online-newspaper for tibet and tibetan people

Bi-MonthlyB o d - K y i - Cha- Trin

I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Rs.5Vol. 01, Issue 37, 15 March 2011

Tibetan Supporters Talk to British Politicians

www.thetibetpost.com

His Holiness the Dalai Lama SubmitsRetirement Decision to Parliament

Dharamshala: - The political and spiritual leader ofTibet, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Mondayhas formally conveyed his retirement Decision tothe 14th Assembly of the Tibetan People's Deputies.The 75-year-old Nobel peace laureate's decision wasaimed to devolve his "formal authority" to an electedleader of the Tibet and Tibetan people. The messagewas read out by Mr. Penpa Tsering the speaker ofthe 14th Tibetan Parliament, where its last sessionwas started today.The following is the message of His Holiness theDalai Lama to the 14th Assembly of the TibetanPeople's Deputies."It is common knowledge that ancient Tibet,consisting of three provinces (Cholkha-sum) wasruled by a line of forty-two Tibetan kings beginningwith Nyatri Tsenpo (127 BCE), and ending with TriRalpachen (838 CE). Their rule spanned almost onethousand years. During that time, Tibet was knownthroughout Inner Asia as a powerful nation,comparable in military power and political influencewith Mongolia and China. With the developmentof Tibetan literature, the richness and breadth ofthe religion and culture of Tibet meant that itscivilisation was considered second only to that ofIndia.

International women's day in 1911. Photo: File

Mr. Penpa Tsering the speaker of the Parliament addressing at the last session of the 14th Tibetan Parliament whichwas started on Monday. Photo: TPI

Tsunami Tragedy in Japan

Tibetans and supporters gathering in London tocommemorate the 52nd Anniversary of Tibetan national

Uprising Day on 10th March 2011. Photo: Free Tibet

By YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

London: A large group of UK based Tibetans andTibet supporters descended upon the centre ofBritish politics, on Thursday, to lobby their politicalrepresentatives as part of Tibetan NationalUprising Day.A coalition of British Tibet support groups (FreeTibet, Students for a free Tibet and Tibet Society)organised the event, which saw a number ofmembers of parliament (MP) pledging their support

Tokyo: Around 2:46 pm a strong earthquakeshook Tokyo city. Epicenter of the earthquakeis believed to be around North east Japan ofMiyagi prefecture. The 8.9 magnitudeearthquake was followed by major tsunamiaround the east coast of Japan. The earthquakeand the tsunami brought a lot of damage to thelives and properties with more than 1000confirmed death, and many still missing.Tsunami virtually swallowed a town; many lost

Continues on 0...

Continues on Page 5...

Dharamshala: Today, Tuesday 8 March, marksthe 100th anniversary of International Women'sDay, a celebration of the political, economic andsocial achievements of women all over the world,past and present.The Day was first observed in 1911, and in thehundred years since then many accomplishmentshave been made for greater women's rights bywomen across the globe. This year, events will beheld in honour of women in over one hundred

100th International Women's Day

Continues on Page 10

See on Page 8....

Yak Revolution in Tibet

Continues on Page 8......

Dharamshala: China's number two official in theCommunist regime that has ruled the countrysince 1949 has stated that democracy will never

Democracy Not an Option: China

By The Tibet Post International

By Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

BANGALORE (March, 10) - Oddly 400 Tibetanstudents in the city commemorated the 52ndanniversary of their forefathers' failed uprisingagainst the illegal occupation of their country, byholding a protest cum press conference today inthe city."Today is a historical day in the Tibetan historyas on this very day of 1959, millions of our countrypeople stood against the illegal occupation of our

Wu Bangguo, one of the party's top nine politburoleaders, made the strong statements in Beijing duringChina's annual National People's Congress, making itclear that political reform is not an option under the

current leadership. Photo: AP

Vessels lie in the rubble in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture,northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011, after being

washed away by an earthquake-triggered tsunami. Thepowerful tsunami created by one of the strongest

earthquakes ever recorded swept away Japan's east coastFriday. Photo: AP

Continues on Page 4.......

52nd Anniv.of TibetanUprising DayStatement...Page 03.

Following the fragmentation of central authority inthe 9th century, Tibet was governed by severalrulers whose authority was limited to their respectivefiefdoms. Tibetan unity weakened with the passageof time. In the early 13th century, both China andTibet came under the control of Genghis Khan.

Although Drogon Choegyal Phagpa restored thesovereignty of Tibet in the 1260s, and his ruleextended across the three provinces, the frequentchange of rulers under the Phagmo Drupas,Rinpungpas and Tsangpas over the next 380 years

UpholdTibetan Unity.......

Page 11.

Tibetan Govt.'s Statement on the 52ndTibetan Uprising Day

Dharamshala: - Today is the 52nd anniversary ofthe Tibetan people's uprising against the Chineseauthorities in 1959 and the third anniversary of thepeaceful protests throughout Tibet in 2008. On thisspecial occasion, the Kashag would like to payhomage to all the martyrs, who sacrificed their livesfor the cause of Tibet, those who are still sufferingand particularly we would like to express oursolidarity with Tibetan intellectuals such as writers,poets, musicians and environmentalists, who havebeen arrested and incarcerated in recent years. Wepraise their courage and conviction.During the last nine years, from 2002 to 2010, thetwelfth and the thirteenth Kashag considered the10 March anniversary as the most importantoccasion to inform the Tibetan people, both in andoutside Tibet, about issues concerning Tibetanpolitics and the administration. The Kashag hastransparently informed the Tibetans aboutdevelopments, policies, course of actions, principlesand future plans regarding the issue of Tibet andits origins, Tibetan people's strength andweaknesses, opportunities and risks, achievementsand failures, and the status of Sino-Tibetan talksand the international situation. Particularly, in 2009during the 50th anniversary of our being in exile,the Kashag commemorated and thanked the

extraordinary achievements of His Holiness theDalai Lama, which spans across the globe and thegreat accomplishments of the Tibetan people, inand outside Tibet.Since this is the last 10th March statement of thepresent Kashag, we would like to take thisopportunity to express our gratitude to the generalpublic and reiterate some issues as a reminder. As itwas mentioned in our 10th March statement of 2009,for more than half a century, Tibet has beensubjected to a series of repressive campaigns undervarious forms and names to annihilate the Tibetanpeople and its culture. This has pushed Tibet to thebrink of extinction. However, at the same time, thestrength of Tibetan people's unity and solidarityhas gone undiminished, which has enabled us tosustain our struggle from one generation to thenext.Moreover, with the phenomenal accomplishmentsof His Holiness the Dalai Lama throughout the world,Tibetan Buddhism, culture, tradition and valueshave gained renewed recognition and interest.Consequently, the number of Tibet supporters andfollowers of Tibetan Buddhism and culture, both inthe West and East, have grown many fold. Latelyefforts to translate Kangyur and Tengyur intovarious Western languages were initiated, and thespeed at which contact and discussions betweenTibetan Buddhism and science is taking place todayare a matter of great pride and constitute positivechanges. Irrespective of the absence of anyconcrete change in the political situation, the factthat Tibetan religion, culture and tradition aredeveloping paves great prospects for the future.When future generations look back at our times,they may consider our contemporary times as anera of expansion and spread of the Tibetan culture.Furthermore, the nonviolent struggle of the Tibetanpeople and the transformation of the nature of

The Tibet Post2 TPI VIEWS & ANALYSIS15 March, 2011 Dharamsala

Dharamshala: In the midway results ofthe ongoing "Online Opinion Poll on2011 Kalon Tripa Primary Election", 23percent of participants responded "Yes"and 19 percent responded "Don't Know"to the concluding question, "As a resultof the entire Kalon Tripa electoralprocess, do you believe we, as Tibetans,are more divided now than before?"Even though the poll lacks a goodsampling technique to generalise thefindings, from my personal experiencesso far, I see indicators of what the 23percent of respondents may be trying tocommunicate through their responses.Throughout the process of the KalonTripa election, three groups of interestedTibetan electorates emerged: first, thesupporters and campaigners; second, thewriters; and third, the observers. Thesupporters and campaigners have beenvery vocal and clear about their choiceof candidates. I see this category not asa problem. They help the general publicto learn about their choice of candidatevia video footage, fliers, fund raisingevents, and so on. Most importantly,people in this group generally havefaces.However, the biggest concern I see isthe second group of people, i.e. thewriters. When I say writer, I mean toinclude every individual who writes (andcomments on) articles, opinions, blogs,notes, pieces, and Facebook statuses.I agree with the role the writers play inthe development of our nascentdemocracy in exile. On the flip side,however, these writers may also play acovert role in misdirecting our emergingdemocracy to a degree where the will andinterest of the average Tibetan indemocracy will be lost in the transition.

Tibetans' Nascent Democ-racy in Exile: Writers Play

Active Role

Economy vs Human Rights in China'sHarmonious Society

Article by Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: Ever since the ChineseCommunist Party's (CCP) victory in 1949after years of civil war, the authoritarianone-party system imposed on a ‘united'China has met with public resistance,posing a threat to the ruling party's irongrip on power. China is currently facinga difficult time as it struggles withglobalisation and opening up its societyand economy to the world, whilesimultaneously trying to keep controlof its large population of 1.3 billionpeople. Basically, it want to have itscake, and eat it too. To maintain power,the party has relied on the use ofcensorship and secrecy, and committeda great many human rights violations.The nation now has the world's secondlargest economy, after the UnitedStates, having overtaken Japan earlierthis year. Growth has been fuelled bythe abundance of cheap labour andability of the government to exert controlover almost every aspect ofdevelopment, though much of itsenormous population still lives inpoverty and all citizens within China stilllive without access to an objective andliberal education.The costs of industrialisation and theeconomic ‘miracle', which has seen arecent boom in the country'smanufacturing and export industries andcaused unprecedented growth in thepast few decades, have been great.There has never been a greater dividebetween the country's rich and poor,and inflation has risen to 4.9%.According to the Chinese governmentthere have been a staggering 90 000'mass incidents' - of public unrest - everyyear since 2007, and official figurespublished last year show that thegovernment has spent almost as muchon maintaining internal order as ondefence. Arrests are common onambiguous charges such as ‘incitingsubversion' or ‘traffic offence', andillegal house arrests of dissidents whohave been released from prison arecommon.Another issue threatening to fuel unrestis that of forced evictions by thegovernment. Technically under Chineselaw all land belongs to the state, makingit legal for the government to evictpeople and sell their land and livelihoodto developers for advantageousprojects, often offering below-marketprice compensation and quite oftenneglecting to pay anything at all.Reports have surfaced of relatedviolence leading to fatalities at thehands of authorities, and one activist

Protests demanding the release of imprisoned human rights advocate Liu Xiaobo. Photo: File

has created a ‘Bloody Map' recentlyusing Google maps, in order to illustratethe evictions across the country,forming one of the leading causes ofinstability in China today.Perhaps globalisation's largest threat tothe CCP's so-called ‘harmonioussociety' has been the spread of theinternet in recent years to more than 400million Chinese people, providing anever-expanding source of informationand communication against which theruling party of China has waged a fiercecensorship war, blocking many websitesusing the infamous ‘Great Firewall ofChina'. Material judged too ‘sensitive'is blocled, with particular attention tosocial networking sites (followingrecent organised uprisings in Tibet,Xinjiang and other areas) and foreignmedia. During times of particularsensitivity, such as the recent pro-democracy demonstrations in northAfrica, the government blocks foreignnews sources and uses the state-runXinhua agency to distribute a versionof events more suited to incite so called‘social harmony' under one-party rule.The theory that capitalist developmentinevitably leads to political democracywill soon be tested in China, where theruling party still maintains that itsConfucian culture is ‘traditionallyauthoritarian' and not suited todemocratic reform. However asglobalisation causes more informationto seep into the country and capitalismgives rise to a new middle class,democratic change may just, with a littleluck, be inevitable.

Refugees and Corruption in SoutheastAsia: China and Nepal

The term ‘refugee' is generally usedwidely for victims of any situation ofviolence from which they are seekingto escape, for whom the significance ofthis label is greater than most peoplerealise. Without it, they could be forcedto return to a war-torn homeland or beput directly back in the hands of thosethey are fleeing. Refugees are displacedpeople, relying almost entirely on aid.Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in1949 and crack down on Tibetan dissentten years later, scores of people havefled the region and sought refuge inNepal and India. These people aremostly poor and travel great distancesin harsh conditions, moving on footthrough the Himalayas and into Nepal,before often continuing their journeyto India. They are received and

processed at the Tibetan RefugeeReception Centre in Kathmandu.According to the United Nation HighCommission for Refugees (UNHCR),there are currently 20 000 Tibetanrefugees in Nepal, most of which arerestricted in their movements due tolegal and citizenship issues. TheTibetan refugee situation in Nepal isimportant, as it highlights several keyregional issues regarding balances andshifts of regional power and corruption.The central part of the issue and theaspect which poses the biggest problemfor those who enter Nepal is theirrefugee status. Nepalese officials havein the past defended their actions insending back many Tibetans bylabelling them instead as illegalimmigrants, and the distinction can beas vital as life and death for many, whoallege that they face imprisonment andtorture at the hands of the Chinese, whoclaim Tibet as their territory.Furthermore, many Tibetans havetrouble finding employment due to a lackof refugee cards and official refugeestatus, though it is alleged that with theright amount of cash specialarrangements can be made. Althoughrefugee cards were issued prior to 1989by the Home Ministry, the issuing ofthese cards has now become illegal andincoming refugees are now simplylabelled ‘persons of concern' andencouraged to leave to India. This hasbeen blamed on current politicalinstability and lack of coordination withthe UNHCR.Nepal has recently been the recipientof an increase in economic andinfrastructural assistance fromneighbouring China, theoretically inexchange for enhanced cooperationbetween the two Asian nations. China,who strongly opposes any Nepalesegovernmental interaction with the DalaiLama or exile communities in Dharamsala(India) and elsewhere, maintains thatthere are no Tibetan refugees, onlyillegal immigrants, and has been trainingNepalese forces to deal with them‘severely'. These events have been acause for concern for many Nepalese,who believe China is beginning toexercise too much influence over Nepal,with sources also claiming Beijing hasbeen putting pressure on its southernneighbour to step up patrols along theirshared border ever since the Chinesegovernment crushed uprisings withinTibet in 2008.Recent witness reports have madeallegations of Nepalese authoritieshanding refugees back to Chineseauthorities, a claim they have denieddespite evidence to the contrary. Adiplomatic cable recently released byWikileaks enti t led ‘Update onTibetan Refugee Flow' and sent bythe US embassy in New Delhiestimated that 2500-3500 refugeesarrive in the Tibetan exile communityof Dharamsala in India each year, andthat the "Chinese governmentrewards (Nepali forces) by providingfinancial incentives to officers whohand over Tibetans attempting to exitTibet" on their way to India viaNepal. According to the Dharamsalareception centre for Tibetanrefugees, 46 620 of the 87 096refugees processed by the centrebetween 1980 and November 2009have since returned to their

homeland, with many who stayedbeing children seeking an educationin their own language which theycannot get inside Tibet.Nepal is not a signatory to the 1951Convention or the 1967 Protocol onthe Status of Refugees, and thus nolaws exist there for the protection ofasylum seekers or refugees, whichmeans they must move on from Nepalinto a third country such as India.With China offering poverty relief,investment in infrastructure and otherforms of assistance, Nepal has beencaught between treating Tibetanrefugees in a humanitarian capacityand cooperating with China out of itsown interests. It is an issue that hasstrained diplomatic relations in theregion between the three nations.

