TROUBLE IN TIBET – STOP THE CULTURAL GENOCIDE. Disorienting social and economic change is under way in Tibet. The exiled Dalai Lama accuses China of “cultural genocide” (monasteries are being harassed, and in some parts of the plateau Chinese-language education erodes traditional ways).
The Exiled Supreme Ruler of Tibet His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama expressed deep concern about Cultural Genocide in Occupied Tibet.
TROUBLE IN TIBET – STOP THE CULTURAL GENOCIDE: Disorienting social and economic change is under way in Tibet. The exiled Dalai Lama accuses China of “cultural genocide” (monasteries are being harassed, and in some parts of the plateau Chinese-language education erodes traditional ways).
UNPACIFIED PLATEAU: TIBET
Disorienting social and economic change is under way in Tibet. The exiled Dalai Lama accuses China of “cultural genocide” (monasteries are being harassed, and in some parts of the plateau Chinese-language education erodes traditional ways).
Government infrastructure investment in the Tibetan Autonomous Region has spurred mass tourism, but Tibetan resentment at missing out on tourism – and construction-related jobs was a big cause of rioting in Lhasa and elsewhere in 2008. Nor do the 6 million Tibetans (seen as troublemakers by China) migrate much to places with more opportunities: only around 1% have settled outside the plateau. The few private-sector jobs in Tibet mostly go to Han Chinese, so educated Tibetans mostly work for the government. The Chinese name for Tibet, Xizang, means “western treasure house” but Tibetans have little share in its spoils.
Disorienting social and economic change is under way in Tibet. The exiled Dalai Lama accuses China of “cultural genocide” (monasteries are being harassed, and in some parts of the plateau Chinese-language education erodes traditional ways).
Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Divide and Rule Policy
TROUBLE IN TIBET – RED CHINA’S DIVIDE AND RULE POLICY.
Imperialism is a major colonizing force. Under Red China’s military occupation, Tibet exists as a Colony and population of Tibet is subdued by brutal force in an attempt to assimilate Tibetans to the Colonizer’s way of life. Red China’s colonization of Tibet is defacing every aspect of the Land of Tibet. Now, reports indicate that Red China is deliberately pitching different sects of Tibetan Buddhism against each other to undermine the influence of Dalai Lama on Tibetan cultural institutions that traditionally recognize and respect Tibetan Institution of Governance called Ganden Phodrang.
TROUBLE IN TIBET – RED CHINA’S DIVIDE AND RULE POLICY. HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA, THE SUPREME RULER OF TIBET. HE BELONGS TO THE GELUG OR YELLOW HAT TRADITION OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM.Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Divide and Rule Policy.
HINDUSTAN TIMES
CHINA SIGNALS POLICY SHIFT ON DALAI LAMA
Tibet Awareness – Supreme Ruler of Tibet forced to live in exile. The 14th Dalai Lama fleeing from Tibet to India across the Himalayas, following a failed uprising against the Chinese occupation, in 1959. He is riding a white pony, third from the right (Getty Images)
Jayadeva Ranade| Updated: Apr 05, 2016 13:51 IST
A discernible shift in Beijing’s policy towards the Dalai Lama was seen at the 4th plenary session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s version of a parliament, which concluded on March 15, 2016. China utilised the Chinese People’s Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and NPC sessions – popularly called the ‘Big Two’ — to drive a wedge between the Dalai Lama and the various Tibetan Buddhist sects in a bid to undermine and isolate him.
An indication of the shift in the Chinese government’s stance towards the Dalai Lama was the remark by Padma Choling, deputy party secretary in the Tibet Autonomous Region. He told journalists during the NPC session that the Dalai Lama “was no longer a religious leader after he defected his country and betrayed its people. If the Dalai Lama wants to return to China, he must give up ‘Tibet independence,’ and must publicly acknowledge Tibet and Taiwan are inseparable parts of China and that the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government.” Choling’s remarks are significant as they show, in the words of an analyst, that “the legitimacy of the Dalai Lama’s status as a religious leader was no longer acknowledged by the central government as he has failed to fulfil his obligation to inherit and spread Buddhism and continued his separatist activities.”
The policy shift follows the declaration by the Politburo Standing Committee after a week-long closed-door conclave in 2015 that Beijing has the final say in recognition of the Dalai Lama. The official news agency, Xinhua, asserted that “all confirmations of the Dalai Lama have required approval by the central Chinese government, which has deemed the process an important issue concerning sovereignty and national security.” An anonymous source cited by AsiaNews quoted Xi Jinping as saying at the meeting that the Chinese Communist Party would pick “the next Dalai Lama, period! If things do not go well, we are ready to take corrective action.”
In recent deliberations there was a deliberate effort to to single out the Dalai Lama for criticism. For instance, three Chinese singers and actors had visited Bodh Gaya last month to commemorate the 92nd birth anniversary of the late predecessor of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa. But the Deputy Party Secretary of TAR, Wu Yingjie, chose to raise the issue during the NPC session. Speaking to reporters, he criticised renowned Chinese singer Faye Wong, actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai and actor Hu Jun for attending the event. He said, “We hope the celebrities take the responsibility for their own deeds. We firmly oppose all celebrities, however influential they are, and whatever purpose they have, to make any contact with the 14th Dalai clique, or even help him spread his ideas.” Notably while the Dalai Lama and his “clique” were singled out for criticism and visitors warned to avoid contact with them, any critical reference to the Gyalwa Karmapa, who heads the Karma Kargyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, was carefully avoided. Beijing is trying to undermine the Dalai Lama and draw a distinction between him and other Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders.
Jayadeva Ranade is president, Centre for China Analysis and Strategy. The views expressed are personal
Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Divide and Rule Policy. Dividing Tibetans on sectarian lines.Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Divide and Rule Policy is sowing divisions among Tibetans.Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Divide and Rule Policy aims to weaken Tibetan Resistance to Colonization.Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Divide and Rule Policy aims to neutralize Tibetan Resistance to military occupation.Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Divide and Rule Policy. Subjugate Tibetans to embrace Colonization.Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Divide and Rule Policy pitches Gyalwa Karmapa against Dalai Lama to neutralize Tibetan Resistance to Colonization.Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Divide and Rule Policy. I am asking for Tibetan Unity to sustain Tibetan Resistance to Colonization.Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Divide and Rule Policy. Prayers and Aspirations For Tibetan Unity to Resist Occupation.
Trouble in Tibet – Tibetan Way of Life under Constant Surveillance
TROUBLE IN TIBET – YOKE OF OCCUPATION. RED CHINA IMPOSES CONSTRAINTS ON TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONASTERIES. Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Police inside keep an eye on monks day and night, says a source.
Tibet is not part of Red China. Tibet is yoked with Red China by her military occupation. This yoking describes subjection, bondage, servitude, enslavement, hardship, burden, trouble, pain, suffering, and sorrow of Tibetan people.
BIG NEWS NETWORK.com
CHINESE AUTHORITIES SLAP NEW CONSTRAINTS ON TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONASTERIES
RFA Wednesday 30th March, 2016
TROUBLE IN TIBET – YOKE OF OCCUPATION. RED CHINA SLAPS NEW CONSTRAINTS ON TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONASTERIES. Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Police inside keep an eye on monks day and night, says a source.
Chinese authorities in Tibet have imposed new restrictions on monasteries in a county in northwestern China’s Qinghai province, intensifying an existing ban on displaying photos of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Tibetan sources in the region and in exile said.
