Contact April 2017

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འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་གསར་འཕྲིན།

Contact

A Free Monthly Publication For Tibetan Issues and Community Information RGD No. HPENG/2013/51798 Volume: XIX Issue: 3 APRIL 30, 2017

Self-Immolation in Kardze

Arunachal Controversy

Tibet’s Missing Child

Tibetan Language Under Threat

Wangchuk Tseten, a Tibetan man in his 30’s, has selfimmolated in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

He is a father of four and comes from Ahse village in Shido town in Nyagrong County in Kardze.

The self-immolation took place at about 7.00 am local time in the main square in Kardze where large crowds are known to gather. Chinese police swiftly took Continued on page 4

by Tenzin Samten The missing Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, who was abducted by the Chinese government at the age of six, turned 28 on April 25. Read about the exile community’s activities to mark his birthday and one activist’s campaign for his release in our articles [“Missing”–The Panchen Lama of Tibet and On the Campaign Trail for the Release of the Panchen Lama].

Continued on page 4, 5

W www.contactmagazine.net

His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the northeastern Indian State which China claims as part of its territory, calling it “Little Tibet”, has sparked a major row between India and China.

Read about the fallout from this visit, as well as a report of His Holiness’s time there, on our double page spread on pages 6 and 7.

Continued on page 6, 7

by Lauren Chaplin Bilingual Education Policy in Tibet: The Systematic Replacement of Tibetan Language with Mandarin Chinese, a new report from the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights & Democracy (TCHRD) released on April 7, charts the current position of the Tibetan language which is spoken by more than eight million people. The report outlines the Continued on page 3

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ABOUT LHA & CONTACT Contact, a free monthly magazine published by Lha Charitable Trust, is a recognised and registered publication under the Registrar Office of the Newspaper, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. The registration number is HPENG/2013/51798. Acknowledged

by Lonely Planet and other international travel resources, Contact has been a popular source of news and information on Tibetan issues, and the Dharamshala community, for over 18 years.

700 - 1,000 copies are printed per issue and distributed in the Dharamshala area, Delhi, and various diplomatic missions of India. Copies are also sent to various Tibetan schools, settlements, offices and NGOs in India and abroad.

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 editing staff or Lha Social Work. All comments on this issue should be submitted by email to: editor@contactmagazine.net

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Institute for Social Work & Education Mission Statement:

Lha is a resource of education and knowledge that provides meaningful, multi-levelled social and educational services for the benefit of others.

Background:

Lha is a Tibetan grassroots nonprofit organisation 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 English, French and Chinese classes, cultural exchange programmes, IT classes, vocational training, health and environmental awareness education, distribution of clothes and medicine, a community kitchen, and many other programmes and activities. Through rehabilitation resources and social and educational services, Lha facilitates an easy transition for the Tibetan refugee community to India. On a daily basis, Lha serves over 250 people, hosts between 15 and 25 volunteers and provides up to 20 different services, including on average 50 nutritious meals per day for financially disadvantaged people.

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TIBETAN COOKING CLASS Individuals and small groups can learn to prepare a variety of traditional and modern vegetarian Tibetan foods including momos, thukpa and Tibetan bread, with a qualified teacher.

For information on cost, times and/or registration, please visit: Lha office, Temple Road, McLeod Ganj-176219 Dharamshala, Distt. Kangra H.P. (Mon-Sat: 9am-1pm & 2-5pm) office@lhasocialwork.org (0) 1892-220992 Websites associated with Lha: www.lhasocialwork.org www.samdhongrinpoche.com www.tibetfairtrade.com www.tibetnature.net 2

Acknowledgement

This issue of Contact is sponsored by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD). TFD’s kind contribution has made this publication possible.

We thank TFD for supporting the publication of Contact.

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Please contact the office: office@lhasocialwork.org (0) 98823-23455 / 1892-220992 April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES

Continued from page 1

Tibetan Language Under Threat

history of China’s minority language policies before asserting international language and education rights, and making policy recommendations for preserving and protecting the Tibetan language alongside the dominant Chinese language.

The promotion of Mandarin Chinese has been high on the agenda of the People’s Republic of China since the 1990’s, often at the expense of minority-language speakers who are frequently denied opportunities to operate in their mother tongues.

The stated overall aim of this policy of cultural assimilation is to create national unity and harmony, yet there has been resistance from Tibetan

language activists, as evidenced by their 2010 language protests.

The report supports the protestors’ opposition to the policy, stating that “the PRC’s assimilationist agenda is causing irreparable damage to the development of Tibetan culture and language”.

TCHRD stresses the importance of protecting the Tibetan language, asserting that “not only is language our most basic form of cultural education, it is laden with history, unique perspectives and interpretations of the world. It is our greatest accomplishment and defining characteristic. When we lose language, we lose thousands of years of human history, the ability to express ourselves, and the ability to

understand the forces that created and shaped us.”

The report comes at a time when Tibetan language activist Tashi Wangchuk remains in prison.

Wangchuk, an entrepreneur and blogger from Yushu, Eastern Tibet, was arrested in January 2016 on charges of “inciting separatism”, following his November 2015 appearance in a New York Times video. The video sees him trying to lodge an official complaint with the Beijing authorities about the lack of support for the Tibetan language in an effort to preserve Tibetan culture.

His detention has been condemned repeatedly by TCHRD, as well as attracting international concern.

Indian Citizenship Debate

by Ben Byrne Lobsang Wangyal, the well-known local producer of the Miss Tibet pageant and proprietor of the Tibet Sun online news magazine, was recently granted Indian citizenship. This has sparked a rigorous debate among the Tibetan refugee community about whether they should also take the opportunity to become legal Indian citizens.

According to Indian law, people born in India between the years of 1950 and 1987 are citizens of India.

However, before the recent court ruling in Wangyal’s favour Tibetans found it almost impossible to apply for citizenship because they didn’t possess the required citizenship certificate and couldn’t afford the price of going through the necessary legal process.

This ruling should make it easier for Tibetans who wish to acquire Indian citizenship to do so.

The day he received his Indian citizenship Wangyal was quoted in the Tibet Sun as saying, “Legally, I am an Indian through and through but at heart I am still a Tibetan as I still hold my allegiance to the Tibetan movement and to the CTA [Central Tibetan Admiminstation, the Government-inExile].”

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Lobsang from Students for a Free Tibet understands Wangyal’s decision.

“Most Tibetans abroad take citizenship so why not here in India? After taking citizenship you can have a platform that wasn’t previously available. You can vote in Indian elections and lobby local politicians to raise the Tibetan issue. You can also carve out a more stable existence for yourself here and then devote more time to the cause of a free Tibet.”

The India Report 2016 from the Tibet Justice Centre alludes to the difficulties faced by Tibetans in settlements due to their status as refugees rather than as citizens, stating “Tibetan refugees, as foreigners, are subject to a host of limitations affecting their ability to travel freely, to own property, to qualify for government jobs or seats in educational institutions and to vote in Indian elections”.

Many Tibetans struggle to find gainful employment as refugees and are restricted to sweater selling and agriculture as means to sustain themselves. As a result, the report says “migration out of the settlements is endemic, particularly among 19 to 35 year olds”.

Some prominent members of the Central Tibetan Administration are 3

dismissive of these arguments and critical of Wangyal’s decision.

Dawa Tsering, a CTA official speaking to Contact, said that Tibetans should not be given a choice about citizenship because “taking Indian citizenship will dilute the power and energy of the Tibetan movement. We have to remain as Tibetans to show solidarity with our countrymen who are suffering under Chinese occupation”.

Former Prime Minister Professor Samdhong Rinpoche dismissed the suggestion that Tibetans suffered due to their status as refugees in an interview in 2014: “All refugees in India….. I think they have all civil rights, human rights, except the political right to stand for election or vote for election.”

With regard to the difficulties Tibetans faced when acquiring property, Rimpoche remarked controversially, “this issue is just newspeople problem, and in reality not a single Tibetan refugee has been bothered or dispositioned of any land or property.”

In 2016, Rimpoche said the question of citizenship was “purely a personal choice”, but that those who chose to take citizenship of their host country “might not remain ‘Tibetans’ but would be Tibetan supporters”.

April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES Continued from page 1

Self-Immolation in Kardze

the burned man away and there is no confirmed information of his current whereabouts, or whether he is alive, although it is believed he died during or shortly after his protest. Further information about the incident is slow to come through and it is believed there is a communications block in place.

Voice of America reported that residents of the town had been summoned to meetings by the Chinese authorities following the self-immolation and that people

there were very reluctant to discuss the event. Voice of Tibet has reported that three Tibetans, Kunchok

Gyaltsen, Nyima and Tsering Gyatso from Nyarong County, were arrested

for being in possession of Wangchuk Tseten’s mobile phone and severely beaten. Two of them have been released but one remains in custody and there is concern that he is being subjected to torture. Another report has come in of Kunchok Tsering, 39, who may have died in detention after being severely beaten for taking a video clip of the self-immolation.

However it is unclear if the video in question is the same as the one circulating on the Internet. There are some unconfirmed reports of two more people being arrested.

“Missing” – The Panchen Lama of Tibet

by Tenzin Samten ‘missing’ for over two decades and The 11th Panchen Lama – Gendun Tibetans, Buddhists and devotees Choekyi Nyima – turned 28 years across the globe have been ‘missing’ old on April 25. He remains missing him and have echoed their faith and since 1995. On his birth anniversary, aspiration to see him alive and free.” the Department of Information and At the main square in Mcleod Ganj International Relations (DIIR) of in Dharamshala, non-government the Tibetan Government-in-Exile organisations – Regional Tibetan released a video entitled Missing - Youth Congress (RTYC), Regional the Panchen Lama of Tibet featuring Tibetan Women’s Association birthday messages and concerns (RTWA) and Students for a Free from political personalities from six Tibet (India) – jointly organised an different countries. awareness campaign highlighting “Though the Panchen Lama’s the 11th Panchen Lama’s case birthday is a joyous occasion, it is a of “enforced disappearance” and sad one because petitioned for G e d h u n signatures C h o e k y i demanding Nyima, a sixknowledge of year old boy his whereabouts recognised by and for his His Holiness immediate the Dalai Lama release. “Beijing in 1995 as the has kept the 11th Panchen Panchen Lama Lama of Tibet, away from has been Signature campaign at Dharamshala on the 10th Tibetan people Panchen Lama’s birthday missing for and the world Photo: SFT Facebook over 22 years,” for more than said Sonam Norbu Dagpo, DIIR’s 20 years but we have not forgotten International Relations Secretary. him,” Wangden Kyab, the President Referring to the newly released of RTYC, said, speaking to Phayul - a video, Dhardon Sharling, DIIR’s Tibetan news portal.

Information Secretary said, “The In a separate panel discussion word ‘missing’ is significant organised by the Tibetan Women’s because the Panchen Lama has been Association, Venerable Bagdro, a Contact

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former political prisoner, and Tsering Tsomo, Director of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), spoke about the work

The 10th Panchen Lama, Lobsang Trinley Lhündrub Chökyi Gyaltsen (1938 - 1989)

of the 10th Panchen Lama and the enforced disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama. “The credit of the survival of the Tibetan culture, religion and language in Tibet goes to the 10th Panchen Lama, who tirelessly worked towards the preservation of the Tibetan identity,” said Venerable Bagdro. Tsering Tsomo said that the forced abduction of the Panchen Lama represents three situations inside Tibet – the oppression, lack of freedom of religion and China’s practice of political interference in the reincarnation of high lamas.

