Tibetans protest against China’s shift in blame of self-immolation protest

Tibetan activists in Dharamshala stages a protest on “China’s victimization” of family members of self-immolators, March 21, 2013. DHARAMSHALA, March 21: As a response to continuing attempts by Chinese authorities to blame and impose heavy punishment on the family members of the self-immolators, the Tibetans in Dharamshala today staged a protest on “China’s victimization” of family members of self-immolators. The protesters paraded Xi Jinping’s bigheaded oaf holding a million Yuan in Mcleod Ganj and displayed placards saying Accept the Lie or Die! Two option: Either Accept the Bribe or Face the Punishment! I Will Never Accept the Lie! etc. The protest was jointly organized by regional chapters of Tibetan Youth Congress and Tibetan Women’s Association and Students For a Free Tibet, India. “The continuous self-immolations by Tibetans inside Tibet is one of the strongest political statements that highlights the height of oppression under which Tibetans have been suffering for a long time,” said Dorjee Tseten, National Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “Chinese government’s attempt to conceal the reality by deploying heavy military and punishing innocent Tibetans or offering bribe will only further deteriorate the situation. Tibetans will not stop resisting until and unless China addresses the real issue of the Tibetan people.” On 13 March, Kunchok Wangmo, 31, set herself on fire protesting China’s rule over her homeland around midnight in the Dzoge region of Ngaba, Northeastern Tibet. She died from injuries. Following her self-immolation protest, the local Chinese authorities arrested Wangmo’s husband Dolma Kyab when he refused to comply with their orders to declare internal family feuds as the reason for her self-immolation. According to China’s state news agency Xinhua, Dolma Kyab allegedly choked his wife to death after a quarrel and then transferred her body to the residential community where it was set alight on 12 March. Currently, Kyab’s condition and whereabouts of Kyab are not known. Similarly, in November last year, by Chinese security personnel secretly detained the husband of self-immolator, Dolkar Tso, when he refused to accept bribes offered by local authorities to state that his wife set herself on fire due to to family disputes and not in protest against China’s rule.

Dalai Lama leaves Dharamshala for Northeast India Tour

His Holiness the Dalai Lama leaves Dharamshala, March 21, 2013. DHARAMSHALA, March 21: The Tibetan Spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama today left Dharamshala for visits to Ravangla, Sikkim and Salugara in Northeast India. The Sikkim Government has requested the five-day tour to the state. The Tibetan Nobel Laureate is scheduled to begin his visit from Ravangla in Sikkim where he will perform the Vajrakilaya (Dorjee Phurba) consecration ceremony of the Buddha Statue followed by a teaching on Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattva (Gyasay Laklen Sodunma). On second day in Ravangla, His Holiness will confer White Tara Long Life Empowerment (Dolker Jenang Tsewang) and the State Government of Sikkim and Tibetan Communities in Ravangla will offer the long-life prayer ceremony (Tenshug) to His Holiness. On the final day of the visit, the seventy-seven-year-old Tibetan leader will visit to Salugura, Siliguri, where he is scheduled to teach on Tsong Khapa’s Concise Stages for the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim Dudon) and Longchen Rabjam's Relaxing the Mind Itself (Sem-nyid Nyesol). His Holiness will return to Dharamshala on March 30. The Tibetan leader visited Sikkim in 2010, during which he toured Ravangla in the south of the state, where he addressed a congregation of people at the Tibetan settlement. He also visited the Ralong Monastery, arguably the oldest monastery in Sikkim built during the late 1600’s.

Karmapa to Grace Khampa Gar Tsechu Festival

Khampa Gar traditional ritual dance (cham).  DHARAMSHALA, March 20: His Eminence the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorjee will be the Chief Guest at the Annual Traditional Tsechu Chenmo Cham in Khampa Gar at Tashijong, a Tibetan refugee camp in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The weeklong festival (March 22-27) begins on the 10th day of the 2nd Tibetan lunar month and will ends on 15th. Jagat Singh Negi, Deputy Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly, Ravi Thakur, Member of Legislative Assembly from Lahaul Spiti and Kishori Lal, Member of State Legislative Assembly, will also attend the festival. According to Roshan Lal Negi, over a thousand of disciples from Ladakh, Kullu, Manali, Lahaul and other areas will come for the religious festival, and about four hundred foreign disciples are also expected to attend the ceremony. This year’s annual Tsechu Cham or religious dance marks the 300th years since this Khampa Gar traditional sacred dance began in 1712. The sacred dance or cham will depict the manifestations of Guru Padmasambhava, the great Indian Buddhist teacher who taught Buddhism in Tibet, and his deeds. As a part of the weeklong festival, the Government of Himachal Pradesh will facilitate Tashi Jong Tibetan Settlement and some of the people involved in its initiative to make it the only tobacco-free camp in the state. Khampa Gar Monastery has around 400 monks and was founded by the Eighth Khamtrul Rinpoche Dongyu Nyima (1931-1980) in the late 1950s after his coming into exile. Tashi Jong, where the monastery is located, is about 40 km from Dharamshala

