CTA President thanks the US House for passing the Tibet bill with overwhelming bipartisan support
January 29, 2020
Published By Bureau Reporter
Dharamshala: “We hope that the bill gets signed into law by June this year,” said Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay of the CentraI Tibetan Administration today during a brief press conference held at DIIR’s Lhakpa Tsering Memorial Hall.
At the press conference, Sikyong expressed the Central Tibetan Administration’s heartfelt gratitude to the U.S for its continued support on Tibet issue and for passing the landmark Tibet Policy and Support Act 2019 at the House with a supermajority of 392 votes in support.
Speaking to the media, Sikyong said, “I would like to thank the U.S House for passing the Tibetan Policy and support Act 2019 with an overwhelming majority of votes. This sends a very strong message to the Chinese government that the support for Tibet in America is as strong as it used to be in 2002 when the first Tibet Policy Act was passed.”
“I would also like to thank Hon. Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her leadership, Congressman Jim Mcgovern and Chris Smith for co-sponsoring the bill. Likewise, other Congressmen including Republican Congressman Ted Yoho who spoke strongly in support of the bill in the House as well as others,” he said while also acknowledging the efforts of International Campaign for Tibet and Tibetan associations and individuals.
Sikyong said the bill includes new provisions such as environmental issues in Tibet, religious freedom, issue of reincarnation, CTA and democratization as per the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the funding for humanitarian projects for Tibetans inside and outside Tibet.
“The way this bill was brought to the House, it took many years. In the initial discussion, there was an element of concern that if we bring the revised bill, the worst-case scenario, if it doesn’t get passed, would mean a major set back for Tibetan cause but we were able to overcome that hurdle and went ahead,” Sikyong said, sharing the success story.
In conclusion, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay announced today that he is willing to visit DC again in February to discuss with long time friends of Tibet at the Senate to intensify the lobbying.

Chinese Ambassador Threatens Small European Territory over Huawei 5G Contract
December 16, 2019
Posted in News From Other Sites
BREITBART, 15 December 2019 Read original news here.
The Chinese Ambassador to Denmark threatened high-level officials in the Faroe Islands, warning the Communist country would cancel a free trade agreement if the islands refused to sign a contract with the controversial Chinese telecom company Huawei.
An audio recording in the Faroe Islands, a small territory of the Kingdom of Denmark north of Britain’s Shetland Islands, reveals that Mr Feng Tie, the Chinese ambassador to Denmark, is shown to have tied growing exports of salmon to China from the archipelago to the local telecoms operator Føroya Tele agreeing to let Huawei build the 5G network. Mr Feng said that if the contract was not granted, China would not enter into any trade agreement with the islands.
The recording shows that Bárður á Steig Nielsen, the leader of the Faroe Islands, rebuffed the Chinese ambassador’s demands, stating that the government would not interfere in the 5G network contract selection. The Danish Ministry of Defence is also advising against the selection of Huawei as the 5G network provider, reports the Danish newspaper Berlingske.
For more than a week, the Faroese government has tried to keep the audio recording a secret, placing reporting restrictions of the TV station Kringvarp Føroya from releasing the tape.

China buying Indian media for propaganda gimmick
December 16, 2019
Published By Bureau Reporter
by T.G. Arya
Hindustan Times, one of the leading Indian dallies, has on its Friday issue [13/12/2019] carried a full-page supplement with two ostensible articles by some Yuan Shenggao under the sponsorship of China Watch Daily, a mouthpiece of the Chinese communist regime. The articles are titled “Decades of progress highlighted”1 and “Unparalleled change experienced within a space of generation”2.
The articles claimed great development, economic prosperity, social stability, good ecology, ethnic unity and religious freedom that Tibet and Tibetans have achieved since the 1950s under the Communist regime. It talked big of double-digit growth in gross domestic product, increased tourism and elimination of poverty.
The statements in the articles are totally misleading and erroneous. It is a deliberate attempt by the Chinese communist leadership to misinform the Indians and international community to justify its occupation of Tibet. It quotes Wu Yingjie and Qizhala, the two top officials of the TAR (Tibet Autonomous Regions), the Party secretary and Chairman of Tibet Autonomous Regions respectively. The first article is based on the statements by the two leaders on September 12 in Beijing during a news conference organized by the State Council Information Office.
