Friday, June 27, 2014

Week Ending June 27, 2014


International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 27 June 2014

Self immolations, Protest and Restriction in Tibet
Midnight Freedom For Tibetan Nun Held For 'Political Reasons'- RFAJune 26 | 
Chinese authorities in Sichuan have released a Tibetan nun from prison on completion of her sentence, driving her immediately to her home at midnight in order to prevent public celebrations by family members and supporters, sources said. http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/freedom-06262014172459.html

Tibetan Man Who Desecrated Chinese Flag Freed After Serving Jail Term - RFA
June 24 | A Tibetan man jailed for three years for protesting Chinese rule has been freed after serving his term but must regularly report to police in his home county and seek permission to travel, sources said. Sonam Norgye, aged about 30, was released on June 22 from the Powo Tramo prison in Nyingtri (in Chinese, Linzhi) county in the Tibet Autonomous Region’s Kongpo (Linzhi) prefecture, a resident of the area told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Tuesday. http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/flag-06242014162000.html 

New Information about imprisoned Tibetan Abbot raises fears - ICT 
June 24 | There is serious concern for the welfare of a respected and popular Tibetan lama, Khenpo (Abbot) Karma Tsewang, who remains in prison six months on from his detention without access to relatives, or doctor, and only intermittent access to his lawyer. Karma Tsewang, also known as Khenpo Kartse, is seriously ill with a liver condition according to Tibetan sources, and there are fears that he faces serious criminal charges. http://www.savetibet.org/new-information-about-imprisoned-tibetan-abbot-raises-fears/


News
Spain drops 'genocide' case against China's Tibet leaders - BBC News
24th June : Spain has dropped a judicial investigation into alleged genocide and human rights violations against a number of Chinese leaders in Tibet. The High Court said the case did not comply with new legislation that limits Spain's ability to investigate crimes against humanity committed abroad.http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-28000937 

China attacks call to name US embassy road after dissident Liu Xiaobo- Guardian
June 25 | China has dismissed as a "farce" and a "smear" a vote by a United States panel of lawmakers to rename a Washington road in front of its embassy after the imprisoned Nobel peace prize laureate Liu Xiaobo.The Republican Frank Wolf from Virginia submitted the amendment to the annual state department spending bill, instructing the secretary of state, John Kerry, to rename the street "No 1, Liu Xiaobo Plaza", the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/25/china-rename-us-embassy-liu-xiaobo 

UN to facilitate safe passage of Tibetan refugees in Nepal - The Tibet Post
June 22 | Dharamshala: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has stated that it will facilitate the safe passage of Tibetan refugees through Nepal. “UNHCR facilitates the safe transit of Tibetan new arrivals through Nepal to India, where they visit to meet their spiritual Guru the Dalai Lama, and ensures that their protection and material needs are addressed while in Nepal,” the UNHCR said today at a press conference to mark International Refugees Day.http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/international/4112-un-to-facilitate-safe-passage-of-tibetan-refugees-in-nepal 

Opinion and Analysis
THE SOUND OF ONE HAND GRASPING- Phayul
This article by Jamyang Norbu in Phayul discuss about the need of a true Chinese democracy advocates and their role in the Tibetan movement.http://phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=35021&article=THE+SOUND+OF+ONE+HAND+GRASPING+%E2%80%93+Jamyang+Norbu&t=1&c=4

‘RIGHT OF RETURN’: TIBETAN REFUGEES – Eurasia Review 
 June 23 | Dr. Parasaran Rangarajan examines the status of Tibetan refugees and their right to return to their homeland. It notes “ There are certain international legal standards and treaties that the PRC is legally bound by in regards concerning visas of foreigners and more specifically; the “right of return” of Tibetan refugees in concert with “People’s Republic of China Immigration Control Act (2012)”[4] issued by Chinese Presidential Decree LVII.” http://www.eurasiareview.com/23062014-right-return-tibetan-refugees-analysis/
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Friday, June 20, 2014

