The Tibet Post International (TPI) Online Newspaper

Jetsun Pema receives honorary doctorate degree from University of San Francisco

“Deeply concerned over human rights in Tibet” US Senator, Joseph Lieberman

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Vol. 02, Issue 78, Print Issue 2, December 24, 2012

Tibetans pray for self-immolators in Amdho

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Thousands in Dharamshala join Solidarity with Tibet campaign on Human Rights Day

By Sophie Jay, December 12, 2012.

Tibetans gather to pray for self-immolators in Amdho. Photo:RFA

By Louisa Diffey, December 17, 2012.

Dharamshala: Between four and five thousand people have attended forbidden prayer services for self-immolators in a Tibetan village.

The villagers held the ceremonies in a number of prayer houses in Lugyal Village, Chentsa County, Amdo, in northeastern Tibet, between December 7 – 9.

As well as praying for the 95 Tibetans who have self-immolated protesting Chinese rule in their country since February, 2009, the villagers, including prominent local lama, Lhada Rinpoche, prayed for the preservation of their religion, culture and identity, and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet.

A source inside Tibet stated that prior to the three day event; local Chinese authorities had announced that such ceremonies were forbidden.

Other villages in Chentsa county are reported to have held similar prayer services, which were met with strong disapproval

by Chinese authorities.

Tibetan monk releases novel in Taiwan

By Dan Floyd, December 11, 2012.

Dharamshala: A Tibetan monk living in Taiwan has released a new novel in both Chinese and Tibetan.

Invisible Angel, by Tashi Khenpo, which tells of the struggle of a young boy, also named Tashi, living in Tibet who refuses to accept an education provided by the Chinese Communist Party, was launched in Taipei on December 8.

The 35-year-old monk, who moved to Taiwan in 2010, said that he has dedicated his book to the children of Tibet, expressing his hope that it will: “open the reader’s horizons to the world and customs of the people of Tibet.”

Born in the Dzachukha area of Kham, eastern Tibet, in 1977, Tashi Khenpo spent his childhood grazing livestock and digging for ginger and caterpillar fungus to help make ends meet until,

Dharamshala: Thousands of people gathered in McLeod Ganj, India, to mark International Human Rights Day and express solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet.

Tibetans and international supporters assembled at His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Main Temple on December 10, which also marked the 23rd anniversary of the day the Tibetan spiritual leader received the Nobel Peace Prize, to participate in the Tibetan Kashag’s (cabinet’s) Solidarity with Tibet campaign, aimed at raising international awareness about the ongoing crisis in the Himalayan country.

Participants observed a minute’s silence in solidarity with the estimated 95 Tibetans who have self-immolated protesting Chinese rule in their country since March 2011, and enjoyed singing and dancing by performers from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts.

At around 11.30am, up to 1,000 people chanting slogans calling for a Free Tibet and the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama set off on a march from the Main temple down to Kacheri, where upon arrival at a point close to the local Indian administrative offices, they sang the protest anthem “we shall overcome,” before being addressed by a number of speakers including Students for A Free Tibet India’s programme director, Tenzin Jigdal, National Democratic Party of Tibet president, Gelek Jamyang, and Tibetan writer and activist, Tenzin Tsundue.

The Tibet Post International’s new English language newspaper was launched in the Main Temple by the Tibetan Parliament in Exile’s speaker, Penpa Tsering, whilst Tibet is Burning, a book published by the Central Tibetan Administration’s Department of Information and International Relations, was launched by Minister of Religion and Culture, Pema Cheojor.

Addressing the crowd, speaker, Penpa Tsering appealed to the new Chinese leadership to improve the human rights situation in Tibet, stating: “It is high time for the leaders of the Communist Party of China to undertake at the very earliest, an earth-shaking, giant leap of reformative transformation in the so-called People’s

Children from Dharamshala’s TCV school join the Solidarity with Tibet campaign on International Human Rights Day. Photo: TPI: Xiaorong

Republic of China, which is totally bereft of any respect for human rights and political freedom.”

At the protest march, which was jointly organized by Tibetan NGOs Students for a Free Tibet, the Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women’s Association, the National Democratic Party of Tibet and Gu Chu Sum – a charity run for and by former political prisoners, Tenzin Jigdal said: “On this Human rights day we urge our governments to stand together to work in partnership

TPI’s new newspaper launched on International Human Rights Day

to build a multilateral response to this crisis in Tibet that will increase pressure on China to address the Tibetan people’s desire for freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama.”

Gelek Jamyang added: “World Governments cannot simply hope that the self-immolations in Tibet will stop.

“Until China’s leaders begin to genuinely address the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people, we cannot see this crisis abating.”

Documentary on Tibetan immolations released

Screening of Tibetan self-immolation documentary. Photo: TPI

By Dan Floyd, December 13, 2012.

Dharamshala: A documentary about the self immolations in Tibet, seen through the eyes of exiled family members of those who died, was launched at the Tibet Museum, in McLeod Ganj,

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Prayer service held for self-immolators

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Tibetan Parliament submits petition to UN

TPI’s editor in chief, Yeshe Choesang launches the first edition of the newspaper with Penpa Tsering, speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile. Photo: TPI/Pema Tso

By Sophie Jay, December 12, 2012.

Kirti Rinpoche presiding over a prayer service with Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay and Kalon Pema Chinjor.

Photo: Tibet Net

By Samuel Ivor, December 6, 2012.

Dharamshala: Hundreds of mourners attended a special prayer service to honour the Tibetans who have self-immolated for their cause, in Dharamshala on December 5.

Monks, nuns, school children and families packed the Dalai Lama’s Main Temple where prayers were led by Kirti Rinpoche and monks from Nechung Monastery.

The poignant event, organized by the Central Tibetan Administration’s Department of Religion and Culture, was also attended by the Tibetan political leader, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay.

The prayers focused particularly on Kunchoek Kyab, Sangdak Kyab, and Lobsang Gedun, who set themselves alight on November 30, and December 2 and 3, as well as the long life of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Dharamshala: The Tibet Post International (TPI) has launched its very own English language newspaper.

The eight-page broadsheet, containing news from inside Tibet and the Tibetan world in exile, was launched by the Tibetan Parliament in Exile’s speaker, Penpa Tsering, during the Kashag’s (Tibetan cabinet’s) Solidarity with Tibet event, at His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Main Temple in Dharamshala, India, on Monday.

Editor in chief, Yeshe Choesang, said that the launch on December 10, which marked both International Human Rights Day and the 23rd anniversary of the day the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize, was “greatly symbolic and a huge success” with over 400 copies sold on the first morning alone.

“We are very happy that Tibet has a new newspaper,” he said.

“People in Tibet are suffering, and it is extremely important to show the world what is happening there. We are a voice for Tibet.”

The TPI website was formed by a group of young Tibetan journalists in March 2008 (which saw the most violent clashes between ethnic Tibetans and Chinese authorities since 1959, when the Dalai Lama and Tibetan government were forced to

flee the country) with the aim of “promoting democracy through freedom of expression within Tibetan communities, both in exile and in Tibet.”

Almost five years on, the non-profit news organization has enjoyed significant success internationally, receiving tens of thousands of hits on its website each day.

“We at the TPI seek to provide truthful, reliable information, and address the social, political, economic, and educational needs of Tibetan people,” said Yeshe.“Today we are very happy as so many people were interested in buying our newspaper. Old and young people, monks and nuns, international supporters and also our Indian hosts. India is a great democracy and her government and people have given us this great opportunity to express ourselves.

“I think it’s very important that the Tibetan issue should be spread throughout the Indian community and throughout the world, and I feel very proud and grateful to have a newspaper here in the holy town of Dharamshala, where people come to from across the world to learn about Tibet and find out what is happening there.

“Today’s launch was a greatly symbolic event.”

Penpa Tsering, speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile delevering his statement on International Human Rights Day. Photo: TPI/Xiaorong By: Samuel Ivor, 12 December 2012

Dharamshala: The Tibetan Parliament in Exile has handed a petition containing over 357,000 signatures to the United Nations (UN), urging the international organization to intervene over Tibet.

The petition, which filled 117 books with signatures from more than 90 countries, was handed to officials at the UN headquarters in New York, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, and the UN Information Centre in New Delhi, on December 10, International Human Rights Day. The signatures were collected as part of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile’s Flame of Truth Torch Relay, launched in July 2012, which travelled to thirty countries with the aim of spreading international awareness about the plight of Tibetans in Tibet.

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TPI NEWS

International news

December 24, 2012 Dharamshala

Tibetans stage hunger strike for United States calls on China to hold unconditional dialogue with Dalai Lama self-immolators in Taipei.

