Contact Feb-March 2015

Fr

ee

འབྲེས་གཏུགས་གསར་འཕྲིན།

Contact

A Free Monthly Publication For Tibetan Issues and Community Information RGD No. HPENG/2013/51798 Volume: XVII Issue: 2 Feb - March 2015

The Dalai Lama’s Dilemma

by Rohini Kejriwal

The question of the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama has been a matter of concern for over a decade. Traditionally the Dalai Lama will leave instructions to enable his reincarnation to be found. However, Tenzin Gyatso, the present Dalai Lama, has suggested that he will not reincarnate - a move that would end centuries of tradition and leadership for nearly 6 million Tibetans.

In an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, he said, “If a weak Dalai Lama comes along, then it will just disgrace the Dalai Lama”. He also

Read more on page 3

Tibetan Mother Dies after Protest

Norchuk, 47, a mother of three from Trotsuk village in Ngaba burned herself to death in a protest against Chinese policies in her homeland on March 6.

Norchuk was associated with Dephu monastery and had recently taken a vow to become a lifelong vegetarian at a mass gathering of nomads from different villages who committed themselves to virtuous behavior.

Norchuk’s body was cremated immediately by local government officials. She is the 137th known case of self-immolation by Tibetans since 2008 and the fifth Tibetan woman to self-immolate in Ngaba County. Her death came amid

Read more on page 8

International Support for Tibet on Uprising Day

by Sarah Gittleman

While the 56th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising on March 10 was marked by increased security by Chinese officials within Tibet, protests and commemorations occurred across the world demonstrating international support for the Tibetan cause.

Crackdowns within Tibet began ahead of Uprising Day during the Monlam

Read more on page 4

“Don’t Forget the Tibetans”

by Lucy McKormick “My message to the international community is: don’t forget the Tibetans. To forget the victims is to kill them a second time.” With this quotation from Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, German politician Claudia Roth delivered to the Tibetan people a strong message of solidarity.

Ms Claudia Roth, Vice President of the Bundestag (the German parliament) and a tireless human rights activist, was invited to India by the political leader

Read more on page 4

W www.contactmagazine.net

Contact News

Contact News

about lha & contact Contact, a free monthly publication of Lha Charitable Trust, is a recognised and registered publication under the Registrar Office of the Newspaper, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. The registration number is HPENG/2013/51798. Acknowledged

by Lonely Planet and other international travel resources, Contact has been a popular source of news and information on Tibetan issues, and the Dharamshala community, for over 14 years.

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

Please Note: The articles, stories and other material in Contact represent the views of the authors and are not necessarily the views of the Contact editing staff or Lha Social Work. All comments on this issue should be submitted by email to: editor@contactmagazine.net

Lha Charitable Trust

Institute for Social Work & Education Mission Statement:

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

Background:

Lha is a Tibetan grassroots nonprofit organisation based in Dharamshala, India. It is one of the largest social work organisations providing vital resources for Tibetan refugees, the local Indian population and people from the Himalayan regions.

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

For more information about Lha, please visit: www.lhasocialwork.org Facebook: Lhasocialwork Twitter: Lhasocialwork

Lha Traveler Services and Volunteer Opportunities

Long or short-term, skilled or unskilled volunteers needed at Lha

• English conversation (Mon-Fri, 4-5pm) • English, French and Chinese teachers • Computer teachers • Web designers and IT professionals • Contributing writers • Environmental professionals • Medical and healthcare professionals • Fundraisers and grant writers • Project professionals • Chefs and cooks • 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 work organisation.

TIBETAN HOME-STAY 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.

*All donations and fees from Lha classes and services directly benefit Lha community social work projects.

Contact

RECEPTION & ORIENTATION Our services help smooth your arrival in Delhi and your onward travel to Dharamshala. We also orientate you to the Tibetan community here. Avoid the scams at Delhi Airport! Highly recommended for people who want a stress-free arrival, especially if you are arriving late at night or early in the morning, and can be purchased online in advance of your travel to India.

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

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

Acknowledgement

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

We thank TFD for supporting the publication of Contact.

Can you Donate to Lha? Lha collects all kinds of donations in the form of clothing, shoes, books, and language resources, computer and medical supplies, as well as any other useful items.

Monetary donations are extremely helpful and are greatly appreciated, large or small.

Please contact the office: office@lhasocialwork.org (0) 98823-23455 / 1892-220992 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues Continued from page 1

The Dalai Lama’s Dilemma

said that if he is reborn, he will never be incarnated in Tibet if the country is not free, and no one has the right to choose his heir for political ends.

To add weight to the futility of his quest to find a successor, he knows that if the Chinese government does not approve his choice, they will select

Tibet’s missing Panchen Lama Photo: freepanchenlama.org

an alternative. This was the case with the Panchen Lama, the second highest position in Tibetan Buddhism, who died in 1989. The Chinese selected his reincarnation and when the Dalai Lama made an independent choice the following year, that child was kidnapped and has not been seen since, possibly remaining under house arrest.

His Holiness’s suggestion about his own reincarnation has not been well received by China, which is demanding control over the reincarnation of the exiled Buddhist leader. Tensions over what will happen when the 14th Dalai Lama dies ignited at the annual gathering of China’s legislators in Beijing recently when Chinese officials started threatening that His Holiness must choose a successor for them to validate.

“Whether [the Dalai Lama] wants to cease reincarnation or not ...this decision is not up to him. When he became the 14th Dalai Lama, it was not his decision. He was chosen following a strict system dictated by religious rules and historical tradition and also with the approval of the central government. Can he decide when to stop reincarnating? That is impossible. .... If he goes ahead with this, there will be division,” said Padma Choling, the chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese-controlled Contact

Tibet Autonomous Regional People’s Congress.

“Decision-making power over the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, and over the end or survival of this lineage, resides in the central government of China,” added Communist Party official Zhu Weiqun.

Since 2007, the Chinese Religious Affairs Bureau has declared itself the final validator of any reincarnations of Buddhist leadership. Their argument is that the communist government is the proper guardian of the Dalai Lama’s succession through an intricate process of reincarnation - a move that is widely believed will produce a puppet leader who accepts China’s presence and policies in Tibet.

Be it a last act of defiance against the Chinese or a genuine fear of a weak 15th Dalai Lama, the 14th Dalai Lama has reserved the final decision for whether he will reincarnate until he is 90 in 2025.

Following the Beijing meeting, His Holiness reiterated his stance that a reincarnation would be dependent on the wishes of the Tibetan people.

An article by The Economist recently traced the controversy back to the appointment to office of the current Dalai Lama in 1950, claiming that the Chinese government is no expert in Tibetan Buddhism. The article called China’s policies towards the Dalai Lama “nonsense” and “preposterous” and China’s enmity towards the Dalai Lama “illogical”.

Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected political leader of the Tibetans, expressed his view, “It’s like F i d e l Castro saying, ‘I will select the next Sikyong Lobsang Sangay Pope and all the Catholics should follow.’ That is ridiculous. It’s none of Padma Choling or any of the Communist Party’s business, mainly because [Chinese]

3

Communism believes in atheism, and religion being poisonous.”

“The person selected by the Chinese government is just as much a victim of the situation as anyone, so there’s nothing personal held against that person,” said Dicki Chhoyang, the head of the Central Tibetan Administration’s Department of Information and International Relations, who feels that Tibetans are sure to reject any future putative Dalai Lama hand-picked by the Chinese government.

The BBC has said that whether the Dalai Lama will reincarnate is one of the most sensitive political issues in China, asking the question: who has authority in Tibet? They interviewed four “expert witnesses” for a broadcast on the World Service.

Chonpel Tsering, the Dalai Lama’s representative in northern Europe, says “The present … Dalai Lama, can decide. The rebirth is his choice” and goes on to say that His Holiness will consult the Tibetan people. Jia Xiudong, senior research fellow at the China Institute of international studies in Beijing, says “It’s not about the freedom of religion, It is about sovereignty - whether Tibet can remain part of China.” He continues, “When he talks about reincarnation, many people in China believe that the Dalai Lama is playing a political game.”

Robert Barnett, director of the Modern Tibet Studies Programme at Columbia University in New York, said “Nobody in the Communist Party seems to have ever considered the possibility that they could rule Tibetans without a lama to be their intermediary.” Jamyang Norbu is a Tibetan writer and activist who criticises the Dalai Lama’s MiddleWay Approach as a “softly softly” approach to China. Norbu says “China will have their candidate up and running…they’ll just pick some Tibetan kid [and] say, ‘This is the Dalai Lama.’ If we don’t have our own …then they win by proxy.”

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues

International Support for Tibet on Uprising Day Continued from page 1

Prayer Festival, when a massive military presence, including ranks of fully armed soldiers and armoured vehicles, began to intensify. Apart from the military build-up, tourism and travel were restricted, the movements of local residents were closely monitored, and various checkpoints were established to search both vehicles and people.

These measures to increase security were made in an attempt to discourage any protest that might occur ahead of the anniversary.

Despite the heightened security, there were instances of protest within the occupied country. The first, which occurred on March 6 in Ngaba, Amdo, was a self-immolation. Norchuk, 47, died and was later cremated before Chinese officials could confiscate her body. On March 7, a solo protest carried Gedun Phuntsok out by monk Gedun Phunstok also occurred in Ngaba.

