Whole Trouble – Page 7 – Whole Dude

Whole Trouble – Change Your Mind, Change the World of military oppression in Tibet

Trouble in Tibet – Changing Mind vs Military Oppression

**Whole Trouble – Change Your Mind, Change the World of military oppression in Tibet: Change Your Mind, Change the World. Great Masters of Nalanda, Atisha.**

**Whole Trouble – Change Your Mind, Change the World of military oppression in Tibet**

Finding ‘Inner Peace’ through mental practices like ‘Meditation’ entirely depends upon the precise, geographical location where the Subject practices Meditation. Prayer and Meditation are useful tools, but they have practical limitations. Mental practices by themselves do not change or alter external reality. At the most, the mental practitioner may develop tolerance and cope with external reality that remains unchanged. If the purpose of mental practice is that of resisting external reality, practices such as Prayer and Meditation can bring benefits like Patience and Perseverance that sustain mental resistance to unchanging external circumstances. Tibetans living under Subjugation have to cultivate an attitude of Patience and Perseverance for they have no other Choice. Oppressive Military Regimes must not be tolerated and to resist military occupation is the right thing to do.

MADISON MAGAZINE

There’s Something About the Dalai Lama | Lifestyle – Madison Magazine There’s Something About the Dalai Lama

Author: BRENNAN NARDI, MADISON MAGAZINE

Published On: May 16 2013 07:32:00 PM CDT

**Whole Trouble – Change Your Mind, Change the World of military oppression in Tibet Great Masters of Nalanda, Acharya Atisha.**

**Meditation_vs_Military_Oppression: Whole Trouble – Meditation to confront the problem of military oppression of Tibet. “Change Your Mind, Change The World.”**

His Holiness made a swing through town this week to headline the “Change Your Mind Change The World” conference hosted by his old friend Richie Davidson of the UW’s Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center and his new friend Jonathan Patz of the UW Global Health Institute. A star-studded affair, the daylong event featured heavy hitters Arianna Huffington (The Huffington Post) and Daniel Goleman (author of Emotional Intelligence) as moderators along with a high-end cast of thinkers and doers who could only be upstaged by someone like the Dalai Lama.

I attended the afternoon session, “Conversations on Science, Happiness and Well-being,” with His Holiness, Huffington, Davidson, Patz and renowned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, who has participated in Davidson’s research on the effects of meditation on the brain. To set the mood of this momentous occasion, UW Chancellor David Ward told the audience, “There is likely no other topic that has greater impact on the world than that of sustainable well-being.” Huffington concurred in her own words: “There is no more important conversation going on on the planet.” She went on to describe a perfect storm that’s brewing on earth right now:

After plugging Huff Post’s new stress-reducer app “GPS for the Soul,” she shared her recipe for changing the world: strength, serenity, and wisdom … “We all have this,” she said. “Most of us are not there.”

The next hour-and-a-half was a reflecting exercise of sorts—each of the three panelists (Davidson, Patz and Ricard) held forth on their own body of knowledge and research interests, and then Huffington asked the Dalai Lama to respond.

Davidson laid out five facts of well-being and cited studies that prove the extraordinary—and relatively new—findings on how little we know about or respect well-being’s effect on our health, both physical and emotional. According to one study, after just two weeks of training in compassion, a study cohort’s brains changed to become more cooperative and altruistic. Another study, this one on infants, found there is an innate disposition toward well-being and generosity.

The Dalai Lama’s curiosity piqued when Davidson explained a mind-wandering study revealing that forty-seven percent of the time the average American is not actually paying attention to what he or she is doing, and is feeling unhappy while doing so. At which point the Dalai Lama leaned over and began speaking with his interpreter, who eventually asked, “Can you explain what mind wandering is?” The Overture Hall crowd erupted in laughter, finding collective humor in the notion that a great practitioner of mindfulness would have a difficult time understanding the concept of distraction. It took a couple minutes for His Holiness to wrap his uncluttered mind around the idea and respond, “That is why it is so important to focus, to practice simple point of mind.”

After Davidson’s presentation on well-being, Huffington wrapped it up by asking the Dalai Lama: “What can we do to help these tools become more widespread?” His reply was a recurring theme throughout the session: education. “That’s the only way.” He also talked about the media’s obligation to inform the public about the positive, not just the negative, as well as his own commitment “to promote secular ethics, harmony.” Human nature is gentle, he explained, but that good nature becomes dormant due to our social environment and the deeply instilled values of money, greed and competition.

UW professor Jonathan Patz, who was among a United Nations panel that shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007, was up next. He opened with the sobering news of late that the earth has for the first time exceeded 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide, which is not good. “Grappling with climate change is a golden opportunity for human health and well-being,” Patz said before exploring the concept of the interdependence of our human species with the survival of the natural world. He did so by telling the story of a third-world village that eradicated malaria with a pesticide, only to weaken the food chain and unleash an epidemic of typhus. The lesson? “The importance of being mindful of the interdependence of life because unintended consequences outnumber our good intentions.” Other topics Patz and the Dalai Lama reflected on were measuring a country’s gross domestic product by more than financial capital—factoring in socio-political and environmental capital as well. Patz also shared with His Holiness that more than population growth, per-person consumption of natural resources is a threat to, well, natural resources and a clear link to climate change and worst-case scenarios.

Scary serious stuff, and the Dalai Lama himself seemed temporarily uncertain about whether humans have the capacity to overcome these challenges until Arianna Huffington asked a doozy of a question: “Is there a connection between burned out humans and burning out the planet?”

Matthieu Ricard’s comments were wide-ranging, from ideas like “voluntary simplicity” and “gross national happiness” to how greed has reduced human qualities to a single dimension. His answer to Huffington’s powerful doomsday question was, in the spirit of Buddhism and the Dalai Lama himself, quite simple: altruism. His Holiness agreed, but framed it quite differently. The opposite of altruism, or selflessness, is selfishness, and he told us there are two kinds of selfish: wise selfish and foolish selfish. If you think more about others’ well-being, he suggested, you will get the ultimate benefit.

At the end of the session, the speakers lined up and joined hands as the audience stood and clapped. But the Dalai Lama decided he wasn’t quite done yet. In an unscripted encore, he looked out on the crowd and began speaking about the masters of teaching in all of human history. Like Davidson and Patz’s modern scientific work, those teachings spread and multiply. “That’s the only way to change humanity’s way of thinking,” he told us. The previous century was marked by violence, “brilliant brains used for destruction,” he continued. “This century should not be that way … so, it is our responsibility.”

