April 2022

འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་གསར་འཕྲིན།

Contact

A Digest of Tibetan Issues and News from Inside and Outside Tibet RGD No. HPENG/2013/51798 | Volume: XXIV Issue:03| April 2022

Two More Self Immolations in Tibet

Two more self-immolations have taken place in Tibet, making three this year, one near Kirti Monastery in Ngaba and one in Yushu. Both took place at the end of March but information only reached us this month because of the communications crackdown in Tibet by the Chinese authorities who want to prevent this news reaching the West.

Tashi Phuntsok, also known as Taphun, 81, died after setting himself on fire on March 27, near Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, in Amdo in northeastern Tibet, protesting against Chinese rule. He self-immolated in front of the police station Continued on page 3

Still Missing

by Staff Reporter Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama and the second most revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism, turned 33 on April 25. He has not been seen in public since his abduction from his home in Tibet by the Chinese authorities 27 years ago at the age of six. Tibetans and rights groups across the world marked his birthday with events and calls demanding that China release him and his family.

On Gendun Choekyi Nyima’s birthday, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), also known as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, has “called upon the Continued on page 3

Language Activist Targeted Again

by Sarah Weber Tibetan language activist Tashi Wangchuk, 35, who was released from prison last year after serving three years in prison for his advocacy of the Tibetan language, is reportedly again being monitored by the Chinese authorities, as he continues to advocate for the use and the study of the Tibetan language in the local population as well as schools.

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), anonymous sources have confirmed that Continued on page 4

The EU Reports Serious HR Violations in Tibet

by Mary Trewartha The European Union released its 2021 Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World on April 19, in which it notes the further worsening of the overall human rights situation in China and the continuing repressive policies implemented in Tibet.

It notes that religious activities continued to take place under the supervision of the Chinese Communist Party and emphasises the Chinese government’s violations Continued on page 4

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CONTACT IS PUBLISHED BY LHA CHARITABLE TRUST

Lha is an award-winning, grassroot and non-profit institute for social work and education based in Dharamshala, India. It is one of the largest social work organisations providing vital resources for Tibetan refugees, the local Indian population and people from the Himalayan regions.

Lha offers free language classes, livelihood skill trainings and many other programmes and activities.

For more information about Lha, please visit: www.lhasocialwork.org Lha Charitable Trust, Institute for Social Work & Education Lha Charitable Trust Lha contacts: office@lhasocialwork.org (0) 98823-23455 / 1892-220992 Please also see Lha’s additional websites: www.tibetnature.net www.samdhongrinpoche.com www.contactmagazine.net Contact Newsletter is published monthly by Lha Charitable Trust. It has been a popular source of news and information on Tibetan issues, and the Dharamshala community, for 22 years and is acknowledged in Lonely Planet and other international travel resources. It is available free of charge and distributed around Dharamshala, Delhi and various diplomatic missions in India. Copies are sent to Tibetan schools, settlements, offices and NGOs in India and abroad. Contact is updated daily on our website www.contactmagazine.net and Facebook page. Contact is registered under the Registrar Office of the Newspaper, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India; registration number HPENG/2013/51798.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Message on Earth Day On Earth Day 2022, let us remember that everybody wants to live a happy life. Not only human beings, but animals, birds and insects too. All of us should be concerned about our collective existence. As human beings our marvellous brains provide us with remarkable opportunities to do good, but if we look at how the world is today, we should be able to do better. We need a more holistic education, an education that incorporates inner values, such as a compassionate concern for others’ well-being.

Our world is heavily interdependent. New challenges, like the climate crisis that affect us all, as well as our participation in the global economy, mean that we must take the whole of humanity into account.

We have to put the global interest first.

We need to take urgent steps to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to adopt renewable sources of energy such as those that rely on the wind and the power of the sun. We must pay attention to deforestation and protect the environment better. We have to plant and care for more trees. In my own life I have witnessed the decline in snowfall, first in Tibet and later in Dharamsala. Indeed, some scientists have told me that there is a risk of places like Tibet eventually becoming deserts.

That is why I am committed to speaking out for the protection of Tibet’s fragile environment.

Our life is based on hope, a desire for things to turn out well. Hope is concerned with the future. Although nothing about the future can be guaranteed, we remain hopeful, which is much better than being pessimistic. Even as global warming increases in intensity, many young people in particular are working together to find and share solutions.

They are our hope.

Nowadays, when we face serious problems as a result of the climate crisis, we have to help each other by setting a timetable for change. As human beings, living on this one planet, we must make an effort to live happily together. The threat of climate change is not limited by national boundaries—it affects us all. We must work to protect nature and the planet, which is our only home.

- Published on official website of His Holness the Dalai Lama on April 22, 2022

Contact Magazine Managing Director : Dorji Kyi Editor-in-Chief : Jenny James Editor : Tenzin Samten Circulation Manager : Tsering Wangdue Designed by : Karma Ringzin Topgyal Published by Lha Charitable Trust

Contact newsletter is sponsored by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD). TFD’s kind contribution has made this publication possible. We thank TFD for their continuous support.

Contact magazine | April 2022 | Page No 2

Email:editor@contactmagazine.net Facebook: ContactNews Instagram : tibetan_news_brief Printed at Imperial Printing, Dharamshala Phone:01892 -222390 Email: ippdsala@gmail.com

News Features Still Missing!

Continued from page 1

Chinese government to rightfully allow the Panchen Lama and his family to live the free life they are entitled to under the international laws and treaties that China is obligated to.

“We also reiterate our earlier appeal to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to make a visit to Tibet along with Xinjiang [East Turkestan] in May this year to assess the real human rights situation inside Tibet and particularly to press China to release information about the current status and whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family,” continued the CTA’s statement.

Ned Price, spokesperson for the United States Department of State, said in his press statement marking the Panchen Lama’s birthday, “We urge PRC [People’s Republic of China] authorities to account for Gedhun Choekyi Nyima’s whereabouts and well-being immediately and to allow him to fully exercise his human rights and fundamental freedoms, in line with the PRC’s international commitments. The United States supports Tibetans’ religious freedom and their unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity, including Tibetans’ right to select, educate and venerate their own leaders, like the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, according to their own beliefs and without government interference.”

