China detains nine Tibetans in Palyul County

November 29: Eight Tibetans including six monks have been detained by Chinese authorities in Palyul County last Friday, reported the Tibet Times. The Tibetans were detained by Chinese authorities who had been tipped off about a protest that the Tibetans had planned to carry out the next day. According to sources, two local officials had stolen a truck full of sacred stones from a pilgrimage site at the Khangmar Nyingma monastery. A chunk of the stolen stones have reportedly been sold in China and the rest were seen outside a construction site managed by the County administration, said sources. The Tibetans had decided to stage a protest on November 23 but were arrested before the protest. Several appeals from the local Tibetans to the County administration to return the stolen stones to their rightful owners were ignored. The monastery has been put under constant surveillance with additional Chinese security forces patrolling the streets of Terlung. Strict monitoring of all communication facilities has made it difficult to acquire further information.

Three Tibetan youth get two years' jail for self immolation links, independence protests

undated picture of Lhamo, 20, who will be behind bars for two years.  AUGUST 19: China has sentenced three Tibetan youth to two years’ imprisonment for alleged links with a series of self immolations in Tibet’s Rebkong region. The three were among several Tibetans arrested last year during protests in Rebkong against the Chinese government in the aftermath of fiery self immolation protests by six Tibetans in just two days. Another Tibetan is held without trial. Malho People’s Intermediate Court announced the verdict in a secret trial, a source said. Tsondue Choeden, a 19 year monk of Rebkong Rongwo monastery, 20 year old Lhamo from Dowa Khyinga Dewa, and a Dong-dhe Samphetsang family’s 17 year old son were all sentenced to two years in prison while another Tibetan, 18 year old Sodhbum from Dowa Kharkya Dewa is currently held under detention but has not been tried. Tibetans demonstrating against Chinese rule in Rongwo region of Rebkong, eastern Tibet on November 9, 2012. Tsondue Choeden is accused of instigating Kalsang Jinpa, who died immediately after he set himself ablaze on November 8 last year at Dolma square in Rebkong. Tsondue was arrested by Chinese Public Security Bureau officials on November 16 while on his way with a fellow monk Kunchok Sonam to Rongwo monastery for the post death ritual (first seveth day – duentsik dhangpo) for Kalsang Jinpa. Lhamo is accused of taking part in pro-independence protests and for bringing down the Chinese national flag during the protests following Kalsang Jinpa’s death. Dongdhe Samphetsang’s son is accused of taking part in independence protests. Sodhbum is accused of filling gasoline repeatedly in the motorcycle owned by a Tibetan who self immolated. He is held without trial at a detention centre in Xiling. More than 5000 students took to the steets of Rongwo town raising slogans for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return and demanding freedom for the Tibetan people, a day after Kalsang Jinpa set himself ablaze and died immediately thereafter. The deepening crisis inside Tibet has witnessed large scale anti-China protests that saw self immolations by 121 Tibetans since 2009, demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

Tibetan student sentenced to two and half years' prison, two released

an undated picture of Dorjee/file  August 13 - A Chinese court in Tibet's Rebkong had sentenced a Tibetan youth to two and a half years in prison, for his "involvement with self immolation protests" in November last year, sources said. The verdict was announced in February this year but emerged only now due to China's strict censorship and monitoring of information. Dorjee, a student of the Rebkong intermediate school, was also charged with "instigating separatism", engaging in pro-independence protests and founding a group called 'Ghangsol Gyunzin Tsokpa' (Eng: Tibet culture preservation organization). He is currently held at a detention centre in Xiling, Qinghai. He is a native of Dowa town in Rebkong. Meanwhile, two monks, Drakpa Gyatso and Jigme Tenzin, both from Dowa town of Rebkong, had been released. They were arrested following fiery self immolation protests by Tibetans in the region that alone has seen 13 self-immolations since March 14, 2012. The deepening crisis inside Tibet has witnessed large scale anti-China protests and a series of self-immolations that has now seen 120 Tibetans set themselves on fire, since 2009, demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