The fact is, for Tibetans, the seventy years of Chinese invasion and the rule have been a long-dreaded seventy years of brutal occupation and repression. More than 1.2 million Tibetans died, more than 6000 monasteries and nunneries faced destruction, and millions of scriptures and cultural artefacts have been burnt under the communist regime.
All those talks on double-digit growth in GDP can be ascribed more to the massive militarization of the Tibetan plateau, mining and exploitation of mineral resources, road building and tunnelling of the hills, damming and changing the course of the river flows, and large scale migration of Han Chinese into Tibet. There may be increase in the harvest and food production, but this is a natural economic course. The external infrastructural developments that the Chinese communist party (CCP) leaders boast of have benefited the Chinese people more than the Tibetans. In any case, economic development cannot legitimize the brutal occupation of the land.
The articles talk of religious freedom in Tibet. But the reality is that most of the monasteries in Tibet are closely monitored by the Communist party members. Staff and children are banned from visiting monasteries. The ongoing destruction of and restriction at Larung Gar and Yachen Gar monasteries are clear evidence that there is no religious freedom in Tibet.
CCP does not believe in religion, but they claim authority in selecting the reincarnation of high Lamas, including the Dalai Lama. The special meetings of all Tibetans and International Support Groups in the month of October this year, and Tibetan High Lamas’ meeting in November have passed a unanimous resolution that Chinese interference in the selection of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation will not be tolerated by the Tibetans and the international communities.
The second article, “Unparalleled change experienced within space of a generation” where the personal story of three Tibetans, their achievements and happy life have been described. It is commendable that Kelzang Drolkar is a Party secretary of a community in Nachen sub-district of Lhasa and a three-time delegate to the National People’s Congress; Lhakpa Phantog, a successful entrepreneur; and Nyima Tashi, a professor and head of modern educational technologies center at Tibet University. But the important thing to consider here is do they really have the freedom in what they are doing, are they really happy?
Can Kelzang Drolkar, as a Tibetan, freely visit a local monastery for prayer and blessing? Can Lhakpa Phantog take his children to a monastery or travel around (in and outside the country) freely to conduct his business? Can Prof Nyima Tashi teach Tibetan language and Tibetan history freely to his students?
It talks about five airports with 92 air routes linking domestic and overseas destinations, highways and railways. But are the Tibetans allowed to travel? Are they allowed to hold passports? These are some basic questions that CCP leadership needs to answer to the Tibetans and the international communities.
On November 26, a young Tibetan by name of Yonten self-immolated himself to protest the repressive policy of the communist regime. Tashi Rabten, a language activist is still languishing in prison. A monk Sonam Palden from Kirti monastery was arrested recently for advocating Tibetan language rights. Highly respected Tibetan spiritual masters like Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok and Tulku Tenzin Delek suffered arrest, torture and died under the regime. Since 2009, 154 Tibetans self-immolated to protest the Chinese repressive policy. How do Yuan Shenggao, for that matter, Wu Yingjie and Qizhala explain this side of the Tibetan story?
If the Chinese leadership is really serious about their claims of happy life and democratic freedom in Tibet, let the UN rapporteurs, international diplomats and media visit Tibet and freely assess the situation. Freedom House has listed Tibet as one of the most inaccessible regions in the world. So, what freedom and development are Wu Yingjie and Qizhala speaking about?
Lastly, paid advertisement or otherwise, Indian newspapers should be careful not to become a mouthpiece of one of the most repressive and aggressive regimes who has kept India on toes through its intermittent border incursions all these years.
*Mr. Tsewang Gyalpo Arya is the Secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). He also holds the additional responsibility as Director of Tibet Policy Institute.
Disclaimer: The view expressed above is the author’s own.

14th Tibetan Religious Conference affirms the Dalai Lama’s sole authority in his reincarnation, illegitimizes China’s meddling in religious affairs
Source:Tibet.net
Dharamshala: Ever since 1969, when asked about his next reincarnation, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has told the international media that it was a matter to be decided by the Tibetan people. As it stands now, it is important for the Tibetan people to enact a legitimate stand on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. In that light, a necessary special resolution on reincarnation was passed at the 14th Tibetan Religious Conference which began today at the headquarters of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). The conference is being organised by the Department of Religion and Culture, CTA.
