Week Ending July 12, 2013

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 12 July 2013

Self-Immolations, Protests, and Restrictions in Tibet

Tibetans in critical condition after Chinese armed police shoot into crowd celebrating Dalai Lama’s birthday - Tibetan Centre for Human Rights & Democracy

9 July | Several known Tibetans are in critical condition and many more injured after Chinese armed police fired into a crowd of Tibetans gathered to celebrate the 78th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 6 July in Tawu County in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

http://www.tchrd.org/2013/07/tibetans-in-critical-condition-after-chinese-armed-police-shoot-into-crowd-celebrating-dalai-lamas-birthday/#more-2299

Chinese forces open fire on Tibetan prayer gathering - Free Tibet

9 July | A Tibetan monk was shot in the head and at least six others received gunshot wounds when Chinese security forces opened fire on a crowd in Tawu county, Eastern Tibet on 6 July.

http://www.freetibet.org/news-media/na/chinese-forces-open-fire-tibetan-prayer-gathering

Tibetan monks shot as police open fire on Tibetans praying on Dalai Lama’s birthday  - International Campaign for Tibet

8 July | Two Tibetan monks were shot in the head and several others seriously injured after Chinese police opened fire at a crowd gathered to peacefully celebrate the 78th birthday of the Dalai Lama in Nyitso, Tawu, eastern Tibet, on Saturday.

http://www.savetibet.org/tibetan-monks-shot-as-police-open-fire-on-tibetans-praying-on-dalai-lamas-birthday/

International Tibet Network Joint Statement on Shootings in Tawu - International Tibet Network

8 July | Chinese People’s Armed Police open fire in Tawu, eastern Tibet, on Dalai Lama’s birthday celebrations; six Tibetans reported to be seriously injured. Tibet movement expresses shock at violent response to peaceful gathering.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qnp5i5vwqX1xfKUlspfjfRR9uk4f3yfn32V6xAOjhxM/edit

News‘Unprecedented freedom’ in Tibet, Xinjiang: China to US - Times of India

12 July  | China said Thursday that its Tibetan and Uighur minorities enjoyed happiness and "unprecedented" freedom as it hit back at US criticism by urging Washington to examine its own record.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Unprecedented-freedom-in-Tibet-Xinjiang-China-to-US/articleshow/21029271.cms

Dalai Lama Targeted By China As Shootings Of Monks Celebrating Tibetan Leader Reported - Huffington Post

9 July  | China's top official in charge of religious groups and ethnic minorities vowed on Tuesday to step up the fight against exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, as a rights group reported police shootings of monks marking his birthday.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/china-vows-to-step-up-fig_n_3565520.html

Tension Flares as Tibetans Celebrate Dalai Lama’s Birthday - New York Times

9 July  | Chinese police in a volatile area of Sichuan Province reportedly opened fire on a crowd of unarmed Tibetans who were celebrating the birthday of the Dalai Lama, injuring nine people, two of them critically, rights advocates reported on Monday. The shootings took place on Saturday, but government restrictions on communications in the region prevented the news from immediately reaching outsiders. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/world/asia/tension-flares-as-tibetans-celebrate-dalai-lamas-birthday.html?_r=0

Bodh Gaya blasts: Stay calm, says Tibetan religious head - ZeeNews

8 July | Tibetan religious head and the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje on Monday appealed to his followers to remain calm and refrain from escalation of violence in the wake of the blasts in Bihar's Bodh Gaya town.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/bodh-gaya-blasts-stay-calm-says-tibetan-religious-head_860690.html

Opinion and Analysis

Dalai Lama should accept Tibet as a part of China to improve ties - DNAindia

9 July | China today said that Dalai Lama can improve ties with it only by giving up wish for Tibetan independence and publicly announcing that Tibet is an inalienable part of the country.

http://www.dnaindia.com/world/1859107/report-dalai-lama-should-accept-tibet-as-a-part-of-china-to-improve-ties

