzamthang County) was critically injured in the police offensive and later died in a hospital.

Around a thousand Tibetan staged protest over the death. * Two monks, Lobsang Ngodup, 32, and Lobsang Choephel, 24, were detained around 30 March and continue to be under detention. Reasons and whereabouts remain unknown. * The Tibetans in neighbouring Namda Township in Dzamtang County in Ngaba staged a protest on 23 March to show solidarity with the Tibetans in Ngaba County. The authorities responded by sending large number of troops to block movement in Dzamthang and Ngaba Counties. At least four Tibetans, Wolkho, Dorjee, A-Dor and Woeser Dorjee, were arrested and continue to be under detention. * Lobsang Tsepak, 27 years old, was detained in the night by police in Beijing on 25 March. He is a student at the Central Nationalities University. He was earlier affiliated to Kirti Monastery, the same monastery to which Phuntsok belonged. * On 22 March, Lobsang Kelsang (19 yrs), monk of Kirti Monastery and brother of Phuntsok, Lobsang Tsondue, maternal uncle of Phuntsok and Samdup, monk of Kirti Monastery, were arrested.

Lobsang Kelsang and Lobsang Tsondue have now been released. * Around 20 March, Lobsang Tenzin was arrested and continue to be under detention. * Around 20 March, the authorities called a public meeting in upper Thawa and Gabma Villages of Ngaba County, imposing fines of 30 Yuan on absentees.

Lately the Village Committees in Ngaba County have been calling public meetings "to praise and be grateful" to the Communist Party. Moreover, the officials have been visiting each and every household in Ngaba County

enquiring about monks in the family and to learn their opinion on the selfimmolation of Phuntsok. * Beginning from 20 March, the authorities have intensively conducted the so-called "Love your country, love your religion" political campaign in the monastery for five days. Upon conclusion of the campaign, the officials have formed sub groups to visit each and every room in the monastery to "solicit feedback" and "gather opinion". * Since 19 March, regular religious programs in the monastery have been suspended by the authorities and armed soldiers with police dogs prowl around the monastery by night. The monks are prohibited from staying late at night from studying their scriptures. Monks found outside their room are beaten by the officials. * The students of Ngaba Prefecture's Upper Middle School located in Barkham County began a hunger strike on 17 March to show solidarity with Phuntsok and as a protest against the authorities' inhuman treatment to him and the pursuant Tibetan protest. The strike is known to have lasted until 23 March, thereafter information could not be ascertained. * Phuntsok, a native of Meruma Township, Ngaba County, was arrested on 16 March and continue to remain under detention.

Background A young Tibetan monk, Phuntsok, selfimmolated in Ngaba County, Sichuan, on 16 March 2011 and died in a hospital early next morning. His act was timed to coincide with the third anniversary of spring 2008 uprising in Tibet to protest against the Chinese rule in Tibet.

When Phuntsok was on fire the police doused the flame and began beating him severely. Local Tibetan bystanders rushed to the scene to protect the monk and took him to his monastery - Kirti Monastery. When he was later taken to a hospital, the authorities demanded police clearance for treatment. The monk succumbed to burn injuries the next day around 3 am (local time) on 17 March.

Around a thousand Tibetans gathered in the market and staged a protest against police and the authorities. The People's Armed Police and officers from other security agencies brutally broke the peaceful rally. Several Tibetans were detained from the crowd.

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5

Another Buddhist Monk Tortured Over 2008 Tibet Protest Dies

By Tibetan government News Agency: Tibet Net

Dharamshala: - Another Tibetan monk who was severely beaten and tortured by the Chinese police for his role in the peaceful protest in Labrang Tashikyil in northeastern Tibet in 2008 succumbed to his injuries on 3 April.

37-year-old Jamyang Jinpa was among those monks from Labrang Monastery who spoke openly to a group of foreign

journalists about the suppression of human rights and religious freedom at Labrang Tashikhyil on 9 April 2008, defying intense repression by the Chinese security forces.

Following their protest on that day, all the monks except Jamyang Jinpa went into hiding. As Jinpa stayed at the

Tibetan sheep being milked near Mamtso at about 5000 m in central Tibet. Sheep lamb in February and March and, beginning in June, after the lambs are weaned, sheep are milked twice a day. Photo: TPI

monastery, the Chinese police barged into his room and broke his hands and legs by severe beating before dragging him out of the room.

The police continuously tortured him to the point of death during ten days of interrogation before handing him over to his family.

Since then, for the last three years his old parents did their best to give him medical treatment and hold him by hands to help him walk so that he could eventually stand on his feet. All their efforts were of no avail as Jinpa died at his home on 3 April 2011.

It is a matter of great concern that reports about deaths of Tibetans due

to torture under the Chinese government repression continue to come out from Tibet. Jamyang Jinpa was born to Lobsang and Tselo at Sangkhog in Labrang.

In 1993, he visited India and studied at TCV school at Suja. In 1996, he returned to Tibet to pursue his religious studies at Labrang Tashikhyi Monastery.

He also worked as guide to visitors during his stay at the monastery owing ass he could speak a little bit of English.

Sangay who was born in 1969 in a nomadic family in Labrang Tashikhyil also passed away on 26 February 2011.

He is survived by his old parents, both of whom are above 70 years old.

China forcing Monks to Accept "Patriotic Re-education" leaving. The situation worsened over the past few days, when the Chinese Government announced that; "Monks between the age of 18 to 40 must be taken to a different location, for ‘patriotic education'.

Sources said many hundreds monks were taken in the early hours of the 12th of April. The news had spread among the local community over the past few days, that the Chinese were going to forcibly take Monks from Kitri Monastery. Ven. Kanyak Tsering and Lobsang Yeshi from exile based Kirti monastery told the The Tibet Post International (TPI) that "Tibetans came to the monastery to see what was happening for themselves, however the Chinese still had the monastery surrounded by guards."

"The community at first was nervous and kept a safe distance. When more armed Chinese security came and attempted to enter the inner sanctum of the monastery at around 12 o'clock, many Tibetans from the community

bravely prevented them from moving any further by blocking their way. The Chinese reacted by beating the Tibetans, and used trained dogs to prevent them. The increased military presence couldn't enter the inner sanctum monastery due to the community working together," sources told TPI. The protesters, along with monks, aimed to push their way out of the monastery. However, barbed wire fences erected by Chinese forces prevented this. The members of the Monastery's religious affairs office pleaded to the community for keep calm, and peace during the unrest. Later, at around 3.30pm local, Tibetans in the community and military forces clashed. The two main roads leading to Kitri were blocked

by Tibetans. Many monks attempted to come outside to show solidarity with the Tibetan community; however the monastery was already fenced off with barbed wire, and a hastily built brick wall; so no-one could leave to show

their support.

The Chinese Government have imposed a traffic suspension in Ngaba County until further notice, due to the escalating situation. The Chinese have also prevented Tibetan students from returning home in the region, because of the sensitive situation.

The Sources futher told TPI that, the ‘re-education' programme the monks had been sent to by the Chinese, is nothing more than abduction and imprisonment. The local community understands what fate the monks have ahead, as the restrictions on religious practice and violence has already suggested.

The Chinese plan, our informant tell us, was hopeful that the Monks would be removed and taken without public knowledge, and many believe that this mass arrest was pre-planned a long time ago. Kitri monastery has a population of around 2500 monks, the majority of which are believed to be aged between 18-40 years old.

6

15 April , 2011 Dharamsala

TPI TIBET IN EXILE

Vigil Rally in Solidarity with Monk Died After Torture Continued from front page ......

3, presumably as a tragic result of prison and police brutality after his detention on April 9 2008.

After a protest march around the streets of McLeod Ganj, lead by monks carrying the picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan flag and a banner reading "we have no freedom of speech", the candlelight bearing attendees gathered at the main Tibetan Temple where a series of speeches were made.

vision. He had also lost complete sense in his legs and could not even stand," said Dolkar.

Jamyang's death comes as the latest of four consecutive cases in the space of two months, the others being; Sangay Gyatso, one of the 2008 protest's front runners who died February 26 after living in hiding for more than a year, Phuntsok Jarutsang, the 20 year old monk who selfimmolated on the 3rd anniversary of the March 2008 protest and 59 year old Bulug who died March 25 due to his injuries

Protesters carrying a banner reading "We don't have the freedom of speech" at the candlelight vigil in memory of the late Jamyang Jinpa April 6, Dharamshala, India.

Photo: TPI/Cornelius Lundsgaard

Mr Lhukhar Jam, Vice-President of the organisation for former Tibetan political political prisoners, the Gu-Chu-Sum movement of Tibet, who explained the facts pertaining to Jamyang Jinpa's recent death as well as proposing a one minute silence which was duly observed by the listeners, many of whom were visibly touched.