The relationship between successive Dalai Lamas and the Tibetan people has been akin to that between head and neck, or, as it were, between the body and its shadow, and therefore never ever separable. Hence it is only to be expected that the tradition of the continuance of the lineage of the Dalai Lamas through successive reincarnations based on the Tibetan Buddhist tradition should remain for the sake of the Tibetan people.
As such, through this conference, Tibetan religious heads and representatives see it as imperative to adopt a special resolution which thus follows hereunder.
Dharamshala Declaration – Resolutions:
1 The Karmic bond between the Dalai Lamas and the Tibetan people have been inseparable and the present status of the Tibetan people being extremely critical, all Tibetans genuinely wish for the continuation of the Institution and Reincarnation of the Dalai Lama in the future. We therefore strongly supplicate to His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama for the same.
2 The authority of decision concerning the way and the manner in which the next reincarnation of the XIV Dalai Lama should appear solely rests with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama himself. No government or otherwise will have such authority. If the Government of the People’s Republic of China for political ends chooses a candidate for the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan people will not recognize and respect that candidate.
3 Regarding the method of recognizing the future reincarnations of the Dalai Lama, the same unique Tibetan traditional method, which has been continuously used until now, will be followed. This method conforms to be basic philosophy and tenets of the Buddhadharma and originated in Tibet over 800 years ago.
The three-day conference is administered by the heads and important figures of various traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and native Tibetan Bon tradition including H.E Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, H.E Gaden Tri Rinpoche, H.E Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, H.E Kyabje Menri Trizin Rinpoche, Kyabje Tsurphu Gorshe Gyaltsab Rinpoche (Representative of Gyalwa Karmapa), Rev. Taklung Matrul Rinpoche (Representative of H.E Taklung Shabdrung Rinpoche), Namdroling Tulku Choedhar Rinpoche, Ven. Khenpo Ngedhon Tenzin (Representative of H.E Gyalwang Drukchen), and Jonang Gyaltsab Rinpoche.
Other eminent Tibetan rinpoches and tulkus, representatives and lamas from the Himalayan region, Khen Rinpoches of major Tibetan Buddhist institutes in exile, heads and members of Tibetan monastic institutes and representatives of Tibetan nunneries were present among the 100-strong participants. Dignitaries of the Tibetan Administration including the heads of three pillars of Democracy, Kalons, and Members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile attended the inaugural ceremony.
The conference will focus on enabling extensive participation of the religious heads and other important figures of Tibetan Buddhism in the discussion and decision making on the overarching significance of Tibetan tradition of recognising the reincarnation of scholar-adepts with a particular emphasis on the discovery and recognition of the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Addressing the inaugural session of the conference, Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay apprised on the resolutions passed in the recently held 3rd Special General Meeting of Tibetans whereby it was declared that the exclusive right and the power regarding the discovery and recognition of reincarnations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama lies in His Holiness himself and the Gaden Phodrang Trust of the Dalai Lama. And any effort being made by China via its Order no 5 will be outrightly considered as invalid as per the resolution adopted.
Sikyong then notified on the alarming meddling of China in the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama not only through its implementation of Order no 5 but by threatening and putting pressures on India against interfering in the selection of next Dalai Lama.
“China’s extreme hostility towards religious freedom in Tibet is totally unacceptable to us and likewise, we vehemently reject any advancement of China’s interferences in the process of the reincarnation system. If any, It should be for the Tibetans to decide and defend” said Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay.
“Though China continues to put pressure on India, India’s consistent generosity and kindness towards Tibetans have always been the same” added Sikyong.
Remarking on the recent visit of Senator Brownback, US Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Sikyong said that the US fully supports and favours the Tibetan Buddhist system of selecting the successors.
“The US government has officially stated its support for the Tibetan people’s religious freedom to select, educate and venerate their religious leaders without state interferences,” said the democratically elected leader of the Tibetans in exile.
Kalon for Religion and Culture, Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok, in his opening remarks, explained the recent steps taken to change the title of the conference. He expressed his appreciation and confidence that this conference in its optimum capacity will deliver fruitful results.

