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Many cases of destruction and death caused by heavy rain and flooding are being reported this month from different regions in Amdo [Ch: Qinghai], in eastern Tibet. At least 31 people, together with over 2,000 head of livestock have been killed so far according to the latest report by Radio Free Asia who say that heavy rain and hail have caused flooding, landslides and destruction with nomads particularly affected. Floods have caused extensive damage to the Labrang Monastery as well
Support for Resolve Tibet Act 3 by Phurbu Lhamo
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Lockdown in Tibet by Staff Reporter
The Resolve Tibet Act introduced in the United States Congress is gaining support from various world leaders, including United Kingdom Member of Parliament Navendu Mishra and Australian Senator Janet Rice, as well as the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, reports the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), a non government organisation working to promote democratic freedom for Tibetans. Navendu Mishra, 33, expressed his support for the bill in a recent statement criticising the violation of human rights, religious freedom and destruction of
ContaCt འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་གསར་འཕྲིན། Contact magazineContact NewsContact Newswww.contactmagazine.net RGD No. HPENG/2013/51798 | VolumE: XXIV IssuE:07| AuGust 2022 A Digest of tibetAn issues AnD news from insiDe AnD outsiDe tibet
Storms Cause Loss of Life and Livelihood in Amdo Reporter
Evidence of Forced Labour in Tibet and East Turkestan by Barkha Mathur Instances of forced labour have occurred in Tibet that are similar to those found in East Turkestan [Ch:Xinjiang], the Uyghur Muslim ethnic minority region in northwest China, according to a report by the United Nations’ top expert on slavery. The UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Tomoya Obokata has noted in his latest report that in the Tibet Autonomous Region, an extensive labour transfer programme has shifted many people who were mainly farmers, herders and those involved in other rural work into low-skilled and low-
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The Tibetan capital city Lhasa, along with neighbouring regions including Shigatse, Ngari, Lhoka and Chamdo in the Chinese segregated Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) are facing strict lockdown protocols with the authorities citing a new outbreak of Covid-19. People must stay at home unless there is an emergency and outside the lockdown areas there are restrictions put on cross-city travelling and the Potala Palace – the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s
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Managing Director : Tsering Wangdue Editor-in-Chief : Jenny James Editor : Tenzin Samten Designed by : Karma Ringzin Topgyal Published by Lha Charitable Trust Email:editor@contactmagazine.net Facebook: ContactNews Instagram : tibetan_news_brief Printed at Imperial Printing, Dharamshala Phone:01892 -222390 Contact magazine | August 2022 | Page No 2 Lha Charitable Trust, Institute for Social Work & EducationContactContactLhawww.lhasocialwork.orgCharitableTrustNewswww.contactmagazine.netMagazineContaCt 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. Please Note: The articles, stories and other material in Contact represent the views of the authors and are not necessarily the views of the Contact staff or Lha Charitable Trust. If you would like to contribute to Contact magazine please email us at editor@contactmagazine.net Contact reserves the right to edit all articles and contributions. ContaCt IS PUBLISHED BY LHA CHARITABLE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTTRUSTLhacontacts: office@lhasocialwork.org (0) 98823-23455 / 1892-220992 Please also see Lha’s additional websites: www.samdhongrinpoche.comwww.tibetnature.netwww.contactmagazine.net
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Support for Resolve Tibet Act from page 1
The Resolve Tibet Act is currently gathering cosponsors in the House and ICT has announced that they will be hosting a Tibet Lobby Day in Washington, DC on September 22-23, together with fellow organisations: lobby day participants will ask their representatives to support Tibet and to cosponsor the Resolve Tibet Act Monks and other members of the community help clear the roads
Contact magazine | August 2022 | Page No 3 news Features
Australian Senator Janet Rice, who is a long term Tibet supporter and has served her government for two decades, mentioned Tibet in a speech she gave to Parliament. In her speech, Rice read the Convention’s declaration, which calls on parliaments to “hold their governments accountable for upholding international law in regard to Tibet” which •includes:respecting and promoting the inalienable right to selfdetermination, • refraining from recognising the Chinese government’s claim to sovereignty over Tibet, treating Tibet as an occupied country and not as a part of China, and • taking coordinated action to achieve a resolution to the China–Tibet conflict through dialogue and negotiations between the parties without preconditions.
Storms Cause Loss of Life and Livelihood in Amdo as homes, property and livelihoods, and left roads blocked. Five Tibetans and more than 2,000 head of livestock were killed in the flooding in Mangra county of Tsolho (Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on August 21. Among those who died, three were from the same family –a father and two daughters. A number of nomad tents and livestock corrals were destroyed in the two places affected in Mangra county. Heavy flooding and landslides were also reported in Serkhog county and Sangchu county in Amdo Labrang. Chinese official media has reported a death toll of 26 in Serkhong county, while Sangchu county suffered flooding for two consecutive days. Tibetans living in the region have witnessed damage to their homes, property and livelihoods, as well as road blockages.
“I have come back to this place from the convention fired up about the role that Australia and this Senate can play to achieve justice for the people of Tibet,” she said.
The bill, Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet–China Conflict Act, was introduced by US Representatives Jim McGovern, Chairman of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China, and Michael McCaul, Lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on July 13. This bill will recognise Tibet’s status as unresolved under international law and support the Tibetan people’s right to self determination. The bill aims to put pressure on China to resume negotiations with the envoys of the Dalai Lama for the first time since 2010.
