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His Holiness will visit Philadelphia in October to teach and accept liberty medal Vol. 03, Issue 139, Print Issue 63, August 31, 2015 Kalachakra Initiation postponed for one year

By Molly Lortie: August 31, 2015

DharamshalaThe Central Tibetan Administration released a statement today regarding the status of the Kalachakra Initiation in Bodhgaya originally scheduled for January 2016.

In light of the busy year His Holiness has endured, including the 80th birthday celebrations and an intensive travelling schedule this fall including a week-long visit to England in September; a three-week visit to the US in October; teaching programs and visits in India in November and a three-week teaching program in South India in December, the CTA has announced that Kalachakra will be postponed for one year.

The preparation for Kalachakra requires longer time than other rituals to be performed by His Holiness, and are highly strenuous. Due to concerns from the general Tibetan population, the CTA has requested His Holiness to reduce his schedule to which he has kindly agreed.

Indian schools highlight Tibet issue

Staff members along with awardees of the speech and painting competition, Bharti Himalayn Public School on 27 August 2015. Photo: CTA/DIIR

By Molly Lortie: August 28, 2015

Dharamshala — Bharti Himalayan Public School in Jadrangal Chamunda organized a speech and painting competition on Tibetan issues yesterday. The event was organized by The Himalayan Parivar, a Tibet Support Group based in India.

Former chief secretary of Himachal Pradesh, Mr K C Sharma, graced the event along with Dharamshala Tibetan settlement officer Mr Sonam Dorjee, according to a CTA media report.

Hundreds of schoolchildren from five different Indian schools were present at the event and thirty students participated in the competition. The topic focused on various Tibet-related issues; Indo-Tibetan relation, ongoing destruction of Tibetan culture, environmental destruction, and the significance of Tibet’s culture and environment for Asia particularly regarding peace and stability in India.

Judges of the event include Mrs. Kalsang Youdon from Tibetan Women’s Association, Mr. Jampa Dawa from Library of Tibetan works and archives, Mr. Karma Monlam, Joint Secretary of department of Education and Mr. Tsering Wangchuk, Joint Secretary of DIIR from the CTA. In a short interview with Tibet.Net, Rishi Walia, member of the Himalayan Parivar’s national executive, said that such events help in creating comprehensive understanding amongst Indian children about Tibetan issues.

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His Holiness holds discussions with spiritual leaders

By Yangchen Dolma: August 13, 2015

Dharamshala — The spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived at the piligrimage town of Trimbakeshwar, near Dharamshala on Sunday, August 30.

He held discussions with mahants of various akhadas, presently gathered in the town of Kumbh Mela. He was accompanied by Swami Sharananand, Swami Parmanand and Swami Gyananand. This was His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s first visit to Nashik Mahakumbh.

Interacting with reporters after a tree planting programme at Karni Ashram, the spiritual leader said, “I look at India as a land of ‘sarvadharmasambhav’ (an equal regard for all religions), where people of all religions are safe and make progress”.

According to media reports, His Holiness and Buddhist monks will interact with public including those who live in the Himalayan mountains, the Naga Saints. His Holiness will also discuss theories and philosophies in the Buddhist faith with the public and with Swami Karshni Guruasharanandaji Maharaj. The key questions will be, Why is the Mahakumbh so popular?

With all these questions in mind and ideas to discuss, a press conference will be held as well as meetings with the public and philosophers regarding the Mahabumbh and its significance.

This event is a rare opportunity as knowledge and lessons will be shared between two spiritual leaders. The discussion that unfolds between them should be illuminating for all concerned.

This prosperous and enjoyable event is being covered by the CEP of Maya Sunday, Mr Deepak Dogra who is being accompanied by colleagues. “If there is any one who would like to witness this historic event, it will be taking place at the Udaisin Akhara in Nashik from the 30th to the 31st of August,” the organisers said.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Swami Karshni Guruasharanandaji Maharaj meeting with members of the media in Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra, India on August 30, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

TibVigil held for passing away of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche

Woman burns herself to death in protest over Chinese rule in Tibet Tibetan and supporters held vigil in Berlin in mourning for the death of Tibetan Lama Tenzin Delek Rinpoche who died in Chinese prison. Photo: TID

By Yangchen Dolma: August 31, 2015

Home Kalon’s trip yields steps to initiate Rehabilitation Policy

By Molly Lortie: August 28, 2015

Bangalore – Home Kalon Dolma Gyari concluded a successful visit to Bangalore, meeting with heads of several key departments of the Karnataka Government and Tibetan Settlement Officers in South India to appeal for the implementation of the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy, according the Tibetan administration media.

During Kalon’s meetings, she urged the State Government to initiate the implementation of the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy – 2014 in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Government of India. To which the Chief Secretary of the Home Department immediately acquiesced, asking the concerned State Departments, such as Revenue, Housing and Deputy Commissioner of Mysore District, to accelerate their work on the policy.

The State Government’s Home Department also agreed to the Home Kalon’s request to look into the possibility of simplifying the application process for an Identity Certificate and will issue a fresh notice in order to expedite NORI enquiries.

Other pressing issues that the Home Kalon tackled included working with the Secretary of Forest Department. to lease deeds with Tibetans. The Forest Department issued a Government Gazette order copy which all state Government Departments are required to abide. Kalon Dolma Gyari was delighted with the issuance of this order and expressed her sincere gratitude to the Forest Department and the concerned officials who had worked on this order.

The Settlement Officers of Bylakuppe and Co-operative Societies sought Kalon’s assistance in regards to a submitted proposal for the construction of two roads in Bylakuppe. The construction of these roads is of priority, as they lead to the monasteries His Holiness the Dalai Lama is due to visit in December 2015. She further spoke to the concerned Karnataka Government Department officials about the importance of repairing these roads and requested them to grant this on priority basis, to which they agreed to look into this matter and do their best to sanction the grant.

Home Kalon departed for Delhi from Bangalore on August 27.

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Following her death, family offered traditional butter lamps for Tashi Kyi. Photo: TPI

By Yeshe Choesang: August 28, 2015

Dharamshala — A Tibetan woman from Ngura Village in Sangkhok township, Sangchu County, Amdo, Tibet reportedly died after setting herself ablaze in protest against China’s failed and repressive policies imposed in Tibet, on August 27 ,2015, sources said.

Tashi Kyi, 55, a mother of five from Ngura Village selfimmolated on Thursday night, and died early Friday morning, around 3am, in Sangkhok township in Sangchu County in Kanlho, (Ch: Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture), Amdo, north-eastern Tibet, sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

An exiled Tibetan source said that “the Chinese police forcefully took away the body of Tashi Kyi, who died hours after setting herself on fire in protest against Chinese rule in Tibet”.

Meanwhile several police and officials arrived her house in the Friday morning to investigate on the incident. “A police team arrived at her home and forcefully took her body away,” Sonam, a Tibetan living in exile told the Tibet Post Internation, citing contacts in the region.

Another sources said, her protest took place after demolition of a several house in Sangkhok township.

“A clash had occurred between locals and officials on August 27, after about 150 Chinese authorities arrived and began demolishing Tibetan houses for not having a valid document.”

The details of the incident have yet to emerge, but, according to the same sources, “an unknown number of Tibetans have been arrested in connection with the clash.”

This latest incident brought the total verified number of self-immolations in Tibet to 142 since February, 2009 and and of them 122 were reportedly passed-away while the status of the rest remains unknown or critically injured.

The Tibetan self-immolators have called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet and freedom for the Tibetan people.

Most parts of Tibet have suffered severe crackdowns and been under heightened restrictions and controls in the past six decades, that China calls it a “peaceful liberation”.

But Tibetans describe a systematic repression of Tibetans, excluded from positions of power and imprisoned.

Berlin, August 28, 2015. On the occasion of the 49th day after the death of Tibetan Lama Tenzin Delek Rinpoche who died in Chinese jail on July 12, 2015 after being imprisoned for 13 years, Tibet Initiative Deutschland (TID) together with the Association of Tibetans in Germany (VTD) held a Tibetan mourning ceremony and vigil in front of the Chinese Embassy in Berlin, Friday.