By Dan Floyd, December 7, 2012

Dharamshala: Top United States (US) government officials have called on the Chinese leadership to conduct direct and unconditional dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama or his representatives.

The statement, issued in response to the increasing number of self-immolations, which have occurred both within and outside of Tibet, asserted that the dialogue should concern China’s harsh policies in Tibet, including restricting the ability to express grievances freely, publicly, peacefully, and without fear of reprisal.

Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Maria Otero, said: “The US is deeply concerned and saddened by the continuing violence in Tibetan areas of China.

“Chinese authorities have responded to these tragic incidents with measures that tighten already strict controls on freedoms of religion, expression, assembly and association of Tibetans.

“The US government has consistently urged the Chinese government to address policies in Tibetan areas that have created tensions. These policies include increasingly severe government controls on Tibetan Buddhist religious practices and monastic institutions, intensive surveillance, arbitrary

Tibetans and supporters take part in a 49-hour hunger strike in Taipei on December 8, 2012. Photo: TPI/Keary Huang

By Keary Huang, December 9, 2012.

Taipei: Ten Tibetans and Taiwanese supporters took part in a 49 hour hunger strike beginning on December 8.

The strike formed part of a large event staged in Liberty Square, Taipei, to mark the Tibetan Kashag’s (cabinet’s) global Solidarity with Tibet campaign, aimed at spreading international awareness about the current crisis in Tibet.

After lighting candles in front of a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetans wearing traditional outfits and headwear with the Tibetan flag printed on it quietly prayed for those who have sacrificed their lives for the Tibetan cause, including the 94 (now 95) Tibetans who have selfimmolated protesting Chinese rule in their country since February 2009. A minute’s silence was also observed in their memory.

Addressing the crowd in the pouring rain, the Dalai Lama’s representative in Taiwan, Dawa Tsering, blamed the Chinese government’s repressive policies in Tibet for “pushing Tibetans to set themselves on fire in protest,” adding that the solution to the escalating crisis in Tibet also lies entirely with the Chinese government.

He appealed to the international community to encourage the Chinese government to find a lasting solution to the problem of Tibet through dialogue with the Tibetan leadership.“We would be ashamed if we forgot about them and did not carry on their

mission,” he said.“Letting the world know what they have sacrificed, as well as of the suffering of the Tibetans, is the least we can do now.”

After the event, Tenzin Choephel, president of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Taiwan, told the Taipei Times: “Ninety-four Tibetans have selfimmolated, not for their own personal reasons, but for the well-being of the Tibetan people, the Tibetan culture and our religious traditions.

“We are making an urgent call to the international community to pay more attention to the suffering of the Tibetans, and we urge that the UN send an independent delegation to Tibet to investigate human rights violations.”

Vice president, Tenzin Namdak, asked Taiwanese supporters to help spread the message and try to persuade the government to show concern for Tibetans. “How heartless it is if anyone disregards the message that these people tried to deliver with their lives,” he said.

Mr Choephel added that a 49-hour hunger strike signified that in Buddhist culture a 49-day memorial service is held for the deceased, because Buddhists believe that after death, one’s spirit is lost for 49 days before knowing where to go, and needs guidance from the living.

The strike will culminate in a special prayer service and candle light vigil on December 10 – International Human Rights Day.

Lithuanian MEP calls for Special Representative for Tibet for EU

MEP Leonidas Donskis who called on the EU to appoint a Special Representative on Tibet.

By Dan Floyd, 14 December 2012

Dharamshala: A Lithuanian MEP has called on the European Union (EU) to appoint a Special EU Representative on Tibet.

Leonidas Donskis made the report during the EU’s annual report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World, on December 13.

“I believe that each annual human rights report should set ambitious, yet achievable goals, which the Parliament should push for,” he said.

“This year I want to focus on Tibet – a country which merely seeks to preserve its religious, cultural and historical identity, yet suffers from systemic human rights violations by China.

“Given the dramatic situation there, the EU should set up an office for a Special EU Representative on Tibet to monitor the situation more closely.”

Highlighting that the annual report calls on the EU to ensure high, uncompromised human rights standards in its relations with other countries, Mr. Donskis emphasised that such standards are especially important: “with big partners such as Russia and China, where human rights are often trivialized and marginalized in the context of economic and other considerations.”

Maria Otero, Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs at the US State Department gives a press conference in Tegucigalpa on September 14, 2012.(Photo: AFP)

detentions, escalating restrictions on media, and the use of force against Tibetans seeking peacefully to exercise their universal human rights,” she added.

“We call on China’s leaders to allow journalists,

diplomats and other observers unrestricted access to China’s Tibetan areas. “We call on the Chinese Government to address the policies in Tibetan areas that have created these tensions.”

120 Messages promoting Tibetan cause sent to Indian Prime Minister and other world leaders

By Dan Floyd, December 19, 2012

Dharamshala: Members of a Tibetan NGO have delivered 50 video messages to the Indian Prime Minister urging him to participate in a multilateral action for Tibet.

Activists from Students For a Free Tibet sent the messages to Dr Manmohan Singh, on International Human Rights Day, on which the Tibetan Kashag (cabinet) asked people around the world to support its Solidarity with Tibet campaign, aimed at spreading awareness of the current crisis in Tibet to the international community, on December 10.

The initiative is part of a wider campaign in which 120 video messages have been sent to world leaders and organizations including 2012 Nobel Peace Laureate, the European Union.

Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, received 50 video messages from Students for a Free Tibet. Photo:file

Numerous individuals of various professions expressed their support for the Tibetan cause in the messages, many of which specifically focused on the spate of self-immolations in Tibet, in which

95 Tibetans have set themselves alight protesting Chinese rule in their country, since February 2009.

Sarah Haq, Chapter Coordinator of Students for a Free Tibet, Delhi, said: “It is hard to imagine circumstances so extreme that they drive people to light their bodies on fire, but this is the reality today for Tibetans living under Chinese rule.

“The humanitarian crisis unfolding n Tibet demands immediate and coordinated action by the European Union, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other world leaders.

“It pains me to see that my country India has continued to remain silent on this matter which requires urgent attention,” she added.

“Multilateral action is the only immediate way to pressure Beijing to end the repression that is driving Tibetans to give up their lives in these heartbreaking acts of protest.”

China: Join us in supporting the Tibetan people, says Sikyong

By Dan Floyd, 14 December 2012

Dharamshala: Tibet’s political leader has called on the Chinese public to “join us in supporting the aspirations of the Tibetan people.”

In a statement read out by Minister of Religion and Culture, Pema Cheojor, at the Tibetan Kashag’s (cabinet’s) Solidarity with Tibet event, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay expressed his sadness at the perceived lack of interest from many Chinese people in the ongoing crisis in Tibet including the recent wave of self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule in their country.

“We appreciate the support of some of our Chinese friends and various Chinese NGOs based outside China, but remain deeply disturbed and saddened at the silence and seeming indifference of most Chinese people, particularly that of Chinese intellectuals and public thinkers, to the suffering of the Tibetan people,” he said.

“The Tibetan struggle is neither anti-China nor antiChinese people. What Tibetans seek is freedom and genuine autonomy as enshrined in the Chinese constitution.

“I appeal to our Chinese brothers and sisters to join us in supporting the aspirations of the Tibetan people.”

Over a thousand people attended the event at the Dalai Lama’s Main Temple in Dharamshala, India, which coincided with International Human Rights Day, and the 23rd anniversary of the day the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize, on December 10.

Drawing the audience’s attention the 95 selfimmolations which have taken place in Tibet since February 2009, Dr Sangay’s statement said that the

Kalon Pema Choejor delivering Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay’s statement at the Dalai Lama’s Main Temple. Photo: CTA. Tibet Net

spate of fiery protests in which at least 80 Tibetans have died represents “a new threshold of Tibetan despair and resentment.”

Blaming: “political and religious repression, economic marginalization, social discrimination, cultural assimilation and environmental destruction in Tibet” for what is believed to be the largest wave of self-immolations protesting an oppressive regime in history, he said: “Despite repeated appeals by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) to refrain from such drastic acts, Tibetan self-immolations persist.

“Inevitably, the Chinese Communist Party has blamed the self-immolations on the exiled Tibetan

leadership, but to blame His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Administration is a frank admission by the Chinese government of its utter failure to win the loyalty of Tibetans despite fifty plus years of occupation.

“It also reflects Beijing’s failure to engage in legitimate policy options, and to continue to rely instead, on the blame game.

“To our brothers and sisters in Tibet, we are with you every step of the way,” he said.

“The three principles of unity, innovation and selfreliance will guide us towards our goal of seeing His Holiness the Dalai Lama return to Tibet and restoring freedom for Tibetans.”

