September 2019

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འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་གསར་འཕྲིན།

Contact

A Digest of Tibetan Issues, News and Community Information RGD No. HPENG/2013/51798 | Volume: XXI

Issue: 8 | September 30, 2019

Monks Forced to Show Patriotism to CCP

Contents

by Mary Trewartha A video showing Tibetan monks in Tibet praying to, and expressing patriotism for, the People’s Republic of China has been reported by the British Tibet support group Free Tibet.

In the video, thousands of monks can be seen singing together in one voice while waving Chinese flags. The lyrics of the song are: “Me and my motherland, unable to be separated for Continued on page 5

Tibetans Join the Climate Strike

by Mary Trewartha Tibetans are adding their voices to the Climate Strikes this month. Tibet Third Pole has been promoting action with a message about the importance of Tibet in the ongong climate crisis. Tibet Third Pole is a pressure group coordinated by the International Tibet Network with partner organisations Free Tibet, SFT, Australia Continued on page 3

China’s War on Religious Freedom

Upcoming Events in Dharamshala October 2, 2019: Gandhi Jayanti holiday Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday October 3 - 5, 2019: His Holiness Teaching His Holiness will give three days of teachings on Nagarjuna’s The Precious Garland of the Middle Way in the mornings at Tsuglakhang temple at the request of a group from Taiwan.

by Tenzin Dadon Tibetan Buddhists face the highest levels of religious persecution in China, along with Uighur Muslims* and Falun Gong practitioners**, according to a report published by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution provides that “[c]itizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy

November 4-6, 2019: His Holiness Teaching His Holiness will give three days of teachings on The Heart Sutra (sherab nyingpo) in the mornings at Tsuglakhang temple at the request of a group from Korea.

Continued on page 4

October 8 - 10, 2019: Mental Health Care Men-Tsee-Khang will host the 10th Body, Mind and Life Conference on Mental Health Care for the Elderly at Men-Tsee-Khang college hall.

His Holiness on “Educating the Heart and Mind”

by Diya Batra His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived at the Shri Ram School, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, India on September 20 where he was welcomed by the Chairperson, Arun Bharat Ram, the Director and Principal. The talk, Educating the Heart and Mind, was organised by The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC Continued on page 6

www.lhasocialwork.org

News Features 01-13 Tibetan Headlines 10-11 International Headlines 12 China Watch 14 People Story 15 Lha and Community News 16 Volunteer Story 17 Charities & Organisations 18-19 Activities & Information 20-21 Jobs & Advertisements 22-23 Mcleod Ganj Map 24

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November 19, 2019: Lha-Bab-Due-Chen Buddha’s Descent from Heaven

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

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Contact magazine is published by Lha Charitable Trust

Editorial

Lha Charitable Trust

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

Lha offers free language and IT classes, a community soup 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.

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Contact magazine is published monthly by Lha

Charitable Trust. It has been a popular source of news and information on Tibetan issues, and the Dharamshala community, for 21 years and is acknowledged in Lonely Planet and other international travel resources. It is available free of charge and distributed around Dharamshala, Delhi and various diplomatic missions in India. Copies are sent to Tibetan schools, settlements, offices and NGOs in India and abroad. Contact is updated daily on our website www.contactmagazine.net.

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Monetary donations are extremely helpful and are greatly appreciated, whether large or small. In India a little money goes a very long way!

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Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 2

It’s conference season, with the CTA gathering together Tibet Support Groups from around the world and our own Lha Charitable Trust gathering NGOs (see article on page 7) to make connections and find out how we can strengthen what we do and explore new ways of working together to fight for Tibet’s freedom. What a wonderful network of people around the world, all contributing their enthusiasm and ideas and energy, and collaborating with other organisations where we are sending the same message. It’s inspiring to see Tibetans joining the Climate Strike, and to see the Hong Kong protestors thinking of Tibet as they try and achieve democracy for their country under Chinese rule (see articles on pages 1 and 3).

Its always a pleasure to report His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s activities, he has been busy with teachings and events this month, reaching and inspiring thousands of people around the world. You can read about his teachings on pages 6, 12 and 13.

We hope you enjoyed last month’s edition, edited by our guest editor Kate Murry. We will be inviting occasional guest editors to give you a fresh perspective and to involve different people, we love welcoming new ideas and outlooks. Contact is very much a collaboration and a big thank you goes to our team of contributors, proofreaders, and to Kate for taking the reins last month!

Jenny James

News Features Tibetans Join Global Climate Strike Continued from page 1

Tibet Council, Swedish Tibet Committee, Danish Tibet Committee, Tibet Initiative Deutschland and the Tibetan Women’s Association.

They advocate for “action to alleviate the global climate crisis with particular concentration on the protection of the Tibetan Plateau”. Their message for the Climate Strike was, “Tibetans and Tibet supporters are joining this urgent action in solidarity with other concerned citizens and impacted frontline communities. We […] are in this together. The earth is on fire.

Tibet is melting. Please join the Global Climate Strike and take to the streets near you”.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has added his voice to the calls for action, applauding Greta Thunberg, the 16-yearold Swedish student who has sparked the whole movement saying, “It is encouraging to see how you have opened the eyes of the world to the urgency to protect our planet, our only home. At the same time, you have inspired so many young brothers and sisters to join this movement.”

And in the Tibetan community in exile across India, Tibetans have taken to the streets in support of the protest, calling for action to avert the catastrophic effect of climate change on the Tibetan plateau. High school students joined the climate strike, also known as the Fridays for Future (FFF), Youth for Climate and Youth Strike 4 Climate drive

to add their voices to the many across the world who are demanding action against climate change from decision makers and stakeholders.

In Dharamshala, Students from Tibetan Children’s Village School, Lower Dharamshala, and Mewoen Tsuglag Petoen School drew attention to the many fragile and frontline ecosystems, carrying banners reading, “Tibet’s rivers, Asia’s lifeline” and “renewable energy for all”.

Tenzin Pema, a tenth grader, said, “Basically, we are here to tell the adults what we have to say and make them hear our concern for this planet earth. Because there is no future if we keep on going like this!”

The exile Tibetan events in India were organised jointly

by Students for a Free Tibet-India, Tibetan Women’s Association, Tibetan Youth Congress, International Tibet Network and jhatka.org. Their statement said, “the momentum that has been built by young people globally, to treat the climate crisis as a crisis has created the perfect opportunity for young Tibetans to resonate this call for climate action, and insert Tibet’s fragile environment into the international climate action discourse.”

Monk Imprisoned for Three Years on Unknown Charges

by Diya Batra Lobsang Dorjee, 36, a Tibetan monk from Kirti monastery in Ngaba County in the Sichuan Province of occupied Tibet’s Amdo region, was sentenced to three years in jail by the Chinese authorities on September 3.

Dorjee was detained in the middle of the night by police in July 2018, and then isolated from communication until now, according to Kanyag Tsering, a monk from the Dharamshala-based Kirti Monastery. It was reported earlier that he had been detained for being in contact with Tibetans outside Tibet, but the exact reason for his conviction remains unknown. It is considered uncommon for someone to be sentenced to three years on the charge

of “negligent disclosure of State secrets” under Chinese Criminal Law. Dorjee is the son of Mr Sangri from Chukle Gongma pastoral community in the Ngaba region. At Kirti Monastery, he was decreed a monk at a very young age. He previously served a two-year sentence after being arrested in 2008.

The Ngaba region has been a centre of unrest and dissention against China’s oppressive rule in Tibet and has seen many of the self-immolations that have taken place since 2009.

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) said it believes that Lobsang Dorjee’s unjust imprisonment is the result of ongoing systematic persecution of Tibetans for their political and religious beliefs. TCHRD further demanded the immediate release of the monk and all other Tibetan political prisoners, calling on the Chinese government to “respect and guarantee the basic human rights enshrined in the national law and the international human rights law”.

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 3

News Features Continued from page 1

China’s War on Religious Freedom

freedom of religious belief.” China is also a party to several international human rights treaties that endorse the right to freedom of religion and belief. However, the Chinese government’s crackdown on religion and belief is ongoing as China contravenes its own constitution by violating the basic human right of freedom of religion.

One of these contraventions is currently in the news: Chinese officials have stated they will select Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including a future 15th Dalai Lama. The United States Tibet Policy and Support Act of 2019, which, if passed into law, will ratify and strengthen the original Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, states the US intention to prevent China’s interference in the reincarnation system of Tibet. Other contraventions of the right to human rights and religious freedom addressed by the Act include the Chinese government’s refusal to enter into a dialogue with Tibetan leaders, and the policies in Tibet which, says the Act, are degrading Tibetan religion, culture, language, livelihoods and the environment.

The Chinese Government restricts a number of religious activities. School children and students in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) are banned from participating in many religious practices and from attending informal Tibetan classes taught by monks.

In August last year, a Lhasa school required parents to sign a compulsory “responsibility agreement” stating that “students must be stopped from attending various religious activities.” For many Tibetan students, Buddhism can only be studied in a language that is not Tibetan. People are routinely detained for possessing a photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Human rights defenders, working to protect people targeted for their faith, may be arrested, or just disappear.