Vice-President of the Tibetan Youth Congress, Dhondup Lhadar Pochungtsang, in a booming voice condemned China's violation of the basic human rights and pointed out that in the last 21 days, Chinese authorities are responsible for 3 deaths and that in the last 22 days, prior to his speech, they also have arrested 14 people in Tibet.

During the speeches, a series of pictures were shown from the protest staged by Jamyang Jinpa and a group of 14 monks in front of a state-organized media tour of about 20 foreign and Chinese journalists. Also included were pictures of some of the monks after being beaten very badly by Chinese police forces.

As the third speaker, providing information for the roughly 1/3 of the audience who didn't speak Tibetan, the President of the Tibetan women's association, Kirti Dolkar Lhamo, introduced and read from a statement endorsed by five Tibetan NGOs. "It is touching to see so many here tonight and also to see so many non-tibetans on this candlelight vigil" she began and continued; "Human Rights violation is taking place in its highest form (...) and our brothers and sisters inside Tibet are suffering every day," she added.

Ms Dolkar then went on to explain about Jamyang Jinpa's ordeal: "During detention, the police continued to beat and torture him so severely that by the time he was handed over to his family members after approximately 10 days, he was physically and mentally impaired and in an extremely critical condition", she relayed, and, obviously moved by the content of her speech, she went on; "He could not recognize his family members and had no memory of what had happened to him and lost partial

inflicted by prison authorities while serving a 5 year prison term in Powo Tramo region of Tibet.

Concluding the statement, Dolkar read out: "If peaceful protests and non-violent struggle still has a place in this world, then the governments and international agencies, human rights bodies must stand up for Tibet, protect the lives of the Tibetan people and thereby resolve the long standing injustices being inflicted on Tibet and its people for the last 52 years."

Addressing the crowd in a more personal fashion, she finished her speech by saying: "The people inside and outside Tibet has not lost hope, and today's candle-vigil, and the candle in our hands, signify our hope and spirit that freedom will be restored inside Tibet. Victory to Tibet!" she further added.

The five NGO's behind the statement were; The Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women's Association, Gu-ChuSum movement of Tibet, Students for a Free Tibet and the National Democratic Party of Tibet.

Solidarity Rally in Zurich for Late Tibetan Monk Phuntsok

By The Tibet Post International

Zurich: - About 250 Tibetans and sympathizers have gathered in Zurich on Wednesday, 30th of March in memory of the young Buddhist monk who immolated himself in Amdo province in Tibet in protest to Chinese oppression.

Exactly two weeks ago, the young Tibetan monk Phuntsok immolated himself in Ngaba region of Tibet. He intended to set a symbol against the brutal military actions by the Chinese government in Tibet.

According to several sources, police officers put out the fire and then started beating the monk up, who died shortly afterwords. The situation in Nagba is extremely tense. Since then, several people have been arrested without any reason - amongst others the uncle and brother of Phuntsok.

In reminiscence of Phuntsok, a funeral rally took place on Wednesday the 30th of March in Zurich next to the Tessinerplatz (Bahnhof Enge). After meeting up, the participants marched to the Chinese consulate. There, the presidents of the main Tibet support organisations gave a speech. On site, the participants shouted slogans showing

Tibetans and sympathizers have gathered in Zurich on Wednesday, 30th of March in memory of the young Buddhist monk who immolated himself in Amdo province in Tibet in protest to Chinese oppression. Photo: TPI

the Chinese government, that the sacrifice of the Tibetan monk is not forgotten!

On March 17 - The five major Tibetan NGO's in Dharamsala said they unite to express solidarity in response to the brutal suppression by the Chinese government of the Tibetan protesters in Amdho Ngaba of Tibet. The incredible expression of unrelenting courage and

determination by our brave Tibetan brothers and sisters in Amdo Ngaba exemplifies that no amount of force can kill the spirit of the Tibetan people.

The event was supported and carried out by the following organizations: Swiss Tibetan friendship association, Tibetan women Association in Switzerland and the Tibetan youth organizations in Europe.

Students Worldwide Fast in Solidarity with People in Ngaba, Tibet

By The Tibet Post International

Dharamshala, India - A group of 139 Tibetan students from various schools in and around Dharamshala launched the ‘Fast for Freedom' Sunday, a oneday fast organized in solidarity with Tibetans in Ngaba, eastern Tibet (Ch: Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province), the event was organised by the Students for A Free Tibet based in Dharamshala. Tibetan middle school students in Ngaba staged a hunger strike on March 17th, 2011 following the self-immolation of 20year-old Phuntsok Jarutsang, a monk from Kirti Monastery.

Chinese armed forces have escalated their crackdown in Ngaba where a major second protest in recent weeks was reported on March 23th. 2011. "Today, I am fasting in solidarity with Tibetan

students in Ngaba whose brave actions have inspired students and Tibetans worldwide, said Tsering Dorjee, a Tibetan student in Dharamshala. "I call on the international community and world governments to denounce the deteriorating human rights situation in Ngaba and to press Beijing to commit to a just and lasting solution for Tibet."

"Tibetans in Ngaba are risking everything to defy Chinese rule and to

Response to Chinese Allegations........... independence. He further said that "Ms Li Hongmei's attempts to portray the TYC as terrorists highlights her poor journalism and we feel her report also highlights China's lack of democratic principles."

The TYC vice president repeatedly stressed that he also wish to emphasize that the "TYC is a Non Governmental Organization, separate and not prescribed by either His Holiness the Dalai Lama or the Tibetan Government in exile; contrary to Ms Li's reports; who claims that "when the TYC was established, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and leading members of the organisation made speeches that they would 'use terrorism' to achieve their goals."

Mr. Dhondup responded to the latest

The Tibet Post

Chinese allegations by saying "this has not been the first allegation made by the Chinese press and we highlight that Li Hongmei is simply a mouthpiece repeating the rhetoric of the communist government regime; she cannot be regarded as an independent journalist or part of the Free Press. Ms Li's article also targeted Dr. Lobsang Sangay as a former Centrex member, who she claims is; "a terrorist poised to rule the Tibetan Government In Exile".

Further response to the allegations, Dhondup said "the illogical and unreliable review made by Ms Li only manifests China's obsession with their constant efforts to damage the legitimacy and reputation of the Tibetan struggle for independence, the

Tibetan Government in exile and in particular the Tibetan Youth Congress.

The Tibetan Youth Congress would like to reiterate and remind independent researchers and the international media that such unfounded allegations have no place in this world."

According to the organisation website, TYC is the largest NGO of the exile Tibetan. It was founded in 1970 and has more than 30,000 members worldwide, making it the largest non-government organisation of Tibetans in exile. Its members are united in the struggle to restore complete independence to Tibet. The organisation does not subscribe to any particular political or religious ideology and is sustained by membership fees, public donations and fund-raising events.

alert the world to the true suffering of the Tibetan people," said Tenzin Choeden, National Director of Students for a Free Tibet - India. "For a Buddhist monk to take his own life for the cause of his country illustrates the gravity and immediacy of the situation in Chineseoccupied Tibet," she added in reference to the self-immolation of Phuntsok Jarutsang on March 16th, 2011.

His actions marked the third anniversary of Chinese troops opening fire on a peaceful protest in Ngaba, killing at least 10 people. The 2008 protest was part of a Tibetan-wide uprising against China's illegal invasion and occupation - the largest demonstrations in Tibet since 1959.

Before lighting himself on fire, Phuntsok staged a solo protest in Ngaba town and was heard shouting slogans including: "May His Holiness the Dalai Lama lives for 10,000 years" and "Freedom for Tibet". Eyewitnesses reported seeing Chinese police kick and beat Phuntsok after they extinguished the flames. He died in hospital on March 17th, 2011.

This is the second self-immolation by a monk from Kirti monastery in recent years. In February 2009, Tapey, a monk in his mid-twenties set himself on fire in protest of the Chinese government's ban against monks participating in the Tibetan New Year prayer festival.

Chinese police shot Tapey after he lit himself on fire. He survived but was later taken into police custody and his current whereabouts and condition are unknown.

Students across India and globally will participate in the ‘Fast for Freedom' on Monday, April 4th 2011, including at colleges in Pune, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Manipal University - Mangalore, Baroda. The one-day action is organized by Students for a Free Tibet.

TPI INTERNATIONAL

The Tibet Post

EP Calls on Nepal to Respect Human Rights of Exiled Tibetans

Waving 155 Tibetan flags in Hessen, Germany and MEPs in the plenary shows flag in Brussels, Belgium. File Photo

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on the government of Nepal to respect the democratic principles and human rights of the Tibetan refugee community living in the Himalayan region. On 7th April, in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, members of the parliament expressed their concern and condemned the growing influence of China in the internal affairs of Nepal.