To mark the Panchen Lama’s birthday, Zeekgyab Rinpoche, the Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama lineage, joined the International Campaign for Tibet, along with representatives of other Tibet support groups, in the Office of Tibet in Washington DC. Also present

was Sikyong Penpa Tsering, President of the CTA. Thanking the US officials and others for their support in the case of Panchen Lama’s abduction, Zeekgyab Rinpoche said, “I have come here specifically to raise awareness of the issue of Panchen Lama. During my interaction with US administration officials and others I met, it is very clear that there is support for the Panchen Lama and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you.” Zeekgyab Rinpoche called for Gendun Choekyi Nyima’s early release and continued, “as per the aspiration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, I hope that Panchen Lama case can be resolved soon and may His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama reunite once again”.

Tibetans and supporters in various countries organised peaceful rallies and protests outside their local Chinese consulates, all calling for the immediate release of the Panchen Lama.

Gendun Choekyi Nyima was abducted by the Chinese government at the age of six in 1995 with his parents following his recognition by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama. Since then, and despite continuous calls from international governments and rights groups, the Chinese government has provided no information about his wellbeing, nor any proof that he is still alive. In 2015, China issued a vague statement to the effect that he is living a normal life and does not wish to be disturbed.

The Chinese government installed Gyaltsen Norbu, another Tibetan monk, as their official 11th Panchen Lama, he is currently the Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China.

Two More Self Immolations in Tibet Continued from page 1

near Kirti Monastery where many protests against China have taken place.

Taphun was removed from the scene by police and died later. Where he was taken by police is still unknown, as are the circumstances that led to his death. There is no news to date that his body been returned to his family, who continue to face surveillance from the authorities. Taphun was a resident of Meruma nomadic village.

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has reported that Taphun was always vocal about China’s oppressive policies in Tibet and their inhuman treatment of Tibetans. On his 80th birthday last year, he said, “It is certain that the sun of happiness will shine over Tibet due to the blessings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Tibetan millennials should not lose heart!”

Ngaba county in Amdo province in Tibet has seen a number of self-immolation protests against Chines e rule in Tibet and the area has become one of the most highly restricted regions in Tibet and subject to the highest level of surveillance.

Tsering Samdup self-immolated in front of a Chinese police station near a Buddhist monastery in Kham Kyegudo in Yushu [Ch:Qinghai] around 4:00 pm on March 30, 2022. He was immediately taken away

by Chinese police and no one has been allowed to see him or or inquire about his well-being or whereabouts.

Currently, there are no details about his condition and whereabouts, reports Radio Free Asia. According to RFA’s source, speaking on anonymity for security reasons, Tsering Samdup was described as “a very welleducated person”.

The CTA confirmed the date and place of the selfimmolation, saying that verifiable background details of the self-immolator are not available at the time of the reporting. Tsering’s self-immolation made it 159 cases of Tibetans protesting against Chinese rule in Tibet by setting themselves on fire since 2009. The last previous reported self-immolation protest took place in Yushu in 2012, that year saw six Tibetans, aged between 22 and 62, resorting to self-immolation, reports RFA.

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News Features Language Activist Targeted Again Continued from page 1

since April 6 he has visited various schools in Golog, Rebgong and Malho while on his way from Yushu to Siling.

They report that he was banned from several hotels and that the hotel management had been ordered to turn him away.

Wangchuk filed a complaint at a nearby police station in Mahlo prefecture but was denied entry. He then went on to Rebgong to file for appeal at the county’s Commission for Discipline Inspection, but it was closed. Since April 10, all his posts, pictures and videos have been deleted from Weibo, a Chinese social media app widely used in Tibet. For some time following this his whereabouts were unknown; RFA later reported that Wangchuk is currently in 15-day Covid-19 quarantine at his brother’s place in Siling. Concerns for his wellbeing however remain since the authorities continue to monitor his movements.

Tashi Wangchuk was sentenced to five years in prison in May 2018 for “inciting separatism” because of his advocacy for Tibetan language rights. He began to stand up for Tibetan language rights after he was unable to find any classes in Tibetan for his nieces in Kheygu prefecture.

Although the area is predominantly inhabited by Tibetans, it lies outside the Tibet Autonomous region. The government has outlawed the teaching of Tibetan to lay people in both schools and monasteries in line with their policy of ensuring that Chinese is the dominant language spoken.

The linguistic rights of ethnic minorities are explicitly protected by China’s constitution, but Mandarin Chinese is the only language taught in schools, and some schools teaching through the medium of Tibetan have been forced to shut down. These assimilation tactics have also been deployed against ethnic Mongolians and Muslim Uyghurs, both populations living in China under a régime similar to that deployed in Tibet.

Wangchuk was secretly imprisoned in 2016 after a featuring in New York Times documentary and associated article in which he called for the use of the Tibetan language in both government offices and education. After completing his sentence, he was released from prison on January 28, 2021. He remains under government surveillance and a fiveyear deprivation of political rights. He has never campaigned for Chinese rule, or for separatism in any form.

The EU Reports Serious HR Violations in Tibet Continued from page 1

of the rights of Uyghurs [the minority ethnic Muslim community of East Turkestan - in Ch: Xinjiang], Tibetans and Inner Mongolians, saying that the EU notes that in Tibet the Chinese government continued to implement similar policies to those implemented in East Turkestan, severely limiting Tibetan culture, language and identity.

“Religious practices continue to be heavily controlled by the [Communist Party of China], in line with existing regulations,” the report states. “Detentions, torture and deaths in prison of Tibetan monks and rights activists continued to be reported. Private language schools teaching in Tibetan were closed or asked to start teaching in Mandarin. In July 2021, authorities announced that kindergartens in ethnic minority areas must use Mandarin as [the] teaching language.”

The report also mentions the lack of access to the Tibet Autonomous Region, saying this “was possible only for controlled visits of official delegations or tourist groups.”

The report is prepared annually by the European External Action Service and provides an overview of EU activities to promote and protect human rights and democracy across the globe. With regard to Tibet, the report summarises the main issues regarding human rights in China as well as summarising the EU’s actions to advance human rights in China. This includes the sanctions taken against four Chinese individuals (including the Tibet Autonomous Region secretary Wang Junzheng) for their involvement

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in serious human rights violations in East Turkestan, and the continuous calls to China to fulfil its obligations under the United Nations Charter and international law, as well as under its own constitution.