The Global Times, China’s State media, on August 18 reported the sudden flooding in Tibet’s Amdo region, saying that over 6,000 people are affected, as well as 1,500 houses. While this region is affected by the rain and storms, neighbouring Zatoe County has experienced two earthquakes this month. culture by China. “Indeed, a bipartisan bill introduced by US lawmakers … would make it official government policy that Tibetans have the right to ‘self-determination’ as well as putting in legislation that the dispute over Tibet’s status remains ‘unresolved,’” wrote Mishra. He added that the Resolve Tibet Act will aid His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s work saying, “Such efforts are vital in the longrunning dispute and help to keep Tibet at the forefront of Government’s minds when the eyes of the world are focused on the conflict in Ukraine and other global issues.”
Photo: RFA
The Central Tibetan Administration, also known as the Tibetan Government-in-exile, has welcomed the introduction of the new bill to strengthen the United States’ policy of promoting dialogue between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Dalai Lama and his representatives toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Tibet and the PRC.
Evidence of Forced Labour in Tibet and East Turkestan
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In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin has condemned the finding of the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. He said that the UN Special Rapporteur has “chosen to abuse his authority, blatantly violate the code of conduct of the special procedure, malignly smear and denigrate China and serve as a political tool for anti-China forces”.Wang Wenbin further asserted that: “There has never been ‘forced labour’ in Xinjiang. The Chinese government follows a peoplecentered development philosophy and attaches great importance to protecting the rights and interests of workers. We protect the equal right of workers from all ethnic groups to seek employment, to participate in economic and social life, and to share the dividends of socioeconomic progress. Some forces manipulate Xinjiang-related issues and fabricated the disinformation on “forced labour” in Xinjiang. In essence, they are using human rights as a pretext to undermine Xinjiang’s prosperity and stability and contain China’s development and revitalisation. Their scheme will never succeed.”
News Features report comes in the backdrop of China’s denial of existence of forced labour system in Tibet and Xinjiang as well as reports of China exerting pressures on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to not publish its longdue report on East Turkestan. The UN Special Rapporteur not only debunks China’s ‘development, employment and income’ rhetoric but also clearly categorises the extensive labour transfer programme of Tibetan farmers, herders and other rural workers as forced labour. We therefore join the call of the Special Rapporteur for an independent analysis on the existence of enslavement as a crime against humanity in Tibet.”
Accordingemployment.to the report Contemporary Forms of Slavery Affecting Persons Belonging to Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minority Communities, there are two distinct state-mandated systems that exist in Tibet and East Turkestan leading to forced labour. They are: • the vocational skills, education and training centre system, which confines minorities and subjects them to work placements; and • the alleviation of poverty through a labour transfer system in which surplus rural labourers are transferred to secondary or tertiary sector work.
The Special Rapporteur has called for additional independent investigations on slavery and forced labour in Tibet and East Turkestan. He concluded that “given the nature and extent of powers exercised over affected workers during forced labour, including excessive surveillance, abusive living and working conditions, restriction of movement through internment, threats, physical and/or sexual violence and other inhuman or degrading treatment, some instances may amount to enslavement as a crime againstAccordinghumanity”.to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Representative Thinlay Chukki from the Tibet Bureau Geneva has welcomed the report. She said, “This
The report further highlights that while the Government of China claims that these programmes create employment opportunities for minorities and enhance their incomes, there are indicators of forced labour pointing to the involuntary nature of work rendered by affected communities present in many cases.
UN Special Rapporteur Tomoya Obokata Wang Wenbin
The UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery explored the realities of people belonging to minority groups with regard to slavery, its causes and consequences, to commemorate the thirty-first anniversary of the Declaration on Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. He identified chattel slavery, forced and bonded labour, child and/or forced marriage, domestic servitude, sexual slavery, and child labour as the main manifestations of contemporary forms of slavery. He will present his report at the upcoming 51st session of the Human Rights Council, which will take place from September 12 to October 7, 2022.
On August 25, Tibetans in Dharamshala, the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration also known as the Tibetan andmonks,theofexileGovernment-in-andhomeHisHolinessDalaiLama,nunslayTibetans gathered in templeTsuglakhangtooffer prayers to overcome the ongoing rising Covid-19 situation inside Tibet. The mass prayer gathering was organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress.
ICT
Five officials in Shigatse were removed from office on August 12 for not following pandemic prevention measures, reports the Chinese state media globaltimes.cn and there are reports of three more health officials from Lhasa being removed from their posts for failing to adhere to pandemic control rules.
The Lhasa Buddhist Association has announced the closure of all Tibetan Buddhist venues and monasteries in the city and a suspension of all religious activities. The announcement did not specify when religious activities can be resumed.
hospitals have been set up to accommodate Covid positive people – hospitals with capacity beyond the reported number of cases–leading to speculation that the actual number of cases is much higher than the reported figures. The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has been reported as having the highest number of daily Covid-19 cases in provincial China, reports Xinhua, China’s official state media, stating there were 558 new cases on August 24. China named Amdo (Ch: Qinghai) as having the fourth highest number of cases of Covid. Local residents are subject to mandatory daily testing; without proof of Covid negative status their Covid pass –which is required to carry out daily life activities – will be Tibetans in Lhasa queuing for mandatory Covid testing :
News Features invalidated. The International Campaign for Tibet, a nonprofit advocacy group working to promote democractic freedoms for Tibetans, has reported people posting in social media, sharing photographs of the long queues and expressing their frustration over the inadequate venues and facilities for testing.