Gedun Phunstok carried a photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and shouted slogans calling for freedom and equality before being arrested. His current

Continued from page 1

China as the only possible means to resolve the Tibet issue, was followed by a protest march. Elsewhere in India, protestors in New Delhi carried out demonstrations in front of the Chinese Embassy. After trying to storm the gates, protestors clashed with police after which the Delhi police used force in order to disperse the crowds. Numerous arrests were made.

In Nepal, activists sang songs and made offerings to a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as part of their peaceful commemorations, but no demonstrations were held due to growing pressure from Nepalese authorities.

In the United States, Congressional Representative Nancy Pelosi joined hundreds of people gathered in San

Nancy Pelosi at the event

Francisco to offer her support for Tibetans while commemorating the 56th anniversary and paying tribute to the ongoing Tibetan resistance.

“Don’t Forget the Tibetans”

of the Central Tibetan Administration, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay. She addressed the crowds at Tsuglakhang, the main Tibetan temple in McLeod Ganj on March 10 to mark the 56th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising.

Ms Roth gave thanks to her “dear Tibetan family” for their courage, strength and “endless patience” in the non-violent struggle against Chinese occupation. She repeatedly called for the release of all Tibetan political prisoners and emphasised that China, having now emerged as an economic power, must also demonstrate maturity and cultural leadership if it is to be Contact

whereabouts remain unknown.

A young man, Tamdin, was also shot and injured in Draggo, Kardze in the Tibet Autonomous Prefecture.

Tamdin was travelling with friends by motorbike Tamdin was shot in the leg to hang prayer Photo: RFA flags and make incense offerings to commemorate Uprising Day when police attempted to stop the group. When they failed to yield, police opened fire injuring Tamdin’s right thigh. His friends escaped unharmed.

Outside Tibet, exiled Tibetans and international supporters held protests and commemorations in well over a dozen countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, India, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States.

To mark the occasion, Lobsang Sangay, the leader of Tibet’s exiled government, gave a speech to nearly 5,000 supporters in Dharamshala. The speech, which called for dialogue with

truly accepted on the world stage.

For this reason, Ms Roth insisted, it

Ms Roth speaking at the March 10 gathering Photo: Contact/Lha

is in China’s own interest to accept the Middle-Way Approach originally proposed by His Holiness the Dalai 4

Lama. Otherwise, she said, “how is the international community meant to support [them] when they have repressed human rights to such an extent?”

A former chairperson of the German Green Party, Ms Roth also stressed the serious environmental concerns that exist around Chinese mining, damming and reservoir-building projects in Tibet.

Echoing the sentiments of the Europeans in the audience, Ms Roth ended her speech by assuring the Tibetan people that Europe stands in solidarity with them, and mentioning the parallel rallies being led to Chinese embassies across the region.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues

Jataka Tales and the Long-Life Prayer for His Holiness

by Tsering Wangdue The long-life prayer was conferred on His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in celebration of his 80th year, at the Monlam or Great Prayer Festival which falls during the first days of the Tibetan New Year. On the day

The teaching at Tsuglakhang Temple Photo: OHHDL

following the ceremony he gave a short teaching at Tsuglakhang Temple in McLeod Ganj from the Jataka Tales to everybody who had gathered for the Monlam festival.

The long-life prayer, which is associated with Amitayus, the Buddha of longevity, was offered on March 4 to His Holiness by five different Tibetan organisations: the Belgian Tibetan Association, the Tibet United

Committee, representatives of the Lhasa District Long-Life Ceremony Committee, the Lhoka People’s Association and the Dharamshala Business Association. The Amitayus ritual was performed by monks of the Mindrolling and Dorje-Drak Monasteries. Afterwards, His Holiness thanked the five organising bodies and said he is in good health and confident that he will live to be over a hundred years old.

On the final day of the Great Prayer Festival and one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist celebrations of the year, His Holiness joined the assembled monks and nuns early in the morning for the bi-monthly restoration and purification ceremony.

In the courtyard, many lay people – Tibetans and visitors from different parts of the world – waited eagerly.

His Holiness began teaching about Buddha’s life by reading from the Jataka Tales. He mentioned that Buddha is the only teacher who told his students to analyse and examine his teachings and not to follow blindly

out of faith. He said all schools of Tibetan Buddhism are based on the Nalanda Tradition, which preaches study through logic and analysis.

His Holiness also mentioned that it is important to have good motivation while reciting prayers and

Monks performing the Cham dance Photo: OHHDL

mantras to become a true Buddhist practitioner.“Peace will not come by simply releasing pigeons into the air.”

He added that a peaceful society can be possible only if there is peace and harmony within every human being.

His Holiness explained that the Great Prayer Festival was established by the Great Master Tsongkhapa in Tibet more than 600 years ago.

Professor Samdhong Rinpoche Teaches at Gyuto His Eminence Professor Samdhong Rinpoche bestowed the highest integrating Tantra of Saying Manjushri Names and its Extensive Commentary

by Gyalwa Gedun Gyatso [His Holiness the Second Dalai Lama, 1476-1542] in at nine-day teaching at the Gyuto Tantric Monastery near Dharamshala from March 7 – 17.

The teachings were attended by the practitioner-scholars of Gyuto, and from major monastic seats in southern India, sangha from all regions of the Himalayas, and a large number of lay devotees. There were also international sangha and lay practitioners from abroad.

There was a break in the teachings for the two-day opening ceremony and teaching which was held at Sherabling Monastery on March 11 and 12, led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Rinpoche began the teaching by Contact

advising on the difficulty of attaining a human rebirth. He spoke of the need to draw essence (meanings) out of this human life we have now; and the need

Samdhong Rinpoche teaching at Gyuto Photo: Contact/Lha

to listen to the Dharma (teachings) with a pure altruistic motive.

On the final day of the teachings, Gyuto monastery offered a long-life ceremony for the welfare of all sentient beings and for the precious sublime teachings to remain prevailing.

Rinpoche concluded his teaching by advising on the need for reflecting

5

and generating joy from the fact that one has attained all the positive factors for practising the teachings: one has the precious human rebirth complete with the attributes of leisures and endowments; one has met the teachings where the instructions from both Discourse (Sūtra) and Protecting Methods (Mantra, Tantra) are complete; one is being fostered kindly by a teacher of the Great Vehicle path; and one has the mental capability to discern well the faults of the ordinary mind, to discard them and to adopt the virtues; and to listen to the sublime teachings and eschew the three faults.

Kyabjey Rinpoche advised the attendees to observe well the vows and pledges, and the importance of pure motive and of sealing one’s deeds with prayers and dedications towards full enlightenment for the welfare of all sentient beings.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues

Wholehearted Participation for the Tibetan Parliament

by Tsering Wangdue The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile has concluded the Budget session for the financial year 2105-16. During the 12-day session, in addition to setting the Budget for this year, Parliament discussed the situation inside Tibet and the continuing self-immolations there, as well as reaffirming the Middle-Way Approach as the only practicable way to resolve the issue of Tibet through dialogue with China.

The Parliament-in-Exile passed a resolution to amend the Tibetan Charter to allow a new parliamentary seat for Australasia – Australia, New Zealand and the rest of Asia excluding India, Nepal and Bhutan.

At the opening session Mr Penpa Tsering, the Speaker, spoke on the critical situation escalating inside Tibet in the wake of the ongoing selfimmolation protests there since 2009.

He mentioned that five Tibetans have set themselves on fire since the last session of Parliament, leading to a

total of 136 self-immolations in Tibet to date. Resolutions were proposed expressing solidarity with the Tibetan

At the inaugural session Photo: DIIR/Tenzin Phende

self-immolators and expressing condolences to the families of the many Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of Tibet.

The budget session reported the government’s total expenditure for the previous financial year (2014-2015) of INR 2,212 million, with a total income of INR 2,045 million. The predicted expense for the coming financial year is INR 2,018 million, with an expected income of INR 1,900 million. “With these huge expenses and limited source of income, up-to-date payment

of the Green Book (Tibetan voluntary contribution book) is the least we Tibetans can do to support our own administration” said Speaker Penpa Tsering.

In conclusion, the Speaker said he appreciated the active and wholehearted participation of the members, and emphasised the need to abstain from baseless personal remarks.

The 12-day session ran from March 16-28. It was the ninth session of the 15th Tibetan Parliamentin-Exile.The c u r r e n t parliament comprises 44 members: 10 representing each of the t r a d i t i o n a l Speaker Penpa Tsering provinces; two each for the four different Tibetan Buddhism schools and the Bon religion; and two each representing Europe and North America.

Tibetan Women Honoured and Remembered

by Lucy McKormick March 12 saw schoolchildren, nuns, laypeople and foreign supporters marching from Martyrs’ Pillar in McLeod Ganj to Lower Dharamshala to mark the 56th anniversary of the Tibetan Women’s Uprising Day. Kalon Dolma Gyari, former Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament and current Home Minister of the Tibetan administration in exile, was chief guest at McLeod Ganj’s main Tibetan temple, Tsuglakhang, and she used the platform to appeal for unity among the non-government organisations in the Tibetan exile community.