With the slogan “13 years in Chinese custody: Disenfrachised.

Tortured. Killed.” Tibetans and Tibet supporters gathered to mourn the widely respected Lama Tenzin Delek Rinpoche with Tibetan prayers and chants. His death had caused a stir among German and international politics.

“We are deeply shocked by the death of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche as it shows once more the merciless brutality of the Chinese authorities against Tibetan political prisoners and the blunt ignorance of international human rights standards”, says Nadine Baumann, Executive Director of TID. “His life could have been saved and we strongly urge the international community and especially the German government to thoroughly investigate the case and to hold the Chinese government responsible.”

According to Chinese law, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche could have been released early on medical parole due to his alarming state of health. His family applied for this but never received an answer from the Chinese authorities.

“We cannot let the Chinese government get away with sweeping its atrocities under the carpet. Therefore, we demand an investigation into the circumstances of Rinpoche’s death and we expect that the Chinese government will be held responsible for its human rights violations in Tibet.”

Shortly after Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s death, Tibet Initiative Deutschland had petioned the Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Christoph Strässer, to advocate for a thorough investigation into Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s death. The Chinese government has not yet responded to this request.

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Editorial:

Xi Jinping’s Tibet policy is nothing new, but an old colonial war against Tibet and Tibetans

August 31, 2015

Dharamshala — The Chinese President Xi Jinping’s commitment to “Ethnic Unity”, “Economy Development” and “Social Stability” in Tibet under the banner of “Peaceful Liberation”, nether seeks a peaceful solution nor a signal for a new reform of more openness. But it clearly shows China is further strengthening an integral element of another “cultural revolution” project in Tibet.

One must say Xi is revealing the true nature of a Communist regime in Tibet, a similar sense of strategic inviolability characterized by the 20th century’s greatest mass murderer, Mao Zedong.

Invaded by China in 1949, the independent country of Tibet was forced to face the direct loss of 1.2 million lives that came from military invasion and, soon after, the loss of universal freedoms that stemmed from Communist ideology and its programmes such as the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). However, it is erroneous to believe that the worst has passed. The fate of Tibet’s unique national, cultural and religious identity is seriously threatened and manipulated by the Chinese authorities in the past six decades.

Chinese government’s policy of occupation and oppression has resulted in no more or less than the destruction of Tibet’s national independence, culture and religion, environment and the universal human rights of its people. Time and time again, the infliction of this destruction sees China break international laws with impunity, while attempting to transform Tibet’s 2.5 million square kilometers into complete China.

On the 50th anniversary of the so called “peaceful liberation”, Chinese President Xi Jinping continued the government’s efforts in “Promoting Economic,” “Ethnic Unity” and “Social Development” in Tibet, shows no different claims, revealing the unpredictable nature of a regime bent on maintaining stability even through terror, exposing the depth of China’s present illness.

Xi’s concepts of repressive policies reflect the deep uncertainty that aim at the core of another “Cultural Revolution” strategy in further colonisation in Tibet, showing the whole world once again the real terror nature of the Communist regime.

Ever since its colonial project was set in motion, the “Cultural Revolution” has insisted that it seeks to colonize Tibet “peacefully”, indeed that its colonization of the country will not only not harm the Tibetan population, but that it was successful to be of benefit to millions of illegal Chinese settlers.

The main reasons behind the dirty politics of why Xi is “calling for more educational campaigns to promote ethnic unity and a sense of belonging to the same Chinese nationality,” is that Tibetans would become real Chinese and must speak Mandarin, allowing coexistence with the Chinese settlers who would be happy and grateful for being colonized and civilized by the communist regime; and a secret, logistical and practical strategy to vanquish the Tibetan population from Tibet, a practice which threatens the very existence of Tibetan culture, religion and national identity.

The impacts of mass immigration of Ethnic Chinese into Tibet was and is a barbaric act with aim to destroy Tibet completely— a target for the worst excesses of the Chinese regime. Tibetan exiles claim 7.5 million Chinese now live in Tibet overwhelming the six million Tibetans. These figures are unconfirmed, but recent Chinese figures suggest this trend is accurate.

Mass murderer Mao Zedong killed an estimated 49-78 million people during China’s Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976. From Mao to Hu Jintao, one after another, the Chinese dictators have taken full control over the lives of their citizens. The similarities shared with previous dictators from Mao to Hu, Xi’s approach

of declaring peaceful intentions for “Ethnic Unity and “Economy Development” behind which he sought to hide Mao’s “Marxism” inherited from “Sovietism”, a violent strategy of conquering and terrorizing the land of Tibet into pieces, adopting wholesale thenceforward, which continues to be the cornerstone of the repressive policy to the present.

Chinese hard line policies in creating a new socialist paradise, seeking hearts and minds with Tibetan people will never fulfill its dreams. Indeed, within the framework of the 17 Point Agreement between China and Tibet, the PLA troops marching into Tibet shall abide by all the above-mentioned policies and shall also be fair in all buying and selling and shall not arbitrarily take a single needle or thread from the people. However, in the past six decades, Tibetans are denied of the basic rights of expression, speech, movement, and religion under the hard-line policies, including political repression, economic marginalization, environmental destruction, cultural assimilation and denial of religious freedom.

As China became the 3rd of the top ten militaries in the world, according to “Global Firepower”, why China’s strategists have increasingly acknowledged that the stability in Tibet is central to China’s national interest, and particularly as present as the early 1980s. The term “Economy Development” and “Stability” has nothing to do with Tibetan people. But the Tibetan plateau, dubbed the “Third Pole”, holds the third largest store of water-ice in the world and is the source of many of Asia’s rivers.

The glaciers, snow peaks, rivers, lakes, forest and wetlands of Tibet provide major environmental services to Asia, from Pakistan to Vietnam to northern China.The climate in Tibet generates and regulates monsoon rains over Asia. An estimated 70% of water in China is heavily polluted from uncontrolled dumping of chemicals. Instead of dealing with this the Chinese regime is diverting water from Tibet to north and west China to supply over 300 million Chinese people. It is also damming rivers to generate hydroelectricity which is in turn used to power industrial developments in China.

Dams on rivers and their major tributaries cause massive interruptions to wild mountain rivers and the ecosystems dependent on them. They also give China strategic power over neighboring countries.

Chinese state owned mining companies are quickening their extraction of copper, gold and silver in Tibet. These mines are usually based close to rivers. Tibet is also rich in other resources including lead, zinc, molybdenum, asbestos, uranium, chromium, lithium and much more. Tibet is China’s only source of chromium and most of its accessible lithium is in Tibet. These raw materials are used in manufacturing of household goods, computers and smart phones, among much else.

China is the world’s largest producer of copper and the world’s second biggest consumer of gold. The World Gold Council predicts that the consumption in China will double within a decade.

Tibet’s reserves of copper and gold are worth nearly one trillion dollars. Chinese companies have traditionally mined on a small scale but now large scale extractions are taking place, mainly by large companies, owned by or with close links to the state. More importantly, in connection with the size of Tibet it needs to be pointed out that the so-called ‘Tibet Autonomous Region’ – which is what some parts of world mistakenly see as ‘Tibet’ – is only the truncated half of Tibet. The North-Eastern Province of Amdo; has been separated from the rest of Tibet and renamed ‘Qinghai.’ Also; large parts of Eastern Tibet; the traditional Kham Province; have been incorporated into neighboring Chinese Provinces.

Economic growth mostly benefits The Chinese settlers and businesses and workers, as most workers in Tibet mines are Chinese and the

OPINION

The Tibet Post International

China Observes 50 Years of Iron Clad Grip Over Tibet

HONG KONG: China is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the setting up of its Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), which represents only a stump of the original Tibetan areas in the country.

The traditionally Tibetan strongholds in modern Sichuan and Qinghai provinces have been lopped off to become part of provinces where they are now minorities, and thus, face extinction of their cultural and religious identity.

China has accepted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a member of the United Nations.

The declaration forms the basic charter of rights for all citizens across the world.

However, over the past many decades, China’s adherence to the UDHR has been minimal at best.

When it comes to Tibet, though, even those minimal standards seem to have been misplaced, and the result is an occupied area where Tibetans count for less than an average Han Chinese citizen, and have no rights worth the name.