Popular Tibetan singer Lo Lo sentenced to six years

Popular Tibetan singer Lo Lo sentenced to six years for singing politically charged songs. DHARAMSHALA, March 13: A Chinese court in eastern Tibet has sentenced a popular Tibetan singer Lo Lo, 30, to six years in prison for his ‘crimes’ of singing politically charged songs calling for Tibet’s independence. According to Lobsang Sangyal, an exiled monk in south India, the court sentencing came days after the singer was re-arrested on February 23. “Lo Lo’s current condition and his whereabouts are not yet known,” Sangyal told Phayul. The popular Tibetan singer was first arrested on April 19, 2012 following the release of his album titled “Raise the flag of Tibet, sons of the snow.” However, he was released after a short detention. The title song of the singer’s album calls for independence of Tibet, the “return of the saviour” and reunion of the Tibetan people – messages that are common to the slogans raised by the 107 Tibetans who have self-immolated since 2009. “To promote loyalty to the Land of Snows, For the complete independence of Tibet, With a realised understanding of our objectives, Raise the flag of Tibet- sons of the snow,” a portion of the lyrics reads. Lo Lo is a native of Dragkar in Keygudo region of eastern Tibet. He is son of Jamyang Choegyal and Choekyi Dolma. Tibetan singers, writers, and artists promoting Tibetan national identity and culture have been the target of China’s ongoing crackdown on intellectuals, especially after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In February last year, Tibetan singer, Ugyen Tenzin was arrested by Chinese authorities for praising His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the elected leader of the Tibetan people Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay. Another singer, Chogsel, was also arrested and banned from singing on charges of threatening social stability. In August last year, the exile Tibetan administration submitted a detailed profile of 64 Tibetan intellectuals to the UN Special Rapporteur in Geneva and urged for necessary inquiry into their cases. Calling the ongoing crackdown on Tibetan artists and intellectuals the “harshest” since the Cultural Revolution, the Central Tibetan Administration said that at least 24 Tibetans intellectuals have been given sentences ranging from few months to life imprisonment for exercising their freedom of expression. “This new generation of young Tibetans born and educated under Chinese Communist rule have edited banned magazines and are tech-savvy bloggers imprisoned for gathering, expressing and sharing information about conditions in Tibet especially after the March 2008 demonstrations across Tibet,” CTA said. The exile Tibetan administration noted that the whereabouts of about 37 Tibetan intellectuals remain unknown, while 12 intellectuals were released on fear of custodial death after excessive torture during detention by the Chinese authorities.

Tibetan attempts self-immolation in Dharamshala, Thousands march for Tibet

Thousands of Tibetans and supporters rally in Dharamshala to mark the 54th Tibetan National Uprising Day on March 10, 2013.

DHARAMSHALA, March 10: A Tibetan man attempted to set himself on fire today in the exile headquarters of Dharamshala during a mass protest rally marking the 54th Tibetan National Uprising Day.

Dawa, in his 30s, reportedly consumed and poured kerosene over himself.

Speaking to Phayul, Sangchu Dugbey, an eye witness said: “When I saw him, he was carrying a bottle of kerosene and some girls were requesting, ‘Please, don’t do it.”

“We snatched the bottle of kerosene from his hand after which he pleaded with us to let him self-immolate,” Dugbey said. “He further said that he had decided to set himself on fire after thinking it over many times.”

Dawa was later taken to a local hospital.

Over a thousand Tibetans and supporters marched downhill from Tsug-la Khang to Lower Dharamshala carrying Tibetan flags and photos of Tibetan self-immolators.

Since 2009, as many as 107 Tibetans living under China’s rule have set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

The protestors, wearing black-cloth around their foreheads, raised slogans for freedom in Tibet and international intervention in the ongoing crisis in Tibet.

Speaking at the rally, Ravi Thakur, Member of Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Lahaul Spiti called on Tibetans to stay united and continue their non-violent struggle under the Dalai Lama, “the only gem in the word.”

Tibetans and supporters in Taipei, Taiwan take part in the 54th Tibetan National Uprising Day demonstration carrying photos of Tibetan self-immolators on March 10, 2013.

“Over the past centuries, many outsiders have come and settled in India who have now lost their identity but you people have kept your identity alive and you should never lose your identity. I hope and pray that you will cherish your Tibetanness for many generations to come,” Thakur said.

“I have always stood up for the Tibetan people and will always stand up for you in the future as well.”

Tenzin Jigdel of Students For a Free Tibet said the dynamic of the Tibetan movement has changed and Tibetan resistance has never been stronger.

“There is a new revolution we are seeing inside Tibet … Tibetans inside Tibet are re-asserting their identity and their aspiration has never been stronger,” Jigdal said.

The protest march was jointly organised by the five major Tibetan NGO’s, Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women’s Association, Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet, National Democratic Party of Tibet, and Students For a Free Tibet.

Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected head of the Tibetan people, in his March 10 statement blamed China’s occupation and repression in Tibet for driving Tibetans to self-immolation.

“The prohibitions of peaceful protest and harsh punishments compel Tibetans to resort to self-immolation. They choose death rather than silence and submission to the Chinese authorities,” Sikyong Sangay said.

Breaking: Tibetan monk self-immolates in Nepal

An unidentified Tibetan monk self-immolates in Kathmandu, Nepal on February 13, 2013, the day marking 100 years of the declaration of Tibetan Independence by His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama. February 13: A Tibetan monk today set himself on fire today near the holy stupa of Boudhanath in the heart of Nepalese capital city Kathmandu. In a photo received by Phayul, the monk could be seen engulfed in towering flames. No further information is available on the identity of the monk or his condition, although our sources in the region fear for the worst. According to eyewitnesses, the monk was severely burned and was later rushed to a hospital. Further information is awaited. Across the Himalayas, as many as 99 Tibetans have set themselves on fire protesting China’s occupation and demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile. The self-immolation today coincides with the 100 years of the declaration of the “Tibetan Proclamation of Independence” by His Holiness the Great 13th Dalai Lama. Exile Tibetans and supporters all over the world have planned major events to commemorate the historic event reasserting Tibet’s independence. In recent years, following growing ties between Nepal and China, Kathmandu has clamped down strictly on Tibetans refugees living in the country. This is not the first occasion when a Tibetan has set himself on fire in Kathmandu. In November 2011, a Tibetan monk Bhutuk set himself ablaze at the same spot. He survived his fiery protest and later escaped to India following a large scale manhunt by Nepali police.