TPI NEWS Self-immolations 3 Monk calls for unity in Tibet Five more self-immolations, exiled Tibetans moments before self-immolating determined they will not have died in vain The Tibet Post International

December 24, 2012 Dharamshala

Tibetan students in Pema township, Amdho, protesting against the Chinese policy on Tibetan language, October 22, 2010.

Photo:File

By Samuel Ivor, 06 December 2012.

Dharamshala: A monk asked a friend to tell the Tibetan people to unite and not fight each other, moments before he self-immolated and died.

Tsayang Gyatso, of the Jonang Well Being Association, in Dharamshala, India, reported that sources inside Tibet have revealed that Lobsang Gedun, 29, phoned a fellow monk at Penag Kadak Troedreling monastery in Amdo, northeastern Tibet, before setting himself alight at a tri-road crossing in Pema county, on December 3.

An eyewitness stated that, with his body on fire, Gedun: “walked about 300 steps with hands folded in prayer posture, and raised slogans before he collapsed dead on the ground.”

Calling his friend at the monastery, Gedun is reported to have said: “Now I’m ready to selfimmolate. My body is covered in kerosene.

“I will drink acid and burn myself.

“My only hope is for Tibet to be united across all regions and for the Tibetan people not to fight each other.

“If we can unite and not fight each other, our hopes will be successful,” he concluded.

Gedun, who is reported to have been a greatly respected member of the community known for

his skills in resolving local and domestic disputes before they reached court, also told his friend that he had chosen to phone him because his literary skills were not adequate to enable him to write a note explaining his actions.

The source added that many friends and family members refrained from attending the monk’s funeral, on December 5, at which his body was draped with khatas (traditional Tibetan prayer scarves) before he was cremated, fearing increased tension between villagers and the Chinese police.

On the evening Gedun died, Chinese police are believed to have arrested another of his close friends, named Dordhar, who was also detained in 2008 for leading a protest march during the mass uprisings against Chinese rule which erupted that year across Tibet and ethnically Tibetan regions of China.

His current whereabouts are unknown.

News of Gedun’s last acts emerged from Tibet in spite of blackouts on telephones, internet access and social media across the region.

Gedun’s final message of unity is reported to have spread amongst over 1,000 local Tibetans who have promised to uphold his words.

Cash rewards for information on selfimmolators in Rebkong and Tsekhog

By Emily Arasim, December 18, 2012

Dharamshala: The Chinese government is offering cash rewards to anyone disclosing information on self-immolations in Tibet.

Exiled Tibetan, Sonam, learned from sources inside Tibet that the Malho People’s Intermediate Court and the Public Security Bureau, in Amdho, northeastern Tibet, issued a seven point policy detailing rewards ranging from 1,000 – 200,000 Chinese Yuan (US$ 160 – 32,000) for anyone divulging information on self-immolations, both past and planned, on November 2.

The source stated that the document was issued in response to the recent spate of self-immolations in Tibet and specifically applies to the Malho area of Amdho, which includes Rebkong and Tsekhog counties in which 13 Tibetan have set themselves alight protesting Chinese rule in their country, since November 4.

The most recent of the 95 Tibetans who have self-immolated since February 2009, 17-year-old schoolgirl, Bhenchen Kyi, died after setting herself alight in the Dokarmo nomadic area of Tsekhog, at around 8pm on December 9. The policy explains that the intention of the cash rewards is to deter Tibetans from participating in this form of protest, and to encourage friends and family members to denounce anyone involved, including Tibetans who have offered condolences or assistance to selfimmolators’ families.

Tibetan news website, Phayul, reported that Chinese authorities have also issued an ultimatum, advising would-be self-immolators and collaborators to turn themselves in immediately so that they may face a ‘lesser’ punishment.

The notice, issued in Tibetan and Chinese, tells Tibetans to “accept their crimes” of inciting and participating in self-immolations, displaying images of the Dalai Lama, consoling self-immolators families, and “unlawfully” spreading news, photos, and videos of the immolations to the outside world.

Phayul also stated that cash rewards and bribes have been offered to self-immolator’s families if they state that the protests were not against the Chinese government.

Monk releases novel in Chinese and Tibetan ...... Continued from front page aged 18, his mother urged him to begin studying at the Chilean Karma Temple Buddhist Institute. After releasing his first book, The Future of Tibet, in 2003, the monk was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison, charged with “destroying country unity”.

Following his release in July, 2005, he and a number of family members fled Tibet through the high

Himalayas to Bhutan, and eventually India, where he was able to receive Kalachakra empowerments from the Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya.

When asked why Invisible Angel was released in both Chinese and Tibetan, Wang Hongzhen, who translated the novel into Chinese, said: “Tibetan is beautiful, and no other language can be compared with it.”

By Sophie Jay, December 22, 2012

Dharamshala: Five people have self-immolated in Amdho, northeastern Tibet, this month, bringing the estimated number of Tibetans who have set themselves alight protesting Chinese rule in their country, to 95.

Whilst the number of self-immolations has dropped down from last month, during which 28 people engaged in fiery protests as the wave of immolations peaked in line with the Chinese Communist Party’s 18th National Congress, during which Xi Jinping was chosen to succeed Hu Jintao as China’s next president, Tibetans in exile remain determined that those who have sacrificed their lives for their country will not have done so in vain.

Over the last month, particularly on International Human Rights Day on December 10, when the Tibetan Kashag (cabinet) asked people across the world to join its Solidarity with Tibet campaign, supporters and politicians from Canada to Costa Rica, and Switzerland to Taiwan, voiced concern over what is believed to be the largest wave of self-immolations protesting an oppressive regime in history.

Prayer services and candle light vigils in their memory were held at the Dalai Lama’s Main Temple, in India, and in Lugyal village, in Amdo, northeastern Tibet, where a series of ceremonies were attended by up to 5,000 villagers, despite the local Chinese authority’s ban on such gatherings.

Peace marches were held in Dharamsala, and between Shillong in Meghalaya and Guwahati in Assam, northeastern India.

Ten Tibetans and Tibet supports staged a 49 hour hunger strike to draw attention to the selfimmolators and the plight of Tibetans in Taipei, Taiwan.

Beyond the Numbers: A Human Perspective on Tibet’s Self Immolation, a documentary on the protests, as seen through the eyes of friends and family of those who died, aimed at “restoring the humanity of an immolator beyond the mere number,” was released in McLeod Ganj and in Canada on December 13.

Tibetan political leader, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, described the self- immolations as “a new threshold of Tibetan despair and resentment,” whilst American Tibet supporter, Senator Joseph Lieberman, stressed that he is “deeply saddened and concerned,” by the protests, blaming the “repressive policies of the Chinese government,” as the “root cause of these acts of despair.”

All this and more to spread awareness about the self-

Photos of some of the protestors who have self-immolated in Tibet since February, 2009. Photo: File.

immolations among the Indian and international communities, and encourage them to pressurize their governments to act. * On December 9, Tibetan schoolgirl, Bhenchen Kyi, died after becoming the most recent protestor to set herself alight.

Sonam, an exiled Tibetan living in Switzerland with links to sources in Tibet, reported that 17-year-old Bhenchen self-immolated in Dokarmo, Rebkong county, Amdho, at around 8pm, as she prayed for a free Tibet and for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The teenager’s body was recovered by local Tibetans who cremated her in front of her friends and family at around 12.15am the following day.

Before setting herself alight, Bhenchen is believed to have told her classmates of her intention to self immolate, stating that she would do so for the Tibetan cause and for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She also expressed her desire for her body not to fall into the hands of Chinese authorities. *On December 8, two young Tibetan men died after self - immolating in Amdho.

Pema Dorjee, 23, is reported to have set himself alight outside Shitsang monastery, Luchu county, at around 4.35pm. He had gone to the monastery, about 19 miles (30 kilometres) from his home to pray, during the annual Tibetan holiday marking the great teacher, Je Tsongkhapa’s death.

He is believed to have left his photos and identity card with his motorbike before self-immolating.

Sonam, wrote on Facebook that, after setting himself on fire, Pema called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai to Tibet, for Tibetan people to have charge of Tibet, for an independent Tibet, and for Tibetans to unite.

Shitsang monastery was surrounded by Chinese police and military in the days following Pema’s death. *Fourty-five minutes after Pema self-immolated, 24-year-old monk, Konchok Phelgye, also set himself alight outside the main assembly hall of Taktsang Lhamo Kirti monastery.

Losang Yeshe and Kanyag Tsering from Kirti

exile monastery in Dharamshala, northern India, reported that Konchok then joined his hands in prayer, shouting slogans calling for the return of the Dalai Lama and Kirti Rinpoche to Tibet, and for Tibetans to unite.