The restrictions pertain to Rongwo and other monasteries in Rebgong (in Chinese, Tongren) county, Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in northwestern China’s Qinghai province, a native of Rebgong who lives in exile in Europe said.
“During the month of March this year, the Chinese authorities imposed unprecedented restrictions on the display of the Dalai Lama’s photo in Rebgong’s Rongwo monastery and in other monasteries,” he told RFA’s Tibetan Service.
Authorities issued four restrictions to be implemented at Rongwo monastery, which was founded in the 14th century and is located 124 kilometers (77 miles) from the provincial capital Xining, and other Tibetan Buddhist institutions in the county, he said.
The first mandate requires monasteries to strictly follow the leadership of local management committees in implementing rules and regulations, he said.
Chinese authorities set up the management committees in early 2012 in most Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, placing them under the direct control of government officials who are permanently installed in the lamaseries.
The policy was enacted to ensure that monks and nuns do not participate in activities calling for an independent Tibet or disturb the social order through protests or self-immolations.
“The permanent posting of government or party officials inside monasteries is unprecedented in Tibet, let alone at such a senior level,” Human Rights Watch said in a March 2012 statement after the policy was established.
Under a previous policy, Tibetan monasteries had been administered by so-called democratic management committees whose members were nominated and selected by government and local Communist Party officials, although the body itself was comprised of monks elected by their own communities.
OTHER DIRECTIVES
The second requirement specifies that the custodians of shrines and temples should sign off on the management committee instructions to hold them responsible for the policy, the source said.
The third directive mandates that monks in charge of temples and shrines should oversee the safety of all statues and other property and prevent their fellow monks from participating in any activities that could bring disgrace to the monasteries, he said. Such activities include putting up posters against Chinese policy in Tibet and being involved in self-immolation protests.
There have been 144 self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since a wave of fiery protests began in 2009. Most protests feature demands for Tibetan freedom and the return of the 14th Dalai Lama, although a handful of self-immolation protests have occurred over local land or property disputes.
The last directive requires that all statues and photos of the Dalai Lama be removed from shrines and temples, the source said. If anyone is discovered violating this rule, he will be expelled from the monastery and could be handed over to authorities for prosecution.
“Shrines and temples that refuse to follow the instructions could be closed,” he said. “All these restrictions were imposed just this year, but they were planned more than a year ago.” In monasteries in Rebgong, a local government staff member is assigned to one to two monks to educate them on official rules and policy on regular basis as detailed in a government-issued instruction booklet, he said.
The officials are held responsible for the activities of the monks they instruct in the event that they commit an offense against Chinese rule and policy, a source from inside Tibet said.
The 80-year-old Dalai Lama, whose photos are banned by Chinese authorities in Tibetan areas, fled Tibet into exile in India in 1959 and is reviled by Chinese leaders as a dangerous separatist who seeks to split the formerly self-governing region from Beijing’s rule.
The Dalai Lama, however, says he seeks only “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet as a part of China with protections for the region’s language, religion, and culture.
Reported by Sonam Wangdu and Dorjee Tso for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Copyright 1998-2014, RFA. Published with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036
Trouble in Tibet – Yoke of Occupation. Serdzong Monastery in Qinghai Province. Red China slaps constraints on Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries. Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Police inside keep an eye on monks day and night, says a source.Trouble in Tibet – Yoke of Occupation. The Gate of Rongwo Tibetan Buddhist Monastery. Red China controls Buddhist Monasteries. Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Police inside keep an eye on monks day and night, says a source.Trouble in Tibet – Yoke of Occupation. Red China controls Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries. Dolma Square. Rongwo Monastery. Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Police inside keep an eye on monks day and night, says a source.Trouble in Tibet – Yoke of Occupation. Red China controls all aspects of Tibetan Buddhist Religion. Rongpo Gonchen, Tibet. Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Police inside keep an eye on monks day and night, says a source.Trouble in Tibet – Yoke of Occupation. Red China Controls Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries. Dolma Square in front of Rongwo Monastery. Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Police inside keep an eye on monks day and night, says a source.Trouble in Tibet – Yoke of Occupation. Red China imposes severe constraints on Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries. Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Police inside keep an eye on monks day and night, says a source.Trouble in Tibet – Yoke of Occupation. Red China imposed severe constraints on Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries. Rich interior of Samye Monastery. Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Police inside keep an eye on monks day and night, says a source.
Trouble in Tibet – Yoke of Occupation. Red China controls all aspects of Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhist monks and other worshippers gather on the premises of the Palyul Thartang Gonchen Monastery in the Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, western China’s Qinghai province, in an undated photo. Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Police inside keep an eye on monks day and night, says a source.
Whole Trouble – Red China’s Propaganda Warfare to suppress Tibetan Identity
Red China uses Propaganda Warfare to deny basic human rights to Tibetans living under her subjugation. Modern technology provides vast array of tools to conduct effective Propaganda Warfare but no type of Warfare is a substitute for principles such as Freedom, Peace, Justice, Democracy, and Human Rights.
Whole Trouble – Red China’s Propaganda Warfare to suppress Tibetan Identity
PROPAGANDA MACHINE IN DICTATOR MAO’S CHINA FAILS ITS CAMPAIGN ON TIBET
Wednesday, 09 March 2016 16:43 Yeshe Choesang, Tibet Post International
PROPAGANDA MACHINE IN DICTATOR MAO’S CHINA FAILS ITS CAMPAIGN ON TIBET
Dharamshala — China’s iron-fisted policy has bestowed to Tibet occupation, colonization, political repression, cultural assimilation, and environmental destruction among other factors for more than half a century making the conflict in Tibet one of the long-standing global issues. There is no visible difference, whether they call it China’s third era, the end of reform, growth, or stability. What the people of Tibet know is that China wants Tibet, but not the Tibetan people. The situation in the homeland of Tibetan people has only become worse with time. In the last eight years, over 150 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest of repressive Chinese policies that stifle basic freedoms including expression, faith and language. The Chinese government has left no stone unturned in systematically attempting to eradicate Tibetans’ cultural way of life and belief. The international community must first understand that Chinese government is still a regime of authoritarian founded by Mao Zedong, known as the greatest mass murderer in world history, violating not only the rights of people of Tibet but also its own citizens— strengthening its terrorism suppression against the dissidents, human rights lawyers, and all kinds of religious and faith groups. It also strengthened its extreme acts of greed against freedom of expression, including blockade and control of the Internet, broadcasting, and print media. China is one of the top ten worst nations in the world for decades, with pervasive and increased regime control on the freedom of press whether in form of censorship or with new surveillance tactics, is limiting freedom of expression and amplifying self-censorship among the internet users in the country. Leading Chinese state-run media initially had very few news articles about the Tibetans who set themselves on fire, only reporting that it was due to family or personal issues. Later China used its leading propaganda machines and shifted the blame to Tibetans in exile, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Tibetan self-immolation protests, without a single piece of evidence, claiming they have incited the “extreme acts” against Chinese rule. However, the Central Tibetan government immediately responded, saying the fundamental reasons for the increasing number of self-immolations in Tibet, lies solely in China’s massive policy failure over the course of the more than 60 year rule, driving so many young Tibetans to self-immolation. These immolations, which in reality have been caused by political repression, cultural assimilation, social discrimination, economic marginalization and environmental destruction, have been widely covered in the domestic and international media and in social media. People care deeply about the values on which their nations were created: freedom, democracy and justice. Many nations in the world won their independence through a freedom struggle by different rebellions. However, India won based on the principles of nonviolence, non-cooperation and civil disobedience. This legacy of resistance has been a source of inspiration for independence struggles all over the world, and continues to motivate the people of Tibet in their freedom struggle. Tibet and India have shared a peaceful border for many centuries, owing to close cultural and spiritual ties. Following the illegal occupation of Tibet by China, the new Indo-Tibet border became one of the most highly militarized in the world. The United Nations Security Council Resolutions No 1368 (UNSC, 2001a) and No 1373 (UNSC, 2001b) were passed in the days following the attacks on World Trade Centre and Pentagon. Both opened