In early 2012, several thousand Tibetans were subjected detention and “re-education” after travelling to India on pilgrimage to attend teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. A notice released recently to local authorities mandates them to report all retired Tibetan government employees who perform Kora [circumambulation, a Buddhist religious ritual] in August, saying that it is “a problem to be removed”. Sophie Richardson, China Director of Human Rights Watch, said, “Chinese government authorities are relentless in their quest to control all aspects of Tibetans’ religious practices. Even those who spent their lives in service to the government aren’t spared […] The government should immediately reverse its campaign to punish people for exercising their fundamental rights.” Although the notice mentioned above specifically mentions Kora, the ban applies to any visible religious activity by retired government workers,

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 4

including visiting temples and monasteries, participating in prayer assemblies and other events for lay devotees, or making religious donations.

The Chinese government continues to use advanced surveillance technology and other measures to repress Tibetan Buddhists. In 2015, China’s National Development and Reform Commission launched Sharp Eyes, a programme with the goal of achieving 100 percent video coverage of “key public areas” and “key industries” by 2020 and has led to the installation of millions of cameras across the country. Chinese advocates of comprehensive surveillance claim that it can help deter crime or violent extremism, but the government uses it to monitor commonplace religious behaviour, houses of worship and specific religious minorities, regardless of their criminal record. Facial recognition technology has been integrated into much of this surveillance network and used to identify Tibetans and Uighurs.

A team of journalists from the New York Times and other media outlets published a report in July last year about Fengcai, an app routinely installed on the smartphones of travellers entering China from Central Asia. The app checks content on each phone, officially looking for items related to known terrorist groups, but the list of content flagged up also includes items related to mainstream and nonviolent religious practice, such as audio recordings of Qur’an verses recited by prominent clerics and writings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has designated China as a Tier 1 “Country of Particular Concern”(CPC): this designation includes any country engaging in systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom and is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international documents. China has been ranked second of the top ten CPCs. USCIRF recommends that the US government support legislation that would increase restrictions on the export to China from the United States of advanced technology—including surveillance and biometric equipment—that has enhanced the Chinese government’s capacity to monitor and harass religious and ethnic communities; USCIRF has also recommended raising the profile of religious freedom in the US-China relationship. * Ethnic minority Muslims living in Chinese controlled East Turkestan, or Xinjiang, who are subjected to similar oppression to that experienced by Tibetans living in Tibet **Falun Gong is a Chinese religious spiritual practice that combines meditation and moral philosophy

News Features Monks Forced to Show Patriotism to CCP Continued from page 1

a moment; Long live the Motherland.”

Free Tibet’s research partner Tibet Watch obtained background details of the video, which was released by official Chinese media on September 22, and shows the orchestrated event taking place at Galden Jampaling Monastery in Chamdo, central Galden Jampaling monastery Tibet, timed to Photo: Free Tibet coincide with the runup to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949. The Chinese

Communist Party (CCP) is holding a series of events in Tibet to demonstrate widespread Tibetan support for the CCP and its rule. One such event is a competition and exhibition held at various monasteries, schools and institutions across Tibet on the theme Me and the Motherland in which Tibetans are encouraged to display or express gratitude to the CCP and endorse the official CCP narrative that the Party has brought development, prosperity and liberation to Tibet.

Tsering Norbu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Jambaling Monastery’s Management Committee, said that all monks “should be grateful, feel the party, listen to the party and go with the party” and demanded that all monks adhere to the leadership of the CCP and the socialist system, work for unity and stability and implement Xi Jinping’s vision of Tibetan Buddhism.

New Report Says Leave Tibet’s Nomads Alone

by Tenzin Dadon Leading Chinese scientist Professor Min Qingwen published a report last month which ratifies the findings of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)’s 2015 special report, Wasted Lives: China’s Campaign to End Tibetan Nomadic Lifeways. The TCHRD report showed that while China claims their development policies include environmental protection measures, they are causing environmental degradation and driving numbers of nomads off their traditional lands and into poverty.

Professor Min Qingwen is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Natural and Cultural Heritage (CNACH) of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his report was published on the website of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

He was looking at China’s sedentarisation [settling of a nomadic population] policy which has been part of the Chinese policy on the Tibetan grassland since the 1960s, with a stated aim to improve the grassland ecosystem and also the socio-economic situation of nomadic households.

In the report the professor says that China’s national park system, introduced as part of its environmental protection policy, ignored the interests of local residents and the important role their culture and traditional mode of production play in ecological protection. Professor Min also pointed out that in the process of developing national parks, park administrators focus only on the site of the protected area and ignore protection as the goal.

Speaking about Sanjiangyuan – a nature reserve in the Tibetan Plateau which contains the headwaters of three great rivers of Asia: the Yellow, the Yangtze and the Mekon, the Professor said, “The overemphasis on

the relocation of local residents is not only difficult to implement in practice, but also not conducive to ecological protection. The development of national parks should allow local residents to participate as ecological managers.”

“Recently when there were severe snowstorms and heavy snowfall in the Sanjiangyuan area making it difficult for wild animals to forage for food and water, local residents such as lay people and monks came forward and spontaneously organised the transportation of fodder for the starving wild animals. If such an emergency or unexpected situation occurs, a handful of administrators cannot be depended upon to handle the situation”,quoted the professor recounting a recent example from his findings from the Sanjiangyan area where the first national park is set to open in 2020.

Professor Min further suggested that while due importance should be attached to the national park management system and the management model with Chinese characteristics, attention must be paid to protecting the interests of local residents and their excellent traditional culture, and not simply copying experiences of foreign countries.

In China, the biggest grassland country in the world, there are now Chinese scientists speaking up at every opportunity, explaining how the sedentarisation policy has caused only perverse, unintended outcomes, chiefly land degradation. The Chinese government’s declaration of pasturelands as nature reserves and national parks excluded on paper all human use, but in practice allowed mining to take place in the emptied, depopulated landscapes. The scientists are emphasising that it is possible to be both sustainable and productive without the need to choose one to the exclusion of the other.

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 5

News Features His Holiness on “Educating the Heart and Mind”

Continued from page 1

MACAY) and took place with a gathering of 2,400 students from 84 schools in New Delhi.

In his address, His Holiness told the students that the future is in the hands of youth, as the past cannot be changed but it acts as learning for all. He added, “If you make an effort to create a happy society, I believe that within this century you can change the world.”

His Holiness also spoke about the importance of compassion towards others, “Scientists tell us that basic human nature is compassionate.

Clearly, since we are social animals, we should consider all seven billion human beings as the community we belong to.

Thinking just of ‘my nation’ or ‘my people’ is out of date.”

His Holiness continued, saying that during the 20th century, thinking of others in terms of “us” and “them” led to division, resulting in fighting and killing. Since all seven billion human beings are mentally, physically and emotionally the same, “you young people today need to cultivate a sense of the oneness of humanity”. We need to work together to meet challenges that affect us all, such as the climate crisis. We cannot simply exploit this planet and

its natural environment. Our duty is to take care of it. The warnings by the scientists about the dangers we have to face need to be taken seriously. His Holiness also spoke about ahimsa, non-violent conduct and Karuna and compassionate motivation. Examples cited included leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, who inspired Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. He went on to mention material development and the negligence of ancient Indian knowledge, as well as the importance of a mother’s love in developing compassion.

While answering several questions from the audience, His Holiness pointed out that rebirth is not a matter of physical continuity, but continuity of the mind. The substantial cause of a moment of mind is a previous moment of mind. He cited cases of young children he has met, Indians and Tibetans, who have clear memories of their previous lives.

His Holiness concluded by reciting his own favourite prayer, from Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life: For as long as space endures And for as long as living beings remain, Until then may I too abide To dispel the misery of the world.

Fosterng Interfaith Harmony

by Rupert Eyles His Holiness explained that the study of ahimsa and In a series of events across the state of Uttar Pradesh last karuna aren’t inherently religious and can be studied week, His Holiness the Dalai Lama championed the Indian objectively. Also on education, he emphasised the value of values of ahimsa (non-violence) and karuna (compassion), teaching “emotional hygiene” to work through emotions and to foster peace in today’s world. He also called for cultivate greater peace of mind in future generations. His integration within modern Holiness was recognised by education of both the study of Maharaj-ji for his tireless science and technology and a efforts to benefit humanity greater emphasis on ancient through his wisdom and love. teachings to better train the Travelling back Delhi mind and our emotions. on September 25 to meet On September 21, His leaders from the Hindu, Holiness met with roughly Muslim, Sikh, Jain and one hundred academics Christian faiths at the and diplomats in New Gandhi Ashram, His His Holiness with fellow religous leaders taking a pledge of interfaith unity Delhi, before travelling Holiness joined his fellow Photo: OHHDL south to the sacred city of leaders in highlighting that Mathura for a 2-day stay at the ashram of Swami Karshni the key missions for all religions center around cultivating Gurusharanandaji Maharaj. Throughout the week, His tolerance and love. Finally, he pushed for greater Holiness referred to India’s long-standing culture of inter- environmental protection in light of climate change and religious harmony, founded on ahimsa and karuna, seeing high population growth, stating that “as we unite for peace, these core principles as “the only way to put an end to we must unite for our Planet.” Mahatma Gandhi had stayed violence in the world.” He urged India to spread its culture and worked at the same ashram between 1930 and 1940 of peace and encourage other states to follow its example while spearheading India’s independence from British rule of religious tolerance to avoid conflict. through the practice of ahimsa.

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 6

News Features Tibet Issue Raised at UN Human Rights Council

by Tsering Wangdue The issue of Tibet and the human rights abuses suffered by people living there was brought to the attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council at the 42nd regular UN Council session in Geneva on September 11.