As he walked off stage, the Dalai Lama waved, then lingered, then walked toward the crowd and shook hands with several lucky front-row seat holders as John Lennon’s “Imagine” floated through the air.

I left feeling conflicted about whether the answers were this simple, but also moved simply by being in the Dalai Lama’s presence, an experience shared by many. There’s just something about a person whose real and tangible world power doesn’t rest in the hands of the government or the military but in his human capacity for kindness and compassion.
There’s something about the Dalai Lama.

Brennan Nardi is editor of Madison Magazine.

Whole Trouble – 1001 Manifestations of Trouble – Colonel’s Army invades Tibet

Trouble in Tibet – 1001 Manifestations of Trouble. KFC invasion of Tibet

‘Trouble in Tibet’ has over 1,001 Manifestations. Each time, I can describe one face of ‘Trouble in Tibet’. Now, Trouble arrived in Lhasa, Tibet in the form of ‘Colonel’s Army’ carrying ‘KFC’ Banner. The underlying cause for all these varied manifestations of Trouble is the same. Red China’s Dictatorial Regime exercises power suppressing the views of Tibetans. Red China uses authority in accord only with her own will or desire dominating every aspect of Tibetan way of life.

RIGHTS GROUPS WARN KFC OVER FIRST TIBET OPENING

By Rebecca DAVIS

KFC entered China in 1987, and now has just over 5,000 outlets in more than 1,100 locations across the country, most of them company-owned (AFP Photo/Jean-Francois Monier)

Beijing (AFP) – Campaign groups warned US fast food giant KFC Wednesday over the opening of its first restaurant in Tibet, more than a decade after the chain’s first attempt to establish a foothold ended in controversy.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader and Nobel laureate, condemned the idea when it was first mooted, and critics said the firm needed to address human rights and environmental concerns.

Pictures of the red carpet opening posted online showed long lines at the restaurant, at a shopping mall in the regional capital Lhasa.
“As a diehard fan of KFC I waited in line for ages, and felt like crying when I took my first lick of my ice cream cone,” said one elated social media user.

China, which has controlled Tibet since the 1950s, has been accused of political and religious repression in the mainly Buddhist region, and more than 140 ethnic Tibetans have set themselves on fire in recent years to protest its rule according to rights groups and reports, most of them dying.

But Beijing insists Tibetans enjoy extensive freedoms and that it has brought economic growth to the area.

Alistair Currie, of London-based Free Tibet, told AFP: “Tibet is an occupied country and Tibetans have been squeezed out of business and economic development by Han Chinese immigration and China’s imposition of Mandarin as the language of education, business and government.”

KFC’s parent company Yum Brands needed to ensure Tibetans were hired and promoted fairly in the restaurant, and that the Tibetan language was used, he said.

The International Campaign for Tibet said it was asking Yum how it was complying with the US Tibet Policy Act, which requires investments to protect Tibetan culture and livelihoods, and its own pledges of corporate social responsibility.

“It is hard to see how they will be able to implement those principles given the political climate in Lhasa today,” said its president Matteo Macacci.
“Tibetans are largely marginalised, economically disadvantaged and subject to a social and economic agenda imposed from the top down in order to ensure the control of the Chinese Communist Party over Tibet.”

‘TOKENISTIC AND SUPERFICIAL’

KFC first entered China in 1987, and now has just over 5,000 outlets in more than 1,100 locations across the country, most of them company-owned, Yum Brands says on its website.
The Lhasa KFC opened Tuesday, a woman from the Shenli Shidai shopping centre property rental department confirmed to AFP.

Yum declined to comment on the opening, but the company previously said it would “provide employment opportunities and support the development of the regional supply chain”.
Images of the interior posted online showed a large image of the Potala Palace, the historic residence of the Dalai Lamas, and triangle motifs labelled with Tibetan mountain names in English, including Qomolangma, the local name for Everest.

Such design elements “may play well with Chinese and foreign tourists who want a little fast culture with their fast food but the onus is on Yum to show that its commitment to the community is not tokenistic and superficial”, said Currie of Free Tibet.

KFC had plans to enter region as early as 2004, but pulled the plug on the idea, saying it was not yet economically feasible.
The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, wrote a letter of protest to Yum at the time, declaring that the cruel treatment endured by chickens raised and killed for KFC “violates Tibetan values”.

In December, Xinhua reported that KFC also plans to build a 4.67-hectare frozen storage facility in Lhasa’s suburbs “to prepare for further expansion in the region”.

**Trouble in Tibet – KFC invasion of Occupied Tibet**

Whole Trouble – The importance of Tibetan Well-Being

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?

Whole Trouble – Trouble in Tibet leads to Mourning in India

Trouble in Tibet – Mourning in India

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.**

A swarm of saddened Tibetans on Sunday paid homage to Dorjee Tsering — the 16-year-old Tibetan boy, who immolated self at Herbertpur near Dehradun on February 29 — who was cremated as per Buddhist rites on Sunday.
All roads leading to McLeodganj were choked by Tibetans, who assembled to pay homage to the Class-10 student of Tibetan Homes Foundation School, Mussoorie, at Lha Gyari temple.
Dorjee’s mortal remains were brought from Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi to Dharamshala on Saturday. The coffin was placed at Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) office and was then shifted to Lha Gyari temple near Dalai Lama’s palace on Sunday morning, where Tibetans of all ages, including schoolchildren, monks, nuns and officials of Central Tibetan Administration, participated in a prayer session.
People cried as Dorjee’s coffin was brought to the temple courtyard. The body was taken to cremation ground in a procession attended by large number of Tibetans. Dorjee was cremated as per Buddhist rites, in presence of family members.
The teenager hailed from Manali and was the youngest among five siblings. He set himself on fire in protest against the Chinese rule over Tibet on February 29 and died on March 3.
“The reason I resort to burning myself like a choemey (butter lamp) is because Tibet was occupied by China since 1959 and I have always felt like I needed to do something for the Tibetan cause. Yesterday, I felt as if burning myself up was the only resort left,” he said in a video testimony a day before his death in the hospital.
He clearly committed the act for Tibet’s independence and to garner global attention to the Tibet issue, said Dorjee’s father Thupten Tashi.
Later in the hospital, Tashi said, “I told him that his sacrifice hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
Recounting the horrific incident, Dorjee’s mother Nyima Yangkyi said he was shivering and asked for water.
“My child’s skin was dripping-off his body but he did not shriek in pain even once. He said he did it for Tibet,” Nyima said.
Dorjee’s elder sister Samden Dolma said the family never knew about his intention, though her younger brother always talked about doing something for Tibet.
“Though he took a wrong path, we are proud of his courage and sacrifice,” said Dolma as she tried to hold her tears.
Dolma said, “I want to urge the youngsters not to take such step as there are others ways to serve Tibet.
Copyright © 2015 HT Media Limited.