Week Ending June 20, 2014

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 20 June 2014
Self-Immolations, Protest and Restrictions in Tibet
Tibetan writers Jangtse Donkho and Buddha released from prison - TCHRD
20 June | Two Tibetan writers, Jangtse Donkho (pen name: Nyen/”The Wrathful”) and Buddha were released earlier today on 20 June 2014 after serving four years in Mianyang Prison in Sichuan Province.
Tibetans Held for Opposing Chinese Marble Mining Operations - RFA
18 June | Authorities in northwest China’s Qinghai province have detained 27 Tibetans for opposing Chinese mining operations that had run beyond the expiration of a leasing contract and had begun to encroach on sacred sites, sources said.
Chinese Authorities Release Tibetan Singer Who Sought Language Protection - RFA
17 June | Chinese authorities in Sichuan have freed on bail a Tibetan singer detained last month for singing a song calling for the protection of the Tibetan language, at the same time releasing a Tibetan monk jailed for three years for protesting Chinese rule, sources said.

News
China Expands Crackdown on Free Expression - VOA News
19 June | China's Communist Party crackdown on dissent and freedom of expression appears to be intensifying. Party officials this week issued several rulings against civil activist and announced new regulations that bar reporters from writing critical news stories without approval.
Spanish parliamentarians make formal appeal against unconstitutional change in law following Tibet lawsuits – ICT
June 13 | Spanish Parliamentarians issued an appeal today to the Constitutional Court in Madrid, declaring that a change in Spanish law in response to Chinese pressure over two Tibet lawsuits was illegal and unconstitutional.
David Cameron must stand up to China and support Human rights in Tibet - Guardian
June 16 | Tibet support groups in UK expressing their concerns ahead of Chinese Premier Li Keiqiang visit.
The Tibet Advocacy Coalition held a side event during the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva and called China out over its treatment of Tibetan, Uyghur and Han human rights defenders - International Tibet Network
19 June | As the next step in our strategic engagement at the UN, the Tibet Advocacy Coalition (Tibet Justice Center, Students for a Free Tibet and International Tibet Network) gathered a stellar group of speakers at a side event at the 26th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in collaboration with the World Uyghur Congress and Initiatives for China, to draw attention to deteriorating situation for human rights defenders2 under Chinese rule, and to add further weight to there being concrete, multilateral action by states towards China on Tibet.
http://tibetnetwork.org/human-rights-defenders/
Opinion and Analysis
Communist party deepens Tibet integration rest country - Ecomonist
June 20 | The editorial from economist discusses about the railway link projects China is carrying out to extract the natural resources from the Tibet and the impact it will have on the Tibetans. It notes “if all goes to plan, the extraction of natural resources will generate economic growth. The party values Tibet’s minerals reserves at 600 billion yuan ($96 billion).”
Chinese put Britain in its place ahead of Li keiqiang visit - Guardian
June 15 | In this post, Nicholas Watt examines the shift in power and the influence that China has over other countries through economic relations. He says “all sides seem resigned to acknowledge the overwhelming economic might of China. Perhaps change might come from the very top: the Prince of Wales once appeared to boycott a state banquet for the former president Jiang Zemin, allegedly in protest at the treatment of Dalai Lama.”

