Tibetan Headlines
Apr 6: US Congress Visit
Two members of the United States Congress, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Representative Claudia Tenney, have visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) in Dharamshala. They were welcomed and briefed by Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, and met Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, leader of the TPiE and members of the Standing Committee.
Apr 6: Human Rights Reports
A number of Tibet and human rights advocacy groups have submitted joint reports on the human rights situation in Tibet under Chinese rule to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in advance of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) scheduled for November in Geneva. A peer review of China’s human rights record will take place at the UPR, including a review of progress since the last UPR in 2012.
Apr 5: Talks With China?
Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, has said in an interview with News18 that “back channel talks” are occurring between the Chinese and the Tibetan exile government. He said that while no official communications have taken place since 2010, “People keep coming from the Chinese side and we are very transparent with them”, and that some discreet visits to China have taken place.
Apr 5: Festival of Tibet
A three-day cultural festival taking place in Delhi has concluded with closing ceremony presided over by leaders of the Tibetan government-in-exile with guests from Tibetan institutes and Indian leaders. The festival included screenings of Tibetan films, talks and panel discussions and an exhibition from the Tibet Museum.
Apr 4: Media Coverage
Saturday’s launch of the “Thank you India” campaign in Dharamshala attracted media coverage across the world, appearing in major international newspapers, websites and television news programmes, confirming the interest in and support for the Tibetan cause around the globe. India’s major news websites gave the story top billing, and very positive coverage.
Apr 3: Nyima Lhamo in Australia
Nyima Lhamo, who is the niece of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, the revered Tibetan lama who died in a Chinese prison nearly three years ago, is on a two-week advocacy tour of Australia. She has been telling of the challenges she faced to escape from Tibet in order to tell the world about her uncle and the unresolved issues around his death.
Mar 31: Sentenced
Lobsang Sangye, 36, a monk from Kirti Monastery, has been sentenced to five years in prison in a closed trial held in Barkham, in Sichuan’s Ngaba county. Radio Free Asia reports that his charge is related to a Tibetan self-immolation, and for engaging in political activities. Sangye, who came from Golog originally, was arrested in August 2017, he had previously spent time in detention.
Mar 30: Detained in Nepal
Adak, a Tibetan in his late 40s living in Nepal was detained for 10 days and threatened with deportation back to Tibet because of a Facebook post earlier this month. The post shows a photo of him posed in front of the Boudha stupa in Kathmandu and displaying the Tibetan national flag. Adak has left Nepal for India, with the help of Nepalese human rights organisation HURON.
Mar 29: Hand to Free Tibet
A new exhibition Give a Hand to Free Tibet has been launched at the Martyrs Pillar at Tsuglakhan Temple in McLeod Ganj. It marks the 20th anniversary of the German non-profit association ART at WORK: the project’s first exhibition took place in Tsuglakhang in 1998. ART at WORK has collected over 50,000 hand prints of people from 100 countries to show solidarity with the people of Tibet.
Mar 28: Dhondup Wangchen Meets Legislators
Dhondup Wangchen, the filmmaker and former political prisoner, together with Office of Tibet Representative Ngodup Tsering, met members of the United States Congress and Minnesota state legislation to talk about Wangchen’s time in prison and the conditions in which political prisoners in China are held, and their treatment following their release from prison. The meeting was organised by the Tibetan-American Foundation of Minnesota.
Mar 27: Revitalising Health Services
The Central Tibetan Administration Department of Health has announced at the two-day Tibetan Health Review Meeting that health services for the exile Tibetan community will be “revitalised”, with particular reference to tuberculosis, hepatitis B, throat and oesophageal cancers, HIV Aids and substance abuse - the most prevalent diseases in the exile Tibetan community - as well as the professional growth and well-being of its medical officers and employees.
Mar 26: Photo Exhibition
A photo exhibition, The Cradle of Tibetan Resistance, was held at the Tibet Museum near the main temple in McLeod Gang, organised by the Central Tibetan Administration. The exhibition portrays the spirit of resistance and compassion of the Tibetan people in Lithang in Kham province, and is the work of French-Italian filmmaker Sandra Dolani who said her photographs can show the situation inside Tibet to the world.
Mar 24: Funding Earmarked
The United States Congress has approved US$17 million (£12 million) funding for Tibetans for the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year: $8m (£5.7m) for Tibetans inside Tibet; $6m (£4.25) for Tibetans in India and Nepal and $3m (£2m) for Tibetan institutions and governance in exile, allaying concerns arising from the new Trump administration’s proposed cuts in foreign development assistance – including some Tibetan programmes.
Mar 24: Convention Cancelled
Another high profile event planned by the Central Tibetan Administration has been “postponed” indefinitely, apparently because of India’s fears of jeopardising their relationship with China. The 7th World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet was scheduled for April 26-28 in New Delhi; no alternative dates have been named. The last global lawmakers’ meet on Tibet was held in Canada in 2012, attended by over 50 parliamentarians from 30 countries.
Mar 23: Pilgrims Detained
60 Tibetan pilgrims have been detained in the Lhagong area of Datsedo county in Karze Prefecture and their passports confiscated. The travellers were on a pilgrimage to Nepal and India and had been ordered to return home in January, despite having legal travel documents. It is reported that the pilgrims are believed to be undergoing a re-education programme and may be facing beatings and imprisonment.