**Trouble in Tibet leads to Mourning in India**

Whole Trouble – Second Rail Line in Occupied Tibet

Trouble in Tibet – Second Rail Line in Occupied Tibet

‘Trouble in Tibet’. When this ‘Trouble’ is understood as that of Red China’s military occupation, the plan to build second rail line rings alarm bells.

I am hoping for that day of Liberation when Tibet uses the second rail line to ensure speedy evacuation of People’s Liberation Army from occupied Tibetan territory.

REUTERS

World | Fri Mar 4, 2016 9:24pm EST

China to build second rail line into restive Tibet

BEIJING

BEIJING China will build a second railway line connecting restive and remote Tibet with others parts of China that will link Tibetan capital Lhasa with the southwestern city of Chengdu, the government said on Saturday.
Tibet is a highly sensitive region, not just because of continued opposition by many Tibetans to Chinese control, but because of the region’s strategic position next to neighbors India, Nepal and Myanmar.
In 2006, China opened the railway to Lhasa, which passes spectacular icy peaks on the Tibetan highlands, reaching altitudes as high as 5,000 m (16,400 ft) above sea level, as part of government development efforts.
Critics of the railway, including exiled Tibetans and rights groups, say it has spurred an influx of long-term migrants who threaten Tibetans’ cultural integrity, which rests on Buddhist beliefs and a traditional herding lifestyle.
The new railway was announced in a draft of China’s new five-year development plan released at the opening of the annual meeting of parliament and carried by the official Xinhua news agency. It gave no other details.
Xinhua said it will take about 15 hours for trains to travel between Lhasa and Chengdu.
“We hope that the railway will be completed as early as possible. It will provide new momentum for our development, especially the tourism,” Wangdui, mayor of Tibet’s Nyingchi city, where the new railway will traverse, told Xinhua.
The Chinese government consistently denies any rights abuses or cultural disrespect in Tibet, saying Beijing’s rule has bought much needed development to what was a poor and backward region.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Eric Meijer)

THOMSON REUTERS is the world’s largest international multimedia news agency.

TROUBLE IN TIBET – SECOND RAIL LINE IN OCCUPIED TIBET. I am hoping for that day of Liberation when Tibet uses the second rail line to ensure speedy evacuation of People’s Liberation Army from occupied Tibetan territory.

Tibet Awareness: Nagqu- Lhasa- Qinghai Tibet Railway scene: *I am hoping for that day of Liberation when Tibet uses the second rail line to ensure speedy evacuation of People’s Liberation Army from occupied Tibetan territory.*

Tibet Awareness: Tibet is under Occupation. Nagqu – Lhasa section Qinghai Tibet Railway. *I am hoping for that day of Liberation when Tibet uses the second rail line to ensure speedy evacuation of People’s Liberation Army from occupied Tibetan territory.*

Tibet Awareness: Qinghai Tibet Railway. *I am hoping for that day of Liberation when Tibet uses the second rail line to ensure speedy evacuation of People’s Liberation Army from occupied Tibetan territory.*

Trouble in Tibet – Second Rail Line in Occupied Tibet. Railway Line in Damxung County. I am hoping for that day of Liberation when Tibet uses the second rail line to ensure speedy evacuation of People’s Liberation Army from occupied Tibetan territory.

Whole Trouble – Red China’s Lhasa River Project

Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Lhasa River Project in Occupied Tibet

Trouble in Tibet. Red China is damming Lhasa River to create about 20 artificial lakes to promote tourism. Red China is imposing trouble after trouble with no concern for well-being of Tibet or Tibetans. Tibet is no Shangri-La. Tibet is Prison Camp for millions of Tibetans.

**Lhasa, Potala und Medizinberg von Osten. My Prayers to Lhasa River. Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Lhasa River Project in Occupied Tibet**

The 3.5 billion yuan ($620 million) project started in March 2013 with plans to build six reservoirs along a 20-kilometer-long section of the Lhasa River as it passes through Lhasa city. The completed Dam No 3 widened the river to over 300 meters and created a water storage capacity of 1.5 million cubic meters within 3 kilometers – virtually turning the river into a lake.

EXCLUSIVE: China Damming Lhasa River Into Artificial Lakes

**TROUBLE IN TIBET – RED CHINA’S LHASA RIVER PROJECT. ZANGMU HYDROPOWER STATION IN GYACA COUNTY IN LHOKA. THESE PROJECTS IMPACT ENVIRONMENT.**

Prayer flags hang before Zangmu Hydropower Station in Gyaca county in Lhoka, or Shannan prefecture, southwest China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region, Nov., 23, 2014.

YESHI DORJE

February 15, 2016 7:21 PM

Tibet’s Lhasa River is being turned into a series of artificial lakes, according to Chinese state media.

Launched in 2013, Beijing’s Lhasa River Project (LRP) aims to complete construction of six dams along a 20-kilometer stretch of river that edges the city center.
Unlike hydropower projects upstream from the Tibetan capital, the artificial lakes are designed to promote tourism, improve water quality, prevent sandstorms and create a “green environment.”

But some critics, including Professor Fan Xiao, a Chinese geologist with the Sichuan Geological Society, disagree.
“Dams can slow down the river flow and damage the water quality,” Fan told VOA’s Tibetan Service. “The water environment capacity will decrease and more easily be polluted … flowing water is much better than still water.”

Regarding tourism — LRP’s marketing slogan is “making Lhasa enjoyable” — Fan, former chief engineer at the Sichuan Bureau of Geology and Mineral Society, calls the dams “problematic,” explaining that they will cause sedimentation, which damages water quality.