April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES Four Released From Prison in Tibet This Month

Apr 21: Released!

Lobsang Gyatso, 23, a Tibetan monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba who has spent the last three years in prison has been released after completing his

from Mianyang prison in Chengdu, Sichuan, having completed his nine year sentence.

Tsultrim is from Amchok Tsenyi Monastery and the protest he led was in Ngaba.

Details of how he is after his nine years in prison have not been released.

full prison sentence. He was arrested in April 2014 following a lone protest in the street against Chinese rule in Tibet, and was charged with “separatist activities” and “plotting against the nation”.

Apr 1: Monk Freed Lobsang Konchok, a Tibetan monk jailed following his self-immolation protest in September 2011, has been released after serving his full sentence.

Konchok, from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, lost a leg from his burns and is reported as having been subjected to torture while in prison. His family

Apr 5: Monk Released Kyorpon Tsultrim Gyatso, 52, a Tibetan monk jailed for leading a protest during the 2008 nationwide uprising in the months leading up to the Beijing Olympics, has been released

were not informed of his release; he is not allowed to visit them and was released in a remote nomadic area far from home.

Apr 1: Prisoner Released Trinley Tsering, a young monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, who was imprisoned along with thousands of others following the Tibetan uprising in March 2008, has

been released. Tsering was charged with “leaking state secrets to foreign countries” and given a nine year prison sentence for his alleged act of sharing news about the crackdown on his monastery with the outside world.

On the Campaign Trail for the Release of the Panchen Lama

by Tenzin Samten Venerable Bagdro, a former Tibetan political prisoner, concluded his week long campaign to petition over 50 local and foreign embassies in New Delhi in India for the immediate release of the 11th Panchen Lama, who was abducted by the Chinese government on May 17, 1995 at the age of six.

The Panchen Lama is the second most important spiritual leader of Tibet.

Stressing the importance of the spiritual relationship between successive Dalai Lamas and the Panchen Lamas, Venerable Bagdro in his press release said, “This spiritual relationship is of historic significance to Tibet as the two have played a prominent role in identifying and recognising each other’s reincarnations,” adding that likewise, the responsibility of identifying the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama rests solely with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the general Tibetan people.

A few days after Gendun Choekyi Nyima was announced as the Contact

reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama

by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the Chinese government abducted the six year old boy with his parents.

Since then his whereabouts has been unknown to the world. The Chinese

Ven Bagdro speaking to the press Photo:Contact / Lha

government selected another boy – Gyaltsen Norbu – as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama who Tibetans shun, referring to him as the “fake” or “Chinese” Panchen Lama.

“The Chinese government doesn’t have the moral or the legal right to recognise the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama,” said Venerable Bagdro.

On the final day of his petition, Ven Bagdro said in his Facebook post, 5

China should clarify their position on the 11th Panchen Lama and inform the Tibetan people of his whereabouts and release him immediately. I will continue my campaign for the release of the 11th Panchen Lama until and unless China announces to the world about his whereabouts.

“The Tibetan people and Tibetan Buddhists all over the world will never accept Gyaltsen Norbu as the 11th Panchen Lama as it is a fact that he has been appointed to serve China’s own political interest. Therefore, I urge the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs and Tibet support groups worldwide to continue campaigning for the release of the 11th Panchen Lama - Gedhun Choekyi Nyima,” he added.

The International Tibet Network –a global coalition of Tibet-related nongovernment organisations and a nongovernment organisation itself – has initiated a signature campaign urging the immediate release of the 11th Panchen Lama and his family.

April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES

His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Visit to Arunachal Pradesh

by Ben Byrne His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Assam and Arunachal Pradesh from April 1 to 12. His trip to Arunachal Pradesh, which included teachings at the famous Tawang monastery, has caused consternation in China, which claims the region is part of south Tibet and therefore Chinese.

The status of Arunachal Pradesh has been a source of diplomatic tension between China and India for over a century. In 1914 the British signed the Shimla accords with the Tibetans, creating the McMahon Line. The accords were rejected by the Chinese government at the time but today this line still acts as the border between Tibet and India.

The current Chinese administration considers the McMahon Line to be an illegal incursion into Chinese territory.

For fear of agitating the Chinese, the Indian government has historically adopted a cautious approach towards Arunachal Pradesh, but current Prime

by Ben Byrne The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, stirred up controversy surrounding the Dalai Lama’s visit on April 5 when he stated that the Chinese had no right to object to His Holiness’s trip because, according to the Shimla Accords, China “is not our next door neighbour”. Khandu’s comment implied that India’s border was with Tibet and that Tibet was a sovereign country under siege by the Chinese.

Chinese state media has already condemned New Delhi’s invitation to the Dalai Lama as “clumsy and rude” and will likely categorise Khandu’s comments similarly.

From the Chinese side, Hua Chunying, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said on the same day that the Dalai Lama’s visit would “trigger China’s dissatisfaction” and “not bring any benefit to India”. She further warned that China “will firmly Contact

Minister Narendra Modi has been combative in staking India’s claim to the territory. He visited the state himself in 2015 and his sanctioning of the Dalai Lama’s tour with the state government

His Holiness poses for a photo with the Tibetan community in Guwahati, Assam Photo: OHHDL

as His Holiness’s hosts marks a departure from prior administrations.

For their part, the Chinese government warned before the trip that it would cause “serious damage” to bilateral relations if it were to go ahead.

The controversy surrounding the Dalai Lama’s visit has propelled the story into the national news. An article in The

The Spat Escalates

take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests”. The following day Chinese media gave some suggestion as to what those measures

His Holiness with Naren Chandra Das Photo: BBC

may be, warning that the Chinese could potentially interfere in Kashmir in response to the Dalai Lama’s visit.

An editorial in the Global Times contemplated whether India could withstand a geopolitical onslaught from an “economically, militarily and diplomatically stronger China”.

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Times of India speculated that the visit could be used by the Indian government to create diplomatic leverage with the Chinese on issues at the United Nations that they are currently vetoing. These include India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group and moves to bring Pakistan-based terror mastermind Masood Azhar under UN sanctions.

The Hindustan Times stuck to a more official tone, stating in an article that the Indian government had no right to place restrictions on the Dalai Lama’s movements within India and that his visit to Arunachal Pradesh was simply a religious tour.

For his part, as is his custom, His Holiness steered away from discussions of international diplomacy during his tour. On April 2, in Guwahati, Assam, he spoke to an ardent crowd of approximately 400 Tibetans about the importance of maintaining the country’s cultural traditions whilst in exile and paid tribute to the Tibetans still in Tibet whom he said remained “steadfast and resolute”.

Away from the mudslinging, the Dalai Lama made international headlines on April 2 when he met and embraced Naren Chandra Das, a retired Indian border guard who escorted him into India during his escape from Tibet in 1959. “Looking at your face, I now realise I must be very old too” were His Holiness’s first words to Das, who later told reporters that he had been overcome by the warmth with which the Dalai Lama had greeted him.

Due to inclement weather, His Holiness’s schedule in Arunachal Pradesh had to be slightly altered.

His arrival in Tawang, originally planned for April 5, was delayed until April 8. He remained in Tawang, the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, until April 10, giving teachings on Kamalashila’s The Middling States of Meditation and Gyalsey Thokme Sangpo’s Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva at Yiga Choezin.

April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES

His Holiness Counsels Compassion in the State of Arunachal

by Agnes Kugler His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on a twelve day tour which included a three day teaching in Tawang, high in the mountains of Arunachal, from April 8 to 10. The teaching took place in the main temple of the 17th century Tawang Monastery and was attended by over 50,000 people. Indiatoday.in reported on April 9 that around 3,000 Bhutanese people from all walks of life had crossed mountains to walk down all the way to Tawang to listen to His Holiness.

The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, thanked His Holiness on behalf of the people of Mönyul for undertaking the long journey to Tawang.The government of Arunachal had made special arrangements to ensure front seats for elderly and poor Tibetans so they could enjoy the teaching. Jambey Tashi, speaking for the government, said, “This is an effort to uplift the poor and downtrodden...compassion can spread only if we attempt to do something beyond what has been happening...They are the people who matter.”

His Holiness spoke of the year 1959 when he passed through Tawang during his escape from Tibet and

by Mary Trewartha China has given Chinese names to six places in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, the region China claims as Southern Tibet. China claims that naming the places “demonstrates China’s territorial sovereignty”.

The names, which were announced on April 13, are: Wo’gyainling, Mila Ri, Qoidêngarbo Ri, Mainquka, Bümo La and Namkapub Ri. The current effective border was established as the McMahon Line in 1914 in an agreement between British India and Tibet – the Shimla Treaty – which was never officially recognised by the Chinese. The border dispute has escalated in recent years, exacerbated Contact

expressed his gratitude to the Mönpa people. “The greater the love and compassion there is among you, the happier and more contented you feel.

When someone among you is angry, it disturbs you all. I believe we can ensure that the 21st century is an era of peace by more widely cultivating compassion,” said His Holiness. He gave a discourse on Kamalashila’s The Middling States of Meditation and Gyalsey Thokme Sangpo’s ThirtySeven Practices of a Bodhisattva.

On April 10, His Holiness visited Ugyen Ling, where the Sixth Dalai Lama was born in 1683. His Holiness said he hoped to see more nuns taking up teaching in monastic centres, especially in the light of the conferment of the Geshema degree to 20 nuns for the first time ever in December last year.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu invited His Holiness to hold the Kalachakra initiation – the most sacred teaching in Tibetan Buddhism – at Tawang Monastery in the future.

Before coming to Tawang, the Tibetan spiritual leader held teachings in Dirang, Guwahati, Bomdila and other places of the region, which were attended by tens of thousands of people. During these teachings he stressed the need for compassion as it

Border Furore

by His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal earlier this month. “[The] Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh had a negative impact on India-China ties. India should…not use the Dalai Lama to undermine China’s interests,” said Lu Kang, Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, while the Chinese state run Global Times said, “It is time for India to do some serious thinking.”

The Indian government retaliated, with External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay quoted as saying, “Let me make it absolutely clear that there is no change whatsoever in the Government of India’s policy towards the Tibet Autonomous Region 7

leads to self-confidence, freedom from fear and greater trust. “All the world’s major religious traditions convey a message of love and compassion, just as here in the land of ahimsa we talk of maitri and karuna. Despite their different philosophical views all these traditions are dedicated to encouraging a sense of love and compassion,”

Chief Minister Pema Khandu thanking His Holiness Photo: OHHDL

said His Holiness during his visit at the Dibrugarh University where he spoke to 1,100 students. Answering questions from the audience at the Guwahati University, His Holiness explained that he is optimistic about the future because scientists have established that basic human nature is compassionate.

This is His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s sixth visit to Arunachal Pradesh since 1959, his last visit was in 2009. of the People’s Republic of China.”

Meanwhile, Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu added to the furore by commenting that Arunachal borders Tibet and not China and that the demarcation of the McMahon Line is between India and Tibet, not China.

His comments were criticised by the Indian Government.

A demonstration took place in Arunachal, with protestors reportedly shouting anti-China slogans and burning effigies of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Beijing remains adamant, saying that the renaming is their “lawful right” since the region “historically” belonged to China.

April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES Tibet Campaigners Disappointed

by Ben Byrne United States President Donald Trump entertained his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at his private Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida over the weekend of April 8 and 9.