As Konchok’s body was engulfed in flames, his fellow monks are reported to have crowded around him in shock, shouting his name and reciting a prayer usually reserved only for Kirti Rinpoche.

Konchok died at the scene and his remains were carried back to his room at the monastery where hundreds of monks continued to chant prayers.

Konchok, who was from Gonda Dewa village in Dringwa township, joined Sumdo monastery as a child and in 2010 moved to the larger Taktsang Lhamo Kirti monastery to study scripture in the senior philosophy class. He is survived by nine family members, including his parents.

Chinese authorities are reported to have placed the monastery and surrounding villages under a security blockade following the protest. *On December 3, 29-year old monk, Lobsang Gedun, died after self-immolating at a tri-road crossing in Pema county.

An eyewitness stated that, with his body on fire, Gedun: “walked about 300 steps with hands folded in prayer posture, and raised slogans before he collapsed dead on the ground.”

Moments before setting himself alight, Gedun phoned a fellow monk at Penag Kadak Troedreling monastery to inform him of his intention and to call for unity in Tibet. *Teenage father, Sungdue Kyab, is believed to have been still alive when he was bundled away by Chinese security personnel after self-immolating on December 2.

According to exile sources, Kyab, who is thought to be in his late teens, set himself alight in the main street of Bora town, in the Sangchu region of Amdo, at around 3.30pm Local residents, including Kyab’s family and monks from the nearby Bora monastery, are believed to have attempted to visit the father of one at the Kanlho People’s hospital in Tsoe, but were denied permission by the Chinese authorities.

His current condition is unknown.

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If you would like to place an advertisement in the Tibet Post International, Please Contact the editor, Yeshe Choesang, at: editor@thetibetpost.com.

Or Phone Yeshe on: 94181 43289, or Mattew Singh Toor on: 97364 82871.

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TPI NEWS

Sikyong Lobsang Sangay congratulates Japan’s new Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe

International News

December 24, 2012 Dharamshala

We must address corruption: His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay with Mr Shinzo Abe during his visit to Japan in April 2012. photo: file

By Emily Arasim, 18 December 2012

Dharamshala: Tibet’s political leader has congratulated the newly elected Japanese prime mininster on his victory in the country’s recent parliamentary elections.

Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, who met Japanese Liberal Democratic Party leader, Shinzo Abe, four times, when he visited the country in April, made the comments after Mr Abe’s win was announced, on December 17.

“On behalf of the Tibetan people, I would like to congratulate Mr Shinzo Abe on winning the elections and wish him all the best as the next prime minister of Japan,” he said.

“I thank the people and government of Japan for their long-standing support for democracy and the non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people. I look forward to your continued support for the issue of

Tibet”.

During meetings with the Sikyong, Mr Abe said that the situation in Tibet is one of the only issues which enjoys multi-party support in Japan, adding that he would do his best to help change the situation in Tibet.

In November, Mr. Abe reiterated this support during a meeting with the Dalai Lama.

During his visit to Japan, Dr Lobsang Sangay addressed almost 100 parliamentarians and their representatives from five political parties, on Freedom in Asia and the Wave of Democratization: What is Japan Expected to do?”, following which the parliamentarians issued a statement urging the Chinese government to end its repressive policies in Tibet and hold result oriented dialogue with the Tibetan leadership.

Canadian government urges China to resume dialogue with Tibetan leadership

John Baird, foreign minister of Canada/File photo/Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

By Tibet.net, 5 December 2012

Dharamshala: The Canadian government has expressed concern over the wave of self-immolations in Tibet and urged the Chinese government resume dialogue with the Tibetan leadership.

“I am concerned about the escalating number of self-immolations in Tibetan areas of China and

the increasingly punitive measures being taken in response, which further exacerbate tensions in the region,” Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, said on December 14.

“Canada supports Tibetans’ freedoms of expression, assembly and association. That anyone should feel such an end is justified by these means is a striking testament to Tibetans’ deep yearning for greater religious, linguistic and cultural rights.

“Canada encourages China to give full consideration to the traditions and culture of the Tibetan population in a manner that will help ease tensions,” he continued.

“We call on China to lift restrictions on access to the affected areas for diplomats, media and other observers.

“We urge China to engage in substantive and meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives in working toward a peaceful resolution of outstanding issues that is acceptable to both sides.”

US State Department supports US/ EU strategic engagement in Tibet

The European Union receives the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. Photo/EU

By Dan Floyd, 14 December 2012

Dharamshala: The United States (US) State Department Under Secretary has expressed her country’s “deep concern and sadness” over the

ongoing crisis in Tibet. Maria Otero, who is also the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, made the comments in a statement read aloud on

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking with Thai Buddhist scholars in New Delhi, India, on December 16, 2012, Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

By Sophie Jay, 20 December 2012

Dharamshala: “Corruption is like a cancer.” This was His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s stark message during an inter-Buddhist dialogue between Tibetan and Thai practitioners in New Delhi, between December 15 – 16.

During a speech on “Solutions to the World’s Problems”, he referred to violence and bloodshed during the 20th Century, as a result of which some historians estimate 200 million people were killed, stating: “We need to find a new approach to creating a better world.

“We have major problems to deal with, including climate change, population increase, the gap between rich and poor, and corruption.

“People voice anxiety about an ancient Mayan

International Human Rights Day – on which the Tibetan Kashag (cabinet) organized its Solidarity with Tibet campaign, calling on people across the world to express solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet, on December 10.

In her statement, Otero emphasized areas in which the European Union (EU) and US are working together to promote and strengthen human rights around the world, including in Tibet.

“European governments, including Germany, the UK, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Poland, have joined the call for Chinese authorities to address the worsening human rights conditions in Tibetan areas,” she said.

Adding that the Chinese authorities have responded to the spate of self immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule in their country, with measures that tighten already strict controls on Tibetans, she said: “The US government has consistently urged the Chinese government to address policies in Tibetan areas that have created tensions.

“These policies include increasingly severe government controls on Tibetan Buddhist religious practice and monastic institutions; education practices that undermine the preservation of Tibetan language; intensive surveillance, arbitrary detentions and disappearances of Tibetans, including youth and Tibetan intellectual and cultural leaders; escalating restrictions on news, media and communications; and the use of force against Tibetans seeking peacefully to exercise their universal human rights.

“We continue to press for the fundamental rights and freedoms of all people, and we will stand with citizens, activists, and governments around the world that do the same, as we strive for a world in which each human being lives freely and with dignity.”

prediction of the imminent end of the world, but unless we address corruption, which is like a cancer, we will face disaster.”

Almost 50 monks and scholars, as well as 300 Thai lay people joined the Dalai Lama for the lively event, which began just two days after the 77-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader completed a month-long teaching on the 18 Great Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lam Rim) split between Gaden Changtse monastery in Mundgod, and Sera Jey monastery in Bylakuppe, both in Karnataka, South India.

Promoting the idea of secular ethics, on which he published his successful book, Beyond Religion, last year, the Dalai Lama added: “We should

remember that the Buddha taught for the benefit of all human beings.

“We too are part of humanity. To solve these problems we have a responsibility to work together.

“As a Tibetan Buddhist my concern is for the whole of humanity, and you too should consider more than just Thailand and Bangkok.”

His Holiness will remain in New Delhi until January 4, where he will also give a four-day teaching for Russian Buddhists and deliver two lectures, before beginning another four-day teaching on Shantideva’s Guide to the Boddhisattva’s Way of Life, in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India, between January 7 – 10.

Five Tibetan monks disappear in connection with self-immolation

The five monks who disspeared after they were taken from Bhora monestary in Amdho.

By Emily Arasim, December 19, 2012.

Dharamshala: Five monks have disappeared after it is believed they were arrested in connection with a self-immolation.

Durkbey, who was born in Bhora village in the Amchuk area of Amdho, northeastern Tibet, where the arrests took place, but now lives in Dharamshala, India, reported that Geden Gyatso, 47, Lobsang Phakpa, Jamyang Zopa, Jamyang Lodhu, 20, and Jamyang Gyatso, 20, were taken from Bhora monastery after police arrived, demanding they be handed over for investigation on December 3.

It is suspected that the five are being investigated in connection with the self-immolation of 17-yearold Sungdue Kyag, whose whereabouts remain

unknown after he was taken away by Chinese security personnel having set himself alight near the monastery the previous day.

Lobsang Phakpa was formerly a monk at Kirti monastery in Ngaba County, Amdho - the scene of the first self-immolation by a Tibetan protesting Chinese rule in his country in February, 2009, which subsequently became the epicenter of what is believed to be the largest spate of self-immolations in history, but was forced to move to Bhora by Chinese authorities in 2010.

The official reason for the arrests remains unknown.