up new approaches to stop and prevent political violence. One direct result of the global efforts by states to fight “terrorism” is an expansion of the definition and use of the term “acts of terror”. Due to lack of consensus on what constitute “acts of terror” or who are “terrorist” these resolutions left it to each state to come up with their own definitions and use of such labels. In many cases, the definitions fail to draw up clear boundaries between “terrorists” and “freedom fighters”. This ambiguity became an important opportunity for the Chinese regime’s efforts to delegitimize opponents by making ordinary political actions illegal and labeling them “terrorism.” Most of China’s recent new laws include tougher punishment, less rigorous civil rights, and that the burden of proof is less strict than otherwise. Party support is huge for a tough policy against anyone labeled ‘terrorist’ in China, particularly in Tibet and other occupied territories. No matter whether they are freedom fighters or dissidents, China went to the extreme to label oppositional voices as terrorists. However, China must know that many UN members have strongly expressed that human rights and the provision of fundamental freedoms must be ensured while speaking about fighting terrorism. “The main principles of international law, especially international humanitarian and human rights law, should be respected.” When the Tibetans in exile decided to have their first democratic elections for their political leader in 2011, cam just after the devolution of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s political responsibilities to the democratically elected Tibetan leaders, the Chinese propaganda got a lot of governmental support for their criminalization of Tibetan people exercising their right to participate in elections. Similarly, a so called People Daily editor Li Hongmei, unhappy with the success of exile Tibetan democratic election, wrote an article four years ago titled, “Terrorist poised to rule “Tibetan government in-exile” labeling Dr Lobsang Sangay Tibetan Prime Minister-elect a terrorist for once serving as an executive member in the pro-independence Tibetan Youth Congress. It drew sharp reactions from international media, reminding the international community that Tibetan people continue to engage in peaceful and non-violent forms of resistance and have openly and defiantly expressed their reverence and faith in His Holiness the Dalai Lama. China has completely failed in its efforts in labeling Tibetan people as terrorist. No one in the world calls the Tibetan people terrorists, or the Tibetan government a terrorist group. Instead, the world formally recognizes the people of Tibet as peace loving and non-violent people and their struggle for freedom and justice as a symbol of nonviolent and peaceful movement. As a result, there has been significant disagreement between the Chinese government and international community. Today, China is still a communist country. It is therefore logical for observers to simply understand its true nature as a monolithic communist authoritarian state or a totalitarian regime. Starting in 1949, Tibet was invaded by 35,000 Chinese troops who systematically raped, tortured and murdered an estimated 1.2 million Tibetans, one-fifth of the country’s population. Since then over 6000 monasteries have been destroyed, and thousands of Tibetans have been imprisoned. It is estimated that up to 260,000 people died in prisons and labor camps between 1950 and 1984. China has also lost its international reputation and any remaining right to moral leadership by defending their failed policies with an iron fist in the past six decades. Chinese people must know that historically Tibet and China were two different entities as enshrined in the Treaty of 821-822, which states that “Tibetans shall be happy in the land of Tibet and Chinese will be happy in the land of China.” Leading communist propaganda, particularly “Xinhua,” is considered to be one of the biggest news agency in China, but in hurry to discredit a proper historical background, claims “the titles of Dalai Lama and Panchen Erdini were conferred by the Central Government of the Qing Dynasty”, which later proved to be false. It drew sharp reactions from international media for several days. The simple historical fact accounts that the title “Dalai Lama” was offered by the Mongol Price Altan Khan to Sonam Gyatso in 1578, who became known as the Third Dalai Lama, while his two previous recognized incarnations came to be referred to retrospectively as the first and second Dalai Lamas. The other claim that the Qing Dynasty originally conferred the title “Panchen” is similarly untrue. The title “Panchen” came to be accorded to the abbots of Tashilhunpo Monastery in the following way. Gedun Drup, who was retrospectively recognized as the First Dalai Lama, founded Tashilhunpo Monastery in 1447. When he met Panchen Choglay Namgyal, another erudite contemporary, Gedun Drup answered all the spiritual questions the great master put to him. Deeply impressed, Panchen Choglay Namgyal bestowed on him the title “All-knowing”. Subsequently, Gedun Drup came to be known by the titles “All-knowing” and “Panchen”. The word Panchen is made up of the first syllables of two words, “Pandita”, a Sanskrit word meaning scholar, and “Chenpo”, a Tibetan word meaning great. In 1731 Manchu Emperor Kiang-shi offered the title Erdini to the Fifth Panchen Lama, Lobsang Yeshi. Erdini is a Mongol word meaning “Precious Jewel” and is merely a complimentary title shared with many Mongolian lamas. If respect for Tibetan Buddhist tradition and customary methods are the criteria for the legality and validity of the search and recognition of the reincarnation of the Tibetan Lamas, there are no grounds for opposing His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s decision. The Chinese state-controlled propaganda of the longest-lasting repressive regime in Modern history continue to claim that Tibetans are happy in Tibet and enjoying a “socialist paradise.” In the past six decades, they have depicted happy smiling Tibetans in posters and propaganda as living in a “Maoist socialist paradise” where all their needs have been taken care of by the benevolent communist party. They took away our freedom and our country in the name of “liberation” and “development.” Which has been unacceptable to people of Tibet – as it has legally, historically and politically been independent. When China invaded Tibet, started from 1949, it promised the Tibetan people a “socialist paradise.” First, roads were built and, along these roads, Tibet’s untapped and abundant mineral and other natural resources were carted to China. Forests were logged. Countless and priceless statues and cultural artifacts housed in destroyed monasteries and temples made their way to China. In reality, the “socialist paradise” the Tibetans were promised turned into colonialism, with Tibet’s resources used to fuel China’s development. The Tibetan people resisted this development with determination but the resistance was crushed with military might. This is the Tibetan experience of China’s “Socialist paradise.” In criteria of being unbiased, none of the state-run newspapers and channels fare well. During Barack Obama’s Presidential inauguration in 2009, the CCTV ran news censoring President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech, cutting references to “communism” and “dissent” from transcripts even as the speech was being broadcast. Some but not all, of the major news websites quickly followed suit, posting the full transcript of the speech but with offending words removed. Similarly on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech calling for China to lift their restrictions on citizens’ use of the internet, most of Chinese media dismissed the call, but the critical Chinese reports were then cut from websites. The media in China has no history, which have been part of a long-lasting campaign of propaganda elaborated by the state-run press. In China, authoritarianism has reached a completely new level. Political analysts have used terms like “brainwashing” and “propaganda” to describe the main reasons explaining the survival of this autocratic system. While observing this, can’t we then see the reasons behind violent acts? By that criteria, every violent act by non-Chinese will be a terrorism and every confrontation between minority and Chinese a racial act. More shameful is the fact that Chinese media labels the guilty even before police registration. To the peace-loving international community and the people of Tibet, the Western media has performed their every possible corresponding duties to the best of their efforts. It is the Chinese propaganda machines who have made obvious errors, especially in their coverage of the widespread peaceful protests in Tibet. For Tibetans, Chinese state-run media is the most dangerous propaganda group in the world. It is true that the Chinese media has received widespread international criticism in their biased coverage. So many western and Tibetan media have done excellent analyses of the true nature of Chinese media in recent years, which focuses attention on the misleading, advertisements portraying Tibetan families before 1940s with other recent well-dressed family photos including a nice house with a big television, aiming to prove the improvements made in Tibet made by the Chinese government. We the people of Tibet clearly know that Western media sympathize with the Tibetan side and not the Chinese government. This is no longer just an issue of Tibet, but an issue of free nations needing to uphold principles of democracy, peace, freedom and human rights. The Western media has made unavoidable errors in reporting news about Tibet. But, it is important to look at the reason for these errors. Had the Chinese government had not barred them from reporting, or even entering, areas in Tibet, they could have offered a completed information about the 2008 widespread peaceful protests against China’s rule, and could continue to report accurate news. We all are now well aware of the harshest censorship in Tibet in history. Thanks to the information technology that has brought a new kind of revolution in journalism in most of parts of the world. However we understand that we are talking about a very dangerous and extremely effective propaganda machine which has existed for many decades, since dictator Mao era. Authorities in China have too long controlled the news that flows, however slightly, from within Tibet. In a hurry to change news angle in their own favor, they ignore the principles we value in democratic societies and the importance of independent media, making China the best example of the greatest enemy to press freedom.