China sentences Tibetan monk to 10 years

Tsultrim Kalsang, 25, in an undated photo. July 19: In another instance of heavy-handed ruling following the criminalisation of the self-immolation protests in Tibet, a Tibetan monk has been sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of ‘intentional homicide.’ Tsultrim Kalsang, 25, a Tibetan monk from the restive Nyatso Zilkar Monastery in Dzatoe region of Tridu, eastern Tibet was sentenced on July 12 by an Intermediate People’s Court in Siling city. Dharamshala based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said Tsultrim Kalsang’s charges are possibly related to the twin self-immolation protest by two Tibetan youths Ngawang Norphel, 22, and Tenzin Khedup, 24,in Dzatoe region on June 30, 2012. Both of them died in their protests. Tsultrim Kalsang was detained in a major raid on September 1, 2012 from his monastic quarters along with four other monks: Sonam Sherab, 41, Lobsang Jinpa, 31, Sonam Yignyen, 45, and Ngawang Monlam, 31. 60 vehicles full of Chinese armed police had entered the Nyatso Zilkar Monastery, searched the residences of the monks and confiscated some computers and CDs. “Since his detention, Tsultrim Kalsang spent about 10 months in uncertainty as his case was referred to various procuratorates who took time to draw up charges,” TCHRD cited local contacts as saying. “After about a month of his detention, he was briefly returned to his monastery due to failing health. However, he was called for interrogation twice in Siling city and was detained for four months at a stretch for further questioning.” Tsultrim Kalsang had taken part in a non-violent protest calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet on February 8, 2012, coinciding with the solidarity prayers called by the exile Tibetan administration. He and many other Tibetans were later detained, tortured and sentenced for taking part in the protests. Of those five arrested on September 1, Lobsang Jinpa received five years in prison for writing the lyrics of a song sung by singer Lolo, who was also sentenced to six years beginning this year. Both Sonam Sherab and Sonam Yignyen were sent to a Re-education Through Labour (Ch: laojiao) camp for two years, TCHRD said. Tsultrim Kalsang was born 1988 in Nyatso Village in Tridu to Athub and Dokar Tso, and became a monk at the age of 10. After finishing his studies at the Zilkar monastery in 2004, he joined the great Sera monastic university in Lhasa, where he further engaged in Buddhist studies for some more years. During the 2008 protests in Tibet, the Chinese police kept him in custody for around six months, and then he was forced to return to his hometown. “Among his fellow student-monks at the monastery, he had the reputation of being the brightest scholar,” TCHRD said. “In 2011, he was appointed as a lecturer of Tibetan language at Zilkar Monastery; one of his main achievements was that he composed many new Tibetan texts to be taught at the school.” China has frequently used charges of ‘intentional homicide’ to crack down on self-immolations and to persecute critics of Chinese policy in Tibet despite protests by numerous governments and international rights groups. In January this year, a Chinese court sentenced Lobsang Konchok, 40, a monk from Ngaba Kirti Monastery to death with a two-year reprieve and Lobsang Tsering, 31, to ten years in prison on similar charges of intentional homicide. On the same day, six other Tibetans were handed down heavy jail terms for their alleged roles in trying to rescue a Tibetan self-immolator from falling into the hands of Chinese security forces. Since 2009, as many as 119 Tibetans living under China’s rule have set themselves on fire calling for freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.

an monk to 10 years

China vows to intensify crackdown on pro-Tibet materials

DHARAMSHALA, July 18: China has vowed to implement more stringent measures to crackdown on what it calls “illegal publications” and “reactionary promotional products” including text messages, audio visual products, TV and radio programmes and books in Tibet. China deems publications on the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the exile Tibetan administration, Tibetan freedom struggle as well as literature on human rights such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as “illegal” and “reactionary.” Announcing the measures, Li Changjiang, a senior official from the national anti-pornography and anti-illegal publications office said the crackdown will target books, newspapers, magazines, promotional pamphlets, text messages, audio and visual products, TV and radio programs, as well as electronic publications that are deemed to be illegal or reactionary. "Sharing information and investigating cases will be part of joint prevention and control efforts among multiple provincial departments," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Li as saying at a meeting on Wednesday. Li called for regional governments to take the lead in investigating such publications and asked related departments to cooperate with the local governments. Figures from the office show that more than 1.32 million “illegal publications and promotional items” have been confiscated since 2011 in the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region. Last month, China strongly denied reports of any relaxation in their decades old policy in Tibet of a blanket ban on the display of portraits of the Dalai Lama after reports came of isolated instances of relaxation in the ban as “experimental” measures, came out of Tibet. The Chinese state bureau for religious affairs said there had been “no policy change” and maintained that China's policy towards the Dalai Lama, considered by Beijing a “splittist,” was "consistent and clear". "If the Dalai Lama wants to improve his relationship with the Central Government, he must really give up his stance in favour of 'Tibetan Independence' or independence in any disguised forms," the state bureau had said. Since 2009, as many as 119 Tibetans living under China’s rule have set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. Scores of Tibetans have been arrested and disappeared for keeping portraits of the Dalai Lama in their phones or at homes, and singing songs or writing about the Tibetan spiritual leader who relinquished all his political authorities to the elected Tibetan leadership in 2011.