National Women’s Uprising Day honours the women who gave their lives for the Tibetan cause. A day after the uprising on March 10, 1959, which precipitated the flight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile, thousands of women gathered in Contact

front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa for a demonstration which marked the beginning of the Tibetan Women’s movement for independence. In addition to their peaceful protests,

Home Kalon Gyari Dolma at the event Photo: TWA

the women submitted demands to the Chinese authorities to quit Tibet and made requests for support to India, Nepal and Bhutan, among others. Occupying Chinese forces responded by arresting the leaders of 6

the movement along with many other innocent women. Of those arrested, hundreds paid for their actions with their lives and still more were killed for their continued resistance during the Cultural Revolution and the years that followed.

Supporters in Dharamshala, who gathered to mark the day, observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of these women and all those who have died fighting for a free Tibet.

Afterwards, the Tibetan national anthem and the Tibetan women’s uprising anthem were both sung.

In her speech, Kalon Dolma Gyari said that “the right to commemorate the March 10 uprising anniversary belongs to the entire people of the three provinces of Tibet. So we must collectively respect the significance and meaning, irrespective of.. personal opinions... and work together.”

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues

His Holiness Hits the World’s Headlines

by Ed Janich and Tenzin Samten

His Holiness the Dalai Lama hit the World’s headlines when he visited the United States last month, where he attended the National Prayer Breakfast and appeared in public alongside United States President Barack Obama for the first time.

The Annual Prayer Breakfast is a major religious conference held annually in the American capital,

The Dalai Lama waves towards the table where President Obama was seated Photo: Reuters

Washington DC. China had voiced strong opposition ahead of the meeting, threatening the US with diplomatic consequences should a public meeting occur between His Holiness and Obama, which in turn prompted wide international coverage of the event.

The American President is traditionally the guest speaker at the Breakfast, which is attended by prominent spiritual leaders and US congressmen and women.

Obama greeted the Dalai Lama in his opening speech as a “good friend and a powerful example of what it means to practise compassion”, praising His Holiness as someone “who inspires us to speak up for the freedom and dignity of all human beings”. Though the leaders did not make direct contact at the conference, a White House representative was seated at His Holiness’ table, signifying his high status at the event.

Chinese officials denounced the meeting in the international press, accusing the president of lending Contact

public support to the Tibetan separatist movement. “We are against any country’s interference in China’s domestic affairs under the pretext of Tibet-related issues, and are opposed to any foreign leaders meeting the Dalai Lama in any form,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said days before the meeting.

Xinhua, China’s state-run Englishlanguage news agency, was also critical of the meeting, warning that “if Obama meets the Dalai Lama,” it might “simply reverse the positive trends [in diplomatic relations] established by China and the US.” Following the Prayer Breakfast, the Dalai Lama met privately with several members of the US Congress, before opening a panel discussion at the US Institute of Peace. His Holiness suggested that the institute might open offices in other countries around the world, expressing optimism that China might one day be ready to host such an organisation. “China is changing” he said, “but it will take some time.”

His Holiness followed his American visit with a trip to Switzerland, Norway and Denmark. He travelled to Basel in Switzerland on February 6, where he was welcomed by many Tibetans and

Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, with the Dalai Lama Photo: AP/Evan Vucci

Tibet friends at Zurich airport. His Holiness was invited by the Tibetan Community of Switzerland and Liechtenstein to give a teaching and public talk Ethics for Today’s World, and the following day gave a teaching

7

on Nagarjuna’s A Commentary on Awakening Mind.

His Holiness then gave the Avalokiteshvara Empowerment and a talk Secular Ethics. During the talk, he spoke of the need for inner peace in order to be a happier person, “All seven billion human beings alive today face problems. No one is without problems, but when faced with them our mental attitude makes a big difference to how we respond. Of course, physical facilities and comfort are important and have their place.

But I have met people who have all the

Tibetans offering His Holiness a traditional welcome on his arrival in Copenhagen Photo: OHHDL

facilities and comfort they could want who are still unhappy. [….] What we need is inner peace, the kind of peace that remains undisturbed in the midst of trouble.”

Arriving in Norway, the Dalai Lama attended the International Student Festival in Trondheim, a meeting place for discussion and debate.

His Holiness arrived in Copenhagen in Denmark, where he met members of the Tibetan community there who came to welcome him, and told them “Things are changing in China. There will be an opportunity for us to return to our homeland. We have all worked hard and that day will dawn. Do not lose heart.”

His Holiness also met Danish religious representatives and a group of Danish parliamentarians. The Dalai Lama concluded the trip with a teaching Eight Verses for Training the Mind at the Bella Conference Centre in Copenhagen.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues

Arrests, Sentences and Releases in Tibet Palden Gyatso, 46, a political prisoner in Qinghai province, has been freed, but his supporters have been ordered not to publicly celebrate his release and threatened with severe penalties if caught filming images of his return. Gyatso had served six of his seven year prison sentence for taking part in a protest in 2009. A heavy police presence prevented the “grand reception” which had been planned for him.

Lobsang Dawa, a Tibetan monk from Sog Tsenden Monastery, was taken into custody during the evening of March 20. There is no information regarding his whereabouts, and police have not given any explanation for his arrest. Sources suspect that his detention could have been triggered by the possession of banned contents in his WeChat, including images of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Ngawang Gyaltsen, a former monk from a monastery in Nagchu county, was detained by Chinese authorities on February 24. News of his detention was blocked from reaching outside sources due to communication clampdowns.

He had recently been forced to withdraw from the monastery and had been subjected to increased restrictions after challenging Chinese officials who conducted “patriotic education” programs.

Ngawang Gyurme, a monk from Continued from page 1

Jamyang Jinpa, 43, a monk from Labrang Tashikyil Monastery in Kanlho Prefecture, Gansu, has been detained since March 13. No reason has been given for his detention.

Norbu Tsering, a Tibetan protestor arrested seven years ago for participating in a rally, has been released in “weak and poor” health in Kardze.

Seven Tibetan monks: Namgyal Tsultrim, Lodoe Tenzin, Tsultrim Gojhay, Tsultrim Namgyal, Thabkhay Lhundup, Jigme Tsultrim, and Jigme Drakpa, were arrested during a crackdown at Sog Tsenden monastery in Sog County on March 19. Police did not provide a specific reason for the arrests.

Lobsang Kelsang, a 19-year-old monk from Kirti monastery, was arrested in Ngaba after a solo demonstration against the Chinese government on March 17. He carried prayer flags and a portrait of HH the Dalai Lama while calling for freedom for Tibetans and the long life of HH the Dalai Lama.

Within minutes, Chinese authorities arrived and arrested him. Lobsang Kelsang is the second monk from Kirti Monastery to be arrested this month.

Tsering Kyipo, 27, from Kardze in the Sichuan province was freed from prison last month, before serving his full term, apparently for good behavior while in detention. He served three of his four-year sentence for distributing flyers challenging Beijing’s rule and calling for the return of HH the Dalai Lama.

Pema Dorjee, 17, a monk from the Za Gonsar monastery, was arrested for carrying out a solo protest in Kham Kardze County on Feb 6. He called for the return of HH the Dalai Lama to Tibet and for his long life.

Eight Chinese security personnel beat up Pema before arresting him, leaving him severely wounded. His whereabouts are unknown.

Tsepak, 33, and Jigdel Kyab, 39, were among eleven Tibetans who were arrested in Chengdu when they protested against the land grab in Zoege County. Reports of their arrests surfaced in early February.

Phakpa, a Tibetan resident of Ngame Ajong township in Ngaba county has been released from prison before serving his full 11-year sentence for taking part in the 2008 protests in Tibet. He arrived home to a hero’s welcome wearing traditional Tibetan clothes and a mask marked with a cross, understood to mean that he has been ordered not to talk about his experiences in jail.

Tibetan Mother Dies after Protest

heightened security in the area around the Lunar New Year and Tibetan Uprising day on March 10.

Norchuk is survived by her parents Tsedak and Youdon, her husband Contact

the Sog Tsenden monastery in the Nagchu prefecture was released from prison around March 24, after serving a 15-year term for taking part in protests challenging Beijing’s rule in Tibet. Gyurme was detained with five companions and charged with “harming national security.” He endured long years of harsh treatment while in custody.

Palzel and their three children.

The Central Tibetan Administration in exile organised a prayer service for Norchuk in Tsuglahkang temple in McLeod Ganj which was attended by 8

hundreds of Tibetans and supporters.

Prayers were also offered for all the Tibetan self-immolators and Tibetan political prisoners suffering continued incarceration in Chinese prisons.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues

Losar - a Double Celebration

by Wendhe Choetsoe Losar (Tibetan New Year) celebrations in the exiled Tibetan community in Dharamshala began early on February 19, the first day of Losar, the female Wood Sheep Year – 2142.

The official gathering at Tsuglakhang, the main Tibetan Temple in the town, saw monks of Namgyal Monastery and officials of the Central Tibetan Administration carry out the Tsetor (the official prayer ceremony).

In a recorded video message, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the political head of the Tibetan

Tibetans scatter Lung-ta and celebrate at Se monastery in Ngaba Photo: RFA

community, called upon Tibetans to remember all those Tibetans martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of Tibet. Sikyong also said that the New Year is dedicated as the Year of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as this year he turns 80.