Trouble in Tibet – The importance of Tibetan Well-Being
Trouble in Tibet – Problem of Tibetan Well-Being. It is easy to discuss Importance of Well-Being in General Terms. Can Dr. Richard J. Davidson Deconstruct Red China’s Evil Mind to secure Well-Being of Tibetans living under Chinese Repressive Rule?
I am asking for a Discussion About Importance of Tibetan Well-Being for there is Trouble in Tibet. I ask as to Who, When and Where will discuss Problem of Tibetan Well-Being. General discussions about Importance of Well-Being may have no material impact on Well-Being of Specific Communities who live under Occupation by repressive regimes. How to Deconstruct Red China’s Evil-Mindedness?
The Trouble in Tibet originates from Red China – Evil One. Her use of deception, craftiness, cunning, deceitful and wicked practices are ruining lives of innocent Tibetans without reason. Red China’s military occupation is detrimental to Tibetan Well-Being. Red China is Evil-Minded, and Evil-Hearted because of her malicious nature and she does Evil habitually. Is it possible to take ‘Evil’ out of Evil-Minded Red China?
DALAI LAMA AND OTHER LEADERS IN LIVESTREAM DISCUSSION ABOUT IMPORTANCE OF WELL-BEING
Posted by AMY BUCCI of National Geographic Staff on March 8, 2016
Trouble in Tibet. Red China Fools All People All The Time. Praying for descent of Swarm of Trillions of Honey Bees to sting and defeat People’s Liberation Army and force their withdrawal from occupied Tibet.
How might the world look 15 years from now if we choose well-being today? While economic prosperity has generally increased, why haven’t happiness and well-being? How can we decrease the costs related to depression and stress-related disorders that are projected to double to U.S. $6 trillion by 2030? How can we learn to be happy, to be kind, and to be grateful?
TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF TIBETAN WELL-BEING. DISCUSSION ABOUT IMPORTANCE OF WELL-BEING AT CAPITOL THEATER, MADISON, WISCONSIN
Along with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin is gathering world leaders in science, health care and media to alter humanity’s course by sharing how we can cultivate well-being in ourselves, our communities and the world.
You’re invited to “The World We Make” live-stream event on Wednesday, March 9 at 1:30 p.m. CST with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The live-stream is brought to you by the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the National Geographic Society and the Mind & Life Institute.
The event will be moderated by ABC News correspondent Dan Harris.
What does well-being mean to you? How do you make the world a kinder, wiser, more compassionate place? Tell us using the hashtag #maketheworld on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and your post may be featured live at the event.
Please come back at 1:30PM CST/2:30PM EST on Wednesday, March 9 to view the livestream below.
HINDUSTAN TIMES Dalai Lama to discuss global well-being with experts at US meet today
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi Updated: Mar 09, 2016 12:50 IST
His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the presenters of the morning session of the discussion “The World We Make” in Madison, WI, USA on March 9, 2016. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL
The Dalai Lama, who is a regular at the university, has espoused concepts such as secular ethics – which states that all humans, regardless of religion or background, should treat each other with compassion.
The Centre for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will host Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and a panel of experts at a live-streamed event aimed at promoting global well-being on Wednesday.
The event, The World We Make, will be held in the Capitol Theatre at the Overture Centre for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin, at 1.30 pm central time. The panel, moderated by ABC News anchor Dan Harris, will focus on how the world will look if the concept of well-being is put into practice. The event will be broadcast internationally through live streaming, thanks to a partnership with the National Geographic Society and the Mind and Life Institute.
“The science we are doing at UW–Madison is providing crucial evidence to support the idea that simple, secular mental practices can help people cultivate well-being,” says Davidson. “However, scientific research is not sufficient in itself. We need partnerships with global thought leaders like His Holiness the Dalai Lama to catalyse these conversations about well-being and inspire people to view it as a skill that can be learned.”
Concepts such as secular ethics — which states that all humans, regardless of religion or background, should treat each other with compassion — has been espoused by the Dalai Lama, who is a regular at the university. The other panelists at the event include:
Richard Davidson: The founder of the Center for Healthy Minds, he is best known for his groundbreaking research on emotion and the human brain.
Sona Dimidjian: An associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder, his research addresses issues regarding the treatment and prevention of depression – with emphasis on the mental health of women during pregnancy and postpartum.
Soma Stout: She is the executive external lead for health improvement of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the executive lead of 100 Million Healthier Lives, which brings together hundreds of partners across global communities to ensure healthier lives for over 100 million people by 2020.
Dan Harris: A correspondent of ABC News, he is the co-anchor for the weekend edition of ‘Good Morning America’, and a regular contributor to shows such as ‘Nightline’, ‘20/20’ and ‘World News Tonight’.
The sponsors of the event include PwC, a multinational professional services network; Steelcase, a professional firm; and ambassador sponsors Chade-Meng Tan, Jeffrey C Walker and Ready Set Productions.
Trouble in Tibet – Problem of Tibetan Well-Being. Dr. Richard J. Davidson Expert on ‘Mindfulness’. Can he Change Red China’s Evil-Minded Nature?Trouble in Tibet – Problem of Tibetan Well-Being. The Neuroscience of Leadership. Can Dr. Richard J. Davidson change Red China’s Evil-Hearted Nature?Trouble in Tibet – Problem of Tibetan Well-Being. It is easy to discuss Importance of Well-Being in general terms. I ask for a discussion that relates to a specific community such as Tibetans in Occupied Tibet and the plan to promote their well-being. Can Dr. Richard J. Davidson Deconstruct Red China’s Evil Mind to secure Well-Being of Tibetans living under Chinese Repressive Rule?