China Diplomat’s Article on Tibet ‘Misleading’: Exile Government
2019-11-11
A recent article by a senior Chinese diplomat that says Tibetans enjoy religious freedom and a happy life under Beijing’s rule is misleading and untrue, and distorts historical facts to support a false claim that Tibet has always been a part of China, Tibet’s India-based exile government said on Monday.
Writing on Nov. 6 in India’s Hindustan Times, Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong said “Historical records prove that Tibet has always been part of China since ancient times,” citing the Himalayan region’s subordination to China’s 13th century Yuan dynasty and 16th to 20th century control by China’s Qing, or Manchu, emperors.
The Yuan dynasty was a Mongol dynasty, however, not Chinese, says Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, Information Secretary for Tibet’s exile Central Tibetan Administration. And China itself was ruled by the Mongols at the time as a conquered territory and was not the dynasty’s founder, Arya says.
“Therefore, it is preposterous on the part of China to claim Tibet because of the Mongol conquest. On that ground, Mongolia has a far better reason to claim Tibet and China,” Arya says, adding that the later Qing dynasty was a Manchu dynasty, and also not Chinese.
Nor was Buddhism introduced into Tibet from China, as Ambassador Sun says, Arya adds, writing, “Tibetan Buddhism has its source in India, not China.”
“Many Indian masters have visited Tibet to teach and many Tibetan masters have travelled to India to receive the teachings. Tibetan Lamas have visited China to teach Buddhism, but there is no record of Chinese Buddhist masters visiting Tibet to teach.”
False claims of freedom
Though Sun repeats official Chinese assertions of religious freedom in Tibet, “[Communist] party members and Tibetans working in the government offices are not allowed to visit Monasteries and Temples,” Arya says, adding that access to these places by children, too, is heavily restricted.
China’s claims of religious freedom are also disproved by the recent expulsion of thousands of monks and nuns and destruction of their dwellings at the Larung Gar and Yachen Gar Buddhist study centers in Tibetan areas of Sichuan, Arya says.
Beijing’s assertions of authority over the identification of Tibetan reincarnate lamas, with Sun claiming that selections “must all comply with national laws and regulations,” are also unfounded, Arya says, pointing out that the line of Dalai Lamas over which China now claims control based on Qing-era protocols “precedes the Qing dynasty by 253 years.”
And despite Sun’s claims of rapid economic growth in Tibetan areas of China, the figures Sun presents are a “reflection of the massive militarization of the Tibetan plateau, investment in mining activities, construction of dams and tunnels, and increased employment and migration of Chinese workers and settlers in Tibet,” Arya says.
All of this, Arya says, has marginalized the Tibetan people and plunged the region into a climate crisis, threatening Tibet’s neighbors in Southeast Asian countries.
Promoting official narratives
Speaking to RFA’s Tibetan Service on Nov. 11, Jawaharlal Nehru University China studies expert Geeta Kochhar described Sun’s article in the Indian paper as a typical example of China’s use of media to promote official narratives.
“Initially, they did this with their own media, but now it is more radically open with foreign media,” she said. “However, whether readers buy into the article or not will be up to them,” she said.
“The Indian government, Indian scholars, and Indian media do not necessarily support it.”
Also speaking to RFA, Jigme Yeshi, assistant professor of political science at Calcutta University, said “[Sun’s article] is complete propaganda, and historically the ambassador is wrong about the history of reincarnation.”
“And I would like to know the reason behind the large-scale demolitions at Larung Gar and Yachen Gar if China claims there is religious freedom inside Tibet,” Yeshi said.
Reported by RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Tibetan Man Detained For Sharing Photos, Relatives Fear Torture
2019-11-13
A Tibetan man detained in March for sharing photos on social media ahead of a sensitive political anniversary has been held incommunicado ever since, with his relatives fearing he may have been tortured in custody, an India-based Tibetan advocacy group said this week.
Pema Samdup, 26, was detained by police in Tibet’s regional capital Lhasa on March 9, one day before the 60th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) said in a Nov. 12 press release.
“Samdup had been detained due to ‘political reasons’ and for ‘sharing photos on his WeChat account,’” the rights group said, citing anonymous sources and adding that family members were never formally notified of his arrest.
News of detentions of Tibetans or of Tibetan protests against Chinese rule is frequently delayed in reaching outside contacts owing to strict communications clampdowns imposed by Chinese authorities in Tibetan areas.