More Tibetans shot, savagely beaten in Tawu firings

Tibetans in Tawu region of eastern Tibet offering prayers on the occasion of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 78th birthday on July 6, 2013. (Photo/TCHRD) DHARAMSHALA, July 17: Even as communication channels in Tawu, the site of Chinese police firings on unarmed Tibetans earlier this month in eastern Tibet remain erratic, more details about the tragic incident and those injured have reached exile. Hundreds of local Tibetans including monks from the Nyatso Monastery had assembled at the sacred Machen Pomra mountain on July 6 to offer prayers on the 78th birthday of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Chinese armed police stopped Tibetans from conducting prayers at Machen Pomra following which the local Tibetans moved to another nearby venue and held prayers and made offerings in front of a portrait of the Dalai Lama. Dharamshala based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, which has been keeping a close watch on the incident, today confirmed that Chinese armed police detained 18 Tibetans from a bridge on the foothills of the mountain. “Out of them, 14 have sustained gunshot wounds and are receiving treatment,” the group said. “There is no death reported yet although the injured are not out of danger.” TCHRD identified a few more injured Tibetans, including Yama Tsering, 72, who was “severely beaten and got four of his ribs broken.” Dekyi Gonpo aka Goleb has reportedly become deaf in one ear due to the beatings while Ngawang, a former administrative staff at Nyatso Monastery, layman Tamka Choeden, and school student Palden Wangmo have been injured in police beatings. Tashi Sonam, a monk and teacher at Nyatso Monastery, was shot in his head while Ugyen Tashi, a layman, received eight bullet shots. Both of them are reported to be in critical condition and are undergoing treatment. Gyaltsen, a Tibetan environmental activist, was also severely beaten and two of his ribs were broken and Tsewang Choephel, a senior monk and administrative staff at Nyatso Monastery was shot at multiple times on his hands and legs and remains in critical condition. Citing local sources in Tawu, TCHRD said that the armed police provoked the bloody confrontation by stoning and smashing the car windows of Nyatso monk Jangchup Dorjee, a brother of nun Palden Choetso who died of self-immolation protest on November 3, 2011. “A dispute ensued between local Tibetans and armed police over the stoning, after which armed police came down to the bridge and confronted the Tibetans,” TCHRD said. “Attempts made by the abbots and other senior monks to settle the issue peacefully failed when Tsering Gonpo, a leader of the PAP contingent gave orders to shoot, beat and teargas the Tibetans.” Later in the evening, over 3,000 local Tibetans reportedly gathered at the Nyatso Monastery and called for the immediate release of those detained earlier that day. The protesters threatened the authorities with non-violent direct actions such as withdrawal of their children from Chinese government-run schools, boycotting farming, and blocking all traffic movement in Tawu if their demands were not met. “Threatened by the specter of a county-wide movement, the Chinese authorities released the detained Tibetans at around midnight on July 7 after their detention at around 4 pm on July 6,” TCHRD said. Nyatso Monastery has borne all treatment related expenses of those injured and didn’t accept financial help from the Chinese government in keeping with the wishes of the local people. TCHRD further added that earlier reports of Chinese PAP officers kowtowing and apologising for their actions in front of local Tibetans could not be corroborated.

The Dalai Lama has no immediate plans of visiting Hong Kong: Senior Tibetan official

His Holiness the Dalai Lama during opening prayers at the Tsug-la Khang at the start of the first day of his four day teaching given at the request of a group from India in Dharamshala, India on June 1, 2013. (Photo/Abhishek Madhukar)  June 5: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has no immediate plans of visiting Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region under the People’s Republic of China, according to a senior official at his Private Office. Quelling recent speculations sparked by a report on the South China Morning Post, Ngapa Tsegyam, Secretary at the Dalai Lama’s Private Office told a Tibetan radio service that His Holiness has no scheduled plans of visiting Hong Kong in the near future. The Post, on June 3, carried a report on a pending invitation to the Tibetan spiritual leader to visit Hong Kong this September sent by Philip Li Koi-hop, chairman of the Hong Kong Tibetan and Han-Chinese Friendship Association. “Yes, it is true that the Private Office received the letter and our concerned staff had immediately replied saying that His Holiness’ visit would not be possible for the time being,” Tsegyam told the Oslo based Voice of Tibet. “There is a lengthy process involved in organising His Holiness’ visit and it requires detailed planning.” He noted that the 78-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader follows a pre-planned schedule and will be visiting Europe this September. Tsegyam added that the Dalai Lama meets with many devotees from mainland China and Hong Kong and many disciples from Hong Kong have extended invitations. “When invited to visit Hong Kong, His Holiness has repeatedly said that if the Chinese government allows, he is most willing to visit,” the senior official said. The Dalai Lama maintains a busy traveling schedule, trying to accommodate as many requests as possible for his participation in events throughout the world. According to the website of the Private Office, “His Holiness the Dalai Lama made his first foreign visit outside Tibet in 1954 when he spent almost a year in China meeting with its leaders and touring various places. In 1956, His Holiness made his second visit abroad to India at the invitation of the Mahabodhi Society of India to attend the 2500th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Lord Buddha.” After coming into exile in 1959, the Dalai Lama made his first visits abroad in 1967, visiting Japan and Thailand. In 1973, His Holiness made his first visit to the West, visiting 12 European countries. The Dalai Lama’s first visit to the Americas was to the United States and Canada in 1979.