Council members were called upon to properly assess Chinese development projects in Tibet, including the eviction and demolition of Tibetan Buddhist centres, mining and the non-sustainable damming of Tibet’s rivers, all of which threaten and violate the basic social, economic and cultural rights of Tibetans.

Ms Dukthen Kyi from the United Nations (UN), European Union and Human Rights Desk of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) delivered a statement highlighting the failure of the to include active participation of Tibetans in their development projects. She also drew attention to the more than two million Tibetan nomads who have been relocated to make way for damming and mining. “We also urge Council members to assess the demolitions of Tibetan Buddhist Centres and development activities in Tibetan areas, that are causing more harm than benefit for the Tibetans in Tibet,” she added.

Ms Kalden Tsomo, UN Advocacy Officer at the Tibet Bureau in Geneva has raised the issue of China’s policy to crack down on Tibetan Buddhism, and China’s stated intention to interfere in the process of reincarnation for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

She raised concern over China’s ban on retired Tibetan from

doing Kora, a Tibetan spiritual practice of circumambulation of holy sites, and prohibiting Tibetan students from various middle schools from participating in religious festivals and ceremonies.

She said China’s control over the practice of Tibetan Buddhism to achieve political objectives is a grave concern urged Council members to encourage the People’s Republic of China to have a meaningful dialogue with representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

A side event, Development or Destruction? The State of Socio-economic and Cultural Rights of Tibetans, took place on September 12, organised the Society for Threatened Peoples, an international human rights non-government organisation.

Mr Sonam Norbu Dagpo, Secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations, spoke of issues related to Chinese development projects in Tibet which cause irreversible environmental damage, and rob local Tibetans of any benefits from these projects. He said that Tibetans are not against development in Tibet in principal but these projects should be culturally acceptable, environmentally sustainable, economically beneficial and socially inclusive of the local Tibetans.

On September 20, to coincide with the ongoing UN session, the Tibetan communities in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Belgium and France held a public demonstration in front of the UN office voicing their protest at China’s continuous human rights violations in Tibet. They were joined by members of the Uyghur community living in Switzerland and Germany. Uyghurs are a Muslim minority community living in East Turkestan in north western China and are subjected to human rights violations similar to those endured by Tibetans in Tibet.

Facing Challenges Together

by Tenzin Samten Dharamshala based social work non-government organisation (NGO) Lha Charitable Trust has organised a three-day conference Strengthening Tibetan Civil Society, taking place at Sarah, Dharamshala from September 30 – October 2 and attended by 36 representatives from 29 Tibetan NGOs based in India and Nepal. These Tibetan civil society organisations (TCSO) are run and led by Tibetans who are implementing development projects within the areas of education, health, livelihood, community development, gender issues etc.

The organising team believes that the conferencehas provided a platform for TCSOs to network, exchange ideas, share experiences and learn from the experts. The forum was co-sponsored by three institutions who have been involved in supporting Tibetans since the very first groups ofTibetans reached exile:The Tibet Fund, Tibet Relief Fund and Swedish Organisation for Individual Relief (SOIR-IM).

The three-day event provided training for representatives from Tibetan NGOs on strengthening fundraising capacity, conducting project needs assessment, understanding legal and financial compliances and finding ways to collaborate and network.

“We believe civil society organisations have a vital role in the

Tibetan community, which faces challenges in many different sectors and it is recognised that a key to social and economic development and poverty reduction is the strength and vibrancy of civil societies,” said Dorji Kyi, Director of Lha Charitable Trust. “The conference aims to create effectiveness, impact and sustainability in local Tibetan organisations and empower their staff, in particular Tibetan youth, to serve their communities, improve lives and make social changes,” she added.

“We would like to thank the sponsors for enabling us to create this important platform where all the NGOs come together for discussion: the major challenges faced by all Tibetan NGOs are same, as we serve the same community,” said Dorji Kyi. Ms Kaysang, co-founder of Dromo – the first feminist resource group in Tibetan exile community – said “These few days are important to a new organisation like Drokmo because in a short period of time, we are getting access to learn a lot about the legal aspects of managing an organisations, how to raise funds, doing needs assessment, etc. For many Tibetan NGOs, we start out with a lot of passion and dreams to create a better society, but we do not really know how to handle the nitty-gritty of the work that goes into ensuring that an organisation operates well.”

This conference is the second of its kind. The first Strengthening Tibetan Civil Society training was co-hosted in April 2016 in Dehradun by the Tibet Fund, Tibet Relief Fund and SOIR-IM.

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 7

News Features Sikyong Lobbies in the US

by Aparna Ramachandran The head of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, who was on a visit to the United States, met Congressman Jim McGovern and Jon Stivers of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), to discuss the revision of the Tibet Policy Act, please see article below, US Consolidates Support for Tibet.

This was followed by another meeting with diplomats at Capitol Hill in Washington DC to revise and update the Tibet Policy Act. Senator Feinstein, in a subsequent meeting, agreed to co-sponsor the new Tibet Policy Act. A reception held at Rayburn House, hosted by the House Democratic Partnership, saw the attendance of Sikyong, several prominent Congressmen and women, President of the National Endowment for Democracy, VP of the International Republican Institute, Presidents of the Tibetan Association of NY, Philadelphia, and Capitol area, VP of International Campaign for Tibet, all the staff of the Office of Tibet – DC, and many other Congressional staffers.

They expressed their support for Tibet, stating this has

always been a bipartisan issue. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would help make the new Tibet Policy Act a priority in Congress further stating that the United States loses all moral authority if they fail to stand up against China.

In a meeting with Sam Brownback, the Ambassador-atLarge for Religious Freedom, Sikyong pointed out that China has not signed the UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention). This is an active looming threat to 1.5 billion people dependent on freshwater from streams flowing from Tibet.

The Ambassador agreed that pushing for an updated Tibet Policy Act is a good course of action, further stating that, “We believe this [the reincarnation process] should be the business of Tibetan Buddhists.”

He compared the Tibetan and Uyghur plight to the Soviet Union’s treatment of Jewish people and said the Tibetans and Uyghurs are a pivotal issue in any confrontation with China.

Sikyong invited the Ambassador to Dharamshala. Congressmen Vern Buchanan and Andy Levine also promised their support for the new bill.

US Consolidates Support for Tibet

by Aparna Ramachandran United States lawmakers are promoting a bill increasing political and diplomatic support for the Tibetan people, particularly on the issue of the reincarnation of the next Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan issue has always been bipartisan and the new bill builds on the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (TPA), a pivotal legislation that was the start of US support for Tibet. It is expected to be introduced in the Senate this week by the commission’s CoChair Sen Marco Rubio (R-Fla) and others.

The Act recogniises that no dialogue has taken place between the Chinese government and representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama since 2010, and calls for this to be redressed. The Dalai Lama retired from politics in 2011 and issued a landmark statement regarding his succession saying that the continuation of the Dalai Lama institution was solely at the discretion of Tibetans and those following Tibetan Buddhism.

The Chinese government has stated in the past that the next Dalai Lama must comply with their laws which ignore Tibet’s long history and infringe the Tibetans’ fundamental right to religious freedom, including the right to select the next incarnation of their Buddhist leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

These developments necessitated the updating and revision of the existing TPA. The new bill is entitled H.R.4331’ – To modify and reauthorize the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, and for other purposes.

The new bill seeks to amend the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 and the National Defense Authorization Act of 2000. Under the new bill, any Chinese official found complicit in identifying or installing a future Dalai

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 8

Lama will face sanctions that could include having their assets frozen and their entry to the US denied.

The bill calls on the appointment of a special coordinator for Tibetan issues in the State Department to build international diplomatic coalitions to oppose Chinese efforts interfering in the Dalai Lama’s succession. They will also be responsible for addressing the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people and to work towards them achieving basic rights and religious freedom. No fewer than three people will be assigned to work in the special coordinator’s office.

The bill would also provide for the allocation of funds for skilled development, entrepreneurship and cultural preservation of Tibetan exiles in South Asia. The Nepalese government will be urged to provide legal documentation to long-term Tibetan residents.

In addition, the bill focuses on the environmental issues within Tibet as nearly one billion people, inside and outside Tibet, depend on its freshwater. A regional framework on water security will be established and monitored through collaborations. NGOs, Tibetan nomads, and other Tibetans will be engaged for using their experience to work on the preservation of their grasslands.

The bill mandates that the Secretary of State will “not authorise the establishment in the United States of any additional consulate of the People’s Republic of China until such time as a United States consulate in Lhasa, Tibet, is established”.

It also says all Tibetan areas should be under one consular district of the US Embassy in China. Currently, Tibetan affairs are handled by multiple consulates. The bill gives authority to the CTA as representative of the aspirations of Tibetan people around the world, thus deepening diplomatic support for Tibet.

News Features The Eighth Session of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile

by Tenzin Dadon rests indisputably and completely with His Holiness the The eight session of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile Dalai Lama himself and not with the leaders of the atheist (TPiE) for the fiscal year 2019-20 began on September 20. Communist Party of China.

The 11-day session concluded on September 30.

