Thursday, November 21, 2013

Week Ending 22 November, 2013

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 22 November 2013


Protests and Restrictions in Tibet
Tibetan man disappeared amid heavy surveillance in Sog County - TCHRD
14 November | Thupten Gyaltsen aka Thupgyal, 27, was detained by local Public Security Bureau officers on the night of 11 November 2013 from his home at Village No. 5 in Gyalchen (Ch: Jiaqin) Township in Sog County.


Tibetan Monastery’s Prayer Hall Lost in Fire - New York Times
18 November | Featuring screen captures from social media. Details the events of the fire at Ganden Thubchen Choekhorling Monastery (Lithang Monastery).


Tibetan Monastery Suffers ‘Massive Damage’ in Blaze - RFA
17 November | Fire has caused “massive damage” to the main prayer hall of a revered 16th century monastery in a Tibetan area of China’s Sichuan province, injuring at least two monks, sources said Sunday.


Tibet and China News
Spanish Court Issues Arrest Warrants for Ex-Chinese Leaders - Wall Street Journal
20 November | Spain's national court, acting on a suit filed by Spanish pro-Tibet groups, issued arrest warrants for former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and four other top authorities as part of an investigation into alleged human rights abuses in Tibet.


China: US Congress' Security Panel Has 'Cold War' Mindset - VOA
21 November | China has sharply criticized a U.S. congressional commission for advocating an expansion of U.S. military power in Asia as a counterweight to China's modernizing military.


Tibetan lamas donate millions to restore prayer hall - RFA
20 November | Sources reported “Lithang Kyabgon Palden Dorjechang has promised 3 million yuan (U.S. $492,000) and Lithang Shakpa Tulku Khedrub Gelek Jampal Gyatso committed 10 million yuan (U.S. $1.64 million), while an anonymous monk promised 500,000 yuan (U.S. $82,000) for the reconstruction of the burnt prayer hall.”


Opinion and Analysis
Chinese Nuclear Force Modernization And Its Arms Control Implications - Eurasia Review
21 November | Of the five states that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty permits to possess nuclear weapons, only China is increasing the size of its nuclear forces. Despite this, Beijing adamantly refuses to join the Russian-U.S. strategic nuclear arms reduction negotiations.


The Disappearance of Tromsikhang’s Different Lives, by Woeser - High Peaks Pure Earth
19 November | Observing the huge changes taking place around her in Lhasa, Woeser takes a close look at the history and fate of the Tromsikhang, a building complex dating back to the early 18th century.


China’s Barkhor: Assimilating Tibet’s Spiritual Heart - ICT Blog
19 November | The Tromzikhang is set to be overshadowed by new malls built by the Chinese in the heart of the old city...When Tibetans have already been largely edged out of small stalls, it’s hard to see how they can successfully compete with Chinese businesses in a high-rent mall with no cultural or historical Tibetan connections.


Taking out the trash: Time to speak up to abuse - Tibet Sun
17 November | Tibetan writer Kunsang Dolma addresses how silence perpetuates abuse in the community, and asserts that Tibetan culture needs to change with the times to better benefit women: “We don’t need to copy the West, but we do need to struggle with the same social issues that they had to work through.”


Preface and first chapter of The Restless Himalayas by Dolma Kyab - High Peaks Pure Earth
15 November | The preface and first chapter of Dolma Kyab’s unpublished Chinese language manuscript “The Restless Himalayas” have been translated. The emotional preface gives way to a summary of Tibetan history, a strong basis for the rest of the book that is comprised of fifty seven chapters, concluding remarks and an afterword.