China vows to step up fight against Dalai Lama as shootings reported - Reuters

9 July | China's top official in charge of religious groups and ethnic minorities vowed on Tuesday to step up the fight against exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, as a rights group reported police shootings of monks marking his birthday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/09/us-china-tibet-idUSBRE96802X20130709

Tweeting the truth - TimesCrest

6 July | Tsering Woeser continues to search for the Tibetan dream with her blogs and tweets even as China turns her life into a nightmare.

http://www.timescrest.com/coverstory/tweeting-the-truth-10651

Week Ending July 5, 2013

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 5 July 2013

Self-Immolations, Protests, and Restrictions in Tibet

China implements measures to appoint political monks in guise of spiritual teachers - TCHRD

5 July | Despite verbal news of 'experimental' policy changes regarding displaying the Dalai Lama's portrait, no written permission in the form of documents endorsing a policy change was distributed among these monasteries indicating that the authorities are unsure of how the trial measures on the Dalai Lama will play out over time. Now new regulations give Party authorities the power to appoint Buddhist instructors.

http://www.tchrd.org/2013/07/china-implements-measures-to-appoint-political-monks-in-guise-of-spiritual-teachers/

Tibetan Monk Detained After Disrupting Government Celebration - RFA

2 July | Chinese authorities in Tibet have detained a young monk, Lobsang Gendun (20) after he disrupted official celebrations of Chinese Communist Party rule by shouting slogans calling for Tibetan independence in the Chamdo prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/disrupting-07022013144605.html

US Envoy Shown a 'Peaceful' Lhasa During Visit to Tibet - RFA

28 June | A visit to Tibet’s regional capital Lhasa by a senior U.S. diplomat was highly staged, with all signs of a typically heavy security presence removed from central areas in the city before his delegation’s arrival, according to a source inside Tibet.

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/shown-06282013155437.html

News

As Tibetans celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 78th birthday, a video snapshot of Tibet Lobby Day - BoingBoing

3 July | Xeni Jardin traveled to Washington, DC to document a group of Tibetan-American activists asking lawmakers to open up immigration doors for political refugees, and hold China accountable for human rights.

http://boingboing.net/2013/07/03/as-tibetans-celebrate-the-dala.html

Contested renovation in Tibet capital complete - Fox News

2 July | Chinese state media reported that the 1.5 billion yuan ‘renovation’ project in Lhasa around the Jokhang Temple is ‘complete’.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/02/contested-renovation-in-tibet-capital-complete/#ixzz2Xzokgr2I

Embassy Row: Unlocking Tibet - Washington Times

2 July | The American embassy in China released photos of US Ambassador Gary Locke’s three-day visit to Tibet with family and embassy staff.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/2/embassy-row-unlocking-tibet/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS

Opinion and Analysis

Show solidarity with Tibet, EU urged - Public Service Europe

3 July | According to Elena Gaita, the people of the Baltic know what it is to face political persecution, so the Lithuanian EU presidency would be an appropriate time to facilitate engagement between the Dalai Lama and China.

http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/3673/show-solidarity-with-tibet-eu-urged

The ‘Mani Stones’ in an ‘Environmental Migrants Village’ by Woeser - High Peaks Pure Earth

1 July | Woeser writes about her encounters with the people directly affected by the Chinese government aims since 2006 to “Build a New Socialist Countryside”, with the policy of re-settling nomads and herdsmen, based on her travels in 2007 and also 2012.

http://highpeakspureearth.com/2013/the-mani-stones-in-an-environmental-migrants-village-by-woeser/

Conversing with Clare Harris, Author of “The Museum on the Roof of the World” - Cerise Press

1 July | Dechen Pemba interviews Clare Harris about her research on Tibetan artefacts in museums, the relationships between art and politics and representation, and the contemporary international Tibetan art scene.

http://www.cerisepress.com/05/13/conversing-with-clare-harris-author-of-the-museum-on-the-roof-of-the-world/view-all

Week Ending June 28, 2013

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 28 June 2013

Self-Immolations, Protests, and Restrictions in Tibet

China: End Involuntary Rehousing and Relocation of Tibetans - HRW

27 June | Since 2006, over two million Tibetans have been “rehoused” – through government-ordered renovation or construction of new houses – in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), while hundreds of thousands of nomadic herders in the eastern part of the Tibetan plateau have been relocated or settled in “New Socialist Villages.”