An article-by-article analysis of what the UDHR enjoins upon governments and grants to every human being, compared to the reality in Tibet, brings out starkly how far off the expected the Chinese performance has been.

According to Article 1 of the UDHR, all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

But if looked from a Tibetan’s perspective, he or she would not consider being born under Chinese occupation as freedom.

To be equal in rights means being afforded equal treatment under the law, but as far as China is concerned, repression is the norm for any form of political dissent.

In TAR, there are severe restrictions on the freedom of movement of Tibetans, and inequality is ever present.

Article 2 of the UDHR says that everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

But in the case of the people of Tibet, their national and social origin; political opinions, their religion, and their language have all been used to persecute them.

Every existing marker of Tibetan culture has been sought to be extinguished as rapidly as possible.

The Chinese government’s repressive treatment extends to all vestiges of Tibetan culture, regardless of the source.

Article 3 of the UDHR says that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

But, when it comes to Tibet, 87000 of them were killed by the People’ Liberation Army between 1959 and 1960. The 2008 crackdown reportedly led to 228 deaths and 990 “disappearances”.

The liberty of people extends to their means of livelihood and living arrangements, but Tibetans have reportedly placed forcibly in New Socialist Villages (NSV), and are without any semblance of liberty.

The security of Tibetan in Tibet is also greatly under doubt, considering the predilection of Chinese authorities towards arbitrary arrest and detention.

Article 4 of the UDHR says no one shall be held in slavery or servitude, and slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

In this instance, China meets of most of the markers, but what can’t be ignored is that Beijing extracts involuntary labour from arbitrarily chosen Tibetans.

Article 5 of the UDHR says, no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, but in Chinaruled TAR, torture is commonplace.

Articles 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 refer to the right to recognition before the law, equality before the law, and right to remedy. They also ask for presumption of innocence, but insofar as the delivery of justice in TAR is concerned, China is extremely biased and arbitrary.

As such, these articles are currently not maintainable anywhere in China, let alone Tibet.

Article 9 of the UDHR says no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile, but this is far from applicable in TAR. Article 12 of the UDHR says no one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

In Chinese-ruled Tibet, there is the practice of forced resettlement. The treatment of the Dalai Lama certainly falls under attacks upon honour and reputation. Heightened surveillance in the region constitutes interference with privacy.

Article 13 of the UDHR says, everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state and everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country, but China’s two-tiered passport system severely restricts freedom of movement for Tibetans and other religious minorities.

Indeed, the Dalai Lama himself has stated that the Chinese government has barred him from re-entering his home.

Article 14 of the UDHR says everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution, but in TAR, this right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes.

Finally, Article 15 of the UDHR says everyone has the right to a nationality, but Tibetans are Chinese nationals.

extraction takes place without regard to the local environment and areas of religious significance.

Most of Tibet is vulnerable to earthquakes and highly volatile. Threats posed by this instability are exacerbated by mining and damming projects.

In 2013 a landslide in the Gyama Valley is a great example, which highlighted the fatal destruction of Tibet’s environment. In almost all areas in Tibet, Tibetans have frequently protested against Chinese government, where there are mining projects in Tibet, particularly in recent years. China has recently drilled a 7 km borehole, to reach and explore Tibet’s oil and natural gas resources. China National Petroleum Corporation estimates the basin’s oil reserves at 10 billion tons.

As well as global climate change, industrial projects such as mining, damming and deforestation are leading to the Tibetan glacier melting at a faster rate, contributing in turn to further global warming.

Before the Chinese occupation there was almost no Tibetan industrialization, damming, draining of wetlands, fishing and hunting of wildlife. Tibet remained unfenced, its grasslands intact, its cold climate able to hold enormous amounts of organic carbon in the soil.

China has now moved millions of Tibetan nomads from their traditional grasslands to urban settlements, opening their land for the extraction of resources and ending traditional agricultural practices which have sustained and protected the Tibetan environment for centuries.

The mining companies also benefit from state financing of railways, power stations and many other infrastructure projects. Much of China’s significant transport infrastructure developments in Tibet have been intended to facilitate the movement of military forces into the country and the removal of natural resources from it. companies also benefit from finance at concessional rates to corporate borrowers, tax holidays, minimal environmental standards and costs, no requirement to compensate local communities and subsidized rail freight rates to get concentrates to smelters or metal to markets.

These above valid reasons for saying Tibetans inside Tibet will never sense happier life in a so called “Maoist socialist paradise.” Instead, we have, and always had the fears and sense of the totalitarian nature of Chinese regime.

However, the authoritarians in Beijing always have popularized the expression of Tibet as a “Peaceful Liberation” since the occupation in 1949— the totalitarianism understood well that its colonial strategy depended on a deliberate and insistent confusion of the binary terms “Liberation” and “Unity”, so that each of them hides behind the other as one and the same strategy: “Unity” will always be the public name of a colonial war, and “Liberation”, once it became necessary and public in the form of total invasions, would be articulated as the principal means to achieve the sought after “ethnic unity”.

Why Xi said the country should “firmly take the initiative” in the fight against separatism, vowing

to crack down on all activities seeking to separate the country and destroy social stability. Waging colonial war under banner of “Unity” is so central to totalitarianism and Chinese propaganda that China’s 1949 invasion of Tibet, which killed 1.2 million Tibetans and destroyed over six thousand monasteries and temples and historical structures looted and all beyond repair, was termed the “Peaceful Liberation of Tibet”. “Liberation” and “Ethnic Unity”, therefore, are the same means whose only and ultimate strategic goal is Chinese colonization of Tibet and the subjugation and expulsion of Tibetan population.

To bring about the expulsion of the Tibetans and the establishment of the Chinese settler colony, the CCP sought the patronage of the powers that controlled the fate of Tibet. Mao to Xi whereas their assiduous efforts to court the Mao’s old leadership and persuade to grant them a charter failed, however the soviet style leadership after Mao adopted the same strategy under various banners and successfully secured the patronage of world, and became the master of Tibet.

Tibet remained largely isolated from the rest of the world’s civilizations. After 1949, the CCP successfully secured support for their colonial project. After more than 40 years the world recognize that Mao was responsible for genocide of millions of Chinese, Tibetans, Mongolians and Uyghurs. Even Deng Xiaoping actually believed that Mao was about 80% wrong, proving not only that mass massacres happened from 1959-61 but also that these were mainly the result of policy errors that the current regime continues to draw from.

None of these, however, were morally justifiable and acceptable, but a true nature that the deadly ideology of communism while abandoned their public claims that their “peaceful liberation” colonization of Tibet would not be harmful to the Tibetan people while employing, at the same time, the most violent means to evict the Tibetans off their land.

The totalitarian leader, Mao, following Stalin’s strategy of securing the patronage of major world powers articulated the Sovietist position thus.

Sovietist colonization must either stop, or else proceed regardless of the native population. Which means that it can proceed and develop only under the protection of a power that is independent of the native population - behind an iron wall, which the native population cannot breach. That is repressive policy; not what it should be, but what it actually is, whether we admit it or not. We clearly understand why Xi is calling for more “patriotic education campaigns” to promote “ethnic unity” and a sense of belonging to the same “Chinese nationality”.

Despite officially introducing more environmentfriendly policies in recent years, China continues to flood Tibet with potentially destructive mega development projects such as railway routes, oil and gas pipelines, petrochemical complexes, hydro dams, construction of airports, highways, military

bases and new cities for migrants from Mainland China. Is this for a sense of belonging to the same “Chinese nationality”?

What need we, otherwise, of the Peaceful Liberation? Or of the Mandate? Their value to us is that outside Power has undertaken to create in the country such conditions of administration and security that if the native population should desire to hinder work, they will find it impossible.

It was, in fact, this regime’s commitment to “peaceful liberation” with the Tibetans, whose land they sought to totally control, that provoked the ire of terror group that gradually transformed the CCP. The CCP leaders’ assumption that the Tibetans were bribe-able, that they could be bought, and that they would accept Chinese domination in exchange for nominal economic benefits was challenged by Mao. He once stated that the communist army’s “only foreign debt” was that incurred to Tibet and its people while on the Long March in 1930s.