TPI NEWS

December 24, 2012 Dharamshala

TYC members gain the support of Canadian parliamentarians

TYC vice president, Dhondup Lhadar, meets CPC member, Bernard Trottier. Photo: TYC

By Louisa Diffey, December 12, 2012

Dharamshala: Members of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) met Canadian parliamentarians in Ottawa, who expressed their continuing support for the Tibetan cause, on December 10.

During their visit, the Tibetan NGO’s vice president, Dhondup Lhadar, and general secretary, Tenzin Chokey, met Paul Hong, Canadian Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, with whom they focused on the current crisis in Tibet,

as well as Conservative Party of Canada members, David Sweet, Bernard Trottier and Davinder Shory, New Democratic Party member, Wayne Marston, and Green Party member, Elizabeth May. They handed a document containing profiles of the 95 Tibetan self-immolators to David Sweet, a member of the Sub-Committee on Human Rights and International Trade, and the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, who in 2006 proposed the motion which extended honorary Canadian citizenship to the Dalai Lama.

The TYC members reported that Mr. Sweet reassured them that he would further investigate the ongoing wave of self-immolations within Tibet and would also propose a resolution on Tibet to be passed by the Canadian parliament.

Staunch Tibet supporter, Bernard Trottier, expressed the need for dialogue with the Chinese government at various levels, whilst Wayne Marston, a member of sub-Committee on Human Rights and International Trade, proposed that an information session be scheduled in the coming year during which all parliamentarians could further discuss the issues inside Tibet.

Costa Rican Tibet supporters call for climate justice and human rights

By Tibet Post International, December 20, 2012

San Jose: Tibet supporters in Costa Rica called for self-determination for nomads and climate justice in Tibet during an event co-sponsored by the Chinese government.

Members of United Nations For a Free Tibet (UNFFT) Costa Rica, made the statement at Costa Rica For Peace With Mother Earth, at the National Stadium, in the capital San Jose, on December 12.

UNFFT Costa Rica spokesperson, Brigitte von Bulow, said: “The Chinese government is running the propaganda machine to deceive public opinion in Costa Rica, to conceal its ongoing repression in occupied Tibet.

“However, human rights continue to rapidly deteriorate and the whole environment continues to worsen in Tibet because of China’s failed policies and the corrupt exploitation by Chinese authorities.

“The world should take immediate action collectively to save Tibet.”

Martha, a UNFFT Costa Rica ambassador, added: “As peace-loving people, it wounds our hearts to see the repression of the culture, human rights, dignity and the ecosystem of Tibet.

“Also, the forced eviction of Tibetan nomads, the true stewards of Tibet’s grasslands, thereby diminishing a centuries old nomadic culture

The Tibet Post International

5

The United States will not forget you and your cause: Senator Lieberman

By YC. Dhardhowa, 11 December, 2012

Dharamshla: A United States (US) Senator has told the Tibetan people that his country will not forget them or their cause.

Connecticut Senator, Joseph Lieberman, who last autumn received the Dalai Lama at his home, made the statement on International Human Rights Day, on which the Tibetan Kashag (cabinet) urged people across the world to express solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet, on December 10.

Congratulating the exiled Tibetan people on having elected Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, whom he has met three times in Washington D.C., as their political leader last year, he described the Harvard scholar as: “a man of considerable intellect and accomplishment, who has proven to be a leader of courage and conviction.”

Earlier in the year, Lieberman and his collages introduced a resolution calling on the Chinese government to release all arbitrarily-detained Tibetan political prisoners, suspend implementation of religious control regulations, and allow unrestricted access to journalists, foreign diplomats, and international organizations to Tibet.

Stressing that he is “deeply saddened and concerned” by the ongoing wave of self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule in their country, Lieberman said that: “the root cause of these acts of despair can be found in the repressive policies of the Chinese government.

Senator Joe Lieberman. Photo: File

“Tibet is a community that has never been permitted to participate in a free and fair election of the sort that has taken place among Tibetans in exile,” he continued.

“In fact, this is a community that is governed by authorities who have deemed carrying a copy of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights or a simple photograph of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to be illegal and punishable acts.

“Today, I say to those in Tibet who are striving to secure their fundamental freedoms: the US Congress has not and will not forget about you and your cause.”

......Self-immolation documentary released by the TCHRD ...... Continued from front page

Pro Tibet activists in Costa Rica in front of the National Stadium in San José, December 12, 2012

and causing social and economic exclusion and marginalization of the hundreds of thousands of displaced nomads deprived of their right of selfdetermination.

“We realize we are not likely to make the kind of progress we need if the global community continues to treat Tibet as a moral issue divorced from internationally strategic issues,” she continued.

“Thus, today we rally here to highlight the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people, and urge our government and world leaders to stand together for Tibet by urgently establishing a multilateral cooperation and holding Beijing accountable for its atrocities in Tibet.”

India, on December 13. Beyond the Numbers: A Human Perspective on Tibet’s Self Immolation, made by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), and produced and edited by Canadian journalist, Katie Lin, names each of the

95 people who have set themselves alight protesting Chinese rule in their country since February, 2009, and features interviews with some of those who knew and loved them.In a statement, the TCHRD said that the 26 minute film attempts to “restore the humanity of an immolator beyond the mere

number. “It is an endeavour to tell the stories of how they lived, dreamed and died. It also tells the stories of the ongoing struggle of those who are left behind.”

The film was also released at an event in Duncan, British Columbia, Canada, on the same date.

2013 Chamdo geological conference will be of little help to Tibetans

Canadian journalists go undercover to interview Tibetans in Tibet about self-immolations

Tibet, China’s western ‘treasure house’, is being exploited for its abundant natural resources including Chromite, Lithium, Copper, Potassium, Sulphur, Salt, Magnesite and Phosphorous.

A commentary by Gabriel Lafitte and Mark Kernan

A still from the report shows Canadian journalist, Catherine Mercier, reporting in Tibet.

By Tenzin Desal, December 22, 2012

Dharamshala: A Canadian journalist was able to gain rare access to Tibet after the spate of selfimmolations led to heightened security to deter further protests and news reporting.

Canadian Broadcasting Channel reporter, Catherine Mercier, and her crew gathered valuable footage and interviews with local Tibetan people for the report, broadcast on December,21.

Tibet has witnessed a wave of self-immolations since 2009, which peaked last month, during which 28 Tibetans set themselves alight protesting Chinese rule in their country – almost one per day.

During the report, an un-named Tibetan woman,

whose face was blurred for the fear of reprisal said: “we will be happy if Dalai lama comes back.”

“This is not an easy story to tell,” said Mercier in her report.

“Chinese police are present here and we had to hide most of the time. People are reluctant to speak to us as punishment is severe.

“In Labrang monastery, people are not ready to speak on camera, but off camera they told us they will keep protesting.”

“Accustomed to extreme hardship, they are ready to sacrifice everything, including their lives,” she concluded.

Dharamshala: Next year, in the eastern Tibetan city of Chamdo (Chengdu), the Geological Society of China and the Geological Society of America will host a joint conference entitled ‘The Roof of the World’.

It is an evocative title suggesting mystery, geographical wonder and adventure.

But below the surface lies a more mundane and prosaic truth and, as development consultant and advisor to the Tibetan Government in Exile, Gabriel Lafitte, suggests, these truths, namely science, resource nationalism, mineral exploitation and the pursuit of profit, reside and intertwine just below the surface.

Geology (as defined by a quick internet search) is the study of the Earth’s crust, that is, the origin and history of rocks. Their chemical, physical and biological make-up.

Ordinary Tibetan nomads and farmers, repressed in their own country and struggling with day to day existence, will know little of this, and neither are they meant to. It is also fair to presume that most of them will see little of the expected financial outcome that will almost certainly flow in the not

too distant future from resource exploitation. No Tibetans, or at least none who criticise official Chinese development discourse, will be at the conference.

According to Lafitte, China has exploited oil, gas, salts, lead and zinc on the Tibetan plateau for decades, but it is only recently that the People’s Republic of China has begun to construct large mines on a global scale in order to exploit Tibet’s natural resources; assets which the conference in Chamdo will discuss and deliberate over.

It is for good reason that successive Chinese administrations have regarded Tibet as its western ‘Treasure house’. The wider Tibetan region has at least 90 known minerals including Chromite, Lithium, Copper, Potassium, Sulphur, Salt, Magnesite and Phosphorous.

This treasure house will be mapped even more extensively by Chinese and international geologists after next year’s conference, leading to a huge accumulation of wealth for the Chinese state, global transnational conglomerates, probably assisting individual scientists and research institutes, but almost certainly not helping many ethnic Tibetans.