The meeting was the first bilateral summit between the two powers since Trump’s election in November last year and it was a hotly anticipated affair.

Prior to the meeting, longtime Tibet supporter and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, asked Trump to raise the issue of human rights with Xi. She said human rights should be an integral element of dealing with the Chinese and that their actions in Tibet “challenge the conscience of the world”. US Senators Ben Cardin and Marco Rubio also wrote to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urging him to “make human rights a top priority” in the discussions. Making specific reference to Tibet, they wrote “we hope you will urge China to do more

to improve the cultural and spiritual plight of Tibetans”.

Trump repeatedly labeled China a currency manipulator on the campaign trail and raised the prospect of a trade war if he was elected; his campaign manifesto even described China as an enemy of the US. Following his election victory, Trump befuddled the Chinese by accepting a congratulatory call from the leader of Taiwan. Furthermore, Trump’s frequent criticism of the One China policy on the campaign trail and as President gave rise to hopes within the Central Tibetan Administration that he would adopt a bold and antagonistic approach with the Chinese that could shake the Tibetan situation from its current stagnation.

Given the tension filled preamble to Xi’s arrival at the so called “Winter Whitehouse”, the meeting itself was quite cordial. In the lead up, Trump backed away from threats to challenge China over Taiwan, with his campaign promise to label China a currency manipulator “on day one” apparently forgotten. Speaking to the

media about the meeting Rex Tillerson said that “both the atmosphere and the chemistry between the two leaders were positive”. Trump and Xi reportedly held “frank” and “very positive” discussions. Asked whether the question of human rights was raised Tillerson responded obliquely, saying such concerns had been “really embedded in every discussion”.

At the end of the summit, Trump agreed to an invitation from Xi to attend a state visit to China at an unspecified time later this year.

There were no press reports during or following the summit which suggested that the issue of Tibet had not been discussed directly at all.

In March, the Chinese released their own report detailing human rights abuses in the United States, criticising them for having the second highest incarceration rate in the world and for over 58,000 incidents of gun violence which occurred there in 2016. It said the US poses as “the judge of human rights” but “exposed its human rights ‘myth’ with its own deeds”.

Low Interest Loans For Tibetan Sweater Sellers

by Sarah Mills-Hicks An INR 100 million loan scheme [$1.5 million / £ 1.25 million] for Tibetan sweater sellers was announced

by Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the leader of the Tibetan Parliament-inExile, on April 6.

Speaking at the Tibetan Refugee Traders Association’s (TRTA) General Body Meeting at Ludhiana earlier this month, Sikyong elaborated on the terms and aims of this scheme.

Funded primarily by USAID and partly by the Tibetan Government’s Department of Finance, the scheme offers low interest loans with the aim of providing relief to seasonal Tibetan workers. To ensure that as many people benefit from the scheme as possible the total sum will be distributed to some 100 sweater associations. This interest rate will be set at 3% for a six month period. If the loan is not returned within this period Contact

the rate of interest will rise in line with the market rate.

Dr Kunchok Tsundue, Chief Planning Officer and coordinator of the Hosiery Loan Scheme (HLS) said, “This [loan] is especially for those

Dr Lobsang Sangay

with low capital, new to the trade, for those who were unable to get a loan from banks, and also to matriarchal families.”

The loan will provide new avenues for development for disenfranchised business owners. However, only documented members of the registered chapters of TRTA are eligible.

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The seasonal sweater trade provides approximately 45% of the Tibetan exile community in India with their primary source of income. In the past, traders had to resort to high interest loans of between 8-18%. The scheme will benefit around 1,000 families.

Sikyong said this initiative for the socio-economic empowerment of approximately 30% of Tibetan traders fits under the framework of the Kashag’s five-fifty vision which aims at achieving a self-sufficient Tibetan exile community whilst simultaneously strengthening and developing the Central Tibetan Administration.

This loan scheme is expected to generate approximately INR 30 Lakh [$47,000 / £36,500], thus providing for similar schemes to be launched for summer sweater sellers and farmers and bringing the CTA a step closer to their goals.

April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES Seeking Access to Tibet

by Ben Byrne A bill has been introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the United States of America to promote access for United States officials, journalists and other citizens to Tibetan areas of China.

The bill, entitled The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2017, argues that the Chinese government should grant access to United States’ officials, journalists and other citizens on a basis that is equal to the access that their Chinese counterparts enjoy in the United States.

China currently imposes travel restrictions on those wishing to enter the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) which do not apply to other parts of China. Permission must be obtained from the Tibet Foreign and Overseas Affairs Office or from the Tibet

Tourism Bureau to enter the TAR. Between May 2011 and July 2015 the United States submitted 39 requests for diplomatic access to the TAR but only four of these were granted. The bill states that when these requests are granted, “diplomatic personnel are closely supervised and given few opportunities to meet local residents not approved by authorities.” It also points out that they are banned from visiting the area around Larung Gar, the site of a large scale campaign to expel monks from the monastery and demolish their living quarters.

The bill calls for a tit-for-tat approach that would see the US Secretary of State, when granting visas to Chinese nationals, denying access to Chinese officials who are responsible for creating or administering policies on travel to Tibetan areas. This tough

approach from the US has led some to conclude that Donald Trump’s administration is ready to take “the bull by the horn” in its dealings with the Chinese.

Similar bills were introduced in the US in 2014 and 2015 but they failed to gain any traction and lapsed.

China has shrugged off US attempts to get involved in the Tibet issue in the past. In 2009, following the adoption of a Tibet related bill by the US House of Representatives, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman at the time said: “The Tibet issue is purely China’s domestic issue. The Chinese government and people, as always, oppose any country or anyone to interfere in China’s internal affairs on the pretext of the Tibet issue.”

Working Together for Human Rights

By Agnes Kugler Activists from Tibet, Taiwan and Hong Kong met in Taiwan’s capital Taipei for their first conference, Freedom, Democracy and Right to Self-Determination. The conference, which took place from April 7 to 9, was attended by around 30 activists.

The conference was aimed at forming a strong alliance and coordination within the activist communities of Tibet, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and to develop a longterm vision among the movements to strive for human rights, freedom, democracy and the right to selfdetermination.

“Given the political changes taking place in China and new threats and opportunities arising amid changing geopolitical circumstances, we believe it is critical for leaders of different movements to join forces and build a united alliance against a common threat – the CCP (Chinese Communist Party),” said Dorjee Tseten, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) Asia Director.

A joint statement posted on Contact

the SFT website announced that the conference recognises Tibet as historically independent. The announcement also stated that

Tibetan particpants at the conference Photo: SFT

the conference recognises the Tibetan Government-in-Exile as the legitimate representative of six million Tibetans and supports the Tibetan people and their struggle for a free Tibet. In addition, it recognises Hong Kong’s right to selfdetermination and self-governance and Taiwan as a democratic nation whose security and sovereignty is being threatened by China’s imperialist ambitions.

Conference members called on the international community to counter China’s assault on human rights and 9

democracy and to support the people of Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan in their pursuit of their rights.

“New waves of youth movements such as the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong, the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan and the 2008 Uprising, and subsequent movements in Tibet, have activated the political consciousness of a new generation and emboldened them to pursue freedom,” said Dorjee Tseten on STF’s website.

Tenzin Tsundue, the writer and activist, followed up on the conference with a short speaking tour in Taiwan.

The conference was jointly organised by SFT and the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan. The Tibetan Youth Congress President Tenzin Jigme, SFT Director Pema Yoko, the activist Tenzin Tsundue, Hong Kong Democracy activist Hang Tung Chow, Lin Hsin from Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan and Taiwanese legislator and activist Freddy Lim all attended the conference.

April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES

22nd Tibetan Shoton Festival

by Dorji Kyi The 22nd Tibetan Shoton Festival – or the Yogurt Festival as it is commonly known – was held at Dekyi-ling Tibetan settlement in Uttarakhand from April 19 to 24.

The Festival is held annually, its origins going back to the 14th Century when it was founded by Thang Tong Gyalpo who was a pioneering civil engineer who built hundreds of iron and wooden suspension bridges to facilitate travel and pilgrimage throughout the Himalayas. Even today, the remnants of some of his iron chain bridges still stand in Tibet and Bhutan.

A traditional Tibetan folk opera called Lhamo or Ache Lhamo is performed every year at the Festival through a unique combination of dialogue, dance, chants and songs.

Based on Buddhist teachings and Tibetan historical figures, Ache Lhamo are traditionally stories of love, devotion, and good and evil. The procedure and style in which Ache Lhamo are performed have changed little since the time of its inception.

In Tibet, the Shoton festival is

usually held in the months of June and July, according to the Tibetan Lunar calendar, and it is one of the grandest traditional festivals there. Apart from the Ache Lhamo performances,

performs in the annual exile Festival.

This year, Kyabgon Vajra Ratna Rinpoche, the 42nd Sakya Trizin at Norling Kyimoetsel, graced the Festival’s inauguration and the Festival started with the offering of Mendrel Tensum (the three representations of the Buddha’s Body, Speech and Mind) to Rinpoche by Mr Pesur Wangdue of TIPA. The keynote address was given by chief guest Vajra

Shoton Festival in Tibet

the Thangka unveiling ceremony in Drepung Monastery draws hundreds of people from all parts of Tibet to come to see the 500 square metre painting of Sakyamuni (Gautama Buddha).

The first ever Shoton Festival performed in exile was in 1996, with four participants. The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) has been at the forefront in promoting and renewing the Lhamo art form in the Tibetan exile community and

Ache Lhamo performance in Dekyiling Tibetan settlement Photo: TIPA Facebook

Ratna Rinpoche. The gathering also included a thirty minute presentation of opera by each of the ten regional opera groups participating in this year’s festival.

Tibetan Medicine Disharmony

by Ben Byrne India and China have both nominated Tibetan medicine, known as SowaRigpa, to be included in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Sowa-Rigpa is among the oldest documented medical traditions in the world, with records of its existence dating back to the 3rd century BC. Early practitioners would apply residual barley from chang [a Tibetan barley beer] onto swollen body parts, drink hot water for indigestion, and use melted butter for bleeding. These techniques gradually formed the basis of the art of healing in Tibet over many centuries. The fundamental medical text of the Tibetan medical heritage is the Book of the Four Tantras.

The rival nominations have caused quite a stir.

Tsering Phuntsok, Registrar of the Tibetan Medical and Contact

Astrological Institute (TMAI) based in Dharamshala, objected to the nomination on the grounds that there was nothing “intangible” about Tibetan Medicine. “The Tibetan Sowa-Rigpa tradition is a science, no less a science that has healed and continues to heal countless chronic and sometimes terminal patients over the years, how is it ‘intangible’?” He added, “The Director [of TMAI] has made it abundantly clear that categorising Tibetan medicine as intangible will never be accepted by the institute.”

Professor Geshe Ngawang Samten, the Vice-Chancellor of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi, backed the Indian nomination, saying “even though Sowa-Rigpa originated in Tibet, it is a part of Indian culture as it has been practised here for more than a millennium. Also, it has a lot of influences of Ayurveda”.

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However, of the Chinese bid he said, “There was talk that China is going to write to UNESCO calling Sowa-Rigpa a Tibetan-Chinese medical system.

Now, there is no such nomenclature as ‘Tibetan-Chinese’. Either it is Tibetan or it is Chinese”.