In his Foreword to the Report, Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, says the report is “published at a truly extraordinary moment in world history. We see widespread violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law in a scale not witnessed in over 75 years […] For the first time the number of autocratic regimes in the world has exceeded the number of democracies, and nearly 75 percent of the world’s population lived in a country that faced deterioration in 2021”.

The Introduction to the Report states “2021 marked the first year of implementation of the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, which recommitted the EU and its Member States to use the full range of instruments for the protection and promotion of human rights”. It continues, saying that in 2021, the EU adopted restrictive measures targeting persons and entities from China [and other countries….] concerning restrictive measures against serious human rights violations and abuses, and in the body of the Report it states, “The EU also continued to make its voice heard with public statements and declarations to support human rights defenders at risk (for instance in Vietnam, Russia or China).”

News Features Further Erosion of the Tibetan Language

by Mary Trewartha The Chinese government’s campaign to push Mandarin Chinese as the main spoken and written language for Tibetans now includes giving parents the responsibility for teaching it to their children, reports the United Kingdombased research and advocacy group Tibet Watch. Their report dated April 11 says, “Tibetan parents, mostly nomads and farmers, whose mother tongue is Tibetan, are being forced to attend workshops and classes.”

Tibet Watch says that this policy of forcing parents to be agents of language promotion is a “new tactic for delivering the Chinese Communist Party’s policies which erode the rights of non-Han ethnicities living under Chinese rule, to practise and develop their local languages”. The official policies use ambiguous jargon, speaking of a “bilingual policy” as well as requiring children to attend boarding schools that prioritise education being delivered in Chinese.

The Ministry of Education of China issued a notice in July last year requiring kindergartens in all ethnic and rural

areas to use the “national common language”, Chinese. Tibet Watch says that this “new tactic further inserts the Chinese government into the private lives of Tibetan families, putting CCP [Chinese Communist Party] messages into the mouths of Tibetan parents as they communicate with their children”. Tibet Watch further comments that it “puts pressure on parents to keep up-to-date with, and fully understand, the ever-changing policies, regulations and laws that govern language”. During the compulsory workshops for parents, attendees were told about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision for China, and participants were encouraged to spread everything that they had learned on their return to their villages.

The Tibet Watch report concludes, “For Tibetans, these compulsory workshops are in addition to already shrinking opportunities to practice their tradition and culture. Even in their households, they are not allowed to keep photos of their exiled spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and government officials are not allowed to practise their Buddhist faith.”

Arrest and Releases inside Tibet This Month

Apr 26: Rinchen Kyi Released The Tibetan teacher and political detainee Rinchen Kyi has been released after eight months in detention. Her release follows a vocal international campaign for her freedom.

Tibet Watch, the UK-based research and advocacy group, has reported that she was secretly returned home by police on April 24. She had committed no crime, but was detained and charged with “inciting separatism” for teaching local children in the Tibetan language, privately and outside school time and it has also been reported that her charge icluded her failure to eat. Please the article on page 8 for further details about her detention.

Apr 21: Three Tibetans Released Sonam Gyal and two other Tibetans were released in January. They were among nine people detained in July 2018, accused of running an “illegal organisation” when they demanded the return of their land which had been requisitioned for factories. Another three men due for release in June have been given a further seven years, reports RFA. All are residents of Horgyal village in Rebgong county in Amdo.

Apr 15: Sentence Extended Tashi, who has completed his 12 year prison sentence on charges of leaking state secrets, has been given three more years under the pretext of his involvement in a quarrel while in prison. The news has come from Tibet Watch, the Tibet research and advocacy group. Tashi comes from from Chogo Deysar Village, Matoe County in Golog in Amdo. He has been allowed very limited family visits.

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News Features Sikyong Promotes the Tibetan Cause in the US

by Staff Reporter Penpa Tsering, Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) made his first visit to the United States since his election as Sikyong at the invitation of Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker who has close association with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and has been a long term and vocal supporter of Tibetans and the Tibetan struggle.

On his arrival in the US on April 24 was welcomed by the Tibetan community and by representatives of the Office of Tibet.

Sikyong first met Uzra Zeya, the United States Special Coordinator for Tibet, and acknowledged the way in which she has been active in supporting Tibet’s struggle for greater freedom under China’s rule since her appointment to the role last year. Their meeting was followed by a lunch hosted at the State Department and attended by seven foreign ambassadors, including ambassadors from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Canada and the United Kingdom “It was an honour meeting Uzra Zeya, the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, during whichwe discussed ways to collectivise our efforts to bring concrete results in resolving the Sino-Tibet conflict through dialogue.

We remain committed to the Middle-Way Approach.

The bi-partisan US commitment and global leadership in supporting the Tibet cause is a source of great hope for Tibetans in Tibet and outside and will always be remembered,” said Sikyong in a Facebook post following the meeting.

Penpa Tsering later attended a reception to mark the 33rd birthday of the Panchen Lama [the second religious leader of Tibet who has been missing since his abduction

by China 27 years ago, see article on page 3] where he met many other US dignitaries including Rashad Hussain, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, and Nury Turkel, US Commissioner on International Religious Freedom.

“We want to make it known to the world that what is happening in Xinjiang is one level but what is happening in Tibet is another level — we are dying a slow death. The policies adopted by [Chinese President] Xi Jinping today are aimed completely at the eradication of the Tibetan and other minority nationalities’ identities,” said Penpa Tsering quoted as speaking to POLITICO, a political news media based in Virginia.

Pressing the need for the dialogue with China to resolve the Tibetan struggle, “the growing influence of China’s narrative … is so strong that everybody feels that Tibet has

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been part of China for many centuries and that does not provide us the leverage or the reason for China to engage with us even if governments say that they support dialogue between the [CTA] and the Chinese government. Without talking with the Chinese government, there can’t be a way out for the Tibetans,” he told POLITICO On April 26, Sikyong met Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky who was in the US to meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Following the meeting Lipavsky tweeted that the Czech Republic “also experienced what it was like to live under the influence of a superpower and to be deprived of human rights”.

China has retaliated, calling Lipavsky’s encounter with Tsering a “serious breach in relations with Beijing,” and saying his remarks have sent “a consequently wrong message to the Tibetan separatist movement.” On the same day, Sikyong discussed the development of democratic administration of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile during a session A New Strategy for the Tibetan Democracy Movement: A conversation with the Tibetan President, organised by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), an independent, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world.