**TROUBLE IN TIBET – RED CHINA’S LHASA RIVER PROJECT IMPOSES MORE TROUBLES WHILE CHINA WANTS TO PROMOTE TOURISM. SHOTON FESTIVAL AT ZHAIBUNG MONASTERY, LHASA.**

Tibetan Buddhists, tourists view a huge Thangka, a religious silk embroidery or painting displaying a Buddha portrait, during the Shoton Festival at Zhaibung Monastery in Lhasa, capital of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 25, 2014.

Tibet’s tourism industry, he adds, shouldn’t require an engineered landscaping project.

“The main attraction of Tibet is the ethnic culture and natural scenery,” he said. “It’s not about building an artificial lake, which affects the environment. It affects the local people as well, since the rising water level will cause [flooding] in certain areas, including farms.”

Agricultural Impact

Also known as Kyichu, the Lhasa River is a primary source of irrigation and drinking water for Tibetan farmers in nine counties, many of which have already been affected by construction of the two major hydropower dams northeast of Lhasa, in Lhundup and Maldro Gungkar counties. Built independently of the “making Lhasa enjoyable” campaign,Drikung(Ch: Zhikong) Hydro Power Station has been operational since 2006, while Phudo (Ch: Pangduo) Hydro Power Station — also known as “Pangduo Water Control Project,” which has been described by official media as “Tibetan Three Gorges Dam” — began operation in 2014.

According to China Tibet News, construction of the two hydropower dams is estimated at over $1 billion, representing the largest engineering project undertaken in the Tibetan Autonomous Region since the 1950s-era “liberation of Tibet” — China’s term for what many Tibetans call the “invasion of Tibet.” In 2013, China Central TV quoted local officials who said these two massive dams had significantly reduced water levels and stranded fish.

Changing City

Recent years have seen the Tibetan capital sprawl across the Lhasa Valley floor, its newer southern districts connected by bridges of gleaming steel and concrete. Thieves’ Island, long known as a popular picnic and outdoor recreation spot for locals, has been rechristened “Sun Island” as part of a redevelopment scheme that appears to be positioning the parcel as Tibet’s own Las Vegas, replete with open gambling venues and what writer Tsering Woeser calls “the most open red-light district of Lhasa.”
What is today known as “Old Lhasa,” the section of the city around Barkor district that surrounds the seventh-century Jokang Temple, underwent a substantial 2013 facelift that left it looking more like a movie set than an ancient Buddhist spiritual center, its traditionally dressed locals and pilgrims now looking as if they’ve landed in the wrong world.

**TROUBLE IN TIBET – RED CHINA’S LHASA RIVER PROJECT. JOKANG TEMPLE, LHASA.**

FILE – Pilgrims walk near Jokang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China.

Some critics attribute the rapid changes to Lhasa’s Communist Party Secretary Che Drahla (Ch: Qi Zhala), an ethnic Tibetan whose political career got a boost after successfully securing millions in tourism revenue for the city Gyalthan (Ch: Zhongdian).
The county-level city in northwestern Yunnan province had been in a rivalry with another city competing for the privilege of calling itself the model for Shangri-La — the mythical Himalayan paradise at the center of James Hilton’s iconic 1933 novel, “Lost Horizon.” Che’s victory saw Gyalthan officially renamed Shangri-La on December 17, 2001.
Similarly, Fan and fellow critics say the recent development projects are designed according to what the Chinese officials deem necessary or attractive without considering Tibet’s cultural heritage and local opinion.
“This is a strategy undertaken by many Chinese cities these days,” said Fan, the geologist. “They build dams on the rivers going through cities to expand water surface and lift up water level. They think it will generate a pretty waterscape for the city. But we think it’s problematic.”

Earthquake Risk

He also says Chinese officials ignore the serious risk of triggering earthquakes. While prominent engineers and geologists have linked the 7.9 magnitude Sichuan quake of 2008 with construction of China’s massive Three Gorges Dam, bedrock micro-fracturing from the comparatively miniscule dams slated for Lhasa’s artificial lakes project nonetheless leave the Tibetan capital, which is situated in seismically active region, vulnerable.
“Building big dams could bring local governments more tax revenue and GDP, which is viewed as an economic driving force,” he said, adding that such strong economic interests eclipse government concerns about natural disasters or severe environmental consequences.

**TROUBLE IN TIBET – RED CHINA’S LHASA RIVER PROJECT. SICHUAN PROVINCE EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS MARCHING ON MAY 16, 2008.**

FILE – Survivor carries baby on his back as he and some 1,000 other survivors make a 9-hour walk from the village of Qingping to Hanwang, after earthquake, Sichuan Province, China, May 16, 2008.
According to Canadian author Michael Buckley, a longtime Tibetan river explorer, Beijing’s damming of the Lhasa River goes beyond mere landscape aesthetics.
“The concern is that eventually dams will become points for water diversion,” he said, explaining that he thinks Beijing is using Tibetan rivers to satisfy mainland China’s hunger for power resources and meet water demands in other parts of the country.
“If you can store the water, you can send it somewhere else,” he said.
According to China Daily, the TRP’s first operational dam — counterintuitively named “Dam No. 3” — has already widened the river more than 300 meters and created a water storage capacity of 1.5 million cubic meters within a 3-kilometer range. If all six dams are of similar size, they could hold about 9 million cubic meters of water in Lhasa Valley upon completion. Environmentalists are specifically concerned about how the remaining construction will impact Salmon migration, along with other ecological disruption.

**TROUBLE IN TIBET – RED CHINA’S LHASA RIVER PROJECT. DAM CONSTRUCTION ALONG LHASA RIVER INTEND TO CREATE 20 ARTIFICIAL LAKES.**

Aerial image from GoogleEarth shows section of dam constructed along Tibet’s Lhasa River, October 2015.

A China Daily article quoted an individual described as Dam No.3’s project manager making assurances that the project wouldn’t harm fish migration.
“The dam gate will open for the fish to propagate in due time; therefore, it won’t pose a threat to the ecology of river downstream,” the project manager said.
According to China Tibet News, Chen Quanguo, Chinese Communist Party chief in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, also defended the project while visiting a site slated for dam construction.
“By implementing the Four Comprehensives ideology,” he said, referring to president Xi Jinping’s philosophical directive that was unveiled in 2015, “the Tibetan mountains, valleys and rivers should be protected.”
He also described the project as a “project of people’s mind … a window to show the image of the city … and to beautify the environment of Lhasa City.”

Yeshi Dorje is a correspondent with VOA Tibetan Service.