In the Tibetan culture, turning 80 is a celebrated event in one’s life, especially in the traditional Amdo and Kham provinces of Tibet. The people there have a special tradition of marking the 80th birth year of their spiritual teachers and family members, and paying special respect to them.

Celebrations as His Holiness the Dalai Lama turns 80 With the lunar New Year, His Holiness the Dalai Lama turned 80. Despite the Chinese government’s ban, Tibetans in Ngaba, Golok, Labrang, Rebkong and Chentsa counties in Amdo region in the north-east of Tibet, and in Kardze and Minyak counties in Kham in the south-east, openly marked His Holiness’s 80th birth year. Videos from Contact

Tibet showed thousands of Tibetans gathered for public ceremonies while many also observed the event privately at home.

Life-size portraits of His Holiness were placed on the traditional thrones as thousands of Tibetans linedup to offer khatak (traditional scarves). The Tibetans also threw Lung-ta* (Windhorse) leaflets and tsampa (roasted barley flour) in the air, a traditional act of celebration. Some places gave spectacular fireworks displays.

Free Tibet, a UK-based advocacy group, released a video that shows a group of Tibetans throwing tsampa at police cars in a high-spirited celebration, and photographs of smiling police officers covered in tsampa. “Because of the celebrations and holiday in Tibet, we haven’t been able to confirm where or when the photos and video were taken”, says the Free Tibet website. It is also not known whether such grand and open displays of loyalty and reverence to the Dalai Lama resulted in repercussions.

A large number of military troops were deployed in some of the places where prayers were held.

Tibetans in a village in Dechen county in China’s Yunnan province, however, chose a different way to celebrate Losar. The villagers burned animal furs used in clothing, vowing to give up wearing furs and skins

Tibetans burn wild animal skins in Yunnan Photo: tibetnature.net

as the Dalai Lama made appeals to people to stop using them and to protect endangered animals in Tibet.

“The Tibetans had kept animal-skin clothes as rare and valuable family possessions. However, they became

9

aware of the objections of the Dalai Lama and of local Tibetan Buddhist leaders who advised them not to use them,” a source told Radio Free Asia.

Losar festivities in the US and around the world For the first time ever, the State Department of Washington DC observed the Tibetan New Year.

Nearly a hundred dignitaries, officials and staff from various government and non-government organisations in the area attended the reception hosted by the State Department. Sarah Sewall, Under Secretary of State and also the Special Co-ordinator of Tibetan

Sarah Sewall with Tibetans at the US State Department’s reception for Losar Phtoto: ICT

Affairs, told the gathering that the first ever celebration of the Tibetan New Year at the State Department was long overdue and that she hoped it becomes an annual event from now on. Lodi Gyari Rinpoche, the former Special envoy to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, explained the symbolism of Losar to the Tibetan people, and expressed appreciation to the State Department for the reception, which demonstarates the US Government’s implementation of its policy “to assist in preserving the distinct religious, cultural and linguistic heritage of Tibetan people.”

Losar was celebrated around the world by Tibetans with traditional and religious ceremonies including visiting temples, performing Sang-sol (incense burning), prayers and other rituals. *The flying of Lung-ta is believed to bring peace, wealth, and harmony.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues

A Message of Hope for Tibetans

by Tenzin Samten Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the political leader of the Tibetan community in exile, travelled to Paris to attend the “Europe Stands with

under China’s rule which has led 136 Tibetans there to self-immolate. He also spoke about the environmental destruction in Tibet, and the economic marginalisation faced by Tibetans there. He said that security surveillances in Tibet have been

Sikyong at the rally in Paris Photo: Olivier Adam

Tibet” rally. Tibetan communities and Tibetan supporters in Europe organised the peaceful rally in Paris on March 14to show their solidarity with fellow Tibetans in Tibet living under the China’s occupation.

Tibetans and Tibet supporters from across the Europe participated in the event, carrying large portraits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as well as Tibetan national flags, which flew posters and slogan. Sikyong Sangay spoke of the sad political situation facing Tibetans inside Tibet

prominent activists who also addressed the rally.

The Paris Declaration for the Freedom Struggle of the Tibetan people was read. This declarationdemands a co-ordinated and robust policy on Tibet from European governments.

A signature campaign by prominent European personalities was launched: it will continue until the 80th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in July this year.

Mr Badinter was one of the first three signatories of the Paris Declaration, along with Ms Claudia Roth, the

“Europe Stands with Tibet” rally in Paris Photo: Olivier Adam

increased and chip ID cards are given to Tibetans to enable Chinese security authorities to monitor peoples’ movements.

“Your gathering here is a major inspiration to Tibetans in Tibet. They will be encouraged. This is a message of hope,” said Dr Sangay to the crowd at the event.

The former French Justice Minster Mr Robert Badinter was one of the

Tibetan national flags at the rally Photo: Olivier Adam

German Parliament Vice-President and respected voice for human rights, and Mr Karel Schwarzenberg, the former Czech Foreign Minister.

The US to Sanction Human Rights Violators

by Sam McFarland

The President of the United States of America will have the power to identify human rights violators worldwide, and place sanctions on these individuals under a new bill introduced to the US House of

Capitol Hill in the United States Photo: internet

Congress. The Global Human Rights Accountability Act, also known as the Global Magnitsky Act, was introduced

by Senators Ben Cardin and John McCain and is an expansion on a Contact

previously existing bill from 2012.

The current Magnitsky Act can only be applied to Russian citizens.

The proposed expansion, according to a spokesman from the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), would almost certainly include names of Chinese officials who have roles in the occupation of Tibet. President of the ICT, Matteo Mecacci, was quoted as saying “The US government can send a strong message... by acting to restrict visa entry and freezing the assets of Chinese officials complicit in human rights abuses in China and Tibet.”

The updated Act would “Direct the President to designate foreign nationals whom he determines – based on credible information – are responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other human rights violations committed against individuals seeking 10

to promote human rights or to expose illegal activity carried out by government officials. Aliens on this list will be deemed ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States; visas issued for persons on the list will be revoked”. The bill would also “Direct the President to freeze assets and prohibit US property transactions of such individuals.”

The Act is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian Government corruption whistleblower, who died in Russian custody in 2009. There were no arrests made regarding his death, and Magnitsky was posthumously charged with tax evasion. When the Magnitsky Bill was passed in 2012, Russia responded with a black list of their own, focusing on government officials who worked at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues

Tibet at the Geneva HR Summit

by Rohini Kejriwal The issue of the Tibetan freedom struggle and human rights violations was raised at the United Nations Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in Geneva, Switzerland, held from February 21 – 24. Among the 40 activists, human rights heroes, former political prisoners, journalists and student leaders were two Tibetans – Kalon Dicki Chhoyang of the Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) based in Dharamshala, India and Tenzin Dhardon Sharling, member of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile at Dharamshala.

At the opening session, Kalon addressed the gathering on various issues related to Tibet, speaking specifically on the critical human rights situation prevailing inside Tibet, the forced disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama, the wave of selfimmolation protests inside Tibet and the Middle-Way Approach of the CTA to resolve these issues.

“There have been 135 Tibetans who self-immolated inside Tibet to protest against the People’s Republic of China’s policies in Tibet,” she said, adding that those who selfimmolated include people from all regions of Tibet, their ages ranging

from their late teens to their 60s, and included nomads, farmers, monks, nuns, students, intellectuals, men and women. She also pointed out that despite Chinese occupation for over a half-century, Tibet continues to be a symbol of a people’s non-violent struggle for freedom, justice and dignity.

She highlighted the case of Gedun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama and one of the world’s youngest

Kalon Dicki Chhoyang Photo: CTA

political prisoners. “It’s the tale of a little six-year-old boy who disappeared a few days after His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognised him as the 11th Panchen Lama, one of the highestranking lamas for Tibetan Buddhists.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of him going missing.

His unknown whereabouts combined with the uninterrupted reports of other extrajudicial arrests and tortures serve

as a constant reminder of the Chinese government’s disregard for human rights in Tibet,” said Kalon Dicki Chhoyang.

Kalon Dicki Chhoyang added that the Tibetan issue is a fight between truth and brutal force, saying that Tibet is dealing with a ruthless regime, which has a formidable propaganda machine. Its way of handling Tibet is silence, with no information going into Tibet and no information coming out of Tibet.

During her European tour, Kalon Dicki Chhoyang also visited Riga, the capital of Latvia, and met members of the Tibet Support Group of the Latvian Parliament. In her address, she spoke about the current state of political repression, economic marginalisation, cultural assimilation, environmental destruction and the lack of religious freedom inside Tibet.

She also explained the CTA’s MiddleWay Approach proposal for resolving the Tibet issue.

Her visit also included media interviews and a talk to Latvian students, Tibet: A Middle-Way Approach towards Peace, where she spoke on the history of Tibet, the CTA’s role, the current political situation and the proposed Middle-Way Approach for a better tomorrow.

Fighting for Universal Jurisdiction

by Lucy McCormick Two prominent Spanish Human Rights activists brought their campaign for justice on behalf of Tibet to Dharamshala. Alan Cantos, Director of the Comite de Apoyo al Tibet (Spanish Tibet Support Committee) and human rights lawyer Jose Elias Esteve Molto spoke in Dharamshala of their ongoing fight to bring to justice five high-profile Chinese leaders for crimes against humanity in Tibet.