Tibetans to mark 100 years of Independence Proclamation

Thubten Gyatso, the Great 13th Dalai Lama DHARAMSHALA, February 12: Exactly 100 years after His Holiness the Great 13th Dalai Lama declared the “Tibetan Proclamation of Independence,” Tibetans and supporters all over the world are geared up to celebrate the historic event, reasserting Tibet’s independence. Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama, was forced to take refuge in British India from 1910 – 1912 following the Manchu invasion of Tibet. When the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty collapsed in 1911, Tibetans expelled the remnant Manchu forces from Tibet, paving way for the Dalai Lama to return and exercise a political authority not seen since the reign of the great Fifth Dalai Lama. The overthrow of the Manchu forces and return of the Dalai Lama to Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, proved historically significant for Tibetans as it marked the full restoration of Tibet’s independence. The 13th Dalai Lama declared Tibet’s independence on February 13, 1913 (8th day, first month, water ox Tibetan year) by making the ‘Tibetan Proclamation of Independence,’ a five-point public statement reasserting Tibetan Independence. For more than three decades following the proclamation, Tibet was to enjoy complete independence, free from any foreign control, until the occupation of invading communist Chinese forces. In the Indian capital New Delhi, Tibetan Youth Congress, the largest pro-independence group in exile, will be holding its fourth preliminary Rangzen Conference to mark the event. After holding a series of similar conferences in Europe, Taiwan, and North America, the conference in India is planned as a build up to a major international Rangzen (Independence) Conference later this year. As part of the commemorations, TYC has also commissioned an exhibition of documents, artifacts, and photos corroborating Tibet’s nationhood. An image of the re-creation of the 1913 Tibetan Proclamation of Independence. The Dharamshala based Tibetan Women’s Association, in a release said the largest Tibetan’s women’s group in exile “stands firmly for the undeniable truth that no one can rewrite and remake history.” “As vividly described in the five points of Tibetan Declaration of Independence, Tibet was an independent nation from the time of King's reign,” TWA said. “It is out of China's arrogance and shamelessness that she illegally occupies Tibet with the untruthful idea that this region is an inseparable part of mainland China.” To mark the event, the 56 regional chapters of TWA, spread all over the world, will be distributing copies of the Tibetan Proclamation of Independence. In the exile headquarters of Dharamshala, the centennial celebrations will be marked with a day-long programme organised by the Students for a Free Tibet, India. The group will be organising a ‘Tibet Independence Exhibition: Reclaiming History’ at the TCV Day School followed by a talk on the topic, ‘His Holiness the 13th Dalai and Independence of Tibet.’ The celebrations will continue into the evening with the ‘Tibetan Independence Day Concert’ at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts. Tibetan singing sensation, Karma Emchi, who shot into fame with his viral song ‘Shabhaley’ will be performing at the concert. SFT, India in a release said, “Tibetans are countering China’s claims to their homeland and asserting their determination to be free” by publicly celebrating their history as a sovereign nation. “At this time when the Chinese government is doing everything in its power to crush the Tibetan resistance, we believe that a commemoration of the 1913 Tibetan Proclamation of Independence will refresh our spirits, reaffirm our vision and strengthen the struggle to achieve freedom for the Tibetan people,” the group said.

Mass arrest of Tibetans in connection with self-immolations

Tibetans and foreign supporters carry photos of self-immolators during the final day of the four-day solidarity campaign in New Delhi on Febraury 2, 2013.

In a first of its kind mass arrest in connection with the ongoing wave of self-immolation protests in Tibet, Chinese authorities have arrested 70 Tibetans in eastern Tibet.

Chinese state media Xinhua on Thursday cited police in the Malho region as saying that the “criminal suspects” were captured in connection with a “string of self-immolations that have occurred since November 2012.”

As many as 99 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 protesting Chinese rule and demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.

The report cited a senior police official as saying that more efforts will be exerted to “thoroughly investigate the cases and seriously punish those who incite innocent people to commit self-immolation.”

Lyu Benqian, who heads a special police team investigating the self-immolations also blamed “the Dalai Lama clique” for “masterminding and inciting” the protests.

“Personal information, such as photos of the victims, were sent overseas to promote the self-immolations,” the report cited him as saying.

"Some of the victims were frustrated and pessimistic in life, and they wanted to earn respect by self-immolation," Lyu added.

The report also carried stories of several individual self-immolators, claiming that their personal problems were the reason for their protests.

Among those arrested, the report cited one Phagpa, a young Tibetan in Dowa, Rebkong region, who was arrested for attending the funerals of six self-immolators, offering donations to their family members and working to spread ideas related to separatism and "Tibetan independence."

Last month, Chinese courts sentenced a Tibetan Lobsang Kunchok to death with a two-year reprieve and Lobsang Tsering to 10 years on charges of “intentional homicide.” The same day, another court sentenced six Tibetans to varying jail terms of 12 to three years in jail on similar charges.