On September 23, the third day of the session, three key On the first day of the session Mr Pema Jungney, Speaker appointments were made. Mr Wangdu Tsering Pesur, the of 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, in the presence of current Secretary of the Department of Home, Central Tibetan Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, Administration (CTA), was elected as the members of Kashag and the Tibetan new Chief Election Commissioner and parliamentarians, delivered his Chairman of Public Service Commission; session commencement address. The in the election, Secretary Wangdu Tsering inaugural session of the parliament secured 23 votes against 18 for Mr Tashi unanimously proposed nine official Gyatso Shadrung, Secretary-General, resolutions of mourning to condole Tibetan Supreme Justice Commissioner the demise of former members of with one vote invalid. Mr Sonam Norbu Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile Thupten Dagpo, Secretary of Department of Nyima, Kunchok Norbu and Pema Information and International Relations, Tsewang; former Security Kalon CTA was elected as Chief Justice Donga Tenzin; former United States Commissioner of the Tibetan Supreme Senator Richard Lugar; former Justice Commission; he secured 30 votes Chief Minister of Delhi Smt Sheila against eight for Mr Ngodup Dorjee, Dikshit; former Chief Minister of former Representative of Office of Tibet, Madhya Pradesh Babulal Gaur; Geneva, the voting also included one former member of Lok Sabha Ram Mr Sonam Norbu Dagpo, Mr Wangdu Tsering invalid and three blank votes. Secretary Pesur and Ngodup Dorjee (Clockwise) Chandra Paswan and former union Tenzin Lungtok of the Department of minister Ram Jethmalani.

Religion and Culture was elected to serve The session also proposed an official resolution of as the new Justice Commissioner of the Tibetan Supreme solidarity with the sufferings of Tibetans inside Tibet. The Justice Commission with a majority vote of 28 against 11 votes Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile condemned China’s “brazen for Mr Tsewang Ngodup, Additional Secretary of the Office of meddling” in the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Auditor General, there were one blank and two invalid votes.

Lama and the politicisation of the sacred institution of Tibetan The selection committee comprised the outgoing Chief Justice reincarnation, and stated that the final authority on decisions Commissioner, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of TiPE and relating to the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai lama Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay.

Imprisonment of up to 8 Years for “illegal” Online Content

by Aparna Ramachandran The Chinese government in 2017 issued seven rules for censoring the internet; this set of rules was rather broad and vague in scope. In continuation, the Chinese government has now taken drastic steps in limiting what they term “illegal” content. Released in a piece of podcast news by the local Chinese government on August 27, the notice lists the following ten rules that all online users must observe: • Do not share sensitive political information • Do not believe in rumours and do not post/share them • Do not send internal information to outsiders • Do not send threatening information related to [above point] • Do not share information related to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan before it is released by the government

• Do not share information related to the military • Do not share documents related to state secrets • Do not collect all kinds of unverified news reports •Do not send all kinds of photos and videos of various [government officials] • [All] must abide by the law.

These are particularly targeted at online groups having ten or more members. Members not following the above will be prosecuted according to the new rules. Failure to follow the above and posting/sharing of “illegal” information that “harms the nation and the Chinese Communist Party” will result in fixed-term imprisonment of one to eight years.

This comes in close proximity to the Chinese government announcing a reward of 300,000 yuan (US$ 44,000 / £34,000) for reporting illegal online content. This will increase the restrictions on the freedom and expression of Tibetans, as well as infringing their right to privacy and their contact with the outside world.

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Tibetan Headlines Sep 28: Indomitable Spirit “The indomitable spirit of Tibetan people will grow and deepen and widen”, said Lhagyari Namgyal Dolkar, President of Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet. He was speaking at an event to mark the 28th anniversary of the organisation’s founding and the 32nd anniversary of the uprising in Lhasa on September 27, 1987.

Sep 26: Digital Attack Tibetan leaders have been targeted by phone hackers, say the digital rights group Citizen Lab in a new report. Hackers posing as activists from human rights organisations, eg Amnesty International, sent text messages that link to malicious codes with the capacity to install spyware on mobile phones. The threat has now been averted. There is press speculation that the origin of the attacks is linked to the Chinese government.

Sep 23: Climate Action!

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has approved the global climate strikes taking place, initiated and supported by young people who walked out of work and schools to take part in one of the largest mass protests in history, inspired by Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, aged 16.

His Holiness said, “They are being very realistic about the future [...] We should encourage them.”

Sep 21: Tour of Tibet

The Chinese appointed Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, has concluded a threemonth trip to Lhasa, Shigatse, Nagchu and Ngari. Chinese state media Xinhua, reported that he had studied the economic and social development in Tibet under recent Chinese rule. China abducted Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the Panchen Lama recognised by HH the Dalai Lama, at the age of six in 1995; he has not been seen since.

Sep 19: German Delegation Three Members of the German Bundestag, or Parliament, visited HH the Dalai Lama at his home in Dharamshala to discuss the Tibetan situation. Frank Heinrich, Ms Ute Vogt and Ms Margareta Bause and their colleagues also met Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the Central Tibetan Administration and other Cabinet Ministers at the Kashag Secretariat.

Sep 18: Education Workshop A workshop on the Basic Education Policy is underway at Sarah college in Dharamshala. Participants in the twoday workshop are mentors from Tibetan

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schools, and education officers. The workshop kicked off with a talk on the policy by Kalon [Minister] Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok of the Central Tibetan Administration’s Department of Religion and Culture.

Sep 17: Urgent Appeal The Central Tibetan Administration’s Department of Home has issued an urgent appeal for funds to support the Tibetans who lost their stock in the recent fire which devastated the warehouse at Dhule in Maharashtra. Twelve Tibetan families lost their stock of sweaters, which represents their year’s livelihood, in the fire. Donations should be sent to the Department of Home.

Sep 16: Border Scuffle A border scuffle between Indian and Chinese troops has taken place on the India – Tibet border in eastern Ladakh, along the bank of the 134-kilometre-long Pangong Lake which forms the natural boundary between the two countries. There was a dispute about whether an Indian army patrol was on Indian or Chinese controlled territory. The Indian media has reported that the matter was resolved the same day following talks between delegations.

Sep 14: Japanese Tibet Festival The Kikisoso Tibet Festival is underway in Komoro in Nagano, Japan, the fifth that has taken place organised by the couple Genyen Tenzin and Shoko Yanagida. It brings together the Tibetan community in Japan for a cultural exchange and to promote healing; Vietnamese, Mongolians, Chinese, Filipinos and other nationalities all participate. The festival is part sponsored by Japanese monks who support Tibetans- in-exile.

Sep 13: Dialogue for Peace The Dialogue for Peace team has arrived in the United Kingdom to be greeted by the Tibetan Community and representatives of British Tibet support groups. Led by Ven Thupten Wangchen, Member of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, the three person team is visiting 30 European countries to promote a Tibet–China dialogue.

Sep 12: News Refuted The vice-president of HURON, the Human Rights organisation of Nepal, has refuted the recent news that six Tibetans who arrived in Nepal after escaping from Tibet have been deported and handed over to the Chinese authorities, reports Phayul. He said his office investigated the news but found no evidence of the incident and that it “seems to be a case of a miscommunicated rumour”.

Tibetan Headlines Sep 12: Bhuchung in Tokyo Bhuchung D Sonam, the exile Tibetan writer and poet, is participating in the Asia Meets Asia 2019 nine-day theatre collaboration taking place in Tokyo.

AMA-2019’s theme is on refugees around the world. Buchung’s event Drifters: Unbearable Dreams 11, will feature his poetry as well as Tibetan music with the JJI-Exile Brother’s song If. Sep 11: TWA Celebrates The Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA), based in Dharamshala, has celebrated its 35th anniversary. The TWA was re-established in exile in 1984; its origins are in the women’s response to the Chinese crackdown in Lhasa after the Tibetan National Uprising in 1959. The organisation’s President, Dolma Yangchen, said, “Now is the time for young and educated Tibetan women to spearhead the movement forward on the rock-solid foundations.”

Sep 11: Reciprocal Access for Australia?

The Australian Tibet Council (ATC) is lobbying the Federal Parliament of Australia to introduce a reciprocal access to Tibet bill, along similar lines to the one recently made into law in the United States, and introduced in the United Kingdom. The ATC, founded in 1988, campaigns for freedom and human rights for Tibetans.

Sep 10: Refugees Deported Six Tibetans who had crossed the border into Nepal have been deported.

The Nepalese authorities handed them over to Chinese police, reports Radio Free Asia, who quote a source as saying they were arrested, handcuffed and handed over despite pleading with police in great distress. They had crossed near Simikto on the northwestern border of Nepal, on the pilgrim route to mount Kailash and lake Manasarovar.

Sep 9: Shoton Festival

The Shoton, or Yoghurt Festival, the centuries old traditional Tibetan religious festival, was held in Lhasa last week. Thousands gathered to watch a massive embroidered thangka of the Buddha as it was unveiled on the hillside by the Drepung monastery.

However, heavy security and surveillance engendered a sombre atmosphere, reports Radio Free Asia, quoting a local source.

Sep 8: Mother of Tibetans Mother of Tibetans - a documentary by German Filmmaker

Niklas Goslar - was screened at the 7th Indian Cine Filmfest in Mumbai. The film was dedicated to the memory of Ama Irmtraut Wäger. She had been a refugee during the Second World War and after visiting India in 1975 ran Deutsche Tibethilfe (German Aid to Tibetans) which raised funds for the education and welfare of Tibetans in exile.

Sep 6: Football Achievement Tenzin Samdup, 26, the Tibetan National football team’s Number One goal keeper has been signed up with a permanent contract to play for Real Kashmir FC. Samdup was a former I-League champion with Chennai City FC. Along with Karma Tsewang from Kollegal Dhondenling, Samdup is one of two Tibetans to play in top Indian domestic football league.