These leaders include former President and Party Committee Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region Hu Jintao, former President Jiang Zemin and former Prime Minister Li Peng.

Contact

For fifteen years, Mr Cantos and Mr Esteve have been using universal jurisdiction, which allows perpetrators of serious crimes to be prosecuted in another state, to attempt to try the Chinese leaders in the Spanish courts on charges of genocide, torture and crimes against humanity committed in Tibet.

Their campaign has faced many setbacks as China puts pressure on the Spanish Parliament to influence the court proceedings. Mr Esteve and Mr Cantos commented that the Spanish government “has not hesitated to lay [their] democracy at the feet of China” and continued “Tibet is the

11

tip of a huge iceberg of…submission of democratic countries and their principles. Tibet represents the failure of modern democracies to stand up for their principles. So… we all lose by not learning to say ‘no’ to China.”

Mr Esteve closed by saying“our work is dedicated to [Tibetan political prisoners] and their example of courage. It’s actually for all the Tibetan people and we will never give up”.

The event was organised by Students for a Free Tibet and the India and International Tibet Network.It took place at the Tibetan Children’s Village Day School in McLeod Ganj on February 14.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues

Tibetan Headlines Mar 27: Shoton Festival His Holiness the Dalai Lama graced the opening ceremony of the 20th Tibetan Shoton (Opera/Curd) festival which is being celebrated this year at

the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in Dharamshala. The tenday festival will see performances from 12 different opera troupes from India and Nepal and will conclude on April 5 with a performance by TIPA on the life of Lord Buddha.

Mar 23: Men-Tsee-Khang The Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute, also known as Men-TseeKhang, has celebrated its 54th anniversary with an event attended by dignitaries from both the Tibetan exiled government and the state government of Himachal Pradesh.

Following a talk on the historical background of the medical institute, students were presented with awards and degrees.

Mar 22: World Water Day The United Nations World Water Day was observed by Tibetans and supporters to highlight the environmental degradation inflicted

by China on the Tibetan plateau and its impacts on rivers and the environment in countries downstream.

In McLeod Ganj, the Tibetan Women’s Association and Students for a Free Tibet organised a street theatre, a film screening, demonstration and a petition launch.

Mar 21: Teaching and Talk HH the Dalai Lama spoke to a group of Indians and hundreds of students affiliated to Peacejam – an organisation striving to create young leaders committed to positive change Contact

- at an event held by the Foundation for Universal Responsibility in Delhi.

Later, he gave a teaching regarding Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Wisdom.

Mar 20: Gyari Rinpoche Honoured Lodi Gyari Rinpoche, the former envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama was honoured at a reception held in Capitol Hill, Washington DC, by the International Campaign for Tibet. The reception saw many dignitaries and supporters of Tibet who lauded Gyar Rinpoche’s contribution in serving His Holiness and the Tibetan people.

Mar 19: Tibetans Urge Rejection Activists from over 175 Tibetan organisations have delivered a report urging the International Olympic Committee to reject Beijing’s bid for the 2022 Winter Games. The 2008 Summer Games, which were also held in Beijing, led to deadly crackdowns within Tibet despite hope that the international spotlight would lead to an improved human rights situation.

Mar 18: Testimony Given Golog Jigme Gyatso, a former Tibetan political prisoner, gave a testimony at an event held by the Society for Threatened Peoples during the 28th United Nations Human Rights Council session. He called upon the international community to intervene in order to alleviate the deteriorating human rights situation within Tibet.

Representatives from both the United States and European Union expressed concern regarding the ongoing situation and urged China to address the root causes of unrest.

Mar 15: Women’s Empowerment The Women’s Empowerment Desk at the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) organised a workshop to review their Women’s Empowerment 12

Policy. The event was attended by parliamentarians and leading campaigners who reiterated the CTA’s commitment to bringing about positive change.

Mar 13: Nuns Rebel Tibetan nuns at Drakkar Choeling nunnery in Tawu county, Kardze, protested to visiting Chinese officials, throwing gifts of shoes onto the ground, rejecting government offers of assistance and calling for freedom from Chinese rule. The officials had tried to “persuade the nuns to express their appreciation and affection for China” and threatened “consequences” if they participated in anti-China protests.

Mar 7: Crackdown in Kumbum The annual Monlam Prayer Festival at Kumbum monastery in the Qinghai province is attracting heavy security.

This major religious event dates back to 1409, and people travel hundreds of miles to attend the festival which is dedicated to teachers of all religious traditions, social harmony, and world peace.

Mar 5: New Opportunities A new scholarship will support high achieving Tibetan students from India, Nepal and Bhutan wishing to pursue professional degrees at the best professional institutes in India. The Sikyong Professional Scholarship Programe is provided by the Tibet Fund, New York, working in partnership with the Central Tibetan Administration.

Mar 2: Seminar on Religion A seminar of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon tradition, organised by the CTA’s Department of Religion and Culture, was held at the Gyuto Tantric Monastery near Dharamshala. The seminar aims “to foster the preservation and progression of Tibetan Buddhism, and to affirm harmonious relations between the different schools and Bon”.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news & issues

International Headlines Mar 28: Uighur Nationality Dispute A diplomatic row has emerged between Turkey and China regarding the nationality of 17 Uighurs from Xinjiang in China who have been detained in Thailand. The group has been issued Turkish passports, but China demands they be returned to Xinjiang, where Turkic-speaking Uighurs face severe repression. Due to growing ties between Thailand and China, it is unlikely that those detained will be released to Turkey.

Mar 24: Woman Lynched Farkhunda, 28, an Afghan woman, has died after being lynched in Kabul. She challenged a mullah about his practice of selling charms to women at a shrine and was falsely accused of burning the Koran. A crowd overheard the argument and beat her to death despite her denials. Hundreds of Afghans have protested against the attack.

Mar 23: Singopore Leader Dies Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father and prime minister for 31 years has died at the age of 91. Mr Lee oversaw Singapore’s independence from Britain in 1959 and separation from Malaysia in 1965, and is credited with transforming the small port city into a wealthy global hub.

Mar 20: Feminists “Missing” Five young Chinese women have been missing for more than a week since their arrest by Chinese police ahead of

International Women’s Day. On March 12, the five women’s rights activists were detained on suspicion of “picking Contact

quarrels and provoking troubles”.

Mar 19: Attack in Tunisia After a shooting at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, Tunisia has vowed to join the fight against terrorism. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack which killed 23 people, including 20 foreign tourists. Additionally, more than 40 people were injured. Security forces killed two gunmen and later arrested nine others.

Mar 17: Press Freedom Operation Collateral Freedom has been launched by the Paris-based global press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders, to mark World Day Against Cyber-Censorship.

The watchdog spotlights countries whose governments censor the internet and deprive their inhabitants of online access to independentlyreported news and information. Nine censored websites in 11 countries are to be unblocked and restored.

Mar 16: Appeal for Help The nation of Vanuata, which consists of more than 60 islands, has pleaded for immediate help following Cyclone Pam, which destroyed much of its infrastructure. Aid has recently begun arriving, but more will be needed to rebuild what has been wiped out by the category five storms.

Mar 15: Landmine Detectors Researchers in South Africa have discovered that elephants possess the ability to sniff out landmines with 96.4% accuracy. Reassurances have been made that the elephants will not be put to use in the battlefield.

They will be studied in the hope of obtaining information which can be used in electronic sensors to detect landmines Mar 13: Iceland Stays Out Iceland has dropped its plans to seek European Union (EU) membership. It gave no reason for dropping its bid, however two Eurosceptic parties have

13

said the nation already enjoys most of the benefits of full EU membership through its free trade deals with the EU. Mar 10: Solar Powered Plane A solar-powered aircraft, Solar Impulse-2, has completed the first leg of its attempt to fly around the world, flying from Abu Dhabi to Oman, a 400 kilometre, 12-hour flight. The plane, which is powered by 17,000 solar cells lining the top of its wings, will take five months to complete the journey and aims to spread a message about clean technologies.

Mar 8: Women’s Achievements International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

It was first celebrated in 1911, and honours the work of the Suffragettes who campaigned for women’s right to vote, as well as celebrating women’s success, and reminding of inequities still to be redressed.

Mar 6: Rape Film Controversy British film-maker Leslee Udwin has made a film for the BBC about the December 2012 gang rape of a student in Delhi. The film has been banned in India. Indian authorities have started legal measures, claiming Udwin broke a contract by airing an interview with one of the rapists, who shows no remorse.

Mar 3: Prince Visits Beijing Britain’s Prince William is in Beijing on an official visit. Prince William is the most senior British royal to visit China since the Queen’s tour of the country in 1986. Prince William met Chinese President Xi Jinping to develope mutual understanding and friendly ties between China and Britain.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

lha news and projects

Lha’s Clean Water Survey Contact magazine is published by Lha Charitable Trust. Lha also works hard to provide many services for the Tibetan exile community, the local Indian community and people from the Himalayan region, and these pages will tell you more about our work.

Lha has been installing water filtration systems since 2010 to provide clean water in an effort to combat the problem of poor quality drinking water which causes serious health issues. At the time of this survey, sixteen units had been installed in: 11 Tibetan schools, two Indian schools, one nunnery, Lha’s soup kitchen, and one old people’s home.