The idea of peaceful liberation of Tibet was a means to establish more colonial conquests, continued to be entrenched in Maoist considerations, it would be pursued alongside invisible war even after 1949, as evidenced by the multiple invasions of Tibet in the 1950s, and in the new century. These wars would be waged explicitly as part of China’s pursuit of “peaceful liberation” to achieve its colonial aims, and Noreastern Tibet capitulated completely to Chinese colonialism, while continuing the war against those Tibetans who continued to resist Maoist colonial logic.

Human rights monitoring and protection has become an unusual challenge to the de facto impunity of the government system. Acquiring accurate information from the so-called ethnic minority regions of Tibet had become extremely difficult due to the secretive nature of operations and so called lack of transparency. Tibetans in their own home country have become victims of deepseated prejudice. A carefully chiseled policy has led to a cultural genocide in Tibet due to denial of basic fundamental rights, freedoms and justice over a period of 60 years. The Human Rights situation has not improved in Tibet.

The ongoing suppression of the Tibetan people has been openly carried out whether intentionally or unintentionally. The Chinese government continues to accelerate the political, economic, social and geographical integration of Tibet into China. There is no let-up on many unpopular measures of control imposed by China on the Tibet region such as the “Patriotic re-education Campaign” under policy of “Unity and Peace,” despite how-many-ever protests from Tibetans.

This Chinese policy with the active support of the military presence in Tibet, at least a quarter of a million strong, strictly governs the territory, after all China still claims a “peaceful liberation” of Tibet and President Xi Jinping vowed to follow same old way. Is this what China really wanted the whole world to witness in an occupied Tibet

By Asia News International: August 26, 2015

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August 31, 2015

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Tibet is the only one to quench Asia’s thirst for water: Sikyong China arrests young Tibetan mother

Sikyong with the eminent speakers at the conference. Photo: CTA/DIIR

By Yangchen Dolma: August 24, 2015

New Delhi — Addressing a conference in New Delhi, focusing on the rivers that flow into the sub-continent from Tibet, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay said “the lives of billions of people living in Asia are at risk as China builds large scale damming of the rivers in Tibet” which provide fresh water to downstream Asian nations.

The conference titled ‘Only One Tibet to Quench Asia’s Growing Thirst’ organised by Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) was held in New

Delhi, the capital of India, in collaboration with University of Delhi and the Foundation for Non-Violent Alternatives.

Speakers at the conference include Prof Sreemati Chakaraborti, Mr Thubten Samphel, Prof Abanti Bhattacharya, Prof Madhu Bhalla, writer Claude Arpi, among other environmentalists and experts.

Explaning the issue of Tibet is not only for 6 millions, but it has major ramification for a billion people in south Asia and South East Asian Nations, Sikyong said “Tibet is the only

one to quench Asia’s thirst for water.”

“A billion people in Asia, including 400-500 millions people in China and over 500 million people in India, who survive on waters from rivers originating from the Tibetan plateau, are facing fresh water scarcity, he added, saying “you can clearly see conflicts and tensions, when a billion people face fresh water scarcity.”

“Water has become a strategic weapon for China,” he said, adding, “China has not signed UN convention on Water Sharing,” Sikyong said, while expressing his deep concern over the geopolitical tension, including war over water in Asia, as predicted by environmental experts.

“Environmentalists in China say China has built 87,000 dams, which are not only large, but dangerous too. China plans to build a dam on Brahmaputra larger than one on Yangze river, if that happens, what will happen to the flow of river to India and Bangladesh? he asked the audience.

“If China has the control on the flow of the river, it can have major implication for the crops in downstream countries,” said the democratically elected political leader of the Tibetan people.

“Tibet, known as the world’s Third Pole, has over 47, 000 glaciers which provide water to rivers on which survive 1.3 billion in Asia for freshwater,” he further added.

What will happen for these billion people if the glaciers melt at this rate? That is the biggest challenge facing us today,” he stressed referring to NASA predicts that 60% of Tibet’s glaciers will melt in the next 40 years.

China arrests Tibetans after peaceful protest in Nangchen county

By Molly Lortie: August, 26, 2015

Dharamshala — Several Tibetans were arrested

by Chinese authorities after a group of Tibetans from Chumey township in Nangchen County held a protest rally this morning, August 26th.

The Tibetans were demanding equality in the payment of financial aids provided to the Tibetan people by the Chinese government.

The economic development office of the local administration has recently introduced a program to develop the economic condition

of the Tibetan people through financial aids to rebuild their houses, give scholarships, etc.

However, the office refused to give aids to those Tibetans who have left the township for better job or education opportunities in other parts of the country. Therefore, over a hundred Tibetan families with a family member outside the locality were declared not eligible to receive the aids. As a result, these Tibetans held a protest march to request the authorities to reconsider the decision and allow equal treatment of all irrespective of their current location.

The Chinese authorities, instead of addressing the Tibetan people’s grievances through dialogue, have arrested ten Tibetans participating in the protest, accusing them of leading the peaceful protest march.

Several Tibetans were severely beaten by Chinese police two weeks ago after showing an expression of sad or unhappy on their faces during the official celebration in Nangchen County, Kham Yushul in eastern Tibet.

“Several Tibetans were hospitalised on August 4, after they were severely assaulted by the Chinese authorities,” sources said.

after calling for freedom in Tibet

Undated photo of Wokar Kyi, a young Tibetan mother who called for freedom in Tibet. Photo: TPI

By Yeshe Choesang: August 17, 2015

Dharamshala — Sources coming out of Tibet say a young Tibetan mother had disappeared in Ngaba County of north-eastern Tibet after staging a protest calling for “freedom in Tibet” and “return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet”.

Wokar Kyi, an approximately 23-year-old Tibetan mother was arrested and disappeared after staging a protest against Chinese rule,” Ven Kanyak Tsering, a monk from India based Kirti Monastery with close contacts in the Tibetan region told the Tibet Post International.

“She raised slogans calling for “freedom in Tibet” and “return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet,” Ven Tsering said.

“Wokar Kyi took to the Meruma township of Ngaba County, protesting against the Chinese government, around 3:00 pm on August 17,” Ven Tsering said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Ven Tsering added that “Chinese authorities arrived at the scene within minutes and arrested her. The current condition and whereabouts of Wokar Kyi remain unknown.”

“Wokar Kyi grew up with her nomad parents,” the source said, adding that “she never attended

formal schooling.”

She hailed from 1st village of Meruma in Ngaba County and her father’s name is Kunpo and mother’s Khakpa. Her husband’s name is Tashi and they have an four year-old son.

On July 15, Wangmo, a 22-year-old Tibetan girl from Meruma in Ngaba County was arrested for staging a lone protest against the repressive policies of the Chinese government on 15 July.

“Wangmo was released recently after several days’ detention. She returned home and was given a hero’s welcome on arrival,” the source said.

On December 29, 2014, Soepa, 21-year-old Tibetan writer and blogger, was arrested from a bus on his way from Meruma township to Ngaba County. Sources said though the exact reasons for Soepa’s arrest is not clear, local Tibetans say it might be linked to the various articles and essays published on his blog.

Hundreds of Tibetans, including writers, bloggers, singers and environmentalists, have been detained or are imprisoned, after attempting to express their views or share news of the situation in Tibet with the outside world, and provides further evidence of a widespread crackdown against free expression in Tibet.

Telo Tulku Rinpoche addresses Int’l Buddhist seminar in Moscow

By Molly Lortie: August, 26, 2015

Moscow — As the honorary representative for His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Russia, CIS countries and Mongolia, Telo Tulku Rinpoche addressed the audience at the international seminar, “Buddhist Education, Ethics and Art,” held in Moscow on the 13th and 14th of August.

Telo Tulku Rinpoche opened the seminar by expressing his appreciation of the efforts by the Russian government aimed at presenting the basics of religious cultures, including Buddhist culture, and secular ethics in high schools, calling the initiative a good example for the whole world.

He also called for the revival of the once famous

Russian school of Buddhist and Tibetan studies.