Sikyong met Nancy Pelosi at her office on April 28, accompanied by Namgyal Choedup from the Office of Tibet; Richard Gere, Chair of the International Campaign for Tibet and Bhuchung Tsering, the Vice-Chair andAbbot Zeekgyab Rinpoche of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. They discussed Tibet’s missing Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, and agreed a future course of action in regard to resolving the Sino-Tibet conflict.Sikyong presented a letter from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Nancy Pelosi. Later the same day he met Congressman McCaul, Senator James E Risch, Senator Patrick Leahy, and Senator Menendez.

During a brief interview with RFA after the meeting, Representative Namgyal Choedup said, “The meeting was highly decisive and constructive. We are grateful for the continued support of the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.”

Sikyong left the US on April 29, travelling on to Canada.

On his way to the US, Sikyong made a brief visit to Tibet House in the German city of Frankfurt where he met the institution’s members and addressed the Tibetan community there.

News Features Severe Repression in Tibet Reports US State Department

by Staff Reporter searched, without warrant, private homes and businesses The 2021 Report from the United States State for photographs of the Dalai Lama and other forbidden Department on Human Rights Practices, focusing items,” including “reactionary music” from India through on China, reports significant human rights abuses extreme surveillance systems such as “facial recognition” faced by Tibetans living in Tibet under Chinese rule and “smart identity cards”. including torture, arbitrary arrest and detention of Tibetans who have family members living in India political prisoners, unlawful interference with privacy, and other countries are subject to government harassment restrictions on internet and investigation. It is also freedom, interference with reported that when these the right to peaceful assembly Tibetans return from visiting and severe restrictions on families overseas, they are practising religion and noted required to spend several harsh prison conditions. weeks in political education Under arbitrary deprivation classes. of life and other unlawful or The report states that there politically motivated killings, is no internet freedom in Tibet of the many incidents, one and quoted Tibet Autonomous example cited was the fate Region (TAR) Party Secretary of Tenzin Nyima, a Buddhist as urging the authorities monk who died in December to “resolutely control the 2020 or early January 2021 internet, strengthen online after suffering severe beatings over the course of many propaganda, maintain the correct cybersecurity view, and months which left him in a coma; he died severely make the masses listen to and follow the Party”. malnourished and paralysed.

Though China’s law provides for freedom of internal In the case of disappearances, the whereabouts of movement, foreign travel, emigration and repatriation, many Tibetans detained the government severely by security officials restricts travel and are unknown. The freedom of movement whereabouts of the 11th for Tibetans, particularly Panchen Lama, Gedhun Tibetan Buddhist monks Choekyi Nyima, the and nuns as well as second most renowned lay persons whom the spiritual figure in Tibet government considered after the Dalai Lama to have “poor political remains unknown records,” continued the since his forceful report. For Tibetans, disappearance in 1995, acquiring a passport itself said the US State is almost impossible for Department’s report. most of them, and the The report further process required to be explained the poor followed for travelling and unlawful arrest outside Tibet is another File photo procedures and hurdle. treatment of detainees in Tibet. When Tibetans and The report also mentioned the monasteries’ requirement others are arrested for political reasons, law and to involve Chinese officials in their administration and to regulations are not followed and “incommunicado oversee their education and other programmes. detention” was reported as a common practice.

A section on children said that boarding schools and Under the cases of arbitrary or unlawful interference other People’s Republic of China’s sinicisation efforts with privacy, family, home or correspondence, the report are “part of a deliberate effort by the state to eliminate the mentioned that the Chinese authorities “electronically core of Tibetan identity and replace it with a hollowedand manually monitored private correspondence and out version compatible with the Party’s aims.”

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News Features UN Calls for Information on Tibetan Political Prisoners

by Staff Reporter Six United Nations experts have called on China to give more information about the arrest, detention and subsequent enforced disappearance of three Tibetans: writer Lobsang Dhondup (pen name: Dhi Lhaden); musician Lhundup Drakpa and teacher Rinchen Kyi, all arrested in connection with their cultural activities promoting the use of Tibetan language and culture. Rinchen Kyi has subsequently been released, see page 5.

The UN experts have focused on these three cases, saying in their joint communication that they are representative of the situation faced by a larger number of Tibetans engaged in the defense of the Tibetan language, culture and traditions, or in expressing critical views about the policies imposed on Tibetans by the Chinese authorities.

Their communication continued, saying that the arbitrary arrest, detention and enforced disappearance of the three are “linked to the legitimate exercise of their freedom of opinion and expression, which includes artistic expression and freedom to take part in cultural life as well as their rights, as members of an ethnic, religious and linguistic minority, to enjoy their community”.

The UN group demanded information about the three’s health status and whereabouts, and details of the legal grounds for their arrests as well as an explanation of why families have not been informed of their whereabouts .

“Without expressing at this stage an opinion on the facts of this case and on whether the arrest and detention of Mr Lobsang Lhundup, Mr Lhundrup Drakpa and Ms Rinchen Kyi are arbitrary or not, we would like to appeal to your Excellency’s Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee their right not to be deprived arbitrarily of liberty and to fair proceedings before an independent and impartial tribunal, in accordance with articles 9, 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” said the joint letter, dated February 17. The letter added that the reason for the appeal is to safeguard the rights of the three political prisoners and prevent them from harm.

China failed to respond within 60 days to these demands, at which point the letter was made public.

Lobsang Lhundup, 50, is a Tibetan teacher and writer from Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture who has published two books under his pen name Dhi Lhaden, Tsesok Le Trun Pe Kecha (Words Uttered with Life on Risk) and Tungol Trimtug (The Art of Passive Resistance, 2015), as well as many articles. He travelled widely in Tibet in 2008 in the runup to writing Words Uttered with Life on Risk which was published in 2011, the third anniversary of the

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widespread protests across Tibet in 2008. His books are critical of China’s rule in Tibet. Lobsang Lhundup is a former monk and taught Tibetan language and Buddhism in various places around Tibet. He was arrested in June 2019 while working in an education centre in Chengdu. After two years of detention without an update or information about his case, or a fair trial, in 2021, following a secret trial he was sentenced to four years in prison on a charge of “creating disorder among the public” – this allegedly refers to his books.