According to the South China Morning Post, the least Chinese-censored Chinese news media, the Tibet region is facing a new Covid-19 outbreak for the first time since January 2020; this latest outbreak is the new variant Omicron which spreads rapidly and is likely to be transmitted through family gatherings. Local sources are reported as speculating that the virus has arrived in Tibet via Chinese tourists who are encouraged to come to the region – which is still closed to foreign tourists, journalists andTemporaryofficials.
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Contact magazine | August 2022 | Page No 5
Tibetans in Exile Pray for Tibetans inside Tibet Tibetans living in India and other parts of the world are showing their solidarity with fellow Tibetans inside Tibet through prayer gatherings.
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In a audio message shared on on August 18, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje urged Tibetans inside Tibet to encourage and support each other during the Covid-19 crisis. The Karmapa assured his followers that he is praying for the wellbeing of Tibetans during this pandemic and said that he hopes that all of them will overcome this fearful time as soon as possible.
Subsequent reporting by the South China Morning Post states that in total more than 100 officials in Tibet have been dismissed or punished this month for failing to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the region.
There are currently outbreaks of Covid-19 throughout China with lockdowns imposed for weeks at a time in some regions.
Lockdown in Tibet winter palace in Lhasa, which is the main pilgrimage site for Tibetans – is shut down.
News Features by Staff Reporter
Tenzin Sherab Monk
Detained and Tortured
Arrested for Keeping Photo of HH the Dalai Lama
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A Tibetan monk named Tseta, 25, was detained and tortured in an undisclosed location by the Chinese authorities for about seven months on charges of taking and sharing photos of Tenzin Sherab, a 33 year old Tibetan nomad who self-immolated in May 2013, reports the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), a Dharamshala -based rights group. Tseta is a monk from Adril monastery in Chumarleb County of Kyegu (Yushu) Prefecture in eastern Tibet where he serves as disciplinarian – or dean of the monastic institute. According to new information updated by TCHRD on August 10, “he was subjected to severe beatings and torture in custody and forced to confess about his role in making the information about the selfimmolation public”. Tseta was accused of secretly working with Tenzin Sherab’s sisters Thubten Dolma and Jigkay,taking photos of the deceased when his body was
Karma Samdup, a Tibetan man from Sernye Township of Nagchu County in Tibet Autonomous Region, was arrested on August 12 for wearing a photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama around his neck and hanging a photo in his car. He was accused of carrying out the “separatist act” of possessing pictures of His Holiness, reports Radio Free Asia, as informed by their source. The source confirmed that Samdup’s arrest is part of China’s Strike Hard Campaign which, according to New York based Human Rights Watch, is the Chinese government’s campaign which started in 1996 to crackdown on Tibetans participating in nonviolent political and religious activity. Such activity is seen to result in arbitrary detention, disappearances, torture and long prison sentences. Currently, there are no details about where Karma Samdup is being held. returned home for his funeral. Tseta had lost his phone during the funeral commotion.
The report further stated that a large number of armed police gathered at Adril monastery, with warnings that the monastery will be closed if any monk was found engaging in “splittist activities”, and to force the monks to express their “gratitude and loyalty” to the Chinese Communist Party through political education sessions.
TCHRD’s report added that the Chinese authorities have dismissed the self-immolation of Tenzin Sherab as a result of personal problems and not because of Chinese policies in Tibet; they have accused him of “distorting suicide as immolation”.“Heselfwas a sensitive man acutely aware of the many selfimmolations that had taken place before him. Each self-immolation caused him great sorrow and he used to anguish over the utter desperation faced by fellow Tibetans suffering under Chinese rule,” said a source in Chumarleb County as quoted by TCHRD.
Radio Free Asia had reported earlier on Tenzin Dhargay’s arrest in September 2020 for keeping His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s photos and other politically sensitive materials on his phone, and the report mentioned the arrest of another monk which took place at the same time, and whose identity could not be confirmed. It has only now been learned that the other monk was Rigtse. The families of the monks have been unable to obtain any details of their whereabouts throughout this time. Locals were warned that anyone caught sharing information about their detention will lose social security and other government benefits. It is still unknown where the monks are imprisoned. TCHRD has confirmed that the monks were taken to another place after the sentencing in Sershul County. There are not many details about Rigtse. TCHRD has learned that Dhargay has a social media account on WeChat under the name Dalai’s Followers where he used to share photos and teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. During the Chinese government’s 70th anniversary celebration of Tibet’s “peaceful liberation”, Dhargay expressed his opposition to the celebration by saying no such “liberation” happened in Tibet.
KardzeTibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the traditional Dzachuka area in Kham province. Dhargay is a monk from the Dza Sershul Monastery.
Tenzin Dhargay Screenshot of Dhargay’s WeChat account
Mother-DaughterSentencedArrest
Rigzin Dolma and her daughter Tashi Yangkyi, 23, were arrested from their home in Nagchu county in the Tibet Autonomous Region on August 13 on charges of keeping contacts outside Tibet and sharing illegal photos, reports Voice of America’s Tibetan service. Rigzin Dolma was released the next day. Their family visited different police stations to enquire about Tashi Yangkyi but were given no details, except that she is in Lhasa. A local source described the mother, Rigzin Dolma, as a religious person who is respected in her community. Her daughter Tashi Yangkyi was studying in Lhasa but had returned home in the face of the spike in Covid cases. She was subsequently arrested.
News Features by Staff Reporter
Two Tibetan monks, Tenzin Dhargay and Rigtse, were sentenced to over three years by the Sershul County’s People’s Court in June this year after being detained incommunicado for almost a year, said a press statement issued by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.