By Tenzin Yeshi, The Tibet Post

We can observe an example of suchdemocracy in and around our owncountry of residence.The definition of writers has expandedseveral folds in recent decades with theenormous growth of social networkingsites. Scott Galloway in his presentationon "Trends and Impacts on DigitalCompetence" highlights Facebook andYoutube as the two major sites that sharesthe highest global online time spent byweb users. Therefore, in this socialnetwork age, anyone with an Internetconnection and a Facebook account canwrite, post, and comment; similarly,anyone with a smart phone can capturea video for Facebook or Youtube. Themost recent and remarkable inspirationalexample of this digital competence is theuprising in Egypt where protestersconnected and organised via Facebook,and shared their videos with the worldvia their smart phones. Even though theKalon Tripa election is in no waycomparable to the Egyptian revolution,one can see the connection on thepopular use of social networking sitessuch as Facebook and Youtube; that isto share views and opinions on the KalonTripa election and candidates among theexile Tibetan Diaspora.One of the most popular groups inFacebook for the Kalon Tripa election is"The youth's responsibility for KalonTripa 2011". On this group's wall,members can see several categories ofwall posts, notes, video footage, links,and comments related to the Kalon Tripaelection and candidates. Unlike thesupporters and campaigners, some of thegroup members, who write and commentfrequently, have no faces. They comewith an anonymous profile name andpicture which not only makes it easier tobe "No One" but also share theiropinions with less or no hesitation.These anonymous members are aconcern because they share their viewsand opinions with no accountability orobligation, yet leave behind a footprintof hatred, disrespect, and division.Tibetan democracy should not embracefaceless Tibetans who do not share asense of responsibility towards thelarger cause, which is to establish avibrant society wherein every Tibetanshares responsibility for his or her rolein the growth of Tibetan democracy inexile. Remember, democracy is for thepeople and by the people. It is not forthe faceless and by the faceless webusers.Let me share three of the postings ofthis Facebook group in the last 24 hours.


TPI H.H THE DALAI LAMAThe Tibet Post 315 March, 2011 Dharamsala

Tibet Leader's Statement onthe 52nd Tibetan National

Uprising Day

His Holiness the Dalai Lama delivering his statement on the 52nd anniversary of theTibetan people's national uprising day at the main Tibetan temple in Dharamsala, India, on

10 March 2011. Photo: TPI/YC. Dhardhowa


Dharamshala: Today marks the 52ndanniversary of the Tibetan people'speaceful uprising of 1959 againstCommunist China's repression in theTibetan capital Lhasa, and the thirdanniversary of the non-violentdemonstrations that took place acrossTibet in 2008. On this occasion, I wouldlike to pay tribute to and pray for thosebrave men and women who sacrificedtheir lives for the just cause of Tibet. Iexpress my solidarity with those whocontinue to suffer repression and prayfor the well-being of all sentient beings.For more than sixty years, Tibetans,despite being deprived of freedom andliving in fear and insecurity, have beenable to maintain their unique Tibetanidentity and cultural values. Moreconsequentially, successive newgenerations, who have no experienceof free Tibet, have courageously takenresponsibility in advancing the causeof Tibet. This is admirable, for theyexemplify the strength of Tibetanresilience.This Earth belongs to humanity and thePeople's Republic of China (PRC)belongs to its 1.3 billion citizens, whohave the right to know the truth aboutthe state of affairs in their country andthe world at large. If citizens are fullyinformed, they have the ability todistinguish right from wrong.Censorship and the restriction ofinformation violate basic humandecency. For instance, China's leadersconsider the communist ideology andits policies to be correct. If this were so,these policies should be made publicwith confidence and open to scrutiny.China, with the world's largestpopulation, is an emerging world powerand I admire the economic developmentit has made. It also has huge potentialto contribute to human progress andworld peace. But to do that, China mustearn the international community'srespect and trust. In order to earn suchrespect China's leaders must developgreater transparency, their actionscorresponding to their words. Toensure this, freedom of expression andfreedom of the press are essential.Similarly, transparency in governancecan help check corruption. In recentyears, China has seen an increasingnumber of intellectuals calling forpolitical reform and greater openness.Premier Wen Jiabao has also expressedsupport for these concerns. These aresignificant indications and I welcomethem.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama OffersPrayers to NZ, Aus, Japan

Dharahshala: The spiritual andtemporal leader of Tibet and Tibetanpeople, His Holiness the FourteenthDalai Lama, opened his annual two daysof Buddhist teachings this morning(Monday March 14) with anacknowledgement of those suffering inthe aftermath of natural disasters in NewZealand, Australia and Japan, which herecognised as a fellow Buddhist nation.Thousands of people gathered for theteachings at the main temple in McleodGanj, Dharamshala, seat of the TibetanGovernment-in-Exile, to hear the wordsof their leader, who is the reincarnationof the Buddha of Compassion.The day opened with a special call toprayer by His Holiness, who said thatsince the 8.9 magnitude earthquake thatstruck Japan late last week, he hadproposed the chanting of the HeartSutra 100,000 times in order to helpprevent such an enormous naturaldisaster from reoccurring.The Heart Sutra was then chanted forseveral minutes in honour of the victims,before tea was served by monks andnuns to the mass of people seated onthe two levels of the temple.His entrance on foot as he smiled andwaved to the adoring crowd was atestament to the great humility whichwas a strong theme in the day's readingsand discussion, as was compassion andthe Four Noble Truths. As manydevotees gathered on the lower level infront of a large television screenshowing the live broadcast, dozens offoreigners listened to an Englishtranslation of his words - though at


The PRC is a country comprising manynationalities, enriched by a diversity oflanguages and cultures. Protection ofthe language and culture of eachnationality is a policy of the PRC, whichis clearly spelt out in its constitution.Tibetan is the only language to preservethe entire range of the Buddha'steachings, including the texts on logicand theories of knowledge(epistemology), which we inherited fromIndia's Nalanda University. This is asystem of knowledge governed byreason and logic that has the potentialto contribute to the peace andhappiness of all beings. Therefore, thepolicy of undermining such a culture,instead of protecting and developingit, will in the long run amount to thedestruction of humanity's commonheritage.The Chinese government frequentlystates that stability and developmentin Tibet is the foundation for its long-term well-being. However, theauthorities still station large numbersof troops all across Tibet, increasingrestrictions on the Tibetan people.Tibetans live in constant fear andanxiety. More recently, many Tibetanintellectuals, public figures andenvironmentalists have been punishedfor articulating the Tibetan people'sbasic aspirations. They have beenimprisoned allegedly for "subvertingstate power" when actually they havebeen giving voice to the Tibetan identityand cultural heritage. Such repressivemeasures undermine unity and stability.Likewise, in China, lawyers defendingpeople's rights, independent writersand human rights activists have beenarrested. I strongly urge the Chineseleaders to review these developmentsand release these prisoners ofconscience forthwith.The Chinese government claims thereis no problem in Tibet other than thepersonal privileges and status of theDalai Lama. The reality is that theongoing oppression of the Tibetanpeople has provoked widespread, deepresentment against current officialpolicies. People from all walks of lifefrequently express their discontentment.That there is a problem in Tibet isreflected in the Chinese authorities'failure to trust Tibetans or win theirloyalty. Instead, the Tibetan people liveunder constant suspicion andsurveillance. Chinese and foreignvisitors to Tibet corroborate this grim

Continues on Page 10.......

Monday morning (14 March 2011) opened with a special call to prayer by His Holiness theDalai Lama, who said that since the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan late last week,

he had proposed the chanting of the Heart Sutra 100,000 times in order to help preventsuch an enormous natural disaster from reoccurring. Phot: TPI

times he chose to speak in English,making several jokes along the way -using hand-held radios.His Holiness advocated in his speechthe acceptance of all people, saying "Ialways say to respect all the religions ofthe world. (...) It is important for us torespect all other religious traditions", andexplaining that although people of otherfaiths may have different philosophiesand ideas about creation, we all sharethe same essential principles of love andcompassion.In his speech the Dalai Lama spoke ofthe uniqueness of Buddhism in teachingSelflessness, and the importance ofpreserving the Tibetan language, the

language of the Buddha's teachings. Healso stressed the significance of studyingthe Dharma and leading a humble life,and clearing the self of negativeemotions in order to better understandand help others, and alleviate suffering.Throughout the day His Holinessseemed well and in high spirits,encouraging the audience to laugh withhim as he explained some of the finerpoints of his teachings in both Tibetanand English. Those gathered includedmonks and nuns, who were givenpriveleged seating, and lay people frommany countries. The teachings willconclude after another half-daytomorrow.

Tibet's Leader Sends Condolence OverQuake and Tsunami in Japan


Tibet's Leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama Sends Condolence Over Quake and Tsunami in Japan. Photo: TPI

Dharamshala: The political andspiritual leader of Tibet His Holinessthe 14th Dalai Lama on Saturdayexpressed his sadness over a massiveearthquake and tsunami thatdevastated Japan.In a letter sent on 12 March to H.E.Naoto Kan, the Prime Minister ofJapan, Tibetan spiritual leader HisHoliness the Dalai Lama expressed hisshock and sadness on hearing thenews of yesterday's earthquake andsubsequent tsunami in Japan.His Holiness the Dalai Lama "offeredhis prayers for those who have losttheir lives and offered his sympathyand condolences to their families andothers affected by it."The spiritual leader's reaction came asthe Japanese government said itbelieved more than 1,000 people hadbeen killed by Friday's 8.9-magnitudetemblor and tsunami which devastatedswathes of Japan."We must all be grateful that theJapanese government's disasterpreparedness measures prevented thedeath and destruction from being muchworse," the Buddhist leader and 1989Nobel Peace Prize winner said."Finally, as a Buddhist monk who daily

recites the Heart Sutra, His Holinessfelt it would be very good if JapaneseBuddhists were to recite the Heart Sutraon this occasion. Such recitation maynot only be helpful for those who havelost their precious lives, but may alsohelp prevent further disasters in thefuture. Prayers to recite the Heart Sutraone hundred thousand times werebeing organized in Dharamshala for thispurpose."The Epicenter of the earthquake is

believed to be around North east Japanof Miyagi prefecture. The 8.9magnitude earthquake was followed bymajor tsunami around the east coastof Japan. The earthquake and thetsunami brought a lot of damage to thelives and properties with more than1000 confirmed dead, and many stillmissing. The Tsunami virtuallyswallowed a town; many lost theirhomes and are sheltered in temporaryshelters.

The Tibet Post4 15 March, 2011 Dharamsala TPI INTERNATIONAL

Nepal Quashes Tibetan 52ndUprising Commemoration

Dharamshala: Thousands ofauthorities in the Nepalese capital,Kathmandu, have used undue force tointimidate and disperse over 3000members of the Tibetan refugeecommunity in the country as theygathered on March 10 to commemorate52nd Tibetan National Uprising Day.The day marked the 52nd anniversaryof the brutally supressed peacefuldemonstrations against Chinese ruleheld in Lhasa on March 10, 1959, whichleft thousands dead and many moreinjured by communist governmentforces, who had invaded Tibet tenyears earlier.Thousands of Nepalese police officersdecked out in riot gear showed up atTibetan schools and monasteries ataround 3am Thursday to prevent theTibetan community, and in particularits students, from gathering andshowing solidarity with the Tibetancause. Police interrupted proceedingsincluding a reading of His Holiness theDalai Lama's Uprising Day speech andonly withdrew under repeated calls fromlocal human rights monitors.Video footage posted on Euronews.netand on the UK Telegraph's websiteclearly shows unarmed Tibetandemonstrators being kicked and beatenby Nepalese officers, with reports

Top US Leader Calls on Int'l Communityto Stand by Tibetan People

Hundreds of Nepalese Police abusive actions including physcally harmful beating Tibetanrefugees, students, Buddhist monks and nuns on 10th March 2011 after over 3000

protesters gathering at the Boudha Stupa in Kathmandu. Photo: TPI


Dharamshala: A key supporter of Tibetin the US Congress has called on theinternational community to stand withthe Tibetan people in their peacefulstruggle to resolve the issue of Tibet,saying the Tibetan people haveaccumulated legitimate grievances fromdecades of heavy-handed Chinesegovernment policies in Tibet.Nancy Pelosi, a top Democratic Leaderand former speaker of the US House ofRepresentatives, reaffirmed her supportfor the just cause of Tibet on the 52ndanniversary of the Tibetan people'snational uprising day against theoppression of the People's Republic ofChina."Today, on the 52nd Anniversary ofTibetan Uprising Day, we honor themany brave Tibetans who havesacrificed their lives fighting forfreedom. We remember the Tibetanpeople who peacefully assembled to callfor an end to harsh Chinese rule - andwe recall the ensuing crackdown thatdevastated Tibet and forced HisHoliness the Dalai Lama into exile,"Pelosi said in her statement."The Tibetan people have accumulatedlegitimate grievances from decades ofheavy-handed Chinese governmentpolicies in Tibet. Tibetans have beeneconomically marginalized in their ownland, imprisoned for peacefulexpression, and barred from the free

By Tibetan government official media:

Tibet Net

Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, left, gestures as he talks to US HouseSpeaker Nancy Pelosi, right, in Dharmsala, India, Friday, March 21, 2008. Pelosi, called on

the world community Friday to denounce China in the wake of its crackdown in Tibet,calling the crisis "a challenge to the conscience of the world." Photo: TPI

their homes and are sheltered intemporary shelters.The damage in Tokyo city was mildcompared to Miyagi and Iwateprefectures. But the earthquake sent theTokyoite rushing in panic. Office files,equipments, books and the goods inthe shelves went haphazard andcrashed on the floors. In Shunjuku cityof Tokyo, people poured out andcrowded at Shinjuku Gyoen Park forsafety from where the people watchedin horror the skyscrapers in pendulummotion. All train service came to a halt,people crowded for bus and taxi. Roadswere jammed, telephone and mobilesstopped working. The streets were fullof people trying to find their way out totheir homes. Many had to walk for morethan four to five hours to home.Overall damage to the nation is great,fires destroyed dwellings andproperties. Many are rendered

homeless. The government hasconfirmed the safety of its nuclearstations, and is doing its best torehabilitate the people and bringnormalcy. Starting from United States,many countries have promised relieffund and services.Tibetan 10th March uprisinganniversary was observed on the day[Thursday] at two places in Tokyo atJoenji Temple and Nihonbashi.Japanese monks for Tibet and M/s OpenSense organized the eventsrespectively. The main event scheduledon 13th March by Tibetan Communityand the Japanese Support groups toconduct peace march in the city, andStudents for Free Tibet's plan todemonstrate before Chinese embassyhad to be cancelled because of theearthquake tragedy. As of now, no reporthas come about Tibetans beingaffected by the tragedy.