The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 265 Members. "Nepal must not give in to pressure from Beijing," said German MEP Thomas Mann, the Chairman of the European Parliament's cross-party inter-group for Tibet.

"Freedom of speech and the right to vote are universal human rights, and

Nepal must allow the 20,000 Tibetans in the country to exercise their right to vote for their government in exile", said Thomas Mann.

The resolution adopted by the European Parliament calls on the Nepalese government to respect the voting rights and freedom of speech of this community and to refrain from preventive arrests. It urges the authorities "to resist the strong pressure exerted by the Chinese government to silence the Tibetan community in Nepal by using restrictions, which are illegal under domestic and international law".

Furthermore, it urges the government of Nepal to include these basic rights as well as the freedom of religion in the country's new constitution, due to be

enacted by 28 May 2011. "The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, has to confront the governments of Nepal and China with this question", Thomas Mann added.

The resolution also condemns the living conditions experienced by the families of many recent detainees as well as the increased surveillance and restrictions on foreign reporters in China. MEPs are also expected to raise these issues in the next EP-China inter-parliamentary meeting. The resolution argues that Parliament's participation in that meeting should be conditional on prison access for MEPs, so that they can meet some of the detainees mentioned in the resolution.

Parliament also asks EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Catherine Ashton "to continue to raise the issue of human rights violations at the very highest level". "The development of EU-China relations must go hand in hand with the development of a genuine, fruitful and effective political dialogue" and "respect for human rights should be an integral part of the new framework agreement which is now being negotiated with China", believe MEPs. In November 2010, the EP condemned China's one language policy in a resolution highlighting the ban on Tibetan language in Tibet. "Article 4 of China's Constitution and Article 10 of the Regional Autonomy law guarantee the freedom of all peoples to choose and develop their own language spoken and written. The EP will ask the Chinese Government to ensure that Tibetans can continue to exercise this right in the future."

Estonia Forms A Australian FM Raises Parliament Human Rights in Tibet with New Support Group Chinese for Tibet agreed to continue the dialogue between their governments on this issue."

In 2008 Mr Rudd, then Prime Minister, also raised the issue of Human Rights during a speech at a Beijing University, receiving the wrath of Senior Chinese Government officials at the time.

The Chinese State visit is taking place just after what many rights groups are saying is the toughest crackdown on free speech in many years. In recent weeks China has arrested a score of Chinese writers, lawyers and activists including such high profile persons like artist and activist Ai Weiwei.

Two days earlier Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard reportedly also raised the topic of Human Rights with Jia Qinglin. Ms Gillard is due to visit China later this month for the first time as Prime Minister.

Jia Qinglin is the chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's most powerful body. As the head of the United Front Department, he is also a key player in Tibet affairs and has been directly involved with the so called dialogues between representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government.

During the time of Mr. Jia's visit, dozens of Australian Tibetan activists have been experiencing virus-attacks to their email accounts and internet connections, reports Australian newsmedia The Age. The affected activists, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama's representative in Australia, Sonam Dagpo, say they suspect the Chinese government's involvement, and have reported the matter to the federal police.

Jigme Dorjee, the head of the Tibetan Community of Australia (NSW), said someone hacked into his email account on Tuesday night and sent an email to all on his mailing lists. The email purported to be from Mr Dorjee and claimed he was overseas and needed money urgently.

Dozens of people who received the email have since experienced problems with their internet connections and email accounts. When asked who he thought was responsible for the hacking, Mr Dorjee said China. ''That's what I think, because around the world Tibetans are a problem for the [Chinese] government.''

Last year a Canadian research paper outlined a large and well-resourced cyber spying network that primarily targeted the Tibetan exile community.

Public Talk and Buddhist Teaching.

According to Estonia news agency ERR, Andres Herkel of the country's party called IRL was once again elected as chairman of the support group, having fulfilled the same duties in from 2003 to 2007. In 2007, he was succeeded by Aleksei Lotman of the Green Party. Social Democrat Kalvi Kõva was elected deputy chairman.

The members also met with the head of the Institute of Buddhism, Sven Grünberg, who gave an overview of preparations made for welcoming Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Estonia in August 2011. The members of the support group acknowledged the work done and pledged to continue where former members had left off.

The formation of the inter-group was also announced to London based Mr. Thubten Samdup, the envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Northern Europe will make a visit to Estonia in May this year. Samdup's first visit was in June 2010. However, It is not clear if the parliament support group will meet the His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his visit to the country.

According to Sven Grünberg of the Estonian Institute of Buddhism, His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to Estonia this summer will mark an unofficial

15 April , 2011 Dharamsala

7

Sino-US Co-operation Essential on Tibet: Senator Mission Report

The restored Potala Palace in central Lhasa, the historical official residence for the Dalai Lama, draws hundreds of thousands of tourists and pilgrims each year. Senator Mission: (Jannuzi photo)

By Samuel Ivor, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Headway is being made between Washington and Beijing as a rare Senate staff mission to Tibet led to recommendations that the United States works closer with China for the Himalayan region. Despite the close ties Washington has with Tibet and particularity his Holiness the Dalai Lama, Chinese authorities allowed four U.S Senates a visit to the Tibet Autonomous Region between September 7th to 19th 2010.

The report produce mixed views, and the Senates, who are the first members of the ‘Senate Foreign Relations Committee' to visit the region since 2002, were closely monitored by Chinese officials, and taken to specific locations in Tibet. The committee oversees U.S. foreign policy and had negotiated the trip to the region for many months. The visit highlights growing confidence in China's stability of the region,as well as its human rights record.

The SFRC staff members aimed to gain a glimpse into the lives of Tibetans from many walks of life - herders, monks, pilgrims, small business operators, and teachers. It was also designed to provide access to both rural and urban areas; with a 25 hour train journey to meet officials in Lhasa to remote villages in the Yarlung Valley.

The report from the trip, released this week, aimed to provide areas of common ground, yet also voiced concerns regarding Human rights and sustaining Tibetan culture in the region.

In an interview with a passenger on a train on the Quinghai-Tibet railway, the Senate highlights that local Tibetans have mixed feelings about Chinese influence in the region; "She spoke of her excitement at getting to present Tibetan culture at Expo, but also of her family's sense of dislocation and unease about the changes underway in Tibet - changes that she characterized as both positive and negative. She said that her family's overall quality of life, including income, housing, education, and health care, had improved ..but she complained about Han migration into Tibet and about "unnecessary interference" by authorities in the religious life of Tibetans, especially the heavy police presence in Lhasa since 2008.

Her mixed views of the impact of tradition of visits every ten years. The announcement of the exiled Tibetan religious leader's August visit was made

by Sven Grünberg.

Grünberg told Postimees he had received confirmation from the Dalai Lama's office that the Tibetan leader's visit would take place from August 16 to 18. A meeting with the Estonian public is also planned on August 18. His Holiness has previously visited the country in 1991 and 2001.

modernity and Chinese rule in Tibet were typical of those expressed by many average Tibetans with whom staff members spoke during our visit."

The Senate spoke very highly however of China's hand in economic development in the region; particularly of new road infrastructures, railways and electricity supply to some of the furthest reaching regions of Tibet. The report found many Tibetans to be appreciative of the new housing provided by the Chinese authorities, yet many said they would continue to live a semi-nomadic life; living in Chinese provided housing during the winter, and living a traditional Tibetan lifestyle during the warmer months.

However, although economic development and China's investments in Tibet have clearly improved the lives of many Tibetans, discrimination, Han migration, and growing income inequalities are also fueling discontent.

Restrictions on religious practice are also a major source of unhappiness for many Tibetans, especially for monks, nuns, and other devout Buddhists. The report argued that Chinese official statistics did not match with what was obvious at ground level; for example, officially Lhasa has a 95% Tibetan population-according to Chinese officials. However, the Senators found it obvious that the number was nearer 60% in Lhasa, and that Han migrants had a far greater presence in the city.

Concern was also voiced on the strict military presence in Lhasa, noting the enormous number of police present-plain clothed and uniformed; as well as the Security Cameras which are present on major religious buildings. This led to concerns over the freedom to conduct religious practice, and appeared as a deep concern for the Senate.

The delegation also said Washington should keep urging Beijing to contact the Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, and other exiled Tibetans.

"There are steps that the United States can take that might not only bring direct benefits to the Tibetan people, but also begin to build a foundation of trust between Washington and Beijing on Tibetan affairs," the report by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says.

Although the response from Chinese officials largely ignored human rights; many highlighted the privileges that Tibetans are entitled to. The report highlights that: ‘apart from exemption from the "one family, one child" rule, Tibetans receive some other special benefits, including preferential access to elite universities for those few who qualify based on test scores and completion of high school.

But many Tibetans told us they do not feel privileged. They feel disadvantaged, particularly by the influx of ethnic Han Chinese to Tibet'.