Tenzin Dhargay was sentenced to three years and six months while Rigtse was given a jail term of three years. The two monks are from Bharong Village in Sershul County in
Contact magazine | August 2022 | Page No 7
Two Monks
TCHRD’s statement calls on the Chinese authorities to release Tenzin Dhargay and Rigtse immediately and unconditionally, saying “the right to freedom of opinion is absolute and cannot be restricted under any circumstances. Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution provides that “citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration”.
According to a report by Tibet Watch, a UK–based Human rights advocacy organisation, Tenzin Tharpa and his cousin Lhamo were detained by Chinese officials in June 2020 on charges of sending money to families in India. Lhamo, a mother of three, died in August that year from injuries sustained during her detention. Her body was immediately cremated, preventing any medical examination.
by Tenzin Samten Tenzin Tharpa, a former monk from Chaktse Township in Driru County in the traditional province of Kham, was arrested by the Chinese authorities in June 2020 for helping Tibetans send money to their families in India. There has been no information about his whereabouts since then and the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), a Dharamshala based human rights group, has now learned that Tenzin Tharpa was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in a secret trail and is due for release in December 2022. TCHRD confirmed that his family was able to hire a Chinese lawyer for his trial but “could not ensure [a]fair trial”. His family still does not know in which prison he is serving his sentence.
Philanthropist Sentenced Secret Trial for Former Monk
In 2012, Tenzin Tharpa was based at Lharung Gar Monastery and was required to disrobe and leave the monastery when the Chinese authorities issued a directive banning monks from other regions from studying in Lharung Gar. After returning to Driru County, he founded a Tibetan language school for local Tibetan children which was then shut down by the authorities. Since then, he was subject to continuous monitoring and surveillance. In 2014, he started a Tibetan business dealing in Tibetan medicinal plants, including Yartsa Gunbu (caterpillar fungus). In recent times, the Chinese authorities have used these tactics in order to crackdown on Tibetans sending money to relatives and families outside Tibet, especially those in India. In July, Voice of America reported that Tibetans living in and around the Lhasa region had been ordered to stop contact with family and friends living abroad, and that non-compliance risked the loss of all government aid andTCHRDbenefits.reports that many Tibetan students and monks studying in India are affected by the restrictions imposed on their families in Tibet, and can no longer send money to them. Tibetans living in India who have families in Driru and nearby regions have not been able to speak to their families since 2016. by Tenzin Samten Tenzin Choephel, 45, a Tibetan businessman from Nagchu (Ch: Nagchu) City’s Sernye District in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) region has been sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment on charges of “inciting separatism” reports Dharamshala based human right group, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD). He was known for his philanthropic, environmental and cultural advocacy work in his community. He was first arbitrarily detained from Gongkar Airport in March 2018 and remained incommunicado until his sentencing on May 24, 2019 on charges of “inciting separatism”, “illegally sending intelligence overseas” and “financing activities that endangered state security”. His family’s appeal was rejected by the Tibet Autonomous Region Higher People’s Court in October 2019. He is currently being imprisoned in Chushur (Ch:Qushui) prison in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet.
Commenting on how the legal system works in the Tibet region, TCHRD said, “The rejection of his appeal was a foregone conclusion due to the discriminatory criminal justice system, which is subservient to political and ideological considerations of the Chinese party-state. In practice, the right to appeal is just a paper exercise”.
news Features Contact magazine | August 2022 | Page No 8
The United Nations, European Union and the Human Rights Desk at the Central Tibetan Administration have commented in a report, “Choephel’s imprisonment is yet another example of Tibetans’ relentless persecution for opposing destructive development projects to protect their environmental and cultural treasures. Furthermore, it is part of China’s calculated effort to crush dissent against the Chinese Communist Party by attacking prominent Tibetans including community leaders, intellectuals, rights defenders and writers.”
the various religious communities in Ladakh. All these religious traditions emphasise the importance of helping others and, since we all wish to be happy, we must work to maintain harmony among us, conscious of the oneness of humanity.”HisHoliness urged his followers to plant more trees and to take care of the environment in order to address the threat of global warming, and reminded everyone that we have a responsibility for future generations and need to take care of today’s environment.