The seminar took place in two Institutions: Academy for Advanced Studies and Retraining of Educators (AASRE), and the State Museum of Oriental Art. Co-organizers of the seminar were the Institute of Oriental Studies (Russian Academy of Science – RAS), the State Museum of Oriental Art and the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation (New Delhi, India).

Agenda of the Seminar was to discuss new research and development in the field of Buddhist education, ethics and art in Russia and in the countries of Indo-Buddhist world.

adding “It was indeed an honor and privilege to represent Tibet on an international pageant.”

Taking the opportunity, Miss Yangzom thanked all her family, friends, supporters and well wishers. “Your encouragement and support is highly appreciated. I feel truly blessed and overwhelmed.”

After receiving a B.Ed. degree from Christ University, Bangalore, South India, Yangzom is currently teaching at Palkhang Academy, Gangtok, Sikkim.

The grooming sessions for participants that started on 12 August in Kochi and Alappuzha were led by Mrs Asia International Valentina Ravi, fashion choreographers Arun Ratna and Samir Khan.

In the event marked by grandeur, Kanika Kapur, who represented India, was crowned the Miss Asia 2015. The winner was awarded a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, while the first runnerup received Rs 2 lakh and second runner-up got Rs 1 lakh.

Honorary Representative Telo Tulku Rinpoche with other panelists at the international Buddhist seminar in Moscow. Photo: CTA/DIIR

Miss Tenzin Yangzom represents Tibet at Manappuram Miss Asia

By Yeshe Choesang: August 24, 2015

The peaceful rally demanding equal eligibility for government aids at Nangchen County, eastern Tibet, August 26, 2015. Photo: file

Miners threaten Tibetans trying to save sacred mountain from mining

By Yangchen Dolma: August 23, 2015

Dharamshala — Chinese authorities have used intimidation and threats of force to block attempts by local Tibetans to save a sacred mountain from uranium mining at Dringwa Township in Dzoge County of Ngaba, northeastern Tibet.

On August 10 a mining team sent by the Chinese government proceeded to start mining at Drakzong, a sacred mountain in Dringwa, (Ch: Zhanwa, Ruo’ergai County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.)

“A large number of Tibetans gathered at the site to stop the miners,” sources said, the local Tibetans explained to miners that it was inauspicious to mine at the sacred site and that mining would have disastrous consequences on the environmental stability of the area.

“In response, the miners threatened to call the police for obstructing their work. Despite protests from Tibetans,” sources said, adding that “the

mining team has already made preparations to start mining uranium; mining machines and equipment have been brought to the site.”

Uranium was initially mined mainly for producing nuclear weapons and since the 1960s, for manufacture into nuclear reactor fuel. Being both radioactive and a toxic heavy metal, uranium mining can contaminate air, soil and water.

Drakdzong is a sacred mountain considered as the dwelling place of Amnye Drakdzong, the principle deity revered by local Tibetans in Dringwa. The mountain has two sacred caves that receive a continuous chain of pilgrims throughout the year.

The local Tibetans believe that excavation at this site would bring catastrophes such as epidemics and droughts in the region.

Owing to the local belief system, Tibetans have protected this site since time immemorial without even putting a spade on it. The plan to mine this sacred mountain has plunged local Tibetans deep into worry, fear and uncertainty.

Dharamshala — Miss Tibet 2014, Tenzin Yangzom Palkhang from Gangtok, Sikkim, represented Tibet at Manappuram Miss Asia contest held in Cochin, Kerala, from 12th to 18th August, 2015.

Participants from 13 Asian countries, including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, China, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Turkmenistan, the UAE and Uzbekistan will participate in the event.

The pageant consisted of three roundsNational Costume, Black Cocktail and White Gown. Though the bikini round was cancelled, there were various sub-categories. These include Miss Best National Costume, Miss Beautiful Miss Hair, Beautiful Smile, Miss Beautiful Skin, Miss Beautiful Eyes, Miss Congeniality, Miss Personality, Miss Catwalk, Miss Perfect-10, Miss Talent, Miss Viewers Choice and Miss Photogenic.

Yangzom was selected top 6 among the finalists. She won “Miss Viewer’s Choice Award” for highest votes from the public smile emoticon.

Representing Tibet as a country at an international pageant, Yangzom walked the ramp in traditional Tibetan dress and carried Tibetan national flag.

“I made it to the top 6 among the finalists and ranked 4th in the over-all scores,” she said,

Miss Tenzin Yangzom holding Tibetan national flag standing with other contestants during the traditional round “smile emoticon” at Le Meridien, Kochi, Kerala, South India. Photo: missasiaglobal

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TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) Get involved in jobs that require creative input. You can win points with both peers and superiors. After all, they may have valuable information to pass on.

For now just do the best you can. Your partner’s a little jumpy. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) You need adventure and excitement in your life. Don’t be too quick to judge others. Helping children may be rewarding and challenging. Fitness or weight loss pro grams will help your self esteem. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) Confusion at an emotional level will cause you to make wrong decisions concerning your personal life. You will have the getup and go to con tribute a great deal to groups of interest. Regardless of your first reaction, the outcome will be favorable. You will be able to work in fine detail and present the best possible proposal. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Monday.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21) You will be able to get to the bottom of things this month. You will be in the mood to socialize. Drastic financial losses may be likely if you lend money.

Compromise if you have to, to avoid verbal battles.

Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Wednesday.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) Make sure that you have all the pertinent facts before taking action. You may find yourself in an uncomfortable situation if you have overloaded your plate unintentionally. You will not be able to contain your emotions this month. You will have some problems with children, but if you are patient you will win their favor. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) Feeling under the weather may be a result of overindulgence. Think twice before you pursue an unrealistic endeavor. Do something together and you’ll be surprised how sweet a deal you can make.

Avoid friction with your mate. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) You will get along well in social situations. Look into making changes to your personal papers and don’t neglect those bills that have been piling up. A trip to visit relatives should be rewarding. Mishaps due to preoccupation will be upsetting. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Sunday.

LEO (July 23-Aug 22) Go directly to the source if you want to know exactly what’s been going on. Try to mix business with pleasure while traveling. Be sure to take advantage of the opportunities that exist. You will be overly sensitive when dealing with your personal life. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Monday.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19) Pamper yourself; the self esteem it brings you will be most gratifying. You are best to sit back and think it through, rather than add to the ranting and raving.

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VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) You should be able to get a lot done. You can make money if you concentrate on producing services that will make domestic chores easier. Don’t promise to deliver the goods if you aren’t positive that you can meet the deadline. You’ll find it difficult to control your emotions. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Sunday.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) Just be yourself. You must deal with an emotional problem with your loved one that you have been avoiding for some time now. You are in a high energy, get it all done, mood and you’ll have little patience with those who are slacking off. Financial gains can be made through wise investments. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Wednesday.

August 31, 2015 H.H THE DALAI LAMA 5 Police arrests teenage boy after staging lone protest in Lithang His Holiness will visit Philadelphia in October

The Tibet Post International

TPI NEWS

Undated image of Lobsang Thupten, a 17-year-old nomad from Lithang County, Kham province of eastern Tibet. Photo: TPI

By Yeshe Choesang: August 25, 2015

Dharamshala — Chinese authorities have arrested a teenage Tibetan boy in Lithang County of eastern Tibet for staging a peaceful and lone protest against the Chinese government’s repressive policies in Tibet.

The teenage boy identified as Lobsang Thupten, a 17-year-old nomad from Lithang County, Kham province of eastern Tibet. “A group of armed

police arrived shortly after his protest and took him away in a police car,” he said, “his current whereabouts and condition remains unknown.”

According to the sources, “holding a portrait Thangka of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thupten staged the protest with a peace march in front of a police station in Lithang County in Eastern Tibet (Ch: Litang County, Ganze Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China).”

“Thupen shouted slogans calling for freedom of Tibetan people and His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet,” Geshe Sermey Loga told the Tibet Post International.

He hailed from 1st village of Yonri Ponkor in Lithang County and His father’s name is Jephak Mei Mei and mother’s name is Tenlo.

“He condemned Chinese failed policy and oppression in Tibet,” the monk said, adding “Thupten’s banner made references to human rights, freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.”