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Friday, June 13, 2014

Week Ending June 13, 2014

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 13 June 2014
Self-Immolations, Protests, and Restrictions in Tibet
Tibetan Government Workers Forbidden to Attend Kalachakra - RFA
11 June | Government employees in a Tibetan prefecture of northwestern China’s Gansu province have been barred from participating in a major Buddhist religious ceremony this week amid heavy security presence, with warnings given of administrative punishment if they ignore the ban, sources said.
Monk tortured in jail as China clamps down on Tibet - CTA
10 June | A Tibetan monk has revealed how he was beaten and tortured in a Chinese jail amid signs of a relentless clampdown by Beijing on the restless region. Sonam Rabga, 42, was arrested when he travelled to his homeland from India, where he had been studying, to visit his mother in 2012.
News
Chinese premier to meet Queen Elizabeth during UK visit - Financial Times
12 June | The Chinese premier is to be given a rare meeting with Queen Elizabeth when he visits the UK next week...Paul Golding, campaigns co-ordinator of the Tibet Society, said: “It would seem the UK are kowtowing to China’s demands in order to curry favour. Such acquiescence must not be at the price of speaking out on Tibet and human rights.”
China Pushes Assimilation to Calm Xinjiang Unrest - VOA News
10 June | Xi called for a strong crackdown on terrorism and the promotion of long-term stability. He also said controls would be tightened on religion. Xi also talked about promoting assimilation, though, between China's Han majority and Uighur minorities.
Border Makes China and India Bristle, Even as They Seek Closer Ties in Trade - NY Times
8 June | Before Mr. Wang arrived, security forces in New Delhi took up positions around a Tibetan neighborhood in north Delhi. Several hundred activists from the Tibetan Youth Congress, who had gathered to stage a protest outside the Chinese Embassy, were locked in and unable to leave.
Harvard Library to Help Preserve Tibetan Literary Heritage - Harvard Magazine
6 June | Harvard Library will upload onto its digital storage system 10 million pages of Tibetan literature that survived China’s convulsive Cultural Revolution, the movement between 1966 and 1976 that led to the destruction of countless Chinese and Tibetan literary texts.
Opinion and Analysis
A Partial Middle Way Campaign Launched in Dharamsala - TPR
9 June | This editorial from TPR discusses the new multimedia format and content of the CTA’s newly-launched Umaylam campaign, and asks several important questions about the relationship between

Suicide Protesters in Eastern Tibet: The Shifting Story of a People’s Tragedy - Asia Pacific Memo
6 June | Professor Antonio Terrone examines available data on cases of self-immolation by Tibetans and notes, “The vacuum caused by the loss of socio-political rights is being filled by renewed identity through the heroic martyrdom for the benefit of their community.” [Interactive graphics/maps/charts]

China Balks at Foreign Calls to Release Prisoners - Wall Street Journal
30 May | Chinese officials have mostly stopped accepting long lists of its prisoners from foreign advocates of their release, said John Kamm, a businessman-turned-human-rights activist. Even when they do, Western diplomats say, Chinese officials often don’t provide information on the cases, much less release the prisoners.


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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Week Ending June 6, 2014

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 6 June 2014
Self-Immolations, Protests, Releases and Restrictions in Tibet
Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen released from prison - Filming for Tibet
4 June | In a phone call to Gyaljong Tsetrin, a very emotional Dhondup Wangchen said: “At this moment, I feel that everything inside me is in a sea of tears. I hope to recover my health soon. I would like to express my feeling of deepest gratitude for all the support I received while in prison and I want to be reunited with my family.”
Tibetan Monastery Leaders Told to 'Take Joy' in Chinese Rule - RFA
3 June | Officials demanded that the senior religious instructors and monastery heads take “joy” in the leadership of the ruling Chinese Communist Party during the meetings last week in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture’s Dartsedo county.
News
Tibetan exiled gov’t reaffirms dialogue commitment - Washington Post
5 June | The Tibetan government-in-exile reaffirmed its commitment to the “Middle Way” approach of engaging China through dialogue to achieve a meaningful autonomy for Tibetans within the country. Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay said that a peaceful solution to the Tibetan issue would bring stability to China and create a win-win situation.
Angry scene at China UK embassy on Tiananmen anniversary - BBC
4 June | Members of staff at the Chinese embassy in London reacted angrily on Wednesday when people arrived to lay flowers to mark the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Two women were shoved, and their flowers thrown away.
Tiananmen crackdown, the 25th anniversary: Link roundup - Shanghaiist
4 June | A resource post from a variety of sources (including former protest leaders) featuring editorials, personal remembrances, timelines, photo essays, interviews, and multimedia features on the 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square.
Opinion and Analysis
Tibetans, Uyghurs Remember Own Crackdowns on Tiananmen Anniversary - RFA
4 June | Exile Tibetan and Uyghur groups marked the 25th anniversary of the Chinese government’s massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators at Tiananmen Square by pointing to what they described as Beijing’s use of deadly force to suppress their own struggles for greater freedom and rights.
“A Netizen on Twitter Describes her Experience of Visiting Lhasa” By Woeser - High Peaks Pure Earth
3 June | In this post that was written when she was spending time in Lhasa, Woeser continues to focus on the transformation of Lhasa but this time mainly quotes from a Chinese tourist’s Twitter feed. It is ironic that Chinese tourists to Tibet using microblogs are able to report more on what they see than locals are.
The Artist vs The Dictator - Huffington Post
30 May | Tendor examines the works and meanings created by several contemporary Chinese artists, drawing out ethical and existential questions that can help motivate the Tibet movement “If someone were to spend his entire life being invisible and silent, walking with his head down through the lies and injustices thrown at him, would he be any different from a ghost? What proof will the world have of his existence even if he lived for a hundred years?”

