འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་དུས་དེབ།
www.contactmagazine.net 31 May 2013 Volume: XV Issue: 5
contact Magazine A Free Monthly Publication For Tibetan Issues & Community Information
Old Lhasa ‘on the Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay Visits the verge of destruction’ United States by Palden Choeden and Miranda Hall Early this month, Beijing-based Tibetan writer Woeser protested online against commercial developments in the heart of the Old City of Lhasa, parts of which date back to the 7th century, describing the project as ‘an unpardonable and incalculable crime against the ancient city of Lhasa’s landscape, human culture and environment’. The post quickly went viral on Weibo before being taken down by censors. The Exile Tibetan Administration (CTA) has since expressed its own deep concern and over 1000 people, including 100 international scholars in fields of Tibetan studies, have signed a petition addressed to Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, and the directorgeneral of UNESCO, Irina Bukova, calling for a halt to the destruction and claiming that the project will ‘deprive Tibetans and scholars of Tibet alike of a living connection to the Tibetan past’. The project, Barkhor Mall, will cover an area of 150,000 sq metres and includes ‘thoroughly clearing’ the circumambulation path around
Construction in Lhasa Photo: Woeser Continued on page 4
by Osmar Fuentes Traveling to Washington DC from May 6 to 10, Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay visited the United States for the third time since assuming political leadership of the Tibetan Governmentin-Exile. Special Advisor Kaydor Aukatsang and Ngawang Yonten from the Office of Tibet in New York accompanied him as he met such dignitaries and officials as the Chairman of the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, Senator Ben Cardin, and Senator John McCain. Other influential meetings included Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, senior staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and a lunch with 35 Congressional staff members of the House of Representatives. Sikyong was kindly received as he sought support from US Congress and explained the significance of the Tibetan issue. Along with visiting Congress, Sikyong was invited to The Council on Foreign Relations’ May 8 event, ‘A Conversation with Sikyong Lobsang Sangay.’ According to the Central Tibetan Administration, ‘Sikyong spoke on his election, responsibilities, devolution of political power from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetan democracy and most importantly the current critical situation inside Tibet.’ He went on to attend a private dinner hosted by The Foreign Policy Initiative
and a meeting with representatives from Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, Project 2049 and Freedom House at the office of the International Campaign for Tibet on May 8. Alongside groups like Human Rights Watch and the National Endowment for Democracy, he spoke of the human rights abuses occurring in Tibet and potential avenues for ending the oppression of his people. The trip was widely publicised
Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay Photo: tibet.net
through multiple US media outlets, such as the DC based publication, The Hill, and the non-profit American cable television network, C-Span. After meeting Congress, think tanks, and media, The Sikyong and his advisors held meetings with officials of the Obama Administration. He went on to host an event for the Tibetan community living in the US. After leaving the US on May 10, he concluded his international tour by attending the fifth annual Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway and meeting with members of the Swedish Parliament. The Sikyong returned to Dharamsala on May 20.