“Paramilitary police and armed forces with a large number of armored vehicles have been deployed in the County,” sources said, “armed forces have grown significantly over the weeks.”

A number of latest images from the region also indicated that the County remains tightly controlled under heavy surveillance and PLA security forces maintain a heavy presence in an attempt to avoid further protests.

His arrest took place over a month after a respected Buddhist teacher from the County died in Chinese prison under suspicious circumstances while serving life sentence.

Runggye Adak, another prominent political prisoner, from same County, was released on July 31, after completing his sentence.

Sources also say that the county has been under heavy security restriction in the recent weeks and severe restrictions were placed on the movement of Tibetans in the region.

Cases of missing journalists in ten countries referred to United Nations

By Reporters Without Borders: August 31, 2015

Paris -- In an initiative two days before International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances (30 August), Reporters Without Borders has referred the cases of missing journalists in ten countries to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

In a letter sent today to the chairs of these two working groups, Ariel Dulitzky and Seong-Phil Hong, Reporters Without Borders secretary Christophe Deloire has asked them to open or re-open investigations into these cases and to initiate the relevant procedures with the countries that are breaking international law in this area.

The cases cited in the letter include those of nine journalists who have been missing in Iraq since last year, and 11 Eritrean journalists of whom there has been no news since 2001.

The perpetrators of disappearances are often unknown.

In countries such as Mexico and Colombia, missing journalists often covered sensitive subject linked to organized crime or political violence. But there are governments that hold journalists incommunicado in secret locations for months or years on end. This is the case in Syria, Eritrea, Libya, Iran and Turkmenistan.

“Enforced disappearances are the consequence of criminal acts that violate several human rights – the right to life, the right to freedom and the right to due process,” Deloire said in the letter. “Violence and crimes against journalists constitute attacks not only against the victims but also against freedom of expression, the right to inform and its corollary, the right to receive information.”

For each case of a missing journalist or the country concerned, Reporters Without Borders has filled out an official form that has been sent with the letter.

1 - María Esther Aguilar Cansimbe (Mexico), missing since 2009 María Esther Aguilar Cansimbe has been missing in Mexico since 11 November 2009. A resident of Zamora (in the southwestern state of Michoacán), she had worked for the Zamora daily El Diarioand the statewide newspaper Cambio for the past four years, covering crime and police work. On the day of her disappearance, she left her home after getting a mysterious phone call and has not been seen since.

Shortly before disappearing, she covered a case of abuse of authority involving the local police chief. The La Familia crime cartel had also harassed her in connection with her coverage of the arrests of two of its members.

Five years after her disappearance, the case is shelved.

The investigation by the special prosecutor’s office for crimes against freedom of expression made no progress.

2 - Borja Lázaro (Colombia), missing since 2014 Spanish freelance photographer Borja Lázaro went missing on 8 January 2014 in Cabo de Vela, a village in Colombia’s northeastern department of La Guajira, where he had been doing a series of photo-reportages on indigenous cultures. As he disappeared in a drugtrafficking region dominated by “Bacrim,” criminal gangs that have their origins in the paramilitary movement, he may well have been kidnapped. The Colombian and Spanish authorities began investigating the case on 23 January 2014 but, more than a year and half later, have made no significant progress.

3 - Prageeth Ekneligoda (Sri Lanka), missing since 2010 Prageeth Ekneligoda, a political analyst and cartoonist critical of the government (then controlled by the Rajapaksa family), disappeared after leaving the Lanka E-news website’s office in Homagama, near Colombo,

on 24 January 2010. The Sri Lankan authorities did not try to find him and provided the family with no information. In 2011, Reporters Without Borders and Cartooning for Peace launched an international campaign to draw attention to the case.

Five years after his disappearance, the case was reopened following Maithripala Sirisena’s election as president in January 2015. Two former members of Tamil Tiger intelligence, a Sri Lankan army officer and four soldiers were arrested on 24 August. The two Tamil Tigers have reportedly confessed to abducting Prageeth and handing him over to an army base in Girithale, in the centre of the country, the same day.

4 - Ahmed Rilwan (Maldives), missing since 2014 Ahmed Rilwan, a journalist working for the independent online newspaper Minivan News, was reported missing in Maldives on 8 August 2014, a few days after writing about death threats against himself and other reporters. Aged 28, he mainly covered religious issues, politics and the environment. He was last seen at the Hulhumalé ferry terminal in the capital. Several witnesses said a person meeting his description was abducted and forced into a car. The police arrested three suspects in September 2014 and but released them without charge. Since then, the investigation has not progressed. Instead, the police have tried to intimidate his family and supporters, and prevented a news conference being held on 8 July 2015 about the state of the investigation.

5 - Pirouz Davani (Iran), missing since 1998 Pirouz Davani, the editor of the newspaper Pirouz, went missing aged 37 on 25 August 1998. He had been a member of Toudeh (a pro-Soviet communist party) in the 1980s and, as such, was detained for seven months in 1982. He was also jailed for eight months in 1989 for publishing articles containing interviews with the families of executed prisoners.

His disappearance came at a dark time in Iran’s recent history when many intellectuals and government opponents were murdered. On 28 November 1998, the daily Kar-e-Karagar reported rumours that he had been “executed.” Akbar Ganji, a Sobh-e-Emrouz journalist who investigated the case, reported in late November 2000 that Davani had indeed been murdered and he implicated Mohseni Ejehi, a mullah close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who was the special clerical court’s prosecutor. Since then, Ejehi has held the positions of minister of intelligence and prosecutor-general and is currently No. 2 in the justice ministry, of which he is its spokesman. The Iranian judicial system never investigated Davani’s disappearance.

6 - Sofiane Chourabi and Nadhir Ktari (Libya), missing since 8 September 2014 Sofiane Chourabi and Nadhir Ktari, Tunisian journalists working for First TV, were reported missing on 8 September in Libya, where they had gone to do a report on the situation in the TunisiaLibya border region. They were last seen near Ajdabiya. An Islamic State affiliate is said to have issued a communiqué in January saying they had been executed but this was not immediately confirmed.

The Tobruk-based government, which is recognized by the international community, announced in late April 2015 that seven journalists, including Sofiane and Nadhir, had been murdered by members of armed groups in Libya. The others named were five journalists working for Libya’s Barqa TV – an Egyptian cameraman (Mohamed Galal) and four Libyans

(Khaled Al-Subhi, Younès Al-Mabrouk,Abdussalam Al-Maghrebi and Youssef Al-Qamoudi).

As no tangible evidence have ever been produced in support of this announcement, Reporters Without Borders wrote to Bernardino León, the special representative of the UN secretary-general in Libya, requesting an independent investigation under UN Security Council Resolution 1738 of December 2006, the Geneva Conventions and their three additional protocols. At various news conferences and demonstrations in support of the families of the two journalists, Reporters Without Borders has also urged the Tunisian authorities and the protagonists of the transitional process in Libya to shed light on their disappearance.

7 - At least nine journalists (Iraq), missing since 2014 More than 20 journalists have been kidnapped in northern Iraq since Islamic State began its offensive there in June 2014. Some were killed while others were eventually released. But there is no news of the fate of at least nine of the journalists held by Islamic State.

Since Islamic State began its offensive, reporters have stopped covering some of Iraq’s regions.

Islamic State is waging a strategic war against the Iraqi army and its allies, but it is aware of the importance of information and propaganda and, as a result, it deliberately targets journalists, accusing them of collaborating with the Iraqi regime or providing information to the outside world.

8 - Nazım Babaoğlu (Turkey), missing since 1994 A young correspondent for the pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem in the southeastern city of Urfa, Nazım Babaoğlu disappeared without trace on 12 March 1994 after volunteering to go to the small town of Siverek in response to a mysterious call to the newspaper. He had been expecting to report on the activities of “village guards,” pro-government militiamen who were notorious for their use of violence.

He never came back. No credible investigation has ever been conducted in the 21 years since his disappearance.Working for Özgür Gündem was extremely dangerous at the height of the fighting between government forces and PKK-led Kurdish rebels in the 1990s. Babaoğlu’s case is typical of the impunity that continues to reign for the mass crimes committed at that time, including the murders of a score of journalists. Although the details of the repressive methods used to combat the Kurdish national movement are now well known, justice has never materialized.