Following the sentencing, New York based global rights group, Human Rights Watch, said Chinese authorities should “immediately release” Kunchok and Tsering, while noting that their conviction “relied solely on confessions they gave during five months in detention.”

“These prosecutions are utterly without credibility,” said Sophie Richardson, China director. “The Chinese government seems to think it can stop self-immolation by punishing anyone who talks about it. But in pursuing these ‘incitement’ cases, the government compounds the tragedy of these suicide protests.”



HRW noted that it has documented “endemic use of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and coercion of Tibetans in detention.”

“Self-immolations take place in the context of the Chinese government’s long-standing repressive policies in the Tibetan areas that have seen severe restrictions on Tibetans’ rights,” HRW said.

The Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration also condemned the harsh sentences, blaming the Chinese leadership as “solely responsible for the growing unrest and deteriorating situation in Tibet.”

“The series of rushed sentences clearly show that Tibetans in Tibet are denied basic human rights,” the exile Tibetan administration said. “It is also evident that these are done in utter disregard to the Tibetan aspiration and deep anguish at the continuing self-immolations in Tibet.”

The Dalai Lama in Bihar at CM Nitish Kumar’s invitation

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama being received by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at Patna Airport on January 3, 2013.  January 4: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai arrived in the Indian state of Bihar at the invitation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Thursday. The Dalai Lama was received at the Patna airport by the Chief Minister and a host of top government officials. The Tibetan spiritual leader is scheduled to inaugurate a three-day International Buddhist Sangha Seminar on The Role of the Buddhist Sangha in the 21st Century jointly organised by the Bihar Art and Culture Department and the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee. Hundreds of delegates from 20 countries, including China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Japan are expected to attend the meet starting January 5. Earlier today, the Dalai Lama held a special prayer at the Chief Minister’s One Anne Marg official residence for world peace. CM Kumar, Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, Water Resources Minister Vijay Chaudhary, state JD(U) President Vashist Narayan Singh, and party Rajya Sabha member R C P Singh were among those who took part in the prayer. Talking to media persons, the Dalai Lama praised the chief minister and the state government for taking keen interest in Buddhism. Describing Nitish Kumar as "a dynamic Chief Minister," the Tibetan leader said he was "very happy to visit the land of King Ashoka who spread Buddhism in the world." While mentioning the glorious history of modern day Bihar, the Nobel Peace laureate recounted the names of the state’s great sons like independent India’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad and Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan. Also today, the 77-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, along with CM Kumar, inaugurated a statue of Lord Buddha at the Buddha Smriti Parka in the state capital. Following his visit to Patna, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to leave for Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh to give four days of teachings on Shantideva's A Guide to the Boddhisattva's Way of Life (chodjug) from January 7 to 10.

CM Omar Abdullah meets Tibetan parliamentary delegation

Students from Ladakh and Zanskar regions of Jammu and Kashmir state carrying out a Tibet solidarity protest in Jammu city on January 2, 2013.

January 4: The all-India lobbying campaign initiated by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile began its month-long campaigning in north India with a meeting with Omar Abdullah, chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The north zone Tibetan Parliamentary delegation called on the honorable Chief Minister on January 2 in the state’s winter capital, Jammu city. According to a release by the delegation, Omar Abdullah, during the meeting, expressed his support for Tibet’s cause.

“The leaders of the Chinese government very well know that the struggle carried on by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is for autonomy in Tibet,” Omar, who has met the Tibetan spiritual leader on several occasions, said. “Presently, Hong Kong and Macau enjoy a special autonomous status under the Chinese rule and I find China’s reluctance on Tibet hard to understand.”

The delegation also met with Ngawang Rigzin Jora, Minister of Tourism and Culture; Members of the State Legislative Assembly; and other high level India officials of the state, which shares its border with China occupied Tibet.

On January 2, as part of the lobbying campaign, around 150 students from the Ladakh and Zanskar regions of the state carried out a protest march in Jammu city in solidarity with the ongoing crisis inside Tibet. The students paraded Tibetan national flags and banners calling for solidarity with the demands of the Tibet self-immolators.

Following their visit to the state, the north zone delegation will then take the Tibet lobbying campaign to other north and central Indian states, including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

Last month, the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile announced the all-India lobbying campaign as part of the exile Tibetan administration’s attempts at garnering wider support for international intervention in the ongoing crisis inside Tibet.

95 Tibetans have set themselves on fire inside Tibet protesting China’s occupation and demanding freedom and return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

The Tibetan parliament said the delegations, apart from holding meetings with senior leaders, will also address press conferences and interact with the general masses to “spread awareness on the critical situation inside Tibet and garner their support.”

The north zone parliamentary delegation comprises of MPs Dawa Tsering, Ghang Lhamo, Geshe Kalsang Damdul, and Mogru Tenpa.