Lhundup Drakpa, 38, a popular singer from Driru County, was sentenced to six years in prison in June 2020. He released and performed his song Black Hat in 2019, a song criticising repressive government policies; he was arrested two months later and held for more than a year in pretrial detention before being sentenced. The authorities said Drakpa’s song was a “crime against humanity”. His family has been given no information as to his whereabouts.

Rinchen Kyi, in her 40s, was a teacher at Sengdruk Taktse middle school in Darlak County. The forced closure of her school left her without work and her health subsequently deteriorated when she was unable to eat. She was arrested on August 1, 2021 from her home in Golog on charges of “inciting separatism”, allegedly for fasting. She was taken to hospital but not diagnosed with any medical condition. When her family arrived at the hospital following a call to see her there, she had already been removed to another location, since when her family has no information about her health or whereabouts.

The UN experts stressed that in each of these cases, the family is “extremely concerned” for their relation’s wellbeing. The experts’ joint appeal also demanded that measures be taken to ensure the free exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the freedom to take part in the cultural life of Tibet, with the right to enjoy their own culture, religion and language of their minority group.

The six UN Special Procedures’ mandates include Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights; the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; the Special Rapporteur on the right to education; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Special Rapporteur on minority issues.

News Features Tenzin Tsundue’s Tibet Speaking Tour of Europe

by Sarah Weber Tenzin Tsundue, the well-known activist and author, is currently on a one-month speaking tour of Europe. His tour started in Geneva, Switzerland on April 4 where he gave a ten-minute talk at the fourteenth annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy which took place from April 4—6.

Tsundue posted on his Facebook page that before the summit he had almost been arrested after posing with both the Tibet and Uyghur national flags in front of the UN building; both flags were confiscated by UN security. In

the post he commented that he wished that he had been arrested. The Sumit panel on the struggle for Human Rights in China was moderated by Luke de Pulford, a human rights campaigner with a particular interest in modern slavery and human rights abuses in China. The panel included Rhushan Abbas, a Nobel-nominated activist and founder of the Campaign for Uyghurs and Hong Kong activist Joey Siu who was arrested for protesting at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. In his ten-minute speech, Tsundue stated that he believes that there has to be another way, that solidarity is the way forward since it can empower us because we understand each other’s pain and suffering. “Take this suffering as a pride to work for freedom and human rights and so the enemy will start to feel insecure. We will be free and independent, and I believe this. Peace will once again rise.”

In the summit’s afternoon session, former National Basketball Association player and Nobel Peace Prize nominee and human rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom was presented with the 2022 Summit Courage Award in recognition of his “heroic efforts to be the voice of the voiceless”. Before the summit Tsundue and Kanter were

both honoured for their efforts by the Tibet Bureau in Geneva and later by members of the Tibetan community in Switzerland and Liechtenstein (TCSL). During the rest of his time in Switzerland Tsundue attended various talks and receptions, speaking about the individual responsibility of each Tibetan in the freedom movement, the international community’s perception of China and, at an event in Zürich organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress, the history of Indo—Chinese relations.

On April 10, Tsundue left for Sweden, where, three days later, he spoke at the Department of Sociology at the University of Gothenburg on the creative use of culture in Tibet as a means of resistance against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. He remained in Sweden until April 17, since when he has continued his tour in Norway, Denmark, Spain and the Czech Republic with a full programme of talks, events and demonstrations, poetry readings and book signings. He raised the Tibetan flag at every major landmark in the cities visited and met members of the Tibetan communities in the various countries, as well as activists and influencers along the way, together with interested individuals. His tour has attracted publicity and has provided a major opportunity to spread the word of the Tibetan issue and to reach new audiences.

Tsundue returned to India on April 29.

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News Features Dialogue for Our Future: A Call to Climate Action

by Phurbu Lhamo of fresh water.

An International climate conference Dialogue for Our On the second day of the Conference, Earth Day, all Future: A Call to Climate Action was held in Dharamshala the conference participants received a special audience from April 21 to 23 to mark Earth Day which was on April with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Sonam Wangchuk 22. The three-day meeting was attended by scientists, presented his block of ice to His Holiness to serve as an activists, authors, environmentalists, academicians and “urgent reminder of how fast Himalayan glaciers and researchers. The event other glaciers around the was held both online and world are melting due offline, covering different to climate change”. His topics on climate change Holiness acknowledged and conserving the global the importance of water system. and said that human On the first day of the beings have responsibility conference, the founder for securing clean water of the Green Generation for future generations. The Initiative, a youth-led meeting continued with non-profit organisation discussions on “saving that focusses on educating our Global system” and youngsters to love nature, “the role of technology and climate activist and businesses”.

26-year-old Elizabeth The third day focused Sonam Wangchuk presenting the ice block to His Holiness Wathuthi, addressed on the topic Why the Photo: OHHDL the delegates. She said, Third Pole Matters and “We still somehow find ourselves at the precipice of Energy Democracy: Local Solutions in Action. Tibet is an interconnected triple-planetary emergency of our considered by environmentalists to be the Third Pole and climate, nature and pollution crises. And I have found their concern is that Tibet’s glaciers are melting due to myself asking how this can be, why is it that even as we rising temperature with resultant release of methane from are presented with more and more information about the the melting permafrost. There was discussion about how causes and the solutions to these problems, we are failing to change energy model so that ordinary people can be to take the actions needed to address them?”. directly involved.

Another climate change advocate, Sonam Wangchuk On the final day of the meeting Kim Stanley Robinson, from Ladakh, attended the conference with an ice block bestselling author and climate science visionary, spoke on the topic of a carbon free future and reflected on the key take-away of the conference – a message of justice, biodiversity, carbon and values.

The conference was co-hosted by Czechs support Tibet­­, a network that focuses on educating the Czech public about the real situation inside Tibet, the International Campaign for Tibet, a non– from the glacier at the Khardungla Pass in Ladakh, with profit advocacy group working to promote democratic the message that this was to emphases the rapid melting freedoms for Tibetans, Eurac Research, a private of glaciers due to global warming and climate change. He research centre headquartered in Bolzano, South Tyrol spoke about being mindful of human activities and living and the Tibet Policy Institute, the Tibetan Governmentin harmony with nature, and emphasised the importance in-Exile’s think-tank and policy analysis institute based of the Himalayas to the rest of the world as major a source in Dharamshala.