Contact magazine | August 2022 | Page No 9 news Features
Photo: OHHDL Cultural performance during the award ceremony Photo: OHHDL Award for His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Thiksey Rinpoche presenting Ladakh dPalr Ngam Dusdon Award to His Holiness
“Since Ladakh is not as wet as Dharamsala during the monsoon, I hope to be able to continue to visit Ladakh regularly in the future – therefore, I look forward to seeing you again,” concluded His Holiness. On August 7, His Holiness spoke to over 6,500 members of the Tibetan community living in Ladakh who gathered to hear him at the Tibetan Children’s Village School in Choglamsar.Calls are continuing for India to award His Holiness the Dalai Lama the Bharat Ratna, the highest Indian award given to civilians, with the All-Party ForumParliamentaryIndianforTibet(APIPFT) now adding its voice to the requests. The APIPFT, which sat for the first time last year, has also called for His Holiness to address a joint sitting of the Rajya Sabha and LokHisSabha.Holiness arrrived home in Dharamshala on August 31 having been in Ladakh since July 15. He received a warm welcome from Tibetans and his devotees in Dharamshala where he is scheduled to give a two-day teaching on Chandrakirti’s Entering the Middle Way in conjunction with the autocommentary (uma jukpa rangdrel thok ney) at Tsuglakhang temple at the request of a group of South Asians on September 15-16. by Staff Reporter His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, was awarded the Ladakh dPalr rNgam Dusdon Award –Ladakh’s highest civilian honour – on August 5 during his recent visit to Ladakh in the north of India. The award was an expression of gratitude towards His Holiness for his dedication to the promotion of peace and love in the world, and for his role in helping the Ladakhi people preserve their rich Buddhist cultural heritage. The award was conferred by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), which is based in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, on their anniversary, and the award ceremony took place at Sindhu Ghat on the bank of the Indus River near Leh – which is known as Sengé Tsangpo in Tibetan. The 87 year-old Tibetan leader said that he was pleased to accept the award bestowed to him by people who have unwavering faith and trust in him and continued, “Tibetans and the people of Ladakh enjoy close relations because we share the same Buddhist culture, and this great River Indus, the Sengé Khabab that flows between us.” His Holiness went on to say, “I really appreciate the excellent harmony and friendship that prevails among
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), also known as the Tibetan Government-in-exile, conducted the fourth population census among Tibetans living in India, Bhutan and Nepal in July. There are over 67,700 Tibetans living in these three countries, according to the census forms collected as of August 3. The population survey was started last month and the record is being updated as and when the census forms are being received, said Dawa Tsultrim, Additional Secretary of the Department of Home, CTA speaking to Voice of Tibet. For those who have yet to submit their census forms, he urged them to submit the forms to their local Tibetan Settlement offices as soon as possible. In most countries, the population census is conducted every ten years, with the primary objective of getting basic population information. The Tibetan population census data collection is one of the initiatives of the incumbent CTA, led by Sikyong Penpa Tsering. The CTA has conducted three population censuses to date, in 1998, 2008 and 2018. This year’s population survey form is simplified to one page, and aimed at getting an accurate assessment of the number of Tibetans living in India, Nepal and Bhutan – unlike previous census forms which required people to fill six to seven pages of information, explained Secretary Dawa speaking to Phayul. With each population census, the population of Tibetans living in India, Bhutan and Nepal has reduced drastically. According to a Radio Free Asia’s report, the 1998 census data showed 130,000 Tibetans, the 2008 census data showed 109,015 and the latest 2018 census data reported 75,639 Tibetans. The number of Tibetans migrating to the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia, and other countries, has increased in the last couple of years.
Census of Tibetans in India, Nepal and Bhutan
Representative Kelsang Gyaltsen spoke of how Tibet has now become a “giant prison”, reiterating the CTA’s stated opinion saying, “Current Chinese Communist Party’s chair person Xi Jinping’s approach to Tibet, the so-called ‘The Party’s New Generation Policy on the Governance of Tibet’ focuses on the annihilation and assimilation of the Tibetan people, as well as eliminating the Dalai Lama’s influence in Tibet. These measures have stirred up even stronger resistance from the Tibetans.”
Contact magazine | August 2022 | Page No 10 news Features
US Speaker Meets Tibet Representative In Taiwan
He stated that despite the world’s current focus on the Ukrainian crisis, the decades-long genocide in Tibet should continue to receive significant attention and support. He expressed lament over the initial lack of support and attention from the international community when Tibet was occupied and asserted that things could have been different if China had received the same international pressure as Russia does now.
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, met Bawa Kelsang Gyaltsen, a representative of the Office of Tibet, during her visit to Taiwan. During the meeting, Representative Gyaltsen raised the issues related to the deteriorating human rights situation and China’s increasingly harsh policy of ethnic, religious, and cultural genocide in Tibet.
As part of her trip to Asia, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan on August 2 and met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. She visited Taiwan with a delegation of five Democratic lawmakers, despite the threat of retaliation from China and has become the highest-ranking US official to visit the country since 1997. On August 3, House Speaker Pelosi met seven human rights activists, including pro-democracy activist Wuer Kaixi, Taiwanese human rights activist Mr Li Mingzhe, who is being persecuted by China, Mr Lin Rongji from Causeway Bay Bookstore in Hong Kong, and Kelsang Gyaltsen, a representative of the Office of Tibet, reported The Tibet Post. Ms Pelosi and the activists participated in a one-hour roundtable discussion on various topics concerning democracy and human rights. by Staff Reporter
Representative Kelsang Gyaltsen informed Ms Pelosi of the Chinese Communist Party’s boarding schools policy which they use as bait to coerce Tibetan children to study in boarding schools away from their parents, thereby achieving assimilation of Tibetan culture and religion, among other issues, according to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
Representative Kelsang Gyaltsen also urged the joint organisers of the forthcoming global democracy meeting in October to invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama, stating that doing so would send a clear and strong message to China of global solidarity with Tibet.
by Barkha Mathur
Tashi Dhondup has served as the NDPT’s secretary/cashier until now. Speaking to Voice of America (VOA), Tibetan service, Dhondup said that despite China being a country that occupied our nation, we have great lessons to learn from them. During the student-led Tiananmen Square massacre, thousands of students fought for democracy in the face of deadly suppression from the government. We Tibetans, he said, did not have to fight to achieve our democracy.
The Chinese government has reportedly released water from several upstream reservoirs in response to the situation, and the Ministry of Agriculture said it would try to artificially increase rainfall through cloud seeding, as well as spraying crops with a water-retaining agent, according to Grist, a nonprofit independent media organisation that focuses on climate solutions.
“Our democracy is freely given. From my point of view, the main problem faced in the Tibetan exile democratic system is that in democracy, there come rights and duties. We have been using that right but not taking the responsibilities. Today I am not shying away from becoming the President though I am young because I take it as my democratic responsibility,” said Tashi to VOA
The National Democratic Party of Tibet (NDPT) concluded its ninth general body meeting by electing Tashi Dhondup as its new President, along with another six new members. The meeting was convened from August 20-23 and held in Dharamshala; it was attended by members from various locations together with the heads of Tibetan nongovernment organisations.