Earthquake and TsunamiTragedy in Japan

claiming at least 20 were injured and 15detained by authorities.Mr Jamyang Tenzin, a Tibetan journalistwho is currently living in the countrytold The Tibet Post International that"a great abusive actions includingphysically harmful beatings taken byNepal police against a peacefulgathering of over 3000 Tibetan refugeesat the Boudha stupa to commemoratethe uprising day."In a statement issued the day beforethe incident, Amnesty International,Human Rights Watch and theInternational Commission of Juristswarned Nepal against breaches of itsown domestic law and its internationalobligations, namely "preventive arrestsand policing restrictions ondemonstrations and freedom ofmovement that deny the right tolegitimate peaceful expression andassembly during anniversaries andfestivals marked by the Tibetancommunity."Nepal has come under fire recently forits treatment of Tibetan refugees, amidclaims that immigration officers havebeen accepting cash bribes to turnrefugees over to Chinese authorities,and the accusation that the Nepalesegovernment has been taking orders fromthe Communist regime of China.

practice of their faith. So powerful is theimage of the Dalai Lama that Tibetansare imprisoned for simply owningpictures of him."It is a tribute to his extraordinarycommitment to democracy that HisHoliness the Dalai Lama recentlyannounced that he will voluntarily handover his last governmentalresponsibilities to the democratically-elected leadership of the TibetanGovernment In Exile. The bond betweenthe Dalai Lama and Tibetans isunbreakable, and attempts by theChinese government to dictate TibetanBuddhist teachings and drive a wedge

between the Dalai Lama and the Tibetanpeople will continue to becounterproductive."We continue to call for the release ofTibetan political prisoners of conscienceincluding Gedun Choekyi Nyima (the11th Panchen Lama), DhondupWangchen, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche,Norzin Wangmo, Runggye Adak, andmany others who are imprisoned forexercising their right to free expression."On this anniversary of Tibetan UprisingDay, we must heed the Dalai Lama'stranscendent message of peace. And wemust stand with the people of Tibet intheir ongoing struggle," Pelosi said.

China at War with Biggest Enemy, the Free PressBy Carly Selby-James, The Tibet Post

Military present in Shanghai on 20 February2011. Photo: AP

Dharamshala: China is in the midst of afrustrated censorship race as securityand police forces muscle in and regimefrontmen scurry to come up with newregulations to counter the foreign press.Tibet is one place where restrictions onforeign media were recently put intooverdrive, and the region is nowvirtually closed to foreign visitors. Injustifying the tighter controls,authorities in China have cited 'safetyconcerns' such as overcrowding andcold weather, despite the fact that Tibetis a 'minority' region of China with a lowpopulation compared to major citiessuch as Shanghai and Beijing, whichexperience a constant crush due tooverpopulation, and the fact thatBeijing is an average of 10°C cooler thanLhasa, or up to 20°C with the wind-chill.Foreign media have been informed thatthey will now have to seek specialadvance permission to film or operatein public areas or risk having their visarevoked, in an apparently nervousattempt by the government to roll backpress freedoms awarded in the lead-upto the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At thetime, Beijing faced strong opposition inits bid for the games due to concernsover human rights abuses and lack ofmedia freedom, only managing to securesupport by making shallow promises ofreform which it clearly never intendedto keep.In the past two weeks, attempts byanonymous organisers to stagenationwide protests have not yieldedthe anticipated results, as thegovernment's well-oiled censorshipmachine has launched a viciousoffensive against the free-flow of

information within its borders, blocking'sensitive' websites and deleting'politically inappropriate content' almostinstantly. Foreign news from the BBCand other sources is frequently blackedout and 'technical disruptions' help filtercontent for television and radioaudiences.The call to protest has been renewedand Chinese citizens are being urged togather in 41 cities across the countryon Sunday to demand their rights andgreater freedoms, as the governmentannounces an ever more invasivestrategy which includes tracking allresidents through their mobile phonesand increasing surveillance of thepopulation.The credibility of the threat theprotesters pose however is hindered bythe isolation of individuals andprevention of communication to bringpeople together. The recent calls fordemonstration, which urged people to'stroll by' protest sites, were quashedby an unprecedented show of force inthe major cities of Shanghai and Beijing,with several bystanders arrested forunknown reasons and news crews fromthe BBC and CNN detained at localpolice stations for attempting to

photograph the stifling securitypresence. One reporter suffered abroken rib, and another sustained ahand injury after receiving kicks andpunches to the head and body.Calls on the internet for the public'Jasmine Revolution' have sparked aviolent crackdown by governmentforces, fearful of a Middle-east inspireduprising that would topple their one-party dictatorship in the name ofdemocracy. The communist regime'sinformation war on its own people, whoremain virtually blindfolded and in adark oblivion to the outside world, isnow showing signs of falling apart asthe spread of news through the internetthreatens the credibility of governmentpropaganda.According to the 2008 regulationsgoverning foreign media – whichformalised the temporary freedomsgranted to foreign reporters during theBeijing Olympics – foreigncorrespondents are allowed to interviewany consenting individual withoutofficial permission. The regulations donot apply in Tibet, where Chineseauthorities continue to banindependent reporting.The new restrictions put places likeBeijing's People's Square andWangfujing street on par with Tibet asout-of-bounds areas where foreignreporters need special permission towork, and come after journalists wereattacked and harassed in the same areasover the weekend.Propaganda in China is led by thegovernment agency 'Xinhua', which setsthe pace for all other news outlets andjournalists to follow. Those who do notare quickly silenced and facetermination and even imprisonment.

The Tibet Post 515 March, 2011 DharamsalaTPI TIBET

A Leading Protester of 2008Tibet Uprising Dies

Dharamshala: Sangay Gyatso, whowas among the leading peacefulprotesters during the widespreadprotests in Tibet in 2008, succumbedto his physical and mental traumasuffered during a year-long escape inthe hills to evade governmentpersecution, according to a reportreceived by the Central TibetanAdministration.Sangay took leading role in the peacefulprotests that occurred in Labrang inTibet's northeastern Amdo Province in2008. Defying intense restriction by theChinese government on 4 April 2008, heand his colleagues from LabrangMonastery spoke to a group of visitingforeign journalists about the"suppression of fundamental humanrights in Tibet by the Chinesegovernment".Fearing arrest by the Chinesegovernment he fled and spent more than

Sangay Gyatso (1st left) speaking to foreign journalists about repression of human rightsby the Chinese government during a peaceful protest in Labrang in Amdo Province in

northeastern Tibet on 9 April 2008

By Tibetan Oficial Media Agency, Tibet Net

China Claims Aid for RuralSchool Development in Tibet

A modern high school in Lhasa-Tibet, more than 60% student were Chinese in 1970s-Lhasa,capital of Tibet. Photo: TPI


Dharamshala: An official of the so-called government of TibetAutonomous Region has claimed thatChina "plans to raise a new educationalsubsidy and expand its coverage toinclude more than 500,000 school-agedchildren, mostly from herding families,in rural areas of Tibet."Dorjee Tsering, a spokesman with theChinese Bureau of Education of Tibettold reporters on Monday that the"regional government has doubled thebudget earmarked for the ruraleducational subsidy scheme this yearto 1.01 billion yuan (USD 152 million).""Children in rural Tibet fromkindergartens to senior high schoolswill receive 2,000 yuan per person tocover annual expenses on food,clothing, and school supplies whilethey stay in boarding schools. Thosewho live in remote areas will receiveextra subsidies," Dorjee Tsering claimed.Chinese state-controlled media Xinhuaclaims that China also provides freeeducation for school-aged children inTibet and has been providing subsidiesto children of herding families since1985. Previous subsidy schemes did notinclude kindergarten children. Thegovernment also plans to providescholarships amounting to more than10 million yuan for students from low-income families who study inkindergartens and primary and middleschools in Tibet.However, Tibetan experts explain adifferent aspect of the face ofeducation. In the schools supposedlyestablished before 2005 for Tibetansand located in the so-called TibetAutonomous Region, 446 (71%) of thetotal 630 students were Chinese andonly 184 (29%) were Tibetan. In theTibet Nationalities Institute inXianyang, 938 out of the total 1,165students were Chinese and only 227were Tibetan, according to Tibetanscholars. The Tibetan experts also claimthat the Chinese government maintainsthat only 4% of the population in theTAR is Chinese. but, if 4% of the

a year in hills facing insurmountablehardships. Lack of proper foodcompounded by mental trauma left himdebilitated and bedridden. Everypossible help to recover him throughmedication by his family and relativesfailed and his health condition grew badto worse. He was eventually admitted toa hospital in Siling and as there was notmuch improvement in his health, he hadto undergo a surgery in another hospital.Ironically, the Chinese government didnot arrest him after knowing that therewas no hope of his recovery. Even thehospital discharged him for the samereason.Sangay spent his remaining days in hishome and passed away on 26 February2011. He is survived by his old parents,both of whom are above 70 years old.Sangay was born in 1969 in a nomadicfamily in Labrang Tashikhyil. He wasordained at the age of 16 and began his

religious studies at Labrang Monastery.In 1991 he went to Drepung LoselingMonastery in India to pursue hisstudies. Unfortunately, he had to returnto Tibet to continue his studies as hishealth could not adapt to theenvironment in India.Like Sangay Gyatso, many Tibetansliving in Tibet are forced to leave theirhomes for hills to escape torture by theChinese authorities. The death ofSangay Gyatso has reinforced thedanger to the lives of many Tibetanswho are losing their strength to live ininsuperable harsh circumstances.An estimated 227 Tibetans have diedunder China's crackdown since March2008, out of which 153 could beidentified. The deaths were caused byto indiscriminate firing by the PRC forcesduring the demonstrations; severebeatings and torture of detainees duringarrest, interrogation and detention; anda built-up of insurmountable repressionand suppression that drove someTibetans to commit suicide. One deathwas caused either by starvation orsuicide in the initial phase of the March2008 protests when the majormonasteries were sealed off and closedfor days. (Read 2008 uprising in Tibet:Chronology and Analysis]Over 6,810 Tibetans have been arrestedand detained and at least 510 Tibetanssentenced since 10 March 2008. Thejudicial process was devoid of fair trialand independent legal representation.A total of seven Tibetans have beensentenced to death since then - two withimmediate death sentence who weresubsequently executed and five arecurrently facing suspended deathsentence or death sentence with a two-year reprieve. All defendants are youngTibetans below the age of 30. LobsangGyaltsen and Loyak, both 25-year-old,were executed on 20 October 2009. Theother five facing suspended deathsentences are Tenzin Phuntsok, 27;Kangtsuk, 22; Penkyi, 21; Pema Yeshi,28; and 23-year-old Sonam Tsering.

China Closes Tibet for Foreign TouristsAhead of 52nd Anniversary

Chinese armed military forces in the Barkhor Square of ancient Jokhang temple inLhasa, capital of Tibet on 13 Januray 2011. Photo: TPI


Dharamshala: China has closed offTibet to foreign tourists, according tothe state controlled media 'Xinhua', twodays before the 52nd anniversary of theTibetan national uprising in theHimalayan region. In recent months,hundreds of police and armed Chinesemilitary personnel were also deployedto Tibet's capital of Lhasa and othermajor cities and towns in Tibet.The closure was "mainly due to thecurrent cold winter weather, limitedaccommodation capacity and safety

concerns," the official Xinhua newsagency quoted Zhang Qingli, theregional secretary for the rulingCommunist Party, as claiming onMonday. Zhang claimed thesuspension was also due to "lots ofreligious activities" which were plannedand said the region was preparing for a"grand ceremony commemorating the60th anniversary of the peacefulliberation of Tibet".Thursday is the 52nd anniversary of aTibetan uprising against Chinese rule

on March 10, 1959. The anniversaryprotest on March 10, 2008 in Lhasa, thecapital of Tibet, escalated into massprotest that left over a hundred peopledead after China's deadly militarycrackdowns on peaceful Tibetanprotesters, according to the Tibetangovernment-in-exile.Ahead of the anniversary, China hasincreased the deployment of militaryforces in Lhasa city, particularly in theBarkhor Square of the ancient Jokhangtemple of Tibet, where hugely armedmilitary forces are usually deployed.China closed all tours to Tibet followingthe 2008 rioting and has suspendedforeign tours at least twice since then.Foreign tourists need a special permitin addition to a Chinese visa and theymust register with a travel agency, whilethe region has always been closed toforeign journalists except forgovernment-run tours.Thursday is also the third anniversaryof mass Tibetan peacefuldemonstrations in all parts of Tibet.Some travel agencies have told AFP thatoverseas visitors won't be allowed intothe heavily restricted region until April.Foreign tourists were banned fromtraveling to the Himalayan region formore than a year after the peacefuldemonstrations in March 2008, whichleft more than 220 dead and thousands

of others missing, imprisoned andsentenced after deadly crackdowns bythe Chinese armed forces.Human rights groups have accusedChinese authorities of killing anti-government protesters during the brutalcrackdown. The communist regimehowever has denied that violence wasused on the Tibetan population duringthe failed uprising.

population takes more than 70% of seatsin educational institutions, these figuresevoke the questions: who is really beingeducated in Tibet, and how honest arethe figures?Tibet University in the capital cityLhasa in 2005 reported a majority ofTibetan students (1,018) and a HanChinese minority (208). Still, on closerexamination of the data, even at TibetUniversity one finds that Han Chinesemade up the majority in science andtechnical courses, with Tibetansconstituting only 26% of the studentsin these areas. In contrast, Tibetans areheavily concentrated in the humanities,representing 70% of the studentsenrolled in those courses.China says the population of the so-called TAR had reached more than 2.9million at the end of 2009, which it saidwas a 140% increase over the figure of1.228 million in 1959. Another reportreleased in 2009 as claimed the localTibetan population in TAR hadincreased from one million in 1956 to 2.7million in 2008.

