Tibetan Headlines
May 7: Over 4000 Tibetans Investigated
Chinese authorities are reported to have investigated “between 4,000 and 5,000 households in Tibet that have family ties to exiles in Nepal, India and other places outside the country”. Rights group Tibet Watch reports that the investigations took place in Dingri County as Chinese authorities targeted “individuals and social groups who it sees as a possible destabilising influence”, with “blacklisted families kept under constant surveillance”.
May 7: Tibetan’s Appeal Postponed Indefinitely
The appeal hearing of Tibetan anti-corruption activist, A-nya Sengdra, is reported to have been postponed indefinitely. Having been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for “gathering people to disturb public order” Sengra was due to appeal his sentence on April 27. However, Golok Intermediate People’s Court has postponed the appeal indefinitely because “one of the judges had suddenly taken ill”.
May 7: His Holiness to Resume Teaching
His Holiness (HH) the Dalai Lama has announced that he will deliver two days of online teachings on May 16 and 17. HH suspended all engagements in February as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened. However, his office has announced that, “at the request of individuals and groups from around the world, [HH]… consented to give a two-day teaching on Chapters 1 and 4 of Master Nagarjuna’s ‘Precious Garland (rinchen trengwa)’”.
May 6: CTA Poverty Elevation Efforts
The exiled Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has sought to clarify the efforts it is taking to support destitute Tibetans, stating that “under its renewed poverty alleviation programs, CTA spends crores of rupees every year on educational, employment, health and welfare programs”. Particular priorities are those over 65 who have “spent the prime of their lives resisting the invasion of their homeland” and education provision “for children from destitute households”.
May 6: Belgium Monitoring Tibetan Environment
The Belgian Foreign Minister, Philippe Goffin, has reassured that “climate change, environmental degradation, protection of biodiversity and sustainable development in Tibet are closely monitored by Belgian Foreign Ministry”. Describing how Belgium engages with China on the issues Goffin added that though “it is not customary to focus on challenges specific to a region or a sub-region” Tibetan environmental issues are addressed through the relevant United Nations frameworks.
May 6: Tibetans Helping New York
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic the American-Tibetan community in New York and New Jersey (NY&NJ) has mobilised, “delivering home-cooked food and other essentials to frontline workers in the city”. Sonam Gyaphel, President of the Tibetan Community in NY&NJ, has described how over 1,000 food packets have been delivered to hospitals, whilst other groups have been distributing face masks and providing information about COVID-19 in Tibetan and Nepalese.
May 5: Tibetan Snowmelt Algae Blooms
New research indicates that the loss of snow cover “in the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau region is fuelling a destructive algal bloom in the Arabian Sea”. The research from the Earth Institute indicates that thick Noctiluca algal blooms that “are forcing out the phytoplankton that support the local food chain” are a result of warmer and more humid monsoons caused by declining Himalayan snow cover.
May 5: New Chinese Tank in Tibet
A new type of Chinese tank is reported to have entered service “with the 54th Heavy Armour Combined-Arms Brigade, Tibet Military Area Command”. The ZTQ15 or Type 15 “light main battle tank” was first unveiled in September 2019 “by the Chinese Army during a parade for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China” and is designed to operate in regions heavier tanks have difficulties traversing.
May 5: Tibetan Former Prisoner Dies
Released Tibetan political prisoner, Tsering Bakdro, has died aged 51 at his home in Maldro Gongkar, Tibet. An anonymous local source believes that Bakdro’s “untimely death is certainly related to the physical torture and suffering he endured while he was in prison”. The former monk served eight years in prison, “experienced physical torture and psychological trauma”, and after release, “lived under constant surveillance by the Chinese authorities”.
May 4: HP COVID-19 Curfew to Relax
Himachal Pradesh (HP) will continue to follow India’s national lockdown, though authorities have stated that an increased number of shops will be permitted to trade and opening hours will be extended. A HP government spokesperson has said that deputy commissioners would decide what restrictions to lift in their respective districts, with it possible that hardware shops, dhabas and takeaway restaurants could be reopened.
May 3: Call for World to Unite
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has called for unity among humanity during this difficult time. HH encouraged people to focus on what unites humanity and reach out to each other with compassion. As human beings, everyone experiences pain, fear and uncertainty and everyone desires happiness, said His Holiness. HH reminded us that the global crisis and its consequences are a clear warning that only by coming together in a global response will we overcome it .
May 3: Slow Return to HP
The Settlement Officer for Dharamshala, India, has advised that Tibetans may still find it challenging to return to Himachal Pradesh (HP). Despite India’s lockdown easing Kunga Tsering, the Tibetan Settlement Officer of Dharamshala has advised people to “refrain from travelling back home for the month of May to avoid the risk of spread[ing COVID-19]”. Tsering added that a large number of returnees is “highly unlikely as travelling through air or railways are banned throughout India”.
May 2: Tighter Information Control in Tibet
Over the past year China is reported to have tightened controls on information flows in Tibet, targeting Tibetans for “sharing news and opinions on social media, and for contacting relatives living in exile”. “It’s much more dangerous [for Tibetans] to speak to foreign journalists or to overseas media,” reports Human Right’s Watch’s Sarah Cook, adding that, “people there are subject to heavier reprisals than in other parts of China”.
May 2: Kangra Lockdown Passes Paused
Following the arrival in Kangra, India, of nearly 17,000 people in three days, Deputy Commissioner, Rakesh Kumar Prajapati, has announced that no new lockdown passes will be issued “for the time being”. It is reported that 50,000 people applied online for passes to enter Himachal Pradesh but the influx of e-pass holders have raised concerns over adherence to home quarantine regulations for new arrivals.
May 2: Tibet “Ethnic Unity Law”
A Chinese “Ethnic Unity” law has come into effect in Tibet, requiring “equal participation by non-Tibetan ethnic groups at all levels of government and in schools”. The legislation is seen as part of Beijing’s illegal efforts to assimilate Tibet into China with the International Campaign for Tibet stating that, “by asserting a dominant ethnic culture with the aim to Sinicize the Tibetan people, the regulations violated international human rights standards”.