Exile Tibetans and supporters participate in a candlelight vigil to mourn and stand in solidarity with Lhamo Tsetan who died after setting himself on fire in Labrang in northeastern Tibet in protest against Chinese rule, in McLeod Ganj, India, on 26 October 2012.
‘Trouble in Tibet’ forces Tibetans to make hard choices. For this ‘Trouble’ is due to military occupation, Tibetans express sense of resentment to resist occupation as best as possible. Exiled Tibetan Community in India is mourning the loss of a teenager who sacrificed his life to oppose Occupation.
HINDUSTAN TIMES
Exiled community mourns as teenage self-immolator dies
FILE – Dorje Tsering, 16, who died from a cardiac after setting himself ablaze at a housing settlement for Tibetan refugees in northern India, seen at his high school in Dehradun, undated.
Trouble in Tibet – First Self-Immolation of Year 2016
TROUBLE IN TIBET – FIRST SELF-IMMOLATION OF YEAR 2016 REPORTED ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016.
Trouble in Tibet and its symptom is Self-Immolation, an act of Resistance and Self-Defense to oppose military occupation of Tibet.
FIRST SELF-IMMOLATION OF YEAR 2016 REPORTED IN TIBET
March 02, 2016.
Beijing: A Tibetan Buddhist monk set himself on fire and died in protest against the Chinese rule, in the first such action this year, a US government-funded radio station said on Wednesday.
Kalsang Wangdu self-immolated Monday afternoon near the Retsokha monastery in western Sichuan province’s traditionally Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Kardze, Radio Free Asia reported. It said the monk called out for Tibetan independence while he burned, then died on the way to a hospital in the provincial capital of Chengdu.
Tibetan exile sources say at least 114 monks and laypeople have self-immolated over the past five years, with most of them dying. Radio Free Asia puts the number of self-immolations at 144 since 2009.
Information from the region, which is largely cut off from the rest of the province by security checkpoints, is extremely hard to obtain, and local officials are reportedly under orders to remain silent about self-immolations. An officer who answered the phone Wednesday at Kardze police headquarters and gave his surname as Li said no such incident had been reported. “We are now in a period of preserving stability. If such a thing happens, we will make it known to the public,” Li said over phone.
Radio Free Asia and other groups also reported that a 16-year-old Tibetan living in India also set himself on fire on Monday as a protest, but that he survived.
The protests are seen as an extreme expression of the anger and frustration felt by many Tibetans living under heavy-handed Chinese rule. Many protesters also call for the return of the Tibetans’ exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 amid an abortive uprising against Chinese forces who had occupied the Himalayan region a decade earlier.
Tibetan monks and nuns are among the most active opponents of Chinese rule in the region and the strongest proponents of Tibet’s independent identity, prompting the authorities to subject them to some of the harshest and most intrusive restrictions.
Last year, Tibet’s Communist Party chief, Chen Quanguo, demanded that Buddhist monasteries display the national flag as part of efforts to shore up Chinese patriotism. Beijing blames the Dalai Lama and others for inciting the immolations and says it has made vast investments to develop the region’s economy and improve quality of life. The Dalai Lama says he is against all violence.
TROUBLE IN TIBET – FIRST SELF-IMMOLATION OF YEAR 2016. IMAGE OF TIBETAN SELF-IMMOLATION IN NEW DELHI on MARCH 26, 2012.TROUBLE IN TIBET – FIRST SELF-IMMOLATION OF YEAR 2016. TIBETAN JAMPA YESHI SELF-IMMOLATION PHOTO IMAGE.TROUBLE IN TIBET – FIRST SELF-IMMOLATION OF YEAR 2016. SELF-IMMOLATION IS SYMPTOM OF RESISTANCE TO OPPOSE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF TIBET.TROUBLE IN TIBET – FIRST SELF-IMMOLATION OF YEAR 2016 REPORTED. TIBETANS RESIST MILITARY OCCUPATION OF TIBET.
Tibet Consciousness – United We Stand, Divided We Fall
The False Panchen Lama Ordains Monks in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery—for the Communist Party.
Red China is using religion as a political weapon to disrupt Tibetan Unity and to deliberately weaken Tibetan Solidarity. Red China apart from her military power, is using her economic power to tear apart Tibetan community by pitching followers of one group or sect against another Buddhist group or entity. This policy of ‘Divide and Rule’ is a strategy that is successfully used by Imperial Powers and Colonialist rulers to subjugate native population of countries they occupy, dominate, and exploit to accomplish their selfish goals.
November 4, 2023, corresponding to the twenty-second day of the ninth month in the Tibetan calendar, was the day of the Lhabab Düchen festival. It celebrates the descent of Buddha back to earth from heaven, where he had ascended at age 41 to impart teachings to the gods and liberate his mother from Samsara. The false Panchen Lama selected this sacred day to ordain, for the first time, 28 monks in the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse. The monastery is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas, which he unlawfully occupies.
THE POLITICS OF TIBET’S POISONOUS RELIGIOUS DIVIDE
By Reuters Staff December 23, 2015
Tibetan Buddhist monks attend a Buddhism gathering overseen by Gyaltsen Norbu, the 11th Panchen Lama, at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, December 8, 2015. REUTERS/China Daily)
The doctrinal schism that the Chinese Communist Party is using to hound the Dalai Lama arose long ago in the internecine politics of his own school of Tibetan Buddhism. Dalai Lamas are drawn from the dominant Gelugpa School, one of the four major Buddhist traditions in Tibet.
When the 5th Dalai Lama united Tibet in the 17th Century, he made an effort to embrace the other schools to enhance political unity, according to the French Tibetologist Thierry Dodin. This move angered other senior members of the Gelugpa School who opposed sharing power and privilege. They united in a clique within their school around the worship of Dorje Shugden, then a little-known “protector deity.”
Over the centuries, Shugden devotees came to dominate the Gelugpa School and the religious politics of Tibet. After the Communists came to power in 1949, Shugden practitioners became influential in the exiled Tibetan communities in India and Nepal. At first, they were hostile to Beijing, particularly after Tibetan monasteries and cultural relics were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
That changed with the current Dalai Lama, 14th in the line. He too had been educated under senior Shugden monks. But from the mid-1970s, he began to shape a more inclusive doctrine. In part, this was a political move aimed at unifying the different traditions in Tibetan Buddhism in the face of pressure from Beijing, according to Dodin and other Tibet scholars. During a period of reflection, the Dalai Lama began to question the value of Shugden worship on the grounds it was harmful. In 1996, he publicly advised his followers to shun the practice.
Since then, scholars say, there has been a gradual shift towards Beijing by the Shugden movement – a move that accelerated in the past decade. China is careful to avoid obvious public references to its Shugden strategy. But on the ground, evidence abounds that Beijing has thrown its weight behind Shugden devotees.
GENEROUS FUNDING
Chinese authorities have poured funds into rebuilding and maintaining Shugden monasteries in the Tibet Autonomous Region and surrounding provinces. Reports in the state-run media show that China has financed extensive restoration at the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery in Yunnan Province and the Dungkar Monastery near Tibet’s frontier with India, both leading Shugden monasteries.
“There’s a massive drive to keep the remaining Shugden strongholds alive with a lot of support from the party,” said Dodin, director of the website TibetInfoNet. “This does not mean that others are left in decrepitude, but there is no such thing as a poor Shugden monastery.”