Laffite puts it succinctly: ‘’Tibetans will have no power to speak for or defend their communities, lands, sacred lakes or mountains from mining, and no right to form community based organizations to articulate their concerns.’’

In the last three years at least 95 Tibetans, both Buddhist monks and nuns, and ordinary lay people, have chosen to take their own lives through selfimmolation, in what is thought to be the largest self-immolation campaign in world history.

Burning oneself is an act borne of cultural, religious and political oppression. Growing economic exploitation can now be added to that list. When there is no voice or recourse to justice, the oppressed commit desperate acts.

It is probably fair to assume that the geologists attending the conference in Chamdo will discuss and deliberate on all matters relating to geologizing the Tibetan plateau, and possibly the subsequent financial and commercial benefits too.

However, it is doubtful they will give much time to the phenomenon of Tibetan self-immolations, and more importantly, the cultural, social and political aspects producing such drastic actions.

This is an edited version of a blog posted by Gabriel Lafitte on www.rukor.org.

6

The Tibet Post International

TPI NEWS

CTA invites Chinese government to investigate

its own claims in Dharamshala, India

International News

December 24, 2012 Dharamshala

Swiss lawmakers express their concern

over human rights abuses in Tibet

By YC. Dhardhowa, 13 December 2012

Dharamshala: Swiss lawmakers have promised to pressurize their government to address China over the current crisis in Tibet.

The remarks were made to the Dalai Lama’s special representative in Europe, Kelsang Gyaltsen, when he met with members of the Swiss Parliamentary Group for Tibet, in Berne on December 10 – International Human Rights Day. A spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration said that Gyaltsen informed the parliamentarians about the current situation inside Tibet, particularly the ongoing spate of self-immolations in which 95 Tibetans have set

Swiss parliamentarians meet the Dalai Lama’s representative in Europe, Kelsang Gyaltsen (third from right.)

themselves alight protesting Chinese rule in their country since February, 2009.

“The memories of the peoples living in the eastern European countries during the Cold War period tell us that international concern and messages of solidarity were sources of hope and strength for the suppressed ones,” Gyaltsen told the MPs representing five political parties.

The Swiss Parliamentary Group for Tibet is reported to have expressed concern over the current human rights abuses in Tibet, and promised to use all ways and means to pressurize the Swiss government into taking up the issue of Tibet during bilateral encounters with China, and raise the grave situation inside Tibet with international human rights bodies.

Tibetans march 60 miles in solidarity with self-immolators Tibetan children carry photos of Tibetan self-immolators on International Human Rights Day. Photo: TPI/Xiaorong

By Louisa Diffey, 12 December 2012

Dharamshala: The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has invited the Chinese government to further investigate claims that that it is promoting self-immolations by visiting its Dharamshala headquarters.

The invitation, issued on International Human Rights Day on December 10, was prompted by a recent report from Xinhua stating that two selfimmolators confessed that the Dalai Lama has been urging Tibetans to set themselves alight.

The request echoed the words of Tibetan political leader, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, who last month called upon: “representatives of the Chinese government as well as that of any independent international body to investigate these allegations by visiting Tibetan administration offices in Dharamshala, India.”

Urging the Chinese government to allow foreign journalists and investigators into Tibet and ethnically Tibetan areas of China, from which

they are currently banned, he added: “If China genuinely wishes to end the self-immolations, instead of resorting to the blame game, it should allow unfettered access to international bodies to Tibetan areas to investigate the root causes for these self-immolations.”

Both the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Commissioner of Germany recently released similar statements urging the Chinese government to allow the international community into Tibet.

Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said: “Social stability in Tibet will never be achieved through heavy security measures and suppression of human rights.”

The CTA also explained that all of the estimated 95 Tibetans who have self-immolated protesting Chinese rule in their country since February 2009 had called for freedom for Tibetans and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.

British government calls for the resumption of “meaningful dialogue” between Tibet and China.

By Dan Floyd, 07 December 2012

Dharamshala: Many Tibetans marched 60 miles (96 kilometres) across northeastern India in solidarity with those who have self-immolated for the cause of Tibet.

The marchers spent four days trekking between state capitals Shillong in Meghalaya and Guwahati

in Assam, drawing attention to the 95 Tibetans who have set themselves alight protesting Chinese rule in their country since February, 2009, between December 7 – 10. In addition to the peace march, organizers, the Shillong Tibetan Youth Community and Regional Tibetan Women’s Association, have

outlined clear conditions that China must meet to bring an end to the self-immolations, including the release of all political prisoners, unrestricted press and media in Tibet, meaningful dialogue with the Central Tibetan Administration and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet.

Tibetan international scholars launch online petition urging Xi Jinping to reverse language policies

By Sophie Jay, December 22, 2012

Dharamshala: Nearly 90 Tibetan scholars attending universities across the world have launched an online petition urging China’s next president to reverse language policies which “threaten Tibetan culture.”

The petition, An Appeal to President Xi Jinping from the International Tibetan Studies Community, calls on the newly elected general secretary of the People’s Republic of China, who will become the country’s president in 2013, to abolish state language policies and practices which: “jeopardize the continuing viability of Tibetan civilization,” something many experts say is stoking resentment of Chinese rule in Tibet.

The students, who all hold formal academic positions specializing in aspects of Tibetan language, culture and religion in cities as diverse as Melbourne, Warsaw and Vancouver, stated that they have chosen not to focus on the emotive issue of self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule in their country in the appeal, simply referring to them as the “tragic events” taking place.

“Over the last several years, the authorities have been trying to instate new measures that eliminate or severely restrict the use of Tibetan as the language of instruction in Tibetan-speaking areas,” they wrote.

“We know the value of Tibet’s civilization and we regret that the Tibetan language, which is its fundamental support, is seemingly marginalized and devalued in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and in various other Tibetan autonomous administrative units at the same time that it is increasingly being taught and studied in universities around the world.”

The petition describes how Tibetan was replaced with Chinese as the medium of education in Amdho (Qinghai province) in 2010, and Tibetan textbooks were exchanged with Chinese language books in

Xi Jinping, newly elected general secretary of the People’s Republic of China. Photo: Vincent Yu/AP

Rebkong (in which 11 Tibetans self-immolated last month), also in Amdho, in March.

The scholars added that the policy: “has already been active in the TAR for several years and has led to well-known results.

“Students destined for senior positions in the public or private sectors now have only a superficial knowledge of their own language and civilization.”

The scholars cited the example of Tashi, a Tibetan from Amdho living in Beijing, who said getting a driver’s license in his home county had become difficult in recent years as the written part of the test was only available in Chinese. Many ordinary Tibetans cannot read or write Chinese well.

Appealing to Xi to give Tibetans greater language and cultural rights, “as guaranteed in the Chinese constitution,” they concluded: “At a time when new leadership is taking control of the country, we address you collectively with the hope that you will be sympathetic to the aspirations of Tibetan citizens of China.

“With the hope that you will work with them to find peaceful solutions to this crisis that will allow for the promotion and development of Tibet’s language and culture.”

To sign the petition, please visit: www.petitions24. net/signatures/an_appeal_to_president_xi_ jinping_from_the_tibetologist_community/ start/0.

More than 25 ladies attend TWA’s third Tibetan Women’s Advanced Leadership Training in Delhi

By Louisa Diffey, December 19, 2012.

Hugo Swire expressed ‘serious concerns’ about the crisis in Tibet.

By Sophie Jay, December 22, 2012

Dharamshala: The British government has called for the resumption of meaningful dialogue to resolve the crisis in Tibet.

Echoing concerns recently expressed by the European Union, the United States and Canada, Foreign Office Minister, Hugo Swire, said that the UK has “serious concerns about the self-immolations in Tibetan regions,” in a statement from the British Embassy in Beijing, on December 18.

The news came 16 days after it was revealed that British Prime Minister, David Cameron, had banned MPs, Norman Baker and Tim Loughton, from meeting the Dalai Lama for lunch, moments before the event was due to take place in June, because China was in talks about offering £27billion into a fighting fund expected to be used by the International Monetary Fund to bail out Eurozone economies.

“We urge the Chinese authorities to exercise restraint in Tibet,” said Mr Swire.

“At the same time, I call on Tibetans not to resort to extreme forms of protest such as self-immolation, and urge their community and religious leaders to use their influence to stop this tragic loss of life.

“We strongly support the resumption of meaningful dialogue to resolve the underlying grievances of Tibetan communities,” he continued.

“I also urge the Chinese government to ensure unrestricted access to the Tibetan Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas of China for diplomats, international media and other concerned parties.

“We believe a long term solution is best achieved through respect for universal principles of human rights and genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the Chinese constitution,” he concluded.

Dharamshala: More than 25 women have converged on New Delhi for the third Tibetan Women’s Association’s (TWA’s) Tibetan Women’s Advanced Leadership Training event.