Tibet burns with another self-immolation, Toll reaches 118

Tenzin Sherab in an undated photo. May 29: In reports coming just in, a Tibetan man set himself on fire in Adril region of eastern Tibet protesting China’s occupation and hard-line policies in Tibet. Tenzin Sherab, 31, carried out his self-immolation protest on May 27. He succumbed to his injuries at the site of his fiery protest. According to Jampa Younten, a monk living in south India, Tenzin Sherab’s family members and friends came to know about his self-immolation protest only after he had passed away. “Soon after the protest, Chinese security personnel from Chumar arrived at the site and confiscated Tenzin Sherab’s body,” Younten said. “However, the next day, on May 28, his body was handed over to his family members.” In the days preceding his self-immolation protest, Tenzin Sherab had spoken to his friends about the evil policies of the Chinese government and expressed his concern about Tibetan religion and culture reaching a point of annihilation. “We can no longer bear to live under China’s constant torture and repression,” Tenzin Sherab had told his friends. Preparations are afoot for his cremation, the same source added. Tenzin Sherab is the son of Dhondup and Choemey and is the eldest among five siblings. Since 2009, as many as 118 Tibetans living under China’s rule have set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile. The Chinese government has responded with even harsher policies, criminalising the self-immolation protests and sentencing scores of people to heavy prison terms on charges of “intentional homicide” for their alleged roles in self-immolation protests. Chinese officials have barred Tibetans from offering prayers and showing solidarity with families of self-immolators and announced the cancellation of development funds to those villages where self-immolations have taken place.

The Dalai Lama, Barack Obama most popular leaders says new survey

His Holiness the Dalai Lama attending the official function of the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan national uprising in Dharamshala, March 10, 2009. (Phayul file)   May 31: A new pan-Atlantic survey has named Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the most popular leader in the world along with US President Barack Obama. In contrast, leaders with the least levels of popularity include China’s President Xi Jingping and Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Harris Interactive, one of the world’s leading market research firms, announced the results after conducting a Harris Poll online among a total of 7,245 adults aged 16+ in France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain and adults aged 18+ in Italy and the United States between May 8 and 15, 2013. The poll, which measured “how good or bad opinions are of some well-known world leaders” showed the two Nobel Peace laureates, the Dalai Lama tied with President Barack Obama with the highest levels of popularity. The only leader who came close to the number one spot was Pope Francis. “Across the six countries, three-quarters of adults (78%) on average have good opinions of both President Obama and His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” the results concluded. For His Holiness, 86% of respondents in Italy, 85% in Spain, 81% in France, 79% in Germany, 70% in Great Britain and 64% in the US, have good opinions of him. In the US, Americans have higher opinions of The Dalai Lama (64%) and Pope Francis (61%) than they do of President Obama. The other end of the popularity spectrum is made up by some “controversial figures” from around the world with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un (4%), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran (6%), China‘s Xi Jinping (14%) and Vladimir Putin of Russia (19%). Harris Interactive noted that the data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population while using propensity score weighting to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight.

Another Tibetan prisoner comes out of jail in poor health

Lodoe Gyatso in an undated photo. May 3: A Tibetan prisoner is reported to be in poor health following his release at the completion of his 21-year prison term. Chinese authorities in Tibet released Lodoe Gyatso, 52, from the notorious Chushul prison near the Tibetan capital city Lhasa on May 2. Ngawang Tharpa, a cousin of Gyatso living in exile, confirmed the report. “Lodoe Gyatso was released yesterday on May 2 after serving 21 years in prison. He is currently in poor health condition due to the injuries sustained during his time in prison,” Tharpa said. Gyatso was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison on murder charges in 1991. On March 4, 1995, while serving his sentence in Drapchi prison, Gyatso had carried out a protest against China’s occupation, calling for Tibet’s independence, the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the unity of the Tibetan people. Following his protest, Gyatso was severely tortured for over a month with prison officials pushing for his death sentence. As a result of repeated appeals by the Amnesty International and the United Nations for clemency, Gyatso was spared the capital punishment and sentenced to an additional six years. He was formerly a dance artist and a weight lifting champion from Sog region of Nagchu. Gyatso’s release comes days after reports came of the release of one of Tibet’s longest serving political prisoners Lobsang Tenzin, who has also been described in poor health. Earlier reports had said that Lobsang Tenzin was in a critical condition, suffering from severe diabetes due to which his eyesight had weakened sharply causing blindness at times. Dharamshala based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy earlier today said that Lobsang Tenzin’s release has “done little to gain him any measure of freedom even at his home in Lhasa. The Centre cited sources as saying that Lobsang Tenzin’s home is “heavily guarded and monitored by security personnel and other government officials who continue to turn away visitors” including his relatives and neighbours.