Throughout the Mao era there were myths that Tibetan medicine contained a lot of mercury and lead.

Consequently, during the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 70s, Tibetan medicine institutions were destroyed by Chinese soldiers and doctors were imprisoned.

Subsequent revival efforts led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile have been successful. The practice survived and is now “a well-integrated medical science, recognised by the western doctors and scientists”, said Tashi Tsering Phuri, the Director of TMAI. April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES Curbing Buddhist Influence

by Tenzin Samten to observe the ongoing state-ordered The forced eviction of nuns and monks demolition of monastic dwellings, from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy according to another RFA source who has come to an end. The final batch spoke on condition of anonymity. of 250 nuns were sent home on April “He also convened a meeting of 6, according to Larung Gar’s a local source management from the region. committee Larung Gar - the and reminded largest Tibetan them that the Buddhist centre reduction in in the world, numbers of which is located monks and nuns in Serta County living there and Larung Ghar Buddhist Academy in Sichuan destruction of before the demolition Photo: thelandofsnows.com province, last their homes had year faced the demolition of many of been ordered by higher authorities,” the monastic dwellings and expulsion the source continued. “The official of half its residents by the Chinese stressed that anyone working against authorities. the state order will be breaking the The expelled nuns were all from law. He also pointed out that the the neighbouring Qinghai province remaining houses to be torn down and were sent back to different would not be limited to the smaller places there to join local monasteries. dwellings, but would include some “Among them, some went to Golog of the larger structures as well,” he [in Chinese, Guoluo] prefecture added. in Qinghai, where they are being Nearly 5,000 monks and nuns allowed to stay at Tsida monastery, were expelled from Larung Gar. The which is led by Khenpo Rigdar,” academy was founded in 1980 by the said a source, speaking to Radio Free late highly respected religious head Asia (RFA). The source added that the Khenpo Jigme Phuntso who died on arrangement was carried out with the January 7, 2004. Larung Gar was help of the Larung Gar management home to over 10,000 monks, nuns and committee. lay people studying Buddhism when A group of Chinese officials led by it was ordered to cut the number of Sichuan provincial governor Yin Li residents by half. arrived at Larung Gar on March 30 Yarchen Gar – another large

Buddhist centre in Sichuan province – also faces strict restrictions from Chinese officials. A report published

by RFA on April 13 said that at least 200 tents set up near Yarchen Gar by pilgrims who went there to receive teachings were destroyed, and the pilgrims ordered to clear up the area.

Chinese surveillance and tightened security measures at Yarchen Gar have become causes of concern for the centre’s resident monks and nuns. “It is difficult for news about Yachen Gar to reach the outside world now,” said

Pilgrims tents outside Yarchen Gar Photo: RFA

the source [due to communications restrictions in place in that area].

The demolitions and expulsions at Larung Gar and Yachen Gar appear to be part of an unfolding political strategy involving more aggressive measures to curb and manage the growing influence and number of monks and nuns at these important monastic centres, said Washingtonbased International Campaign for Tibet’s report Shadow of Dust Across the Sun which was published on March 13.

Larung Gar Monks Face Further Homelessness

by Mary Trewartha The nightmare continues for monks evicted from their homes in the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Sichuan.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) has reported that nearly 300 monks who were evicted from the monastery had found a new home at a remote rural retreat, the Belo Ri centre in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture’s Tawu county, but they are now being moved on again.

RFA quotes a source from the region who spoke on condition of anonymity, saying, “Some officials from Tawu county recently arrived and told the Contact

monks they cannot stay there either…

They told the monks that if they

Map showing location of Tawu county in Kardze prefecture

attempt to remain, they will face severe consequences.”

The report continued, saying that senior monks at Belo Ri pleaded for 11

the group be allowed to stay at the centre as they had broken no laws or regulations and have nowhere else to go, but the authorities insisted they have to leave.

RFA’s Tibetan Service has shown a video in which a visibly angry official warns people at Belo Ri that the former Larung Gar monks will have to leave within the next few days and “will not be happy” if they remain.

No information has been received regarding the monks’ departure or of any follow-up action by the authorities, says RFA. April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES Apr 27: Top Scholar Tsering Shola, a Tibetan high school student living in Washington State in America, has come top in a Washington science fair, earning her a reward of an $80,000 scholarship and a spot in the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) where she took first place in biomedical and health sciences. ISEF is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition.

Apr 25: Trading Vision The Tibetan Chamber of Commerce, at its 12th Annual General Body meeting in McLeod Ganj, discussed plans to set up business ties and associations across the border with Tibet, saying it would give “an opportunity and also a path to reach out to our fellow Tibetan businessmen inside Tibet”.

Apr 25: Book Launch A new book by the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje has been launched. In the book, Interconnected: Embracing Life in Our Global Society, published by Simon and Schuster India/ Wisdom Publications, the Karmapa outlines his vision for a global society that truly reflects the interdependence that is now becoming widely recognised, and shows a way forward to enact that vision.

Apr 24: Visit to Japan A team from the Tibetan Parliamentin-Exile is visiting Japan where they are meeting the Tibetan community there, giving public talks and liaising with the local Office of Tibet. They will meet members of the Japan and Tibet Parliamentary Group for Tibet, and long time Tibet supporter Ms Sakurai Yoshiko, President of the Japan Institute of National Fundamentals, a think-tank in Japan.

Apr 21: GadenTripa The 103rd Gaden Tripa Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche has died in a Delhi hospital following an illness. He was appointed Gaden Tripa, the spiritual head of the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism, Contact

Tibetan Headlines

by HH the Dalai Lama last October. He was born in Tibet in 1937 and followed His Holiness into exile in 1959. The first Ganden Tripa was Je Tsongkhapa (1357– 1419).

Chinese people. Despite the hotel’s claims to be an equal opportunity employer, and its location in a predominantly ethnic Tibetan region, all 200 employees are Han Chinese with apparently no Tibetans employed.

Apr 20: Football!

The winner of this year’s 23rd, Gyalyum Chemo Memorial Gold Cup (GCMGC) is Tashiling Himalaya Football Club Darjeeling. They defeated five-time champions Dhondupling FC (DFC) Clement Town two-nil in the final at the Kollegal Tibetan Settlement. The tournament is the biggest sporting event of the exile Tibetan community and was broadcast live through YouTube.

Apr 7: Tibetan Travel Document The Swedish government has announced that it is not accepting the travel document issued by India to Tibetan refugees for travel abroad, the Identify Certificate (IC).

Tibetan refugees living in India normally travel to other countries using the IC, but the Swedish government does not now accept the IC as a valid document.

Apr 19: Soccer Team to Canada The Tibetan women’s soccer team who were denied United States visas to participate in Dallas Cup soccer tournament earlier this year are to travel to Canada in July to take part in the Vancouver International Soccer Festival. They will be the first Tibetan women’s team in any sport to compete internationally.

Apr 18: Exile Photo Journal Exile - a photo journal documenting the story of the early Tibetan refugees, the gradual rebuilding of their lives in India and Nepal, and the reestablishment of their cultural and religious institutions in exile, was launched in Mcleod Ganj.

Editor Lobsang Gyatso hopes the book will help young generations to understand and appreciate the origins of the exile community.

Apr 15: Trip Postponed HH the Dalai Lama’s forthcoming visit to Kullu-Manali, Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur has been postponed. dalailamacom, the official website of HH the Dalai Lama, made the announcement that the trip scheduled for May 11 to 25 has been “indefinitely postponed” but gave no reason for the postponement.

Apr 14: Discrimination?

The newly opened luxury Hilton Linzhi Resort hotel in the Tibet Autonomous Region is reported as employing only Han 12

Apr 5: Evicted!

Nearly 200 famlies have been ordered to leave their homes near the Salween River in Dzogang county in Chamdo. Radio Free Asia reports that they are to receive no compensation and have not been given a reason for the move, although local understanding is that it is to make way for a construction or mining project.

Apr 4: A Winner Tenzin Zomkey, 15, has made it to the final of Top Model Belgium 2018, the first ever Tibetan to do so. Facebook posts say she was shortlisted from a total of 400 and voted in via SMS. She lived in Mundgod Tibetan settlement before moving to Belgium and now hopes to become a top model. The contest will be held in Paris next year.

Apr 4: End TB The Tibetan Delek Hospital in Dharamshala, in association with Johns Hopkins University, has launched a project to eliminate tuberculosis, which is widespread in the Tibetan community. Zero TB in Tibetan Kids: Training to End TB Now is aimed at Tibetan school children.

Apr 1: Swedish Support A Tibet Friendship Parliamentary group has been formed by five Swedish Parliamentarians, in liaison with the Swedish Tibet Committee. The Vice-President of the Swedish Tibet Committee and Tibetan Community in Sweden, Ms Choedon, said, “I feel very positive about this. It is very delighting to connect with them.”

April 2017

NEWS & ISSUES

International Headlines

Apr 27: Arrests in Hong Kong Two pro-independence lawmakers in Hong Kong have been detained, allegedly for unlawful assembly. Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung Chung were apparently arrested in connection with their attempt to enter the Legco in November last year after they had been barred entry to retake their oaths as lawmakers, and are known to have displayed a flag with the slogan “Hong Kong is Not China”.

Apr 25: Loophole Closed A law protecting rapists in Jordan from punishment if they married their victims is to be scrapped after years of campaigning by activists who include women’s groups as well as Muslim and Christian scholars.

The law enabled rapists to avoid jail if they married their victim for at least three years.

Apr 24: Conservationist Shot Conservationist Kuki Gallmann, 73, has been shot and injured at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy, her conservation park in central Kenya. Her luxury safari lodge was burnt down last month. Cattle herders are suspected, they have been in conflict with landowners and police over grazing in the drought-stricken region.

Apr 21: Paris Shooting A shooting on the Champs Elysee in central Paris, the capital of France, has left one policeman dead and two others wounded. Their suspected attacker, a lone gunman, was killed by security forces as he tried to flee the scene. An anti-terrorist investigation has been launched.

Apr 20: Close Encounter Asteroid 2014 JO25, an asteroid the size of the Rock of Gibraltar, has just passed

by Earth at a distance of only 1.8 million km (1.1 million miles) – the closest big asteroid since 2004. The next known similar event will occur in 2027 when the asteroid 1999 AN10 will fly by at about 380,000 km (236,000 miles).

Apr 19: Snap Election British Prime Minister Theresa May Contact

has announced plans to call a snap general election on June 8 despite having promised not to call an election before 2020. May says the new poll is in the national interest and that an election is the only way to guarantee certainty and stability in the wake of Brexit.

Apr 18: Facebook Murder Suspect A nationwide manhunt is underway in the United States for a man who shot 74 year old Robert Godwin in Ohio and posted the video on Facebook. He was shot as he walked home from Easter lunch. The suspect, Steve Stephens, said in another Facebook video that he had killed 13 people and would kill more.

Apr 17: 117 Years Old The world’s oldest person, and the last person alive who was born in the 19th century, has died at the age of 117. Emma Morano was born on November 29, 1899 in the Piedmont region of Italy. Her life spanned three centuries, two World Wars and more than 90 Italian governments.

Apr 14: Legalising Cannabis Canada is planning to legalise the sale of recreational marijuana, making it the largest developed nation to end marijuana prohibition. The law would allow adults over 18 to possess up to 30g of dried marijuana. The government hopes to keep pot out of the hands of minors and to undercut organised crime.