Chinese authorities meanwhile typically block the sharing among Tibetans of photos of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama or of Tibetan protests.
Relatives now worry that Samdup, a college graduate and former resident of Chamdo prefecture’s Tengchen (in Chinese, Dengqen) county, may have been abused or harmed in detention, TCHRD said.
“[The detention officers] in Chamdo are notorious for using brutal torture methods on political detainees,” one source, a close relative living in exile, told the rights group.
“I now fear for his life,” Samdup’s relative said.
The detention and suspected torture of Pema Samdup are “flagrant violations of his human rights and fundamental freedoms,” TCHRD said, calling on China to grant Samdup “immediate and unhindered” access to his family members, along with any medical treatment he may require.
Language rights advocate held
Meanwhile, a Tibetan monk who vanished in Chinese custody in September after posting criticisms of China’s restrictions on the use of the Tibetan language has been located in Sichuan’s Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) county, TCHRD said in a separate statement.
Sonam Palden, 22 and a monk at Ngaba’s Kirti monastery, “is currently being held in the Ngaba County Public Security Bureau detention centre. His family members have not been able to contact him,” TCHRD said.
“TCHRD fears that the prolonged incommunicado detention of Sonam Palden will gravely endanger his life given the fact that the worst torture happens during pretrial detention and in the secrecy of Chinese detention facilities,” the rights group said.
“TCHRD calls on the Chinese authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally and also provide him proper medical treatment without delay.”
Tibetans say Chinese authorities regularly restrict their political activities and peaceful expression of ethnic and religious identity in the Tibetan region, and subject them to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.
Language rights have become a particular focus for Tibetan efforts to assert national identity in recent years, with informally organized language courses typically deemed “illegal associations” and teachers subject to detention and arrest, sources say.
Reported by RFA’s Tibetan Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Four Tibetan Monks are Detained After Calling for Tibet’s Independence
2019-11-19
Authorities in western China’s Sichuan province arrested four Tibetan monks on Nov. 7 for scattering leaflets calling for Tibetan independence in the courtyard of a Chinese government office in Sershul county, RFA’s Tibetan Service has learned.
Identified as Kunsal, 20, Tsultrim, 18, Tamey, 18, and Soeta, 18, the four were seized in their rooms at Dza Wonpo Ganden Shedrub monastery in the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Jampa Yonten—a monk at India’s Sera monastery—told RFA, citing sources in the region.
The group had allegedly scattered hundreds of leaflets in the courtyard of the Chinese administrative office in the Dza Wonpo village of Dza Mey township in Sershul, Yonten said.
“Besides calling for freedom for Tibet, the leaflets called for human rights in Tibet, and especially for respect for the rights of local Tibetans,” Yonten said, adding, “They also called for an end to the illegal acts of local officials and for an end to the stage-managed political campaigns that were disrupting the lives of the local people.”
Police later detained the monks’ religious instructor, Shergyam Yang, a teacher at Dza Wonpo Ganden Shedrub monastery in Sichuan’s Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, but released him after holding him for 11 days, Yonten said.
Another monk, still unidentified, was taken into custody on Nov. 18 after posting online expressions of support for those still held.
Propaganda exercises
The monks’ protest is believed to have been prompted by propaganda performances imposed by local authorities on nomads who were moved off their grazing land and forced into resettlement towns, Yonten said.
“There, without their livestock, the nomads’ livelihoods have gone from bad to worse, and without other sources of income, they have to depend solely on government subsidies for their survival,” he said.
During tours to the area by Chinese officials, the resettled nomads are forced to put up pictures of Chinese national leaders and praise China’s ruling Communist Party in public speeches which are then filmed and distributed to Chinese mass media, Yonten said.
“But many nomads have also refused to participate  in these government propaganda exercises, saying they will not take part, even at the cost of their lives, and this has caused tensions between the Tibetans who take part and those who refuse,” he said.
“In this way, the Chinese have created divisions among Tibetans in the local community,” he said.
Police scrutiny
Already tightly restricted following widespread protests in Tibetan regions in 2008, Dza Wonpo monastery drew increased police scrutiny in 2012 when monks refused to hoist Chinese national flags on the monastery’s roofs,  and an ensuing crackdown led to scores of arbitrary detentions, arrests, and searches of Tibetan homes, sources told RFA in earlier reports.