Buddhists who openly follow the Dalai Lama’s teachings face persecution by Chinese authorities, according to human rights groups and exiled Tibetans. It is now a criminal offence to discourage Shugden worship, they say.
Beijing also allows Shugden monks to travel overseas to teach and study with foreign Buddhists and exiled Tibetans.
In December 2012, Beijing sponsored the visit to Switzerland of Lama Jampa Ngodup Wangchuk Rinpoche, the first Tibetan lama sent abroad by the government to teach, according to the website dorjeshugden.com, one of the websites that publish news and commentary about the sect.
“By officially nominating him to travel abroad to teach, this would mean that the Chinese government is openly encouraging the proliferation of Buddhism, China’s ancient heritage and Dorje Shudgen’s practice,” an article on the website said.
PROTECTIVE CUSTODY
Another clear signal of Beijing’s preference: Senior Shugden monks are central to China’s effort to educate the Panchen Lama, second only to the Dalai Lama in religious stature. In 1995, the Dalai Lama recognized a six-year-old Tibetan boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama. The boy and his family soon disappeared; Chinese authorities have said he is in protective custody. To sideline the Dalai Lama’s choice, Beijing then recognized another Tibetan boy, Gyaltsen Norbu, as Panchen Lama. This maneuver was crucial to Beijing’s plans to control Tibetan Buddhism, as the Panchen Lama plays a major role in recognizing reincarnations of the Dalai Lama, according to supporters of the Dalai Lama and experts on Tibetan Buddhism.
Many of the senior teachers responsible for educating Beijing’s hand-picked Panchen Lama are Shugden practitioners, according to experts on Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Gangchen, the most influential Shugden monk living abroad, has been photographed with this Panchen Lama as well.
President Xi Jinping in June met the party-approved Panchen Lama in Beijing. The monk told Xi he would “resolutely uphold the unity of the motherland and its people,” state television reported.
Chinese authorities have put aside their atheist convictions to insist they will vet the selection of the next Dalai Lama, according to official statements and reports in the state-run media. This is part of an effort to ensure that the future spiritual leader of the more than six million ethnic Tibetans in Tibet and bordering provinces are loyal to the Communist Party. In response, the Dalai Lama has suggested he may reincarnate outside China or, perhaps, not at all.
That idea drew an outraged response from Zhu Weiqun, the point man in Beijing’s efforts to neutralize the Dalai Lama. “The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama has to be endorsed by the central government, not by any other sides, including the Dalai Lama himself,” Zhu said, according to a March 11 report in the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Gyaltsen Norbu (top 4th L), the 11th Panchen Lama, arrives at a Buddhism gathering at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, December 8, 2015. Picture taken December 8, 2015. REUTERS/China Daily/File Photo
Red China’s Strategy in Tibet – Rule with Iron Fist
Whole Strategy – Red China’s Strategy in Occupied Tibet. Rule with Iron Fist.
Red China on July 10, 2015 formulated a new strategy to suppress expression of Tibetan Identity in all areas of Tibet that include the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), and Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures incorporated into Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu Provinces encompassing the eastern Tibetan regions of Amdo, and Kham. Red China’s policy of Suppression of Tibetan Identity has achieved an altogether unintended purpose and it gives an opportunity to all Tibetans to collectively breakdown the knuckles of Red China’s Iron Fist and slacken her grip over Tibet.
Whole Strategy – Red China’s Strategy in Occupied Tibet. Rule with Iron Fist.
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
August 14, 2015
Tibet: Increased Militarization ahead of 50th Anniversary
Whole Strategy – Red China’s Strategy in Occupied Tibet. Rule with Iron Fist.
With the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) coming up on 1 September 2015, Chinese military troops have excessively increased their presence in the region during the month of August. Moreover, on 30 July 2015, a high-level meeting on Tibet security policy was convened by China’s top Politburo and presided over by President Xi Jinping himself.
In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops march during a grand ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region at the square of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015. Schoolchildren waved flags and paramilitary troops marched in full battle dress as the Chinese government on Tuesday staged a mass spectacle marking 50 years since Tibet’s establishment as an ethnic autonomous region firmly under the control of Beijing. (Pang Xinglei/Xinhua via AP)
Below is an article by INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET Major troop movements, including tanks or heavy artillery in convoys of more than 200 vehicles, have been observed in different parts of Tibet in the build-up to the September 1 anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region, which will be attended by Chinese leaders from Beijing. The People’s Liberation Army held major live fire exercises this week led by the Chengdu military district that oversees Tibet and the border areas. The importance of the Tibet issue at the highest levels in China was underlined by a meeting of the top Politburo led by Party Secretary Xi Jinping on July 30. The issue of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation was raised in the official media as a critical element of the PRC’s “sovereignty and national security”. The formation of a powerful new central group for ‘United Front’ work – the Party department involved in dialogue with the Dalai Lama’s representatives until talks stalled in January 2010 – is likely to indicate an upgrading of the department and a strengthening of control. An agreement formalizing cooperation on security and ‘political stability’ – a political term associated with a dramatic expansion of military and police powers – across Tibetan areas in the PRC was made in Lhasa on July 10. The new developments, which focus on a hard line approach to the Dalai Lama and struggle against ‘separatism’ set the tone for a key high-level strategy meeting rumored to be imminent that is intended to set Tibet policy for the coming decade. Linked to this, there is speculation that China’s Party Secretary and President Xi Jinping may visit Tibet in the next few weeks. Images and footage have emerged of major convoys of troops in transit in Lhasa and Shigatse (Chinese: Rikaze) in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), and Rebkong (Chinese: Tongren) in Qinghai, in July. While the purpose of some of the convoys appears to have been propaganda and intimidation, some of the troop movements may have been linked to major military exercises. The Chinese state media announced a joint military drill with live firing on Monday (August 10) on the Tibetan plateau in Sichuan (Xinhua, August 11, 2015). The footage depicts trucks full of armed troops passing through Lhasa near the Potala Palace and a main street in Shigatse. The vehicles have red banners on the side of the vehicles bearing slogans in Chinese characters including: “To defend security and stability in Tibet”; “A healthy civilian and peaceful society is the will of the people”; “Sincerely loyal to the Party and unswervingly work for its mission”. No air cover was reported by sources who observed the various convoys, and one source said that no troop movements of this scale had been observed in the areas before. One of the troop convoys in the TAR consisted of more than 200 vehicles, including several tanks either on wheels or caterpillar tracks, traveling from Lhasa in the direction of Bayi, which is the prefectural capital of Nyingtri/Kongpo (Chinese: Linzhi) and a major base of the armed forces in Tibet close to the border with India. The convoy included “bridges on wheels” – portable bridges to be dismantled and used for heavy vehicles crossing rivers or in areas affected by landslides. The purpose of the troop movements is not known, although it is likely to be a combination of conveying propaganda, overt intimidation and involvement in major military exercises. The Chinese state media announced this week that a joint military drill entered “live fire stage” “in a plateau area” in Sichuan, organized by the People’s Liberation Army Chengdu Military Area Command, which oversees Tibetan areas including the sensitive border with India. Code-named ‘Joint Action-2015D’, Xinhua reported that it was the “first of five similar drills that will involve a total of more than 140,000 soldiers from over 140 PLA regiments of various types.” (Xinhua, August 11, 2015). There has been a strong emphasis in the official press about the strengthening of control mechanisms at a time when the CCP authorities are preparing for the major 50th anniversary of their foundation of the TAR. While this is to be marked throughout August, the main date for the official celebration is September 1. Sources have reported tightened security in every sphere, including instructions on the importance of ‘stability’ conveyed to Tibetan trade organisations, business and tourist agencies and an increase in police checkpoints. Travel permits to the TAR are not being issued for at least the first week of September, according to a report