The ten day programme, designed by the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Parliament in Exile in 2008, which aims to: “help develop TWA’s various programmes and instill strong leadership capabilities in Tibetan women,” is taking place at the city’s Gandhi Peace Foundation, between December 18 – 27.

Speakers will include the director of Holistic Training Solution, Lynda O Lepcha, former CEO of the Mindanao Commission on Women and Convener of the Mothers for Peace Movement in the Philippines, Irene M Santiago, and Member of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile and Co-Chair of the International Tibet Network, Tenzin Dhardon Sharling.

Participants take time out for some yoga during the TWA’s Women’s Advanced Leadership Training.

December 24, 2012 Dharamshala

TPI NEWS

Tibetan religious holiday marred by huge military clampdown

Chinese police stand guard outside Jokhang Temple in Lhasa.

Photo: file

By Sophie Jay, December 14, 2012

Dharamshala: A huge military clampdown is reported to have occurred in Tibet during an annual religious holiday.

Sources in exile and Beijing reported an increased Chinese military presence, particularly in Lhasa and the Rebkong area of Amdho, northeastern Tibet, which last month became the epicentre of self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule in their country, during the Geden Ngachub holiday, between December 8 – 10.

Each year Tibetans traditionally say prayers and light incense and candles in memory of the great

Buddhist teacher, Je Tsongkhapa, who died in 1419.

Sonam, a Tibetan living in exile, reported an increased army and police presence in Rebkong, where eight Tibetans set themselves alight last month. He stated that Chinese military personnel tightly monitored the town and monastery, where 600 monks had gathered to pray, preventing any other large gatherings.

Beijing based Tibetan writer, Woeser, reported in her blog, Invisible Lhasa, that Chinese military and police were stationed throughout the city’s streets and monasteries, tightly controlling the number of Tibetans attempting to mark the occasion. Police, some wearing sliver uniforms and masks, formed dense lines around Lhasa’s Jokhang Temple, considered Tibet’s most important pilgrimage site, where Tibetans were prevented from praying, lighting incense or doing the kora (circumambulating the temple.)

A Lhasa based source added that Chinese repression of Tibetans during the holiday had increased significantly since 2008, which saw the most violent clashes between ethnic Tibetans and Chinese military for almost five decades.

tibet News

Tibetan nun gets three year prison term for alleged political activities

Dharamshala: Family members of Tibetan self-immolators are being arrested and detained according to a report by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).

The report, released on Tuesday, December 4, states that an unknown number of detentions have been reported in areas in which a large number of self-immolations have taken place, and that many of those being arrested are relatives of some of the estimated 92 Tibetans who have set themselves alight in Tibet since March 2011, protesting Chinese rule in their country.

The TCHRD’s source, based in the Kanlho area of Amdho, northeastern Tibet, also said that members of every household in the area had been forced to sign a letter declaring that no-one in their family would self-immolate.

It is difficult to gauge how many Tibetans linked to self-immolators have been arrested, because many instances are believed to go unreported for fear of retribution.

“There is palpable fear among local Tibetans that making the detentions known would affect their

Map of Ganlho and Malho in easten Tibet, Amdho.

chances of early release,” said the source.

On October 21, the Chinese run Kanlho Prefectural government announced a 50,000 yuan (U.S. $7,913) reward for tip-offs relating to the “planning and abetment” of self-immolation protests. Three weeks later, on November 14, the neighbouring Malho Prefectural government issued a notification ordering all levels of local government to “enforce the ban on self-immolations and punish the families of self-immolators and the villages they live in.”

According to the report: “In recent days, the local Chinese authorities in Kanlho have approached each household, forcing them to sign a letter stating that

Dharamshala: A Tibetan nun has been sentenced to three years in prison for her alleged role in political activities.

A Tibetan source reported that Chemey, from Lamdrag nunnery in Karze, Kham, eastern Tibet, was among a number of Tibetans arrested during the Chinese government’s crackdown following protests in the region in 2010. It was reported that local Tibetans were detained regardless of whether or not they had taken part in the demonstrations.

It is not known under what charge the nun was sentenced or where she has been detained. The source also stated that the Chinese authorities did not inform Chemey’s family of her arrest until a year after she went missing.

In a separate incident, Chinese police arrested seven Tibetan monks from Dokar monastery, in Tsoe, Amdho, northeastern Tibet, for allegedly inciting the self-immolation of Sangay Gyatso, who set himself alight protesting Chinese rule in his country on October 6.

The arrested monks included Kalsang Gyatso, 30, Tashi Gyatso , 24 and Gonpo Tashi, 31.

no one in their family would self-immolate and that each family member would check on the other to avert such incidents.”

The TCHRD’s source described how the bereaved wife of Lhamo Kyap, who died after setting himself alight near Bora monastery in Sangchu, Kanlho Prefecture, on October 20, angrily tore up the letter in front of a visiting official after her family had refused two or three times to sign it. Her fate is unknown.

The NGO also stated that past sources indicated that other family members of self-immolaters had been forced into signing a document stating that the protests were not linked to Chinese misrule.

It added: “Despite the official ban on self-immolation and related prayer ceremonies and cremation rituals, the outpouring of solidarity and condolences for family members of the self-immolators has been immense.

“In the Kanlho area, women have formed volunteer groups to observe fasting and other religious rituals to honour the memory of those who died.

“Villages, families and monasteries have been collectively sponsoring and holding prayers and other rituals.”

Chinese police arrest Tibetans linked to self-immolations and other protests

Over 1,000 students in Chabcha village, Serchen county, Amdo, protest against China’s oppressive policies in Tibet.

Photo: TPI

By Louisa Diffey, December 7, 2012

Dharamshala: Five Tibetans, including the sister of a self-immolater, were arrested on December 12 as Chinese police continue their crackdown on Tibetans linked to any form of protest.

Laymen, Chukthar, 47, and Shawo, 30, as well as Tsundu, a monk from Dorje monastery, and two nuns, Cheodun and Rigshad, were arrested in Tsekhog county, Amdho, in northeastern Tibet.

Rigshad’s sister, Sangay Dolma, also a nun, died after setting herself alight in front of the Chinese government office in Dokarmo town, Tsekhog, on November 25.

It is not known why the other four were arrested.

A week earlier on December 5, eight Tibetan students received five year prison sentences after being arrested for their participation in a protest in November. Eighteen other students await sentencing

7

By Sophie Jay, December 17, 2012

Tibetan self-immolators’ families are being arrested and detained: TCHRD

By Sophie Jay, December 8, 2012

The Tibet Post International

in police custody, alongside three monks accused of spreading news of the demonstration.

According to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), the demonstration was a reaction to pamphlets distributed by the Chinese government vilifying self-immolators and the Dalai Lama.

Radio Free Asia reported that the students, from Tsolho Professional Training School, Amdho, marched to a government building, chanting slogans calling for a free Tibet, and the right to speak the Tibetan language. The source added that after students burned copies of the pamphlet, Chinese paramilitary police: “beat up the students, hurled tear gas at them and used some type of explosive on the crowd,” injuring more than 20.

A spokesperson for the ICT added that such protests, which occur frequently throughout occupied Tibet “highlight the intense antipathy and despair felt by young Tibetans regarding Chinese policy,” which enforces Mandarin Chinese language instruction and bans the Tibetan language. and other local Tibetans are reported to have said that he had gone to a local police station to inquire about a friend’s arrest, before he himself was detained.

The following day, members of Lale’s family visited the prison in Pema County in an attempt to discover his whereabouts, and left food and clothing at the prison after they were unable to see him.Lale’s wife, mother and children continue to await his return.

Chemey, a nun from Karze County, has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Respected Tibetan judge is detained after inquiring about friend’s arrest

By Louisa Diffey, December 7, 2012

Dharamshala: A respected Tibetan judge is reported to have been arrested after inquiring about his friend’s arrest.

Exiled Tibetan, Tsangyang Gyatso, reported that Lale Cheogyab, from Dhokong Ma village, Pema County, in Amdo, northeastern Tibet, was arrested

by Chinese police on December 4. His whereabouts are unknown.Whilst Chinese authorities have given no official explanation for the arrest, Lale’s family

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and other local Tibetans are reported to have said that he had gone to a local police station to inquire about a friend’s arrest, before he himself was detained.

The following day, members of Lale’s family visited the prison in Pema County in an attempt to discover his whereabouts, and left food and clothing at the prison after they were unable to see him.Lale’s wife, mother and children continue to await his return.

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Is China’s ‘path of reform and opening up’ a reality for Tibet?

by YC Dhardhowa, December 20, 2012

Former Chinese president, Hu Jintao, strongly propagated a ‘harmonious society, a path of reform’ and ‘opening up’, which in turn would generate equality for everyone.