French President raises Tibet with Xi

French President Francois Hollande, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping addressing the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Thursday, April 25, 2013. (Photo: Yohsuke Mizuno, Pool) April 26: French President Francois Hollande, who on Thursday became the first western leader to meet China’s new President Xi Jinping in Beijing, said his talks touched upon the issue of Tibet where as many as 117 known cases of self-immolations have occurred. President Hollande told a press conference that during his talks with Chinese leaders he raised the issue of Tibet and human rights, with all topics discussed in a "frank and respectful manner." Euronews quoted President Hollande as saying that the recent self-immolations “created some legitimate emotion.” “Regarding human rights and democratic principles, they are both part of the dialogue that we are having. It should not be seen as an obligation, we should simply put this issue as it should be: as part of frank and respectful political dialogue.” On April 24, two young monks from the Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery in Zoege, eastern Tibet, became the latest Tibetans to set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Both Lobsang Dawa, 20 and Kunchok Woeser, 22 passed away in their fiery protests. Prior to President Hollande’s China visit, a survey by a leading French poll house showed that almost 70% of the French people wanted their president to raise the situation of Human Rights and civil liberties with his counterpart. Of that another 66% of the people polled wanted President Hollande to raise his concerns about the situation of Tibetans in China. The same poll, carried out between April 16-18, showed that 94 per cent of the people deemed the present condition of human rights and civil liberties in Tibet as "unsatisfactory." More than 80 percent of the people polled further said that they feel "in solidarity with the Tibetans" and were in favour of the French President meeting with the Dalai Lama if he visits France. From Beijing, the French president will travel to China's commercial hub of Shanghai before heading home late Friday.

Thousands offered prayers for Jugtso

(Photo: David Huang/Dharamsala) DHARAMSHALA, April 18: Following the self-immolation protest by Jugtso or Chuktso in Zamthang in Ngaba, Eastern Tibet, thousands of local Tibetans at the Jonang Monastery to offer their prayers and last respects. Jugtso, 20, mother of four, set herself alight outside Jonang Monastery in Zamthang around 3 pm local time yesterday. She died at the protest site and was then taken to the monastery where religious ceremonies were carried out. The family members later took the body to her home. According to Dharamshala-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), "Family members of Chuktso were forced to cremate the body in haste that same night after orders came from County government and Public Security Bureau (PSB) office asking for an immediate cremation or allow confiscation of the body." Jugtso was a native of Bharma Village in Zamthang County. She is a daughter of Tenkho and Donkyi. Jugtso became the sixth Tibetan to self-immolate in Dzamthang. In Dharamshala, the de-facto capital of exile Tibet, hundreds of Tibetans and supporters carried out a candlelight vigil from the Mcleod Ganj Square to the Martyr's Pillar at Tsuglakhang in solidarity with Jugtso. The deepening crisis inside Tibet has witnessed large-scale anti-China protests and a series of self-immolations that reached 115.

Tibetans shut China’s “propaganda exhibit”

The "Tibet Today: Exposing the Truth" exhibition opens with photographs of pre-1949 independent Tibet, China's invasion, and recent Tibetan protests for freedom. (Photo/SFT) March 27: The Chinese Consulate at Chicago has packed off their performances and opening ceremony during their exhibit “Tibet Today: Sight of Western China Photo Exhibition” at the University of Minnesota on Monday. "There is a lesson here for China. If you want to improve your image abroad, do it by making genuine change on the ground inside Tibet, not by hosting a propaganda show to mislead the global public," said Tenzin Sonam, Regional Coordinator of SFT-Midwest. Prior to the said exhibit, Tibetan organizations, including Students for a Free Tibet, Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women's Association and Tibetan American Foundation-Minnesota, opened a parallel exhibit ‘Tibet Today: Exposing the Truth’ with pictures of independent Tibet, self-immolations and China’s repression in Tibet. The Chinese opened their “propaganda” exhibition with photographs of smiling Tibetans waving the Chinese flag and other items, which Tibetans feel were “clearly aimed at whitewashing China's occupation of Tibet and misleading Western audiences into thinking Tibetans are happy under Chinese rule.” According to the Tibetan organizers some of them and their supporters went the Consulate's exhibit to question them about China's brutalities in Tibet, the Tibetan protests and self-immolations. The questions were met with blank stares and no answers. However, a Chinese student performer reportedly said "I'm very interested in Tibet now. We were taught different [things]. I was at your exhibition. You Tibetans are very nice people" Hours later, the Chinese exhibit cancelled their performances and opening ceremony. The Tibetan exhibit on the hand over a hundred visitors while the Chinese Consulate's exhibit remained all but with no visitors. The Chinese Consulate’s exhibition has reportedly remained closed for the second day. "Armed with truth, information and nonviolence, we were able to shutdown China's expensive propaganda show in our backyard. This is something every Tibetan community and group can do quite easily every time a Chinese propaganda show comes to town," Tenzin Sonam added. The five-day exhibit will remain open till Friday this week.