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/06/27/china-end-involuntary-rehousing-relocation-tibetans

Tibetans Openly Allowed to Revere the Dalai Lama in Two Chinese Provinces - RFA

27 June | Chinese authorities in Tibetan-populated areas of Qinghai and Sichuan are allowing monks to openly venerate the Dalai Lama as a religious leader but not as a “political” figure, according to sources citing official statements introducing the “experimental” new policy.

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/allowed-06262013180033.html

Related

Rumour Watch: Will China Allow Limited Veneration of the Dalai Lama? - Tea Leaf Nation

26 June | Despite lack of official confirmation, rumors are spreading online about the possibility of legal religious veneration of the Dalai Lama in some areas.

http://www.tealeafnation.com/2013/06/will-china-allow-limited-veneration-of-dalai-lama/#sthash.0CAIOYso.dpuf

News

China resettles nearly 2 million Tibetans, says Human Rights Watch - BBC

27 June | Tightened security over the entire Tibetan plateau: grid monitoring systems, forced resettlement into ‘socialist villages’, and unconfirmed reports of an experimental policy change supposedly allowing Tibetans to venerate the Dalai Lama as a religious leader.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-23081653

Pillay: 20 years after historic human rights breakthrough, much work remains - OHCHR

27 June | Navi Pillay said there had been significant achievements since a historic human rights document was adopted in Vienna 20 years ago, but there have also been many setbacks and “the magnificent construction is still only half built.”

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/Media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true&LangID=E

US Ambassador to China visits Tibet amid wave of self-immolations - Quartz

27 June | Gary Locke is on a three-day trip with members of his family and several embassy staff to meet with residents and government officials and raise concerns about the “deteriorating human rights situation,” specifically the self-immolations by Tibetans in protest against Chinese rule.

http://qz.com/97972/us-ambassador-to-china-visits-tibet-amid-wave-of-self-immolations/

Hague seeks to calm waters over Tibet - SCMP

25 June | British Foreign Secretary William Hague told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi yesterday that "London recognises Tibet as part of China".

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1268323/hague-seeks-calm-waters-over-tibet

Opinion and Analysis

New challenges to Tibet policy from inside China - ICT

27 June | Proposals to display portraits of the Dalai Lama, end denunciation of the Tibetan leader, and lessen police presence in monasteries have been discussed at a series of meetings in Qinghai, according to several unofficial Tibetan sources.

http://www.savetibet.org/new-challenges-to-tibet-policy-from-inside-china/

“My response on Twitter to the Peoples Daily concerning the situation of Lhasa’s old town” by Woeser - High Peaks Pure Earth

24 June | Woeser’s blogpsot from May 18 responding to counter-reports from Chinese media on the condition and ‘developments’ taking place in Lhasa.

http://highpeakspureearth.com/2013/my-response-on-twitter-to-the-peoples-daily-concerning-the-situation-of-lhasas-old-town-by-woeser/

Tibet: China Yet Again Not Obliging Human Rights Changes - UNPO

25 June | The EU is having difficulties again being in dialogue with the Chinese government regarding pressing concerns such as the death penalty, freedom of speech and other human rights issues.

http://www.unpo.org/article/16109

Reaching for the sky: A policy solution to gender inequality - Phayul

24 June | Tenzin Palkyi and Tenzin Dickyi argue that the CTA “ is hampered by a weak Women’s Empowerment Policy that doesn’t even acknowledge the existence of gender discrimination in our society” and “the present gender inequality in Tibetan society is a serious problem that Sikyong Lobsang Sangay’s Kashag has a real opportunity to address by implementing a credible Women’s Empowerment Policy that can be a lasting legacy”.