posted on the website prweb.com on Jul 26, citing Tibet tourism bureau. The scale of the military movements in several different areas and tightened security across the TAR has also heightened speculation about an imminent visit of Party Secretary and President Xi Jinping to Tibet, according to various sources and comments circulating on social media. A meeting of the Chinese Politburo on July 30 presided over by Xi Jinping asserted the continued “anti-separatist” hard line approach by the authorities in Tibet, with Xinhua stating that “safeguarding national unity and enhancing ethnic unity” should be emphasized in order to achieve “long-term stability”. It was the second Politburo meeting in a period of ten days, discussing issues of China’s economy and development. The emphasis on Tibet policy indicates it is a matter of prominent concern at the highest levels of the CCP. Given the limited details released about the behind closed doors meeting, it is not possible to confirm whether Party control over the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation was discussed. Earlier last month the state media had released a statement objecting to the Dalai Lama’s comments in the New York Times on his own reincarnation. The state media report confirmed that the CCP authorities view this as “an important issue concerning sovereignty and national security.” (Xinhua, July 19, 2015). The Dalai Lama, who turned 80 on July 6, said recently: “The Chinese Communist Party is pretending that they know more about the reincarnation system than the Dalai Lama.” The significance of the Tibet issue to the Party was emphasized in an editorial in the Chinese-language publication Legal Daily, which stated: “Last year was the 20th anniversary of the beginning of partnered aiding Tibet, this year is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and next year is the 65th anniversary of the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. Against a backdrop of the convergence of these important points, central authorities have given the highest priority to making decisions about the development of Tibet.” The CCP prioritizes development, infrastructure construction and resource extraction as key elements of its strategic objectives in Tibet, casting support for the Dalai Lama and protection of Tibetan national identity as obstacles to its ambitions to re-shape the Tibetan plateau for its own purposes and ensure its dominance. After the Politburo meeting, the state media also announced the formation of a leading group for United Front work – the Party department involved in dialogue with the Dalai Lama’s representatives until talks stalled in January 2010. The United Front Work Department oversees the implementation of Party policy toward China’s ethnic and religious groups, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and outside organisations, among other functions. It is not yet known whether Xi Jinping will head the new ‘central leading group’ of the United Front, but the development is likely to indicate an upgrading of the department and a strengthening of control. One of the key priorities of the United Front Work Department is to maintain a hard line position on Tibet, with a core mission of ‘struggle’ against the Dalai Lama. The leading group in the Party bureaucracy charged with Tibet policy is directed by the Politburo Standing Committee member in charge of the United Front. The Politburo meeting on July 30 and an additional meeting in Lhasa on July 10 to coordinate security policy across all Tibetan areas of the PRC have set the frame for a Sixth Tibet Work Forum which is rumored to be imminent. There have only been five such strategy meetings since the Chinese took over Tibet in 1949-50. The Fifth Work Forum in January, 2010 – the first since 2001 – was attended by more than 300 of China’s most senior Party, government and military leaders and set the cycle of policy for the subsequent years. While the Fourth Work Forum focused on the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Fifth included all Tibetan areas in Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces – encompassing the eastern Tibetan regions of Amdo and Kham. Official statements tended before to characterize only the Tibet Autonomous Region as ‘Tibet,’ although Tibetan areas incorporated in four other provinces are defined as ‘Tibetan autonomous’ prefectures and counties. Uniformity of policy throughout Tibetan areas of the PRC has been emphasized since then, and was further underlined in a meeting in Lhasa on July 10 (2015). According to a state media report in Chinese, the ‘strategy forum’ held on July 10 involved the Tibet Autonomous Region and Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures incorporated into Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu signing a cooperation agreement on ‘stability’. In Chinese political language, ‘stability’ is a coded reference to the need to crush any form of dissent and to ensure allegiance to the CCP authorities in order for the authorities to pursue their strategic and economic objectives on the plateau without impediment. The meeting focused on strengthening of control across Tibetan areas, describing the meeting as the first “cross-regional local Tibet Work Forum”. In a further agenda-setting statement, on April 15 the Chinese government had issued a long and elaborately argued White Paper on Tibet which outlined the CCP’s political position on the Dalai Lama and Tibet’s status in great detail with a much harsher approach than in previous such statements. In the paper, circulated widely in the Chinese state media, the authorities went on the attack over the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way approach, which advocates for a genuine autonomy under the sovereignty of the PRC. It is notable that the Chinese authorities have issued more White Papers on Tibet than on Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Inner Mongolia put together. A month later, in May (2015), a conference of the United Front Work Department, the Party bureau behind the White Paper, was upgraded to the level of the central authorities. According to the Legal Daily, the changes in the status of these officials reflect the importance the central government attaches to United Front work. Legal Daily explained: “Why was the decision made at the Politburo meeting to set up a Central United Front Work Leading Group? Professor Zhu Lijia of the National School of Administration thinks you can find the answer in Xi Jinping’s speech during the May 20 meeting of the Central United Front Work Conference, in which Xi Jinping stressed that “Now, our Party historical position, facing the internal and external situation, is shouldering significant changes in our mission and tasks. The more we change, the more the United Front should develop, and the more the United Front work will be done well.” In the Communist Party bureaucracy, leading small groups function as powerful mechanisms to ensure implementation of policies established by their supervising leadership. The leading small group on Tibet is headed by Yu Zhengsheng on the Politburo, who is also director of the Xinjiang Work Coordination Small Group.
Director of the United Front Work Department Sun Chunlan visited Tibet on July 9-12 (2015), travelling to Labrang monastery in Gansu, and Tibetan areas in Sichuan and Qinghai. During the visit, Sun Chunlan expressed her hope that Tibetan Buddhists should ‘promote patriotism’, which means allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party, and that the Buddhist teachings should be “adaptable to core values of socialism in order to become an important force for national unification, ethnic unity and social stability.”
In the current political climate in Tibet, almost any expression of Tibetan identity or culture not directly sanctioned by the state, no matter how moderate, can be characterized by the authorities as “creating instability” or “splittist” and therefore “criminal.” Definitions of what constitutes “criminal” activity are deliberately opaque, giving leeway for lower-level officials and security personnel to apply severe penalties. Tibetans in areas characterized as being “lacking in stability” can be subjected to harsh and violent reprisals. For instance, countless Tibetans in Driru (Chinese: Biru) in the Tibet Autonomous Region have been tortured and imprisoned for even mild expressions of views in the context of an ongoing crackdown. The India-based Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy reported this week that on the night of 5 August 2015, local county officials accompanied by People’s Armed Police (PAP) officers attacked several sleeping Tibetans in their homes with hammers, sticks, knives and stones apparently as a punishment for failing to organize the celebration of ‘Army Day’ on August 1. It has been noted in the Indian media that an announcement of the promotion of ten People’s Liberation Army officers, at least four of whom have served in Tibet, was made at around the same time as the Politburo meeting on July 30. The officers who were promoted to the highest rank of full General included Jinan Military Region Commander Zhao Zongqi who served over 20 years in Tibet, and the Lanzhou and Chengdu Military Region Commanders, 60-year-old General Liu Yuejun and General Li Zuocheng. According to analyst Jayadeva
Ranade, President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy: “The operational jurisdiction of both includes the Tibet region across India’s borders and both Commanders were in position at the time of the intrusions in the Depsang Plains and the Chumar area in Ladakh in April 2013 and September 2014 respectively.”