Apr 13: Executions Amnesty International, the global human rights watchdog, has named China the “World’s biggest executioner” in its report 2016 Global Review of the Death Penalty. The report says 1,032 people were executed around the world – excluding China – but Amnesty believes China has executed more than the rest of the world combined.

skilled migrants fetching higher prices.

There are reports that hundreds of young sub-Saharan African men have been sold.

Apr 11: Christians in Fear Coptic Christians in Egypt are reporting a “climate of fear” in the wake of two explosions in Coptic churches which killed at least 44 people. Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility. These are the latest in a series of attacks targeting the Christian minority in the country.

Apr 7: Ethnic Cleansing?

Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counsellor of Myanmar, has denied ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslim minority during a BBC interview, despite widespread reports of abuses. Rohingya people are denied citizenship in Myanmar which views them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Apr 5: Girl’s Best Friend A new world record has been set for the sale of a gemstone at an auction in Hong Kong, where the Pink Star diamond went for more than $71m (£57m). The oval-shaped 59.6 carat stonewas sold at Sotheby’s in five minutes, going to Hong Kong jewellery retailer Chow Tai Fook Jewellery.

Apr 4: Drinking Sea Water?

A new sieve capable of removing salt from seawater could aid the millions of people in the world who are without ready access to clean drinking water. Developed

by United Kingdom researchers, the graphene oxide sieve uses a chemical derivative, graphene oxide, which can be produced by simple oxidation in the laboratory.

Apr 12: Sold Into Slavery The International Organisation for Migration has reported that Africans trying to reach Europe are being detained by people smugglers or militia groups in Libya and then sold, with

Apr 3: Ship Missing A large South Korean cargo ship, the Stellar Daisy, is missing in the South Atlantic. Of the 24 people on board, two Filipino sailors have been rescued from a life raft. Nearby vessels were alerted following a text sent by a crew member, saying the 312m-long (1024ft) freighter, which has a capacity of 260,000 tonnes, was taking on water.

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April 2017

DHARAMSHALA VOICES

Nima Tshering: Leaving the Black Hole Behind

by Ben Byrne Nima Tshering is the secretary at the Kunphen Centre for Substance Dependence, HIV/AIDS and HRD in Dharmshala. He is sitting opposite me in his office, smartly dressed in blue jeans and a crisp white shirt. The power is out in town and the room is dimly lit by the light from outside. We’re discussing his lifelong addiction to various opioid pain medications available without prescription in many parts of India.

“At the height of my addiction I would drink six bottles of cough syrup a day,” Nima recalls “The initial effects were blissful, a heightened interest in anything I was doing and a feeling of immense self-confidence. Long-term I was going crazy, I could feel that it was damaging me physically and wrecking me financially.

My relationship with drugs put an end to all my other relationships. Cough syrup became my wife, my companion; I couldn’t imagine my life without it.”

Nima’s late father, Dhendup Sonam, came to India from Tibet on the heels of the Dalai Lama in 1959. He settled in Kalimpong, where Nima was born in 1974.

Nima studied at a Roman Catholic school and remembers a strong western influence on the culture in his hometown; “Duran Duran, Boy George, The Sex Pistols, these bands were all popular among the youth when I was growing up.”

Drugs arrived in the area along with civil disruption which rocked the region with massive violence in the mid 1980s. “Arms, ammunition and drugs were flowing in like an epidemic,” Nima remembers.

“The young generation was swept away by it all.” By the age of twelve Nima had tried marijuana and would drink chang [an alcoholic Tibetan barley or rice beer] regularly after school. He soon discovered Phensedyn, a pharmaceutical cough syrup new on the market and available for just 9 rupees a bottle. He neglected his studies and quickly dropped from the top of his class. He supported his new addiction by selling Phensedyn to other classmates at school.

His first stay at a rehabilitation clinic came after he was expelled from one school and dropped out of another due to his habit.

His father sent him to a Kripa foundation centre in Darjeeling. Kripa is the largest non-government organisation (NGO) in

India and works with people suffering from chemical dependency and HIV infection.

Nima completed the six month rehabilitation course but the difficulty for him came, as for so many, when he had to readjust to normal life afterwards: “I stayed clean for six months after I came out. I relapsed on my sober anniversary.” He has been in and out of rehab several times since, but has been clean since meeting Dawa Tsering and starting work at Kunphen in 2013.

Dawa Tsering is a pragmatic Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) official who took the reins at Kunphen in 2013. He talks like a freight train and it’s difficult to keep up with him but his passion is obvious.

“Drug addiction is a community problem,” he declares. “It should be solved by the community”. Dawa says that the Tibetan

society in exile wants to hide its drug issues from view because it is under the microscope from China. “Believe me, the Chinese already know,” he states categorically, before adding, “Avoiding the problem is destroying the community. We Tibetans need to clean up our shit, not just cover it up and hope it goes unnoticed.”

Drug abuse is rife among displaced populations worldwide due to limited socio-economic opportunities within their communities. A 2003 study by Kelsang Dolma documented drug abuse by Tibetans in exile. One addict from Dhasalni village, Dharamshala, said people in the community “generally made fun of him and looked down on him as a bad guy”. “Palden”, a respondent in a separate study conducted by Catherine Carlson in 2003, documented his use of opioids, hashish and heroin around Dharamshala, saying, “this tablet thing, it ruined my life”. Another of Carlson’s interviewees, “Kalsang”, a cough syrup, tranquilizer and heroin addict who had been clean for ten months, said, “I pity myself for being a refugee.”

Nima says that in the Tibetan exile community, drug addicts are frequently referred to as “Bang kyira” – useless wastrels

who have driven themselves to destruction and deserve no sympathy. With the help of the Health Department of the CTA, Kunphen is dedicated to changing attitudes towards drug addiction in Dharamshala and helping those who suffer from it. Eleven patients are being treated in the aftercare programme currently based at the Yongling School in McLeod Ganj. They are employed in a beadmaking factory and engage in community service. Nima provides motivational counseling to the patients and listens to their problems during thrice-weekly cross-sharing sessions. Nobody who seeks help is rejected for treatment. The centre also distributes pamphlets to raise awareness, offers acupuncture sessions and provides Tibetan health checkups.

Several lives have been changed by the services at Kunphen. Nima and one other former addict are currently employed by the centre. Two others have gained employment outside of Kunphen and one was recently given financial assistance to travel and gain employment in Nepal. Another just had a marriage ceremony arranged by the recovery group. The centre is always looking for qualified volunteers who can offer Buddhist philosophy classes, counseling, therapy or medical assistance.

Donations are welcomed.

In 2003, Nima, then 29 years old, speaking to Catherine Carlson at the beginning of an eight-year clean spell, said “Society won’t re-accept the addict, it is really hard to make a comeback.” The efforts of the Kunphen centre and Dawa Tsering in recent years appear to be changing perceptions. “Mr Dawa’s personality can convince people that drug addiction is a disease,” Nima tells me.

Nima speaks of his role at Kunphen giving him the courage to stay clean.

“When you see people changing, coming out as clean, humble people, this gives you hope. As a recovering addict, I have to use my experience to help others.” Nima has seen the raw end of life in exile and, like many others, he’s lived through periods of bleak despair. But right now he’s clean, and he implores others who are struggling with addiction: “Don’t linger in a black hole where there is no future.”

If these issues affect you, contact Nima : Phone him on :790-631-7112 Email him at : nima.tshering.nirvana@gmail.com

Every month we feature somebody from the Tibetan community on our Dharamshala Voices page. You can read more Dharamshala Voices stories on the Contact website: http://www.contactmagazine.net/dharamasla-life/ Contact

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April 2017

LHA NEWS AND PROJECTS Community Cleanup Another mass clean-up took place in Mcleod Ganj on April 15, organised

by Lha as part of our Environmental Protection and Awarness project.

There were more than 90 participants including Lha staff members, students and volunteers. The cleanup started from the main square in Mcleod Ganj leading to Potala road and the areas surrounding the Kora – the circumambulation road which takes pilgrims, devotees, locals and tourists alike around HH the Dalai Lama’s residence and the Temple and finished with a sumptuous lunch at Lha’s Ahimsa House.

Lha’s monthly cleanups are made possible with the help from Clean Upper Dharamshala Programme (CUDP) who arrange the garbage pick-up trucks.

Lha’s General Secretary Dorjee Kyi expressed her profound gratitude to everyone who turned out to help.

Student Exchange

Under the Cultural Exchange progamme, Lha hosted this year’s first student group from Rustic Pathways.

Eleven students visited from the Lycée Français de San Francisco, a bilingual French school. During their three day stay in McLeod Ganj, the students engaged in a mutual learning programme with Lha’s language students. “I got to better understand Tibetan history and their real stories about struggles in Tibet. It was a great experience for me to teach and learn at the same time,” said Emma Danhaive, a participant from Rustic Pathways. This American organisation provides meaningful student travel and services, organising volunteer and study programmes around the world.

Lha could not provide the services we do without the support of our wonderful volunteers who help in so many ways and inspire us with their enthusiasm. Every month we ask a volunteer to share their story. This month Ben Byrne from England tells us his story.

Warm hands and notepads and butter tea

Volunteer Job at Lha: English teacher and Contact writer

I first arrived in McLeod Ganj in February 2017. I’d been tramping about in India since November. I’d stood around in bank queues in the newly demonetised nation, had a few chinwags with other tourists about how spiritual they were, and had a nosy at a few swanky palaces where the old latrines that Maharajas used to do their business in were, “literally”, still there for me to see.

Needless to say I was feeling pretty enlightened and didn’t think that I needed to see any more Babas or have any more conversations about whether I’d read Shantaram. I decided to stay in McLeod and see if there was any volunteer work going.

I stumbled across Lha on my second day in town. It seemed like a legit gig and best of all there was a distinct lack of bureaucratic nonsense to go through before I could start work. “Come tomorrow and teach the elementary level class,” Lobsang from the library told me.

No CRB check, no blood test, no ten minute demonstration class? I thought.

This was too good to be true.

The classes were 90 minutes. I was used to teaching Korean kindergarten children who could concentrate on English for about five minutes before their heads exploded and they became interested in trying to pluck the hairs out my arms whilst telling me I looked like a monkey in their native language.

The Tibetan students, mostly monks, in my class at Lha turned out to be a little different.

The students were so attentive. I

couldn’t believe it. I was teaching them the alphabet and they were staring at me with such concentration you’d have thought I was sharing with them a foolproof plan for Tibetan independence with no obvious stumbling blocks. I was on a roll; the students even sang some cheesy children’s songs when I asked them to.

I taught the elementary class for a month. The students would come up and embrace me in the street saying

“Ohhh, my teacher, my teacher”. We’d shake hands. Their hands were warm.

This always surprised me because it was February and I was freezing.

For the second month I stopped teaching and concentrated on writing for Contact magazine. This was fun. I’d walk around town with a notepad and burst into Tibetan offices in a righteous fervour trying to uncover a breaking story. The community is very accessible.

You can easily get quotes from bigwigs.

All in all I had a great time and I definitely hope to come back in the future. The only thing I’d take issue with was the butter tea. Butter’s good, a fridge staple. Put it on bread, hard to spread sometimes and the bread gets all mashed up, but still, jazzes it up. Or it’s good as cooking oil. But butter tea? Not for me.