Some hoped that, before he was replaced by Xi Jinping during the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) 18th National Congress last month, his leadership might bring a new perspective on Tibet.

Hu ruled out the idea of China reverting to the hard-line policies of Mao Zedong, saying the path of reform and opening up pioneered by moderate Chairman of State, Deng Xiaoping in the 1970s and 80s, should continue as they created ‘miracles’.

According to CCP mouthpiece, People’s Daily, China should stick to Deng’s path, whilst Hu asserted that: “by following the socialist theory with Chinese characteristics, we have continuously created ‘miracles’ in improving people’s living conditions,” adding that considering the success China has achieved by following Deng’s line of socialism, the country should stick to this path when dealing with problems such as the global financial crisis.

In 1979, Chinese officials approached His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s brother, Gyalo Dhondup, in Hong Kong where he’d gone to live after the rebellion fizzled out, proposing a meeting with Deng. “I told them that if I went, I had to get my brother’s permission first,” Dhondup told the Wall Street Journal in 2009.

“His Holiness said: ‘You should respond. Go in your personal capacity. Go listen.’

“Deng told me that whatever is past is past.

“He said that except for Tibet’s independence, anything can be discussed.”

Dhondup’s statement later became the basis for the Dalai Lama’s ‘Middle-Way’ approach, through which the Tibetan spiritual leader seeks meaningful autonomy for Tibet.

However, Zhu Weiqun, former executive ViceMinister of China’s Central United Front Work Department, who has handled contact with His Holiness’s envoys, reportedly said that the

statement was not true.

Over the past year, Tibet’s political leader, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, has told the Chinese government several times that he remains optimistic that new talks; face-to-face meetings with the Chinese leadership, are the best possible way to solve the current crisis in Tibet.

Following more than five decades in exile, the Tibetan community has gone through a process of increasing democratization and has made tremendous progress in the fields of education, culture and religion.

The Tibetan people and their non-violent freedom struggle have touched the hearts and minds of people all over the world who cherish truth and justice.

The Tibetan people, both within and outside of Tibet, continue to struggle for their freedom with a non-violent principle.

History has proved that there is no way the CCP can gain the hearts and minds of Tibetan people under living under repression, and there is no prospect for the success of any dictatorship attempt. As time goes by social progress is inevitable; this is a historical trend no one can resist.

During Hu Jintao’s presidency, 73 Tibetans selfimmolated protesting Chinese rule in their country, whilst a further 22 have set themselves alight since Xi Jinping was announced as his successor – including two young people who died in Rebkong, Amdho on November 15 – the day Xi ascended the presidency.

Hundreds of Tibetan protestors and even those linked to protest languish in jail, following the historic mass uprising across Tibet and ethnically Tibetan parts of China in 2008, including Nobel Peace Prize winner, Liu Xiaobo, in the name of Hu’s harmonious society and Deng’s “path of reform and opening up.”

Governments across the world strongly supported the ‘Arab Spring’ protest movements in the Middle East and North Africa. Much is changing in the Arab world, and nobody will be able to stop it.

Isn’t it about time China learned its lesson?

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‘Mother of Tibet’ Jetsun Pema receives honorary doctorate from the University of San Francisco

Jetsun Pema accepts her honorary degree at University of San Francisco on December 14

By Emily Arasim, 17 December 2012

Dharamshala: The Dalai Lama’s sister, dubbed the ‘Mother of Tibet’ has received an honorary doctorate in recognition of her dedication to the welfare of Tibetan children.

Jetsun Pema, long-time director of the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) and the Tibetan Parliament in Exile’s first female minister, received the prestigious qualification during a commencement ceremony for nearly 300 graduates of the University

of San Francisco’s (USF’s) School of Education and School of Nursing and Health Professions, on December 14.

Handing over the doctorate, USF president, Stephen Privett, said: “Jetsun Pema has worked for the plight of Tibetan refugee children for more than forty years.

“The University of San Francisco is proud to honor her life’s work and dedication to promoting peace

in her country through caring for and educating its children. She models the Jesuit ideal of being a woman for others.”

Pema has led TCV since its establishment in 1972, but began working with and caring for Tibetan children in 1964, after her elder sister, Tsering Domla Takla, whom the Dalai Lama entrusted to run a nursery for the exiled community, died.

That nursery flourished and grew into TCV which today runs schools, hostels and nurseries for nearly 17,000 Tibetan refugee children, many of whom are orphans or were forced to leave their parents behind in Tibet.

This pioneer of education in the Tibetan community has received much international recognition for her tireless humanitarian efforts.

In 1999 she was awarded a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization medal, in 2000, an International Montessori Award for Education and Peace, and in 2002, a Woman of Courage Award. She has also received the 2006 World’s Children Prize for the Rights of the Child, and the 2008 Glory of India Award. In recognition of these honours, the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies dubbed Pema the ‘Mother of Tibet’.

Two days before receiving her honourary doctorate from USF, Pema gave a speech on the importance of education to a group of Tibetans in New York, in which she emphasized the importance of a Tibetan education for all Tibetan children.

According to news website, Phayul, she expressed her concern that many young Tibetans are being exposed to foreign cultures rather than their own cultural, linguistic, and educational traditions, describing schools such as TCV as an: “essential

December 24, 2012 Dharamshala

Four anonymous Tibetan writers honoured by Human Rights Watch

By Tenzin Desal, December 22, 2012.

policies.

The grants are named after the American playwright, Lillian Hellman, and her longtime companion, novelist Dashiell Hammett. Lillian Hellman was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, into a Jewish family, who was later in questioned by United States congressional committees with her companion about their political beliefs and affiliations during the aggressive anti-communist investigations inspired by Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s.

Over the past 23 years, more than 750 writers from 92 countries have received Hellman/Hammett grants of up to USD 10,000 each, totalling more than USD three million.

The programme also provides funding for writers to leave their country seeking medical treatment after serving prison terms or enduring torture.

Dharamshala: Four Tibetan writers are among 12 authors, journalists, and activists from China to win the prestigious Hellman/Hammett award for 2012.

A total of 41 writers from 19 countries received Hellman/Hammett grants this year.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), based in New York, said the Tibetan writers, whose identities were held back for fear of reprisal, received the awards: “ in recognition of their efforts to promote free expression despite government persecution for their work.”

The Hellman/Hammett grants are given annually to writers around the world who have been targets of persecution as a result of their work. A committee awards cash grants to honour and assist writers whose work is suppressed by repressive government

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The Tibet Post International would like to receive your letters and emails for publication in the newspaper.

Please email your opinions to: editor@tibetpost.net, or send us a letter: The Tibet Post International, 2nd Floor Exile House, Temple Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, Kangra District, HP, 176219 We look forward to hearing from you.

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Chinese Scholars highlight failure of aid programs in Tibet Dharamshala: A study conducted by scholars at a Beijing university has highlighted the failure of aid policies in Tibet to generate sustainable economic growth.

A number of scholars stated that aid policies in ethnic regions need to adapt to local conditions and include participation from regional communities, during a conference on ethnic minority development, hosted

by Minzu University in Beijing, on December 15.

Jin Wei, director of Ethnic Relegious Study at

By Tenzin Desal, December 22, 2012.

Beijing’s Central Party School, said: “The region continues to rely heavily on cash donations and has failed to create a foundation for sustainable growth.

“Central government programs aimed at promoting economic development in the Tibet Autonomous Region have had a disappointing effect on the local economy.“The region still relies heavily on central government funding and other donations.”

Jin’s study of 987 central government aid projects in Tibet between 1984 and 2005 found that 70 percent of the projects had little immediate effect on boosting economic growth in the region.

“Many of the programs failed to factor in cultural contexts and relied on government-oriented measures,” she added.

“Meanwhile, the lack of financial incentives and supportive regulations reduced the efficiency of projects.”

Merry Christmas everyone!

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Editor in Chief Chinese Editor Project Manager Tibetan Editor UK Correspondent Assistant Editor Newspaper Editor Designer Advicer Advicer

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Mr. YC. Dhardhowa Ms. Keary Huang Mathew Singh Toor Mr. Sangay Dorjee Mr. Samuel Ivor Ms. Pema Tso Miss Sophie Jay Ms. Pema Tso Mr. Thomas Keimel Dr. Vincent Brucel

Contributors to this editon

Keary Huang Mathew Singh Toor Sophie Jay Samuel Ivor Louisa Diffey Emily Arasim Dan Floyd Tenzin Desal YC. Dhardhowa Sangay Dorjee

The Tibet Post International Himalayan Literacy Trust (Head Office) 2nd Floor, Exile House Road, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, Distt.

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