Chinese authorities issue ultimatum, offer cash prize for “crimes” linked to Tibet self-immolations

Notice by Chinese authorities in Malho, eastern Tibet announcing cash rewards for information on self-immolations. Chinese authorities in Malho region of eastern Tibet have announced cash rewards for those “exposing crimes” related to the ongoing wave of self-immolations and issued an ultimatum warning those who have “committed fault” to turn themselves in. The notices were jointly issued by the Malho People’s Intermediate Court and the Public Security Bureau in the Tibetan areas of Rebkong, Tsekhog, and Chentsa which fall under its jurisdiction. The Malho region of eastern Tibet carried a major part of the casualties in the recent alarming escalation in self-immolation protests and mass demonstrations by thousands of Tibetans, including school students against the Chinese government. Since October, 44 Tibetans have set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, with the latest being a teenaged schoolgirl Bhenchen Kyi from Tsekhog. In copies of the notices sent to Phayul by a Swiss based Tibetan, Sonam, Chinese authorities have given an ultimatum to Tibetans who have “committed fault,” to turn themselves in before November 30 in lure of “lesser” punishment. The notices, issued in Tibetan and Chinese languages, encourage people to “accept their crimes” of inciting self-immolations, displaying portraits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama during mass funerals of the self-immolators, raising “separatist” slogans, offering condolences to the family members of self-immolators, “unlawfully” taking pictures and videos of self-immolations and sending them out and spreading rumours and indulging in provocative talks. The authorities have warned that those who are caught under these crimes after the given deadline will be dealt severely according to the law. In recent weeks, authorities have engineered a heavy security clampdown in the region, arresting several Tibetans from Rebkong and Tsekhog in connection with the self-immolation protests. Along with the ultimatum, Chinese authorities have employed its age-old policy of sowing distrust in the society by announcing heavy monetary rewards for information on self-immolators and those who “incite” such protests. Cash prizes ranging from 1,000 Chinese Yaun (US $ 160) of 200,000 Chinese Yuan (US $ 32,000) have been announced for information exposing self-immolators, those inciting self-immolations, and those who have visited families of self-immolators to offer condolences. Rewards have also been announced for those who avert self-immolations from occurring at the site of the protest. The authorities further promised to protect the identity of the informants and called the self-immolation protests a “bad influence” on social harmony and stability, not just of the region but also of the entire nation. Similar tactics of announcing cash rewards and offering bribes to families of self-immolators to state that the protests were not against the Chinese government, have been employed earlier in other parts of Tibet as well. A phone call to the Tsekhog Public Security Bureau Office by Phayul yielded little result as the official who answered the call in the supposedly Tibetan office refused to speak in Tibetan and spoke only Mandarin.

More concerned about China than Pak: Indian FM

Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid. India’s External Affairs Minister today said China was a "major concern," greater than Pakistan, and warned that India runs the risk of being completely overwhelmed by China if it fails to bring its economy on the right track. Salman Khurshid was responding to queries on what was a bigger challenge for India - territorial dispute with China or trust deficit with Pakistan. "China is necessarily more important in terms of our global vision. In terms of economics...in terms of stability and impact of stability that our friendship and understanding can have on Asia and South Asia. As far as Pakistan is concerned, it is more specific," Kurshid told PTI. The minister, who was returning from Myanmar after a three-day visit, called China a “constant reminder” to India that it needs to put its economy on the right track. “We can pretend that China is not there. But China is there and unless we put our economy on the right track, it is going to overwhelm us completely,” he said. "So China is a major concern and Pakistan, in a significant way (is a concern) but not a major concern.” Kurshid further mentioned that "linkages” between China and Pakistan were also important for India. "China is part of a larger picture and Pakistan being part of that picture...significant part of the picture and can ruin that picture if Pakistan does not have right colour.” Earlier this month, a Chinese government-linked company pleaded guilty to illegally exporting high-performance coatings from the US to a nuclear power plant in Pakistan. According to the US Department of Justice, China Nuclear Industry Huaxing Construction was fined $3m and became the first Chinese company to admit guilt in a US criminal export case. Nanjing-based Huaxing admitted to charges that it conspired to ship the epoxy coating through China to Pakistan's Chashma II Nuclear Power Plant in 2006 and 2007. The Chinese government-linked company was building the site as part of a nuclear cooperation pact signed between Pakistan and China. The US has restricted nuclear-related exports to Pakistan since the country's detonation of a nuclear device in 1998.

Tibetan school students appeal for global intervention in Tibet crisis

Students of the Tibetan Children's Village School, Upper Dharamshala carrying out a peace march in solidarity with Tibetan self-immolators on November 24, 2012.

With the continuing escalation in protests against Chinese rule in Tibet, school students in the exile seat of Dharamshala carried out a peace march followed by a prayer session in solidarity with Tibetan self-immolators, Saturday.

Senior students of the Upper Tibetan Children’s Village School carried out a peace march from the school basketball court to the Martyr’s Pillar near Tsug-la Khang, the main temple.

The school’s student council, which took the initiative to organise the march and prayer service, said the entire students, through the campaign, express solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet and send a clear message to the United Nations and the international community that they need to take “urgent and effective actions to end the crisis inside Tibet.”

To accentuate their appeal, the marching students wore cross marks on their eyes, ears, mouth and hands.

Thupten Dorjee, the school captain told Phayul that the cross marks symbolise the urgent need on the part of the UN and the international community to “monitor the unfolding crisis inside Tibet, listen to the six million Tibetans, speak up for the demands of the Tibetan self-immolators, and take effective action and send a special delegation to asses Tibet’s situation.”

“Although, we are in the middle of our preparations for our final exams, but despite that the students felt it necessary to organise the campaign to express our concern and solidarity with the tragic happenings inside Tibet,” Dorjee said. “We do clearly understand that our first responsibility as of now is to study hard for the cause of Tibet.”

Students of the Tibetan Children's Village School, Upper Dharamshala carrying out a peace march in solidarity with Tibetan self-immolators on November 24, 2012.

The students then took out a candle light vigil back to the school. A short video depicting the ongoing wave of self-immolations inside Tibet was screened to the students following which a prayer service was held in the evening.