Mr Ranade, a former Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, also said: “The promotions additionally point to the attention being given by the Chinese leadership to the Sino-Indian border and to steadily enhancing and consolidating military preparedness in Tibet.” Xinhua reported this week: “The PLA plans to complete more than 100 joint exercises involving over 50 army corps this year. Military experts consider joint exercises the most demanding training, as they require a high degree of coordination.” (Xinhua, August 11, 2015). The International Campaign for Tibet believes that there is an urgent need to end the excessive and counter-productive military buildup in Tibet and limit the dominance of the security apparatus, factors that are intensifying the dangers in Tibet and undermining any genuine stability. The Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday this year should give the authorities pause to consider that policies in Tibet that vilify him and attack Tibetan culture, religion and Tibetan identity, are at the root cause of the current crisis, and that genuine Tibetan grievances must be addressed.
Red Dragon – Red China – Real Evil Face: Cultural Genocide, and Ecocide, deliberate destruction of Tibet’s delicate Ecological Systems.
I am fully aware of Red China’s darkest side and I have seen her real ‘evil’ face, the face that had driven thousands of innocent Tibetans to seek protection in India and to live in exile.
Red Dragon – Red China – Real Evil Face: Cultural Genocide, and Ecocide, deliberate destruction of Tibet’s delicate Ecological Systems.
MELTDOWN IN TIBET
BY T R RAMACHANDRAN August 09, 2015
Red Dragon – Red China – Real Evil Face: Cultural Genocide, and Ecocide, deliberate destruction of Tibet’s delicate Ecological Systems.
In Meltdown in Tibet, Michael Buckley turns the spotlight on the darkest side of China’s emergence as a global super power.
Canadian adventure travel writer and environmentalist Michael Buckley has blown the lid of China’s ecocide of the fragile, high altitude environment of Tibet. The scenario is frightening which can severely impact the Indian subcontinent and countries in Southeast Asia. Even the Spiritual head of the Tibetans, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is deeply concerned. He drew pointed attention to this book and observed it “should be part of a wake-up call to the international community and China to seriously assess the ecological and environmental conditions on the Tibetan plateau and take remedial measures before it is too late”. The author warns that the Himalayan snow caps are in meltdown mode due to climate change accelerated by a rain of black soot from massive burning of coal and other fuels in both China and India.
Tibetans have experienced waves of genocide since the 1950s. Now they are facing ecocide with the reckless destruction of their fragile, high altitude environment. It is widely believed there is urgent need for an International Law to protect downstream nations — something the United Nations agreed a decade ago but has never acted on it. The health of all the rivers in Tibet are of vital concern to all the nations of Asia. Bhutan is light years ahead of its Asian neighbours in its environmental vision. The quixotic nation has become the environmental innovator of Asia. The mighty rivers of Tibet are being dammed extensively by Chinese engineering consortiums for the mainland’s thrust for power. The land is being relentlessly mined to feed China’s industrial complex. Massive engineering projects are diverting water from Tibet’s abundant rivers to water starved regions of China. Simply put the global supply of fresh water is dwindling at an alarming rate. This will lead to major tension between nations over shared water resources. The rivers of Tibet are so important to Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
The Tibetan plateau is the source of the major rivers of this vast region stretching all the way from the coast of China in the East to Pakistan in the West. Ninety per cent of the run off from Tibetan rivers flows downstream into China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Burma, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan. At the tail end of these same rivers lie the world’s largest deltas. One way or another close to two billion people rely on Tibet’s waters — for drinking, for agriculture, for fishing, for industry.
Red Dragon – Red China – Real Evil Face: Cultural Genocide, and Ecocide, deliberate destruction of Tibet’s delicate Ecological Systems. Author Michael Buckley with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Meltdown In Tibet
Michael Buckley
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 248; Price: Rs 499
Water not oil is becoming the world’s most important resource. Though we live in a planet covered by water, very little of it is accessible. More than 90 per cent is sea water which is too salty. Roughly two per cent of the water resources is locked in ice and snow. That leaves a paltry one per cent to supply drinking water, grow crops, run factories, cool power plants, and handle all the other roles that water plays. It is possible that half of the paltry one per cent is polluted or contaminated water, which is not usable. As non-renewable ground resource are used up, the global supply of water is dwindling at an alarming rate. This had the portends of leading to great tensions between nations over shared water resources. Tibet is often referred to as the “Third Pole” because it is the third largest source of water locked in ice and snow.
It is unique in the world as a mass provider of water via rivers to a dozen countries downstream. It is the source of major headwaters for the rivers of Asia and the Himalayas, and additionally provides key tributaries or feeders for other major rivers such as the Ganges. There is no parallel to this situation anywhere in the world. Tibetan glaciers are melting rapidly, and its lakes are drying up. This plateau is under siege from climate change factors, but instead of seeking ways to minimise the impact of all this, China is aggravating the situation. Chinese hydro consortiums are blocking the flow of waters. Extensive mining is degrading the land with high potential of rivers being polluted downstream. The grasslands of Tibet are being encroached upon by desert. Ultimately this will become a global problem because there are no boundaries when it comes to environmental impact.
The massive clear cutting of forests in Tibet and expanding desertification of grasslands have severely impacted regional ecosystems and may influence extreme weather patterns in Asia. Tibet sits on the largest permafrost layer outside the North and the South Poles. “We have only one Tibet. There are no backups, no second chances. If the water resources of the Tibetan plateau should be blocked or diverted, or become polluted, then Asia will tumble into chaos. In his Preface to the book, His Holiness the Dalai Lama warned that pursuing economic development at the expense of the ecological balance will lead to drastic and unforseen consequences.
In the case of China, many environmental experts consider the economic accomplishments are already exerting a heavy environmental price. They bemoan the threat of China’s disappearing lakes, shrinking and increasingly polluted rivers and smog filled skies that will have long-term consequences for public health. The ability to breathe clean air and drink clean water is a human right. “But it is a right threatened by focussing only on economic development that pays inadequate attention to ecological well-being,” the Dalai Lama observed. His Holiness had no doubt that this is a wake up call to the international community and China to seriously assess ecological and environmental conditions on the Tibetan plateau and take remedial measures before it is too late.
Tagged with: Adventure writer, book review, environmentalist, Michael Buckley, Tibet, Tibet Meltdown
The Free Press Journal is one of the oldest English Daily newspapers from Mumbai with a heritage of more than 80 years. And yet, The Free Press Journal is a contemporary paper and rooted in current urban realities.
The mighty rivers of Tibet are being dammed extensively by Chinese engineering consortiums for the mainland’s thrust for power. The land is being relentlessly mined to feed China’s industrial complex. Massive engineering projects are diverting water from Tibet’s abundant rivers to water starved regions of China. Simply put the global supply of fresh water is dwindling at an alarming rate. This will lead to major tension between nations over shared water resources. The rivers of Tibet are so important to Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
Posted by AMY BUCCI of National Geographic Staff on March 8, 2016
Whole Dude - Whole Concept 