Washington is being careful in this report not to upset China, and is playing a careful game by highlighting both positive and negative aspects of the region.The delegation said that the U.S. could work with China in projects on sustainable economic development, environmental protection and cultural preservation. It called for the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Lhasa, which so far, China has not opted in favour of. Although the mission is not proposing direct U.S. funding to the Chinese government, what is new about this report is the offer of joint projects with China; an enormous step in the direction of democracy.

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15 April , 2011 Dharamsala

Tibetans Use Gandhi Methods to Boycott Chinese Businessmen

A stock photo of a vegetable market in Tibet. Photo: File

By Samuel Ivor, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Vegetables in Nangchen county, eastern Tibet, are a vital, staple food. Tibetans in the area have lived harmoniously for years, producing, eating and trading a wealth of fresh vegetable products. Shortly before Chinese New Year however, Tibetans in the town of Kham; not far from Kyigudho (Jyekundo) in Nangchen County, began boycotting Chinese vegetable stores and businessmen, as a response to the ridiculously high prices for food.

The Tibet sources told The Tibet Post International that the current the price of vegetables in Nangchen has been soaring, and rose to extremely high levels recently, particularly when compared to other Tibetan Counties.

For example, whereas the regular price for 1 Kilo of apples should be 2 Yuan, it has currently been priced by Chinese Vegetable sellers at a massive 8 Yuan (around 1.22 US Dollars) per Kilo.

The price, being marked four-fold has

devastating consequences; it squeezes the poor in the community, and leaves less money for food or daily costs for the Tibetan people.

At first, Tibetans from a community organization in Nangchen went to speak directly to the Chinese vegetable sellers, to resolve the issue. The Chinese however refused to lower their steep prices. The prices of their foods began to rise especially high around New Years, which was in Early February, putting an enormous strain on the marginalised Tibetan community.

After their meeting with the Chinese businessmen, the concerned Tibetans went to speak to the local police, who did not aid the them either.

The community organization then held a meeting which was attended by many Tibetan men and woman from the local community. After a long, difficult discussion, a decision was made to completely boycott the Chinese

China Suspected of Hacking Aust Govt. Emails

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: A US Intelligence tip-off has given the Australian government a strong suspicion that the computer of current Prime Minister Julia Gillard as well as those of Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Defence Minister Stephen Smith, within the Australian Parliament House email network, have been hacked.

According to Intelligence, thousands of emails of up to ten ministers may have been illegally accessed, with the goal allegedly being to obtain confidential information on Australia's mining industry.

Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph quoted four unnamed government sources as pointing the finger in China's direction, though the government has said it will not comment on specific intelligence matters and has not confirmed or denied the reports.

Although China routinely denies accusations of hacking coming from major corporations, such as Google who has complained several times of the Chinese regime hacking the Gmail accounts of human rights activists, the US has recently called its cyber-warfare capabilities 'formidable'.

TPI vegetable stores.

This style of peaceful protest the Tibetans employed is similar to that used by Mahatma Gandhi, during the Indian Independence movement.

One Tibetan said, "We were inspired by the effective use of boycotts in other struggles, especially from the Indian independence movement."

After the decision was made, the organization spoke with Tibetan businessmen in Nangchen who agreed to travel to Xining to purchase vegetables and sell them at an affordable rate.

Currently, the majority of Tibetans in Nangchen are participating in the peaceful boycott, working together to get their message heard.

Chinese businessmen, who are currently described as "bored in their stores with no business," went to the local police, but were also told that it was "not their problem."

When asked if Tibetans in Nangchen would call off the boycott were the Chinese to lower their prices, one Tibetan said "no we want to see the stores close." Tibetans in Nangchen feel that they have been "ripped off for too long." Most businesses in Nangchen are owned by Chinese, and Price list for common vegetables in Nangchen: · Cepen (hot sauce): 15 Yuan (2.30 USD) · Cabbage 1 Kilo: 5-6 Yuan (0.80 USD) · Onions, 1 Kilo: 4-5 Yuan (0.70 USD) · Mushrooms, 1 Kilo: 14 Yuan (2.10 USD) · Potatoes 1 Kilo: 4-5 Yuan (0.70 USD) · Apples 1 Kilo: 8 Yuan (1.22 USD) [regular price should be 2 yuan]

The Tibet Post

Live Webcasts: His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Ireland

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Richard Moore (L), the founder of the charity

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: There will be live webcasts of events featuring His Holiness the Dalai Lama from Ireland on 13 and 14 April 2011. The events are being coordinated with "Children in Crossfire", an organisation founded

by His Holiness's friend Richard Moore.

13 April: "Possibilities 2011 - National Civic Summit" from Dublin, Ireland.

Webcast will start at 9:45am (UTC/ GMT +1 Hour). His Holiness is scheduled to speak from 10:30am to 12 noon. View the live webcast here.

13 April: His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give a talk on "The Spirituality of

Compassion" at St. Brigid's Catholic Church in Kildare, Ireland, starting at 1:45pm (UTC/GMT +1 Hour). View the live webcast here.

14 April: Public address by His Holiness the Dalai Lama entitled 'The Power of Forgiveness' from the University of Limerick. The webcast will start at 9:20am (UTC/GMT +1 Hour). The address will be part of a 2hour event including performances by students and faculty of local schools.

View the live webcast here.

Audio and video for streaming and download will be available several days after the events at http://dalailama.com

Centuries old Tradition of Non-violence is India's Real Strength Dharamshala: - On April 2nd in the Indian capital New Delhi during his lecture on "Non-Violence and Spiritual Values of Secular India" in honour of former Indian President R. Venkataraman, Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama urged the young Indians to "play a more active role in preserving their centuries old tradition of non-violence and propagating it to the outside world".

In praising India's democratic traditions, the Tibetan leader said that it was India which introduced him to the true meaning of democracy and that young Indians should do everything they could to sustain their rich traditions developed over thousands of years through overlapping of cultures. "......For thousands of years this country has developed different views and (imbibed) in its existing philosophies those of Buddhism, Islam Christianity and later Sikhism.... at grassroots this tradition is centuries old and that is the real strength of India," he said.

"But to the younger generation of Indians, who have a lot of interest in technology and science, I feel it is worthwhile to remind them of their traditions, I would say develop your country and also maintain these traditions," he said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader said that young Indians ought to pay greater attention to eliminating the inequities of their society: "like the caste system, the dowry system and other discriminations that are prevalent in your society", while further commenting on the all too common occurences of corruption in India: "In this country most people

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and panelists discussing "Non Violence and Spiritual Values in a Secular India" at the 3rd Birth Centenary Lecture in honor of former Indian President R. Venkataraman in New Delhi, India, on April 2nd, 2011. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

By Cornelius Lundsgaard, The Tibet Post

practice religion, they would recite shlokas (and pay respects to idols), but whenever they find opportunity they also take to corruption, when in reality true followers of religion have to be honest."

In the lecture His Holiness also shared several memories of past dealings with both Indian and Chinese leaders.

Recalling his meetings with India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he said he found the fact that he could disagree with him without annoying him a testament to the tradition of healthy criticism in India.

"I thought in China, leaders were not like that, I have learnt this dealing with the Chinese leadership for nine years. Gen Mao (Zedong) though was an exception, but I later found his words were not

reflected in reality or implemented on the ground," he said.

Concerning economic progress India might be behind China, His Holiness the Dalai Lama conceded, but he went on to say that India's rich values of democracy and freedom places the country in a better position to play a positive and effective role in the world. His Holiness also quoted BJP leader L K Advani as telling him once that the success of democratic practice in India was the existence of a thousand year of tradition of criticism.

Labelling himself a "messenger of India's ancient thought" and characterizing his relationship with India as that of a "chela and guru", he said Indians should take an active role in taking the message of non-violence inherent in their tradition to the world on a human level.

TPI TIBET

The Tibet Post

A Tibetan Man Arrested for Allegedly Bombing Police Station

A Chinese armed military forces Truck Drives Through Lithang city, eastern Tibet on 12.23.2008. Photo: TPI

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Chinese authorities arrested a Tibetan man, accusing him of carrying out a bomb attack on the Chinese police building in Bathang County of eastern Tibet. Sources said that incident occurred during April 2009 at the same time as a large banner was strung up by local Tibetans saying, "Go Back Chinese from Tibet" and "Tibet belongs to Tibetans", written in both Tibetan and Chinese.

Dhokar, a 26-year-old Tibetan man from the township of Pogurshi, Bathang County was arrested on March 22 in the neighbouring county of Lithang, Mr Kelsang Gyaltsen told The Tibet Post International.

According to Kelsang, the Chinese police arrested him in Masha Thang (Peacock Meadow ) of Lithang county after he had been in hiding in the local wilderness for around three years. In 2008 he allegedly put up posters with

Free Tibet slogans on the mountains and hills as well as bombing the police building.