Contact magazine is published by Lha Charitable Trust

Lha Charitable Trust is an award-winning, grassroots, non-profit organisation and one of the largest Tibetan social work institutes based in Dharamshala, India. Lha has been striving to provide vital resources for Tibetan refugees, local Indian communities, and people from the Himalayan regions for over 18 years. Lha was registered as a charitable trust by the Indian Government in 2005.

For more information, please visit www.lhasocialwork.org To keep up to date with news of what’s happening in Tibet and in the Tibetan exile community, follow Contact magazine online at www.contactmagazine.net Facebook: Contact News / Twitter: Contact News Contact

15

April 2017

around town

Charities and Organisations

Central Tibetan Administration

The CTA serves in Dharamshala as the government in exile of Tibet. It is democratic with judiciary, legislative, and executive branches.

Within the Executive branch there is the Kashag, consisting of the departments of Religion and Culture, Home, Education, Finance, Security, Information and International Relations and Health, and Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay.

WEB: www.tibet.net LOCATION: Near Library PHONE: 01892-222218 HOURS: Mon-Sat: 9:00 am-5:00 pm EMAIL: kashag@tibet.net

The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama (OHHDL)

OHHDL is the personal office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The office organises his schedule, including appointments and travel plans, diplomatic and personal correspondence, and liaises with officials of the Central Tibetan Administration.

WEB: www.dalailama.com LOCATION: McLeod Ganj, PHONE: 01892-221343 / 221210 EMAIL: ohhdl@dalailama.com

Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC)

The TYC is an advocacy and political action organisation with chapters around the world.

The TYC organises cultural exhibitions, educational campaigns and social welfare activities.

WEB: www. tibetanyouthcongress.org LOCATION: Tipa Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala -176219 PHONE: 01892-221554 EMAIL:president@tibetanyouthcongress.org, tyc@tibetanyouthcongress.org

Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA)

The TWA conducts workshops on gender sensitization and domestic violence throughout Tibetan settlements in India, provides Tibetan women with education scholarships, and connects women with international sponsors.

WEB: www. tibetanwomen.org LOCATION: Bhagsu Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 01892-221527 EMAIL: tibwomen@gmail.com

Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV)

TCV provides care to Tibetan children by creating a nurturing environment and fostering Tibetan values and culture while delivering a modern education. There is an Upper and Lower residential school in Dharamshala and day school in McLeod Ganj, with other branches throughout India.

WEB: www.tcv.org.in LOCATION: Dharamshala Cantt.176216 PHONE: 01892-221354 / 221348 EMAIL: headoffice@tcv.org.in

Men-Tsee-Khang: Tibetan Medical & Astro. Institute

Men-Tsee-Khang is a facility for research, training and practice of traditional Tibetan medicine.

Patients may seek treatment at Men-TseeKhang for both acute and chronic conditions.

The facility provides extensive training and produces traditional pharmaceuticals.

Contact

WEB: www.men-tsee-khang.org LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong, PHONE: 01892-223222 / 223113 EMAIL: info@men-tsee-khang.org

Tibetan Library (LTWA) (Centre for Tibetan Studies)

The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives has the purpose to restore, protect, preserve, and promote Tibetan culture in all its aspects. They offer courses in Tibetan and Hindi language and Buddhist philosophy and can provide affordable accommodation for those enrolled in two or more courses.

WEB: ltwa.net, tibetanlibrary.org LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong PHONE: 98822-55047 EMAIL: ltwa1970@gmail.com

Delek Hospital

Delek Hospital is a small, Tibetan run hospital in Dharamshala. It has 45 inpatient beds, holds outpatient hours from 9am to 12pm Monday through Friday, and can handle most small procedures. Patients are responsible for a 10 Rupees registration fee. The hospital has a pharmacy on site.

WEB:www.delekhospital.org LOCATION: Kharadanda Rd, Dharamshala; Delek Clinic, Bhagsu Rd, Dharamshala HOURS: Outpatient, Mon-Fri: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm; Specialist clinics, Mon-Sat: 2:00 pm-4:30 pm; Emergencies, 24 hours daily PHONE: 01892-222053 / 223381 EMAIL: delek@bsnl.in hospitaldelek@yahoo.com

Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society The society was established in 1999 to provide educational and administrative guidance to all Tibetan schools in remote areas of India and Bhutan that do not fall under the guidance of Tibetan Childrens Village. Today there are 12 schools under this organisation.

WEB: www.sambhota.org LOCATION: Session Rd, Dharamshala176215 PHONE: 01892 - 228877 | 226877 EMAIL: stss1999@gmail.com

Tong-Len Charitable Trust

Tong-Len’s mission is to help displaced communities in North India achieve a secure and sustainable future. Tong-Len projects include educational and health programs, childhood education and sponsorship, primary and nursery tent schools, and children’s support hostels. Volunteer opportunities available.

WEB: www. tong-len.org LOCATION: Top Floor, Bank Of Baroda, Kotwali Bazaar, Dharamshala-176215 PHONE: 01892-223930 EMAIL: jamyang@tong-len.org

Students for a Free Tibet (SFT)

SFT is an international NGO that promotes the Tibetan cause among the non-Tibetan community.

The organisation attempts to build international solidarity by advocating for a free Tibet through chapter organisations at Universities around the world.

WEB:www.sftindia.org, www.studentsforafreetibet.org LOCATION: Jogiwara Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 9882786875

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Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)

TCHRD advocates for human rights and provides education on the human rights situation in Tibet. The centre publishes journals and articles, as well as conducting workshops and campaigns.

WEB: www.tchrd.org LOCATION: CTA, Dharamshala - 176215 PHONE: 01892-223363 EMAIL: office@tchrd.org

Lha Charitable Trust (Lha)

Lha, a Tibetan grassroots NGO based in Dharamshala, 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 English, French and Chinese classes, cultural exchange programs, IT classes, vocational training, health and environmental awareness education, distribution of clothes and medicine, a community kitchen, and many other programs and activities. (see page 2) WEB:www.lhasocialwork.org LOCATION: Temple Road, McLeod Ganj, Opposite State Bank of India PHONE: 01892-220992, 988-2323-455 EMAIL: office@lhasocialwork.org

The Kangra Distt. Red Cross Society

The Kangra District Red Cross Society renders its humanitarian services, projects and activities with the help and the co-operation of people at all levels of society by donation.

WEB: www.redcrosskangra.org LOCATION: Red Cross Bhawan, Dharamshala PHONE: 01892-224888 / 9418832244 EMAIL: sharmaopl12345@gmail.com

Gu-Chu-Sum Movement Association of Tibet is an organisation of former political prisoners of Tibet and former activists currently in exile that engages in their complete assistance from medical, financial, basic education and vocational training. It also organises lobby and advocacies about human rights abuses in Tibet.

WEB: www.guchusum.org LOCATION: Jogibara Road, McLeod Ganj, PHONE: 01892-220680 / 220679 EMAIL: guchusum1991@gmail.com

Tibet Charity

Tibet Charity provides programs including English and computer classes, an animal care program, and a variety of medical and educational financial support programs.

WEB: www.tibetcharity.in LOCATION: Temple Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 01892-221790 / 221877 EMAIL: director@tibetcharity.in

Norbulingka Institue

Centre for Tibetan culture with studios and artists at work.

Temple, tour guides of the workshops, and gardens.

L O C AT I O N : S i d h p u r, Dharamshala PHONE:9882144210 EMAIL: info@norbulingka.org WEB:www.norbulingka.org

April 2017

around town

Charities and Organisations

Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA)

Established in 1959, under the vision of HH the Dalai Lama, TIPA strives to preserve and promote Tibetan theatrical tradition. The Insitute imparts comprehensive training and lessons on Tibetan folk dance, folk song, traditional instruments and tradition of Tibetan opera.

TIPA also hosts a beautiful theatrical museum which remains open during working days. We organise a special group tour of our campus every Wednesday (10 am).

WEB: www.tibetanarts.org LOCATION: TIPA Road, McLeod Ganj Dharamshala-176219 PHONE: 01892-221478 EMAIL: tibetanarts2012@gmail.com

Learning and Ideas for Tibet (LIT)

Learning and Ideas for Tibet (LIT) is a nongovernment, non-profit adult education centre in Dharamshala, North India. LIT provides Free Education, Health Care and Skills Training to Tibetan Refugees to help eradicate poverty and illiteracy amongst the Tibetan population.

WEB: www.learningandideasfortibet.org LOCATION: Jogiwara Road, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamshala 176219 PHONE: 01892-220690 EMAIL: learningandideasfortibet@gmail.com

Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution (TCCR)

Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution is a nonprofit, educational organisation dedicated to the non-violent management of conflicts in the Tibetan Community and the world as a whole.

They work to promote the approaches and tools of non-violent conflict resolution and democratic processes in the Tibetan community in exile and elsewhere.

WEB: http://tccr.org LOCATION: Session Road, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala 176215 PHONE: 01892-226627 EMAIL: tccrteam@gmail.com

Rogpa Baby Care Centre

The Rogpa Baby Care Centre helps low-income Tibetan families to become self-sufficient by providing free child care for infants so that their parents can work. The centre needs volunteers to help with art, games, singing and other tasks including diaper changing.

WEB: www.tibetrogpa.org LOCATION: Jogiwara Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala- 176219 PHONE: 9857973026 EMAIL: rogpa2004@yahoo.com

Gamru Village School

Gamru Village School is a successful NGO that provides free high-quality education to any children who encounter serious barriers to education and who have a low standard of living.

WEB: www.gamruschool.com LOCATION: Village Gamru, P.O Kotwali Bazaar, Dharamshala, Distt Kangra 176215 PHONE: 9816105554 EMAIL: tashu72004@yahoo.com

Contact

Clean Upper Dharamshala Project

Founded in 1994 to provide a waste management system in and around McLeod Ganj, the Green Workers, the Handmade Recycled Paper Factory, the Green Shop and the Environmental Education Centre are part of the Clean Upper Dharamshala Project. Weekly guided tours are offered on Wednesdays at 3 pm.

WEB: www.tsodhasa.org LOCATION: Bhagsu Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala - 176219 PHONE: 01892-221059 EMAIL: cudpswm@gmail.com

Nyingtob Ling (Realm of Courage)

Nyingtob Ling supports Tibetan children from disadvantaged families. The children make handicrafts and paintings. They are so friendly and love to have visitors.

WEB: www.nyingtobling.org LOCATION: Near Norbulingka, Sidhpur PHONE:01892 211042 / 9816028149 EMAIL: nyingtob_ling@hotmail.com

Women’s Team

The Active Nonviolence Education Center (ANEC)

ANEC facilitates trainings, workshops and open forum discussions on nonviolent strategies to help resolve disagreements and differences at all levels of human society. ANEC welcomes volunteers from western countries to participate in informal panel discussions on ideas of regional and global peace and nonviolent strategies. Free lunch and tea and many more benefits for volunteers.

LOCATION: No. 262, 1st floor, Khajanchi -Mohalla, Khunyara Rd, Lower Dharamshala PHONE: 9882077708 / 9882921477 EMAIL: wangduemiddleway@gmail.com Website: www.anec-india.net Facebook: www/facebook.com/anecpeace

National Democratic Party of Tibet

The NDPT is currently the only Tibetan political party. With 5000 members in 36 regional chapters throughout the world, the main aim and objectives of the NDPT are to prepare for the establishment of a political party in a future Tibet, to promote democracy, to educate the Tibetan people about the significance of political parties and to create awareness among the people about Tibetan issues.