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News Features Crowds Gather for the Shoton Festival in Dharamshala

by Staff Reporter The 25th Shoton (Yogurt) Festival, the festival of Tibetan Opera, took place at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in Dharamshala from April 6 – 13. During the eight-day festival, the various opera troupes performed different stories of Ach Lhamo – classical Tibetan theatre which includes dance and music performances.

Sikyong Penpa Tsering, one of the Chief Guests at the opening ceremony, recounted the story of how yogi and scholar Thangtong Gyalpo founded Ache Lhamo and became known for his social work in the 14th century.

Sikyong praised the role of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the preservation of Tibetan opera in exile, saying, “under the dynamic leadership of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama over the last 63 years, we have managed to preserve this tradition of opera in its truest form”. He also said how delighted

he was to see “a lot of young Tibetans participate in this festival today”.

On the second day of the festival the troupes were given a special audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama who emphasised the importance of opera in the Tibetan cultural heritage and congratulated Tibetans in exile for following, preserving and promoting Tibetan religion and culture to a world-wide audience, and later saying, “We cannot resort to violence and banish the Chinese out of our land.

However, we can definitely learn to co-exist peacefully through the approach of the Middle-Way Policy, while we continue to preserve our own identity.”

Shoton Festival is a popular seven-day event in Tibet, “Sho” in Tibetan meaning yogurt and “Ton” meaning banquet, it is known as the“yogurt feast”. In exile, the main focus of the festival is Ache Lhamo performances by exile Tibetan troupes; this year’s eight participating troupes were THS, Mussoorie, Poanta, Chaksamapa, USA, Kalimpong, Bhandara, Kollegal, Nepl and TIPA.

Sikyong Tours Tibetan Settlements in South India

by Tenzin Samten Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the newly elected President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), also known as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, made his first visit as Sikyong to the various Tibetan settlements in south India, including Phuntsokling settlement in Odisha, Phendeling settlement in Mainpat, and Chhattisgarh and Norgyaling settlements in Bhandara, Maharashtra. On his travels, Sikyong met the general public, spoke to young Tibetans and visited monasteries. His four-day tour began on April 9.

At Phuntsokling settlement, Sikyong visited the Settlement Office, the local assembly, the Regional Federation of Tibetan Co-operatives, a home for the elderly, the local Mentseekhang branch health clinic and local Tibetan workshops where he discussed the issues currently facing Tibetans living in the settlements. He spoke of the sustenance of the settlements and the role and responsibilities of local young people, urging young Tibetans to learn vocational skills which can benefit both themselves and the community as whole before announcing the 16th Kashag [Cabinet]’s plans to offer

loans to Tibetan entrepreneurs starting new businesses in the settlements.

He provided updates on his Kashag’s activities over the last ten months and reaffirmed the 16th Kashag’s commitment to “resolve the Sino–Tibet conflict through the mutually beneficial Middle–Way Approach proposed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama”. Sikyong advised Tibetans to keep good relations with their host communities, reminding them of the hospitality the Indian government and people have shown to Tibetans over the years.

At Phendeling settlement the Settlement Officer Tenzin Dhadon gave a report of the settlement’s activities.

Sikyong expressed concerns over the ongoing repressive policies of China inside Tibet, citing the shutting down of Tibetan schools, monasteric education institutions and the severe restrictions on religious freedom, and repeated his advice to Tibetan youngsters in the settlements, encouraging them to learn vocational skills.

Sikyong concluded his tour at Norgyeling Tibetan settlement on April 14 and said that he will be visiting the settlements in northeast India in June.

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Tibetan Headlines Apr 30: Meeting the Chinese The China Democracy Party in London, United Kingdom, invited Office of Tibet London Representative Mr Sonam Frasi and his staff to meet Chinese delegations from overseas who are in London for the China, Hong Kong and Taiwan International Symposiums on Politics. They met Chinese delegations from the United States, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Germany. Also present was Mr Kalsang Gyaltsen, Representative of the Office of Tibet, Taiwan. Mr Frasi said how much they appreciate the China Democratic Party’s “determination and efforts for securing democracy in China”.

Apr 29: China of “Particular Concern” The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has published its 2022 Annual Report, in which it recommends that a number of countries, including China, should be considered as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC).

The report notes continued “pervasive control and suppression of Tibetan Buddhism” by the Chinese government and mentions China’s White Paper issued in May which “included an emphasis on sinicising religion” in Tibet.

a cultural performance at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts.

Apr 26: Congratulations to Macron HH the Dalai Lama has written to French President Macron to congratulate him on his re-election as President saying, “It has been the Tibetan people’s good fortune to have received the friendship and encouragement of the people of France and their respective leaders [...] On behalf of all my fellow Tibetans, may I take this opportunity to express my gratitude once again. I wish you every success.”

Apr 25: Protest in Kolkata A pro-Tibet demonstration was held in front of the Chinese consulate in Kolkata in West Bengal in protest against the visit of a Chinese business delegation. Around 150 people were there, waving both Tibetan and Indian flags, from four non-government organisations: Ganusamanoy Kolkata, We are the Common People, Wise World Foundation and the Sanskriti Foundation, with participants calling on China to “stop torture and human rights violations in Tibet”.

Apr 27: TCHRD Report The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy’s latest annual human rights report says, “In 2021, the government of the People’s Republic of China continued to perpetrate gross human rights violations involving arbitrary detention and torture, religious repression and a widespread crackdown on the right to freedom of expression and information [... China makes] no pretence that forced cultural assimilation has now become an entrenched part of Chinese policy in Tibet.”

Apr 24: Tibetan Flag Raised The Tibetan flag was raised for the ninth consecutive year at the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist temple in Milton Keynes which is near London in the United Kingdom.

The event was instigated by a local Tibet supporter Ms Catherine Mostyn Scott and her team of volunteers and was attended by the Mayor of Milton Keynes, staff from the Office of Tibet, London, and around 80 supporters and other friends.

Apr 27: Funeral Rites Revealed A cave excavation last year in Shigatse in Tibet has provided information about early Tibetan funeral customs, reports China’s state media the Global Times. Hundreds of human and animal bones were discovered in Dingqiong cave along with about 20 cultural relics, including pottery, copper, iron, bamboo and textiles. The artefacts are reported to date back to when the Qin and Han dynasties ruled in China. The research is ongoing.