Over 7,000 people have benefited directly from the systems, which use an Reverse Osmosis/Carbon/UV process to eliminate all contaminants.

These people include: 3,217 students, 402 staff members, 150 nuns and 518 local people.

Lha undertakes regular surveys to monitor the installations and their effectiveness and has just completed the latest survey which showed that the filters are well accepted, have a positive impact on health and class attendance and that the installation of the filters has raised health and hygiene awareness.

First Survey, 2013 In 2013 a survey was carried out in eight schools using Lha filtration systems. The results showed both a drop in water-borne diseases, and an improvement in students’ general health and class attendance, as well as hygiene awareness. Fast access to clean water and less wasted energy from boiling water are further benefits.

Maintenance of the filters was shown to have improved, and Lha has continued to install their systems as a result.

Clean Water Project 2014 In 2014 the new post of Environment and Health Office (EHO) for Lha was created and Demay Tsering Contact

was appointed. He runs HIV and Environment Protection awareness campaigns, and, with a volunteer with a scientific background, has set up a filter maintenance programme.

Demay Tsering (EHO) in Lha’s temporary lab

He also manages health and hygiene education in schools and monasteries, liaising with the local administration and health department of the Central Tibetan Administration. All the schools in the scheme have expressed an interest in inviting the EHO as a guest lecturer.

Achievements in 2014 - Each installation now has an appointed person who oversees the daily operation of the filtration systems - Production of an easy-to-understand maintenance guideline for the systems.

- Effective records for the systems, their maintenance and replacement of parts - Interviews with all school principals - Cleaning and disinfection of all storage tanks for filtered water - Direct communication with the company supplying the filters to strengthen collaboration - Preparation of a health and hygiene awareness programme - Establishment of a small laboratory at Lha´s Ahimsa House Water Testing in 2014 Filtered water was tested at 33 different sites in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi, and compared with tap water which was also tested, to assess the functioning of the filtration systems and to choose the most suitable system for new sites 14

on basis of water quality. Tests were carried out to determine the levels of: Coliforms; E.coli; pH; water hardness; nitrites and free chlorine.

The test results for tap water showed alarmingly high levels of Coliforms and E.coli, and low pH, ie acidity.

It was found that the filter systems, in combination with chlorination, provide safe drinking water, and that maintaining clean storage tanks is important. Monitoring can be carried out on filtered water with a TDSappliance (Total Dissolved Solids) and bacterial test kits.

Second Survey, 2014 In the autumn of 2014 users were asked about their usage of water; acceptance of filtration systems;the impact on health; usage and maintenance problems and hygiene awareness. The survey showed that the filters are widely accepted and three quarters of users believe that health and class attendance have improved as a result, as well as awareness and understanding of the importance of healthy drinking water.

Most people were aware that water is a source of bacteria and pathogens, many referring directly to unclean water as a cause of the stomach problems that afflict so many people.

However the survey also showed that more education is needed on how to ensure drinking water is safe.

The survey has shown that proper maintenance is essential for the water filter units to continue providing high quality drinking water. Lha continues to monitor the systems, and is installing more filters as funds become available. It is hoped in the long-term schools will find ways to bear the maintenance expenses for their filtration systems themselves.

Each new filtration system costs US$ 3,000, including maintenance costs for five years. Lha is dependent on the generous support of donors all over the world to continue this exciting and rewarding project.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

lha news and projects

Clean Water for School

Who Edits the Editor?

Lha installed its 18th water purification system to coincide with the World Water Day on March 22.

The installation, part of Lha’s Clean Water Project (see opposite page),

Every month we ask a volunteer to share their story. This month our volunteer editor-in-chief tells us about the volunteers who make Contact magazine happen.

by Jenny James Editing Contact magazine has brought enormous riches to my life. Nearly every Lha volunteer who tells us their story says they gain so much more than they give and how true this is. I feel that I am at the centre of a wonderful network of people all over the world who are thinking about Tibet, keeping

Some staff and students of the school posing by the new water filtration system

is at Sambhota Tibetan School in Dekyiling and also forms part of the celebrations mark the year of His Holiness the Dalai Lama who is 80 this year.

The Sambhota Dekyiling school is located 10 kilometres from Dehradun in Uttarakhand State. It was set up in 1982 with the aim of providing education for the children of Tibetan refugees who had re-located there from Bhutan. Today it has classes from pre-primary to 8th grade. The school now takes care of 179 students, with 30 members of staff.

Lha, on the behalf of the school, would like to extend the deepest appreciation to Lha’s former volunteer

Ryan Lockee and his students from Saint Gabriel School, San Francisco, in the United States for raising the funds for this installation.

Lha Charitable Trust is working to provide services for the Tibetan and the local Indian communities in Dharamshala. To find out more about Lha’s work and projects, please visit our website www.lhasocialwork.org.

Contact

in touch because they care and often carrying on supporting Contact long after they have left McLeod by responding to our requests that they write articles for us.

And they do! They write on trains and planes, they write when they are back home or at university, managing to somehow fit it into their “real” life.

They write while doing their next volunteer project in another country and facing completely different issues and challenges. They never forget.

Some of our writers have never written before. Many are not firstlanguage English speakers and just as many again have not thought about human rights or saving the world.

They came to McLeod for fun, or for the mountains, or because they had heard it was a cool place to be. And they get involved through writing for Contact and then go back and tell the folk back home, and so the word gets spread around the world.

But it’s not all about writing. People contribute in so many ways. There was the friend of a friend who gave us the idea for the “people” section of Contact – have a look online – she was features editor for a big daily newspaper and offered to give Contact

15

a professional lookover and suggest ways we could improve or develop.

She said why don’t we start telling the stories of all the people who make up McLeod? And we did!

Another volunteer had the brilliant idea that we include QR codes (those funny bar-code things) so people picking up Contact in McLeod can easily get the link onto their smartphones – and she has made it happen. That means that people can follow the news online when they leave McLeod.

And then there is the question of who edits the editor? Friends of mine back here in the depths of the Shropshire countryside who have never thought about Tibet and have no idea what is going on there find themselves inveigled into proofreading the Contact layouts, or doing emergency editing of articles I have written at the very last minute, and so they become

Contact online “people” stories

a part of this amazing web of people.

We couldn’t do it without you all, whether you distribute the magazine around McLeod, or write, or give us your ideas or help with online marketing or, indeed, edit the editor.

And the people of McLeod – beware of bumping into me when I am out and about because I’ll be wanting you to tell your story! How I love the stories!

What I love about my involvement with Contact and Lha is that it’s a joy to be part of this great team of people – the staff at Lha – ever cheerful, committed, helpful and welcoming.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

around town

Charities and Organisations

Central Tibetan Administration

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

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

WEB: www.tibet.net LOCATION: Dharamshala – 176215 PHONE: 01892-222218 HOURS: Mon-Sat: 9:00 am-5:00 pm EMAIL: kashag@tibet.net

The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama (OHHDL)

OHHDL is the personal office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The office organises his schedule, including appointments and travel plans, diplomatic and personal correspondence, and liaises with officials of the Central Tibetan Administration. When His Holiness is in Dharamshala, his schedule includes daily religious practice and studies, meeting with private audiences, and congregating with the Tibetan Kashag and senior Tibetan governmental officials.

WEB: www.dalailama.com LOCATION: Thekchen Choeling, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala – 176219 PHONE: 01892-221343 / 221210 EMAIL: ohhdl@dalailama.com

Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC)

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

The Tibetan Youth Congress organises cultural exhibitions, educational campaigns and social welfare activities. The organisation publishes a series of periodicals and magazines on the Tibetan cause.

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

Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA)

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

WEB: www. tibetanwomen.org LOCATION: Bhagsu Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala – 176219 PHONE: 01892-221527 EMAIL: tibwomen@gmail.com

Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV)

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

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

Contact

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

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

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

The facility provides extensive training and produces traditional pharmaceuticals.

WEB: www.men-tsee-khang.org LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala – 176215 PHONE: 01892-223222 / 223113 EMAIL: info@men-tsee-khang.org

Tibetan Library (LTWA) (Centre for Tibetan Studies)

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

WEB: ltwa.net, tibetanlibrary.org LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong Dharamshala - 176215 PHONE: 98822-55047 EMAIL: ltwa1970@gmail.com

Delek Hospital

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

WEB:www.delekhospital.org LOCATION: Kharadanda Rd, Dharamshala 176215; Delek Clinic, Bhagsu Rd,Dharamshala PHONE: 01892-222053 / 223381 HOURS: Outpatient, Mon-Fri: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm; Specialist clinics, Mon-Sat: 2:00 pm-4:30 pm; Emergencies, 24 hours daily EMAIL: delek@sancharnet.in

Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society

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

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

Tong-Len Charitable Trust

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

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

16

Students for a Free Tibet (SFT)

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

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

WEB:www.sftindia.org, www.studentsforafreetibet.org LOCATION: Jogiwara Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala - 176219 PHONE: 9882786875

Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)

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

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

Lha Charitable Trust (Lha)

Lha, a Tibetan grassroots NGO based in Dharamshala, is one of the largest social work organisations providing vital resources for Tibetan refugees, the local Indian population, and people from the Himalayan regions. Lha offers free English, French and Chinese classes, cultural exchange programs, IT classes, vocational training, health and environmental awareness education, distribution of clothes and medicine, a community kitchen, and many other programs and activities. (see page 2) WEB:www.lhasocialwork.org LOCATION: Temple Road, McLeod Ganj PHONE: 01892-220992, 988-2323-455 EMAIL: office@lhasocialwork.org

The Kangra Distt. Red Cross Society

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

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

Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet

Gu-Chu-Sum is a social service organisation that provides financial and medical support for ex-political prisoners and political activists from Tibet.

