Tibetan Headlines
May 20: UN Calls for Release of Activist
The United Nations’ (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued a statement calling for the release of Tibetan community leader A-Nya Sengdra. Expressing “deep concern” about the criminalisation of Sengdra’s legitimate work, the group have urged “[Chinese] authorities to comply with their obligations under international law, including by lifting the charges against Mr. Sengdra”. Sengdra was originally arrested on September 4 2018 by Chinese officials in Gade County.
May 19: Tibetan Corruption Probe
Chinese officials are reported to have launched an investigation into Tashi Gyatso, Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese regional government in Tibet. Gyatso, who is also “a member of Tibet's leading Communist Party members” group is “suspected [of] severe violations of discipline and law", according to the Tibet Discipline Inspection and Supervision Network. Chinese state media reports that over 555,000 anti-corruption cases were filed against government officials in 2019 alone.
May 18: HP Lockdown Extended
The COVID-19 lockdown has been extended in Himachal Pradesh (HP), India, until May 31. In a statement Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur, reassured the “there is no need to worry”, as “Himachal Pradesh is still better than other states” but noted that cases may rise as returnees enter the state. The state government curfew was first imposed on March 24 along with India’s nationwide lockdown.
May 18: Commemoration of Panchen Lama’s Disappearance
The exiled Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has led commemorations of the disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, Tibet’s 11th Panchen Lama. 25 years ago, on May 17, 1995, the six-year-old and his family disappeared suddenly with Chinese authorities failing to provide information on his whereabouts and condition. The CTA marked the anniversary with a “global candlelight vigil to remember Panchen Lama and honour his 25 years of an ordeal in captive”.
May 17: HH Dalai Lama’s Online Teachings
His Holiness (HH) the Dalai Lama has delivered the first of a series of online teachings from his residence in Dharamsala, India. Describing the interdependence of all living beings when confronting major issues such as COVID-19 or climate change, HH stressed that, “an individual is reliant on community to survive, which teaches us to strive for kindness and compassion towards one another, qualities intrinsic to human nature”.
May 17: TikTok Censoring Tibetan Content
Chinese social media application TikTok has delivered an edict to Indian employees stating that no content should be allowed “which is against the Chinese government”. Additionally, all content related to the “[HH] Dalai Lama and Tibet has also been directed to be removed from the application”. The company’s continued support of Chinese Communist Party interests will concern some users as the application automatically collects contact information from phones and Facebook.
May 17: Estonia-Germany Condemn China
Estonian and German lawmakers have issued separate statements condemning Chinese oppression of the Tibetan people and culture. An Estonian parliamentary group has asserted that “China cannot be regarded as belonging to the family of civilised nations” as long as the oppression continues, whilst members of the German Human Rights Policy Committee, “hope China will heed to the global call for peaceful resolution of the issue of Tibet”.
May 16: Italian Concern for Panchen Lama
A group of Italian lawmakers have called on China to “immediately reveal the fate and whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima [the 11th Panchen Lama]”. Whilst criticising “China’s continued disregard of its international human rights obligations”, the Italian Parliamentarians have demanded China “respect Tibetans’ right to freedom of religion and right to choose their own religious heads without governmental interference”.
May 16: Tibetans Urged Not to Travel
The exiled Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President, Lobsang Sangay, has warned Tibetans stranded in India that “while the organisation is making every effort to get travel passes for people stranded due to the coronavirus lockdown, it is difficult to obtain them in some states”. The CTA reports that they have been contacted by 1500 stranded people wishing to return home, of which 700 are residents of Dharamshala.
May 15: US Commends Tibetan Generosity
United States’ (US) Congressman Jim McGovern has commended Tibetan organisations across the US for their generosity during the COVID-19 pandemic. McGovern described the collective donation of $35,000 to a program delivering food to vulnerable people at home as “spirit-uplifting, especially in these trying times”.
May 15: “Anti-Gang” Campaign Targeting Tibetans
A Chinese “anti-gang crime” campaign is reportedly being used to target Tibetans suspected of dissent. Since the crackdown began in 2018 “gang crime” charges have been used to sentence at least 51 Tibetans for peacefully petitioning or protesting on issues such a religious freedom, environmental protection and official corruption. According to Human Rights Watch the campaign “has intensified the persecution of those deemed to be disloyal to Communist Party rule”.
May 14: Dalai Lama Trust Donates PPE
The Dalai Lama Trust has donated 500 sets of Personal Protective Equipment (PPR) to Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College and Hospital (Tanda) in Kangra district, India. The Trust is also preparing to give food and essentials to around 2000 underprivileged members of the community such as slum dwellers and migrant workers who have become especially vulnerable due to India’s nationwide lockdown.
May 13: Chinese 5G Supporting Surveillance
Researchers have expressed concern that the introduction of “5G in Tibet is not for Tibetans’ benefit, but for furthering China’s surveillance efforts”. An anonymous resident has described how, despite newly installed 5G, “there is always slow network connection in [the Tibetan capital] Lhasa”, with additional reports indicating 5G networks “paired with CCTV cameras, that have facial recognition technology, are tracking the movements of Tibetans… in the region”.
May 13: Calls for Panchen Lama’s Release
International calls for the release of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, have continued with lawmakers in Britain and Lithuania pressing China to ensure his safety. Timothy Loughton, of Britain’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet, has called on “China to release the 11th Panchen Lama”, whilst Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Linas Linkevičius, criticised China’s failure to confirm “whether he is alive and what his current identity is”.
May 13: Tibetans Made Homeless
Around 4,000 residents of Chamdo, Tibet, are reported to have been made homeless as a result of a Chinese resettlement policy. Efforts to move Tibetans from impoverished areas of Chamdo have resulted in Chinese authorities preventing families from returning to their hometowns even if they had left their homes “only briefly to find work or educate their children”. Some families have been “chased away by force” when trying to return.