China sentences three Tibetans up to 15 years for self-immolation “crimes”

A Chinese court in eastern Tibet has passed down heavy prison terms of up to 15 years to three Tibetans for their “crimes” relating to the ongoing wave of self-immolations in Tibet. An official Chinese newspaper in Kanlho region reported that a court in Luchu carried out the rulings on Thursday. The court sentenced Lhamo Dorjee to 15 years in prison, Kalsang Sonam to 11 years, and Tsesang Kyab to 10 years on charges of “intentional homicide.” According to US based Radio Free Asia, the court hearing was “largely a closed door affair” and was held “under tight security” as opposed to China’s earlier claims of open trials attended by relatives of the accused. "The trial was conducted quietly with a huge presence of security forces in and around the Kanlho Prefecture court. The Tibetans were barred from coming close to the court premises," the radio service quoted a Tibetan source as saying. Although details of the court ruling are not available, it was earlier reported that nine Tibetans were standing trial on the same day in connection with the self-immolation protest of Tsering Namgyal. Phayul had earlier reported on the arrest of eight Tibetans, including a family member of Tsering Namgyal, for sharing information with outsiders. The eight arrested Tibetans have been identified as Kalsang Samdup, Nyima, Lhamo Dhundup, Dorjee Dhundup, Kalsang Kyab, Kalsang Sonam, Kalsang Namdren, and Sonam Kyi. Tsering Namgyal, 31, succumbed to his injuries after setting himself on fire near a local Chinese government office in Luchu on November 29, 2012. He is survived by his wife Choekyong Tso, their two children, Dorjee Kyi, 7, and Kalsang Dolma, 3, and his parents. In the past few months, Chinese courts have carried out a number of rushed hearings and sentenced a Tibetan monk to death with a two-year reprieve and several others to lengthy jails terms. Following the court rulings, the New York based global rights group, Human Rights Watch had demanded the immediate release of the jailed Tibetans arguing that their conviction “relied solely on confessions they gave during five months in detention.” “These prosecutions are utterly without credibility,” HRW said. “The Chinese government seems to think it can stop self-immolation by punishing anyone who talks about it. But in pursuing these ‘incitement’ cases, the government compounds the tragedy of these suicide protests.” HRW noted that it has documented “endemic use of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and coercion of Tibetans in detention.” “Self-immolations take place in the context of the Chinese government’s long-standing repressive policies in the Tibetan areas that have seen severe restrictions on Tibetans’ rights,” the rights group had said.

Two Tibetan teenagers burn selves to death

Tibetan self-immolator Rinchen, 17, in an undated photo. February 20: Two Tibetan teenagers set themselves on fire in Kyangtsa region of Zoege, eastern Tibet on February 19, protesting China’s continued occupation and repressive policies in Tibet. Rinchen, 17 and Sonam Dhargey, 18 have succumbed to their burns. According to the exile base of Kirti Monastery in Dharamshala, the two teenagers carried out their fiery protest at around 9:30 pm (local time) yesterday. “It is not currently known what slogans they raised during the protest,” Kirti Monastery in a release said. “The families of the two teenagers are in possession of their bodies and are hoping to carry out their final rites without any interference from the Chinese authorities.” Rinchen's parents are Dhondup Tsering and late Aadon. Sonam Dhargye's parents are Tsering Dhondup and Takho. Confirming the reports, the Dharamshala based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy today said both Rinchen and Sonam Dhargye attended the local primary school in Kyangtsa. “After finishing his primary school, Rinchen attended another school in Wenchuan for a few years and moved to Qinghai, where he worked,” TCHRD said. “At the time of self-immolation, Rinchen was on his Losar (New Year) holiday visiting his family in Kyangtsa.” With the latest self-immolations, as many as 104 known Tibetans living under China’s rule have now set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. Eight fiery protests have already taken place inside Tibet since the beginning of the new year, in addition to Tibetan monk Drupchen Tsering's self-immolation protest in Kathmandu, Nepal on February 13. The global rights group Human Rights Watch earlier this month said the self-immolations in Tibet are taking place in the context of the Chinese government’s "long-standing repressive policies in the Tibetan areas that have seen severe restrictions on Tibetans’ rights.” “To date there has still been no concerted effort from the Chinese government to address the underlying grievances in Tibet, which have contributed to the rising number of self-immolations by Tibetans,” HRW said.