**A section of the Lhasa River where Dam No 3 was built. Photo taken on July 22, 2015. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] Trouble in Tibet – Red China’s Lhasa River Project in Occupied Tibet**

Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir

Trouble in Tibet – Military Occupation of Tibet is a Disaster

Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir. Special Frontier Force Defends Jammu and Kashmir

News reports indicate that India and China conducted a military exercise in Chushul- Moldo sector of eastern Ladakh province of Jammu and Kashmir to enhance military cooperation in the eventuality of a disaster in border areas.

In Military Science, the term ‘Strategy’ refers to planning and directing large-scale military operations, specifically of maneuvering forces into the most advantageous position prior to actual engagement with the Enemy. Military Science uses the term ‘Tactics’ to describe arranging and maneuvering military forces in action or before the Enemy, especially with reference to short-range objectives. The term ‘Tactical’ in Military usage refers to showing cleverness and skill in Tactics while military forces are in action. This joint military drill or exercise does not qualify to be called a tactical exercise.

Man may have no control over natural disasters like earthquakes. ‘Trouble in Tibet’ is a man-made disaster. To resolve this ‘Trouble’, the occupying military force causing ‘Trouble’ in Tibet needs eviction either by using force or by using negotiation or by a Heavenly Strike to uplift Tibet from the disaster called military occupation.

Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-4162 USA
SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE

GREATER KASHMIR
Srinagar, Tuesday, 29 Rabi Al Thani, 1437 AH, 09 February 2016 CE

India, China hold military exercises in disputed Chushul

McMahon Line in Aksai Chin of Ladakh is the India-Tibet boundary recognized by India.

In September 2014, around 35 Chinese soldiers returned to Chumar in northeast Ladakh and were perched on a hillock claiming the area to be part of China while another 300 soldiers were maintaining presence close to LAC.

SHABIR IBN YUSUF
LADAKH, Publish Date: Feb 8 2016 1:16AM | Updated Date: Feb 8 2016 1:16AM

Columns of Indian and Chinese soldiers held joint military exercise in Chushul Sector of Ladakh on Saturday. The area where joint exercises were held is disputed between the two countries and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Indian soldiers have locked horns in the area several times.

The Chinese army had camped in Chumar and their helicopters were seen dropping food packets for the soldiers. In 2015, Chumar witnessed a major stand-off. In the same year in Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) China had objected to overhead bunkers erected by the Indian side.

Pertinently, Chushul is one of the four officially agreed BPM (Border Personnel Meeting) point between Indian Army and People’s Liberation Army of China for regular consultations and interactions.

Udhampur based Public Relations Officer Ministry of Defence Col S D Goswami said: “ The first Joint Tactical Exercise between border troops of both countries was conducted in the Chushul-Moldo area on Saturday,” he said. “This is a part of ongoing initiatives being taken by India and China to ensure greater interaction between troops stationed along the Line of Actual Control and thereby ensure peace & tranquility on the border.”

Goswami said that the exercise focused on actions to be coordinated to jointly tackle aspects of Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief. He said that Indian Army team of 30 soldiers was led by Colonel Ritesh Chandra Singh while the Chinese delegation of an equal compliment was led by Colonel Qu Yi.
“ Lasting an entire day, the joint exercise was based on a situation of a national disaster occurring on the border and the subsequent coordination of rescue mission by joint teams of both countries,” he said.

IndiaToday.in New Delhi, April 14, 2015 | UPDATED 21:17 IST — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

... China Army officials saluting tricolour at Chushul in Eastern Ladakh — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

to sources, two flag meetings were held at Burtse and Chushul ... — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

Photos :: Chushul: Indian Army personnel meet PLA personnel during a ... — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

Photos :: Chushul: Indian and Chinese military personnel meet on ... — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

While Pakistan continued lobbing mortar shells, Chinese PLA met Indian ... — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

... at a border personnel meeting in Ladakh on Thursday. A Tribune photo — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

The Alpha Stories, Indian Armed Forces Magazine, Nishtha, Indian ... — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

India, China troops hold meet along border - timesofindia ... — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

Say it right …: Patriotic Post - 1 "The Razangla battle" — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

State and District boundaries: Census of India - 2001 Census State ... — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

The incident was kept under wraps as it came just days before Antony's ... — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

Aksharadhool: Remembering Rezang La, Part II — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

India and China will hold flag meeting to end LAC impasse | Daily Mail ... — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

Army dismantling bunkers in Chumar in Ladakh — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

Chinese troops return to Ladakh’s Chumar region — **Whole Trouble – India conducts a military exercise with the occupier of Tibet and Kashmir**

Whole Horsepower – Tibetans get help from Wind Horse

Trouble in Tibet – Get Help From Wind Horse

For there is ‘Trouble in Tibet’, I need help from Five Elements of Nature; I send my prayers to Earth, Fire, Sky, Water, and Air with “LUNG-TA” or ‘Wind Horse’.

Tibetans believe that the Buddhist prayers printed on these flags whose colors represent the five elements, earth, fire, sky, water and air, are spread on wind.

The north Indian hill town of Dharmsala became the base of a Tibetan government-in-exile after their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled a Chinese military crackdown in Tibet in 1959

**Tibet Awareness – Pilgrimage to Holy Waterfall. Prayer flags. Blessings of Peace and Freedom.**

**The Wind Horse (Lung-ta) carrying the “Wish Fulfilling Jewel of …**

Tibetan Prayer flags Lung-ta flag Wind horse: Tibetans believe that the Buddhist prayers printed on these flags whose colors represent the five elements, earth, fire, sky, water and air, are spread on wind.

Paper Wind Horse called Lung-ta in Tibetan: Tibetans believe that the Buddhist prayers printed on these flags whose colors represent the five elements, earth, fire, sky, water and air, are spread on wind.

The Power of Lungta: 4/1/03 -Everest Base Camp trail, Nepal – Prayer flags and a kata scarf fly off a chorten, or rock memorial built in honor of Michael Matthers, 22, who died descending Mt. Everest on May 13, 1999. The Dallas Morning News

**Tibetans believe prayer flags lift up and carry our wishes for …**

**Lung-ta: Wind Horse Prayer Flag: The Wind Horse (Lung-ta) carrying the “Wish Fulfilling Jewel of …**

Rainbow Colors. Tibetan Wind Horse Prayer Flags: Tibetans believe that the Buddhist prayers printed on these flags whose colors represent the five elements, earth, fire, sky, water and air, are spread on wind.