Tibetans say Chinese authorities regularly restrict their political activities and peaceful expression of ethnic and religious identity in the Tibetan region, and subject them to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.
Reported by Pema Ngodup and Guru Choegyi for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Eighth International Conference of Tibet Support Groups Dharamshala, 3-5 November 2019
The 8th International Conference of Tibet Support Groups was convened in Dharamshala from 3 to 5 November 2019 by the Core Group for Tibetan Cause at a time of major political changes in the world, just as when the first such conference met in Dharamshala, in March 1990. To meet the opportunities and challenges of such a time of change, the reinvigoration of the Tibet movement is not only called for, but is already evidenced by the participation of 180 delegates from Tibet support groups and other supporters from 42 countries in all regions of the world, as well as by their determination to intensify their efforts for the freedom of Tibet and its people.
The participants met for an extended time with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and were greatly encouraged by his explanation of his four commitments—promotion of human values, promotion of religious harmony; preservation of Tibetan language, culture and Nalanda Buddhist heritage, as well as the protection of Tibet’s natural environment; and revival of ancient Indian knowledge—which reflect his altruistic vision for the future.
Participants fully endorse his conviction regarding the profoundly important contribution the Tibetan people and culture can make to human development,  and are therefore persuaded that  support for the Tibetan cause is support for humanity as a whole.
The conference was addressed by the Sikyong (President) of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, which is called the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), and the Speaker of the Tibetan  Parliament in Exile. The conference heard speakers from Tibet, Hong Kong, East Turkestan, Southern Mongolia and Taiwan, as well as from India, South Africa, the U.K, Australia, China,  and the US, all of whom shared a sense of optimism and actively participated in the  proceedings of the conference.
We, the participants in the Conference express deep concern that, whereas the situation in occupied Tibet has gone from bad to worse, there are still no signs that the government of the   People’s Republic of China (PRC) is ready to engage in negotiations with representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama or the CTA to resolve the conflict caused by the PRC’s illegal invasion of Tibet almost 70 years ago and by its occupation of the country and repression of the Tibetan people ever since. We call on the Chinese government to resume the dialogue, which occurred on the basis of the Middle Way Approach, and engage in earnest negotiations without delay, and we urge the UN and members of the international community to persuade the Chinese government to do so. At the same time, we commend His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration for their continued commitment to non-violence and to seeking a mutually beneficial negotiated solution. We are deeply moved by the courage of the Tibetan people in Tibet in their non-violent resistance to Chinese repression and in their efforts to protect their national identity.
We deplore the fear displayed by many governments to stand up to the PRC in the face of decades of its gross and systematic violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms in
Tibet and in East Turkestan (Ch. Xinjiang) as well as in Southern Mongolia (Inner Mongolia),  and currently, in the face of sustained protests, also in Hong Kong. Instead of firmly acting on  the side of truth and justice, those governments and a number of corporate actors betray our  core values of democracy, rule of law, self-determination and human rights in pursuit of  commercial gain. Similarly, they fail to challenge the PRC’s attacks on those very values and the institutions that embody them in our own countries. We are determined to expose such betrayal  of and attacks on our values and will forge powerful coalitions and alliances to do so.
Given the critical role of the Tibetan Plateau, as the Third Pole, in global climate change, we  commit to insert Tibet, which is at the frontline of the climate crisis, into the debate of this most urgent issue of our time.
Conscient of the immense contribution of Tibetan Buddhism to the understanding of the mind and of human behavior, including the generation of love and compassion and other qualities  essential to human happiness, and therefore the value of scholarly works in which this vast knowledge is contained, it is imperative to protect the Tibetan language and culture that  provides access to it.
Supporting the decision of the 3rd Special General Meeting of the Tibetans in Dharamshala in October, we insist that all decisions regarding the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama are the exclusive responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his Gaden Phodrang Trust. Any interference in this process by the PRC authorities and any attempt at selecting or appointing a  Dalai Lama by the Chinese government will have no legitimacy and should be condemned and subjected to sanctions by the international community.