WEB: www.ndp4tibet.org LOCATION: Dharamshala–176219 EMAIL: tibetparty4@gmail.com PHONE: 9882787633 / 9882673330

Volunteers needed to teach English to Indian women and children in the village of Kaniyara near Dharamshala. Contact Jitender.

EMAIL: jitenderje@gmail.com PHONE: 7831956680 / 08894435595 BUS SCHEDULE

* Times and prices may vary. Please check with the bus stand ahead of departure.

Leaving from the McLeod Ganj bus stand, unless otherwise stated: DELHI: Ordinary Bus: 4:00am (Rs 554), 6pm (Rs 580), 7:30 pm (Rs 570) Semi Deluxe Bus: 5pm (Rs 590) , 6:30pm (Rs 590) Full Deluxe Bus: (Rs683) AC Volvo Semi-Sleeper: 8:15 am (Rs 1243), 5:35pm (Rs 1275), 7:00pm (Rs 1275), 8:50pm (Rs1275) AC TATA: 5:50pm (Rs 972) AMRITSAR: Ordinary Bus: 5am (Rs257) *from Dharamshala DEHRADUN: Ordinary Bus: 2pm (Rs 560) 8pm (Rs 551); VOLVO: 7pm (Rs 1199) MANALI: Ordinary Bus: 7:10am (Rs358 *from Dharamshala / VOLVO: 11:30 pm (Rs 782) PATHANKOT: Ordinary Bus: 5am (Rs 136) * from Dharamshala SHIMLA: Ordinary Bus: 5am (Rs 408), 6am (Rs 360), 7:50am (Rs 375), 8:am (Rs 520) 7:45 pm (Rs 363), 12pm (Rs 367) *from Dharamshala, Semi-Deluxe Bus: 9:30pm (Rs455) *from Dharamshala FOR BOOKINGS: Location: Ticket stand under McLLo’s, McLeod Ganj Main square Hours: 10am-5pm, daily Phone: 220026 (McLeod bus stand), 224903 (Dharamshala) For deluxe buses, book through any travel agency.

TA X I S A private taxi to Lower Dharamshala will cost you Rs 200. Cram into a jeep (from the bus stand), and it’ll only cost you Rs15.

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

Ambulance: 01892-102, 222189

Police Superintendent: 01892-222244

Tibetan Delek Hospital Location: Gangchen Kyishong, CTA Hours: Outpatient services: 9am-1pm, MonSat; Specialist clinics: 2-4:30pm, Wed only; Emergencies: 24-hrs, daily.

Phone: 222 053,223 381

Police Contact Information Location: Past St.John’s Church on the road to Dharamshala in Cantt. area.

Phone: 221 483

Kangra Airport: 01892-232374 Bhagsu Taxi Union: 01892-221034 Tourism Office: 01892-224430 , 223325 Rail Booking & Enquiry: 01892-265026

17

McLeod Ganj Post Office Location: Jogiwara Rd, past Peace Cafe Hours: 9:30am-1pm and 2-5pm, Mon-Fri; 9:30am-noon, Sat. Parcels and money orders can be sent in the mornings only.

Phone: 01892-221 924

April 2017

activities and information UPCOMING EVENTS May 12 : His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teaching in Manali in Himachal Pradesh June 5 - 7, 2017 : His Holiness teaching in Dharamshala June 6, 2017 : 15th Day of Sakadawa (The fourth Tibetan holy month) July 6, 2017 : Birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama August 29 - September 1, 2017 : His Holiness teaching at Dharamshala

BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY Library of Tibetan Works and Archives WEB: www.ltwa.net/library LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong, between McLeod Ganj and Lower Dharamshala HOURS: Mon-Sat: 9-10 am, 11-12noon PHONE: 921-842-2467/9882255047

Public Audience with HH Karmapa WEB: www.kagyuoffice.org LOCATION: Sidhpur HOURS: Wed & Sat: 2:30pm PHONE: 01892-235307

YOGA AND REIKI Om Yoga, Meditation and Reiki Centre LOCATION: Ketan Lodge, behind Akash Hotel, on Jogiwara Rd HOURS: 8:00am-5:30pm PHONE: 980-569-3514

Siddhartha Retreat and Yoga Centre LOCATION: Upper Bhagsu PHONE: 098165-65138 WEB: www.shivamneelkant.yoga.com

MASSAGE Nature Cure Health Club

Shiatsu massage LOCATION: Near Tibetan Ashoka, Jogiwara Road PHONE: 07833047078 EMAIL: mahinder_m@hotmail.com

Men-Tsee-Khang

LOCATION: Mcleod Ganj Branch Clinic, 1st floor, TIPA Road (2 mins from Main Square) PHONE: 98828-60505 EMAIL: therapycenter@men-tsee-khang.org

Om Massage Centre

LOCATION: Bhagsu Road, Opposite the Green Hotel, Mcleod Ganj PHONE:7018483961/9857999373 EMAIL: kunsangdolma75@gmail.com

Dorjee Spa LOCATION: Pema Thang Guest house, Hotel Bhagsu Road PHONE:9816393673 / 9857108408 WhatsApp: 9816393673

Contact

MEDITATION Ocean of Harmony

Taught by an experienced and qualified coach WEB: www.oceanofharmony.org PHONE: (+91) 99798-94585 EMAIL: ohlifeandwellness@gmail.com

Tushita Meditation Center WEB: www.tushita.info LOCATION: Dharamkot HOURS: Mon-Sat: 9:30-11:30am PHONE: 0898-816-0988 EMAIL: spc@tushita.info

Siddhartha Retreat Centre

WEBSITE:www.shivamneelkant.yoga.com LOCATION: Bhagsu Nag, Near High Sky PHONE: 09816565138 EMAIL: yogi_shivam@yahoo.co.in

COOKING Lha Tibetan Cooking Classes - for groups LOCATION: Lha Soup Kitchen, Temple Rd, Just below the Dalai Lama’s temple HOURS: Registration, 9:00-11:00am PHONE: 01892-220992

Indian Cooking and Knitting with Ms Rita Kapoor LOCATION: Old German Bakery, 1st Floor, Room No. 2, Opp. Buddha Hall, Bhagsunag PHONE: 94592-06586

Indian Cooking Classes

LOCATION:Jogiwara Rd, next to Tibetan Ashoka Guesthouse HOURS: 10:00am-6:00pm PHONE: 07833047078 / 0988230136 EMAIL: mahinder_m@hotmail.com

Lhamo’s Kitchen: Tibetan Cooking Classes

LOCATION: Bhagsu Rd, near the Green Shop HOURS: 8:00am-9:00pm PHONE: 981-646-8719

Sangye’s Kitchen: Traditional Tibetan Cooking Classes

LOCATION: Lung-ta Restaurant, below the Tashi Choeling Monastery on Jogiwara Road HOURS:10:00am - 4:00pm PHONE: 981-616-4540 EMAIL: sangyla_tashi@yahoo.co.in

COMPUTER CLASSES Tibetan Career Centre, Dharamshala LOCATION: Jogiwara Road, Mcleod Ganj HOURS: 9:00am-6pm PHONE: 9882321424 /9880969175 Email at : yesheadconsultant@tibet.net

Lha Charitable Truse

LOCATION: Near Dolma Chowk, Mcleod Ganj PHONE: 9882323455 / +91 (0)1892 -220992 WEB: www.lhasocialwork.org

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LANGUAGES Tibetan Language Class

Contact: Lha office at Mcleod Ganj Phone : 9882323455 / 9805881883 Teacher : Lobsang Damchoe

Rita Thakur Hindi Classes

LOCATION: Ketan Lodge, Jogiwara Rd, beside the Korean Restaurant PHONE: 981-649-4732

Hindi Lessons with Sunil

LOCATION: Kunga Guesthouse, Bhagsu Rd and in Dharamkot PHONE: 01892-21942, 98055-96741 EMAIL: sunilsharma81in@yahoo.co.in

Tibetan Language

LOCATION: The Tibetan Library *see Buddhist Philosophy Listing

Hindi Lessons with Kailash

LOCATION: Hotel India House, Bhagsu Rd PHONE: 01892-20063, 941-816-1947

Esukhia Online Tibetan Courses and Tibetan Immersion Spoken LOCATION:Tilak Ray Building, Bhagsu Rd PHONE: 8679502538 / 98820-04965 EMAIL: contact@esukhia.org

ART AND MUSEUMS Tibet Museum

LOCATION:Near the Main Temple and Namgyal Monastery gate, McLeod Ganj HOURS: Tue-Sun: 9:00am-5:00pm

Tibet Photo Exhibit: 50 Years of Struggle and Oppression

LOCATION: Gu-Chu-Sum hall, Jogiwara Rd HOURS: Mon, Wed & Fri: 2:00pm-5:00pm

The Tibetan Institute for the Performing Arts (TIPA)

WEB: www.tibetanarts.org LOCATION: Tipa Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 1892-221478 EMAIL: tibetanarts2012@gmail.com

Kangra Art Museum

LOCATION: Near Bus Stand, Kotwali Bazaar PHONE: 01892 224214 HOURS: Tue-Sun: 10am-1pm & 2pm-5pm

Men-Tsee-Khang Museum

LOCATION: Near CTA, Gangchen Kyishong PHONE: 01892-223222 / 223113 EMAIL: info@men-tsee-khang.org HOURS: 9am-5pm. Closed on Sun, 2 and 4th Sat

Men-Tsee-Khang Museum

LOCATION: Near CTA, Gangchen Kyishong PHONE: 01892-223222 / 223113 EMAIL: info@men-tsee-khang.org HOURS: 9am-5pm. Closed on Sun, 2 and 4th Sat

April 2017

activities and information HEALTH SERVICES Perfect 32 Dental Clinic Dr Natasha Mehra LOCATION: Near Hotel Mount View, Jogiwara Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 09218742046 EMAIL: perfect32dentalclinic@gmail.com Tibetan Physiotherapy Clinic Specialised in Muscle and Joint Pain LOCATION: Near Delek Hospital, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala 176215 HOURS: 10am - 5pm (Appointment Bases) PHONE: 9882322783 / 9882321532 EMAIL: jigten17@yahoo.co.in WEBSITE : tibetanphysiotherapy.com Tibetan Delek Hospital LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong, between McLeod Ganj and Lower Dharamshala PHONE: 01892-22053 / 223381 HOURS: Outpatient services, Mon-Sat: 9:00am-1:00pm; Specialist clinics, Mon-Sat: 2:00-4:30pm; Emergencies: 24 hrs daily Maanav Health Clinic LOCATION: Main Square HOURS: 10:00am-12:30pm and 2:00-5:00pm PHONE: 941-815-5795 EMAIL: maanavcare@yahoo.co.in Men-Tsee-Khang LOCATION: Below Delek Hospital, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala 176215 PHONE: 01892-223222 / 223113 EMAIL: info@men-tsee-khang.org Primary Health Centre LOCATION: Jogiwara Rd, main market HOURS: 9:30am-4pm, Mon-Sat Nature Cure Health Club LOCATION: Jogiwara Rd, next to Tibetan Ashoka Guest House-Map #10 HOURS: 9:30am-6:30pm PHONE: 7833047078 / 9882320136 EMAIL: mahinder_m@hotmail.com Dr Tandon Advanced Dental Orthodontic & Implant Centre Location: Opp. AP Travels, Mcleod Ganj Phone:9418462936 Email: dr.rahultandon@gmail.com

Tibet-Related Websites

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 voatibetanenglish.com - Voice of America’s Tibet pages - VOA is an international multimedia broadcasting service funded by the US government contactmagazine.net - Contact magazine online news phayul.com -Phayul is published in Dharamshala,has opinion, reviews, photos, etc 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 thetibetpost.com and tibetexpress.net are both sources of news and information

News, information and campaigning:

tibet.net - official website of the Central Tibetan Administration in exile 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 nongovernmental 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 grass roots group campaigning for full Tibetan independence tibetanreview.net - news, opinions, reviews and information freetibet.org: - UK-based campaigning organisation, also a good news source 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

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.