Sep 6: Chinese Protest A Tibet photo exhibition at the University of Queensland in Australia sparked an objection from a group of Chinese students who called it “harmful to China”. Lhagyari Namgyal Dolkar, president of Gu-Chu-Sum, the Tibetan ex-political prisoners association based in Dharamshala who are sponsoring the exhibition, and a member of Tibetan parliamentin-exile, thanked the University for standing true to its principle in upholding basic human rights.

Sep 5: Fire Devastation A warehouse fire has destroyed merchandise belonging to Tibetan sweater sellers in Dhule in Maharashtra State, just weeks before their main winter business season.

The fire was caused by a short circuit: the warehouse contents, worth around INR265 lakh (US$370,000 / £300,000) were not insured. 12 Tibetan households are dependent on their sweater selling trade from this market. All are members of the Tibetan sweater sellers’ association, the Tibetan Refugee Traders’ Association.

Sep 1: Prestigious Skoll Scholarship Tsechu Dolma, a Tibetan refugee in Queens, New York, has won the prestigious Skoll Scholarship, 20192020. She is one of five to win a fully paid tuition scholarship at Oxford University where she will pursue her MBA. Tsechu was listed under the 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30: Social Entrepreneurs as founder of the Mountain Resilience Project - a project that addresses the poverty and food insecurity prevalent in mountain communities.

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International Headlines Sep 26: No Fine An unemployed Nigerian immigrant living in Venice decided to sweep the streets instead of begging. He displayed a cardboard sign nearby saying, “I would like to integrate myself honestly in your society without asking for alms [...] I will keep your street clean and ask only a contribution for my work.” The local council fined him €350 ($383 / £309), but lifted it following a local protest.

Sep 25: PM Acts Illegally In the United Kingdom, the Supreme Court has ruled that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted unlawfully when he prorogued (suspended) Parliament for five weeks earlier this month in the runup to Brexit which is due to happen on October 31. There are calls for Mr Johnson to resign with some MPs saying they will attempt to force him out if he does not go of his own accord.

Sep 19: Fire Tragedy A fire in a boarding school in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, has left at least 27 people dead, the majority of them children. The children were sleeping in a building near the mosque when the fire broke out. Rescue services continue to search for bodies in the

building. George Weah, the President of Liberia, has visited the scene to express his condolences.

Sep 18: Two Blasts At least 48 people have been killed and dozens injured in two separate suicide attacks in Afghanistan, both claimed by the Taliban. 26 people died in Parwan province, north of Kabul at an election rally and 22 were killed near the United States embassy in central Kabul. The Taliban continues their bombing campaign alongside participating in peace talks, but are refusing to talk to the Afghan government.

Sep 17: Data Leak In Ecuador a data leak has left personal and financial data on nearly every citizen – around 17 million people, including nearly 7 million children – available online and completely unsecured. The leak was discovered by the security company vpnMentor who have now secured the data which was put at risk by Novaestrat, an Ecuadorean marketing and analytics company.

Sep 16: Democracy Tunisia is holding a free presidential poll – the second since the uprising in 2011

that ousted the then president Ben Ali and sparked the Arab Spring. There are 26 candidates, including two women, running in the election. Tunisia is the world’s youngest democracy; its first democratically elected president was Ben Caid Essebsi who took office in 2014; he died earlier this month.

Sep 13: Sudan Protests Thousands of people in Sudan have taken to the streets of the capital, Khartoum, to demand justice for 100 pro-democracy demonstrators who were killed in June this year. In April this year the long term ruler of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, was ousted by the military and the country has been in turmoil ever since. Civilians and the military signed a power-sharing deal last month.

Sep 12: Asian First South Asia’s first cross border pipeline has been opened enabling Nepal to import oil directly from India’s oil terminal at Motihari in northern Bihar. The reduced fuel costs will mean that fuel prices will drop by Rs 2 per litre in Kathmandu. “I am glad that India–Nepal cooperation is scaling new heights for the mutual benefit of our people” tweeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Thousands Gather to Hear His Holinesss Teach

by Sarah Weber His Holiness the Dalai Lama concluded a three-day teaching on the Four Noble Truths and their Sixteen Characteristics, The Thirty-Seven Factors of Enlightenment as well as Nagarjuna’s Commentary on Bodhicitta in the Tsuglakhang main Temple in Dharamshala on September 6. The teaching was requested and sponsored by a group from Asia and attended by an estimated 6,500 people from 69 different countries. Each of the teaching days started with prayers and chants and the event was broadcast live and simultaneously translated into English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Spanish, German, Thai and Indonesian.

On the first day His Holiness gave an introduction to the Four Noble Truths, emphasising the importance of love and compassion. His Holiness explained that all religions in the world convey a message of tolerance and contentment as they all share the principle of love and compassion. The nature of all human beings is love and to be loved so ultimately the essence of religion is for human to practice compassion. “Seeing the positive benefits of spiritual practice, whatever tradition people follow, I work to promote love and compassion as well as to encourage inter-religious harmony,” His Holiness said.

As His Holiness elaborated on the Four Noble Truths, he explained change and the inability to accept impermanence

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as a root of suffering, saying that by clinging on to the idea of self as well as a static condition of life we experience suffering within our mind. Buddha’s wisdom teachings offer a profound understanding to overcome ignorance and the idea of an independent existence of self which ultimately leads to liberation. At the end of the day, he reminded the audience to always question the teachings in order to understand them on the basis of reasoning instead of just following his teachings out of affection and admiration towards his person.

The second day was dedicated to Nagarjuna’s Commentary on the Awakening Mind. His Holiness said that the session was intended as a class, rather than a formal discourse. He read and explained the text and at the end there was an opportunity for questions. The lecture mainly focused on the awakening mind and emptiness. “The ultimate clear light mind absorbed in emptiness, which serves as the antidote to the final defilements, is the awakening mind of Bodhichitta referred to in the text,” His Holiness explained.

On the final day of the teaching, His Holiness continued to read and complete the text of the Awakening Mind. He concluded the day by stating that when you understand that there is a means to overcome suffering, you can generate a wish to help others do just that. The teaching was then finalised with a ceremony for generating the awakening mind of Bodhichitta.

News Features Long Life Prayer Ceremony in Dharamshala

by Tenzin Samten His Holiness the Dalai Lama was offered a long life prayer ceremony at Tsuglakhang, the main Tibetan temple in Dharamshala, on September 13 by representatives from five organisations: Shang Gaden Choekhorling Monastery; Federation of Tibetan Cooperatives (Nyamdrel); Doekham Chushi Gangdrug based in Delhi; Tibetan residents of Bhutan and Members of Kham Gonjo.

Speaking to the members of the organising committee as well as the thousands of devotees gathered, His Holiness thanked them for the offering, especially those who had come from far away and said that they represents the aspirations and hopes of Tibetans inside Tibet and all over the world.

Referring to Tibet’s struggle against China’s invasion, His Holiness said he appreciated the way Tibetans have kept their spirit of unity and preserving Tibetan culture and religion despite living in exile for over 60 years. “At this very difficult period, we have truth on our side. Despite hardships, Tibetans inside Tibet and in exile have upheld the Tibetan spirit and therefore, today our religion, culture and values are intact and flourishing,” said His Holiness according to tibet.net’s report.

His Holiness said that he appreciated the dedication of Tibetans

in exile because of their hard work; because of them today’s world knows the story of Tibet and Tibetans. His Holiness said, “There are no refugees like the Tibetans living in unity with our tradition and values.” He also acknowledged that Tibetans have kept their trust and hope in him alive for the last 60 years.

Speaking about preserving Tibet’s culture and religion, which he believes can serve the entire humanity, His Holiness expressed the importance of learning the Tibetan language to those who want to study Buddhism, saying that the Tibetan language remains the most precise language to study and explain Buddhist philosophy, psychology and epistemology.

His Holiness concluded by encouraging Tibetans to continue walking the path of truth saying, “Our power lies in the power of truth. [The] Chinese possess the power of a gun.

In the end, the power of truth always prevails over violence.” To the relief of the thousands gathered, His Holiness reassured them that his health is good.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has been living in India since 1959 and officially retired from the role of political head of Tibetans in 2011. However, His Holiness repeatedly says that as one among the six million Tibetans, he will continue to work for the cause of Tibet.

Tibetan Democracy Day

by Aparna Ramachandran The 59th anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day was observed and celebrated at Tsuglagkhang, the main temple in Dharamshala, on September 2. A large crowd of Tibetans and foreigners gathered to be a part of the occasion.

The Chief Guest for the event was Smt Sarveen Chaudhary, Honorable Minister of Urban Development/Town and Country Planning, Government of Himachal Pradesh; Special Guest was Mr Jamphel Wangdue, Religion and Culture Council Chairman, Arunachal Pradesh.

Smt Chaudhary in her keynote address underlined the wonderful democracy the Tibetans have formed and their non-violent approach in fighting for their freedom under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She made special mention of the effort to preserve Tibetan cultural heritage and religion saying that it serves as an example on a global scale and congratulated the entire Tibetan community.

Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok, on behalf of the Kashag [Cabinet of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile] and the Tibetan people, offered respect and gratitude to His Holiness for the gift of democracy.

He spoke about the religious and cultural persecution in Tibet, with the destruction of sacred artefacts under illegal Chinese occupation and the forcible eviction of several thousand monks and nuns from Yachen Gar Buddhist Academy.