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?c=4&t=1&id=33644&article=REACHING+FOR+THE+SKY%3a+A+Policy+Solution+to+Gender+Inequality

Week Ending June 21, 2013

International Tibet Network News Digest & Analysis: 21 June 2013

Self-Immolations, Protests, and Restrictions in Tibet

Security in Tibet: Grid Locked - The Economist

22 June | Grid-based surveillance in Tibet escalates; “Nothing must leave the grid” is Dongcheng’s motto, meaning problems must be nipped in the bud.

http://www.economist.com/news/china/21579848-help-experts-beijing-tibet-tightens-its-systems-surveillance-grid-locked

Tibetan writer Woeser again placed under house arrest - RFA

20 June | “We have been placed under house arrest again,” Woeser wrote on her blog on Thursday, saying that she and her husband Wang Lixiong were taken into custody by police and state security agents in a suburban district of Beijing municipality on Wednesday afternoon before being taken home.

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/arrest-06202013171541.html

Clampdown imposed as nun secretly cremated after burning protest - RFA

17 June | Chinese authorities have moved to block demonstrations of support for a Tibetan nun, Wanchen Dolma (31), who was secretly cremated after she died days after her self-immolation protest in Sichuan province.

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/clampdown-06172013153330.html

News

Xi looks to Mao for inspiration to solve corruption - SCMP

19 June | The Communist Party, under new general secretary Xi Jinping, is delving deeper into the legacy of the late Mao Zedong for inspiration to help clean up its ranks amid rising disillusionment over widespread official corruption.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1263927/xi-looks-legacy-mao-inspiration-solve-corruption

China completes monitoring scheme for Tibet - Al Jazeera

19 June | Government official Nyima Doje told state media on Wednesday that the scheme "is conducive to protecting citizens' personal information and curbing the spread of detrimental information". Tibetans are already closely watched due to decades of unrest in protest at Chinese rule.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/06/2013619115455987467.html

Syria ruled G8 summit, Tibet feels excluded - HNGN

19 June | At the conclusion of the two-day G8 summit in Northern Ireland global economic leaders issued a joint communiqué vowing full support for a political solution to the Syrian civil war but Tibet advocates felt excluded from the joint communiqué. http://www.hngn.com/articles/5715/20130619/syria-ruled-g8-summit-tibet-feels-excluded.htm

Opinion and Analysis

Tibet policy: Bold new proposals - The Economist

22 June | A combination of economic development and political repression was meant to reconcile Tibetans to Chinese rule and wean them off their loyalty to the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader. Instead disaffection is still rife, especially among the young.

http://www.economist.com/news/china/21579847-welcome-signs-some-officials-are-last-starting-question-policies-tibet-bold-new

China’s “Benefit the Masses” Campaign Surveilling Tibetans - Human Rights Watch

19 June | The Chinese government, under the rationale of a campaign to improve rural living standards, has sent more than 20,000 officials and communist party cadres to Tibetan villages to undertake intrusive surveillance of people, carry out widespread political re-education, and establish partisan security units.

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/06/18/china-benefit-masses-campaign-surveilling-tibetans

Gateway to Lhasa - Shadow Tibet

18 June | Jamyang Norbu writes on Tibetan musicians Dadon and Tenzin Gompo and the song “Gateway to Lhasa” with recordings and lyrics in Tibetan, English, and Chinese.

http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2013/06/18/gateway-to-lhasa/

Public Talk in Sydney - Youtube (ATC)

16 June | Kyinzom Dhongdue, Communications and Government Relations Manager at Australia Tibet Council, speaks on the power of grassroots support for Tibet at the Dalai Lama’s public talk in Sydney.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5ZD_eUOVOs