Apr 22: Unnecessary Covid Precautions?

The authorities in Tibet are building makeshift Covid-19 isolation and care facilities in Tibet despite there being only one case of Covid-19 reported in Tibet since the pandemic began, reports the Guardian. Temporary 1,000 bed hospitals are being built in Lhasa and Shigatse by a Chinese construction firm in case of further outbreaks in the region. The firm was given less than one month to complete the work.

Apr 27: Barred from University Tibetans who are regarded as “separatists” or allegedly involved in “illegal” religion are being banned entry to China’s universities, reports the Tibetan Review, quoting a recent bitterwinter.org report saying that university authorities are required to consider “the candidates’ patriotism and fluency in Marxism, not academic merits” when looking at admissions. China’s Ministry of Education has issued new regulations in the Tibet Autonomous Region’s 2022 Regular College Admissions Regulations.

Apr 22: Donation from Tibet China has been requisitioning “anti-epidemic supplies”, including 100 tonnes of dried yak meat and 3,000 tonnes of drinking water, for Covid-19 hit Shanghai, reports Asian News International. No reimbursement was made by the authorities to the Tibetan suppliers, and no consideration was given to the cultural insult and distress to the Buddhist community who refrain from large scale killing of animals.

Apr 26: Indian MPs in Dharamshala Tibetan Government-in-Exile has hosted a group of Indian parliamentarians who have visited Dharamshala to declare support and solidarity with the Tibetan movement. Members of the Indian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy as well as Indian Members of Parliament from different political parties visited, had a tour of the Central Tibetan Administration buildings and attended

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Apr 20: Wind Energy Tibet has a wind energy potential capable of powering the United Kingdom, Germany and France reports bloomberg.com. They do, however, cite big challenges to production, including poor road transport, thin air to make turbines less efficient and the cost of power lines required in sparsely populated areas, quoting a report by China’s National Climate Centre, but suggest China is optimistic about the potential .

Tibetan Headlines Apr 19: Increased Water Volume The total water volume of the ten major lakes across the endorheic region of the Tibetan Plateau increased by 58.5 cubic kilometers between 1979 and 2016 reports Chinese state media Xinhua.

According to a research article published in Science Bulletin, rainfall, glaciers and snow meltwater, lake surface evaporation, and soil freeze-thawing are the major contributors to the increase in volume.

Apr 19: Kirti Rinpoche’s Biography A Tibetan translation of Kirti Rinpoche’s biography Three Lives in One Lifetime was launched at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. Kirti Rinpoche, who is 80, was born and brought up in Amdo before coming into exile. After completing his studies, Rinpoche worked for the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in various posts and in 1992 he established Kirti Jepa Dratsang, a branch of Kirti Monastery in Dharamshala.

Apr 15: Road Building Chinese official state media chinadaily has reported that 21.6 billion yuan ($3.4 / £2.5 billion) is allocated for expenditure in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) on transport infrastructure this year. The report says that currently 94% of the TAR’s townships and 77% of its villages are now connected by roads, and that the world’s highest expressway connecting Lhasa with Nagchu was opened last year.

Apr 14: Culinary Success!

The recipe book Taste Tibet: Family Recipes From The Himalayas written by Yeshi Jampa and Julie Kleeman of Taste Tibet, the British food stall and restaurant, has been ranked second of National Geographic’s five best new cookbooks for spring. Taste Tibet features nomadic food from the Himalayas where Yeshi grew up, containing over 80 Tibetan recipes. Yeshi and Julie’s mission is to “get Tibet on the global culinary map”.

Apr 14: Promoting Interfaith Harmony A delegation representing the Tibetan Community has attended an inter-religions dialogue at the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Paris. They were there at the invitation of Her Excellency Hend Al Qtaiba, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates. The meeting brought together the heads of different religions with the aim of promoting religious harmony.

Apr 12: College Students Conference The fifth Tibetan College Students Conference was held at Menri Monastery in Solan, Himachal Pradesh with 80 participants from 26 Tibetan higher educational institutes. The four day conference discussed and presented 13 different topics, including the preservation and promotion of Tibetan religion and language, and called for productive professional and historical evidence of Tibet being a self-reliant country. Participants were made up of students from major monasteries including Sera, Gaden and Drepung monasteries.

Apr 12: Ministerial visit Mr Ram Prasad Paul, the State Minister of Tripura State in north east India, has visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile where he met members of the Standing Committee. He asked about the current

state of dialogue with China and was updated on the Tibetan Parliament’s official Middle-Way Policy. His visit was coordinated

by Mr Rishi Walia, the Northern India Regional Convener of the Core Group for the Tibetan Cause.

Apr 11: Lobbying for Tibet A delegation of Tibetan parliamentarians has concluded a sevenday visit to Delhi, meeting 43 Indian lawmakers and Ministers from across the political parties, and visiting various embassies, including those of Taiwan and the United States. Their message was to urge people to express concern over the human rights situation in Tibet as well as concern over environmental issues. The visit was covered in the major Indian media outlets.

Apr 9: Protest in Paris A protest took place outside the Chinese embassy in Paris with Tibetans and supporters drawing attention to the three selfimmolations that have taken place in Tibet in the last few weeks and the message that all the self-immolators were protesting against Chinese rule in their country. Dhondup Tsawa, President of Students for a Free Tibet-France said that the demonstrators were demanding Tibet’s independence from the Chinese Communist Party.

Apr 8: HRW Report Sophie Richardson, China Director of Human Rights Watch, has described how China aims to control the reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhist lamas and other religious leaders. She said that the recent death of Lama Tulku Dawa, 86, has been shrouded in a Government campaign of secrecy and persecution. “Chinese authorities have seen fit to use force, intimidation, and intrusive supervision to remove the Dalai Lama’s influence over Tibetan Buddhism and enforce the state’s absolute control over religion”, said Richardson.

Apr 7: Grant Aid The Indian government is to continue its grant aid to the Dalai Lama’s Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC), with a further Rs40 crore (Rs 40,000,000 / US$525,000 / £400,000) over the next five years. The CTRC has received Rs 40 crore over the past five years to “meet the administrative expenses of Settlement Offices and social welfare expenses for Tibetan refugees staying in Tibetan settlements” across India.