The struggle for Tibetan freedom is a struggle for justice, truth, and freedom. We are committed to continuing the work until the conflict is resolved to the satisfaction of the Tibetan people. As long as the Tibetan people remains under alien occupation, subjugation and exploitation, and is therefore denied the exercise of its right to self-determination, the Tibetan struggle for freedom and justice is everyone’s struggle for freedom and justice. And so, just as we call for solidarity with the people of Tibet, so too we express solidarity with all who suffer under the PRC’s  repressive policies, indeed, all other peoples deprived of their freedom, for no one can be truly free so long as others are oppressed.
 
Dharamshala 5 November 2019

Dalai Lama’s Successor Will be Chosen by Tibetans, not by China: US Envoy
2019-10-28
A successor to Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will be chosen by the Tibetan people themselves and not by Beijing, which claims authority over the process of recognition, a senior U.S. diplomat said in India on Monday.
Speaking at a conference hosted by the Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts held in Dharamsala—seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile—U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback hit out at what he called China’s “persecution of the Tibetan people’s faith.”
The Tibetan people have the right to choose their own religious leaders, Brownback said.
“The role of picking a successor to the Dalai Lama belongs to the Tibetan Buddhist system, the Dalai Lama, and other Tibetan leaders. It does not belong to anybody else, not any government or any entity,” Brownback said.
Concerns over the health of the 84-year-old Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India following a failed 1959 Tibetan revolt against Chinese rule, have renewed uncertainties over his possible successor after he dies.
China claims control over the selection, saying that the process must comply with Chinese law, while the Dalai Lama himself says that if he returns, his successor will be born in a country outside of Chinese control.
Tibetan tradition holds that senior Buddhist monks and other high-ranking religious teachers are reincarnated in the body of a child after they die.
Beijing has sought in recent years to control the identification of other Tibetan religious leaders, including Tibet’s Panchen Lama, who was taken into custody at the age of six with his family in 1995, with Chinese officials then installing another boy of their own choosing in his place.
“We call on the [People’s Republic of China] government to release immediately the Tibetan-recognized Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima or share the truth about his fate with the world,” Brownback said in India.
“We stand with the people of Tibet as they seek to preserve their time-honored traditions including the right to venerate religious leaders of their choosing,” Brownback said.
“Decisions regarding the selection of Tibetan Buddhist leaders rest with the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhist leaders, and the people of Tibet. Period!”
U.S. Congress takes action
Meanwhile, in a bipartisan show of U.S. support for Tibet, a new bill introduced in Congress threatens sanctions against Chinese officials interfering with the selection of a new Dalai Lama, with proposed penalties including the freezing of assets and denial of entry to the United States.
The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019 was introduced in the House on Sept. 13 by Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), chairman of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and will be introduced in the Senate by Commission co-chair Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
The bill will then be submitted for review by the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on the Judiciary, and put forward for debate and passage into law at a later date.
Chinese authorities meanwhile maintain a tight grip on the Tibetan region, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of ethnic and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.
Reported by Lobsang Gelek for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Tibetan Man Not Heard From Since Detention Last Month by Chinese Police
2019-11-06
A Tibetan man detained by Chinese police in early October on unknown charges has not been heard from since his arrest and has now vanished in detention, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Wednesday.
Lhadar, 36, was taken into custody in Tibet’s Nagchu (in Chinese, Naqu) county after being warned by police not to leave the area, and was a resident of the Geso Tsalhi village in Nagchu’s Tarchen township, RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“It is assumed he was arrested for ‘leaking state secrets,’” the source said, citing a charge often used to stop the spread of news of protests against Beijing’s rule in Tibetan areas or other information considered politically sensitive by authorities.
“Lhadar is strongly opposed to China’s repressive policies in Tibet, including its political re-education programs and its imposition of restrictions on Tibetans,” the source said.
“He has always been outspoken on issues concerning the reunion of Tibetan people inside Tibet and in exile, and has great hope for the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet. Therefore, he was on the ‘watch list’ of the Chinese police,” he said.
Lhadar had earlier clashed with authorities during protests in Nagchu against Chinese “patriotic education” campaigns, and had been arrested and beaten along with other Tibetans, RFA’s source said.
“He was eventually released, but after that his movements were restricted,” he said.
A formerly independent nation, Tibet was taken over and incorporated into China by force nearly 70 years ago, following which Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and thousands of his followers fled into exile in India.
Chinese authorities now maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of ethnic and religious identities, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.
Reported by Dawa Dolma for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.