Tibetan Headlines
Jun 23: Play Stopped in Nepal
Kora - a play based on the plight of Tibetans living in Nepal and India had to be stopped after pressures from Nepalese Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). The play was running at Shilpee Theatre in Kathmandu from May 31 and was slated to go on till June 14. Director of the play, Loonibha Tuladha said that she received calls from MoFA warning her for running a play that’s against Nepal’s ‘One China Policy.’
Jun 22: Drashi Gyapon Kelsang Dadul
Drashi Gyapon Kelsang Dadul,93, former Secretary of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) passed away in his resident near Lhagyalri in Dharamsala on Jun 20 . Kelsang Dadul served the Tibetan cause for over 40 years through various posts and to honour his service, CTA held a prayer service and offices were shut midday to pay respect to the deceased. He was from Chongye in southern Tibet.
Jun 21: International Yoga Day
Tibetans in Dharamsala gathered at Tsuglakhang courtyard this morning to mark the fourth international yoga day. A 45-minute yoga session was led by Tsering Yangzom, a fitness trainer and yoga instructor based in Gurgaon. The event organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) was attended by the senior officials of the CTA along with staff, local public and students.
Jun 20: Dhondup Wangchen Honoured
Former Tibetan political prisoner and filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen was guest speaker at the annual meeting of the Tibetan Association of Connecticut in the United States. He spoke about his objectives for making the film Leaving Fear Behind and his experiences during his subsequent six year prison term. Gyalwang Karmapa Rinpoche presented him with an award in recognition of his indomitable spirit and determination.
Jun 19: Songs of Praise
A new loyalty campaign has been launched in the formerly independent Himalayan region of Tibet, reports Radio Free Asia. People living there are required to learn songs praising the ruling Chinese Communist Party and are expected to perform them at an upcoming national holiday on July 1, the anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. Fines are threatened for people refusing to comply.
Jun 17: Guilty!
Dorjee Gyantsan, 49, a Tibetan living Sweden who was convicted of spying for China, has been given a 22-month prison term. He was found guilty of collecting information on the identities, political views, and travel of fellow Tibetans living in Sweden between July 2015 and February 2017, and passing it to a Chinese intelligence officer in Poland in exchange for 50,000 kroner (US$6,000 / £4,500).
Jun 15: World in Crisis
2,500 people gathered to hear His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s speech, The Art of Happiness, in Vilnius, Lithuania. He said the world is in crises and needs a greater sense of oneness and compassion, “If we really thought of the rest of humanity as our brothers and sisters there’d be no room for killing, bullying and cheating one another”.
Jun 14: Chair of USCIRF
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has unanimously elected Dr Tenzin Dorjee as its Chair. Dr Dorjee is an Associate Professor at the Department of Human Communication Studies, California State University, and was appointed Commissioner to the USCIRF in 2016 and again in 2018. He has written many articles on Tibetan culture, identity and communication, non-violence and the middle way approach to the Sino-Tibetan conflict.
Jun 14: His Holiness is Well
Stories circulating on social media saying that HH the Dalai Lama is terminally ill have been refuted by his personal physician Dr Tsetan Dorjee Sadutshang who said the information is “absolutely false and rubbish”. His Holiness did have signs of prostate cancer two years ago but the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minesota, has since pronounced him to be completely clear.
Jun 13: Harassment
Monlam Kyi, 69, who suffers from a heart condition, is being interrogated and threatened in Tibet, along with the rest of her family. Her son, the political prisoner Tenzin Woeser, was imprisoned in 1997, aged 14, for publishing pamphlets demanding human rights and freedom in Tibet and the case has now been reopened. After years of harassment Tenzin Woeser escaped from Tibet and now lives in India.
Jun 13: More Airports
China is to build three new airports in southern Tibet near the Tibetan-Indian-Nepal-Butan border, in addition to a new runway at Lhasa airport, for both domestic and international flights. Chinese state media has reported that they will “promote tourism and the economy”. The airports will all be above 3,900 metres in altitude and will cost around 16.7 billion yuan (US$2.6 / £1.9 billion).
Jun 11: His Holiness in Europe
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has left Dharamshala for an 11-day visit to Lithuania and Latvia. In Lithuania, His Holiness will speak on Human Values in Education and The Art of Happiness on June 13 and 14. On June 16 - 18 he will be in Riga in Latvia for teachings on Tsongkhapa’s In Praise of Dependent Origination, the Diamond Cutter Sutra and Manjushree Empowerment. He will return to Dharamshala on June 20.
Jun 8: Freedom Conference
The second Tibet, Hong Kong, and Taiwan Round Table conference for Freedom, Democracy, and the Right to Self Determination in Washington, DC brought Tibetans together with activists representing 13 organisations from Taiwan, Hong Kong, London, Switzerland, Canada and the US. They discussed freedom, democracy, and Human Rights and are working towards a strategic alliance. The conference is organised by Students for a Free Tibet, New York.
Jun 8: Monk Freed
Lobsang Tenzin, 28, a Tibetan monk, has been released, three years early. He was serving a 10-year prison term for “aiding and abetting” the self-immolation protest in 2011 by fellow Kirti monk Phuntsog. Tenzin has returned to his home town in Ngaba. There is no news about his current health, and no reason has been given for his early release.
Jun 8: Letter of Solidarity
A letter signed by 67 Chinese scholars, activists, policy experts, journalists and individuals from around the world calls on the Chinese government to resume dialogue with HH the Dalai Lama and expresses support for the Middle Way Approach. The letter was initiated by Professor Ming Xia of City University of New York under the campaign Chinese stand in support and solidarity with the Middle Way Approach.