WEB: www.guchusum.org LOCATION: Jogibara Road, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala -176219 PHONE: 01892-220680 / 220679 EMAIL: guchusum1991@gmail.com

Tibet Charity

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

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

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

around town

Charities and Organisations

Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA)

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

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

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

Learning and Ideas for Tibet (LIT)

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

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

Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution (TCCR)

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

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

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

Rogpa Baby Care Centre

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

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

Gamru Village School

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

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

Contact

Clean Upper Dharamshala Project

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

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

Nyingtob Ling (Realm of Courage)

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

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

Women’s Team

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

EMAIL: jitenderje@gmail.com PHONE: 9817105035 / 08894435595

The Active Nonviolence Education Center (ANEC)

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

LOCATION: No. 262, 1st floor, Khajanchi -Mohalla, Khunyara Rd, Lower Dharamshala PHONE: 98051-47048 / 94180-94476 EMAIL: tcsamkhar@gmail.com, Facebook: Anec Peace

National Democratic Party of Tibet

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

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

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: 4:45am, 6pm, 6:45pm, 8:15pm and 8:30pm (Rs524) Semi Deluxe Bus: 6pm (Rs544) , Full Deluxe Bus: (Rs683) AC Volvo Semi-Sleeper: 8pm (Rs1121) AC TATA: 4pm (Rs830) Amritsar: Ordinary Bus: 5am (Rs223) *from Dharamshala Dehradun: Ordinary Bus: 8pm (Rs524); AC Deluxe: 2pm (Rs664) Manali: Ordinary Bus: 7:10am (Rs676) *from Dharamshala Pathankot: Ordinary Bus: 10am, 11am, 12:10pm, 12:30pm, 2:10pm, 3:50pm, 5pm(Rs150) Shimla: Ordinary Bus: 5am, 5:30am, 6am, 8am, noon and 4:55pm (Rs360) *from Dharamshala, Semi-Deluxe Bus: 8:22am, 7:45pm and 9:30pm (Rs450) *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.

TAXIS

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

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

Ambulance: 01892-102, 222189

Police Superintendent: 01892-222244

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

Phone: 222 053,223 381

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

Phone: 221 483

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

17

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

Phone: 01892-221 924

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

activities and information Upcoming Events

MEDITATION

Apr 25: Birthday of the 11th Panchen Lama Gendun Chokyi Nyima

Om Yoga, Meditation and Reiki Centre

Jun 2: Saka Dawa - Anniversary of the Buddha’s Birth, Enlightenment and Parinirvana

WEB: www.omyogaindia.com LOCATION: Ketan Lodge, Jogiwara Road PHONE: 980-569-3514 EMAIL: om.yoga@ymail.com

Jun 11-13: Dharamshala Film Festival

Tushita Meditation Center

Jun 21: Long-life Offering Ceremony for His Holiness the Dalai Lama As part of His Holiness’s official 80th Birthday Celebration at Tsuglakhang temple

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

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

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

Vipassana Meditation

WEB: www.sikhara.dhamma.org LOCATION: Dharamkot HOURS: Mon-Sat: 4:00-5:00pm PHONE: 01892-21309 EMAIL: info@sikhara.dhamma.org

Siddhartha Retreat Centre

WEB: www.siddharthayogacentre.org LOCATION: Bhagsu Nag, Near High Sky PHONE: 09816565138 EMAIL: yogi_shivam@yahoo.co.in

School of Life and Spirituality

yoga and reiki

Meditation and teachers’ training LOCATION: behind Hotel Akashdeep, Bhagsu, Mcleod Ganj, please call before coming WEB: www.devom.org PHONE: 09569221047, 09971608310 EMAIL: dev@devom.org

Om Yoga, Meditation and Reiki Centre

COOKING

LOCATION: Ketan Lodge, behind Akash Hotel, on Jogiwara Rd HOURS: 8:00am-5:30pm PHONE: 980-569-3514

Sunita Singh Yoga Class

LOCATION: Singh Corner, nr Magic Tree Upper Bhagsu PHONE: 98058-89060 WEB: www.maashakktiyoga.com

Siddhartha Retreat and Yoga Centre LOCATION: Upper Bhagsu PHONE: 098165-65138 WEB: www.siddharthayogacentre.org

MASSAGE Nature Cure Health Club

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

Lha Tibetan Cooking School LOCATION: Lha Office, Temple Rd HOURS: Registration, 9:00-11:00am PHONE: 01892-20992

Indian Cooking Classes

LOCATION:Jogiwara Rd, next to Tibetan Ashoka Guesthouse HOURS: 10:00am-6:00pm PHONE: 941-813-0119 EMAIL: mahinder_m@hotmail.com

Shiatsu massage LOCATION: Near Tibetan Ashoka, Jogiwara Road PHONE: 941-813-0119 EMAIL: mahinder_m@hotmail.com

Lhamo’s Kitchen: Tibetan Cooking Classes

Men-Tsee-Khang

Nisha’s Indian Cooking Class

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

Traditional Thai Massage

LOCATION: Opposite the Himachal Govt.

Tourist Information Centre, Hotel Surya Rd PHONE: 981-633-9199 EMAIL: jite02@yahoo.com jitthimalaya@gmail.com

Contact

LOCATION: Bhagsu Rd, near the Green Shop HOURS: 8:00am-9:00pm PHONE: 981-646-8719 LOCATION: Hotel Lotus Leaf, Jogiwara Rd HOURS: 4:00-6:00pm EMAIL: nisha@indiancookingcourse.com

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

18

LANGUAGES Tibetan Language Courses

WEB: www.thosamling.com LOCATION: Thosamling Institute, Sidhpur (near Norbulingka) PHONE: 9882455065 EMAIL: thosamling@gmail.com see ad on opp. page for more information

Rita Thakur Hindi Classes

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

Hindi Lessons with Sunil

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

Tibetan Language

LOCATION: The Tibetan Library See Buddhist Philosophy Listing

Hindi Lessons with Kailash

LOCATION: At Bhimsen’s Indian Cooking Class PHONE: 01892-20063, 941-816-1947 HOURS: Daily, 4:00-6:00pm

Tibetan with Pema Youdon

LOCATION: Jogiwara Rd, opposite post office HOURS: 1:00-4:00pm, or leave a message.

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

art and museums Tibet Museum

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

Tibet Photo Exhibit: 50 Years of Struggle and Oppression

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

The Tibetan Institute for the Performing Arts (TIPA)

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

Kangra Art Museum

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

Men-Tsee-Khang Museum

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

Form Gallery

LOCATION: Jogiwara Rd. near Oasis Cafe PHONE: 8894-060602 HOURS: Daily, 12:00pm-6:00pm

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

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

Dadon Physiotherapy Clinic

LOCATION: 310, Geden Choeling Nunnery, Jogiwara Road, Mcleod Ganj HOURS: 9am - 7pm PHONE: 9882323598 EMAIL: dadonphysio@gmail.com

Dr Kumar Ayurvedic - Panchkarma

WEB: www.kumarayurveda.com LOCATION: Hotel Surya Rd., opp Club House HOURS: 9:00am-2:00pm & 2:30-7:00pm; Emergencies: 24 hrs daily PHONE: 8894492837 EMAIL: SATINDER3737@gmail.com

Maanav Health Clinic

LOCATION: Main Square HOURS: 10:00am-12:30pm and 2:00-5:00pm PHONE: 941-815-5795 EMAIL: maanavcare@yahoo.co.in

Men-Tsee-Khang

LOCATION: Below Delek Hospital, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala 176215 PHONE: 01892-223222 / 223113 EMAIL: info@men-tsee-khang.org

Primary Health Centre

LOCATION: Jogiwara Rd, main market HOURS: 9:30am-4pm, Mon-Sat

Nature Cure Health Club

LOCATION: Jogiwara Rd, next to Tibetan Ashoka Guest House-Map #10 HOURS: 9:30am-6:30pm PHONE: 94181-30119 / 97363-33888 EMAIL: mahinder_m@hotmail.com

Tibetan Delek Hospital

LOCATION: Gangchen Kyishong, between McLeod Ganj and Lower Dharamshala PHONE: 01892-22053 / 223381 HOURS: Outpatient services, Mon-Sat: 9:00am-1:00pm; Specialist clinics, Mon-Sat: 2:00-4:30pm; Emergencies: 24 hrs daily

Contact

Tibet-Related Websites News:

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

News, information and campaigning :

tibet.net - official website of the Central Tibetan Administration in exile dalailama.com - for broadcasts of His Holiness’s teachings, his schedule and information about Tibet and the Dalai Lama tchrd.org - Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy - a nongovernment organisation and a research centre to protect the human rights of Tibetan people and promote the principles of democracy tibetanyouthcongress.org - an international non-government 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 - international campaign for Tibet and a good resource for news, campaigns, fundraising and projects tibetnetwork.org/home - a coalition of more than 190 Tibet organisations dedicated to campaigning to end human rights violations in Tibet and restoring rights to the Tibetan people

Writings:

highpeakspureearth.com/category/woeser - occasional translations of Woeser’s enormously popular blog – Woeser lives in Beijing and is continually harassed by the Chinese government for her courageous writings.

