Tibetan Headlines
Feb 13: Losar Tensions
Chinese troops have been reported arriving in Ngaba Township in Tibet in the run up to Losar, the Tibetan New year. Ngaba and other Tibetan communities in the region have been under virtual Marshall Law since 2008. Losar, traditionally a time for family, celebrations and religious festivities has become a tense period in Tibet because the Chinese authorities try to control how and when Tibetans celebrate their New Year.
Feb 12: Kayla Remembered
Tributes are pouring in for Kayla Mueller, the American aid worker killed in Iraq after being held hostage by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Kayla came to Dharamshala in 2010 and volunteered with the Tibetan community, teaching English, working as editor and writer for Contact Magazine and participating in campaigns and activities. She is well remembered in the Tibetan community as a compassionate girl, a pride of humanity.
Feb 11: His Holiness in Norway
His Holiness has traveled from Basel in Switzerland to Trondheim in Norway where he addressed 1,800 students at the world’s largest International Student Festival. The theme this year is corruption. His Holiness said "we need to...focus on making friends with each other. You young people have a great opportunity; you have the potential to do this.” Copenhagen in Denmark is his next destination.
Feb 10: Prison Sentence
Kalsang Tsering, also known as Kalyang, 48, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison on charges of sharing information with outside forces, possession of the Dalai Lama’s picture in his mobile handset, and attempting to escape to exile. Kalyang, who is from Lugsang, Markham, was working as a driver in Lhasa when was detained from Toegyal Tse region three months ago.
Feb 9: Solo Protest
Pema Dorjee, 17-year-old monk from the Za Gonsar monastery, has been arrested for carrying out a solo protest in Kardze County in Kham in which he called for the return of HH the Dalai Lama to Tibet and for his long life. Eight Chinese security personnel beat up Pema before arresting him, leaving him severely wounded. His whereabouts are unknown.
Feb 8: TCHRD Report
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) has released its Annual Report for 2014 which states that the human rights situation in Tibet has continued to deteriorate despite reforms promised by the leadership in Beijing. TCHRD reports on violations in numerous areas of human rights, particularly highlighting death in detention, collective punishment and restrictions on the right to freedom of assembly and association.
Feb 7: His Holiness in Switzerland
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has arrived in Basel in Switzerland where was welcomed by more than than 500 Tibetans and friends. His Holiness will give a teaching, initiation and public talk entitled Ethics for Todays World at the invitation of the Tibetan Community of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Feb 6: Prayer Breakfast
His Holiness the Dalai Lama attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington with United States president Barack Obama, who called His Holiness a "good friend" and an inspiration for freedom. Obama and the Dalai Lama exchanged greetings and Senior Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett was seated at the table with the Dalai Lama, a sign of White House support for his presence.
Feb 5: Monk Detained
Gedun Gyatso, 27, also known as Dademiga, a monk from Thole Monastery in Tharshul township, Mangra County in Tsolho has been detained from Chengdu City in Sichuan Province. No reason has been given for his arrest, although it is understood that he is a sympathiser with Tibetans inside Tibet, and his whereabouts and well-being are not known. His books, phone, laptop and study materials were seized.
Feb 5: His Holiness in USA
HH the Dalai Lama has arrived in Washington to attend the annual National Prayer Breakfast, a Christian event attended by hundreds of religious leaders. US President Obama traditionally speaks at the Prayer Breakfast. However the White House has yet to confirm the President's attendence and China has complained about the proposed meeting in public between the President and His Holiness.
Feb 4: Two Rearrested
Tsepak, 33, and Jigdel Kyab, 39, two of the eleven Tibetans who were arrested in Chengdu when they protested against the land grab in Zoege County and were subsequently released, have been rearrested. It is believed that they are being held because the authorities suspect they have been sharing pictures and information about the Chengdu protest on the Internet.
Feb 4: Report on the Protests
A new report entitled Environmental Protests on the Tibetan Plateau by Tibet Watch, a British-based human rights group, says that Tibetans are finding ways to oppose China’s policies in Tibet. It reports on consistent failure by authorities to address the Tibetans' grievances and the frequent use of force to suppress protest, as well as no reduction in environmental exploitation. The report examined 12 confirmed protests across Tibet.
Feb 3: Early Release
Phakpa, a Tibetan resident of Ngame Ajong township in Ngaba county in Tibet, has been released from prison before serving his full 11-year sentence for taking part in 2008 protests in Tibet. No reason was given for his early release. He arrived home to a hero's welcome wearing traditional Tibetan clothes and a mask marked with a cross, understood to mean that he has been ordered not to talk about his experiences in jail.
Feb 2: Tipoffs Payouts
The Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency has announced that the Tibetan Autonomous Region’s police department will pay rewards of up to 300,000 Yuan ($50,000) for people who provide information to the police about "terror attacks" such as plotting attacks, promoting religious extremism, transporting controlled weapons and activities that help terrorists cross national borders.
Jan 31: HR Report
In its World Report 2015, Human Rights Watch has said that the Chinese government under President Xi Jinping has unleashed the harshest campaign of politically motivated investigations, detentions, and sentencing in the past decade, marking a sharp turn toward intolerance of criticism. The rights group, which reviewed human rights practices in more than 90 countries, said of China, “there appears to be no end in sight.”