After the arrest in Lithang he was handed over to the authorities of Bathang County who took him into custody. Since the Chinese government issued his arrest warrant in 2008, authorities had been searching diligently for Dhokar, questioning his relatives.

Chinese authorities have stated that Dhokar's crime is similar to that of the respected Tibetan religious leader Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, who was arrested for allegedly being involved in a bomb attack April 3rd 2002 and subsequently arrested four days later.

Rinpoche was initially given the death sentence, which was later revoked. He is currently serving life imprisonment.

The authorities also said that anyone found to have been helping Dhokar in

his time in hiding will be facing similar charges. Dhokar's family and relatives are extrememly worried that they will not be allowed to visit him or receive any information about him.

According to Chinese authorities, a blast in the Chinese police building in Pogurshi township in Bathang county went off in April-2009, later 70 Chinese authorities, including armed forces and police announced that they would carry out a door-to-door raid. On the night of 14 April 2009, the villagers in Porgushi set fire to a military compound, but there were no casualties. "We will not leave until we have arrested ten people," the military forces warned the local Tibetans. The situation is now very tense between the Chinese military and Tibetans in the area.

Mr. Dakpa, whose mother only is still alive, Dhokar, who has five living family members, Atsok, with six living family members, Pema Wangchuk, who also has six family members, are all suspected of being behind the incidence in 2009. Dhokar in particular, who knows how to speak and write in Chinese, is suspected of creating the banner. When Chinese armed forced police arrived in the town to arrest these four, they escaped into the mountains. Moreover, many men who held responsibilities in the town faced difficulties in staying there, and were forced to flee to neighbouring areas in order to hide from the Chinese military.

Owing to the amount of people who have escaped, many farms are left untended.

15 April , 2011 Dharamsala

China Arrests 3 Monks in Tibet: Heavy Restrictions Placed

Riots Police in Xia he (Gansu Province) file Photo: TPI

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Chinese authorities have arrested at least 3 Tibetans, including an university student, after Tibetans and Buddhist monks in Ngaba region of Tibet staging several protests in the past weeks against the Chinese rule over Tibet, according to Ven Kanyak Tsering, Buddhist monk from India based Kirti monastery.

"At about 6 pm on March 25th 2011, a monk of Kirti monastery Lbosang Tsepak, aged 27, a student at the Beijing Minorities University, was arrested. His father, named Dhondrup, is deceased, and his mother's name is Dondema. He was studying at BMU, and the reason for his arrest and place of detention are

Protest Continues in Ngaba Region of Tibet, Eight Detained

ITFS's Goa Chapter Formed to Promote Freedom and Human Rights was founded in 1960, is to preserve, promote and strengthen the longstanding cultural and religious relations between the people of India and Tibet, The society, Shah said, will focus on building emphatic bonds with the Tibetans in Goa and supporting their struggle in exile, and that the society in Goa will work towards making the Indian and Tibetan people aware of the age-old ITFS and understanding towards the promotion of peace, harmony and stability in the subcontinent. Shah added "My belief is that the Goan people, in their humane support to the Tibetans, shall find a deeper meaning of their own freedom and culture and cherish and build Goa to greater glory."

ITFS, Goa chapter, will have at its helm eminent citizens: IITian and founder of the NGO, CAIM society, Jayant Shah, managing director of Advertising Associates and other media organizations in Goa Kedar Dhume, and clinical immunologist and secretary of the Voluntary Health Association of Goa Anita Kamath Dudhane.

Ms Shah also said it would also celebrate the important occasions of

both the countries, besides organizing seminars, symposiums, exhibitions and lectures on topics that concern the common interests of the people of India and Tibet.

Environmentalist Nirmal Kulkarni, founder and director of Tara Trust-an NGO working for underprivileged children-Katharina Poggendrof Kakkar and former MLA in the government of Tibet in exile Tsering Choppel are also among the members on the committee of the India Tibet Friendship Society, Goa chapter.

On the occasion, the committee of ITFS Goa Chapter was also formed. Its committee members are Jayant Shah as president, Tsering Choepell (vicepresident), Aparna J Shah (general secretary), Tsewang Chopell (execuctive secretary), Tsering Choekyi (treasurer).

According to Mr. Manoj Kuma of Delhi ITFS, there are currently 105 chapters across the India. The Goa Chapter will focus on building emphatic bonds with the Tibetans in Goa and supporting their struggle in exile and learning lessons from the Tibetans and their leadership in preservation of their culture, besides working on cultural renaissance programmes.

A fresh demonstration erupted in Labrang, Sangchu County, Kanlho "TAP" Gansu Province in the eastern part of the Tibet in 2008. Photo: TPI

By Samuel Ivor and Pema Tso, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - Over hundred Tibetans in Amdho Ngaba region of Tibet shout slogans during a protest against the Chinese rule on 23rd of March. They shouted slogans demanding free Tibet, and return of Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.

Sources said the demonstration was crackdown by the armed Chinese military forces and police after the protesters have circled three times around the market and street.

Lobsang Yeshe and Kanyag Tsering who live in Dharamshala, India Tuesday told The Tibet Post International that the Chinese arrested at-least eight of the protesters in the county of Zamthang, Ngaba Region, Eastern Tibet: a schoolteacher named Phalkho; 40 years old, Dorjee; 35 years old, Ador, 35 years old, Woesal Dorjee, 28 years old, and as

9

well as 4 other unnamed Tibetans were also arrested.

Afterward, hundreds of Chinese armed forces were deployed in the village, looking carefully for further disruptions or turbulence. The police stayed until the 28th of March, questioning people with regards to who instigated the protest.

At 12:00 midnight, another Buddhist monk of Kirti Monastery called Tenzin was arrested by the police. Tenzin is 21 years old, S/O Dronkar and Sonam (Father). The police did not give a reason for his arrest and he was still in police custody on the 27th. After the protest at the monastery, the police have been present with a police dog every night since.

On the 24th, many police arrived in a village called Tawa (upper), Ngaba county, and had a meeting with the local

not known," said Tsering.

"On March 24, another the Kirti monk Lobsang Choephel, aged 24, of Kanyag Dewa (pastoral community), Trotsik township in Ngaba county, was arrested and taken away from the monastery compound. The reason for his arrest and other details are not known," he added.

Also around March 24, Losang Ngodrup, aged 32, a monk at Kirti monastery's Tantric college, from upper Chukle in Cha township, Ngaba county, was also arrested. There are no further details on the reason for his arrest. The monks Samdrup, Losang Tenzin and the layman Puntsok, who were arrested earlier, are still in detention.

According to reports received by Tsering on April 1st, a large number of troops sent to enforce the blockade of Kirti monastery entered the compound today, and prevented even the 70 year old (elderly) monks previously removed to the outer perimeter from moving freely, and it is feared that if this blockade continues, the monks will face problems obtaining daily essentials.

villagers. They said all the village people must look in the Kirti Monastery, and tell the police what is happening regarding further protests. The police said that if the villagers did not go to the monastery to observe the monks and help the police, each will be fined 30 yuan a day.

The police also warned the villagers not to involve any kinds of protest that against the government as the monks from Kirti Monastery did.: 'Members of the public and monks are very different' argued the police. They added: The Chinese officials told the villager that 'the government have helped them many times, and in the future it also has plans to help villagers'. "Nobody should be burning themselves and there are no issues. The monks have very good conditions, but simply don't want to enjoy these, and burn their bodies for no good reason", the officials added.

The monks from Kirti monastery have formed a group for self-immolation protest, they have promised that they will set fire themselves to against Chinese rule over Tibet. But, the police intend to break this group of monks, with the help of the villagers.

However, the villagers went to the monastery to look for the monks in the morning. Instead of observing the monks, they offered prayers and circled the monastery morning and evening. The Chinese police gave 30 Yuan to each of the villagers after the event, the police also took photos of participants and covered with video recordings.

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TPI INTERNATIONAL ......Serious Human The World Belongs to Humanity, Rights Abuses in Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama 15 April , 2011 Dharamsala

The Tibet Post

By Cornelius Lundsgaard, The Tibet Post

unrest and its suppression. Authorities continued to commit serious human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial detention, and house arrest. The preservation and development of Tibet's unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage remained a concern."

Following the outbreak of protests in March 2008, Secretary Clinton said that the "[Chinese] government reported that 22 persons were killed in the Lhasa violence, However, outside observers, including Tibetan exile groups and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), variously placed the number of persons killed in Tibetan areas due to official suppression that began March 10 at between 100 and 218".

The report said that had stepped up restrictions on its critics and tightened control of civil society and had increased to limit freedom of speech, Internet access and foreign interest observers. "There were reports of persons tried, found guilty, and executed for their activities during the 2008 protests," the top US diplomat said. "Trials and executions were not transparent, and requests by foreign observers to attend trials were denied.