The deepening crisis inside Tibet has witnessed large scale anti-China protests and a series of self-immolations that has now seen 81 Tibetans set themselves on fire, since 2009, demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

November alone has reported 19 self-immolations and protests by thousands of Tibetans, including by school students in the Rebkong region of eastern Tibet.

China should allow UN officials' visit to Tibet

Dharamsala: The newly-appointed Chinese leaders should accept the requests for official visits to Tibet by the UN nominees and implement recommendations made by its agencies, Tibetan political leader Lobsang Sangay said here on Saturday.

The strong and unprecedented statement of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and visit by US Ambassador to China Gary Locke to Tibet clearly show that the situation there needed to be urgently addressed, said the political successor to the Dalai Lama.

He was addressing a prayer meeting organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) to express solidarity with those who "sacrificed" their lives for the cause of Tibet.

Meanwhile, one more person died after setting himself on fire in Luchu in Kanlho in north Tibet on Thursday night, taking the number of self-immolations to 80 since March 2009, including 18 in this month alone, claimed the CTA.

Sangay said despite repeated CTA appeals not to take drastic actions, self-immolations continue in Tibet.

"I appeal to the international community and governments to stand for justice by answering the universal aspirations of Tibetans in Tibet: the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans," he said.

The 43-year-old Sangay, who took over as political successor to the Dalai Lama, appealed to Tibetans and supporters around the world to participate in the global solidarity day on December 10.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959. The Tibetan exile administration is based in this northern Indian hill town.

Breaking: Another Tibetan self-immolates, Seven deaths in seven days

 In more alarming reports coming out of Tibet, another Tibetan set himself on fire in an apparent protest against Chinese rule on Friday, November 23 in Tsekhog (Ch: Zeku) region of eastern Tibet.

Tamding Dorjee, 29, set himself ablaze near the entrance of the local Chinese administrative office of Dokarmo town in Tsekhog region of Malho at around 6:30 pm (local time).

According to exile sources, Tamding Dorjee raised slogans for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with folded hands while engulfed in flames. He passed away at the site of his protest.

Following the self-immolation protest, thousands of local Tibetans gathered to offer prayers and attend the funeral which was carried out later in the night.

Latest reports indicate that local Chinese authorities have cut off Internet and phone lines in an attempt to contain the spread of the news.

With Tamding Dorjee’ self-immolation protest, 81 Tibetans have now set themselves on fire in Tibet since 2009 demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.

The alarming escalation in the fiery protests has already witnessed 19 Tibetans burn themselves in the month of November alone with seven self-immolations in the last seven days.

The protests continue even as Chinese authorities announced heightened restrictions and the implementation of a five-point notification giving stern orders to punish self-immolators, their families, their villages and even those who had offered condolences and prayers to the bereaved family members and relatives.”

Prayer service in Dharamshala

Yesterday, thousands of Tibetans and supporters including the Tibetan Chief Justice Commissioners, Speaker Penpa Tsering, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, Kalons, members of parliament, and school students attended a prayer service held in honour of Tibetan self-immolators at Tsug-la Khang, the main temple in Dharamshala.

Special prayers were offered for Wangchen Norbu, 18; Tsering Dhundup, 35; and Lubum Gyal, 18 who set themselves on fire in protest against China’s occupation of Tibet.

Wangchen Norbu, 25, set himself ablaze on Monday near the Kangtsa Gaden Choephel Ling Monastery. He passed away at the site of his protest.

He raised slogans for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile, release of the Panchen Lama and freedom for Tibet.

On Tuesday, Tsering Dhondup, 35, set himself ablaze on a ground near the entrance of a mining site in Amchok region of Labrang Sangchu. He succumbed to his injuries at the site of his protest.

Tsering Dhondup is survived by his wife Tamding Tso, their three children, and his parents.

Lubum Gyal, 18, set himself ablaze in Dowa town of Rebkong, eastern Tibet on Thursday in an apparent protest against China’s continued occupation of Tibet.

Speaking at the prayer service, Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay said the prayer services were significant as it sends a message of solidarity from exile Tibetans to Tibetans inside Tibet.

“We hold the prayer services in honour of self-immolators’ family, Tibetans in prison and for those Tibetans who have lost their lives for Tibet,” Sikyong Sangay said.

The Dalai Lama recently told reporters that China’s repressive policies and the unbearable situation in Tibet are forcing Tibetans to set themselves of fire in Tibet.

"The unbearable situation in Tibet is the cause for these unfortunate events. I am very sad about the turn of events. These are symptoms of fear, hard line suppressive policy practiced by China in Tibet. The time has come for China to think more realistically," reporters quoted the Tibetan spiritual leader as saying,