Impunity is now guaranteed by a 20-year statute of limitations on unsolved murders.

By Yeshe Choesang: August 25 , 2015

The Dalai Lama, a man held in the highest esteem by his followers, will be visiting Philadelphia in the not too distant future.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will both teach and receive an award on October 26th and 27th, PhillyMag.com reports.

He will speak at the Hayman Center at LaSalle University on the topic of “Eight Verses for Training the Mind” on October 26th. On the 27th he will engage in a forum on “Finding Happiness in Troubled Times: Educating the Heart in the 21st Century” at Temple University’s Liacouras Center.

In between those two teaching engagements, His Holiness will receive the 2015 Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center. The Liberty Medal is awarded to those “who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.”

As spiritual director of the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia, the Venerable Lama Losang Samten hopes that the Dalai Lama’s visit will both be greeted with and inspire a future “environment of kindness” in the city of Philadelphia. He went on to say that kindness is something Philadelphia “should never be in short supply of.”

The National Constitution Center has announced His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet will receive the 2015 Liberty Medal in recognition of his advocacy for human rights worldwide.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will receive the prestigious award during the 27th annual Liberty Medal award ceremony at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 26, 2015, at the National Constitution Center on Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

“We are so pleased to announce His Holiness

President Xi Jinping calls for promoting economic, social deve’t. in Tibet?

By Yeshe Choesang: August 27, 2015

Dharamshala — Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked for more efforts to promote economic growth and all-round social progress in Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas in four other provinces, vowing sustainable measures and continued preferential policies, China’s State-run media agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. Below is an article published by China’s State-run media agencies.

Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas in four other provinces have entered “a critical stage” toward fulfilling the country’s goal of building a moderately prosperous society in a comprehensive way, Xi said at a two-day meeting on Tibet’s future development, which ended on August 25, the report said. Below is an article published by China’s State-run media agencies.

Special financial, tax and investment policies should continue to be in place in the future in southwest China’s Tibet autonomous region and Tibetan-inhabited areas in Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces, he added.

Development, which aims to improve living conditions for various ethnic groups and beef up social cohesion, should be advanced in a prudent and steady manner, and all measures taken should be sustainable, Xi said.

Xi urged bettering basic public service and adopting targeted measures to alleviate poverty, solve key problems which lead to poverty and improve living conditions for the impoverished as soon as possible.

“More active employment policies should be carried out to help residents of all ethnic groups to walk out of their farms and pastors to work in towns and companies and start businesses,” he said.

Meanwhile, Xi said, efforts should also be made to incorporate education on “socialist core values” into courses in schools at various levels, popularize the national commonly-used language and script, and strive to foster “Party-loving and patriotic builders and successors of the socialist cause.”

Xi said the country should “firmly take the initiative” in the fight against separatism, vowing to crack down on all activities seeking to separate the country and destroy social stability.

During the meeting, Xi also reiterated a series of strategies that have been in effect during the 60-plus years of governing Tibet, citing an idea that governing

9 - “Chief” Ebrima Manneh (Gambia), missing since 2006

A reporter for the pro-government Daily Observer newspaper, “Chief” Ebrima Manneh has been missing since 7 July 2006, when he was arrested by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) for unclear reasons shortly after the end of an African Union summit in Banjul. In April 2009, then justice minister Marie Saine-Firdaus denied any government role in his disappearance. But a week later, a police officer said he had seen Manneh in Banjul’s notorious Mile Two prison in 2008.

President Yahya Jammeh said in March 2011: “Let me make it very clear that the government has nothing to do with the death or disappearance of Chief Manneh.” Reporters Without Borders has never regarded him as dead. He still appears on our website’s list of imprisoned journalists.

the Dalai Lama as the recipient of the 2015 Liberty Medal,” said National Constitution Center president and CEO Jeffrey Rosen.

“In his advocacy for Tibetans and for human rights worldwide, the Dalai Lama has always emphasized the ideals of freedom, dialogue, and tolerance. For this reason he embodies the spirit of the Liberty Medal, which aims to honor men and women who strive to secure such blessings of liberty to people around the globe,” he said.

“On behalf of the City of Philadelphia, we are honored to host His Holiness the Dalai Lama and present him with the prestigious Liberty Medal.

His compassion and tolerance embody the very spirit of this special award and our city,” said Mayor Michael Nutter.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will visit Philadelphia just one month after the city hosts the World Meeting of Families and Papal Visit.

“The city is fortunate to host two of the world’s most inspirational leaders in such a short time,” said Mayor Nutter.

His Holiness was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and became the first Nobel Laureate to be recognized for his concern for global environmental problems. He is the recipient of more than 150 awards, honorary doctorates and prizes in recognition of his message of peace, nonviolence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion.

Among his recent awards is the Shine a Light Award in 2011 from Amnesty International and the Templeton Prize in 2012 from the John Templeton Foundation. His Holiness has traveled to more than 67 countries spanning six continents. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 books.

10 - Eleven journalists (Eritrea), missing since 2001 In September 2001, when the eyes of the world were fixed on the United States and Afghanistan, everything suddenly changed in the Eritrean capital of Asmara.

Eleven journalists were arrested in a series of raids and were detained illegally for several months before being moved to unknown locations. No one in Eritrea has ever heard their names mentioned since that moment, almost 15 years ago. The Eritrean government refuses to say whether they are still alive and, if so, where they are being held. Giving them access to justice is clearly out of the question. According to the information obtained

by Reporters Without Borders, only four of them are still alive – Dawit Isaak,Seyoum Tsehaye, Amanuel Asrat and Temesgen Gebreyesus. Their whereabouts continues to be unknown.

border areas is the key for governing a country, and stabilizing Tibet is a priority for governing border areas.

He called for a comprehensive and accurate implementation of the Party’s policies concerning ethnic and religious affairs as well as efforts to increase a sense of identity for people from various ethnic groups with “the motherland, Chinese nationality, Chinese culture, the CPC and socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

According to the report Xi urged the promotion of Marxist values in people’s views on ethnics, religion and culture.

Xi said that authorities must draft long-term plans and rely on local officials and ordinary people to ensure persistent stability for Tibet and neighboring provinces, which are home to many people of Tibetan and other ethnic minorities, including Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu.

He urged officials in the region to keep pace with the CPC Central Committee in their thoughts and deeds, telling them to “cherish unity as if it was their eyes.”

“We should help people of various ethnic groups understand, support, appreciate and study from each other,” Xi said, calling for more educational campaigns to promote ethnic unity and a sense of belonging to the same Chinese nationality.

Xi also said that efforts should be made to promote patriotism among the Tibetan Buddhist circle and effectively manage monasteries in the long run, encouraging interpretations of religious doctrines “that are compatible with a socialist society.”

Addressing the same meeting, Premier Li Keqiang said that it is an arduous task for Tibet to build a “moderately prosperous” society over the next five years, together with other parts of the country.

The government should give top priority to improving people’s livelihood, alleviating poverty and increasing employment among Tibetans, he noted, urging more efforts to boost education, medical care and social security in the region.

It is key for Tibet to sharpen its self-development capability through promoting its specialty industries, infrastructure construction, and environmental protection, said the premier.

“Efforts should be given to the development of agriculture and animal husbandry and related processing business, making Tibet an important tourism destination in the world, and promoting commerce and trade with South Asia to boost the Tibetan economy,” he added.

Moreover, the building of local infrastructure should be sped up, including transportation networks, water conservation projects, power grids, among others, Li noted.

The Premier also pledged to increase financial aid and preferential policies to the ethnic minority area.

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, asked attendees to learn from the spirit of the meeting and work out effective measures to boost the development of Tibet.

Other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Zhang Dejiang, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, also attended the meeting.

6

August 31, 2015

TPI NEWS

Back Page Focus

The Tibet Post International

“I can be the people’s Sikyong”: Penpa Tsering Sikyong Candidate Authorities forces Tibetan youth to shut down “Butter Lamp” website

By Yeshe Choesang: August 31, 2015

Mr Penpa Tsering, who is one of the four Sikyong candidates speaking to Molly Lortie, a staff writer of the Tibet Post Internaitonal, in Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI/Dawa Phurbu

By Molly Lorti: August 25, 2015

1.