Honourable Speaker Pema Jungney spoke about the rise of Tibetan democracy and the need in drafting the Charter of Tibetans-in-exile, understanding the need for elections, and exercising the right to vote. He underscored the importance of grassroots democracy and spoke about strengthening it through workshops organised for local Tibetan Assemblies and representatives from independent bodies.

An award ceremony followed, acknowledging high achieivers from different spheres, and a short cultural programme.

This significant day was also marked in the London Borough of Waltham Forest Council in the United Kingdom with the ceremonial hoisting of the Tibetan national flag outside the Town Hall, for the second year in a row. This was organised by Councillor Kastriot Berberi with the joint collaboration of the Office of Tibet, London and the Tibetan Community in Britain.

Democracy Day marks the anniversary of the establishment of the democratic system of the Tibetan people living in exile in India. Soon after arriving in India in 1959, His Holiness the Dalai Lama outlined a plan for democracy for the Tibetan people and elections were held the following year. The first 13 elected representatives, forming the Commission of Tibetan People’s Deputies (CTPD), took oath on September 2, 1960.

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China Watch Sep 24: Video Evidence

A Youtube video War on Fear, widely circulating on social media, shows drone footage of Chinese police with hundreds of blindfolded and shackled men, with shaven heads, their eyes covered, sitting in rows on the ground and later being led away by police from a train. This is reported in the Guardian as “believed to be a transfer of inmates in Xinjiang [the Muslim minority region in north western China]”.

Sep 23: Flag Desecrated

The pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, now in their 16th week, have escalated with activists publicly desecrating a Chinese flag and vandalising a shopping centre.

Police have retaliated with tear gas. The campaign is predominantly led by young people. The Asian Review quotes protestors as saying “We could become the next Tibet or Xinjiang”.

Sep 22: China’s Boast

China has published a White Paper Seeking Happiness for People: 70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China. This comes during the runup to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on October 1 and states that because of the PRC’s developments, “the people of China are living a happier life, the world is more prosperous, and human society is more diverse and colourful”.

Sep 21: Press Restrictions

Restrictions on journalists in China are set to increase with a requirement to pass a new exam on “Xi Jinping Thought” [ie Xi’s teachings] in order to have their press credentials renewed. China’s media regulator has issued the notice initially to Beijing journalists. According to Reporters Without Borders, China is already one of the least free countries in the world to operate as a journalist.

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Sep 20: Taiwan Shows Support An activist in Taiwan, Alex Ko, has started a drive to supply gas masks to the demonstrators in Hong Kong who took to the streets weeks ago to protest against a new law which would allow people facing trial to be extradited to Beijing. The protests have escalated and police are increasingly using force. Taiwan’s independence is threatened by China who regards it as Chinese territory.

Sep 9: ChinaYouTube Suspension YouTube has joined Facebook and Twitter in suspending accounts which they allege are linked to a Chinese “government-backed campaign to influence opinion about unrest in Hong Kong” reports the South China Morning Post, quoting Google, which owns YouTube. 210 YouTube accounts have been suspended.

Sep 6: Visit Rescheduled

Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi will not be visiting India as planned during his upcoming international tour which will now include only Pakistan and Nepal. India called for the rescheduling; there is media speculation that the reason is China’s dragging of India to the UN Security Council over India’s termination of the special constitutional status for the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Sep 5: Hong Kong U-Turn

The extradition bill introduced in Hong Kong in April and which has sparked months of protests is to be withdrawn. Leader Carrie Lam is withdrawing the bill, which would have seen some criminal suspects sent to Beijing for trial, to comply with some of the wishes of the protestors and is also designating two senior officials to the inquiry into police brutality during the protests.

People Story A Little Nervous!

by Clio Gates Tsekyi was very lonely when she first came to McLeod Ganj, aged 27. She tells me that for a long time she would cry every morning after waking up because she would dream of her parents. “Sometimes,” she says, “I would feel a little regret and wonder why I came [here]”. In 2003, Tseyki, along with a friend and two strangers, embarked on an 18-day journey across the Himalayas in order to reach India, meet His Holiness and learn English. She told only her mother of her plans, who initially approved but then begged her to stay as the departure date loomed.

She was born in Chamdo, Tibet and moved to Lhasa when she was two years old. She went through school there before finding a job as a typist at the Chinese Tourism Office. She found the job boring, but knew she was lucky to have a job close to her family with her limited education. Then she came to India where she initially stayed at the refugee reception centre in Mcleod Ganj and from there she went to school for three years. When I ask Tsekyi how those first months and years were, the expression on her face changes as she tells me of this lonely time. But then, slowly, she says, she began to form connections that grounded her. She got to know her classmates, and her teachers would invite them to their homes and make special momos for them. After graduating from school, she went to live in Mcleod Ganj alone, taking English classes at Lha in 2006.

At Lha, Tseyki met her husband. She smiles as she tells me how at first, they were strictly classmates: he would help her with her English. But then, one day, he called her and asked her on a date, and they eventually got married.

Her husband is her only family here, but he traveled to America five years ago in hopes of finding better work and has not been back to India since. This year, she tells me excitedly, he got a green card and she hopes he will be allowed to travel back to India. Tsekyi is trying to join her husband in America but has been having trouble with immigration papers. Her family, who she still talks to regularly, hopes that she will visit Tibet eventually but know she is planning to go to America.

Tseyki confesses, “It was very, very hard for me. When my husband first arrived in America, it was very hard to

find a job.” Eventually she found work in the Choesum restaurant, where she worked until enrolling in Lha’s Tibetan Traditional Massage and Basic Spa course in June.

She wanted to learn a new skill and hoped that the massage course could help her find a good job.

Tsekyi successfully completed the classroom portion of the Tibetan Traditional Massage and Basic Spa course through Lha’s Livelihood Programme. Tibetan massage is unique for its focus on acupressure points to restore balance to and unblock bodily energies. Massage is used as a part of traditional medicine in Tibetan communities to cure both physical and psychological ailments. She and nine other students immersed themselves in the study of traditional Tibetan massage, learning some Thai and Swedish methods along the way. The students will take the skills they learned and apply them through an internship with a local, Tibetan-owned spa.

Learning Tibetan massage techniques was challenging, Tsekyi says, but her teacher, taught them gently and kindly.

Tsekyi remembers that before she began the course, she wasn’t strong enough to apply enough pressure to the person she massaging. “I felt very disappointed,” she recalls. “But the teacher always said, ‘Don’t think about this. You can practice day by day and get better.’” And now, Tsekyi tells me that she feels comfortable in her massaging abilities, and she has grown to really enjoy it. Before her course, she thought it was very hard work to be a masseuse – and she was right – but she also came to view the job as a very good one.

She explains that massages can help heal sick patients. “I think it’s good,” she says, “by yourself, you can help other people [through massage].”

When I ask her if she’s excited to begin her internship, she laughs and says, “Yes, very excited!” After a few seconds she adds, “A little nervous also.” Tsekyi hopes to learn other spa trades in her internship, such as facials, hair, and make-up.

I ask her if she will continue with massage when she eventually goes to America to join her husband, to which she answers, “I hope, because right now I am very interested in the massage. So I hope I can find a job there. I want to find a job at a massage centre.” I tell Tsekyi that Americans love massages, and she smiles a big smile at me.

Every month we feature somebody from the Tibetan community on our Dharamshala Voices page as well as the occasional profile of one of the many NGOs in Dharamshala who do so much to help the Tibetan Community You can read more Dharamshala Voices stories on the Contact website: http://www.contactmagazine.net/dharamasla-life/

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Lha and Community News Lha News Mass Cleanup

World Cleanup Day 2019 was observed on September 21 with a mass cleanup around Bhagsu Road, Mcleod Ganj in collaboration with the Clean Upper Dharamshala team. Lha students, volunteers and staff, together with the Clean Upper Dharamshala team worked together to clean up the forest area around Bhagsu road and the bridges above Amdo Village which have become an illegal dump site. All these layers of garbage were cleared up on the day and we would like to thank everyone who took part in the cleanup initiative.

The cleanup drive is part of Lha’s monthly cleanup programme to highlight the critical garbage situation in Dharamshala and to draw people’s attention to protecting the environment.

Massage and Spa Class: Third Batch of Students

The third batch of students began the Lha Traditional Tibetan Massage and Spa course on September 16, with total of 8 students participating. The first month of the course is theory, with practical classes held at the Tibet Health Spalon. On completion of this section of the course the students will go on to do a two month Internship at local massage and spa parlours.

This course comes under the umbrella of Lha’s Livelihood Programme, under which we are providing several short term vocational training courses for Tibetans. The project is aimed at decreasing rates of unemployment through providing courses that will teach appropriate job skills, placement opportunities and internships. Many Tibetan youngsters are going back to Tibet or to foreign countries; if they have these skill sets then it will be easier for them to get better jobs.Along with the main courses, we also provide a number of other complementary courses including personality development, financial literacy and basic English.

Another Livelihood Programme course is cookery, which is underway at our Community Soup Kitchen in Ahimsa House.

Community News Tibetan Medical Course in English at Mentse-Khang

A 5-Day Introductory Course on Tibetan Medicine, held from September3-7, provided a broad view of the causes of health and disease from a Tibetan Medicine point of view, maintaining that both physical and mental disease are caused by diet and lifestyle. Both affect the relationship between the three main energies, loong, tripa, and baeken and imbalances in these lead to disease. Additionally, there were sessions on Tibetan Astro-Science, Tibetan herbal remedies, physician ethics, and the relationship between Tibetan medicine and Tibetan Buddhism.