TibetSupporters

Talk to BritishPoliticians

to the Tibetan cause. MP FabianHamilton said to the lobbyists, "thankyou for all the work you do and we haveto continue this campaign."This year's lobby is the first since the2010 General Election and many of therecently elected MPs promised to aidthe Tibetan plight. Some MPs including,Mary Macleod and Jeremy Corbynstated that they would meet with thenext Kalon Tripa, following the electionsthis month. A member of Free Tibet alsomet with Prime Minister, DavidCameron's representative to discusswhat the British leader could do for thefuture of Tibet.The Tibetans and British nationals flewTibet flags outside the Houses ofParliament and chanted slogans. Theevent held on Thursday is part of theUK's commemoration of the 52ndUprising Day, they will conclude todaywith a march through London and anafternoon of Tibetan dance, words,music and food to showcase andcelebrate Tibet's unique culture.

6 15 March, 2011 Dharamsala The Tibet Post

Tibetan Govt.'s Statement onthe 52nd Tibetan Uprising Day

TPI TIBET IN EXILE

Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, the prime minister of the Tibetan government in exiledelivering his statement on the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan people's national uprising

day at the main Tibetan temple in Dharamsala, India, on 10 March 2011. Photo: TPI/SangayDorjee


Tibetan Parliament Statementon the Tibetan Uprising Day

Dharamshala: Over half a century ago,adhering to the letter and spirit of 17-point agreement, the then Governementof Tibet had explored all possibleavenues for a peaceful co-existencebetween Tibet and China. In contrastto that, the Chinese troops stationed inTibet exposed their colonial deignswhen they carried out a brutal campaignto sabotage and subvert the terms ofthe 17-point agreement. The Chinesetroops eventually went so far as toposing a serious danger to the safetyand life of His Holiness the DalaiLama.Thus, in what was a desperate actof final despair, the people in Lhasa fromall three Tibetan provinces were forcedinto chanting the slogans of restoringTibetan independence and waging anextensive campaign to fend off colonialencroachment.The Chinese government has since thenunleashed a tsunami of Strike Hardoppression through a series of politicalcampaigns that caused unprecedentedcatastrophes to both the land andpeople of Tibet, including the untimelydeaths of over 1.2 million Tibetans anddestruction of over 6 000 monasteries.This day of 10 March not only renewsour resolve to keep the harrowingmemories of our past ordeals foreveretched in our hearts and minds, butpresents an occasion to pay homage tothe brave Tibetan men and women whohave sacrificed their lives and propertiesfor the sake of Tibetan cause.His Holiness the Dalai Lama, followed

Mr Penpa Tsering the speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in exile delivering his officialstatement of the 52nd Tibetan National Uprising Day, Dharamshala, India on 10th March

2011. Photo: TPI/Sangay Dorjee

us. We offer our solidarity for all thosewho take part in these protests andextend our support and stand with themin unity as long as their actions remainnon-violent. These events prove the factthat suppression by authoritarianregimes anywhere cannot last forever.Presently, a major cause of concern forTibetans in and outside Tibet is that HisHoliness the Dalai Lama will relinquishhis role as the political leader of Tibetanpeople, and transfer his political andadministrative responsibilities to theelected leadership. As a result, a greatnumber of Tibetans in exile from thevarious settlements, organisations,monastic institutions and individuals andparticularly many Tibetans from insideTibet collectively and individually havebeen ardently supplicating His Holinessthe Dalai Lama not to take such a step.We, the Kashag, would like to make thesame request in the strongest terms.Since the institution of the Dalai Lama,as an emanation of Avalokitesvara, andthe inhabitants of the Land of Snows,the spiritual domain of Avalokitesvaraare intimately connected by a pure karmicbond, the Tibetan people must make allefforts to ensure that this relationshipcontinues to last forever without change.The Tibetan people need to make greatefforts to keep this bond between thesuccessive Dalai Lamas and Tibet. Inorder for this to happen, we request theTibetan people to make even more effortsto increase their collective merits.To fulfil His Holiness the Dalai Lama'swish to relinquish the temporal

responsibilities, His Holiness will issuea message to the coming session of theTibetan Parliament-in-Exile. And allfuture course of action will depend onhow the members of the legislative bodyintelligently formulate legislationregarding this. The Kashag would liketo urge the members of the exileparliament to consider this a matter ofutmost importance and accordingly thinkcarefully to take the right path.Even though there are no majorachievements during the tenure of theTwelfth and Thirteenth Kashag for thelast nearly 10 years, we have been ableto complete our tenure without any majorfailures and controversy. This has beenachieved because of the kind guidanceof His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and thesincere hardwork of the officials of theCentral Tibetan Administration, thecooperation and support of the generalpublic. I and all my fellow members ofthe Kashag deeply thank and extend ourgratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.At the same time, with deep regret weoffer our sincere apology for our inabilityto work in accordance with your visionduring our tenure. We beseech HisHoliness to continue to lead us until weattain liberation. Similarly, wewholeheartedly thank the Tibetan peoplein and outside Tibet for their consistentcooperation and support. Likewise, weprofusely thank all the officials of theCentral Tibetan Administration who haveworked with sincerity and devotion forthe exile Tibetan administration onlybecause of their commitment to the causeinspite of inadequate salary and facilities.Taking this opportunity, we thank andextend our gratitude to all the TibetSupport Groups, heads of thegovernments and members ofparliaments across the world whosupport the just struggle of the Tibetanpeople, and especially the general public,the leadership of central and stategovernments of India, for theirunwavering support for the welfare ofTibetans, the preservation andpromotion of Tibet's cultural andspiritual heritage and for the realizationof the Tibetan people's aspiration.Finally, the Kashag prays for the longlife of His Holiness the Dalai Lama andthe spontaneous fulfilment of all hiswishes. May the truth of the issue ofTibet prevail soon!The Kashag10 March 2011NB: This is the English translation.Should any discrepancy arise, theoriginal Tibetan should be consideredthe final and authoritative.

By The Tibet Post International by some 80 000 Tibetans, was thuscompelled to escape into exile in India,where His Holiness established theTibetan administration in exile andmanaged resourcefully settlements andschools, as well as centers of Tibetanreligious studies. As a result, the voiceof Tibetan movement today getsamplified on a global scale. For thistremendous accomplishment, we mustnot only have a great sense of prideand fulfillment, but also express ourdeepest gratitude to His Holiness theDalai Lama and our senior generationthat realized it with great dedication andcourage of sacrificing for thebetterement of Tibetan cause.Presently, as the giant tide of globaleconomic recession reached newheights, China became increasingly farmore assertive in brandishing its hardand soft powers on all avenues ofinternational politics, most notably bytrumpeting China's GDP growth rate thathas sustained over decades. In order tobuild its international image andprestige, China tries to project anappearance of being committed to amore inclusive participation andconsultation in resolving global issues.Similarly, great efforts are also put intopromoting Chinese culture byestablishing ties and cultural exchangeswith foreign countries. While one canview these actions as necessary andvital for a great nation, China has also atendency to brandish its might as aglobal power whenever it is required tomuzzle unsavoury qustions like thoseabout its freedom of speech. Whereason the other hand, when the issue isabout sharing the burdens of globalresponsabilities, China evades them byfeigning to be merely a developingcountry. Despite the label of "worshopof the world" sustained on a cheaplabour and production cost, Chinaaparently has still quite a long way togo before it reaches the status of a realglobal power.In order to sustain the dictatorship ofChinese Communist Party by all meansnecessary, be it propaganda oradministrative and control mechanisms,the present Chinese regime has put onthe backburner the issue of fundamentalfreedoms like democracy, rule of law andhuman rights that are enjoyed by thepeople in the free world. However,instead of addressing its basic socialproblems through fair and lawfulmeasures, China's spending ondomestic stability has been far greaterthan on its national security. China also


Tibetan polity into a democratic systemare two achievements that are source ofpride and the strength for the Tibetanpeople. As a result, the issue of Tibethas been able to be sustained aroundthe world and these have becomereasons why the People's Republic ofChina is unable to ignore the issue ofTibet.As this miracle the Tibetans haveachieved in exile is a result of theprofound accomplishments of HisHoliness the 14th Dalai Lama. Weexpress our deepest gratitude to him.Since the PRC occupied Tibet, theTibetan people have had not even afleeting moment of peace and joy.Furthermore, policies were implementedthat aimed to annihilate not only Tibetanreligion and culture and naturalresources, but even the trace of Tibetanidentity as well. Since repression acrossTibet worsened in 2008, the Tibetanpeople have been languishing in anenvironment of constant fear andsuspicion. The recent campaign, targetedat Tibetan intellectuals, scholars, writers,artists and environmentalists, hasresulted in their arbitrary incarcerationon concocted charges. This furthervalidates the existence of a definiteobjective to wipe out Tibetan identityand heritage. As Tibetan language is thebedrock of Tibetan identity and culture,the recent move to phase out Tibetan asthe main medium of instruction inschools also constitute an aspect of thestrategy towards the objective ofannihilation of Tibetan identity. Undersuch circumstances, the people in Tibethave been struggling for the preservationand promotion of Tibetan language andculture by disregarding even at the riskof losing their lives. For this, they deserveour heartfelt gratitude.The Tibetan and the Chinese people areneighbours and share close social,economic and commercial relations.However, if enmity between the twopeople grows and the relationship isstrained due to manipulations by theCommunist leaders then this is highlyundesirable. Tibetans living in exile aretrying their best to create a goodrelationship with the Chinese people.Likewise, the Kashag wish to request theTibetans inside Tibet to maintain friendlyrelations with Chinese and othernationalities. Particularly, we would liketo urge Tibetans not to engage in anyviolent act with other nationalities.A series of recent peaceful people'sprotests in the Middle East and NorthAfrica to move towards freedom anddemocracy is a source of inspiration for

Tibetans and Taiwanese Commemorate the52nd Tibetan Uprising Day

Tibetan national uprising against Chineserule, 12 March 2011. Photo: TPI/Keary Huang

Taipei: -- Some 200 exiled Tibetanscurrently residing in Taiwan andTaiwanese supporters participated in apeaceful demonstration in Taipei to mark

By Keary Huang, The Tibet Post

the 3rd Anniversary of the 2008 peacefulprotest in all parts of Tibet and the 52ndanniversary of the 1959 Tibetan nationaluprising against Chinese rule.

Shouting various slogans "Free Tibet"and "Tibetan people need freedom andhuman rights, " about 200 Tibetans andTaiwanese including members of Taiwanbased Tibet Support groups marchedthrough the streets of downtown TaipeiSaturday to commemorate the 1959Tibetan uprising against China'sinvasion.Participants sang the national anthemof Tibet and performed a skit thatdepicted the 1959 uprising beforestarting to parade down Zhongxiao E.Road in Taipei City."What we can do for Tibetan people isvery limited. Through the parade, wewant Tibetans to know that we havenot forgotten about them, " Chow Mei-li, president of Taiwan Friends of Tibet,which co-organized the annual event,told the crowd. Continues on Page 10.....

715 March, 2011 DharamsalaThe Tibet Post TPI INTERNATIONAL

Call For Global Protest toCommemorate the 52ndTibetan Uprising Day

Struggle for Free Tibet. Photo: TPI/fileBy YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post

China to Increase PolicePresence in Beijing, Media

Crackdown

A military present in Shanghai on 20 February 2011. Photo: AP


Oakland: - More than six decades afterCommunist China's invasion of Tibetthe sad reality remains that Tibet stillis not free but continues to beterrorized by its invaders. UnitedNations for a Free Tibet, along withTibetan exiles, many other Free Tibetgroups/organizations and theirsupporters in dozens of countries, shallonce again march on March 10th tocommemorate the 52nd anniversary ofthe Tibetan Uprising of 1959 and toshow solidarity with the nonviolent anddemocratic movement of Tibetans inExile. This is the most politicallysignificant day in the Tibetan calendar.A press statement released on March1st, 2011 by United Nations for a FreeTibet said "about 86,000 Tibetan men,women and children were slaughteredby Communist Chinese troops after anuprising in 1959 against Communist

Dharamshala: The presence of policeofficers in Beijing is set to be amped upfollowing recent calls to protest in thenation's capital. The communist regimealso appears to be rolling back somepress freedoms it introduced ahead ofthe 2008 Olympics, barring foreignjournalists from working near a popularShanghai park and along a major Beijingshopping street after calls for weeklyprotests in those spots appeared online.Patrol booths, similar to those theChinese have erected on every cornerin Lhasa, Tibet, will be installed in thecity's downtown CBD and major traffichubs. The booths will be set up by June,and will be equipped with 3G cellulartechnology enabling them to receivephotographs taken from police cars.The new booths are said by a PublicSecurity Bureau spokesman to be anattempt to ensure that "there will alwaysbe police patrolling the streets 24 hoursa day".Foreign journalists who tried to takephotos or shoot video footage onBeijing's Wangfujing shopping streeton Sunday were told they neededspecial permission to work there, andan AP photographer was told Tuesdaythat the area near People's Square inShanghai was also off-limits. Therestrictions put the popular leisurespots on par with Tibet as out-of-bounds areas where foreign reportersneed special permission to work, andcome after attacks and harassment ofjournalists working in the areas to coverpossible Jasmine revolution events.The tighter restrictions followanonymous online calls for peacefulprotests in 35 Chinese cities, inspiredby the demonstrations that have sweptthe Middle East. The rules go against apledge made in the run-up to the 2008Beijing Olympics allowing reporters to

China's illegal occupation of Tibet, andthe total figures are well in excess of1.2 million Tibetans who have lost theirlives over the years against theCommunist Chinese regime. However,as said by Jigme Norbu, Nephew of HisHoliness the Dalai Lama, "We havenothing against the Chinese people.They're human beings just like us. It'sthe Communist policies we are totallyagainst." Tragically, Norbu was killedby a car accident during his most recent*Walk for Tibet* in Florida.Tibetans and Tibet supporters in theUSA, Belgium, Germany, India,Australia, and many other countries ofthe world are uniting for a day ofpeaceful demonstrations to drawattention to the dire Tibetan situation.To this date, Governments of the worldstill do not speak against the increasingacts of violence by the Communist

Chinese army against defenselessTibetans inside their own country.Freedom of speech, press, association,jobs, and religion have all been takenaway from a nation which was never apart of China.The destruction of Tibet's culture andoppression of its people was brutalduring the 20 years following theuprising. 1.2 million Tibetans, one-fifthof the country's population, died as aresult of Communist China's policies,according to an estimate by the Tibetangovernment in exile. Many morelanguished in prisons and labor camps,and more than 6000 monasteries,temples and other cultural and historicbuildings were destroyed and theircontents were pillaged. Tibetanpolitical prisoners endure harsh prisonconditions, including torture,deprivation of food and sleep, and longperiods in isolation cells. Reading anautobiography of the Dalai Lama ortalking about freedom to friends inTibet can be classified as ‘endangeringstate security'.The atrocities China lashes onto adefenceless people never stopped butin fact have increased the last 10 yearsa 100 fold: they are truly on a road toannihilate all Tibetans and make Tibeta Chinese province."March 10 is Tibet Uprising Day andeverywhere this shall be a day to raiseawareness for Tibet. Sadly, we need toadd, again. Everyone longs for the daythat no more marches of protest shallbe necessary, but only marches ofcelebration for a Tibet that hasregained its freedom from greatoppression" said Brigitte Graefin vonBulow, Chair of United Nations for aFree Tibet. Not with violence but withpeaceful demonstrations, weencourage everyone to join, to raisethe Tibetan flag, wear a Free Tibet shirtand become part of an ever fasterconnected world via FB and internetto get the world involved in helpingTibet."