Buddhist Prayer flags – 5 colors, 5 elements of basic energy. Tibetans believe that the Buddhist prayers printed on these flags whose colors represent the five elements, earth, fire, sky, water and air, are spread on wind.

Whole Intelligence – Know your Enemy

Trouble in Tibet – The Problem of Espionage

**TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DEATH OF DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG ON FEBRUARY 07, 2016 AT AGE 90 EXPOSES “INCONVENIENT TRUTH.”**

For the United States, India, and Tibet, the problem of espionage is an ‘Inconvenient Truth’. Death of Political Leader Ratuk Ngawang on February 07, 2016 at age 90 again exposes the problem of espionage that overshadows ‘Trouble in Tibet’. For example, his death is reported in news media with a photo image (Ratu Ngawang & Gyalo Thondup) obtained by some unknown Chinese agent using hidden camera. The fact that Political Leader Ratuk Ngawang shared such photo images taken by hidden cameras with news media clearly establishes his collaboration with enemy agents or spies.

I worked with Political Leader Ratuk Ngawang from September 1971 to December 1974 while I served in Establishment No. 22. I lost my sense of respect for him on January 10, 1973. I was not a direct eye-witness, but on that day I learned about a disturbing incident at our Camp. I did not inquire about the precise date and time of that incident. It was about cremation of a Tibetan Buddhist monk who apparently died while he was in custody of Political Leader Ngawang. None of was serving in Establishment No. 22 at that time got a chance to see or speak to that Tibetan monk arrested by him. This monk worked in our Camp apparently performing simple, religious duties. Political Leader Ngawang was in charge of a secret, internal investigation to probe an incident that dates back to June 03, 1972 and he never shared his findings. He took several months and arrested this monk sometime before January 10, 1973. Political Leader Ngawang reported findings of his investigation after death of this arrested person. He did not request for autopsy to confirm the cause of prisoner’s death. He reported it as a natural event and immediately proceeded with cremation as per Tibetan tradition. No formal Court of Inquiry was appointed to ascertain the cause of death due to procedural reasons.

TROUBLE IN TIBET - PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE — TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG INTERVIEWED BY INDIAN JOURNALIST TO WHOM HE SUPPLIED PHOTOS CAPTURED BY HIDDEN CAMERAS.

Eventually, in 1976 Political Leader Ngawang prematurely retired from Service with his retirement income benefits. He received official pardon and lived his life in Samyeling Tibetan Colony Manjuka Tilla, Delhi. My suspicions about Political Leader Ngawang’s collaboration with enemy agents or spies got aroused when he shared several photo images(illegally obtained using hidden cameras) with Indian journalists who interviewed him for two different stories long after 1976. Indian newspapers published those photo images.

I recognize Ratuk Ngawang’s service in support of Freedom in Tibet but he could not live up to his commitment.

Ratu Ngawang dies at 90 – http://www.phayul.com

RATU NGAWANG DIES AT 90

Phayul[Tuesday, February 09, 2016 19:49]

TROUBLE IN TIBET - PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG OF ESTABLISHMENT 22 DIED ON FEBRUARY 07, 2016 AT AGE 90. HE SHARED THIS PHOTO IMAGE WITH INDIAN NEWS MEDIA. — TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG OF ESTABLISHMENT 22 DIED ON FEBRUARY 07, 2016 AT AGE 90. HE SHARED THIS PHOTO IMAGE WITH INDIAN NEWS MEDIA. HE IS STANDING LEFT(IN UNIFORM) NEXT TO GYALO THONDUP, BROTHER OF HIS HOLINESS THE 14th DALAI LAMA. PHOTO ILLEGALLY TAKEN USING HIDDEN CAMERA AT CHAKRATA, INDIA.

Ratu with Gyalo Thondup at Chakrata/file(*Phayul.com may have to disclose name of the “OWNER” of this ‘FILE’ Photo.)

DHARAMSHALA, February 9: A former soldier in the Chushi Gangdruk and one of the founding members of the Special Frontier Force, an Indian paramilitary troop comprising of Tibetan recruits, have breathed his last on February 7, 2016 at his residence at the Samyeling Tibetan Colony in Majnuka Tilla, Delhi. Ratuk Ngawang was born in Kham Lithang in 1926. A close confidante of Adruk Gonpo Tashi, the businessman who founded the Tibetan resistance army in the guise of a business group, Ratuk Ngawang rose to the top of this resistance army. Ngawang was a part of the Chushi Gangdruk troops that accompanied the young Dalai Lama on his flight to India, one of his biggest contribution to the Tibetan people.

TROUBLE IN TIBET - PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. POLITICAL LEADER/DAPON RATUK NGAWANG DIES AT 90. PROBLEM OF CHINESE ESPIONAGE EXPOSED. — TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. POLITICAL LEADER/DAPON RATUK NGAWANG DIES AT 90. PROBLEM OF CHINESE ESPIONAGE EXPOSED. HIS HOLINESS GAVE HIM OFFICIAL PARDON. HE WAS FORGIVEN BUT ‘INCONVENIENT TRUTH’ REMAINS.

Ratu Ngawang lay in rest, Family photo.

Ratu Ngawang was roped in by Gyalo Thondup to lead the Tibetan Special Frontier Force, which also came to be known as the 22, courtesy its first Inspector General Sujan Singh Uban who hailed from the 22 Mountain Regiment. Ratu Ngawang played a key role in recruitment of Tibetan youth into the newly created Tibetan regiment(**this is incorrect for recruits owed allegiance to Tibet and Tibet’s Supreme Ruler) which was a brainchild of Pandit Nehru and the CIA in tackling China. Ratu Ngawang led one of the three columns that set on foot into the marshy tracts of Chittagong in the 1971 Bangladesh war. The Tibetan participation in the 1971 war is a little known fact amongst Indian public as the Tibetans were not officially on the battlefield. Ratu Ngawang led the North Column(*** this is incorrect; Political Leader of North Column died in action, killed by enemy fire) while Pekar Thinlay and Gyato Thondup led the South Column and Central Column respectively. 51 Tibetan soldiers lost their lives in the war that gave birth to Bangladesh as a new country. “I have enrolled myself in the Special Frontier Force with an aim to fight the Chinese. I lured the new recruits by telling them that it was an opportunity to fight the Chinese. I was myself ready to die fighting the Chinese,” Ratu recalled telling his boss Sujan Singh Uban when he was asked about the possibility of the Tibetan soldiers joining the Bangladesh War in 1971, in an interview(**** This statement shows that he did not understand the purpose of joining the Bangladesh War. It gave men combat experience to prepare them for a future war to evict military occupier of Tibet). Reactions to the news of his death on social networking sites hail him as a true hero of Tibet. Ratu Ngawang la is survived by his wife Dechen Wangmo and four children. He was 90.