A 10-Day Foundation Course, from September 9-20, presented an overview of Body, Mind and Life, including the causes, characteristics, and classification of disorders and the effects of routine and seasonal lifestyle changes on health or disease. Diet and nutrition guidelines were given with an explanation of the taste, potency and post digestive tastes of food. The seven essential limbs of herbal medicine were discussed, including the types, forms and formulation of herbs and minerals and the quality control standards used. Also presented was the role of Astro-Science in maintaining health.

A 5-Day Introductory Course on Astro-Science, from September 23-27, the relationship between Astro-Science and Tibetan Medicine in maintaining health, and its relationship to Buddhism. The classifications of Tibetan Astro-Science, the five elements and twelve signs in elemental astrology, were presented along with discussions on the importance of basic concepts. The basic types of astrology horoscopes were discussed as they relate to the 9 planets, 12 zodiac and 27 constellations.

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Volunteer Story & Lha News 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, Kyra Heeg from the Germany shares her story with us.

Volunteer job at Lha: German Teacher

Teaching German and Having Fun In Germany I was studying to become a special needs teacher. When I was on vacation in south India at the end of March, I fell in love with the country and that’s why I didn’t hesitate to say “yes” when a friend from my university asked me if I would be interested in volunteering in India. Actually I have never been to north India or had volunteered at a Tibetan organisation, so I was very excited and a little bit afraid of what to expect from the work as a volunteer.

But even before we arrived, the communication between the organisation and us was easy and Tsering, the volunteer coordinator, replied directly and answered all our questions. This made us feel very secure about our trip. They also booked a room for us at the related Ahimsa house. On the day we arrived in Mcleod Ganj, Tsering picked us up at Lha and showed us our guest house.

We directly felt like home, because all the people working at Lha are really friendly and kind. By the way I want to mention that all the staff are doing an amazing job and they have all my respect for doing it.

So I started teaching the German class and on my first day I was very nervous. But even here, the members of Lha just helped me and that really relaxed me. At first I only had one student in my class, but with the time more and more joined. Teaching German in this context was a very nice experience, because talking to the students and getting to know them and their reasons for learning this language, strengthened my feeling of me helping and doing the right thing.

All my students were truly interested in learning, so teaching them was very fun and easy. Compared to students in Germany, where you sometimes have to really motivate your students, the students in Lha are very inquisitive.

Besides the German class, I took part in the conversation class. From 4 to 5 pm the students and volunteers meet at Lha to talk in little groups. Here I got a deeper look into the lives of the students and learned a lot about Tibet and their history. Sometimes we had a serious and deep topic, sometimes we played funny games or shared droll stories.

Volunteering at Lha was very meaningful and I learned a lot, also about myself. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life so far and I’ll definitely come back. I can only recommend volunteering at this outstanding organisation and being a part of something so great.

Cultural Exchange Group Lha hosted social work students from Tulane University from August 22 to September 5 at Ahimsa House as part of the Cultural Exchange Programme. The group was led by Lha’s long-term friends and supporters Professors Ron, Caroline and our founder Neil Guidry. The students were paired for mutual learning with Lha’s students to give both sides an opportunity to learn, explore and exchange each other’s culture. The students also visited Bir Tibetan community to see the monasteries and explore the life of Tibetan refugees settled there.

We wish them all the best for their future endeavours and hope that their stay with us was memorable!

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 20 years.

For more information, please visit www.lhasocialwork.org Contact magazine online www.contactmagazine.net Facebook: Contact News / Twitter: Contact News

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 17

Charities And Organisations Central Tibetan Administration

Tibetan Library (LTWA)

TCHRD

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.

Location: Near Library Phone: 01892-222218 Hours: Mon-Sat: 9:00 am-5:00 pm Email: kashag@tibet.net Web: www.tibet.net

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.

Location: Gangchen Kyishong Phone: 9882255047 Email: ltwa1970@gmail.com Web: www.tibetanlibrary.org

Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democrac (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.

Location: CTA, Dharamshala - 176215 Phone: 01892-223363 Email: office@tchrd.org Web: www.tchrd.org

Delek Hospital

Lha Charitable Trust

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.

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 Web: www.delekhospital.org

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 back page) Location: Temple Road, McLeod Ganj, Opposite State Bank of India Phone: 01892-220992, 988-2323-455 Email: office@lhasocialwork.org Web:www.lhasocialwork.org

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama (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.

Location: McLeod Ganj, Phone: 01892-221343 / 221210 Email: ohhdl@dalailama.com Web: www.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.

Location: Tipa Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala -176219 Phone: 01892-221554 Email: president@tibetanyouthcongress.org, tyc@tibetanyouthcongress.org Web: www. tibetanyouthcongress.org

Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) The TWA conducts workshops on gender sensitisation and domestic violence throughout Tibetan settlements in India, provides Tibetan women with education scholarships and connects women with international sponsors.

Location: Bhagsu Road, McLeod Ganj Phone: 01892-221527 Email: tibwomen@gmail.com Web: www. tibetanwomen.org

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.

Location: Dharamshala Cantt.176216 Phone: 01892-221354 / 221348 Email: headoffice@tcv.org.in Web: www.tcv.org.in

Tibetan Medical & Astro Institute Men-Tsee-Khang, also called Tibetan Medical & Astro Institute, is a facility for research, training and practice of traditional Tibetan medicine. Patients may seek treatment at Men-Tsee-Khang for both acute and chronic conditions. The facility provides extensive training and produces traditional pharmaceuticals.

Location: Gangchen Kyishong, Phone: 01892-223222 / 223113 Email: info@men-tsee-khang.org Web: www.men-tsee-khang.org

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 65 schools under this organisation after the take over of CTSA Schools.

Location: Khanyara Rd, Dharamshala176215 Phone: 01892 - 246422 / 246423 Email: stss1999@gmail.com Web: www.sambhota.org

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 programmes, childhood education and sponsorship, primary and nursery tent schools, and children’s support hostels. Volunteer opportunities available.

Location: Top Floor, Bank Of Baroda, Kotwali Bazaar, Dharamshala-176215 Phone: 01892-223930 Email: jamyang@tong-len.org Web: www. 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.

Location: Jogiwara Road, McLeod Ganj Phone: 9882786875 Web: www.sftindia.org, Web: www.studentsforafreetibet.org

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

Location: Temple Road, McLeod Ganj Phone: 01892-221790 / 221877 Email: director@tibetcharity.in Web: www.tibetcharity.in

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 18

The Kangra District 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.

Location: Red Cross Bhawan, Dharamshala Phone: 01892-224888 / 9418832244 Email: sharmaopl12345@gmail.com Web: www.redcrosskangra.org

Gu-Chu-Sum 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 including medical, financial, basic education and vocational training. It also organises lobbies 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 World Tibet World is a charitable trust (Reg No 136/2015) “Where Tibet meets the world & the world meets Tibet”. Education programmes: international language courses, training, workshops and a winter programme for schoolchildren. Cultural programmes: folk show, talks, sharing stories, monk chat, compassion + wisdom = happiness workshops, cultural tours, engaging volunteering options, cultural exchange and collaboration programmes.

Location: Jogiwara Road near Post Office, McLeod Ganj Phone: 9816999928/8353005268 Email: info@tibetworld.org

Charities And Organisations Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA)

Clean Upper Dharamshala Project

National Democratic Party of Tibet

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).

Location: TIPA Road, McLeod Ganj Dharamshala-176219 Phone: 01892-221478 Email: tibetanarts2012@gmail.com Web: www.tibetanarts.org

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.

Location: Bhagsu Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala - 176219 Phone: 01892-221059 Email: cudpswm@gmail.com Web: www.tsodhasa.org

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.

Location: Dharamshala–176219 Phone: 9882787633 / 9882673330 Email: tibetparty4@gmail.com Web: www.ndp4tibet.org

Nyingtob Ling (Realm of Courage)

Norbulingka Institue

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

Location: Near Norbulingka, Sidhpur Phone: 01892 211042 / 9816028149 Email: nyingtob_ling@hotmail.com Web: www.nyingtobling.org

Norbulingka Institue is a centre for Tibetan culture with studios and artists at work. The institution is dedicated to the preservation of the Tibetan culture in its literary and artistic forms. Guided tours are available. You can visit temple, workshops, garden and the showroom of Tibetan arts and crafts. You can take a free tour of the studios and observe artists at work. The tour guides will explain each art form in depth. There is a restaurant on site. (See back cover inside) Location: Sidhpur, Dharamshala Phone: 9882144210 Email: info@norbulingka.org Web: www.norbulingka.org

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

Location: Underground Hotel Akash, Jogiwara Road, Mcleodd Ganj, Dharamsala 176219 Phone: (+91) 7590025915 Email: learningandideasfortibet@gmail.com Web: www.lit-dharamsala.org

Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution is a non-profit, 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.

Location: Session Road, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala 176215 Phone: 01892-226627 Email: tccrteam@gmail.com Web: www.tccr.org

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.

Location: Jogiwara Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala- 176219 Phone: 9857973026 Email: rogpa2004@yahoo.com Web: www.tibetrogpa.org

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.

Location: Village Gamru, P.O Kotwali Bazaar, Dharamshala, Distt Kangra 176215 Phone: 9816105554 Email: tashu72004@yahoo.com Web: www.gamruschool.com

Women’s Team 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

The Active Nonviolence Education Centre 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

Tibetan Dubbing Society Tibetan Dubbing Society, founded in 2015, is a non-profit organisation working towards preserving the Tibetan language through various forms of entertainment and dubbing animation movies into the Tibetan language for Tibetan children.