Body of Tibetan self-immolator still with Nepali authorities

Tibetan self-immolator Drupchen Tsering in an undated photo. February 16: The body of the Tibetan monk who set himself on fire in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu on February 13 has still not been handed over to Tibetan representatives. Our sources in the city say that Nepalese authorities, acting under the influence of China, have been creating unnecessary obstacles in the process of handing over the body. “This is just like what is happening in China occupied Tibet where the Chinese officials bundle away the bodies of Tibetan self-immolators and carry out cremations in secrecy,” a local Tibetan activist who didn’t want to be named told Phayul. “However, concerned people are still talking with authorities and we hope that Nepali officials will respect the sacrifice of the Tibetan monk and handover the body for cremation.” Earlier, the Tibetan monk was identified as Drupchen Tsering (Druptse), a 25-yea-old monk native of Gyalchung village in Nupsur town of Serta, eastern Tibet. Druptse recently escaped from Tibet and arrived in Nepal in January this year. He was staying at the Tibetan Reception Centre in Kathmandu since his arrival according to Dharamshala based Tibetan news portal Tibet Express. Banners put in Boudha, Kathmandu. “He had earlier told his friends and relatives that he had not been able to do anything for the Tibetan cause in the past but promised to do something constructive for the Tibetan people in the future,” Tibet Express cited sources in Tibet as saying. Druptse had reportedly wrapped his body with a metal wire and doused his body with gasoline before setting himself ablaze in the morning of February 13 near the holy Boudhanath stupa in the heart of the city. He passed away at around 10:30 pm (local time) same day after suffering 96 per cent burns. Druptse is survived by his mother Tselha and father Sangnag Tenzin, who is a reincarnated lama. Nepalese police have since increased restrictions in Tibetan areas in the city. Further aggravating the situation, banners under the name of “Locals and Youth of Boudha” have appeared near the protest site, warning that such acts will “make life even harder” for Tibetans. Calling the self-immolation a “hideous and sinful” act motivated by “dirty politics,” the banner announces: “No more Free Tibet in our holy land.” “The soul of the victim will rot in hell … You want blood, we give you war,” further reads the banner.

Tibet continues to burn, Second self-immolation in the new year

Tsering Phuntsok's body burns on the ground in front of Chinese police station in Drachen village in Khyungchu region of eastern Tibet on January 18, 2013. January 18: The wave of self-immolation protests in Tibet against China’s continued occupation of Tibet shows no sign of abating with reports just in of yet another fiery death in Khyungchu region of Ngaba in eastern Tibet. Initial reports have identified the Tibetan self-immolator as Tsering Phuntsok. According to a Swiss based Tibetan, Sonam, the protest occurred at around 3:15 pm (local time). “Tsering Phuntsok set himself on fire in front of the local Chinese police station in Drachen village of Khyungchu region,” Sonam told Phayul. “He passed away at the site of his protest.” Chinese security personnel arrived at the scene and bundled away Tsering Phuntsok’s body to Barkham, the same source said. Tsering Phuntsok is survived by his wife and two children. Photos of today’s self-immolation protests show the charred body of Tsering Phuntsok, still on fire, lying on the ground. A number of people could be seen surrounding the body. Reports suggest that monks of the Amchok Monastery are currently carrying out a prayer service for the deceased. This is the second self-immolation protest in Tibet since the beginning of the new year. In 2012 alone, as many as 82 Tibetans set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile. Chinese authorities in the region have intensified their repressive policies by criminalising the self-immolation protests, arresting family members and friends of protesters and off late, confiscating thousands of satellite TV dishes aimed at creating an information black hole in the region. “Tibet is getting into the global evening news because of self-immolations and so there’s this anxiety to bring it under control,” Michael Davis, a law professor and Tibet expert at the University of Hong Kong told AP. He warned that the new leadership “will be particularly anxious not to have any of these problems blow up in their face.” “I think self-immolations and all of this suggest that they are not winning the hearts and minds of the Tibetan people and in fact the more repressive they are, the more resistance they encounter, so it’s a kind of vicious circle,” Davis said.