ILLEGAL PHOTO IMAGES TAKEN BY HIDDEN CAMERAS SUPPLIED TO INDIAN JOURNALISTS BY DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG AFTER HIS RETIREMENT IN 1976. THERE WAS NO OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER.

TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER WITH GYALO THONDUP, BROTHER OF DALAI LAMA. PHOTO APPARENTLY TAKEN IN 1971. PHOTOGRAPHED BY UNKNOWN CHINESE SPY WHO WORKED IN CHAKRATA .

TROUBLE IN TIBET - PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG SUPPLIED THIS ILLEGAL PHOTO IMAGE TO INDIAN JOURNALIST. HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA WITH MAJOR GENERAL SUJAN SINGH UBAN ON JUNE 03, 1972. — TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG SUPPLIED THIS ILLEGAL PHOTO IMAGE TAKEN BY CHINESE SPY TO INDIAN JOURNALIST. HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA WITH MAJOR GENERAL SUJAN SINGH UBAN ON JUNE 03, 1972.

TROUBLE IN TIBET - PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG ARRESTED A TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONK WHO CAPTURED THIS ILLEGAL PHOTO IMAGE ON JUNE 03, 1972. THAT TIBETAN PRISONER, SUSPECTED CHINESE SPY DIED MYSTERIOUSLY SOME TIME BEFORE JANUARY 10, 1973. — TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG ARRESTED A TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONK WHO CAPTURED THIS ILLEGAL PHOTO IMAGE ON JUNE 03, 1972. THAT TIBETAN PRISONER, SUSPECTED CHINESE SPY DIED MYSTERIOUSLY SOMETIME BEFORE JANUARY 10, 1973. DALAI LAMA WITH MAJOR GENERAL SUJAN SINGH UBAN.

Ratu Ngawang (far left), former brigadier of Establishment 22, escorted the Dalai Lama (right) on his way to India in 1959. Seen here with Sujan Singh Uban (2nd from right), the first inspector-general of the regiment, in Chakrata, 1972. — Ratu Ngawang (far left), former Dapon/Political Leader of Establishment 22, escorted the Dalai Lama (right) on his way to India in 1959. Seen here with Sujan Singh Uban (2nd from right), the first inspector-general of the regiment, in Chakrata, June 03, 1972. Photo taken by Chinese Spy.

TROUBLE IN TIBET - PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG SUPPLIED THIS ILLEGAL PHOTO IMAGE TO INDIAN JOURNALIST AFTER HE RETIRED FROM SERVICE AT ESTABLISHMENT NO. 22. — TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG SUPPLIED THIS ILLEGAL PHOTO IMAGE TAKEN BY CHINESE SPY TO INDIAN JOURNALIST AFTER HE RETIRED FROM SERVICE AT ESTABLISHMENT NO. 22.

TROUBLE IN TIBET - PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. ILLEGAL PHOTO IMAGE TAKEN BY CHINESE SPY AT ESTABLISHMENT NO. 22. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG HAD POSSESSION OF THIS IMAGE AND SUPPLIED IT TO A JOURNALIST. — TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. ILLEGAL PHOTO IMAGE TAKEN BY CHINESE SPY AT ESTABLISHMENT NO. 22. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG HAD POSSESSION OF THIS IMAGE AND SUPPLIED IT TO A JOURNALIST.

TROUBLE IN TIBET – PROBLEM OF ESPIONAGE. DAPON/POLITICAL LEADER RATUK NGAWANG SUPPLIED THIS PHOTO IMAGE AFTER HE RETIRED FROM SERVICE AT ESTABLISHMENT NO. 22. THIS IMAGE WAS NOT INTENDED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE.

Whole Trouble – The Great Trouble of Tibet Tourism

The Great Trouble posed by Tibet Tourism

Tibet is a fascinating place for a variety of reasons; the Land, the Climate, the People, the Culture, its religion, its traditions to name a few. But, there is this ‘Trouble’ in Tibet. I am not opposed to the idea of tourism that can bring people together. To bring people together, Tibet needs Freedom from Occupation. Tibet Tourism will be meaningful if it helps to emancipate Tibetans from tyranny. I thank Ms. Elissa Garay, Cruise Critic Contributor for her thoughtful review.

The Great Trouble posed by Tibet Tourism: The Chinese national flag is raised during a ceremony marking the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, July 1, 2017. CNS/He Penglei via REUTERS/Files

Tibet Cruise Tour Tips

Dreams of touring to Tibet’s snow-capped peaks and Buddhist temples might not instinctively point you in the direction of a river cruise line, but you’d be remiss to overlook this exceptional possibility. Most river cruise companies with a presence in China combine their Yangtze River sailings (known for the scenic landscapes of the Three Gorges region and the engineering marvel that is the Three Gorges Dam) with land-based “cruisetour” extensions further into China, with visits to Beijing, Xian and Shanghai the norm. On some exceptional itineraries, Tibet tours are available too.

Mythical Lhasa (elevation 11,975′) is the main entry point and introduction to Tibet for most travelers, and well worthy of the three days’ exploration that most cruise line tours allot here.

Despite the ongoing rush to modernization and disillusioning effects of some six decades of Chinese occupation (a politically sensitive topic), Tibet remains an intrinsically spiritual place, filled with Tibetan Buddhist shrines, symbols and devotees. That mysticism is met by awe-inspiring mountain scenery and the wonderfully humble and friendly Tibetan people, many of whom spend their lives devoted to the accumulation of good karma, and have clearly made great strides to hold onto their cultural identity in the face of great hardships.

Show Cruise Prices

Best Time for Tibet Cruise tours

The main Yangtze cruise season runs from April through October, which corresponds to the scheduled offerings for Tibet cruisetours, too. While the weather along the river is most comfortable — cooler and dryer, that is — in spring and autumn (April-May; September-October), the higher elevations of the Tibetan Himalayan region are most welcoming during the warmer summer months, from June through August (even if there might be some light rain showers).