China Increases Economic'Assistance' to Nepal


Dharamshala: The Chinese government'sXinhua news agency is reporting that aseries of agreements have been signedon Monday by officials in Kathmandu,Nepal, to increase financial assistancegiven to Nepal by neighbouring China.The sharp increase of Chinese'assistance' to Nepal has set off alarm bellsfor the Nepalese public, who fear China'sinfluence is becoming too great, as wellas refugee organisations following recentreports of Chinese authorities using bribesto have Tibetan escapees handed backover to them.

A fresh release by whistleblower websiteWikileaks suggests such a possibility.China has been increasingly concernedabout Tibetans attempting to enter Nepalsince the Tibet uprising in 2008. But thisis the first indication that money is beingoffered to thwart such attempts.The confidential diplomatic cable createdby US embassy in New Delhi on February22 last year and released last week byWikileaks is titled 'Update on Tibetanrefugee flow'. "Chinese governmentrewards (Nepali forces) by providingfinancial incentives to officers who handover Tibetans attempting to exit Tibet,"the cable quoted an unnamed source as

disclosing this information.The agreements were signed by FuZiying, the Chinese visiting Vice Ministerof Commerce, and Rameshore PrasadKhanal, Secretary of the Ministry ofFinance, pertaining to a loan of RMB 640million (about Rs. 7 billion) from theExport-Import Bank of China (EXIM Bank)for the 'Upper Trisuli 3A HydropowerProject of Nepal'.China has also decided to provide RMB50 million in assistance for 'mutually agreedprojects', as well as a grant for theupgrading of Kathmandu's Ring Road.Nepal is currently hosting a Chinesedelegation led by Fu, from Feb. 26 to March1, during which the Chinese officials willvisit various Chinese projects in Nepalincluding the National AyurvedaResearch and Training Centre.

work freely anywhere in China as longas they had the permission of theinterviewee.However, before and during theOlympics, foreign journalists wereblocked from covering potentialprotests and were forcibly taken awayfrom some areas. Security in the capitalis always very tight in early Marchwhen the country holds its annual two-week legislative session, and dissidentsare routinely put under house arrest ortaken in for questioning around thistime. The reporting rules conveyed thisweek, however, are new.Beijing is now demanding that foreignmedia "must cooperate with China", andthe consequences of not cooperatingare being made very clear. The ForeignCorrespondents' Club of China saidjournalists from 15 news organisations"experienced serious interference" onSunday near Wangfujing. Journalistsfrom five news organisations reportedhaving their equipment confiscated orreporting material destroyed, the FCCCsaid in a statement Monday, with onereporter receiving medical treatmentafter being punched and kicked in theface.A foreign Ministry spokeswoman citeda breach of 'reporting restrictions' as thereason for what the US ambassador toChina has condemned as 'harassment'of foreign media, saying they had beenblocking the traffic flow. It is not clearwhat traffic flow she was referring to,however, as Wangfujing is largely apedestrian shopping and leisure street.The spokeswoman's refusal to specifywhich restrictions the reporters hadactually breached were unsurprising, asChinese authorities often make arrestson very ambiguous charges without anyrequirement to explain.Also on Sunday, police near Shanghai'sPeople's Square blew shrill whistlesnonstop to keep people moving, whilestreet-cleaning trucks in Beijing droverepeatedly up Wangfujing, sprayingwater to keep crowds pressed to theedges. U.S. and European diplomats andan overseas media rights group havecriticized Chinese authorities for theharassment.Online posts of unknown origin thatfirst circulated on an overseas Chinesenews website nearly two weeks agohave called for the Chinese to gatherpeacefully at sites every Sunday in ashow of people power meant to promotefairness and democracy. A renewed callMonday expanded the target cities from27 to 35. China's extensive Internetfiltering and monitoring mean that most

Dharamshala: The Department ofHome (Youth Empowerment Support)of the Central Tibetan Administration(CTA) in Dharamshala is offering arange of skill training opportunities,available for unemployed Tibetanyouth.The list includes diverse courses suchas hairdressing, carpentry, cooking,computers, tailoring, mechanics andmulti-media, and a start-up soft loan

will be provided for the setting up ofmicro-enterprises following thetraining. The course durations varyfrom 3-18 months.Application close March 31, 2011 andtraining is set to begin in May 2011.Applicants should contact localTibetan Settlement Offices or the Dept.of Home for details, or log onto thewebsite www.tibetgov.net for moreinformation.

Home Dept. Offers Training Opportunitiesfor Tibetan Youth

The Tibet Post8 15 March, 2011 Dharamsala TPI TIBET IN EXILE

Tibetan Women's National UprisingCommemorated in Exile

Exile Tibetan women in Dharamshala, India commemorating the 52nd Anniversary ofTibetan Women's Uprising Day on 12th March 2011. Photo: TPI


Dharamshala: Sataurday, March 12,many Tibetan women of the DharamshalaExile community gathered at the maintemple to commemorate the 52ndanniversary of the 1959 Women'sUprising in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.During the ceremony a minute's silencewas observed to honour those womenwho were beaten, tortured and degradedby the Chinese government as theypeacefully voiced their opposition toChinese oppression in Tibet's capital,and in particular those who gave theirlives to the cause.The event was held by the TibetanWomen's Association (TWA) andfeatured speeches from prominentwomen in the community, and alsoserved as the release for Jamyang Kyi'sbook 'A Sequence of Tortures: A Diaryof Interrogations' on the demonstrationsthat swept the three provinces of Tibetin 2008.It was the second time this week that theTibetan community has commemoratedthe 1959 uprisings, following Thursday'sNational Tibetan Uprising Dayceremony and rally which saw a turn outof several thousand Tibetans march fromthe main temple down to LowerDharamshala, after an important speechmade by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.Tibetans and supporters have rallied incities all over the world this week tocommemorate the March 10 and 12anniversaries and show their unwaveringconviction and demands for greaterfreedom in Tibet.

reach China while the one party remainsin power.Wu Bangguo, one of the party's topnine politburo leaders, made the strongstatements in Beijing during China'sannual National People's Congress,making it clear that political reform isnot an option under the currentleadership.Mr. Wu claimed that China's leadershad "made a solemn declaration thatwe will not employ a system of multipleparties holding office in rotation",showing a poor knowledge ofdemocratic electoral systems, andwarned of the consequences of

change, saying "It is possible that thestate could sink into the abyss ofinternal disorder" if democratic reformswere introduced.His words seem to contradict earlierstatements by premier Wen Jiabao, whosuggested that democratic reforms maybe possible in the interests of ensuringthat state power would truly be held bythe people.It is well known that for the past 62 yearsChina has been subject to dominationby the sole legal political party, the CCP,under which any dissent is quicklysilenced and frequent episodes ofunrest are crushed by authorities.

Democracy Not an Option.......

employs other measures like repressionand incarceration of dissenters,incessant crackdown against the socalled separatism in minority regions,condoning the corrupt exploitation ofnational resources by rich businesspeople and officials, imposing stringentrestrictions on internet and media, andpersecution of religious leadres andcommunities. The way China has beenwhipping up nationalistic sentimentsamidst a great majority of its ownpopulation that goes against the generalprogression of human society in the21st century.The recent string of protest movementsthat jolted North Africa and Middle EastAsia relays a clear message about theuniversality of human rights. For acountry like China with a long historyof civilization, dictatorship cannotsustain itself merely by force andoppression; there is no other way thanto eventually tread the path trodden byinternational mainstream.Since China unrolled its WesternDevelopment Campaign andintroduced the policy of mutual supportbetween east and west, the buzzwordhas always been that the westernregions, including the entire Tibetanareas, should provide raw materials andwork opportunities to the people in theeastern part of China. In order to buildnew towns, Tibetan nomads wereforcefully evicted and resettled fromtheir ancestral land. There are also awhole host of other issues involvingthe environmental consequences ofwanton resettlement of Tibetanhouseholds, building of a vast networkof railways, highways and airports andrelated auxiliary projects. Under theguise of so-called Aid-Tibet projects,an overwhelming number of Chinesehigh-skilled professionals - includingthose specializing in the constructionof dams and extraction of mineralresources and those working in thestate-run business entreprises wereincreasingly assigned strategicpositions in the administration ofTibetan counties and townships.Furthermore, the families and relativesof these officials also feast on the workopportunities presented by a meriadof aid-Tibet projects. After studiesreported that the Tibetan plateau hassome of the Asia's largest reserves ofmineral resources, the Chinese state-run mining industries have beenrunning amok exploring and extractingmineral reserves from across Tibet. Thefour largest electric power industriesof China have plans to construct damson all major rivers of Tibet. Even theChinese private enterprises have beenliberally exploiting the mineralsresources of Tibet as wild card gamewithout any form of restraint orregulation and concern over the naturalenvironment. Similarly, the wild life ofTibet has also been irreversiblyvictimized by extensive poaching.Thus, the chilling question of just howmany more years before the entireTibetan environment is ripped totatters shivers down our spines.Because of the years of Chinesepopulation influx into Tibet, drivenmainly by state-sponsored economicopportunities, the social resources inTibet are today controlled by theChinese people, while the nativeTibetan nomads and peasants arefurther marginalized to the edges. Thismakes it amply clear that China'smalafide intention is to annihilate boththe habitat and inhabitants of the landof snows.In addition to imposing a whole newrange of rules and regulations on

monasteries and reincarnation of lamas,the Chinese authorities have installedspecial "work teams" in the monasteriesto undertake forced educationcampaign of "love your country, loveyour religion". In fact, there are alsomany monasteries wherein theauthorities have installed special unitesof local public security. These securityofficers closely monitor and regulate thedaily life at the monastery and alsoresort to intimidation of monks andnuns. Disregarding the languageaspirations of Tibetan teachers,students and intellectuals, and in totalcontravention of China's own laws andregulations. The authorities haveimposed a policy of instituting Chineseas the main language of instruction inall Tibetan schools. Beginning from thepreschool.Eminent Tibetan people includingwriters, singers, and environmentalistswere persecuted by arbitrary detentionand incarceration on concoctedcharges. Without adequate legalrepresentation, some of them weresentenced for a fixed term, while someothers were sentenced for lifeimprisonment. There were also manycases of torture deaths, missing peopleand those in terrible physical health asa result of beatings in detention. As ofnow, at least 831Tibetan prisoners ofconscience are reported to belanguishing inside Chinese prison. TheTibetan parliament-in-exile condemns inthe strongest terms the colonialwrongdoings of China and ardentlyurges it to revoke all its oppressivepolicies in Tibet.For all those who perished during therecent disasters in Kyigudo andDruchu, the Tibetan government andthe people held special prayer servicesand raised relief funds by mobilizingpublic donations. Even though it isimpossible to prevent natural calamities,there were nonetheless clear indicationsof human blunders being a majorcontributing factor in triggering thosedisasters. The Chinese authorities aretherefore well-advised to be seriouslyconcerned about the likely ramificationsof their excessive exploitation anddevastation of Tibet's naturalenvironment.The Tibetan struggle headed by HisHoliness the Dalai lama is founded onthe cardinal principles of non-violenceand truth. Since our approach ofpursuing the mutual interest of bothTibet and China serves as a modelframework for the resolution of globalconflicts, with the passage of time, theinternational support for our approachhas been increasing by leaps andbounds, including the support fromforeign governments and parliaments,NGO's and individuals. As a result, theTibet issue today has become virtuallya mandatory topic of discussion for theworld leaders.From as far back as the 1980's, the exilegovernment has consistentlypursued the middle-way approach byengaging in a series of talks toresolves a mutually beneficialsolution to the Tibet problem.Furthermore, after the revival ofcontacts between Beij ing andDharamsala in 2002, the memorandumon genuine autonomy for the peopleof Tibet that outlines the aspirationof the Tibetan people and formulatedin accordance with the provisions ofthe consti tut ion of PRC, Wasproposed to Beijing during the 8thround of Sino-Tibetan talks. Similarly,in January 2010, Dharamsala furtherissued an exhaustive clarification toChina's misinterpretation of thememorandum. As the Chinese

government still tries devious meansto prolong the process, we urge theChinese leadership to broaden itshorizon of intellectual acumen andhave the courage to seek ameaningful solution to the issue ofTibet.In just a few days, the final electionsof both the Kalon tripa and theTibetan parliament will be held. Weurge all the Tibetans to value theirdemocratic responsibili t ies andparticipate in this great celebrationof democracy by casting their votes.Regarding the implementation.Everybody should therefore beaware of the fact that theimplementation of al l thoserecommendations are as of now in fullswing.As we have already spent over half acentury in exile, we should expressour heartfel t grat i tude to thegovernment and people of India forproviding us a second homeland, aswell as the governments,organizations and individuals acrossthe globe for their consistent supportto the Tibetan cause.In conclusion, we pray for the longlife of His Holiness the Dalai lama andas per the exist ing democraticpractices beseech him to continue tolead us as the political and religiousleader of Tibetan people. We alsopray for the day when His Holinessthe Dalai lama will grace the land ofsnows with his footprints andTibetans in and outside Tibet arereunited in glory.The Tibetan parliament-in-exile10 march 2011

Translated from the original Tibetantest by Dhundup Gyalpo.

country by the Chinese communistparty, and since then, every year on thesame day, thousands of brothers andsisters sacrifice their lives for ourcountry, and today, our families andsiblings might be risking their lives backin Tibet voicing their resentmentagainst the Chinese government," saidYoungdrung Tenzin, vice president ofRegional Tibetan Youth Congress inBangalore.Tibetans in Bangalore marked the 52ndanniversary of their failed but historicalrevolutionary day by holding a seminarat Mount Carmel College, and a pressconference at the Bangalore Press Clubfollowed by a peace march for threekilometers in the city.Tibetans working in the city also joinedthe Tibetan students in the protest, andthey shouted slogans like "Free Tibet,Free Tibet", "China go back to China","Tibet belongs to Tibetans.""This year is the year of revolution, andthe courage to stand against guns and

brutality. Revolution is in the air, andwe are dreaming of fanning the flame of‘Yak Revolution' in Tibet, sooner orlater," said the vice president. "On thisday of 1959, millions of our people havelost their lives in their fight for ourfreedom, and every year, on this sameday, thousands are being jailed andhundreds are losing their lives. Yet wehonor this day, we commemorate thisday, and we inspire ourselves to carryon the spirit of struggle for a free Tibet,"he added.Today, Tibetans all over the world aremarking the anniversary of theirforefathers' failed revolution against theChinese government in 1959."A new uprising is underway in Tibet.Tibetans are boldly asserting theiridentity and desire for freedom. A newgeneration is determined to finish whatwas started half a century ago whenTibetans defiantly rose up againstChina's occupation," says the websiteof Students for a Free Tibet.