Fight against ‘Dalai Lama clique’ must continue: Politburo member Yu

Yu Zhengsheng,67, Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. January 9: China’s new leadership is showing no signs of softening its stance on Tibet with one of it newly selected politburo standing committee members calling for continuing the “fight against the Dalai Lama clique.” Yu Zhengsheng, one of China’s seven top leaders, who was appointed last November along with Xi Jinping, made those remarks while on an inspection tour in Kardze region of eastern Tibet. "The fight against the Dalai Lama clique should continue in order to create a favorable social and political environment for economic development and the improvement of people's well-being," China’s state news agency Xinhua quoted Yu as saying. His visit to Tibet and comments on the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama marks the first by a member of the newly appointed Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. Addressing a seminar held with “Tibetan Buddhist representatives,” Yu called on monks and nuns to “support the government's efforts to manage monasteries in accordance with the law” and also encouraged them to be “patriotic and observe the law and monastic rules.” "The government should offer public services to monasteries while enhancing their management, as well as help Tibetan Buddhism to correspond with socialist society," Yu said. During his inspection tour from January 6 to 8, Yu is said to have visited “herdsmen, poverty-stricken villagers, and a middle school” and called for the improvement of infrastructure in Tibet and increase in incomes of farmers and herdsmen. Protest against China’s rule in Tibet has escalated over the years with the region witnessing a wave of self-immolations and mass protests. Since 2009, as many as 95 known Tibetans have set themselves in fire in Tibet demanding freedom and return of the Dalai Lama from exile. China’s top leader Xi Jinping, when he visited Tibet’s capital Lhasa in July 2011, had promised to "smash" any attempts to destabilise Tibet and walked the party line of fighting against "separatist activities" linked to the Dalai Lama. Speaking in front of the Potala Palace, which is the Dalai Lama's traditional seat, Xi had called on the country to “thoroughly fight against separatist activities by the Dalai clique by firmly relying on all ethnic groups... and completely smash any plot to destroy stability in Tibet and jeopardise national unity." "The extraordinary development of Tibet over the past 60 years points to an irrefutable truth: Without the Chinese Communist Party, there would have been no new China, no new Tibet."

The Dalai Lama pushes for thorough investigation of Tibet self-immolations

January 7: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has renewed calls for a “thorough investigation” into the causes behind the spate of self-immolations inside Tibet. The Dalai Lama was speaking to NDTV, a major Indian news channel, on its Sunday night talk show ‘Your Call.’ “Last year, when this (self-immolation) first happened, I was in Japan and I said that the time has come the Chinese government must carry thorough investigation and find the cause of these sad events,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said. “These events are symptom of some cause.” He noted that two to three generations of Tibetans inside Tibet have “really suffered a lot” under China’s rule. Since 2009, as many as 95 Tibetans have set themselves on fire protesting China’s occupation and demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. Thousands of Tibetans have carried out mass protests even as Chinese authorities have increased their repressive policies and tightened the noose around self-immolations. Responding to a question on whether he would appeal for the self-immolations to stop, the Dalai Lama said the exile Tibetan administration has never encouraged the protests. “This question is politically sensitive. (Tibetan) political leaders have expressed right from the beginning, very clearly, that we never encourage such acts, but at the same time if we have something to offer them (self-immolators), then I can say, ‘You should not do this,’” the 77-year-old Tibetan leader said. “So, in order to say something I must have something to offer them, but I have nothing. I feel very sorry, I say prayers. Apart from that, I can’t do anything.” The Dalai Lama further added that the Chinese government’s tactics of blaming him for the protests will not solve the problem and urged Chinese leaders to “think more seriously” about the crisis in Tibet. When asked about his optimism on China’s new leader Xi Jinping, the Tibetan spiritual leader said it is “too early to say” and noted that the new leaders have to follow a more realistic approach for their own interest. “Using force is outdated. More violence, more suppression, more resentment, that's illogical,” the Dalai Lama said. “Therefore, I'm quite sure the new leadership will seek truth from facts and sooner or later follow a more realistic approach.” Responding to a question on the possibility of seeing an independent Tibetan nation, the Dalai Lama said that although historically Tibet was an independent nation, it is more important to think ahead and look at the future. “Yes, we were a separate nation but we should not necessarily just insist on that,” the Nobel peace laureate said. “Let us try to build a new kind of genuine union. If that fails then it's something different.” His Holiness pointed out that the exile Tibetan administration’s policy of middle-way approach, which seeks autonomy for Tibet, has so far won a lot of support from the Chinese people. “Emotionally, many young people say, "Oh we want independence" (but) they have never shown us how to achieve independence step by step,” the Dalai Lama said. “How much support from the Chinese people? How much support from the Indian government? How much support from the European Union? How much support from the United States? Thinking realistically is important.”