Breaking: Another self-immolation rocks Tibet, Toll reaches 80

Tibetan self-immolator Tamding Kyab, 23, in an undated photo. November 23: In confirmed reports coming out of Tibet, another Tibetan set himself on fire late last night in an apparent protest against China’s continued occupation of Tibet. The Tibetan man, the 80th to self-immolate inside Tibet since 2009, has been identified as Tamding Kyab. “Tamding Kyab, 23 years of age, set himself on fire on November 22 at around 10 pm (local time) in the Kluchu region of Kanlho, eastern Tibet,” exile Tibetans hailing from the region told Phayul. “After local Tibetans recovered Tamding Kyab's charred body this morning, they carried it to his home." Monks from the nearby Shitsang Monastery have been performing prayers at the deceased's home and also carried out the last rites today. A nomad, Tamding Kyab was earlier a monk at the Shitsang Monastery, where currently his younger brother is studying. The charred body of Tamding Kyab placed under a photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Tamding Kyab passed away in his self-immolation protest against China's rule on November 22, 2012. Tamding Kyab frequently spoke out the ongoing self-immolation protests and expressed his desire for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. "Whenever he heard of a self-immolation protest, he used to say, "How I wish I could also sacrifice my life" and often stated that without the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet, there is "no difference between living and dying" in this world," the same sources said citing contacts in the regions. The same day, Lubum Gyal, 18, passed away after setting himself ablaze in Dowa town of Rebkong, eastern Tibet following heightened restrictions and the implementation of a five-point notification issued by Chinese authorities giving stern orders “to punish self-immolators and their families; even those who had offered condolences and prayers to the bereaved family members and relatives.” The alarming escalation in self-immolation protests has already witnessed 18 Tibetans set themselves on fire in the month of November alone, making this the deadliest month since the protests began. Thousands of Tibetans, including school students, have carried out mass protests and rallies demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile. Earlier this month, local Chinese authorities in Kanlho (Ch:Gannan) imposed a “near-total information blockade” in the region following seven self-immolations in the past month. Local authorities clamped down on the Internet and mobile phone lines, imposing an indefinite ban on the sale of mobile SIM cards on three known shops in Sangchu, while restricting the sale of petrol and other flammable liquids in towns and villages in the area. Also in the region, local Chinese authorities posted notices last month, offering 50,000 Chinese Yuan (US $ 7,913) for information on “the sources of scheming, planning, and instigating” self-immolations. The exile Tibetan administration has maintained that the reasons for the self-immolations are self-evident: political repression, economic marginalisation, environmental destruction, and cultural assimilation. “The blame and solution for the present tragedy in Tibet lies entirely with Beijing,” Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected head of the Tibetan people, said earlier this month. “We firmly believe that an end to repression will effectively end the cycle self-immolation.”

CTA launches USD 2m Tibet Education Project

Rinchen Dharlo, President of Tibet Fund (l) and Additional Secretary Topgyal Tsering of the Department of Education addressing the press in Dharamshala at the launch of the Tibet Education Project November 23, 2012.

The exile Tibetan administration today officially launched the Tibet Education Project, a two-year programme, aimed at improving the quality of education opportunities for Tibetan refugee students in India and Nepal.

Funded by the US Agency for International Development, the programme will be implemented in close cooperation with the Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration’s Department of Education.

Earlier this September, USAID awarded USD 2 million to Tibet Fund, a US-based NGO operating out of New York City, to implement TEP.

In a release, the Education Department said the TEP will address the critical education needs prioritised by Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected head of the Tibetan people.

“This new initiative will provide significant boost in strengthening the overall Tibetan education system and provide much-needed resources to realise some of the core educational goals of my administration,” said Sikyong Dr Sangay who is also the Kalon for the Department of Education.

“I want to thank USAID, Under Secretary Maria Otero and the Office of the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues for making this program possible.”

The project includes intensification of teacher development and training; expansion of Scholarship Program; Scale the Counseling Program; prioritising Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education; providing Test Preparation and Coaching for Secondary School Students and Improve Educational Management.

Sikyong Dr Sangay; Bill Hammink, USAID Mission Director in India; Sang Lee, USAID Agreement Officer Representative; Rinchen Dharlo, President of Tibet Fund; Bob Ankerson, Vice-President of Tibet Fund and senior officials of the CTA’s Department of Education attended the launch programme earlier today.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference following the launch, Additional Secretary Topgyal Tsering of DoE said: “TEP seeks to revitalise of Tibetan settlements in India and Nepal by strengthening the Tibetan education system in innovative, replicable ways that equip young Tibetans to succeed in modern professions, become strong and visionary leaders.”

CTA recently announced new scholarship schemes representing a 50 percent increase in the annual scholarship funding provided by the exile administration.

China stirs up hornet’s nest of boundary disputes

A Chinese man holds up a Chinese passport with details on a page that shows dashes which include the South China Sea as part of the Chinese territory outside a passport office in Beijing, China, Friday, Nov. 23, 2012.

China has again stirred up the hornet’s nest of unsettled boundary disputes with its neighbours by issuing revised passports that show it staking its claim on Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin (in India), the entire South China Sea and even Taiwan.

The passports issued in May, carries an outline of China printed in the upper left corner with the contentious regions, hemmed in by the dashes. Although China’s official maps have long included parts of India, Taiwan and the South China Sea as Chinese territory, this act of printing it on its passports could be seen as a provocation since other countries would be required to tacitly endorse those claims by affixing their official seals to the documents.

According to media reports, India has retaliated by stamping these passports with its own version of the map, marking out its own territorial boundaries. Although India is yet to raise this matter diplomatically with China, the issue however could feature on the agenda when India's National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon visits China for border talks in a few weeks.

The 15th and the latest round of Sino-Indian special representative talks were held in New Delhi this January and reportedly ended in a deadlock after Beijing insisted it would settle for nothing less that “its share” of Arunachal Pradesh.

Philippines and Vietnam have sent diplomatic notes to the Chinese embassies, lodging their “strong protest” and demanding that Beijing remove the “erroneous content” printed in the passport.

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam are scheduled to meet December 12 to discuss claims in the South China Sea and the role of China.

In Taiwan, the ruling party and opposition lawmakers alike have condemned the map, saying it could harm the warming ties the historic rivals have enjoyed since Ma Ying-jeou became president 4 1/2 years ago.