By Tendar Tsering, The Tibet Post

“Yak Revolution in Tibet,”urge Tibetans in Bangalore

In New Delhi- On the occasion of the52nd anniversary of the National TibetanWomen’s Uprising Day, the groupdedicated this day to honor theindomitable literary spirit of the TibetanWomen inside Tibet. TWA organized anexclusive literary event, “Honoring theLiterary Spirit of Tibetan Women InsideTibet”. The event held at the DeputySpeaker Hall of Constitution Club ofIndia, featured a book launch and a paneldiscussion.

"Post 2008 national protests inside Tibet,the world is witnessing a cultural andintellectual renaissance in Tibet whereintellectuals, thinkers and artists arereasserting their Tibetan identity andpatriotism in a creative way. TibetanWomen like Tsering Woeser andJamyang Kyi have written fiercely underoppression and their works havecontributed largely to amplifying thesuppressed voices in Tibet," said a reportreleased by the women group.

Continues from ...

915 March, 2011 DharamsalaThe Tibet Post

UN Commemorates 10thAnniversary of Afghan Giant

Buddha Statues

One of Afghanistan's New Beginnings Programme’s Mobile Disarmament Units (MDU),which are tasked with disarming soldiers throughout Afghanistan, parks in front of thecaves that once housed the two ancient Buddha statues as the DDR programme starts in

Bam. Photo: FIle

Dharamshala: - On the eve of the 10thanniversary of the destruction of thegiant Buddha statues of Bamiyan, inAfghanistan, by the then-rulingfundamentalist Taliban ten years ago,the United Nations cultural chiefMonday called on the world to protectthe heritage of humanity from damage,turmoil and theft.monumental statues had stood for oneand a half millennia as proudtestimonies to the greatness of ourshared humanity," the Director-Generalof the UN Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO), IrinaBokova, said in a statement. "Theywere destroyed in the context of theconflict devastating Afghanistan andto undermine the power of culture as acohesive force for the Afghan people."Ms. Bokova noted that UNESCO and


TPIEthnically I am a

Tibetan-Burmese, SaysPrince of Tripura

Gelek Namgyal, the Tibetan coordinator presenting a gift to the king of tripura. Photo: TPI

The Tibet Post InternationalHimalayan Literacy Trust(Head Office)1st Floor, Exile HouseRoad, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, Distt.Kangra H.P 176219 India

Advicer Mr. Thomas KeimelAdvicer Dr. Vincent BrucelEditor in Chief Mr. YC. DhardhowaChinese Editor Ms. Keary HuangAssistant Editor Mr. Sangay DorjeeCircular Ven Phuntsok DhondupPublisher Mr. Tenzin KungaEditor, Tibet Post Europe Mr. James DunnReporter Ms. Pema Tso

Tele: 0091-1892-224641Moble:+91-9882423566

E-mail: [email protected]

Contributors for this Editon

Keary Huang TaiwanJames Dunn UKMathew Singh Toor IndiaCarly Selby-James AustraliaYC. Dhardhowa IndiaSangay Dorjee IndiaPema Tso India

I n t e r n a t i o n a l

the world "watched helplessly" tenyears ago as Taliban Governmentleader Mullah Mohammed Omarordered tanks and artillery to bombardand dynamite the huge statues carvedin enormous mountain niches,beginning on 2 March 2001."Since then, we have witnessed otherinstances where cultural heritage hasfallen prey to conflict, political turmoiland misappropriation," she added,calling on governments, educators andthe media to raise awareness of variousinternational accords preservingcultural properties and banninglooting, smuggling and the illicit tradein cultural objects.Tolerance and cultural rapprochementwill be the theme of a commemorativeforum at UNESCO's Paris headquarterson 2 March, followed by the 9th

Bamiyan Expert Working Group on 3and 4 March - both of which are beingorganized with Afghanistan'sPermanent Delegation to UNESCO.Formed in 2002, the Expert WorkingGroup brings together Afghan officials,international experts, donors and otherstakeholders with the aim ofsafeguarding Bamiyan. The future ofthe niches and options to present theremains of the Buddha statue will beamong the subjects to be examined bythe group next month.UNESCO does not favour rebuildingthe Buddha statues, but the experts willexamine other ways to present theremains and niches while maintainingresearch and preservation at the site,which testifies to the region's richGandhara school of Buddhist art thatintegrated different cultural influencesfrom East and West during the 1st to13th centuries. The holy site in theregion contains numerous Buddhistmonastic ensembles and sanctuaries,as well as fortified edifices from theIslamic period.However, China has cheered the U.N.silence on its human rights record forlast 50 years. It seems that the UN willlikely keep silent about China'sreligious freedom in Tibet. The Tibetanpeople were unwilling to acceptChinese occupation. Unrest escalatedthroughout the decade after 1950,culminated in the Tibetan Uprising of1959. According to various sources80,000 Tibetans killed in Central Tibetalone during and immediately after theuprising. It is estimated that since 1959,1.5 million Tibetans have killed as adirect result of Chinese incursion intothe country.During 1959 many thousands ofTibetans, including the Dalai Lama,sought asylum in India. The exodus ofTibetans from Tibet continues to thisday. In the decades following 1959,particularly during the so calledCultural Revolution, there waswholesale destruction of Tibetanbuildings and religious artifacts. All

Jasmine Protests in Communist Chinahave Officials Scared

Police keep watch along the Wanfujingshopping street in Beijing after protesters

gathered on Feb. 20, 2011. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)


Dharamshala: Attempts to stage massprotests in China have again beenthwarted by police, as hundreds ofofficers swarm the designated protestspots in Beijing and Shanghai.In a similar fashion to the 'JasmineUprising' attempt last week, calls weremade online for people to gather in thetwo major cities and protest against thecommunist regime. Authorities,however, had fenced off those areas -chiefly the McDonalds restaurant inWangfujing, Beijing- and employedstreet cleaning trucks and roughphysical force to prevent anyone fromlingering.

At least five people have been takeninto police custody in Shanghai, onefor taking photos and the others forunknown offences, while members ofthe foreign press were 'manhandled' andnews crews from both BBC and CNNwere detained at a local police stationin Beijing for trying to film what washappening.Law enforcement authorities atWangfujing, Beijing, reportedly beatpress photographers and harassedjournalists and bystanders and tried toprevent them from taking pictures orspeaking to anyone in the crowd,though there were no obvious signs ofprotest and for the most part the largecrowd gathered there simply seemedconfused.Tension has clearly been rising amongofficials in China following recent riotsin northern Africa, as top members ofthe Chinese regime worry about similaruprisings occurring there and topplingthem from power. Information on theinternet and in the press is tightlycontrolled so as to keep the Chinesepeople in the dark, and the governmentis quick to crack down on dissentdespite promises to curb its blatantdisregard for human rights.

Internet searches for the words 'jasmine','Wangfujing' or the Chinese name of USAmbassador Jon Huntsman jr., whoattended last week's jasmine protest, arebeing blocked by China's 'GreatFirewall', and internet users are met withthe message: "According to relevantlaws and policies, search results cannotbe shown".With such a show of force at theanticipated protest sites, nobody dareddo more than grumble quietly about theregime that has suppressed the Chinesepeople for the last 60 years.However, despite the heavy controls onpersonal freedoms in Mainland China,protesters in Hong Kong demonstratedto show their support for those in Chinanot able to voice their dissent, as wellas their opposition to the 'corrupt'Chinese regime, holding placards thatread "Freedom and Democracy. End OneParty Rule. Push for Political Reform."The last time a mass protest took placein China was in 1989 in Beijing'sTiananmen Square, with the brutalresponse of the government killinghundreds (some estimate thousands) ofstudents. It seems the public has notyet gained the confidence of successnecessary to try again.

Bangalore (Feb.27)-Many people notbe aware of this, but ethically I am aTibetan-Burmese, indigenously I am aperson of Tripura, and constitutionputs us as tribal. I would like to see asindigenous but we are ‘tribals,' said KiritPradyot Deb Barman, the current kingof the Royal House of Tripura,yesterday evening here in the city.The king was the chief guest for theday where north east and Tibetanforum at the St. Joseph College for Artsand Science, held the mini internationalcultural and food festival on its collegecampus, and oddly three thousandpeople gathered there for the miniinternational program.

By Tendar Tsering, The Tibet Post

The forum was initially initiated bysome of the north east and Tibetanstudents in the college, 2007, and thisyear, it was the fourth time that thisnorth east and Tibetan forum was showcasing their own cultural differencesand uniqueness at the college.Out of the college ground, thesestudents created a world of their own,and all of them look same with theirsmall eyes, but they proved that theyare different and unique from their ownrespective food and cultural music anddances.There are around 1000 north easternstudents and one hundred Tibetanstudents in the college."I am often questioned by many peoplethat how I admitted such a huge numberof north east people, and I told themthat north east is not a one state, thereare many states. Students from northeast studying here belong to thedifferent tribes and communitiesconsisting of eight states and 150 triballanguages." The principal of thecollege, Dr. (Fr.) Ambrose Pinto Sj said"Tibet, of course is different. There isno Tibetan state as yet. People of Tibetare rootless and homeless. It isnecessary to provide them the supportthey need to create a home as theystruggle."Tashi Phuntsok, the chiefrepresentative of Central TibetanAdministration (CTA) was also foundin presence as one of the distinguishedguests at the program.

but 12 of more than 6,000 monasterieswere destroyed. Many of them wereused as target practice by Chineseartillery.A thousand years' worth of pricelessBuddhist literature, religious paintingsand artifacts were either destroyed orhave fetched millions of dollars on theinternational market in an effort by theChinese to raise foreign currency andto wipe out Tibet's rich heritage. Today,more than 200,000 Tibetan refugees,including Tibet's political and spiritualleader His Holiness the 14th DalaiLama, live in exile in India, Nepal,Bhutan, Switzerland, the United Statesand Canada, Australia, New Zealandand elsewhere.

The Tibet Post10 15 March, 2011 Dharamsala TPI DALAI LAMA.......Retirement Decision

to Parliamentor so resulted in a failure to maintain aunified Tibet. The absence of any centralauthority and frequent internal conflictscaused Tibet's political power to decline.Since the Fifth Dalai Lama's founding ofthe Ganden Phodrang Government ofTibet in 1642, successive Dalai Lamashave been both the spiritual and temporalleaders of Tibet. During the reign of theFifth Dalai Lama, all the 13 myriarchiesor administrative districts of Tibetenjoyed political stability, Buddhismflourished in Tibet and the Tibetanpeople enjoyed peace and freedom.During the late 19th and early 20thcenturies, Tibet not only lacked adequatepolitical governance, but also missed theopportunity to develop effectiveinternational relations. The ThirteenthDalai Lama assumed temporal power in1895, but was compelled to flee toMongolia and China in 1904, due to theinvasion of British forces, and to Indiain 1910, when the Manchu China invaded.Once circumstances allowed him to returnto Tibet, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama re-asserted Tibetan sovereignty in 1913. Asa result of what he had learned in exile,the Thirteenth Dalai Lama introducedmodern education and made reforms tostrengthen the government of Tibet.Although these steps produced positiveresults, he was unable to fulfil his overallvision, as is evident from his last politicaltestament of 1932, the year before hisdeath. Despite the lacklustre politicalleadership and short-comings of theregents and their administrations, theGanden Phodrang Government has onthe whole provided stable governancefor the last four centuries.Since I was young, I have been aware ofan urgent need to modernize the Tibetanpolitical system. At the age of sixteen, Iwas compelled to assume politicalleadership. At that time I lacked athorough understanding of Tibet's ownpolitical system, let alone internationalaffairs.However, I had a strong wish tointroduce appropriate reforms inaccordance with the changing times andwas able to effect some fundamentalchanges. Unfortunately, I was unable tocarry these reforms any further due tocircumstances beyond my control.Soon after our arrival in India in April1959, we set up departments with Kalons(Ministers) in charge of education,preservation of culture and therehabilitation and welfare of thecommunity. Similarly, in 1960, aware ofthe importance of democratization, thefirst Commission of Tibetan People'sDeputies was elected and in 1963 wepromulgated the Draft Constitution for aFuture Tibet.No system of governance can ensurestability and progress if it dependssolely on one person without thesupport and participation of the peoplein the political process. One man rule isboth anachronistic and undesirable. Wehave made great efforts to strengthenour democratic institutions to serve thelong-term interests of the six millionTibetans, not out of a wish to copyothers, but because democracy is themost representative system ofgovernance. In 1990, a committee wasformed to draft the Charter for Tibetans-in-Exile and a year later the total strengthof the Assembly of Tibetan People'sDeputies (ATPD), the Tibetans in exile'shighest law-making body, was increased.In 1991, the Eleventh ATPD formally

adopted the Charter for Tibetans-in-Exileand assumed all legislative authority.Given the limitations of our life in exilethese are achievements of which we canbe proud.In 2001, the Tibetan people elected theKalon Tripa, the political leader, directlyfor the first time. Since then, I have beenin semi-retirement, no longer involvingmyself in the day-to-day administration,but able to dedicate more time to generalhuman welfare.The essence of a democratic system is,in short, the assumption of politicalresponsibility by elected leaders for thepopular good. In order for our processof democratization to be complete, thetime has come for me to devolve myformal authority to such an electedleadership. The general lack ofexperience and political maturity in ourdemocratic institutions has prevented usfrom doing this earlier.Given that the line of Dalai Lamas hasprovided political leadership for nearlyfour centuries, it might be difficult forTibetans generally and especially thosein Tibet to envisage and accept a politicalsystem that is not led by the Dalai Lama.Therefore, over the past 50 years I havetried in various ways to raise people'spolitical awareness and encourage theirparticipation in our democratic process.In my 10th March statement of 1969, forinstance, I stated, "When the day comesfor Tibet to be governed by its ownpeople, it will be for the people to decideas to what form of government they willhave. The system of governance by theline of the Dalai Lamas may or may notbe there. In particular, the opinion of theforward-looking younger generation willbe an influential factor."Similarly, in my 10th March statement of1988, I stated, "As I have said manytimes, even the continuation of theinstitution of the Dalai Lama is for thepeople to decide." Since the 1980s, I haverepeatedly advised the Kashag, ATPDand the public that Tibetans should takefull responsibility for the administrationand welfare of the people as if the DalaiLama were not there.I informed the Chairman of the ThirteenthATPD and the then Chief JusticeCommissioner that I should be relievedof functions related to my political andadministrative status, including suchceremonial responsibilities as the signingof bills adopted by the legislative body.However, my proposal was not evenconsidered. On 31st August 2010, duringthe First Tibetan General Meeting(organized by ATPD), I explained thisagain in detail. Now, a decision on thisimportant matter should be delayed nolonger. All the necessary amendments tothe Charter and other related regulationsshould be made during this session sothat I am completely relieved of formalauthority.I want to acknowledge here that many ofmy fellow Tibetans, inside and outsideTibet, have earnestly requested me tocontinue to give political leadership atthis critical time. My intention to devolvepolitical authority derives neither from awish to shirk responsibility nor becauseI am disheartened. On the contrary, I wishto devolve authority solely for the benefitof the Tibetan people in the long run. Itis extremely important that we ensure thecontinuity of our exile Tibetanadministration and our struggle until theissue of Tibet has been successfullyresolved.