Describe yourself. What is your profession and where do you live in Tibet?

Ans: Pen name: Repa- I use it when I am writing poetry. This name is meaningful.

Before I arrived in exile, I sent my self introduction to a magazine named Tsenpo.

Repa means a singer who transforms the mind into a live voice. It means the same in Exile and back home in Tibet. Because I have learnt creative writing, this shows the achievement of my education. My real name is Jigme Tsering and I live in Dharamshala. I am originally from Amdo region in Tibet.

2.

Why do you think a book of compilation of poems is important in the larger Tibetan struggle for freedom?

Ans: We have seen that literature in ancient renaissance and France revolution can make an impact. The French poet Baudelaire explained the presence of Nobels and the putrid society through his works. He criticized the nobel and the corrupt people of French society. It is difficult to measure the positive influence in the poetry written in France. But it is very effective in modern times. I do not know if this book is important for Tibetan’s struggle for freedom. The book is actually an attempt to save Tibetan culture.

3.

How can poetry be used as a means to preserve Tibetan culture?

Ans: I wrote the preface for the book, which I based on Tibetan wisdom for making use of Tibetan poetry to save our language.

For, if there are more Tibetans taking up poetry to describe their experiences, there will be more poets reading it and helping preserve the language. In the pursuit of understanding Tibetan language, it is Tibetan poetry and grammar that are first learned.

Learning the language is the most effective way of preserving Tibetan Culture. Most often, learning the art of poetry will help in understanding Tibetan Buddhism, medicine and astronomy. Even we have important history from the methods of poetry.

4. Can you describe the idea behind your poem? What is the message for your readers?

My poem is my own feelings, I say comfortably.

So my both good and bad feelings are the idea behind my poem. For example, after leaving my home, I really missed my home. But I didn’t explain and introduce my poem for others. I have a question for readers through the feelings in my poem. I believe it will help the readers.

5. For how long have you been writing poetry? Tell us about other writing work you have done before.

Ans. I started to learn about famous Tibetan poems when I was 14 years old. At that time, I had to write repetitive examples based on the forms of famous poems, this was part of the sequence of training. My first poem was published by the editorial department of Tibetan Literature and Art. That poem was a recollection of great sadness. When I was going to primary school, my sister and I together with my family went to a celebration by car in Huangnan Province. We happily started to visit on that morning, riding in a tractor, but after not so long we had an accident. It was then my sister was killed. She was 10 years older than me. We had been shepherds on the mountain together, and collected firewood together. She was always smiling, and whenever we went onto the mountain she would sing many songs.

So, when I first learned about poetry, I wrote poems based on how I missed her. Then I learned about ancient poems, but I couldn’t

put my feelings in to words, so I wrote in free verse in memory of her.

6. Describe your experiences of living in Tibet. What are your everyday struggles and how did you use poetry to describe them?

Ans: When I was living in Tibet, my experience was not much. Because I was dependent on the money from my parents, from paying for school to visits to other places, they sponsored everything. When I was in Tibet, my poem incorporates a love story, the fate of tribal life, the changing of Lhasa’s atmosphere, the misery of Tibetan people. So I didn’t write the everyday feeling, only regarding these themes.

7. What is the idea of Tibet that you dream about?

Ans: Tibetans are the same as all people in the world. We have an ancient culture, that has influenced our state of mind, so we have our own way of thinking. This disposition is unique to Tibet, different from others. We need the basic human rights and justice like everyone.

8. What are your thoughts on the changing face of Tibetan poetry- ancient to modern?

Ans: We need these changes. But we didn’t take a lot of the tools from ancient poetry to use in the modern poetry. The ancient poetry has lots of romance, while Tibetan modern poetry doesn’t feature this.

9. Do you read other poetry? If yes, who are your favourite Tibetan and non-Tibetan poets, and why?

Ans: Yes, I have read both Tibetan poetry and poetry from other countries, but my favorite poetry does not come from other countries, perhaps it’s a language problem. I read the Indian poet, Tagore, which I enjoyed, but I read only this and wasn’t satisfied, but I should read other poems.

nor is now and will not in the future accept the Middle Way solution to the Tibet issue,” reads the article.

The essential intent of the ‘Middle Way’ is to split China, “ adds the commentary , saying that the Dalai group refuses to accept China’s sovereignty in Tibet and wants to seize the reins of power and set up a semi-independent political regime.”

In particular, China is against the Dalai Lama’s proposal for a “high degree of autonomy” in Tibet, saying “the essence of ‘a high degree of autonomy’ is to setup ‘a state within a state’ free of any control from the central government.

The article recalls that the central government has attached great importance to Tibet, holding six Tibet working conferences since 1980, with the second one in 1984, the third one in 1994 , the fifth one in 2010 and the sixth conference ended just on Tuesday.

Each Tibet working conference worked out specific measures to push forward Tibet’s economic development and secure social stability, the article said.

On Tibetan Buddhism, the article promotes “political unity and respecting religious belief “ saying the government is against intervening and limiting Tibetan’s religious freedom.

However, the Central Tibetan A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ( C TA ) r e p e a t e d l y reaffirmed its commitment to the “Middle Way Approach” (MWA) of engaging China through dialogue to achieve meaningful autonomy for all Tibetans, saying the Middle Way Approach, which neither seeks “Greater Tibet” nor a “high degree of autonomy”, but “genuine or meaningful autonomy” for all Tibetan people under a “single administration.”

During the seventh round of talks between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Chinese government in Beijing on 1 and 2 July 2008, the Tibetan delegation has presented to the Chinese leadership a Memorandum on Geniune Autonomy for the Tibetan people and Note on the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People, seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet as enshrined in the Chinese constitution and Law on Regional National Autonomy.

China says it will never accept ‘Middle Way’ solution to Tibet issues

Sun Chunlan, currently serves as the Head of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and is a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China. Photo: Xinhua

By Yeshe Choesang: August 26, 2015

Dharamshala — The Chinese central government will never accept the “Middle Way” proposed by the Dala Lama group, China’s United Front said in its official website in an article pen-named Kelsang.

The article was posted after the Chinese Central Government ended its sixth working conference on Tibet Tuesday in Beijing.

“The Central Government did not in the past,

Dharamshala -- Chinese authorities have shut down a website founded by a group of young Tibetans that served as a forum for news and literary writings in the Tibetan language in Machu County of north-eastern Tibet, a source inside the autonomous region said.

Writer Kunchok Tsephel established the website in 2005 with his own money as a joint venture with young poet Kybchen Dedrol in Machu (Ch: Maqu county of Gannan, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu province), source said.

Authorities reportedly closed down the Tibetan literacy website www.tibetcm.com, called Chodme, means “Butter Lamp” in Tibetan, on August 18. It was one of the oldest Tibetan websites promoting culture and literature.

However, it is unknown whether or not the website was permanently shutdown.

“The concerned Chinese authorities instructed the owner of the website to re-register with China’s Department of Communications,” the Tibetan source inside the autonomous region said, referring to the body that regulates telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media.

The owner of the website apologized to all readers for the abrupt withdrawal of the articles on the website, sources said, adding that “Many readers expressed their disappointment at being deprived

of their news and access to the website”.

Chinese authorities had shut down the website on other occasions as well, according to sources.

In February 2009, they had searched Tsephel’s home and seized his computer, mobile phone and other belongings, and took him into custody.

That November, the Intermediate People’s Court in Kanlho sentenced him to 15 years in prison for “divulging state secrets” during a closed-door trial.

Chinese authorities previously had detained and tortured Tsephel for two months in 1995 for his alleged involvement in political activities. They also targeted many other contributors, especially Tibetans, who wrote articles for the website and warned its owners about accepting reports that went against Chinese policy in Tibetan-populated areas.

The website carried news and other reports, both written and audio, as well as video stories, music and contemporary writings.

Chinese authorities heavily censor the Internet nationwide under a wide variety of laws and administrative regulations, especially in potentially volatile areas.

They routinely suppress websites in the Tibetan language as a way to maintain control over the region which has seen sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese since widespread protests swept the region in 2008.