Tibetan Headlines
Apr 14: Call for Panchen Lama’s Release
Belgian Member of Parliament, Samuel Cogolati, has issued a “statement of support for Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama”. On April 25 Gedhun Choekyi Nyima will turn 31 having been arrested by Chinese authorities at the age of 6. Cogolati’s statement “urged the Belgian Foreign Ministry to send a strong message to Beijing for the unconditional release of the Panchen Lama”.
Apr 14: Spanish Politician Criticises China
Spanish member of the European Parliament, Herman Tertsch, has criticised China’s technological censorship. Tertsch drew attention to Chinese video-sharing app Tik Tok’s “record of harvesting personal data from users in the Western World and censoring messages that it disagrees with” including “reports of the app deleting messages in support of a free Tibet”.
Apr 14: Chinese Funded University Closes
A Chinese Communist Party funded Confucius Institute in the United States (US) has been closed citing “funding concerns”. Miami University’s decision to close the institute followed reports that “most of the Institute’s staffers are paid by the Chinese government”. Former Chinese propaganda minister Liu Yushan has stated publically that the “Chinese government uses Confucius Institutes to actively carry out international propaganda battles against issues such as Tibet”.
Apr 13: Global Warmings’ Virus Risk
Melting permafrost risks releasing “viruses and bacteria absent from the biosphere of life on Earth for thousands of years”. Evolutionary biologist Jean-Michel Claverie believes that “viruses that can infect humans or animals might be preserved in old permafrost layers, including some that have caused global epidemics in the past". Research undertaken in 2015 on a melting Tibetan glacier identified “28 previously undiscovered virus groups”.
Apr 13: US Anti-China Bills Stall
Despite increasingly critical rhetoric from United States (US) politicians’ legislation relating to China is being delayed by the need prioritise the US COVID-19 response. In March US lawmakers introduced at least 20 China related bills but an unnamed congressional staffer stated that “not much of what gets proposed or introduced in the upcoming days [regarding China] will become policy”, including legislation previously introduced about Tibet and China’s Uighurs.
Apr 12: Additional Restrictions in Dharamshala
Three wards of Dharamshala Municipal Corporation (Forseth Ganj, Bhagsunag and McLeod Ganj) are reported to have been sealed off and with no relaxation of the COVID-19 curfew in these area. Kangra Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati has stated that additional police are being brought into the areas and that “people will not be allowed to go out of their homes”.
Apr 11: HH Je Thrizur Passes Away
HH the 68th Je Khenpo, Tenzin Doendrup, is reported to have passed away peacefully at his residence in Dodena, Bhutan. Born in 1925 in Wangdue phodrang, HH studied under Lam Kathokpa in Minduling Dratshang, Tibet before returning to Buhtan in 1952. Fondly known as Je Thrizur HH became 68th Je Khenpo on April 12, 1986 before retiring in 1990 to become the patron of the Tango and Cheri Buddhist Shedra.
Apr 11: Tibetan Charity in Dehradum
The Tibetan community in Dehradun, India have been donating food and protective equipment during the COVID-19 lockdown. Tsering Luding, vice-president of the Doon Buddhist Committee, has described how hand sanitizer and masks have been donated to Dehradun Municipal Corporation and local police, whilst over 1000 ration kits have been given to needy people. Luding added that contributions have also been made the Chief Minister’s COVID-19 Relief Fund.
Apr 11: Macleod Ganj “COVID-19 Hotspot”
Himachal Pradesh (HP) government has declared ten “COVID-19 hotspots”, including Macleod Ganj, for further measures to contain the virus. HP Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur has said that all public places in the “hotspots” would be sanitised whilst ruling out the relaxation of curfew restrictions in the near future. One case of COVID-19 was reported in Macleod Ganj on March 23 with all subsequent contact testing negative.
Apr 10: COVID-19 Reporting Doubt in Tibet
Activists speaking at a recent video conference hosted by human rights group International Tibet Network have expressed doubt over COVID-19 reports from Tibet. Kyinzom Dhongdue, from the human rights group Australia Tibet Council, described how “there is very little information about the exact number of the coronavirus cases that have been coming out of Tibet” adding that “we don’t know what is really happening to the Tibetan people”.
Apr 10: Surveillance in Tibetan Nature Reserves
Chinese press have reported “plans to install a video monitoring system in the Qiangtang Nature Reserve” (Chang Tang Nature Reserve). The People's Daily has described how the “system will provide 24/7 all-weather monitoring” with the intention of “bring down poaching and smuggling in the region”. Local police are reported to have already carried out a 22 day patrol of the reserve located in Chinese administered Tibet.
Apr 10: Chinese in Tibetan Classrooms
Tibetan is reported to be being replaced by Chinese languages in schools in Sichuan’s Ngaba prefecture. It has been stated “that beginning this summer the medium of school instruction will be switched entirely to Chinese”. A March 5 Human Rights Watch report has described the growing emphasis on Chinese language schooling in Tibet, as “an assimilationist policy for minorities that has gained momentum under President Xi Jinping’s leadership”.
Apr 9: Resources for Closed Remote Schooling
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has issued guidelines for teachers and students to make effective use of school closures during the COVID-19 lockdown. Amongst the resources recommended is the CTA developed BODYIGLOBJONG, which is described as “web portal” supporting exercises in Tibetan language. Core curriculum resources are also recommended by the CTA.
Apr 9: Monastery Donations to COVID-19 Funds
Tibetan monasteries in India have been donating to various relief funds in an effort to help those effected by the COVID-19 lockdown. Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Karnataka and a collective of monasteries based in Uttarakhand are amongst those to have followed the example of HH Dalai Lama and made donations to the Prime Minister of India’s COVID-19 Relief Fund as well as other state funds.
Apr 8: Tibet Tunnel Completed
Chinese authorities are reporting the completion of the last section of tunnel required for a 435 km railway linking Lhasa and Nyingchi. The section forms part of a 2,416 km rail link between Kham province (ch: Sichuan) and rest of the Tibet. Author and tibetologist, Claude Arpi, has described the speed at which infrastructure projects in Tibet have been resumed after China’s COVID-19 shutdown as “perplexing” and “ominous”.