Thursday, February 6, 2014

Week Ending February 7, 2014

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 7 February 2014

Self-Immolations, Protests, and Restrictions in Tibet
Tibetan man sets himself ablaze in first burning protest this year - RFA
6 February | Phagmo Samdrub (29 yrs old) set himself ablaze “for the cause of Tibet” at around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday near the Panchen Day School in Dokarmo township in Tsekhog county in the Malho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a local resident told RFA.

China Tightens Security Presence in Kardze Ahead of Tibetan New Year - RFA
4 February | The stationing of paramilitary police in Kardze county in Sichuan’s Kardze prefecture follows a similar deployment in the prefecture’s Draggo county two weeks ago on the second anniversary of a deadly crackdown by police on protesters, according to sources.

News
Spanish judge orders compliance with order to arrest Jiang Zemin and other Chinese leaders - ICT
6 February | Spanish lawyers working on the lawsuits against the Chinese leaders said that the new move by Judge Ismael Moreno was evidence that the case will now progress, even though the ruling is against the wishes of the Spanish government, under pressure from the Chinese leadership.

MSP condemns China’s human rights record in Tibet [with video] - BBC
4 February | Scottish National Parliament MSP Maureen Watt described Chinese oppression in Tibet of such things as "religious freedoms, language rights, access to employment and the destruction of water resources and grazing lands by large scale mining projects".

Dalai Lama to return to Tibet soon: Sangay - New Indian Express
4 February | "He (Dalai Lama) will very soon return to Tibet. The universal slogan is we want to see the return of Dalai Lama to Tibet. Given a choice, Tibetans will like to be led by a Tibetan rather than governed by the Chinese," Sangay told journalists.

Opinion and Analysis
'Punishing Ilham Tohti is the Latest in a Litany of Errors' - RFA
6 Februrary | Gao Yu writes that China “will have no peace” if it continues to oppress Uighurs, Inner Mongolians, and Tibetans.

Freedom, Independence, and Autonomy: A Little More Accuracy Please - TPR
6 Februrary | As part of TPR’s effort to contribute toward a more level-headed discussion on the independence/autonomy debate, a good place to start is greater accuracy in distinguishing between “freedom” (rangwang), “independence” (rangzen), and “autonomy” (rangkyong).


Week Ending January 31, 2014


International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 31 January 2014
Protests and Restrictions in Tibet
Military forces deployed in Drango Free Tibet
30 January | Photographs obtained by Free Tibet show a large military deployment on the
streets of Drango, south-east Tibet. Armoured cars and other military vehicles arrived in
the town on 26 of this month ahead of the Chinese New Year.
Related
China in Show of Force Over Shooting Anniversary in Tibetan Town RFA
30 January | Chinese armed police are patrolling the streets of Draggo county in the
Kardze prefecture in an apparent attempt to prevent Tibetans from observing the
anniversary of the Jan. 23, 2012 violent crackdown by Chinese security forces on
peaceful protests by Tibetans calling for freedom from Chinese rule.
Tibetan Laborer Held, Tortured Over Dalai Lama Photos, Audio RFA
29 January | Norgyay, a day laborer from Dingri county in the Tibet Autonomous Region’s
Shigatse prefecture, was seized in the region’s capital Lhasa on Jan. 14 during a random
police check on the stored content of mobile phones carried by Tibetans.
Concerns for Tibetan sentenced to death in Ngaba after secret trial RFA
28 January | There are serious concerns for a Tibetan man, Dolma Kyab, who was
sentenced to death in August (2013) after being accused of murdering his wife, Kunchok
Wangmo. Reports from Tibetan sources indicate that she may have self-immolated and that
the authorities have sought to build a case against Dolma Kyab.
Petition: Release Khenpo Kartse Now Free Tibetan Heroes
28 January | Take action to urge Luo Huining, Qinghai Party Secretary, and Liu Zhiqiang,
Director of Qinghai Province Public Security Bureau, to immediately release Khenpo Kartse.
News
Feb 13, 2014 Year of the Tibetan Empire SFT
30 January | On February 13, Students for a Free Tibet will mark the day by celebrating the
great legacy of the Tibetan Empire to challenge China's propaganda about Tibetan history as
well as to strengthen the case for Tibet on the global stage.
Major fires over past year devastate important Tibetan towns, monasteries ICT
27 January | This report features images of a number of fires in Tibetan sites, including
three ancient and important monasteries, all but one in the Tibetan area of Kham in Sichuan
since December 2012.
China sentences Xu Zhiyong, legal activist, to 4 years in prison New York Times
27 January | Xu Zhiyong was convicted of “gathering a crowd to disturb public order,” a
charge that stemmed from his role organizing a grass-roots New Citizens Movement, which
sought to give voice to public discontent over official corruption and social injustice.
Opinion and Analysis
Tibet’s Panchen Lama Huffington Post
29 January | Thubten Samphel, director of the Tibet Policy Institute, writes “Panchen Lama
while working within the Chinese communist establishment chose to be its most vocal critic.
How he did it is a story of courage, personal tragedy and how Tibet in his view could
productively co-exist with modern China without losing its Buddhist soul.”
The 10th Panchen Lama and Xi Jinping’s father Chinese Leaders
28 January | This blog discusses Xi Zhongxun’s eulogy to the 10th Panchen Lama to see
what clues it provides to Xi senior’s true attitudes to the Tibetan