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Week Ending May 30, 2014

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 30 May 2014
Self-Immolations, Protests, and Restrictions in Tibet
Tibetans Forced to Participate in Anti-Self-Immolation Campaign - RFA
29 May | Chinese authorities in a protest-hit Tibetan county in Sichuan are forcing area residents to participate in training designed to counter self-immolations and other protests challenging Beijing’s rule in Tibetan areas, according to local sources.
China Arrests Popular Tibetan Singer After Packed Concert - VOA
27 May | A Tibetan singer has been arrested following a concert with performers from other Tibetan regions of China. Gepe was arrested Saturday by security forces after a concert that thousands of fans and music enthusiasts attended.
News
Tibetan monk escapes after criticizing Beijing - Washington Post
28 May | Golog Jigme, 44, who had been arrested in China a few times since the documentary and alleges he was beaten severely during detention, said he was most recently detained in the Labrang monastery area in China’s Gansu province in 2012 for what he said was spreading pamphlets about Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama.
Plight of Tibetan ‘substitute teachers’ in Rebkong County - TCHRD
26 May | In regards to rural Tibetan regions, substitute teachers have played a fundamental role in increasing the availability of education. However, despite playing a crucial role in providing education to some of the most disadvantaged regions in Tibet, they have never been granted the same degree of benefits as their public teacher counterparts.
Opinion and Analysis
China: Persecution of Tiananmen activists exposes President Xi’s reform lies - Amnesty International
27 May | The widespread persecution of activists in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown exposes the lie behind President Xi Jinping’s claims to be delivering greater openness and reform.
A Tale of Two Tibetan Songs - Tibetan Review
9 May | Kalsang Wangdu writes “While folks in Tibet before 1959 were spontaneous and pithy in their street-song ridicule of the aristocratic high and mighty without any fear of reprisal, Tibetans today are locked in a grim battle of wits, not knowing what degree of self-censorship might suffice to hold back the occupying China’s brutal machinery of suppression from knocking at their doors.”

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Week Ending May 23, 2014

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 23 May 2014
Self-Immolations, Protests, and Restrictions in Tibet
China Threatens Closure of Tibetan Nomad Childrens School- RFA
22 May | Authorities are threatening to close a school catering to Tibetan nomad children, saying that its operation has interfered with government plans to move the nomads off their pastoral lands. The authorities issued a “second warning” this week to local officials in Tsokyareng town in Golog prefecture’s Matoe county demanding that the school be closed.
Authorities Concerned Over Popular Tibetan Language, Religious Classes- RFA
21 May | Taught by monks and nuns led by senior religious teachers of Kardze monastery who had returned to the area after studying in India, “the program has become very popular in the community, and on special auspicious days the lay students have participated in religious debates,” a source said.

