Tibetan Headlines
Nov 14: Nov 14: Russian Talks
Prominent Russian scientists met to discuss and share their impressions of the first dialogue with HH the Dalai Lama and Buddhist monks-scholars which took place in Delhi in August. The discussion took place at the Institute of Philosophy in Moscow and was opened by Telo Tulku Rinpoche, HH the Dalai Lama’s representative in Russia and Mongolia who said the conference had “opened up a lot of doors”.
Nov 14: Nov 12: Mind and Life Lecture
Tibet House Brazil was host to the Mind and Life Institute President, Dr Susan Bauer-Wu’s lecture in Sao Paulo. More than 70 psychologists, medical professionals and students, and other professionals attended the lecture, The Urgency of Integrating Science with Contemplative Practices. The institute was founded thirty years ago by HH the Dalai Lama together with Chilean born neuroscientist Francisco Varela and American lawyer and entrepreneur Adam Engle.
Nov 14: Nov 11: Lha Celebrates 20 Years
LHA Charitable Trust, a social and educational non-government organisation based in Dharamshala, celebrated its 20th anniversary with over 300 guests and representatives of different government and non-government organisations attending. Chief and special guests were the Tibetan Parliament Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Justice Commissioner Dr Ngawang Rabgyal. HH the Dalai Lama sent a message expressing his joy and gratitude, saying Lha plays a “leading role”.
Nov 14: Nov 10: Voting!
Tibetans living in Himachal Pradesh have voted for the first time in the state assembly election. There are around 1,000 Tibetan voters in the Dharamshala region. The Central Tibetan Administration has asked Tibetans to not openly support any parties. Phayul reports a local shopkeeper as saying that now Tibetans are a considerable vote bank, “ministers and officials have started to look after our welfare more keenly”.
Nov 7: New US Representative
Kalon Ngodup Tsering, the Education Minister at the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), has been appointed the new Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to North America. Kalon Ngodup Tsering has served in the CTA since 1983 and from 2001-2008, he was President and then Director of various Tibetan associations in the United States. He will take up his post from December 1.
Nov 6: Second Geshemas Awarded
Six nuns have received their Geshema degree - equivalent of a western PhD in Buddhist philosophy and the highest attainable academic qualification in the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism- from the Minister of Religion and Culture (Kalon) Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok at Dolma Ling Nunnery in Norbulinkga, Dharamshala. The nuns are the second batch ever to achieve Geshema, the first were awarded last year.
Nov 4: Kow-towing to China
Springer Nature, the world’s largest publisher of academic books, has admitted to censoring content in China that is deemed sensitive by the communist government, saying that while the move was "deeply regrettable", it was to avoid the risk of being banned from China. Prof Steve Tsang, Director of the China Institute at SOAS University, London, said, "This should not be accepted by the academic community."
Nov 3: Prayer Festival Banned
The major prayer gathering Dechen Shedrub at the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in eastern Tibet has been banned, reversing an earlier decision to allow the festival which was due to begin on November 6, reports Radio Free Asia. The festival has been held 21 times in the past but this is the second year running that it has not been allowed to go ahead.
Nov 2: Meeting Voters
The Bharatiya Janata Party member Kishan Kapoor, the candidate for the Dharamshala constituency in the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly election on November 9, visited Yongling School in McLeod Ganj to speak to and meet constituents. Tibetans were granted the vote in 2014. Around 1,450 Tibetan voters, mainly from Bir Tibetan settlement, will cast their vote in the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly election for the first time.
Nov 2: Visitor from Arunachal
The Chief Minister of the far north eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, the Honourable Pema Khandu, has visited Dharamshala. He attended the enthronement ceremony of 10th Lhagyala Rinpoche, a Rinpoche from Mon area who had taken rebirth in Ladakh, at Tsuglagkhang, the main temple in Dharamshala, as well as visiting the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts.
Oct 29: Two Events
Two events took place in McLeod Ganj over the weekend: the first ever “Mr Tibet” competition which took place at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts and was won by Nyima, a law student from Bengaluru, and the five-day annual Free Spirit Film Festival 2017 which is showing 25 films at the Hotel Tibet. The Free Spirit festival was the first film festival to be held in McLeod Ganj.
Oct 27: New HR Video
A video United Nations Question China on Tibet released by the Central Tibetan Administration’s Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) is highlighting questions raised over the last six months by United Nations Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups on some of the most pressing human rights issues in Tibet. A DIIR spokesperson said, “China cannot forget that it is answerable to the UN and the world at large”.
Oct 26: Filmmakers Awarded
Three young Tibetans have been awarded one lakh [$1,500 / £1,200] in the first ever new award from the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR)’s Tibet TV, TTV's Take-Off film grant 2017. The three, Thupten Sonam Dorje, Kalsang Jigme and Jamphel Sherab, will make films on the themes of gender equality in the Tibetan community, Tibetan Muslims and the Special Frontier Force.
Oct 25: New Links with Chennai
A Memorandum of Understanding between the Tibet Policy Institute (a Central Tibetan Administration think-tank) and the University of Madras,Chennai has been signed at a conference Tibet: A Global Common or a Bone of Contention held in Dharamshala. Commodore RS Vasan, Director of Chennai Centtr for China Studies and Professor Ramu Manivannan, Head of the Department of Politics and Public administration were guests from the University of Madras.
Oct 24: Seven Detained
Seven people have been detained in Tridu County in Yushu for producing and distributing videos about self-immolation protests, Radio Free Asia has reported. The videos are being shared via WeChat and show self-immolations that took place several years ago. The seven are Tashi Damdul, Kalsang Gyaltso, Tsering Chophel, Tenzin Namgyal, Choephel, and Tsering Norbu from Khanra village, and Tsegyam from Kamyi village, all in Tridu County.