Tibet Cruise tour Lines

Viking River Cruises is one of the largest inbound tour operators to Tibet, and is joined by a handful of other companies that tout Tibet cruisetour itineraries, too, including Uniworld, Avalon Waterways, Abercrombie & Kent and G Adventures.

Tibet Cruise tour Itineraries

Tibet cruise tours run 13 to 16 nights in duration, with land-based segments of the trip in Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and sometimes Chengdu, as well as a visit to Lhasa that typically takes up three or four days of the journey. Anticipate this to include a three- to five-night sailing on the Yangtze, as well. Meals, hotels, cruise, guide services and intra-China transport are typically included in the rates.

With the exception of G Adventures, all Tibet cruisetours listed here include a hotel stay at the five-star, 2014-debuted Shangri-La Hotel Lhasa, set within walking distance of the Potala Palace. The 289 spacious rooms offer a sense of place with soothing earth tones, Tibetan design accents and majestic mountain views. A spa, pool and gym round out the offerings, though at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, you’ll most likely be spending your time in their dedicated “oxygen lounge.” On other tours, Viking also uses the upscale St. Regis Lhasa Resort for lodging, while G Adventures books its guests at the reliable, three-star Dhood Gu Hotel.

Tibet Cruise tour Highlights

For more on Yangtze River cruisetour port highlights beyond Tibet, see Yangtze River Cruise Tips. For the Lhasa portion of the trip, itineraries vary slightly, but you can generally expect the following guided excursions as the core offerings:

Potala Palace: A sight to behold, both inside and out, this monumental red-and-white hilltop palace welcomes visitors to wander through the 1,000-plus-room former winter residence of Tibet’s long line of Dalai Lamas. The current version dates to the 17th-century, though the site’s significance dates back a millennium further still. Visit the living quarters here of past Dalai Lamas, the spiritual and political leaders of Tibet, who are believed to be reincarnated manifestations of an enlightened bodhisattva (unfortunately, the current Dalai Lama has lived in exile in Dharamsala, India, since 1959). Find, too, a series of sacred shrines and chapels, with impressive imagery and statuary, as well as the astonishing, towering gilded stupa tombs that contain the mummified remains of Tibet’s previous Dalai Lamas.

Jokhang Temple: The holiest temple within Tibetan Buddhism, and a popular place of pilgrimage, this nearly 1,400-year-old temple comes filled with shoulder-to-shoulder devotees and a palpable sense of faith. Join pilgrims as they venerate religious images and ancient statues (including the highly revered Jowo Rinpoche statue of a youthful Buddha), the air thick with incense and the glow of yak-butter lamps. Don’t miss the inspiring rooftop views over Lhasa and the surrounding mountain ranges.

The Barkhor: Circling the exterior of the Jokhang Temple, this ancient pathway marks a sacred kora for Tibetan pilgrims, as they circumambulate the temple in procession, filling the street with a sense of wondrous devotion. The scene is ethereal and animated (people-watching doesn’t get much better than this), as the faithful prostrate, spin prayer wheels and chant en route. Lining the pedestrianized path, too, are a series of stalls selling bargain-ready wares: prayer flags and beads, handmade jewelry and more.

Sera Monastery: This 15th-century Gelugpa mountainside monastery is the site of a trio of monastic colleges and home to about 500 monks in training (though it once housed 5,000). Of special interest to visitors is the huge assembly hall, where just outside, on weekday afternoons, monks engage in spirited debates (complete with stomping and hand gestures) meant to test their level of study.

Tibet Museum: Overlook the Chinese propaganda (the history of Tibet is rewritten to glorify Chinese policies here), and you’ll be rewarded with close-up views of ancient Tibetan artifacts, as well as insight into local culture. Statues of Buddha, handicrafts, thangkas (paintings on cloth), musical instruments and more span Tibetan history, with certain objects dating as far back as Neolithic times.

Home Visit: Several itineraries (including Viking, Uniworld and Avalon’s) incorporate home visits to see how locals live. Our visit with Viking to a traditional Lhasa dwelling included samplings of traditional yak-butter tea (an acquired taste, for sure) and home-brewed barley beer, and a peek into the family’s elaborate home shrine (apparently, the norm throughout the country).

Tibet Cruise tour Tips

There are a few special considerations for travel to Tibet:

China occupies Tibet. China’s controversial claim to Tibet came to a head in 1959, when the Chinese occupation (or, so-called “liberation,” according to the Chinese) ultimately led to the loss of Tibetan sovereignty, the exile of the Dalai Lama to India and the country transforming into a special administrative region of China. Today, China claims Tibet as an “inalienable part of China,” and the ongoing encroachment of the Chinese is apparent in the sheer number of Han Chinese (the ethnic majority in China) who now live and work there. This ongoing political situation marks a painful and sensitive topic, and not one that Tibetans are permitted to speak freely about (our local guides had to divert guests’ questions several times); respect these restrictions, as guides and other local Tibetans can risk persecution and other repercussions from the Chinese authorities. You’ll no doubt notice the military presence, Chinese-led construction projects and distinct Chinese and Tibetan sections of the city; be sure to read up on the disturbing past rife with sad tales of genocide and cultural destruction. However, it’s worth noting that the Dalai Lama encourages tourism to the region, citing the importance for travelers to learn more about Tibet, its people and the reality of life on the ground there.

Tibet visitors need travel permits. Political sensitivities in the region have accordingly led to strict travel restrictions. Foreign travelers are prohibited from visiting Tibet independently and must arrange for travel through a guided group tour, like those on offer with these cruise lines; all necessary travel permits are typically arranged as part of the tour booking.

Beware of altitude sickness. While most itineraries afford three days on the ground in Lhasa, be forewarned that you’re more than likely to need the first day for acclimation (tour stops are usually scheduled accordingly on the second and third days). It’s a frustrating feeling to make the epic journey to Tibet and then be stuck in your hotel room, but for the first full day on the ground there, even the effort of walking from the bed to the bathroom may leave you winded and light-headed (about three-quarters of our tour group experience some form of altitude sickness, some more serious than others). Don’t underestimate your limitations in extreme elevations, and consider talking to your doctor about treatments (like Diamox) that might be right for you to help alleviate symptoms.

–By Elissa Garay, Cruise Critic contributor