Parliament Session: Call for Unity and Harmony
By Tenzin Samten and Mary Trewartha / April 3, 2016
The 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile concluded its 11th and final session on April 1 with both the Speaker Penpa Tsering and Prime Minister (Sikyong) Lobsang Sangay strongly urging all Tibetans to work towards promoting and practicing unity, cooperation and harmony among the various sections of the Tibetan community. Speaker Penpa Tsering read more →
China’s Relentless Quest for Media Control
By Charlotte Wigram Evans / March 29, 2016
Chinese authorities have arrested 16 people in conjunction with an anonymous letter that was published online demanding President Xi Jinping’s resignation. Alongside senior editors, journalists and technicians, family members of high profile writers suspected of involvement have also been imprisoned. Chang Ping, a Chinese journalist living in Germany, recently learnt read more →
Out of Bounds
By William Trevelyan / March 29, 2016
Tibetan residents of western Chinese provinces have been blocked from travelling to Tibet’s capital Lhasa for the duration of March, a month of politically sensitive anniversaries, Tibetan sources say. Restrictions include bans on travel both by rail and by air, a Tibetan living in Australia told RFA’s Tibetan Service, read more →
Escalating Row over “Living Buddhas” List
By Mary Trewartha / March 28, 2016
The row over China’s list of “living Buddhas” is escalating with claims of corruption in the South China Morning Post. The Chinese government has compiled a database of 870 “verified” living Buddhas, saying that anybody claiming to be a living Buddha who is not on the list should be considered read more →
Tibetans Vote in Indian Municipal Election
By Mary Trewartha / March 28, 2016
The Dharamshala municipal election on March 27 provided a first-time opportunity for eligible Tibetans to vote. The Tibetan Review has published an article drawing attention to the developing story of who can and can’t vote, saying that it is estimated that more than a couple of hundred Tibetans have registered read more →
Celebrating 100 years of Mentsekhang
By Mary Trewartha and Tenzin Samten / March 24, 2016
Mentsekhang, also known as the Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute, celebrated 100 years since it was established in Lhasa, Tibet by the great 13th Dalai Lama. The institute was also celebrating 55 years since it was re-established in Dharamshala, India. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama introduced the institution in read more →
Tibetans Vote in over 30 Countries
By Tenzin Samten / March 21, 2016
Exile Tibetans in over 30 different countries cast their vote to elect their political leader (Sikyong) and 45 members of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile on March 20, 2016 in their respective regions.With over 90,000 voters registered to vote, this election will decide who will lead the exile Tibetan government for read more →
Demise of Shugden Community
By Mary Trewartha / March 21, 2016
Shugden, also known as Dolgyal, the Buddhist group which has led a global campaign of harassment against the Dalai Lama, has announced on its website that it has disbanded and called off its demonstrations: “The Directors of the International Shugden Community previously announced that from 1 Dec 2015 they had read more →
Railroading Tibet
By Sam Ferguson and Mary Trewartha / March 18, 2016
China has announced plans to build a new railway linking the Tibetan Capital Lhasa to the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu. It will be the second Chinese rail link to Lhasa and is part of a five year development plan for the region. The announcement has been met with protests read more →
Tibetan Political Prisoner Hospitalised
By Jackie Renee / March 14, 2016
Chinese prison authorities have hospitalised high-profile Tibetan political prisoner, Jigme Gyatso. The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) reports that Gyatso, who is eligible for release in six months, is hospitalised in Lanzhou city, capital of Gansu Province. Jigme Gyatso, also known as Jigme Guri, was a monk read more →