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The outgoing President, Tsetan Norbu, explained to the meeting how the party was founded according to the guidance and vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He announced that the party has remained committed to their vision, it has not created disharmony in the Tibetan exile community and has urged its fellow members to maintain its responsibilities.NDPTwasfounded in 1994 after His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke of the importance of political parties in the evolution of the democratic system in the Tibetan Government-in-exile, said Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, former Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, addressing the gathering on the first day. Following the first meeting of NDPT members, and finalising the party constitution in 1994, Mr Karma Choephel was the first elected President. The long term objective of the party is to prepare for the establishment of political parties in a future Tibet. While in exile, the party promotes and educates Tibetan people about the significance of political parties, and of democracy, and initiates political discussion in exile.
Drichu River Runs Dry by Barkha Mathur Parts of the freshwater Drishu River [Ch: Yangtze] have run dry in the drought and heatwave in China. The river’s water levels have decreased to almost a half of its normal volumn, this has not only impacted hydropower, shipping routes and trade in the country but has also put drinking water supplies for people and livestock, as well as agriculture generally, in peril.
According to Bloomberg, temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius have been recorded in dozens of locations, and rainfall along the Drishu River since July has been 45 percent below normal, the lowest since 1961. This month, the drought has already had an impact on 350,000 animals and nearly 8,500 square miles of arable land in China, according to the country’s Ministry of Water Resources and the first nationwide drought warning in nine years was issued by the Chinese government on August 19. China is on the verge of a water crisis due to the drought, heat wave and drying up of its largest river, according to the journal Foreign Affairs, the American magazine of international relations. There is speculation that this could also result in shortages of food and industrial resources on a much larger scale than those caused by the Covid-19 epidemic and the war in MoreUkraine.than450 million people live along the Yangtze River, which rises in the Jari Hill region in the Tanggula Mountain range in the centre of the Tibetan Plateau. Many of these people are Tibetans who have settled in the river’s upper reaches in far-flung mountainous regions. Since the majority of these people depend on the river for their water, crops and means of subsistence, they are now suffering.
The Drishu/Yangtze River passes through 11 provinces in Tibet and China, including Tibet (with Amdo and Kham in eastern Tibet), Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai, according to the World Atlas. With a total length of more than 6,300 km, the Drishu/Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and China, and the third-longest river in the world, behind the Nile and Amazon rivers.
Tashi’s primary education was at Upper Tibetan Children’s village school, and he completed his bachelor’s degree from Hansraj College, Delhi and his post graduate studies at Jawahalal Nehru University, Delhi.
NDPT Appoints New President by Staff Reporter
Aug 19: Cycling for Tibet Tibetan Activist Sangyal Kyap is cycling across Canada from Vancouver to urge the Canadian people to support the return of HH the Dalai Lama to Tibet; renew the China – Tibet talks; call for the release of the 11th Panchen Lama and other political prisoners and for respect for human rights in Tibet, as well as to protect Tibet’s environment from Chinese development. Kyap has been campaigning for Tibet since 2018.
Aug 23: His Holiness Offers Support HH the Dalai Lama has written to Ram Thakur, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, to say that he is making a donation to help the people who have suffered heavy losses of life, property and infrastructure during this exceptionally heavy monsoon. “I offer my condolences to [...] all those affected by this devastation,” said His Holiness, “I pray for them”.
The Relevance and Significance of the Dalai Lama Institution, a twoday conference organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), is underway in Dharamshala. The conference is discussing the significance and relevance of the institution of the Dalai Lama, the future of the Dalai Lama institution and the continuation of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, attended by over 200 representatives of 80 chapters of the TYC from 14 countries.
Aug 25: Young Tibetans Gathering Forty seven young Tibetans from across the world are gathered at the College for Higher Tibetan Studies (CHTS), Sarah, in Dharamshala for the Eighth Young Tibetan Research Scholars’ Conference held by the Tibet Policy Institute, a research department of the Central Tibetan Administration. Conference delegates will discuss and deliberate on their research papers – topics include Tibetan Buddhism, historical narratives, the environment and Tibetan medicines.
Aug 22: University Breakthrough
The 2022 Geshema examination was held in Dharamshala this month. The Geshema degree has only recently been made available to nuns; this year 64 nuns from six nunneries in India and Nepal sat the exam and 11 nuns sat the final exam. The Geshema is equivalent to a Doctorate in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and is the highest academic degree in the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism. To date, 44 nuns have earned this degree.
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) held a one day Europe Strategy meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, chaired by Sikyong (President) Penpa Tsering and attended by members of the CTA’s Permanent Strategy Committee, along with former Deputy Prime Minister of Czech Republic and founder of Czechs Support Tibet, Martin Bursik. The meeting looked at Europe’s evolving geo-political landscape, and sought to identify opportunities and challenges for Tibet within the EU.
A Sakya delegation led by Sakya Gongma Trinchen Rinpoche has completed a visit to Switzerland where they granted teachings, blessings and empowerment. Also in Switzerland, Representative Thinlay Chukki of the Tibet Bureau paid a courtesy call to the State Secretary for Migration of Switzerland Ms Christine Schraner Burgener to update her on the situation in Tibet and to thank the Swiss people for their support for the Tibetan cause.
Aug 25: TYC Conference
Aug 24: Rare Plant Euonymus aquifolium, a plant listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, has been discovered in Kham in eastern Tibet. It was first found there by British botanist Ernest Henry Wilson in 1908 and had not been seen since, until it was discovered by Chinese scientists in a canyon near Mount Gongga in 2021.
