འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་དུས་དེབ།
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30 June 2013 Volume: XV Issue: 6
contact Magazine A Free Monthly Publication For Tibetan Issues & Community Information
Self-Immolation Toll Reaches 119 June 11: Wangchen Dolma, 31, a Tibetan nun, set herself ablaze at around 5 pm near the Nyatso Monastery in the Tawu region of K h a m , eastern Tibet, in an apparent protest against China’s continued occupation of Tibet. Chinese security personnel arrested her at the protest site and took her to hospital in Dartsedo where she succumbed to her injuries on June 14. The authorities secretly cremated the body at the hospital, denying the family the performance last rites and rituals for the deceased. It has also been reported that an unidentified Tibetan man, who tried to rescue Wangchen Dolma, was severely beaten and arrested by Chinese security personnel. His whereabouts is still unknown. Sources said that all internet lines in the Tawu region have been shut down by regional Chinese authorities, limiting communications, and strict restrictions were placed on the movement of local Tibetans and monks immediately after the incidents. Sources also said that family members of the deceased are under house arrest. Wangchen Dolma was the daughter of Tenzin and Youdon of Gyalbum Tsang (family) in Dragthok village in the Minyag Drapa region of Tawu County, Tibet.
Sikyong’s First Visit to Lithuania
by Catherina Leipold On June 12, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the de facto Tibetan prime minister, arrived in Lithuania with Thubten Samdup, the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Northern Europe. The visit was aimed at raising support for Tibet during Lithuania’s planning of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union which begins in July. Dr Sangay participated in a discussion entitled “Tibet - Present and Future Prospects” with Dalia Kuodyte, Chair of the Parliamentary Tibet Friendship Group. Kuodyte stressed that Lithuania is capable of taking effective action for Tibet. A petition to Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite was initiated, urging her to mobilise support and ask the international community to take action on the situation in Tibet. The Lithuanian MEP, political
commentator and defender of human rights and civil liberties, Leonidas Donskis, said “The tragedy is that today, the Tibetan people have to sacrifice their lives in order to draw the world, the international community’s attention. Unfortunately, it is the highest and most terrible price.” He praised Lithuania’s understanding of the tragedy in Tibet. Dr Sangay compared the situation in Tibet to the occupation of Lithuania during the Second World War. Contrary to the provisions of the Chinese Constitution, Tibetan culture and language are “not only discouraged, but also denied,” he said. During his two-day stay in the capital Vilnius, Sikyong met members of the Lithuanian parliament, non government organisations, and students of the European Humanities University. His Holiness will visit Vilnius in September, marking his third visit to Lithuania.
His Holiness in Australia and New Zealand
by Palden Choedon
where he gave talks in Christchurch, Dunedin and Auckland. He then travelled to Sydney, Australia for a two day teaching on June 1416 The Jewel Lamp, A Praise of Bodhichitta followed the next day by Ethical Mindfulness of Everyday Life at the Sydney Entertainment His Holiness at the Young Minds Conference in Sydney Centre. Photo: Photo: Rusty Stewart DLIA/2013 Speaking to ABC His Holiness the Dalai Lama has journalist Andrew West, His Holiness completed his 9th tour of Australia, said “Over the last 60 years some of the visiting New Zealand on his way there time things have been good, some of Continued on page 5