There was not enough information available to determine whether they were afforded due process."

The report also alleged that several political prisoners are incarcerated in Tibet. The Chinese "authorities arbitrarily detained Tibetans, including monks and nuns, many of whom remained missing. "The whereabouts of the Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, Tibetan Buddhism's secondmost prominent figure after the Dalai Lama, and his family remained unknown," report said, "and The five monks Ramoche monastery, including Sonam Rabgyal, Damdul, and Rabgyal, who disappeared in Lhasa from 2008, Paljor Norbu, a Tibetan traditional painter sentenced to seven years in prison after a secret trial in 2008, Phuntsok Gyaltsen, the deputy head of Phurbu Township, Palgon County, who was detained in 2007 were still remained unknown."

Reporting on torture and other cruel and degrading treatment, it said "Tibetans repatriated from Nepal reportedly suffered torture, including electric shocks, exposure to cold, and severe beatings, and were forced to perform heavy physical labor."

"Prisoners were subjected routinely to "political investigation" sessions and were punished if deemed insufficiently loyal to the state."

In December 2009 the deputy director of the TAR Justice Bureau told a foreign diplomat that there were 3,000 prisoners in the five TAR prisons, which are separate from the RTL system.

Also mentioned in the report were "mass detentions connected with the March 2008 unrest amplified already crowded and harsh prison conditions.

Some prisons, including those in the RTL system, used forced labor to which prisoners may be assigned for three years (with the possibility of a one-year extension) without court review. The law states that prisoners may be required to work up to 12 hours

per day, with one rest day every two weeks, but sometimes these regulations were not enforced; conditions varied from prison to prison."

"During the year arbitrary arrest and detention continued in Tibetan areas.

With a detention warrant, police legally may detain persons for up to 37 days without formally arresting or charging them. Police must notify the relatives or employer of a detained person within 24 hours of the detention.

Following the 37-day period, police must either formally arrest or release the detainees. In practice police frequently violated these requirements."

However "Official state media reported the detentions of 4,434 persons in Tibetan areas (1,315 in Lhasa) between March and April 2008. In 2008 official media reported that approximately 1,317 persons were arrested in the March-April time frame, 1,115 of whom were released afterwards. Overseas organizations placed the total number detained at more than 5,600."

The Chinese authorities severely restricted travel by foreign journalists to TAR and other Tibetan areas. "In the TAR, foreign journalists can gain access to the region only by participating in highly structured government organized tours, where the constant presence of government minders makes independent reporting difficult," US report said. "Outside the TAR, foreign journalists frequently were expelled from Tibetan areas despite government rules, adopted in 2008, stating that foreign journalists do not need the permission of local authorities to conduct reporting. In June the Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) called on China to apply its own reporting regulations and open the TAR to foreign journalists. An FCCC survey found that 86 percent of respondents said that it was not possible to report accurately and comprehensively about Tibet.

Respondents submitted 35 applications for travel to the TAR over the past two years; only four were approved. Some foreign media were able to report from Yushu immediately after the earthquake without serious government interference."

The US report defends Internet filtering and criticises Chinese censorship. The report said the Chinese "Official censorship greatly hampered the development of Tibetan-language Internet sites. Although the government funded projects designed to improve Tibetan-language computer interfaces, security agencies responsible for monitoring the Internet often lacked the language skills necessary to monitor Tibetan content.

As a result, Tibetan-language blogs and Web sites were subject to indiscriminate censorship, with entire sites closed down even when the content did not appear to touch on sensitive topics."

"Education to attend political education sessions in an effort to prevent separatist political and religious activities on campus. Ethnic Tibetan academics were frequently encouraged to participate in

Dharamshala: More than 2000 people on Wednesday April 13th gathered at the "Possibilities" civic summit in Dublin, Ireland to listen Tibet's spiritual leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama's speech titled Universal Responsibility. The summit was organized by the 3 Irish non-profit organisations Afri, SpunOut.ie and Children in Crossfire. Opening the event, the organiser asked the audience to pause for reflection on why they had come, adding that: "Truth is, we all came together because we're all concerned about the state of the country and of the world."

His Holiness the Dalai Lama had been invited by his close friend Mr. Richard Moore who was blinded at the age of 10 by a rubber bullet fired by an English soldier and who as an adult founded the NGO Children in Crossfire.

Mr. Moore and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who led Moore by the hand when they entered the stage, first met during His Holiness' visit to Derry, Ireland in 2000, where he was moved by the story of Mr. Moore and by his ability to forgive the perpetrator for his actions.

Before His Holiness began his talk on the subject of "Universal Responsibility", Mr. Moore had been asked to introduce himself and tell his unusual story of tragedy, forgiveness and charity to the audience.

Stressing a good family and community as well as great friends and a lack of bitterness as integral to his positive outlook on life he said: "I am generally glad to say that blindness has been a positive experience for me" and adding that "you can take away someone's eyesight, but you can't take away their

vision".

Mr. Moore presented His Holiness the Dalai Lama with a metal shield representing both Celtic and Tibetan traditions and told the audience he was humbled to describe the Dalai Lama as a friend before. He then received a traditional white silk scarf, (Tibetan: Khata), from His Holiness, who called Moore his "hero" and jokingly referred to the Derry-born Moore as the "Derry Lama".

In his well known informal style, His Holiness several times made jokes during his talk, at one point even grabbing Mr. Moore's protruding belly, teasing him in a friendly manner by saying that he too should perhaps stick with the diet of monks, consisting only of breakfast and lunch and no dinner, to which the audience broke out in laughter.

Launching his talk with a lengthy reflection on the responsibility of human beings, the Dalai Lama said that "as humans our compassion and affection

government propaganda efforts, such as by making public speeches supporting government policies or accepting interviews by official media, report said. "Academics who failed to cooperate with such efforts faced diminished prospects for promotion.

Academics in China who publicly criticized the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) policies on Tibetan affairs faced official reprisal. The government controlled curricula, texts, and other course materials as well as the publication of historically or politically sensitive academic books.

Authorities frequently denied permission to Tibetan academics to travel overseas for conferences and academic/cultural exchanges."

The US report also criticized over the Chinese ongoing forceful resettlement of momads in Tibet. "Planned urban economic growth, rapid infrastructure development, the growing nonTibetan population, the expanding tourism industry, the forced resettlement of nomads and farmers, the weakening of Tibetan-language education at the middle and high school levels, and the introduction of more modern cultural influences continued to disrupt traditional living patterns and customs and marginalized the local population," it said.

"China continued to demonize the Dalai Lama and harshly repress Tibetan Buddhists," the report said, adding

that "preservation and development of Tibet''s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage remained a concern."

The report concerned that "the law provides for the freedom to travel; however, in practice the government strictly regulated travel and freedom of movement of Tibetans," reported further said. Freedom of movement, particularly for monks and nuns, was limited severely within Lhasa and throughout the TAR, and in Tibetan areas of Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan provinces. It was less of a problem in Yunnan, where there were many fewer monasteries and nunneries than other Tibetan areas."

"The PAP and local PSBs set up multiple roadblocks and checkpoints on major roads, in cities, and on the outskirts of monasteries. Tibetans traveling in religious attire were subject to extra scrutiny by police at roadside checkpoints. Several Tibetan monks reported that it remained difficult to travel outside their home monasteries, with officials frequently denying permission for outside monks to stay temporarily at a particular monastery for religious education.

After the Yushu earthquake, many monks from neighboring counties and provinces were forced to leave, although local Tibetans needed their help to conduct funeral ceremonies for the many earthquake victims," US report said.

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, attends a news conference in Dublin April 13, 2011. The Dalai Lama is on a two day visit to Ireland. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton (IRELAND - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION)

can, due to our intelligence, be extended to people with whom we have no relative relation. We are the only animals to be able to do that".

Because humans are social animals like many other animals, our individual survival and happiness depends on the rest of society, he said and proceeded to say that this was particularly true in today's reality, where the human population is approaching 7 billion people, making humans of today "very much interconnected and heavily interdependent".

In front of a captivated audience he then underlined humanity's innate gentleness and compassion, urging them to "pay more attention to your inner qualities", and pointing to Mr. Moore and the Tibetan people as a good examples. The Tibetan's ability to maintain inner peace in the face of difficult times makes their community "a much more happy one", he said.

In an address to the young people of Ireland, His Holiness said that considering one's surrounding within the boundary of one's immediate society was "out of date" and that their role today was a very important one with the people of his own generation ready to say "bye bye".

The last part of his appearance consisted of His Holiness taking questions from the audience. Asked about which advice he would give to the people of Ireland he replied that with the country facing economic problems the Irish should work hard, stay determined and self-confident and not feel discouraged and that tragedy can transform into more inner strength, just like it did for himself when he lost his country at the age of 24.