19

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

news and advertisements

Eviction Threat Lifted for Bonafide Tibetan Settlers

by Tenzin Samten Tibetans in McLeod Ganj have been given clarity over the long-running threat of eviction of people who have settled in some areas of forestland, and it is good news for those who are deemed to be “bonafide settlers”.

In 2012, the Himachal Pradesh Court at Shimla ordered the eviction of over 200 Tibetan homes in McLeod Ganj, accusing them of encroachment onto forestlands. On November 21, 2013, the National Green Tribunal also ordered the State Government to investigate charges against the Tibetan families in relation to this alleged encroachment.

However, in an about turn, the

government has decided not to evict the bonafide Tibetan settlers. Bonafide settlers are defined as those who were allowed to build houses by the state government under a rehabilitation policy dating back to the 1960-70s, which was prior to the enactment of the Forest Conservation Act. The State Government and the Forest Department will jointly identify the bonafide settlers and the deliberate encroachers. Only the deliberate encroachers will be evicted.

In cases where the court requires lands occupied by bonafide Tibetan settlers to be vacated, the State Government will relocate them by providing them with equivalent alternative land. For

the unauthorised occupation of nonforest lands by individual Tibetans, people will need to sign a 20-year lease agreement with an authorised representative of the Central Tibetan Relief Committee, Central Tibetan Administration, through which the government of India addresses Tibetan rehabilitation issues. The lease agreement has to be signed by the local magistrate on behalf of the State Government. The lease agreement will be renewed periodically.

The report also stated that the 20year lease agreement will continue unless it is cancelled by an official order, or the rehabilitation facilities provided to Tibetans are withdrawn.

BLACK TENT CAFE Free high-speed Wi-fi

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

Free movies on Saturdays at 7.30pm Live Tibetan music every Wednesday at 6.30pm

Jogiwara Road (near post office), McLeod Ganj – Map # 8

CARPE DIEM RESTAURANT & PIZZERIA

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

8 AUSPICIOUS HIM VIEW HOTEL

8 beautiful rooms with balcony facing the Himalayan Range.

MEXICAN, ITALIAN, INDIAN, CHINESE, Enjoy the sunrise from your bed!

CONTINENTAL, & THAI FOOD, No MSG Phone: 01892 220567 Cell: 9418236603 Jogiwara Rd (Map #12) Email: tseringd@aushimview.com • Everything washed with sterilized water • Wood-fired pizza oven & clay Tandoori oven • Relaxed atmosphere & Japanese-style seating • Live music every Sunday Charming, comfortable, and scrupulously clean; Located on Jogiwara Road, minutes from the Main Temple and McLeod Ganj Market; across from the Tibetan Reception Center Hotel Bhagsu Road, McLeod Ganj: Map #15 (down from Post Office) - Map # 9 Phone: 221871/221001 www.pemathang.net

Pema Thang Guest House and Restaurant

HOTEL LADIES’ VENTURE

“The most suitable place for foreigners, holidaymakers, honeymooners, trekkers, and those who wish to commune with nature!”

Are you reading this by

Chance?

Or was it destined…

We offer: Affordable dormitories, well-appointed rooms, boarding, and McLeod Ganj’s FINEST hospitality!

Jogiwara Road - Map #11 Mobile - 981 623 5648 Hotel - 01892 22 1559

Discover the Secrets of Being, Doing and Having everything.

Unravel the Mystery of your life, And Find the Purpose & Happiness.

DrYourMobile Shop Communication Partner

KUNDALINI Esoteric Boutique

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

On hotel Surya Road, Mcleodganj - Map # 16

Black Magic Building (underground), Jogiwara Road, Map # 8 McLeod Ganj Phone: 9857011101 Contact

20

Take a walk to….

Reiki Meditation Healing, Crystals, Pashmina Carpets Every product a labor of love FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

advertisements

Contact

21

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

advertisements BHAGSU NAG

Map not to scale

For Details See Advertisement Pages Thank you for patronising our advertisers!

TIPA

DHARAMKOT

Vipassana Centre

Naddi Village

5

Tushita Centre

3

4

89

6 7

Cantt Police Post

12

11

McLEOD GANJ MAIN SQUARE

Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV)

10 15

1 Lha Main Bazaar

16

14

2

13

Road to Dharamshala

1. Lha Headquarters 2. Namgyal Cafe 3. Common Ground Cafe 4. Dream Holidays Travel 5. Kunga Guest House & Nick’s Italian Restaurant 6. Nature Cure Health Club 7. Dr Mobile, Woeser Bakery 8. Black Tent Cafe 9. Carpe Diem Restaurant

10. Perfect 32 Dental Clinic 11. Hotel Ladies’ Venture 12. 8 Auspicious Him View Hotel 13. Ahimsa House & Lha Soup Kitchen 14. Chonor House 15. Pema Thang Guest House 16. Kundalini 17. Central Tibetan Administration, Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile

Our specialty: Chocolate Vegan cake, Gluten free cake, Fresh Coffe Beans, cappaccino, Chocolate chilli lollipop

17

Road to Dharamshala

Namgyal Cafe

9am to 7pm - Closed on Monday Below “Black Magic Hotel” on Jogiwara Rd - Map # 7 The famous and popular Namgyal Cafe has merged

Dream Holidays Since 1998

Ground Floor of Asian Plaza Hotel, Main Square, McLeod Ganj (3rd office inside Mall) - Map #4 +Worldwide Air Travel Arrangements +AC/Non-AC cars jeeps for tours +Flight/Rail tickets, hotel reservations contact: 98160-87878 / 94180-97149, vineet_dream@yahoo.com

NEED A DENTIST? For all your dental requirements under one roof, in a sterile clinic CONTACT

Dr Natasha Mehra @

Perfect 32 Dental Clinic

KUNGA GUEST HOUSE Spacious rooms with views over the valley, and...

NICK’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT

with Om Hotel right off the main square - Map # 2 • • • •

Extensive vegetarian menu Terrace dining with beautiful view Best pizza in McLeod Ganj Good music and friendly staff

Open every day from 7:30 am to 9:30 pm Mobile: 9857993308, 9816150562

Nature Cure Health Club

Jogiwara Rd, next to Tibetan Ashoka Guest House - Map # 6 Mobile: 07833047078 Email: mahinder_m@hotmail.com,

18+ yrs’ experience: Swedish massage courses & treatment, Zen Shiatsu courses, treatment, reflexology treatment, SPA, Singing Bowl Treatment and many more!

Home baked cakes, quiches, pies, pastas, cheese, & Italian favourites served on our masNear Hotel Mount View sive terrace.

Jogiwara Rd, McLeod Map# 10 We also have on sale the Call: 09218742046 Rigpa Tibetan Calendar perfect32dentalclinic@ Bhagsu Road - Map #5 gmail.com Phone: 221 180

Contact

22

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

lha news and advertisements

KAYLA JEAN MUELLER Aug 14 1988 - Feb 6 2015 Kayla Jean Mueller was an American human rights activist and humanitarian aid worker from Prescott, Arizona. She was taken captive in August 2013 in Aleppo, Syria, while leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital. Kayla died while in captivity.

Kayla Mueller was a young girl from the United States who came to Dharamshala in 2010. She was not just another tourist who came to explore the communities here and see places around town.

She came to make a difference in ways that could benefit the Tibetan refugees and our struggle.

Lha Charitable Trust remembers Kayla as a compassionate girl, a pride of humanity. She was involved with different works in the exiled Tibetan community in Dharamshala and extended her help in every way possible: teaching English, working as editor and writer for Contact magazine and participating in campaigns and activities with different organisations here.

Lha and all the Tibetans are deeply saddened that we have lost a great human being. She touched the lives of those who surrounded her and beyond. We extend our prayers and deepest condolences to Kayla’s family. She will be remembered and honoured around the world.

Contact

23

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

ལྷ་བོད་ཀྱི་ལུགས་མཐུན་བཟོ་ཚོང་ལས་ཁང་།

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

What’s LTFT?

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

What we have?

What we do?

Handmade woollen carpets, Singing bowls, Jewellery, Goods made from recycled papers, Tibetan home decor pieces and many more!

Retail outlet, Manufacture, wholesale, import & export, Support local artisans, Tours and travel.

The LTFT is pleased to welcome any businesses wishing to form partnerships and set up exhibition tours.

Why LTFT?

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

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

W www.tibetfairtrade.com

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

*New - You can now follow

Contact website on QR code!

Tibet Fair Trade འབྲེས་གཏུགས་གསར་འཕྲིན།

Contact Newsletter

Managing Director Ngawang Rabgyal Editor-in-Chief Jenny James Editor Dukthen Kyi Assistant Editor Tsering Wangdue Layout Design Tamdin Yangzom Circulation Manager Lobsang Rabsel 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