Interested in a Tibetan Homestay?

Is Arriving in India a Nightmare?

Thinking about Volunteering?

Lha Charitable Trust can arrange homestays of one month with a Tibetan refugee family. By sharing day-to-day life with a Tibetan family you will have an opportunity to experience Tibetan culture at first hand as well as making friends and memories that will last a lifetime.

Accommodation, breakfast and dinner included.

Next time you come, use the Lha Reception service at Delhi airport.

We will meet you at the airport, look after you in Delhi and give you a safe place to stay while you wait for your overnight bus to McLeod. We’ll put you on the bus and make sure you are on the right seat! Use our service especially when you are arriving late at night or early morning.

Lha offers you the opportunity to share your knowledge and skills while gaining practical experience with a social work organisation – good for your CV as well as being fun and interesting! Lha volunteers develop friendships as well as learning at first handabout the issues facing the Tibetan refugee community.

Find out more! Call into the Lha office, see Map # 1 Contact

19

April 2017

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To advertise here, Contact Lha office at Temple Road, McLeod Ganj Or Call on our number 9882323455 Price of advertisements depends on the size of your Ad.

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Drop-in Classes/ Weekly Courses/ Reiki Course & Treatment Teacher Training Course (200 hours) Map#26

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Free high-speed Wi-fi

Visit Sunanda to see her beautiful shawls, fabrics, gifts, papier-mache, handicrafts, thankas and so much more!

Delicious coffee, authentic homemade Tibetan and western cuisine All food washed in clean filtered water

Shop no 9, Next Alley to State Bank of India ATM, Temple Road, Mcleod Ganj Map#28 Tel: 98826-04215

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Jogiwara Road (near post office), McLeod Ganj – Map #5

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Mobile Sales, Mobile Repair, Sim Cards, Purchase and Recharge Phone Service

II) MASSAGES

Black Magic Building (underground), Jogiwara Road, Map #4 McLeod Ganj Phone: 9857011101

• Lithos Therapy ( 70 minutes - Rs 1600) • Thai Massage ( 60 minutes - Rs 1500) • Deep Tissue Massage ( 60 minutes - Rs 1300) • Compresss Therapy ( 60 minutes - Rs 1300 ) • Kerala Traditonal Massage ( 60 minutes - Rs 1000) • Swedish Massage (60 minutes - Rs 1000 / 90 minutes - Rs 1500) • Reflexology ( 30 minutes - Rs 600) • Chair Massage ( 30 minutes - Rs 600) • Baliness Back Massage ( 30 minutes - Rs 500) •Ayurvedic Head Massage ( 30 minutes - Rs 500)

Nature Cure Health Club

Jogiwara Rd, next to Tibetan Ashoka Guest House - Map #23 Mobile: 07833047078 /09882320136 / Email: mahinder_m@ hotmail.com 20+ yrs’ experience: Swedish massage courses & treatment, Zen Shiatsu courses, treatment, reflexology treatment, SPA, Singing Bowl Treatment and many more!

Contact

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April 2017

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Contact

21

April 2017

advertisements Map not to scale

Map of McLeod Ganj showing locations of places of interest

BHAGSU NAG

See advertisement pages for details of advertisers TIPA

21

DHARAMKOT

27

26

Vipassana Centre

Naddi Village Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV)

15

Tushita Centre

McLEOD GANJ

22

MAIN SQUARE

3

Cantt Police Post

6

23

4

20

1 Lha Main Bazaar

2

27

24

25

5

12

11

10 29 30

16

28

14

13

Road to Dharamshala

1. Lha Headquarters and Tibet Fair Trade 2. Namgyal Cafe (at Om Hotel) 3. Common Ground Cafe 4. Dr Mobile, Woeser Bakery 5. Black Tent Cafe 6. Carpe Diem Restaurant 10. Perfect 32 Dental Clinic 11. Hotel Ladies’ Venture 12. 8 Auspicious Him View Hotel 13. Ahimsa House and Lha Soup Kitchen 14. Chonor House 15. Lhamo’s Croissant, Dolma Therapy 16. Rinku Taxi Service 17. Central Tibetan Administration,Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, Tibetan Library

18. LRZTP Tibetan Language Programme 19. Tibetan Museum and Temple 20. Tibetan Handicraft Centre 21. Taste of India 22. SnowLion Custom Tattoo 23. Nature Cure Health Club 24. Dr Tandon’s Advanced Dental 25. Smile Dental Clinice & Implant Center 26. Himalayan Yoga Retreat 27. Om Massage Centre 28. Chapri Handicrafts 29. Marleen’s Thankas & Gifts 30. Dorjee Spa

19

17 18

Road to Dharamshala

Our specialty: Chocolate Vegan cake, Gluten free cake, Fresh Coffee Beans, cappaccino, Chocolate chilli lollipop 9am to 7pm - Closed on Monday

Below “Black Magic Hotel” on Jogiwara Rd -Map#4

Enjoy traditional Taiwanese and Chinese food and peaceful environment, just one minute from the Bus Stand, just behind Asian Plaza! (Map # 3)

NEED A DENTIST?

To advertise here, Contact Lha office at Temple Road, McLeod Ganj

For all your dental requirements under one roof, in a sterile and state of the art clinic

Dr Natasha Mehra @ Perfect 32 Dental Clinic Location: Near Hotel Mount View Jogiwara Rd, McLeod Map #10 Call: 09218742046 Email: perfect32dentalclinic@gmail.com

Lhamo’s Croissant

Tibetan Buddhist Walking Guide

Vegetarian and Vegan Food

New to the town? Local guide at Mcleod Ganj /Dharamshala.

I can tour you around Mcleod Ganj, Gangkyi, Library, Norbulingka, sight-seeing etc Can speak Tibetan, English, Hindi and Nepali

Bakery, Coffee shop, Gluten Free and Fresh seasonal juices and salads

Roof top terrace with stunning views

Name : Dawa Tsering /Mobile no: 8352868671

Contact

Bhagsu Road, just after Tibetan Settlement Office Map#15 22

April 2017

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Marleen’s Thankas & Gifts We are happy to provide high quality Tibetan thangkas and gifts for all budgets; working with 18 artists we are able to take orders.

Smile Dental Clinic & Implant Center

Oppo. Walia Medical Store Near State Bank of India ATM, Mcleod Ganj.

MOBILE NO: 7018354594 / 8091162609 Map#25 website: smiledentalclinicmcleodganj.com

Jogiwara Road, 50m down from post office, opposite Tibetan gas office Mc Leod Ganj Map #29 Email: thankas_inn@yahoo.com

May all beings be happy.

HOTEL D’S CASA

Club House Road, Near Liaison Office, Mcleodgan, Himachal Pradesh 176219

D’s CASA

McLeodganj

Jai Guru Ji

To advertise here, Contact Lha office near Dolma Chowk, opposite State Bank of India, McLeod Ganj Contact number: 9882323455

Tel: +91-9857118523 / 9857118380 Email:dscaste;1234@gmail.com :dscasa6@gmail.com Web: www.dscastle.com

Tour & Travel (A Complete Travel House)

Mobile: 98058-75922 93186-75922 98163-68680

Contact for: All types of Transportation Trekking, Paragliding, Hotels etc ...

Address: Club House Road, Mcleodganj, H.P -176219

Ocean of Harmony Programmes for Wellbeing For upcoming events, visit www.oceanofharmony.org Meditation Intensives For intensive trainings Meditation Therapies around the world (any country) Intensive Yoga Courses/Retreats contact: Shalu Patel Stress Management (experienced & qualified life Integrated Healing Therapies and wellness coach for Wellness Retreats international trainings)

Phone: (+91) 9979894585 Email: ohlifeandwellness@gmail.com

To advertise here, Contact Lha office at Temple Road, McLeod Ganj Contact

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April 2017

ལྷ་བོད་ཀྱི་ལུགས་མཐུན་བཟོ་ཚོང་ལས་ཁང་།

Lha Tibet Fair Trade Regd No.U74140HP2013PTC000540 IEC No. 2213006741 TIN: 02060101641 CST: 02060101641 PAN: AACCL5897M

What’s LTFT?

Lha Tibet Fair Trade (LTFT) is a certified Fair Trade company which supports Lha’s charitable work through the sale of traditional Tibetan goods made by local craftspeople.

What we have?

Hand-made woollen carpets, singing bowls, jewellery, goods made from recycled paper, Tibetan home decor pieces and many more!

Why LTFT?

Your shopping and support will contribute to Lha’s numerous social projects and help Lha become more sustainable and self-sufficient.

What we do?

Retail outlet, manufacture, wholesale, import & export, support local artisans, tours and travel.The LTFT is pleased to welcome any businesses wishing to form partnerships and set up exhibition tours.

Drop-in at our store at LHA office, Mon-Sat Phone: +91 (0) 98823-23455 / 1892-220992

W www.tibetfairtrade.com

SHREE HARI YOGA SCHOOL Website:- www.shreehariyoga.com Email:- hariji@shreehariyoga.com Contact:- +91 835 106 8174/ or whatsapp Address:- Under Unity Bistro VPO Upper Bhagasu, kangra, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh 176219 Upcoming 200 hrs YTTC Batches 10th Apr -6th May 2017 8th May -3rd Jun 2017 5th Jun - 1st Jul 2017 3rd Jul -29th Jul 2017 31st Jul - 26th Aug 2017 28th Aug - 23rd Sep 2017

300 Hours YTTC 3rd Apr - 7th May 2017 10th May -13th June 2017 19th Jun - 23rd Jul 2017 31st Jul - 3rd Sep 2017 11th Sep - 15th Oct 2017 23rd Oct - 26th Nov 2017

DAILY YOGA CLASS TIMINGS IN UPPER BHAGSU

9 am - 10:30 am : Traditional Hatha Yoga 10:45 am -12 pm : Yoga For Beginners 1 pm - 2:30 pm : Traditional Hatha Yoga 4 pm - 5:30 pm : Ashtanga Yoga Mysore 6 pm - 7:30 pm : Yin Yoga

Lha Tibet Fair Trade To advertise call Lha office: 01892-220992 or visit Lha office at Temple Rd, McLeod Ganj Map #1

Follow Contact website using the QR code!

Tibet Fair Trade འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་གསར་འཕྲིན།

Contact Newsletter Managing Director Ngawang Rabgyal Editor-in-Chief Jenny James Editor Tenzin Samten Assistant Editor Dorji Kyi Circulation Manager Lobsang Rabsel Published by Lha Charitable Trust Web: www.lhasocialwork.org www.contactmagazine.net www.samdhongrinpoche.com Phone: 91(0)1892-220992 Email:editor@contactmagazine.net Facebook: ContactNews Twitter: @ContactTibet Printed at Imperial Printing, Dharamshala Phone: 222390 Email:ippdsala@gmail.com