Apr 6: Ancient Tibetan Manuscripts A 30-volume compendium of ancient ethnic Tibetan manuscripts, Gansu Dunhuang Tibetan Literature, is to be published this year, reports Chinese state media the Global Times. The collection, held in Dunhuang in Gansu Province, northwest China, contains more than 6,700 manuscripts. Most are ancient Buddhist texts written in Tibetan script. The publisher described the books as the “first collection to be printed as text instead of photos of the documents”.

Apr 4: Tsewang Norbu Update There is doubt around the fate of Tsewant Norbu, the singer who self-immolated in Lhasa on February 25. He was reported to have died, but now reports coming from the Chinese authorities say that he is alive and being treated in hospital, and falsely claiming that he has a history of mental illness. His family is reported to be unaware of where he is or whether he is alive.

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Opinion Ukraine Crisis: Parallels with Tibet

by Tenzin Kunga Tenzin Kunga is a former civil servant of the Central Tibetan Administration, currently living in London. He is interested in closely following news about UK-China geopolitics with Tibet as the core.

Just as the world was fighting its way out of the pandemic that originated in China’s Wuhan in late 2019, a large country invaded its smaller neighbouring country, rightly prompting a huge global outcry.

After cosying up to Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the much-maligned Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where the two leaders declared a “no limits” partnership, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022 just as the Games got to a close.

As the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded before our eyes, courtesy of international media on the ground and through social media, the world witnessed with horror the images of hundreds of innocent civilians being killed, homes and hospitals being bombed indiscriminately, upending Ukrainian lives, even as the elderly, women and children fled the Russian onslaught painfully leaving behind their able-bodied young loved ones to fight the invasion.

While the Ukrainian army and recruits led by its dynamic President put up a brave resistance stalling the Russian advance, more than four million (an estimated 10% of its population), Ukrainians have fled their country as refugees into neighbouring countries as the war enters its second month.

The unprovoked invasion of an independent nation by its larger neighbour, in this case the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has parallels with Tibet’s story.

Back in 1949/50 the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of the newly established People’s Republic of China illegally invaded Tibet from the east where the ill-equipped Tibetan warriors bravely fought the war-fit Chinese army and put up a fierce resistance. However, the sheer number of soldiers in the PLA ranks coupled with their comparatively superior military equipment, and through deceitful means, the Chinese leadership forced down the 17-Point Agreement on the Tibetan leadership, calling this “peaceful liberation” when there was nothing peaceful about their actions, nor was there any liberation for Tibetans.

The parallels with Ukraine don’t end there. Tibet’s temporal and spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama stayed back with his people and made every reasonable

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effort possible to ensure that much-needed reforms inside Tibet could be implemented. He tried earnestly for nine years until 1959 when the Chinese started bombing his residence, forcing him to escape out of Tibet’s capital Lhasa to neighboring India where he arrived on March 31, 1959. He has been living in exile since.

The pictures of Ukrainian women and children escaping into neighbouring countries as refugees bring back painful memories of similar stories my parents told me as I was growing up in a refugee settlement in south India, where I was born. My parents had followed in the footsteps of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, crossing the mighty Himalayas, with nothing but the bare minimum to survive the journey ahead and arriving in India in the 1960s. I feel that my parent’s generation went through a lot of hardship: being uprooted from their beloved homeland, escaping across dangerous terrain fearing for their lives, starting a new life on foreign soil, doing hard labour – building roads in the hills of northern India initially and later cutting down forest land to build settlements in south India, and sustaining the freedom movement under the able leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Reflecting on the global response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine led by the US, EU and UK, it is heartening to see the West rightly united, not just in its condemnation of the illegal invasion, but also in its coordinated efforts to make the invasion costly for Russia through biting sanctions. We Tibetans, only wish that we had had a similar response when my independent nation was illegally invaded by China and when our leaders rallied for support. Maybe things would have been different today.

Events in history are not just for study but also to take lessons from. It is painful to see the Chinese Communist regime today committing genocide on Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in East Turkistan; and to see Hong Konger’s freedoms severely cracked down upon. Lessons must be learnt from Tibet’s example. Illegal occupation and unprovoked aggression should be stopped at the very beginning.

As His Holiness the Dalai Lama has repeatedly said we should all work to make this a century of Peace and Dialogue, unlike the previous one, which was characterised by war and wide scale destruction.

Tibet-Related Websites News:

tibet.net - official website of the Central Tibetan Administration in exile phayul.com -Phayul is published in Dharamshala, has opinion, reviews, photos, etc contactmagazine.net - Contact magazine online news rfa.org/english/news/tibet - Radio Free Asia’s mission is to provide accurate and timely news and information to Asian countries whose governments prohibit access to a free press thetibetpost.com - Tibet Post International online news tibetexpress.net - Tibet Express online news guardian.co.uk/world/tibet - the UK Guardian newspaper’s Tibet pages scmp.com/news/china - the South China Morning Post – one of the more independent news sources in China tibetanreview.net - Tibetan Review online news

News, information and campaigning:

dalailama.com - for broadcasts of His Holiness’s teachings, his schedule and information about Tibet and the Dalai Lama tchrd.org - Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy - a non-governmental organisation and a research centre to protect the human rights of Tibetan people and promote the principles of democracy tibetanyouthcongress.org - an international non-governmental organisation that advocates full independence for Tibet from China studentsforafreetibet.org - a global grassroots group campaigning for full Tibetan independence freetibet.org: - UK-based campaigning organisation, also a good news source tibetwatch.org - Tibet Watch works with Free Tibet to promote the human rights of the Tibetan people through monitoring, research and advocacy. savetibet.org - Website of the International Campaign for Tibet and a good resource for news, campaigns, fundraising and projects tibetnetwork.org/home - a coalition of more than 190 Tibet organisations dedicated to campaigning to end human rights violations in Tibet and restoring rights to the Tibetan people tibetanjournal.com - Tibetan Journal - news, reviews and opinions rukor.org - a discussion site on Tibetan nomads and their fate bitterwinter.org - A magazine on religious liberty and human rights in China www.facebook.com/tsundue - Tenzin Tsundue’s website for up to date information on activists’ campaigns, demonstrations and activities

Writings:

highpeakspureearth.com/category/woeser - occasional translations of Woeser’s enormously popular blog – Woeser lives in Beijing and is continually harassed by the Chinese government for her courageous writings.

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