Aug 23: New Representative Tsepri Lopan Tulku Ngawang Chokdup has been appointed Representative of the Office of Tibet in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Representative is appointed by the Kashag [Cabinet], with Sikyong and the Kalons [Ministers] in attendance.
Aug 22: Chinese Spy Arrested
Pema Dhargyal Ngawan, known in the United States as Baimadajie Angwang, who was arrested in 2020 and charged with spying on fellow Tibetans for China, will stand trial next month. He is a New York City Police officer, a naturalised American who was granted asylum after claiming that, as a Tibetan, he had been tortured by the Chinese. It has now been established that his parents are both members of the Chinese Communist Party.
Aug 19: Swiss Visits
Aug 22: US Consul Visit Judith Ravin, Consul General of the United States Consulate in Chennai, has visited Namdroling Monastery in Bylakuppe Tibetan Settlement along with her staff. Ms Ravin enquired about the progress of the local USAID’s and PRM-funded projects, how they benefit local Tibetan residents and ways of advancing these projects in the future.
Aug 29: Strategy Meeting on Tibet
Aug 26: Geshema Examination
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The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi has given Tibetan students an exemption from the usual fees charged to international students; this fee, which was increased three years ago, has precluded many Tibetans from attending university and Tibetans have been lobbying for some time for it to be dropped. JNU’s Deputy Registrar announced the fee will now be “at par with that of the similarly admitted Indian students”.
Aug 18: New Biography of His Holiness
Aug 11: Cultural Conference
An annual festival formerly held in Nyagchuka in Kardze, but banned for the last 20 years, has been given permission to go ahead once again, reports Radio Free Asia. The festival, which features horse races and picnics, was banned in 2002, the year when the revered Tulku Tenzin Delek was arrested. Tulku Tenzin Delek attended the festival and the event included teachings and religious plays.
Aug 16: Teaching in Zanskar
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Aug 8: Threat of Arrest Tibetans living in the Ngaba and Dzoege region of Amdo province have been threatened with arrest and severe punishment if they are caught posting photos and birthday wishes online for Kirti Rinpoche’s 80th birthday, which is today. The 11th Kyabje Kirti Rinpoche is the Chief Abbot of Kirti Monastery in Tibet; he is currently living in its branch monastery in Dharamshala. There were similar restrictions last year.
Aug 9: Congratulations! His Holiness the Dalai Lama has congratulated Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today on his election as Vice President of India saying, “India is the land of ‘ahimsa’ and ‘karuna’, ideas that can contribute much to the flourishing of humanity.” His Holiness continued, “With your long and rich experience of public service, I am sure you will be able to serve this great nation and its people with success.”
Aug 10: Czech Support Thinlay Choekyi, Representative of HH the Dalai Lama at the Tibet Bureau, Geneva has met Martin Dvorak, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Czech Republic, to thank him for his country’s support for Tibet. Martin Dvorak tweeted about the meeting, reiterating the Czech Republic’s support on the human rights situation inside Tibet. The Czech Chinese embassy reacted by saying that the Tibetan Government-in-exile is a separatist organisation, not recognised by China.
Aug 8: Sakya Monlam
Aug 18: Secular Ethics
Aug 4: Festival Resumes
Aug 17: Strengthening Democracy
Headlines
The European Sakya Monlam for Universal Peace and Happiness has been held in Paris, in the Kagyu Dzong Buddhist centre. Sakya Ghongma Trichen Rinpoche presided, together with the 42nd Trizin Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, 43rd Trizin Gyana Vajra Rinpoche, Dhungsey Avikrita Vajra Rinpoche and Dhungsey Asanga Vajra Rinpoche, with over 5,000 devotees attending from across Europe. Everyone present received a blessing from the 42nd Trizin Ratna Vajra Rinpoche.
A workshop on strengthening democracy at grassroots level was held for the local Tibetan Assemblies of Ladakh Leh-Jang on August 8 – 12 at Sonamling Tibetan Settlement, Ladakh. The five day workshop was organised by the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile. Participants were given detailed information on the procedures of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Charter of Tibetans-inexile, Budget Policy and proceedings of Parliamentary sessions.
Aug 5: $3.5 Million Donation
A two-day conference to discuss the current status of Tibetan culture in exile and its future prospects has taken place in Dharamshala. Delegates consisted of 23 experts on Tibetan culture and included leaders of prominent institutions, together with scholars, writers and artists. The conference was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US based National Democratic Institution.
The 2022 Workshop on Secular Ethics and Youth Leadership for young American Tibetans took place in the Garrison Institute in New York with over 30 students from 38 universities and 15 high schools participating. The workshop focused on secular ethics and youth engagement with the Tibetan cause. There was unanimous agreement to hold this workshop annually at the Garrison Institute.
tibetan
His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 100 Anecdotes, a new biography of HH the Dalai Lama, by two Indian children’s writers Arthy Muthanna Singh and Mamta Nainy, has been described as a “quick and accessible” introduction for young people to the Dalai Lama by writer and journalist Chintan Girish Modi. The book outlines the idea of rebirth and reincarnation for those unfamiliar with Buddhism and Tibet.
Aug 10: HR Workshop
A workshop for young Tibetan refugees in higher education in India was held by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD). The three-day workshop came under TCHRD’s annual human rights education programme for young Tibetan adults; the focus was on civil and political rights and sustainable development, as well as understanding and advocating for human rights in their daily lives and in their own community.