Location: Near Norbulinga Institute Phone: +91-8629837735 Email: savetiblang@gmail.com Web: www.tibetdub.org

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 Rs 20.

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 19

Activities And Information Livelihood Programme Lha Charitable Trust in collaboration with Tibetan Health Spalon based in Dharamshala has announced a four month traditional Tibetan massage and spa course for Tibetans as part of their Livelihood programme. The Lha programme is funded by the Tibet Fund, USA. The course covers: • Tibetan Traditional Massage • Introduction to Swedish massage and Aromatherapy massage • Course weightings: Theory 30% and Practical 70% • Two month on-the-job training • Personality development, financial literacy, basic English and other complementary courses

Buddhist Philosophy Library Of Tibetan Works And Archives Web: Www.tibetanlibrary.org Location: Gangchen Kyishong, Between

Mcleod Ganj And Lower Dharamshala Hours: Mon-Fri: 10:30 - 11:45 Am Phone: 9882255047

yoga and reiki Yoga & Reiki Courses Location: Om Yoga Ashram,Near Dal Lake Mob: 9805693514 /981649432 Email: om.yoga@ymail.com Web: http://www.omashram.in Shivam Neelkant Yoga Kendra 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 Dorjee Spa Location: Pema Thang Guest House,

WHotel Bhagsu Road Phone:9816393673 9857108408 Whatsapp: 9816393673

Meditation

Languages

Tushita Meditation Centre Web: www.tushita.info Location: Dharamkot Hours: Mon-Sat: 9:30-11:30Am Phone: 0898-816-0988 Email: spc@tushita.info

Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translators Programme Location: Rato Chuwar Labrang,

Shivan Neel Kanth Yoga Website: www.shivamneelkant.yoga.com Location: Bhagsu Nag, Near High Sky Phone: 09816565138 Email: Yogi_shivam@Yahoo.co.in

Tibetan Language Location: The Tibetan Library

Om Meditation Ashram

Location-Om Yoga Ashram,Near Dal Lake Mob: 01892 220333 /9805693514 Web: www.himalayanashram.com

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: yesheadconsultant@tibet.net Lha Charitable Trust Location: Near Dolma Chowk, Mcleod Ganj Phone: 9882323455 / +91 (0)1892 -220992 Web: www.lhasocialwork.org

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 20

Phuntsok Gatsel Session Road Hours: 10:45-5Pm Email: lrztp.manager@gmail.com

*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:Yongling School Buildding Phone: 8580796453 Email: contact@esukhia.org Sanskrit Language Study Program At Vikramashila Foundation India (Vfi) Location: Vikramashila Center, 1St Flr, Ketan

Lodge,Jogiwara Road, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamshala, HP Email: vikramashilafoundation@gmail.com

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 Tibetan Institute of 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 in

Lower Dharamshala 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 & 4Th

Sat

Centre For Living Buddhist Art Location: Khanyara Road Website: Www.livingbuddhistart.com Email: sarikalochoe@hotmail.com Phone: 9418655401 Hours: 9 Am- 5 Pm

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

Specialist 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: 2:00-4:30 Pm; Emergencies: 24 Hrs Daily

Maanav Health Clinic

Location: Main Square Hours: 10:00 -12:30 Pm & 2:00-5:00 Pm 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

Smile Dental Clinic & Implant Center

Location: Opposite, Walia Medical Store, Near State Bank of India ATM, Mcleod Ganj Phone: 7018354594 / 82629011445 Website: smiledentalclinicmcleodganj.com

News:

Tibet-Related Websites

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

News, information and campaigning:

dalailama.com - for broadcasts of His Holiness’s teachings, his schedule and information about Tibet and the Dalai Lama tchrd.org - Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy - a 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 tibetanjournal.com - Tibetan Journal - news, reviews and opinions rukor.org - a discussion site on Tibetan nomads and their fate bitterwinter.org - A magazine on religious liberty and human rights in China

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.

DHARAMSHALA CONTACTS Ambulance: 01892-102, 222189 Tibetan Delek Hospital Location: Gangchen Kyishong, Central Tibetan Administration Hours: Outpatient services: 9am-1pm, Mon-Sat; 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 Police Superintendent: 01892-222244

McLeod Ganj Post Office Location: Jogiwara Rd, Before the 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

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 21

Jobs And Advertisements

Job Opportunities Ngoenga School for Tibetan Children with Special Needs Postion: Teacher and Physio Assistant Qualification: Graduate or TGT or Diploma or Certificate course in Special Education Deadline : October 15, 2019 / 5pm Email: ngoenga@tibet.net Website: www.ngoengaschool@org

Ngoenga School for Tibetan Children with Special Needs

Postion: Gardener cum Gatekeeper Deadline : October 15, 2019 / 5pm

The Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education Postion: Principal Qualification: Ph.D or M.Phil / 30 to 45 years old Salary: INR 50,000 Deadline : October 15, 2019 / 5pm Email: thuptend@gmail.com Contact address: Head Office, TCV, Dharamshala

The Rowell Fund for Tibet Tibetans are invited to apply for the Rowell Fund for Tibet’s 2019-2020 grant cycle for projects that focus on the following themes: • Environment/conservation • Photography • Humanitarian projects • Journalism/literature • Women’s projects Application deadline: Sep 1 - October 15, 2019.

For more details visit : www.savetibet.org/what-we-do/rowellfund-tibet/ Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 22

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#5

8 AUSPICIOUS HIM VIEW HOTEL

8 beautiful rooms with balcony facing the Himalayan Range.

Enjoy the sunrise from your bed!

Phone: 01892-220567 Cell: 9418236603 Jogiwara Rd (Map #9) Email: tseringd@aushimview.com

Nature Cure Health Club

Jogiwara Rd, next to Tibetan Ashoka Guest House - Map #6 Whatsapp: 7833047078 Mobile: 09882320136 Email: mahinder_m@hotmail.com 20+ yrs’ experience: Swedish massage courses & treatment, Zen Shiatsu courses, Singing Bowl

Quantum Healing - Breath & Bowls Workshop A 3-part Soul Purification and Healing

NEED A DENTIST?

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 #8 Email: perfect32dentalclinic@gmail.com /Call: 09218742046 Website: www.perfect32dentalclinic.in

Enjoy traditional Taiwanese and Chinese food and a peaceful environment, just one minute from the Bus Stand, just behind Asian Plaza! (Map # 4)

NEPALI KITCHEN MULTICUISINE RESTAURANT Address: Chhaya Niwas Location: Jogiwara Road, Mcleod Ganj Indian, Chinese, Continental Mexican, Italian and Israeli Speciality: Nepali Thali, Wood Oven Pizza Fresh Seasonal Juice Contact number : 8628 878 743 / 9405 233 008

Contact magazine | September 2019 | Page No 23

Map Of McLeod Ganj

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Lha Headquarters State Bank of India & ATM Smile Dental Clinice & Implant Center 04. Common Ground Cafe 05. Woeser Bakery 06. Nature Cure Health Club 07. 8 Auspicious Him View Hotel 08. Perfect 32 Dental Clinic 09. Ahimsa House & Lha Soup Kitchen 01.

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Chonor House Tibetan Musuem and Temple Delek Hospital Central Tibetan Administration Tibetan Library Mentsekhang (Tibetan Medical Institute) 16. Gangkyi Taxi Stand 17. Rogpa Baby Centre 18. Nepali Kitchen & Multicuisine Restaurant 10.

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Lha Traveller Services and Volunteer Opportunities Long or short-term, skilled or unskilled volunteers needed at Lha • Teachers: English conversation, English, French and Chinese language classes • Computer classes: IT and web designers • Environmental professionals • Medical and healthcare professionals • Fundraisers and grant writers • Project professionals; chefs and cooks • Writers....And much more!

Share your knowledge and skills with the local Tibetan, Indian, and Himalayan communities whilst gaining hands-on experience working with a social services charity Tibetan Homestay Lha arranges home-stays with refugee families giving visitors the chance to experience the Tibetan life style and a chance to connect and learn about each others’ cultures. Homestays include accommodation, breakfast, and dinner.

Reception and Orientation Service Our services help smooth your arrival in Delhi - avoid the scams at Delhi Airport! - and your onward travel to Dharamshala. On arrival here we will orientate you into the Tibetan community.

Highly recommended for people who want a stress-free arrival, especially if you are arriving late at night or early in the morning, you can buy online in advance of your travel to India.

To find out more please visit www.lhasocialwork.org Lha office, Temple Road, McLeod Ganj 176219 Dharamshala, Distt. Kangra HP. (Mon-Sat: 9am-1pm and 2-5pm) office@lhasocialwork.org +91 (0) 1892-220992 www.tibetnature.net www.samdhongrinpoche.com www.tibetfairtrade.com www.tibetnature.net

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འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་གསར་འཕྲིན། Contact Newsletter

Managing Director Dorji Kyi Editor-in-Chief Jenny James Editor Tenzin Samten Circulation Manager Tsering Wangdue Designed by Karma Ringzin Topgyal Published by Lha Charitable Trust Web:www.lhasocialwork.org

www.contactmagazine.net Phone: 91(0)1892-220992 Email:

editor@contactmagazine.net Facebook: ContactNews Twitter: ContactTibet Printed at Imperial Printing, Dharamshala Phone: 222390 Email:ippdsala@gmail.com