Contact is taking a holiday!

Contact is taking a break after 25 years of bringing you news of Tibet and Tibetan issues. We are celebrating our 25 years by bringing you the story of Contact and the people who have made it happen, and our archive is still there for you to access at any time, and below you can read the story of Contact, how it came into being and the wonderful reflections of the people who have made it happen over the years.

When and how Contact will re-emerge and evolve will be determined by those who become involved.

Tibetan Headlines

May 2: Tibetan Institute Honoured

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has honoured the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) with the Vaisakh Samman Prasasti Patra on Buddha Purnima (the Buddha’s birthday) saying, “We are fortunate to have the teachings of Lord Buddha among us even after 2,500 years”. He added that the Government has allocated funding for the development of the Buddhist circuit.

May 1: China Retaliates

China has responded to the Special Resolution passed in the United States supporting the right of Buddhists to select their own reincarnate lamas, including HH the Dalai Lama, without interference from China. China says "The resolution reflects that some people in the United States have always been inexplicably ignorant and arrogant" and “China's laws and regulations and should not be interfered [with] by anybody or any foreign country”.

Apr 30: Updating Canada

Ngodup Tsering, Representative of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in North America, has testified via video conference before the Canada House of Common’s Standing Committee on Global Affairs and International development. He updated the House on the situation in Tibet and urged the Canadian government to help preserve the Tibetan language, culture, education and identity and to support the Middle Way Policy.

Apr 30: Villagers Detained

More than 30 Tibetans have been detained for their opposition to Chinese mining on the sacred Sebtra Dzagen mountain near their village in Driru county. Reports of the mining appeared in the foreign press and the villagers are accused of leaking the information to contacts outside Tibet. There are reports that they have been beaten in detention.

Apr 29: Martyrs Day

April 29 is known as Martyrs Day, marking the day in 1998 that Pawo Thupten Ngodup, the first Tibetan to self-immolate, died in hospital in Delhi. He set himself on fire on April 27 in Delhi during a TYC hunger strike. Martyrs Day honours him and all the Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives for Tibet.

Apr 28: Meeting His Holiness

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will not meet HH the Dalai Lama as it would trigger a “crisis” with China and send a signal to China which would be “useless and counterproductive”. However, he continued, “I will do my best” to promote meetings between China and the Dalai Lama’s representatives and said he perceives “that Chinese President Xi Jinping may be open to addressing the issue”.

Apr 26: Panchen Lama OK?

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has announced that he has heard from a “reliable source” that the Panchen Lama, who was abducted by the Chinese at the age of six 23 years ago, is “still alive and carrying out a normal education”. The Panchen Lama was abducted shortly after his recognition by HH the Dalai Lama in Tibet and has not been heard of since.

Apr 25: Estonian Visitors

The Estonian Member of Parliament and Head of the Estonian Parliamentary Tibet Group Mrs Yoko Alender has visited Dharamshala and the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE), along with her husband Mr Priit Juurmann and Mr Roy Strider, Coordinator for Tibet support related activities in Estonia. They were welcomed by Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel who updated them on the situation in Tibet and the activities of the TPiE.

Apr 24: Hope for Korea?

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has welcomed North Korea’s announcement that it will halt nuclear and missile tests, saying he hopes the forthcoming meetings “can take place in a spirit of amity, compromise, and transparency, enabling the resolution of past disagreements.” His Holiness said that demilitarisation could “serve as the model of a human approach to peace” which will “have a deep impact on the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide.”

Apr 23: Success in Canada

Nima Dorjee, a Tibetan living in Canada, has been appointed President of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. Dorjee grew up in a refugee camp in India; he is now Director and President of the Project Tibet Society in Canada and was awarded the Canada Peace Medal in 1997 and the Calgary Freedom of Expression Award in 2007 for his work on human rights.

Apr 21: Shoton Festival Underway

The Shoton – or Tibetan Opera – Festival is underway at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamshala. The festival is held annually to celebrate the tradition of Ache Lhamo (Tibetan Opera). Twelve troupes from Tibetan settlements around India and one from Nepal are taking part, and performances will also be held in the Norbulingka Institute and TCV School Chauntra. The Festival will close on April 25.

Apr 20: USCIRF Lobbies China

Commissioner Tenzin Dorjee, Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has called for the release of “prisoners of conscience” in repressive regimes - including the Panchen Lama who is currently being held in China. The USCIRF looked at the cases of seven people held in Tibet, Vietnam, Xinxiang and Pakistan. Dorjee is the first Buddhist and person of Tibetan origin to chair the commission.

Apr 20: Revamped Website

The Tibet Express has launched a new bilingual app and revamped website to mark its 15th anniversary. Chief guest at the launch Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, described a free press as the fourth pillar of democracy and said that the media should adopt an impartial and non-partisan approach. He urged the Tibetan media to focus on the political and human rights situation inside Tibet.

Apr 20: Charge Denied

Dorjee Gyantsan, 49, the Tibetan man recently charged with spying for the Chinese on Tibetans living in Sweden has spoken to Radio Free Asia and denied the charges. He said his Chinese contact was just a chance acquaintance and the large sum of money found on him had been sent from his mother. He faces a prison sentence of up to four years.

Apr 19: Myanmar Delegation

Eleven delegates from Kachin, the northernmost state of Myanmar are visiting Dharamshala where they were greeted by Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel who updated them on the Tibetan situation. They have visited the Tibetan parliamentary secretariat and met Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, as well as various non-government organisations and institutes based in Dharamshala.