When asked for advice to people living in today's society where "it seems the main events in our lives are controlled by people you will never meet nor see", Tibetan spiritual leader said: "It is, I think, a fact that world belongs to humanity, different nations belongs to that nation's people not government, not the individual", and then stated his belief that having democratic elections is the best way. He also said that the media people play an important role and they should have "long nose like an elephant" in order to "smell what is going on behind them and inform the public".

Concluding his talk His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that he was sure things would change in this century and that, if we all use our vision and sense of responsibility, we can improve our world and make this century one

His Holiness Among the World's Top 100 Most Spiritual People

100 Spiritual Power List by Watkins. Photo: watkinsbooks

By Cornelius Lundsgaard, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - One of the worlds oldest and largest independent esoteric bookshops, Watkins Books, London, recently published a list of who they deem to be the 100 most spiritually influential people alive on which Tibet's spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama figures as number 2.

The list was published in their quarter annual magazine, the Watkins Review, in which the editors express that they believe such a list has been "long overdue". The Watkins Review also says it is their hope the list will "nurture the debates surrounding contemporary spirituality". The criteria for making the list were many, however, the Watkins Review only reveal the main three: 1) The person has to be alive 2) The person has to have made a unique and spiritual contribution on a global scale 3) The person is frequently googled, appears in Nielsen Data, and highlighted in throughout the blogosphere Of the 100 people featured on the list a statistic provided by Watkins Review interestingly shows that 76% are male and that the median age is 67 years.

Also on the list is the American born Tibetan Buddhist non Pema Chrodron, listed as number 39, and the venerable Sogyal Rinpoche who is listed as the 82nd most spiritually influential person in the world.

1. Eckhart Tolle 2. Dalai Lama 3. Dr Wayne W. Dyer 4. Thich Nhat Hanh 5. Deepak Chopra

11 Ultimate Source of Happiness Was Inner Peace: His Holiness

TPI HIS HOLINESS

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6. Louise L. Hay 7. Paulo Coelho 8. Oprah Winfrey 9. Ken Wilber 10. Rhonda Byrne 11. James Redfield 12. Neale Donald Walsch 13. Doreen Virtue 14. Alejandro Jodorowsky 15. Richard Bach 16. Alex Grey 17. Byron Katie 18. Masaru Emoto 19. Nelson Mandela 20. Bernie Siegel 21. Caroline Myss 22. Brian Weiss 23. Mantak Chia 24. John Gray 25. Gregg Braden 26. Stephen R. Covey 27. Marianne Williamson 28. Desmond Tutu 29. Mata Amritanandamayi 30. Philip Berg 31. Ervin Laszlo 32. Andrew Harvey 33. Don Miguel Ruiz 34. Joseph Alois Ratzinger 35. Krishna Das 36. Drunvalo Melchizedek 37. Sai Baba 38. Jack Kornfield 39. Pema Chodron 40. T.K.V. Desikachar 41. Esther & Jerry Hicks 42. Dan Brown 43. Z'ev Ben Shimon Halevi 44. Diana Cooper 45. Ram Dass 46. Andrew Weil

Dharamshala: - The spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on Thursday (14th April) has addressed over 3,000 people at an event at the University of Limerick, on the second and final day of his Irish visit. During his 90-minute address Tibetan spiritual leader said the ultimate source of happiness was inner peace. Describing religious harmony as one of his lifelong commitments, he said all religions were dedicated to the same principles of love, contentment and compassion.

Arriving by helicopter, His Holiness was greeted by UL President Prof Don Barry after landing on the ‘Sports Bowl’ beside the Arena. The 76-year old Nobel Peace Laureate was accompanied by his friend Richard Moore, director of the charity Children in Crossfire, who organised the visit to Limerick. According to Irish newspaper 'Limerick Leader,' a large contingent of invited dignitaries and guests were among the audience including former UL president Roger Downer, Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell, Cathaoirleach Richard Butler, Shannon Development chief executive Vincent Cunnane and the Mayor of Limerick, Maria Byrne, as well as former Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama's Visit to the University of Limerick for a special address on the theme of Forgiveness. His Holiness was again accompanied by friend Richard Moore, founder of the charity 'Children in Crossfire,' of which His Holiness the Dalai Lama is patron.

The event included a number of special performances prepared and rehearsed by performers from the Irish World Academy based at the University, as well as the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the Monks of Glenstal. "Think more of others, extend your sense of concern, not only to your friend, but to strangers, and then to your enemy or troublemaker. Then that compassion is genuine compassion, unbiased,

47. Satya Narayan Goenka 48. Jon Kabat-Zinn 49. Alan Moore 50. Dan Millman 51. Bruce Lipton 52. Peter Kingsley 53. Karen Armstrong 54. Judy Hall 55. Colin Wilson 56. Joscelyn Godwin 57. James Lovelock 58. Satish Kumar 59. Shakti Gawain 60. Elaine Pagels 61. Kyozan Joshu Sasaki 62. Gary Zukav 63. Erich Von Daniken 64. David Deida 65. Oberto Airaudi 'Falcon' 66. Stuart Wilde 67. John Bradshaw 68. Jeff Foster 69. Patrick Holford 70. Andrew Cohen 71. Vladimir Megre 72. Thomas Cleary 73. Daniel Pinchbeck 74. Jonathan Goldman 75. Sonia Choquette 76. Seyyed Hossein Nasr 77. Mother Meera 78. Barefoot Doctor 79. Richard Bandler 80. Robert Bly 81. Adyashanti 82. Sogyal Rinpoche

15 April , 2011 Dharamsala

His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrives at the University Arena this Thursday morning with Richard Moore,left, Children in Crossfire and Don Barry, President, University of Limerick(LL) PICTURE.OWEN SOUTH

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

limitless, infinite, that we can do," His Holiness told the audience.

His Holiness spoke about the power of compassion, love and forgiveness, and described religious harmony as his life-long commitment. "I'm a Buddhist but I shouldn't develop too much of an attachment to Buddhism because if you have too much attachment to your own faith then your mind becomes biased. You should be faithful to your own tradition but you must have an open mind to others," His Holiness said.

"The ultimate source of a peaceful mind is not money, power or status," His Holiness added. "One of my friends may be a millionaire but as a person he is a very unhappy person. Money fails to bring inner peace . . . Stress will not bring real inner joyfulness or peace.

The heart really brings inner strength.

Trust brings friendship. We are a social animal," His Holiness continued.

Tibetan spiritual leader also received rapturous applause after speaking for close to an hour about the compassion and hope in an address called ‘The Power of Forgiveness’ at the University of Limerick Sports Arena.

According to Irish Times, the husband of murdered woman Michaela Harte was among a number of victims of violence who attended an address by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the "Power of Forgiveness" held in Limerick yesterday. John McAreavey and his father-in-law, Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte, also joined more than 3,000 people at the University Arena to hear the Tibetan spiritual leader.

83. Li Hongzhi 84. Sri Bhagavan 85. Rupert Sheldrake 86. John & Caitlin Matthews 87. Chogyal Namkhai Norbu 88. Kenneth Grant 89. Stanislav Grof 90. James Hillman 91. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

92. Stephen Levine 93. Candace Pert 94. Barbara Ann Brennan 95. Coleman Barks 96. Robert Thurman 97. B.K.S Iyengar 98. William Bloom 99. Lynne McTaggart Advertisement 100. Marion Woodman

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

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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

Mathew Singh Toor Carly Selby-James YC. Dhardhowa Sangay Dorjee Pema Tso

Taiwan Denmark India Australia India India India

Samuel Ivor

England

Cornelius Lundsgaard

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15 April , 2011 Dharamsala

TPI EXILE

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Exiled NGOs Condemn Tibetan Parliament Announces Proceedings of 2nd National Meeting Chinese Attacks on Monks in Tibet

By Tibetan government News Agency: Tibet Net

Chinese armed military tanks in the main street of Ngaba town of eastern Tibet on 24th March 2010. Photo: TPI

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: - The five major Tibetan NGOs in exile on April 14th, have condemned China use of armed military forces against peaceful Buddhist monks and calling on the international community to speak out against China's current crackdowns inside Tibet. "The Chinese authorities have now imposed a severe lockdown on the monastery, armed guards are patrolling the entrance, and the back of the monastery has been enclosed within cement walls built to imprison the monks inside."

Since the self-immolation of a 20-year old monk Phuntsok at Kirti Monastery on March 16, 2011 the situation in Ngaba, eastern Tibet (Ch: Aba, Qinghai Province) has been extremely tense. Food supplies have been cut off, prompting widespread fears that the monastery will face a food crisis in the coming days. There are approximately 2,500 monks trapped inside the monastery. The NGOs are Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women's Association, National Democratic Party of Tibet, GuChuSum movement of Tibet, and Students for a Free Tibet-India.