If we have to remain in exile for severalmore decades, a time will inevitably comewhen I will no longer be able to provideleadership. Therefore, it is necessary thatwe establish a sound system ofgovernance while I remain able andhealthy, in order that the exile Tibetanadministration can become self-reliantrather than being dependent on the DalaiLama. If we are able to implement such asystem from this time onwards, I will stillbe able to help resolve problems if calledupon to do so. But, if the implementationof such a system is delayed and a daycomes when my leadership is suddenlyunavailable, the consequent uncertaintymight present an overwhelmingchallenge. Therefore, it is the duty of allTibetans to make every effort to preventsuch an eventuality.As one among the six million Tibetans,bearing in mind that the Dalai Lamas havea special historic and karmic relationshipwith the Tibetan people, and as long asTibetans place their trust and faith in me,I will continue to serve the cause of Tibet.Although Article 31 of the Charter spellsout provisions for a Council of Regency,it was formulated merely as an interimmeasure based on past traditions. It doesnot include provisions for instituting asystem of political leadership without theDalai Lama. Therefore, amendments tothe Charter on this occasion mustconform to the framework of a democraticsystem in which the political leadershipis elected by the people for a specificterm. Thus, all the necessary steps mustbe taken, including the appointment ofseparate committees, to amend therelevant Articles of the Charter and otherregulations, in order that a decision canbe reached and implemented during thisvery session.As a result, some of my politicalpromulgations such as the DraftConstitution for a Future Tibet (1963)and Guidelines for Future Tibet's Polity(1992) will become ineffective. The titleof the present institution of the GandenPhodrang headed by the Dalai Lamashould also be changed accordingly."

"The announcement was a clearmessage that the Dalai Lama wantedTibetans to be prepared for the timewhen he is no longer with them, andthat every Tibetan should be aware thatthe future of their country is in theirhands, rather than dependent on anyone person" she further said."Sooner or later, Tibetans have to facethe reality, whether or not they chooseto continue with a moderate approach,Tibetans living outside their countrymay not be strongly affected by HisHoliness the Dalai Lama'sannouncement of retirement, but forthose people still in Tibet, the movecould be very disheartening, she added."We will continue our event, 'Walk forTibet' in every upcoming years untilpeople of Tibet gain their freedom fromChinese rule, said Mr. Zhuyin Cheng,the vice president of Taiwan Friend OfTibet.Mr. Tashi Tsering, the president of theregional chapter of Tibetan YouthCongress has thanked the people ofTaiwan, particularly the Taiwanesesupporters and members of Taiwanbased Tibet Support groups for theirparticipation in Tibetan freedommovements and their strong supportand solidarity to the people of Tibet.

.......52nd TibetanUprising Day in

Taiwan

reality.Therefore, just as we were able to sendfact-finding delegations to Tibet in thelate 1970s and early 1980s from amongTibetans in exile, we propose similarvisits again. At the same time we wouldencourage the sending ofrepresentatives of independentinternational bodies, includingparliamentarians. If they were to find thatTibetans in Tibet are happy, we wouldreadily accept it.The spirit of realism that prevailed underMao's leadership in the early 1950s ledChina to sign the 17-point agreementwith Tibet. A similar spirit of realismprevailed once more during HuYaobang's time in the early 1980s. Ifthere had been a continuation of suchrealism the Tibetan issue, as well asseveral other problems, could easilyhave been solved. Unfortunately,conservative views derailed thesepolicies. The result is that after morethan six decades, the problem hasbecome more intractable.The Tibetan Plateau is the source ofthe major rivers of Asia. Because it hasthe largest concentration of glaciersapart from the two Poles, it is consideredto be the Third Pole. Environmentaldegradation in Tibet will have adetrimental impact on large parts ofAsia, particularly on China and theIndian subcontinent. Both the centraland local governments, as well as theChinese public, should realise thedegradation of the Tibetan environmentand develop sustainable measures tosafeguard it. I appeal to China to takeinto account the survival of peopleaffected by what happensenvironmentally on the Tibetan Plateau.In our efforts to solve the issue of Tibet,we have consistently pursued themutually beneficial Middle-WayApproach, which seeks genuineautonomy for the Tibetan people withinthe PRC. In our talks with officials ofthe Chinese government's United FrontWork Department we have clearlyexplained in detail the Tibetan people'shopes and aspirations. The lack of anypositive response to our reasonableproposals makes us wonder whetherthese were fully and accuratelyconveyed to the higher authorities.Since ancient times, Tibetan andChinese peoples have lived asneighbours. It would be a mistake ifour unresolved differences were toaffect this age-old friendship. Specialefforts are being made to promote goodrelations between Tibetans andChinese living abroad and I am happythat this has contributed to betterunderstanding and friendship betweenus. Tibetans inside Tibet should alsocultivate good relations with ourChinese brothers and sisters.In recent weeks we have witnessedremarkable non-violent struggles forfreedom and democracy in variousparts of North Africa and elsewhere. Iam a firm believer in non-violence andpeople-power and these events haveshown once again that determinednon-violent action can indeed bringabout positive change. We must allhope that these inspiring changes leadto genuine freedom, happiness andprosperity for the peoples in thesecountries.One of the aspirations I have cherished

since childhood is the reform of Tibet'spolitical and social structure, and inthe few years when I held effectivepower in Tibet, I managed to make somefundamental changes. Although I wasunable to take this further in Tibet, Ihave made every effort to do so sincewe came into exile. Today, within theframework of the Charter for Tibetansin Exile, the Kalon Tripa, the politicalleadership, and the people'srepresentatives are directly elected bythe people. We have been able toimplement democracy in exile that is inkeeping with the standards of an opensociety.As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedlystressed that Tibetans need a leader,elected freely by the Tibetan people,to whom I can devolve power. Now,we have clearly reached the time to putthis into effect. During the forthcomingeleventh session of the fourteenthTibetan Parliament in Exile, whichbegins on 14th March, I will formallypropose that the necessaryamendments be made to the Charterfor Tibetans in Exile, reflecting mydecision to devolve my formalauthority to the elected leader.Since I made my intention clear I havereceived repeated and earnest requestsboth from within Tibet and outside, tocontinue to provide politicalleadership. My desire to devolveauthority has nothing to do with a wishto shirk responsibility. It is to benefitTibetans in the long run. It is notbecause I feel disheartened. Tibetanshave placed such faith and trust in methat as one among them I am committedto playing my part in the just cause ofTibet. I trust that gradually people willcome to understand my intention, willsupport my decision and accordinglylet it take effect.I would like to take this opportunity toremember the kindness of the leadersof various nations that cherish justice,members of parliaments, intellectualsand Tibet Support Groups, who havebeen steadfast in their support for theTibetan people. In particular, we willalways remember the kindness andconsistent support of the people andGovernment of India and StateGovernments for generously helpingTibetans preserve and promote theirreligion and culture and ensuring thewelfare of Tibetans in exile. To all ofthem I offer my heartfelt gratitude.With my prayers for the welfare andhappiness of all sentient beings.10 March 2011Dharamsala

Tibet Leader's Statement onthe 52nd Tibetan National

Uprising Day

countries.In some places including China, Russia,Vietnam and Bulgaria, InternationalWomen's Day is a public holiday,despite the lack of many other freedomsin some of these countries for thepopulation as a whole.The Tibetan Women's Uprising Day willbe held on March 12, commemoratingthose who gave their lives for thenational cause in 1959, after beingbeaten to death by Chinese forces inLhasa.

.........InternationalWomen's Day

1115 March, 2011 DharamsalaThe Tibet Post TPI INTERVIEW

These writings are self-explanatory. Onemember said, "don;t embarrass urself byabusing me again and again, and please,no half truths..if u got an answer..reply..ifu don;t know much about it..reasearchwell and answer"; the next one said,"don't try to be slimy and twist theworkds, do us a favor ..... if you can't dothat then damn you"; and another said,"you brought up the drama so thequestion should be directed towardsyou". These three postings are eachdirected towards members of the group.I chose not to quote postings directedtowards individual Kalon Tripacandidates. When I read postings andcomments in this Facebook group, Ireflect on what President Obama said ata press conference on Feb 9, 2009:"The strongest democracies flourishfrom frequent and lively debate, but theyendure when people of everybackground and belief find a way to setaside smaller differences in service of agreater purpose".On this Facebook group's page, I don'tsee a debate. But, regretfully, I seefrequent and lively arguments where amajority of the group's members engagein accusing or belittling each other'sviews and opinions while keeping theirbiases firm. It seems every member istrying to prove his or her views,generally based on assumptions, as theabsolute truth. I don't see learning bydebate or discussion among the groupmembers, setting aside their differencesin service of a greater purpose. Rather,they dislike each other and are usingFacebook as a medium to press theiropinions. Is this the reason why a quarterof the poll respondent thinks Tibetan aremore divided now? Or are there otherreasons? I will leave that for you to thinkabout and analyse.Also, please remember it is not onlyPresident Obama but also the "BasicEducation Policy for Tibetans in Exile"that embraces the importance of settingaside small differences and focusing onworking for a greater purpose. Themeaning of education is not to be defined

as merely grasping what is heard fromothers. Instead, it is to be recognised asa realisation of what is heard throughthe power of self-confirmation andactualisation of what is realised throughpersistent contemplation (Article 2.2 ofBasic Education Policy for Tibetans inExile). I hope Tibetans recognise andembrace this meaning of education tohelp our democracy in exile flourish andgrow in the right direction, bringingTibetans closer to each other. Tibetansneed to grow with the popular saying,"Unity in Diversity".The final group is the observers. Literally,they are the people causing no harm.They restrain themselves from writing,commenting, or speaking for anyone oron anything. However, the group is aconcern for a democratic society.Democracy works best when it hears thepeople's voices. In other words, in ademocracy, there should not be a spacefor a "Voice of the Voiceless".On a side note, the entire problem withTibetan democracy in exile may be itsorigin. Democracy for Tibetans in exilewas not earned. Instead, the Dalai Lama,regardless of resistance from the generalTibetan public, bestowed democracyupon the exile Tibetan populace. Theproblem, associated with blesseddemocracy, is the lack of sharedresponsibility by Tibetans to study thedemocratic principles, ideals, values, andcitizen's responsibilities, among others.This observation seems true amongTibetans, as a large number do not sharethese responsibilities or embrace andrespect their differences. It remains tobe seen how Tibetans will accept the willof the majority when a candidate winsthe Kalon Tripa position.Looking at the problems of this blesseddemocracy as well as the divisionscreated by the Kalon Tripa election, thequestions that lingers is - Do Tibetansneed a democracy in exile? How willTibetan democracy in exile develop andflourish? Will the future exile TibetanDiaspora strengthen with democracy inexile?

.........Writers Play Active Role

Upholding Tibetan Unity in the Wake of H.Hthe Dalai Lama

Dharamshala: A press Conference held on10th March by Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche,

the prime minister of the Tibetangovernment in exile, after the

commemoration of 52nd Tibetan NationalUprising Day at the main Tibetan temple in

Dharamsala, India. Photo: TPI


Dharamshala: A press Conference heldon 10th March by Prof. SamdhongRinpoche, the prime minister of theTibetan government in exile, after thecommemoration of 52nd TibetanNational Uprising Day at the mainTibetan temple in Dharamsala, India.Today we are recalling the 1959 uprising,the peaceful uprising in Tibet and thisis the 52nd anniversary of the '59uprising. And the Kashag statement, HisHoliness' statement, all these I believeare in writing, and I hope each one hasgot a copy of His Holiness' statement,and apart from those written statementsI do not have any particular thing tomention to you, so it is for you to askquestions. Thank you.What's your reaction to His Holiness'statement; that he wants to hand overpower; more of his temporal authority?Our reaction is already mentioned in theKashag statement. We do understandwhat His Holiness is planning, and if heis asking the people to be independentof the Dalai Lamas, and which he wastrying to make Tibetan peopleindependent of Dalai Lamas, since the1960s he's trying to educate and makethe people able to manage themselves.And now I think this is a political time,since the political leadership is alsobeginning to elect democratic leadersby the people in the Diaspora, directly,to Kalon Tripa. So, therefore, he's tryingto transfer the entire traditionalfunctions and powers of the Dalai Lamato the elected political leadership. Butto lead the people, whilst the majorityof the Tibetan people inside and outsidestill do not feel competent to take overand to become independent of DalaiLama, that is very difficult to think. Sowe are still asking His Holiness topostpone it, and the ceremonialfunctions may be reduced, but asguidance, or as the spiritual leader ofthe temporal and religion both, for theentire Tibetan people. The people stillcontinue to request.If His Holiness says that he can give uphis responsibility, and he still keepssupporting the ‘Middle-Way' Approach,how does the dialogue with Chinaproceed? Because China does notrecognise the Government-in-Exile.This is one of the basic questions allthe people are asking: if His Holinessdoes not shoulder any responsibilityof a political nature, then there's noquestion of dialogue with the PRC. ThePRC is only engaged with His Holinessas an individual. So, in the event oftransferring all political traditionalauthority to the elected leadership, thenwe shall have to find a way to continuethe dialogue process. And for thatmatter, as we mentioned in the Kashagstatement of today, that the legislativebody shall have to find a very innovativeand constructive way to handle thesituation carefully. I do not have anyready-made solution for this.Would you please explain the kind ofpower His Holiness now holds underthe Tibetan Charter?In accordance with the Charter forTibetans in Exile, His Holiness is headof the nation, and also head of theadministration, the executive. Andwhatever executive decisions are taken,whatever executive actions areimplemented, all of these are done inthe name of His Holiness, and for thelegislative part, whatever legislation isadopted by the people's deputies,

