Tibetan Headlines
Apr 19: Two Monks Detained
Two monks from Tsang Dhondup Rabten Ling Monastery in Ba Dzong County inthe Qinghai Province have been detained for posting sensitive pictures and articles on WeChat, the popular Chinese messaging app. One, unnamed, is believed to have been released following severe interrogation, the other, Woechung Gyatso, is still in custody, his whereabouts unknown. They were detained after a workshop on cybersecurity at their monastery, organised by the Chinese authorities.
Apr 18: Farmland Grabbed
Farmland at Yushang village in Shigatse prefecture’s Lhatse county in southern Tibet has been seized by the authorities to build an airport. Radio Free Asia reports a local source reports that the Tibetans living there have been offered far less in compensation than the land is worth. The farmland is the main livelihood for the villagers and the land has been in the families for generations.
Apr 18: Spysite
A website has been launched by the Chinese government to enable citizens to report potential threat from foreign agents to China’s “sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security”. The website lists 21 reportable activities, including “subvert the state power” – this, and “colluding with [so-called] separatists in exile”, which comes under the heading “to dismember the state” – are both charges commonly used for Tibetans in occupied Tibet.
Apr 17: Czech Friends of Tibet
In the Czech Republic a new unofficial Tibet Friends group has been launched in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Czech parliament, by politician Marek Benda who is the Civil Democrat (ODS) deputy. The group aims to draw attention to human rights observance, to promote meetings between the Tibetan government-in-exile and Czech lawmakers and to cooperate with human rights non-government organizations.
Apr 17: Festival Postponed
The Shoton, or Yoghurt festival due to begin on Wednesday in Dharamshala has been postponed by two days in deference to the families of the 27 people who died in a bus crash nearby on April 9. The opera festival will open on April 18 with a prayer ceremony for those who died. A prayer ceremony and candle lit vigil was also held on Saturday.
Apr 16: Pilgrim Disappears
Lhamo Dolkar, 60, a Tibetan woman on a pilgrimage from her hometown Bora, in Sangchu County, to Lhasa, has gone missing. She was travelling with relatives when she was taken away by police on March 28. She has not been heard of since. There is speculation that her detention is related to a visit she made to a Tibetan political prisoner in jail six years ago.
Apr 14: Free Tashi Wangchuk Campaign
Press statements and demonstrations around the world today mark the 100th day since the trial in Tibet of Tashi Wangchuk, the Tibetan businessman jailed for campaigning for the right of Tibetans to be educated in Tibetan. When his trial, which ended without a verdict, took place on January 4, he had been held in prison for two years and subjected to torture.
Apr 13: Spy Charged
In Sweden, Dorjee Gyantsan, 49, has been charged with spying for China and gathering intelligence on Tibetan refugees living in Sweden and Norway. He is accused of infiltrating the Tibetan community and passing on information about their activities in exchange for money. He faces up to four years in prison but denies the charges.
Apr 12: Sikyong in Washington
Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, is on a visit to Washington DC. He met Senator Steve Daines (R- Montana) who is also a commissioner of the Congressional Executive Commission on China, and later met Mr Daniel Twining, President of International Republican Institute – the institute promotes democracy around the world.
Apr 11: Memorial Lecture
Prof Tsering Shakya from the University of British Columbia presented the fourth Prof Dawa Norbu Memorial Lecture at a symposium organised by the Tibet Forum-Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, to commemorate the work of the late Prof Dawa Norbu. Prof Norbu was an eminent Tibetan social scientist and writer whose work on Tibetan societies increased awareness about Tibet and its people.
Apr 10: Gold Medal!
Choeyang Kyi, a Tibetan athlete, won a gold medal in the women’s 20 km walking race at the International Association of Athletics Federation meet in Rio Maior, Portugal. She won a silver medal in the same race last year, and was the first Tibetan to win an Olympic medal in the 2012 Olympics. She comes from a nomadic family in Tsochang in Amdo in eastern Tibet.
Apr 9: His Holiness is Well
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has returned to Dharamshala following a health checkup in Delhi. He has a common cold but is otherwise well, and took the opportunity to have a routine eye check. Dr Sadhutsang, the Chief Medical Officer at Delek Hospital, said that His Holiness has “only age-associated exhaustion and generally is in excellent health”.
Apr 7: Monk Released
Jinpa Gyatso, a monk from Labrang monastery in Gansu’s Sangchu county, has been released after being held for 10 days for questioning. He was detained after morning prayers at his monastery on March 27. There is no report of his having been beaten or tortured and he has returned to his monastery. He was previously held for questioning for a few days last year.
Apr 7: Pa La Shelved
The Tibetan play Pa La by award winning Indian playwright Abishek Majumdar has been shelved by London’s Royal Court Theatre – “on the advice of the British Council”. The theatre said earlier this year the play would be staged next year but have no reneged on that decision. The decision is to avoid upsetting a joint arts programme with China.
Apr 6: Cash Rewards
Radio Free Asia has uncovered a document issued by the Chinese authorities in Tibet’s Nagchu county which details promises of cash rewards of 100,000 yuan (US $16,000 / £11,500) for people reporting on “criminal” activities – which include promoting Tibet’s national culture or language; supporting HH the Dalai Lama; supporting the “Middle Way Approach”; demands for greater cultural or religious rights and environmental activism, among others.