In recent weeks, the Chinese government has violently restricted religious activities at Kirti Monastery and has launched a vigorous ‘Patriotic Re-Education Campaign'.

The Monastery - a sanctuary for the practice of Buddhism and teachings of peace - has been effectively converted into an enormous prison.

Dozens of monks have been arrested and taken from the monastery and their whereabouts remain unknown.

"As a former political prisoner, I have personally experienced the kind of torture inflicted on Tibetans in Chinese prison. The Kirti monks are innocent and are under attack for simply expressing their internationally recognized right to freedom of religion," said Lukar Jam, Vice President of GuChuSum (former Political Prisoner's Movement of Tibet). "We are gravely concerned about the situation in Ngaba and call for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained in recent weeks."

According to reliable sources in Ngaba, residents learned on the evening of April 11, 2011 that Chinese

authorities were planning to forcibly remove all monks between the ages of 18 and 40 from the monastery. The monks were to be transferred to local prisons where they would be subjected to China's repressive political "reeducation".

Local Tibetans immediately gathered at the monastery to block the entrance. The armed police and soldiers tried to break through the crowd by beating the Tibetans and setting police dogs on them. In spite of the violent attacks, the Tibetans stood their ground and the troops failed to enter the monastery's inner gates.

"The United Nations and world governments must intervene in the name of human rights and pressure the Chinese government to put an end to its violent attacks and intimidation tactics in Ngaba," said Tsewang Rigzin, President of Tibetan Youth Congress on behalf of the 5 NGOs. "We urge the global community to express outrage and to take immediate action to protect the lives of innocent Tibetans."

The barbaric acts being carried out by Chinese authorities in Ngaba are reminiscent of the destruction and severe repression inflicted on Tibetans by Chinese troops after the invasion of Tibet in 1949 and during the Cultural Revolution.

Since 1959, the Chinese government has continued to destroy Tibetan monasteries. brutalizing and torturing Tibetan monks and nuns. 50 years of Chinese rule, however, has not destroyed the Tibetan people's spirit but instead has served to further fuel the resistance movement throughout Tibet.

On March 16th, 2008, during the peaceful uprising in Ngaba, protesters were brutally suppressed by Chinese troops and at least 10 Tibetans were killed. It was on the 3rd anniversary of this incident that Phuntsok selfimmolated himself in protest against Chinese rule in Tibet.

In recent weeks, two other Tibetans 59-year old Bulug and a 37-year old monk named Jamyang, died as a result of injuries sustained in police detention following their involvement in peaceful protests in 2008.

Dharamshala: The Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat Wednesday (30 March) announced the proceedings of the Second Tibetan National General Meeting to be held in Dharamshala from 21 - 23 May 2011.

The proceedings of the general meeting was finalised yesterday at a meeting of the members of the Kashag and the Parliament's Standing Committee presided over by the Parliament Speaker.

The general meeting will be held in accordance with the final resolution passed during the 11th session of the Parliament to follow up His Holiness the Dalai Lama's proposal to devolve his political authority to the democratically elected Tibetan leadership.

The composition of the members participating in the general meeting will be Kalon Tripa; members of the Kashag; former Kalons; elected Kalon Tripa of the 14th Kashag; members of the Parliament; former members of Parliament; elected members of the 15th Tibetan Parliament; Dharamsala-based CTA officials above Joint Secretary; one representative each from the local assemblies and one each from those Tibetan Settlements which do not have any local assemblies; one member each from Bod Rawang Denpai Legul Tsogchung; six representatives each from the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism

The 13th Kashag (Centrak Tibetan Administration),and the 14th Members of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on Thursday, 24 March 2011, at Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamsala.

Photo: Tibet Net

and Bon religion; one member each from the overseas Tibetan Associations; two members each from the Tibetan nongovernmental organizations (Executive Committees of U-Tsang, Do-tod and Domed, Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women's Association, National Democratic Party of Tibet, Gu-Chu-Sum, Ngari Chithun Tsogpa, Cholsum Chigdril Tsogpa and Bod Gyalyong Chapsi Tsondrol Tsogpa); and one representative each from autonomous institutions (Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, Central University of Tibetan Studies, Varanasi, Norbulingka Institute, Manjushree Center of Tibetan Culture, Darjeeling, Tibet House, Delhi, Head Office of the Tibetan Children's Village, Tibetan Home's Foundation, Mussoorie,

Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society, The Central Council of Tibetan Medicine, Men-Tsee Khang, Delek hospital, Sherig Parkhang, Federation of Tibetan Cooperatives in India Ltd), 50 voluntary participants comprising of scholars, experts and social activists (30 from India, Nepal and Bhutan and 20 from other countries).

The participants are required to send their names to the Parliamentary Secretariat before 30 April 2011.

On the first two days of the meeting, separate committees will be formed to deliberate on the recommendations of the Charter Amendment Drafting Committee and relevant proposals on the appeal to be made to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Each committee will present its report on the final day of the meeting.

Subsequently, a final resolution will be passed based on the final outcome of the discussions on the recommendations of the Charter Amendment Drafting Committee and relevant proposals on the appeal to be made to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan Parliament will apprise His Holiness the Dalai Lama about the final recommendations of the general meeting on 24 May 2011. ccordingly, the recommendations concerning the amendment of the Charter will be tabled in an additional session of the 14th Tibetan Parliament for final approval.

One Year on, Tibetans Still Suffer in Earthquake-hit Kyegudo

By Tibetan government News Agency: Tibet Net

Dharamshala: On this day in 2010, tragedy unfolded in Kyegudo (Chinese: Yushu) in eastern Tibet's Kham province after a massive 6.9-magnitude earthquake unprecedented in the history of the region struck, which left over 2,700 people and thousands homeless.

The Tibetan people, including monks from the neighbouring monasteries, were in the forefront of the relief operation in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. The Chinese government said it also dispatched rescue team and essential relief materials such as tents, medicines to the region.

There was an overwhelming response from the international community in sending much needed supplies and supporting local Chinese relief efforts.

As an expression of sympathy for and solidarity with those affected by the tragedy, the Tibetan people in exile offered donations for the relief efforts through a Tibetan relief committee formed in Dharamsala. The "4-14 Yushu Earthquake Charity Committee" was established by Tibetan youths from Kyegudo, now residing in Dharamsala.

A total of 2.5 million Indian Rupees contributed by Tibetans living in exile was handed over to the Yushu Earthquake Charity Committee at a prayer service in Dharamsala on 11 May 2010.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama presided over the customary prayer services to bring spiritual solace to the deceased and strength to the survivors to rebuild their lives. But the suffering of the local

A special prayer service was held this morning at Tsuglagkhang, the main temple in Dharamsala, to mourn those who lost their lives in the Kyegudo tragedy.

Photo: Tibet Net

Tibetans still persist one year after the earthquake.

There is growing resentment among the local Tibetans against the reconstruction plans implemented by the Chinese government. Earlier this month, local Tibetans staged protest against the Chinese government's attempt to usurp their land, according to information received by the Central Tibetan Administration. The protestors were seen holding banners and signs with slogans that read "Our land belongs to us," and "Help for the Yushu disaster area should put ordinary people's benefits first. This concerns people's lives. Reasonably plan the land of our lives."

In an interview with Radio Free Asia's (RFA) Tibetan service, one of the participants in the demonstrations said that "the protesters were beaten, and many were injured. Several of them were detained and taken away."

Tibetan protests have persisted throughout the reconstruction process, due in large part to a lack of

transparency and responsiveness on behalf of the authorities, who have also excluded most all Tibetan involvement in the reconstruction planning process, despite Yushu being a Tibetan area with a strong sense of Tibetan identity and maintaining historically significant religious and cultural institutions, reported the International Campaign for Tibet which monitors rights issues inside Tibet.

"It has been one year, and you would expect something to have been built," Sangyang, 33, a teacher who lost a brother in the quake, was quoted as saying by South China Morning Post.

"But it still looks like one big construction site, with dust everywhere. Probably no outsider would believe we don't even have proper roads."

The only new structures are a handful of half-finished multi-storey complexes that are to be schools and hospitals, reconstruction priorities as promised by the government. Most residents are still housed in blue tents sprawled across settlement areas around Kyegudo.

Schools, hospitals and government offices are currently in rows of prefabricated buildings, SCMP reported.

There has been slow progress despite government investment of 5 billion yuan (HK$5.95 billion) in 298 reconstruction projects last year and pledges to invest another 20 billion yuan this year, the report said.

A special prayer service was held this morning at Tsuglagkhang, the main temple in Dharamsala, to mourn those who lost their lives in the tragedy.