finally His Holiness has to give hisconsent to those legislations, and healso takes charge of all the electedleadership including the Speaker,Deputy Speaker, and the JusticeCommissioners, and also the Kalonsand Kalon Tripas. Therefore he hasresponsibility of giving a sign to thelegislations, rules and evaluations,whatever is adopted by the legislativeassembly, and also he has to approvethe executive side, whatever decisionsand policies are adopted by theexecutive side; that also needs hisformal approval. So these are theprovisions in the charter; his functionsand responsibilities.You said that the Kashag has requestedHis Holiness not to retire from hispolitical duties, how has His Holinessresponded?His response is very clear in hisstatement. He says he has receivedmany requests but he will not be able toaccept those requests, and he hopesthat the people will understand theimportance of this decision. So untilnow, he has not accepted any of therequests, including the Kashag'srequest.As for the vision of His Holiness theDalai Lama, what exactly does heenvisage, if he's giving up these politicalresponsibilities, will he continue toremain the supreme spiritual leader ofthe Tibetans or is he planning toabdicate that role as well?As far as the spiritual leadership isconcerned, this is not by appointment,nor by election, his spiritual duty toserve is evident and there's no changeof course, as far as his supreme spiritualleadership is concerned. And hissupreme spiritual leadership is not onlyfor the Tibetan people, it encompassesall the boundaries and there are manyTibetan Buddhist followers in theHimalayan regions, and in Mongolia, inChina, in many other Southeast Asiancountries and also in Russia, so all thefollowers of the Tibetan Buddhistpeople, Tibetan Buddhism, theyconsider His Holiness as the supremehead of their spirituality. So that willnever be changeable, what His Holinessis envisaging is that political leadershipshould not be a permanent one, nor itshould be confined to one individual.So that is his main argument: that theremust be a changeable political leader,which is popularly elected by thepeople, and which can be also abruptlychanged by the people, so there shouldnot be any leadership which is by a kindof hereditary, or tradition, which is notable to change easily. So he is leadinginto the modern democratic system, soin that modern democratic system, thepeople is supreme, and the peopleshould have the ability, whenever theywant to change the leadership they canchange, when they want to elect a

leadership they would elect. So thisfacility should be available to thepeople.So does that mean that he would nolonger be the head of state, or would hestill have a symbolic role as the head ofstate?No, no. He says he will not holdanything; not hold any authority. Hewill not be head of state, he will not behead of the executive, he is wanting totransfer both of these responsibilities.So, up until now your dealings withChina have centred on the non-violentapproach and have centred on dialogue,now the elections are due on the 20thMarch, do you think the future KalonTripas will maintain that, or will theyget more aggressive?I cannot make any prophecy for thefuture Kalon Tripa, nor would I like tomake any statement which wouldinfluence the thinking process of thenew Kalon Tripa. The people have theauthority to choose their ownleadership, and their chosen leadershould be free to think, free to decidewhat kind of policy they should adopt,so it is not for me to say anything. Butgenerally, the Tibetan people, inside andoutside, are very much committed tonon-violence. And I do not think thatthis commitment will ever be changed.What about the younger people?Younger people are more non-violentthan the older people (audiencelaughter). This is only the media; theythink the younger people are moreaggressive. A few younger people (...)they do not represent the youth of theTibetan people. They are exceptions.Even then, those people you mayconsider as aggressive, they are notviolent. They are especially bitter andaggressive but they cannot beconsidered as violent. They also believein non-violence.Is it fair to say that ethically it's possible,due to the overwhelming majority anddemand of the people, that legislationfor the request of His Holiness todevolve of his powers may not bepassed?It appears to me that it may not bepassed; it is most likely it may not bepassed, but there would be a deadlock,if His Holiness is not accepting thepeople's request not to devolve hisresponsibilities, and then the legislativebody could not find a suitable way out,then there would be a deadlock,constitutional deadlock. That is why weare urging the legislative assembly tofind a very wise way, so that the people'sexpression could also be upheld andHis Holiness' decision also; I don'tknow how to phrase it, to accommodateHis Holiness and the public wish both,so we shall have to think in a veryinnovative way.So apart from the new prime minister,for all the other positions His Holinessis talking about giving up, will there beanother person appointed then?That I cannot pre-empt, so a wiseformulation and some new kinds ofthings shall have to be considered andcome out from the legislative body, and,at this moment I have no suggestion.Are you worried at all that you mighthave an issue of legitimacy if theGovernment-in-Exile is no longer led bythe Dalai Lama?Definitely, that is the biggest issue. TheExile body, we do not call it ExileGovernment, officially, but the bodywhich is respected by all the 6 million

people of Tibet, inside and outside, astheir legitimate representative. And thatfaith and that emotional binding is onlydue to His Holiness' leadership. Whenhe goes away from this function, thenthe organisation in exile will not haveany legitimacy in the eyes of the Tibetanpeople. That is the real question withwhich no-one has an alternate way tosuggest. That is very true.Does this mean the Dalai Lama willspend less time in Dharamshala fromnow on? And do you think that willaffect relations with the non-Tibetanrefugee community?His Holiness is already spending lesstime in Dharamshala for the last manyyears; he's always on demandeverywhere. His Holiness spending timein and around Dharamshala is notrelated to his political leadership. Thisis a different issue, even if he is able todevolve all his functions to someoneelse, he may not have much leisure timethat I can foresee.Without the sort of protective halo ofHis Holiness, whether you're concernedthat disunity may emerge among theTibetan people, and also whether theposition of the Tibetan people in India,and their status in India could bethreatened in any way?The status of Tibetans in India will not

be affected by this change, because weare refugees in India, registered asforeigners, and there's no problem- weare very much comfortable, and thisstatus has nothing to do with the set upadministration. So it will not be one ofthe big problems.Is it fair to say that it's time for separationbetween state and church?Separation between state and church wasdone, quite long before; I think separationbetween state and church is almost inpractice since the 1960s, as long as theAssembly of the Tibetan People'sDeputies are set up, and that therepresentation of ‘church' becomes onlya representation of the spirituality. So thecombination of spirituality and policydoes not mean the church rules. Even inthe past, Tibet never had been a theocraticsystem, so therefore I think separation ofchurch and state is not related in today'sissue.Are you going to make any changes tothe political system?When His Holiness devolves the politicalfunctions and powers, then of coursethere would be a number of changesnecessary; it will necessitate a number ofchanges, particularly in the executive side.Thank you all for coming today. Thankyou.

The Tibet Post12 15 March, 2011 Dharamsala TPI TIBET WORLD

Tibetan National UprisingDay Commemorated in

Berlin

Berlin, March 10th, 2011 - The Tibet Initiative Deutschland (TID) remembered the victimsof the Tibetan Uprising in 1959 with a demonstration of solidarity in front of the Chinese

embassy in Berlin. Photo: TPI


11th North American Tibetan AssociationsConference Concludes

Kasur Lodi Gyari, special envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Kasur LobsangNyandak, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New York address the

participants at the 11th North American Tibetan Associations' Conference in New York


Berlin, March 10th, 2011 - The TibetInitiative Deutschland (TID)remembered the victims of the TibetanUprising in 1959 with a demonstrationof solidarity in front of the Chineseembassy in Berlin. "Even today peoplein Tibet are risking their lives if theyspeak out for their legitimate rights",said Wolfgang Grader, chairman of theTID. "We demand, that our politiciansadvocate loud and clear the Tibetanpeople's right to self-determination andthe improvement of human rights inTibet. "There are currently over 830 politicalprisoners in Tibet. Last year saw 188new arrests. „The fact that journalists,writers and environmental activistshave been singled out lately forpersecution demonstrates that theChinese Government is trying todestroy the Tibetan identity", Gradersaid. In light of the Tibetan people'snonviolent resistance, the actions of theChinese administration deserve evenmore condemnation.Along with the protest in Berlin, TID-Groups all over Germany organizeddemonstrations to highlight the situationof human rights in occupied Tibet. 1150

Dharamshala: - The eleventh conferenceof North American Tibetan Associationsconcluded on February 27th, accordingto a report of Office of Tibet. The two-day conference (Saturday, February 26thand Sunday, February 27) took place atthe Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel inFlushing, New York.The conference discussed a wide rangeof issues from advocacy on Tibet toways and means of challenging PRC'seffort to sow dissension among theTibetans; from Chinese outreach tooutreach to Mongolian and Himalayanpeoples; from preservation of Tibetanculture and language among the youngergeneration to cultural activities duringthe upcoming Kalachakra Sermon in Julythis year in Washington DC.In his inaugural speech, Representativeof His Holiness the Dalai Lama to theAmericas Mr. Lobsang Nyandak,commented that the main responsibilitiesof the Tibetan Associations are topreserve Tibetan cultural identity, lookafter the welfare of the Tibetans undertheir respective jurisdiction, and createbetter political awareness among theTibetans as well as others on the Tibetanissue.Special Envoy of His Holiness the DalaiLama Mr. Lodi Gyari traveled fromWashington D.C. to hold a Q&A sessionwith the conference delegates on thedialogue process.

german cities, municipalities andcounties participated in the TID's call toraise the Tibetan Flag at town halls, publicbuildings and on their websites.Participants included the regionalcapitals Bremen, Hannover, Magdeburg,Potsdam Saarbrücken, Stuttgart andWiesbaden.Every year people all over the worldhighlight the illegitimate occupation ofTibet on March 10th. With the Uprisingof 1959, the Tibetans protested againstthis occupation and also tried to savethe Dalai Lama from imprisonment. TheDalai Lama had to flee to Indian exile andtens of thousands of Tibetans died. In2008, there were again uprisings inLhasa. They spread over the entirecountry and were violently supressed bythe Chinese government.The Tibet Initiative Deutschland (TID),founded in 1989, advocates for theTibetan people's right to self-determination and the protection ofhuman rights in occupied Tibet. With 60regional groups and nearly 2,000members througout Germany, the TID isa strong voice for Tibet. Primary fundingfor the TID comes from membership duesand private, individual donations.

The conference delegates finallyresolved, among others, to strengthenTibetan advocacy including lobbyingamong the State legislatures as wellnational legislatures in both Canada andUnited States; to organize workshops forthe executives of the TibetanAssociations on His Holiness the DalaiLama's Middle Way Approach; and towiden Chinese outreach with specialemphasis on promoting joint programsbetween Tibetan and Chinese collegestudents.The delegates also resolved to create anapex committee to streamline curriculumand functioning of the Weekend Tibetanlanguage and cultural schools in the

North American Tibetan communities,and to offer an award of thanks andappreciation to Kalon Tripa SamdhongRinpoche for his many achievements andcontributions as Chairman of theKashag.The conference organized by the Officeof Tibet was attended by the delegatesfrom 25 Tibetan Associations in NorthAmerica and they included Tibetanassociations from Ontario in Canada toNew York, Minnesota to New Mexico,and British Columbia in Canada toCalifornia. After the conclusion of theconference, the delegates departed forWashington D.C. to participate in theNational Tibet Lobby Day activities.

North America Tibetan MP Political DebateHeld in California

The four Tibetan MP candidates from North America in order of their address. Photo: TPI


Berkerley, CA: - San FranciscoRegional Tibetan Youth Congress(SFRTYC) organized the first everdebate on members of TibetanParliament in Exile on Feb 20, 2011 withfour of the current candidates fromNorth America.SFRTYC in conjunction with NgodupTsering, as the moderator asked theChitue candidates to discuss the fourfollowing topics: Politics, Democracy,Central Tibetan Administration, andtheir involvement inside the variousNorth American Tibetan Community."We organized this debate with thelocal Tibetan community in mind," saidTashi Namgyal, President of the SanFrancisco Regional Tibetan YouthCongress. "It was imperative that theBay Area community get a chance tomeet their MPs candidates and engagein discussions concerning the futureof our Tibetan movement."Tashi Phuntsok of Calgary, KungaThinley of New York, Norbu Tseringof Toronto, and Tashi Namgyal ofSeattle were present for the debate.Dickyi Chhoyang of Montreal was

unable to attend due to a previouscommitments. Member of thecommunity received the chance togenerate interest and gain knowledgeon what the Chitue general election2011 means to the Tibetan democracy."Watching the Chitue debateyesterday I wanted to vote for all ofthem, unfortunately we have to shortlist to two," said fellow communitymember Tsewang Khangsar.

It is the belief of SFRTYC that suchevents benefit our communitymembers and the Chitue candidatesvice-versa. Members of the publicreceived the opportunity to betterunderstand each candidate's goals forthe future. It also granted the Chituecandidates access to what the Tibetanpeople are expecting from them as theirrepresentatives.In addition, this event was a platformfor each candidate to showcase theirstrengths, achievements,accomplishments, and capabilities toget themselves for the North AmericanChitue and serve North AmericanTibetans.This event was held in Berkeley, CAwith over 200 attendees from the BayArea Tibetan community not includingthe online community via LiveStream.The final elections date is March 20,2011.

Central Tibet Admin. ReceivesVisit of Minorities Commission

Spalzes Angmo with top functionaries of the Central Tibetan Administration at a luncheonhosted in her honour by the Kashag in Dharamsala on 24 February 2011. Photo: TPI


Dharamshala: The Central TibetanAdministration (CTA) received on 24

February a visit from Spalzes Angmo,a member of India's National

Commission for Minorities, accordingto a statement from the TibetanParliamentary Secretariat.Mr. Angmo attended a luncheonhosted by the Kashag where he metwith Kalon Tripa prof. SamdhongRinpoche, Deputy Speaker of theTibetan Parliament-in-Exile Mrs. DolmaGyari and other senior functionaries

of the administration. Also present wasthe Revenue Officer of Kangra, Mr.Gyan Negi.The luncheon meeting was followed bya brief interaction between Mr. Angmoand the Deputy Speaker and membersof the Standing Committee of theTibetan Parliament-in-Exile at theParliamentary Secretariat.

online-newspaper for tibet and tibetan people

Documents