Uncle of Tibetan Who Jumped to Death in Mining Protest is Detained - RFA
21 May | Jampa Choephel was taken into custody on May 12 by police in Chamdo prefecture of the TAR, five days after his nephew committed suicide to highlight opposition to a gold mining project threatening the local environment, a Tibetan resident of the area said.
News
Golog Jigme Gyatso Arrives in Dharamsala - VOA
23 May | Golog Jigme Gyatso, who was imprisoned by Chinese authorities for his role in making a film in 2008 and has been on the run since his release two years ago, arrived in Dharamsala, India on May 18th. Jigme is being congratulated and welcomed for his safe passage by the Associations and NGOs in the exile Tibetan capital.
Danish parliamentarians support non-violent struggle for Tibet - The Tibet Post
22 May | During their meeting with the Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, a group of Danish parliamentarians unanimously expressed their support for the Tibetan people in their just and non-violent struggle for genuine self-rule.
4 Years After Quake, Some See a Resurrected Chinese City, Others Dashed Dreams - NY Times
21 May | After a 2010 earthquake that left more than 100,000 people homeless in Yushu, the capital of Qinghai, Chinese efforts to rebuild the city have been incomplete and, many say, inequitable. [video]
Tibet Jacket leads to arrest of American and Canadian citizens - Phayul
21 May | Ngodup Tsering, a Tibetan American resident of Minnesota, and his friend were visiting the Swayambhunath temple on March 19, 2014 when 15 Nepalese police armed with guns stopped them.
Opinion and Analysis
“The Impact of the So-Called Ten Virtues” by Jamyang Kyi - High Peaks, Pure Earth
22 May | High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a blogpost by Jamyang Kyi that is a piece of critical social commentary about the new “Ten Virtues”, a set of new Buddhist virtues that whole villages and towns, influenced by their local lamas, are committing to.
Should China Declare a War on Terror? - Foreign Policy
22 May | Beijing's war on terror may be better served through liberalizing in Xinjiang, rather than the repression and violence that characterizes its current strategy. Responding to this latest attack, Xi called for serious punishments for the perpetrators and an all out-effort to maintain stability in the region -- language similiar to Beijing's response to previous attacks.

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Week Ending May 16, 2014

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 16 May 2014
Self-Immolations, Protests, and Restrictions in Tibet
Monk disappears after emailing protest writings to Chinese cadres’ phones - TCHRD
15 May | Choeying Kalden, 20, a monk at Tsenden Monastery was detained on 16 March 2014. The monk had shared his writings among his friends as well as Chinese ‘work team’ members through emails. [Includes information of other disappearances in Sog County and translations of writings]
Crackdown Launched in Another Tibetan County Over Anti-Mining Protests - RFA
13 May | Chinese authorities have cracked down on villagers opposed to mining projects in Tibet’s Chamdo county, deploying hundreds of armed police and detaining those who had petitioned higher levels of authority for a halt to the extraction activity.
Dalai Lama Urges Outside Inquiry Into Spate of Self-Immolations Among Tibetans - New York Times
10 May | If compassion is the reason driving those who immolate themselves, the Dalai Lama said, they should be viewed differently from those motivated by anger. The religious issues surrounding the self-immolations, he said, “are very, very complicated.”
News
Tibetan Protester Freed From Jail After Serving Half of a 12-Year Term - RFA
15 May | Sonam Yarphel, 34, a Tibetan jailed for his role in protests challenging Beijing’s rule that rocked Tibetan areas of China in March 2008, has been released after serving six years of his 12-year term in prison, receiving a hero’s welcome in his hometown.
Chinese Officials Head to Countryside to Try to Win Over Locals - Wall Street Journal
15 May | Some 200,000 officials in Xinjiang, the western region of China that has seen a rising tide of unrest, will be sent to live in rural areas over the next three years...The program is aimed at winning the hearts and minds of local people, particularly Uighurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic group that has a fraught relationship with Chinese authorities.

New Grassroots Database Tracks China’s Political Prisoners - The Epoch Times
6 May | Chinese human rights advocacy group has established a database of political prisoners in Mainland China. China Political Prisoner Concern (CPPC), run by volunteers, set up a Chinese-language website recently to collect, verify, and publish the status of political prisoners in China.
Opinion and Analysis
Tibetan Sisters Declare Zero Tolerance for Violence Against Girls and Women - Merab Sarpa
15 May | Members of ACHA-Himalayan Sisterhood across the United States are deeply disturbed by the news of a Tibetan cook in a TCV school accused of raping two Tibetan minors on two separate occasions. ACHA declares zero tolerance for violence against girls and women and strongly condemns all forms of gender-based violence perpetrated against Tibetan girls and women.
What does Beijing import from Tibet? A War-Zone Police State. - ICT
15 May | As governments decide to give the Dalai Lama the cold shoulder it’s worth noting not just the values they’re failing to endorse- compassion, non-violence, and tolerance- but also the values they do endorse by siding with Beijing- repression, violence, and Xi Jinping’s revitalized police state.
http://weblog.savetibet.org/2014/05/15/what-does-beijing-import-from-tibet-a-war-zone-police-state/
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