The University of Sydney, Australia has been awarded a donation of $ 3.5 million [US$2.4 million / £2million] by the profitFoundation,Khyentseanon-organisation to ensure the future of Tibetan Buddhist studies at the University including teaching, research and community outreach for the next 20 years, reports a post by the university. The Khyentse Foundation was founded by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, a Tibetan/Bhutanese lama, filmmaker and writer.
During HH the Dalai Lama’s recent three-day visit to Zanskar, he gave teachings to hundreds of devotees who gathered from Zanskar and Kargil villages. His Holiness gave Bodhisattva vows and reminded people to put the teachings into practice; he stressed the importance of cultivating a warm heart to achieve peace of mind, and advised everyone to practice communal harmony. He later spoke to students and people from Zanskar’s Muslim community.
It’s Saturday and Dawa would ordinarily have a full day of dental appointments scheduled, but she had to cancel them due to the water pressure issues that are so often experienced in McLeod Ganj. Still, she’s committed to spending the day in the clinic with her dental assistant for emergency visitors. Within a few minutes of us settling into our discussion, a young man walks in with a mouth injury. Her assistant attends to his cracked teeth gently and we pause our conversation while Dawa, too, offers her diagnostic insights in a candid, down-to-earth“Whenevermanner.amonk or nun comes in”, she says,“I always ask them: ‘What do you think about meat eating?’”
Asking this question to a particular patient is what led Dawa to deepen her devotion to Buddhism after a period during which she felt disconnected from the Dharma. The question prompted a conversation that inspired her patient to suggest she meet his guru. At their first meeting, she brought soy milk as an offering and spoke openly about her identity as a vegan Buddhist. To her surprise, her (now current) guru responded: “You are doing the work of monks and nuns … we only speak of the Dharma but you are doing it in action. I am 100% standing with you.”
On Sundays, Dawa is often on the streets of Dharamshala vaccinating and speying street dogs and caring for other animals; she has responded to calls for rats, cows and monkeys, to name a few. Regularly facilitating adoptions for street dogs, Dawa prepares them for adoption by “washing and cuddling them” before delivering them to a new home, which she surveys in advance. Another dimension of her activism is feminism; with the hashtag #puppybeti (beti is “daughter” in Hindi), drawing attention to gender discrimination towards adopting puppies. Weaving through Dawa’s activism, veganism and dentistry is the thread of the Dharma. “I say this like an affirmation: “I am vegan for all sentient beings: ‘I am vegan for you, I am vegan for the Chinese, I am vegan for Putin, I am vegan for Trump, I am vegan for the slaughterhouse workers, for the rapists, for the terrorists, for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’ … so this is basically me right now.”
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people story “I Am Vegan For All Sentient Beings”
Dawa clearly remembers her transition to veganism: it was Saka Dawa in 2015, the morning after she ceremoniously cooked chicken kebab, one of her (formerly) favorite dishes. She had committed to one month of veganism to honour the holy days, but forgot on that first morning and began eating the leftover poultry. When her friend asked about her vegan experiment she had a sudden insight about eating animals: “From that moment on, I committed to life-long veganism.” A profound connection to animals dates back to Dawa’s childhood in her South India birthplace, Mundgod, in a Tibetan colony. She remembers seeing cows giving birth but never witnessed a natural death; similarly, she remembers that dogs would be picked up but never come back. As she began making sense of what happened, she learned that these slaughters were enacted in the name of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) mass sterilisation programme. “Now as a Buddhist I look at animals as family; every sentient being has been your mother.”
It’s a rainy August afternoon in Dharamsala and Dr Dawa Dolker greets me warmly outside Delek Hospital – the Tibetan hospital. She guides me through a staff entrance, offering a friendly smile to each of her colleagues passing by, to her dental clinic. Within moments of meeting I notice the side of her left hand, tattooed with the word Vegan; the V in an iconic green font. When she decided to get this tattoo as a birthday gift for herself in 2016, the tattoo artist questioned the highlyvisible location. Dawa knew it was in exactly the right place: unavoidable, direct, conversation-starting. “When I’m talking I use my hands,” she says, referencing her extensive public speaking experience. “I know that until death I will be speaking for the rights of animals.”
Tears streamed down her face on hearing his words, at the shock of being supported in response to a conversation that typically stimulates discomfort. He encouraged her to pursue animal rights activism and start a non-government organisation, building on the Dharamsala Vegan Movement (DVM) she founded in 2016. “A vegan activist in the Tibetan community is very rare,” Dawa says, referring to the meat-centric eating habits of Tibetans. Naturally, unoriginally, I ask about the Buddhist perspective toward meat-eating. “That is the most loved question and also the most difficult,” she responds, adding that to reconcile this she carefully studied Buddha’s teachings on meat-eating. “Buddha never said it’s okay to eat meat; he acknowledged that receiving meat as alms is acceptable if it has threefold purity.”
Her primary motivation for veganism is animal rights. Over the past six years, the DVM community has conducted streetbased outreach efforts and collaborated with international groups. She gives credit to their efforts for the availability of vegan food in Dharamhsala, which was non existent less than a decade ago. Thanks to the international diversity and presence of His Holiness, Dawa regards the city as the place that enabled her veganism and spirituality to flourish. Locally, she is well-known as “a person people can reach out to” and she has been approached by people telling her they went vegan because of her.
by Tenzin Pel-lha
Contact magazine | August 2022 | Page No 15 Lha Charitable Trust Lha’s Language Classes Contact is published by Lha Charitable Trust Institute for Social Work and Education We have moved! (see map on next page)
Tibet-Related Websites
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.
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
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