Tibetan Headlines
Sep 14: Dalai Lama to Taiwan?
The Dalai Lama has expressed a desire to visit Taiwan in 2021, “if Beijing allows.” The trip would come after His Holiness’ scheduled trip to Singapore. He has previously visited the island in 1997, 2001 and 2009, but has not returned since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012. A spokeswoman from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “we will carefully discuss it if both parties consider it feasible.”
Sep 11: Nomad’s Displaced
Around 4000 Tibetan nomads and farmers have been told to relocate from their ancestral lands in Muru township and Suru and Drugkhyung villages to Golmud city by the end of 2020. The relocation is part of plans to turn their homeland into the 50,200 square kilometre Mount Qilian National Park. Hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have been displaced by the Chinese government in recent decades.
Sep 10: Nomads Arrested
Two Tibetan nomad have been arrested for protesting against the seizure of their land by the Chinese government. Dokyab, 63, and Gyaltsen, 43, who are relatives from Chumar County in eastern Tibet, have been detained since August 21. Their current condition is not known. Their land, like that of many nomads in the area, was taken by the government in the name of grassland preservation.
Sep 8: Laid to Rest
The remains of Special Frontier Force Company Leader Nyima Tenzin were cremated yesterday at the Shiwatsel cremation ground in Leh. Hundreds of Tibetans and Ladakhi’s attended the funeral. BJP senior leader Ram Madhav was also present. A candlelight vigil was held in McLeod Ganj to mourn the fallen soldier on Monday evening. Nyima Tenzin was killed after stepping on a landmine near the LAC of the Indo-Tibet border in Ladakh.
Sep 8: Fee Hike
Tibetan students at Jawaharlal Nehru University are urging the Central Tibetan Administration and the Indian Ministry of Human Resource and Development to act upon the massive fee hike imposed upon them under the foreign student category. Being categorised as foreign students means that the tuition fees for Tibetans have increased ten-fold since 2019. 42 Tibetans passed entrance exams for JNU last year but only 10 could afford the increased fee.
Sep 7: Biden Statement
After taking criticism for omitting the Tibetan issue from their election platform, the democratic nominee for president Joe Biden has released a statement saying that “a Biden-Harris administration will stand up for the people of Tibet” and call for dialog between Beijing and the Dalai Lama’s representatives. Biden also said he would appoint a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues and insist on reciprocal access to Tibet for US officials.
Sep 4: Two More Candidates
Penpa Tsering and Kelsang Dorjee Aukatsang have both announced their candidacies for Sikyong in the 2021 election. Penpa Tsering said he wanted to devote his life to serving the Tibetan people. Aukatsang said: “My campaign will seek to unite Tibetans under one nation, one people, and one struggle.” Both men have previously served as the Representative for the Office of Tibet in New York City.
Sep 3: Sikyong’s Warning
Lobsang Sangay has warned against “divisive Chinese elements” in the 2021 Tibetan elections. Citing that the United States and Taiwan had both reported Chinese influence on their recent elections, the Tibetan leader said that the small Tibetan community must be “especially vigilant” and remain united “against those who seek to incite disharmony.” The election in 2021 will elect a new Sikyong and members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile.
Sep 2: Rural Roads in TAR
All 74 counties in the Tibetan Autonomous Region have now been linked by asphalt roads and are accessible by buses. The roads connect 476 townships and 2,050 administrative villages, according to Xinhua news agency. Tashi Norbu, from the rural highway office, said that 547,000 people have been employed in highway construction efforts and that farmers and herdsmen had seen their income increase by about $2 billion.
Sep 2: Pangong Lake
The Indian army said it thwarted a Chinese attempt to “change the status quo” at Pangong Lake on August 29 and 30. During “provocative military movements” by the PLA one Tibetan soldier from the Special Frontier Forces Vikas Battalion, Company Leader Nyima Tenzin, 51, was killed. Another Tibetan soldier, Tenzin Lodhen, 24, was injured. Nyima Tenzin’s body was handed over to his family in Sonamling Tibetan settlement on Tuesday.
Sep 2: Democracy Day
The Kashag has released a statement celebrating 60 years of Tibetan democracy. On this day in 1960, the first elected representatives of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile “inaugurated the Tibetan democratic system.” The Tibetan constitution based on ideals of democracy and universal values followed in 1963. The statement contrasted their democratic policies with the authoritarian regime in Beijing and called on the Chinese to “acknowledge the failure of its policies.”
Sep 1: Battle Against “Separatism”
Wu Yingjie, the leading figure in the CCP in the Tibet Autonomous Region, has asked Party officials to fight against separatist forces and expose the “reactionary nature” of the Dalai Lama and his followers. Wu announced a campaign to “educate” all ethnic groups and “guide the religious believers to treat religion rationally, downplay the negative influence of religion, and live a happy life for this lifetime.”
Aug 31: Xi Speech
Xi Jinping has called for the building of a “new modern socialist” Tibet that is united, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful at the 7th Central Symposium on Tibet Work in Beijing. Work related to Tibet must focus on strengthening national unity and strengthening ethnic solidarity, Xi said. Xi also mentioned the importance of Tibet’s ecology, an area where the Communist Party has a particularly poor record.
Aug 29: Chinese Panchen Lama
The Chinese appointed 11th Panchen Lama has returned to Beijing after a 15 day visit to his occupied homeland. Chokyi Gyalpo visited Lhasa and various towns in his home prefecture of Nagqu and toured a yak farm and a museum of Tibetan medicine. He expressed amazement that his hometown now had electricity: “Now, with paved road and internet, life has improved a lot here,” he was quoted as saying.
Aug 27: Tibetans Test Positive
30 positive cases of COVID-19 have been recorded at an old-age home in the Tibetan settlement of Sonamling in the Union Territory of Ladakh. 28 infected senior citizens have been moved to the nearby TCV school hostel for isolation and treatment. 2 care workers also tested positive. The facility has been sanitized and other corrective measures have been taken. There are now 36 active cases in the exile community.