‘‘This is total ignorance of reality and only provokes disputes,’’ said Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, the Cabinet-level body responsible for ties with Beijing. The council said the government cannot accept the map.

Taiwan recently decided to bar the Dalai Lama from entering the island to give a keynote speech at the 2012 Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women in December, citing “professional assessment.”

Taiwan's foreign ministry confirmed that they would not allow the visit, noting that "It's just not a good time."

The country’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party politicians accused President Ma Ying-jeou of blocking the Dalai Lama's visit due to pressure from Beijing while the organisers of the visit said the move reflected fear of angering China.

Breaking: Tibetan teen burns self to death, Toll climbs to 79

In no respite to the spate of self-immolations inside Tibet, another Tibetan teenager passed away in his fiery protest.

In confirmed reports received by Phayul, Lubum Gyal, 18, set himself ablaze in Dowa town of Rebkong, eastern Tibet at around 4:20 pm (local time) in an apparent protest against China’s continued occupation of Tibet.

China’s state-run Xinhua news agency also reported on the incident, confirming that the self-immolator (Libong Tsering) succumbed to his injuries.

“Lubum Gyal set himself on fire in protest against the Chinese government in Dowa town,” Sonam, an exile Tibetan with close contacts in the region told Phayul. “Soon, a large number of Tibetans gathered and rescued his body from falling into the hands of Chinese authorities.”

“Monks from the Dowa Monastery later carried out the last rites of Lubum Gyal at a nearby crematorium,” Sonam added.

According to the same source, the recent deployment of large numbers of Chinese armed forces and the severe restrictions placed on local Tibetans triggered Lubum Gyal’s fiery protest.

“Following the recent escalation in self-immolations and protests in Dowa and the adjoining regions, Chinese security personnel armed with automatic guns have forced strict restrictions on the movement of Tibetans,” Sonam cited sources as saying. “Moreover, higher ranked Chinese government and Communist Party officials have been paying frequent trips to Dowa to investigate the reasons behind the protests and to assure that no more protests take place in the region.”

The Chinese officials were reportedly implementing the five-point notification issued by the Malho Prefectural office and Malho People’s government on November 14 giving stern orders to local officials “to punish self-immolators and their families; even those who had offered condolences and prayers to the bereaved family members and relatives.”

The notice, issued in Tibetan and Chinese languages, announces the cancellation of government aid to families of self-immolators as well as development projects in villages where similar protests have taken place.

Lubum Gyal is survived by his father Tsego.

The Rebkong region of Malho has now witnessed ten self-immolation protests in this month alone. Also, thousands of Tibetans, including school children, carried out massive protests calling for freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama earlier this month.

79 Tibetans have now set themselves on fire in Tibet since 2009.

China to punish families, entire villages of self-immolators

Chinese authorities in Malho (Chinese: Huangnan) region of eastern Tibet have announced a series of strict measures targeting the ongoing wave of self-immolations with further restrictions, punishments, and threats.

Dharamshala based rights group, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, in a release today said the five-point notice issued by the Malho Prefectural office and Malho People’s government on November 14 gives stern orders to local officials “to punish self-immolators and their families; even those who had offered condolences and prayers to the bereaved family members and relatives.”

The recent escalation in self-immolations has made an alarming impact in Rebkong region of Malho with nine fiery protests in this month alone. Also, thousands of Tibetans, including school children, carried out massive protests calling for freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama earlier this month.

The notice, issued in Tibetan and Chinese languages, announces the cancellation of government aid to families of self-immolators as well as development projects in villages where similar protests have taken place.

“The first point in the notification clearly states that government aid to the family members of a person who had self-immolated will be cut off for three years ... Development funds will be cancelled to those villages where self-immolations took place; even those projects that had been approved earlier will be cancelled within three years,” TCHRD said in its release.

The notice calls for “detailed investigation” into the “failure” of local leaders and relevant Communist Party officials to protect “stability” and “harmony” in areas where self-immolations have taken place. It says that official if found “guilty” will be relieved of their posts and “severe measures” will be taken against them.

The notice goes on to call for “thorough investigation” to determine whether any government officials had visited homes of self-immolators to offer condolences and further warns others from such acts, the offence of which, the notice says, will “attract immediate firing, followed by investigations and punishments.”

While asking higher authorities to “advise and guide” these officials, the notice states that the Public Security Bureau officers will “strike hard” on those who do not listen to such guidance.

“If a village or a monastery has collectively organized prayer ceremonies and visits to the families of self-immolator, then the whole village will get no government aid. All development projects approved earlier in the village will be cancelled within three years,” TCHRD quoted the notice as saying.

The notice warns that if high lamas or abbots or senior staff at monasteries are found of having organised prayer ceremonies for self-immolators, then their monasteries will be closed down and steps will be taken to purge these monasteries of causing "instability."

It must be be noted that on several occasions, self-immolators have chosen to set themselves ablaze near their local monasteries, following which, their bodies have been in many cases carried inside the monastery premises to perform prayers and rituals.

“Heavy punishment shall be given to those who attempt to organise themselves or form associations or groups,” the notice states.

The notice further blames the “Dalai clique” for the instability in the region.

The exile Tibetan administration has maintained that the reasons for the self-immolations are self-evident: political repression, economic marginalisation, environmental destruction, and cultural assimilation.

“The blame and solution for the present tragedy in Tibet lies entirely with Beijing,” Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected head of the Tibetan people, said earlier this month. “We firmly believe that an end to repression will effectively end the cycle self-immolation.”