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Friday 28 December 2012

China seizes TVs, satellite equipment in Tibetan area


A report found on the yahoo news which provided clear media report but still mixed some unrealistic statures of mentioning the true truth:
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have confiscated televisions from 300 monasteries in a heavily Tibetan part of the west of the country and dismantled satellite equipment that broadcast "anti-China" programs, prompted by Tibetan self-immolations in the region.
Some 94 Tibetans, including 81 this year, have set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese rule. Five self-immolations occurred in Tibetan-dominated Huangnan prefecture in Qinghai province, the state-run Qinghai news agency said on Thursday.
The government in Huangnan said its approach in tackling self-immolations comprised of "guiding public opinion on the Dalai issue", increasing patrols and "blocking outside harmful information", according to the news agency, which is managed by the Qinghai government.
"At this critical moment for maintaining social stability in Huangnan prefecture ... (we must) strengthen measures and fully fight the special battle against self-immolations," the article said.
"We do not know anything about it," an official from the Huangnan prefecture government told Reuters by telephone, when asked to confirm the report, before hanging up.
Beijing considers Nobel peace laureate the Dalai Lama, who fled China in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule, a separatist. The Dalai Lama says he is merely seeking greater autonomy for his Himalayan homeland.
The article said the prefecture's agricultural and pastoral areas had relied on certain satellite equipment"to watch and listen to overseas, anti-China programs".
The local government would invest 8.64 million yuan ($1.39 million) to install 50 transmitters that would broadcast 70 percent of the prefecture's television channels, the report said.
China has repeatedly denounced the Dalai Lama and exiled Tibetan groups for fomenting the self-immolations.
The United States and several other countries have called on China to end repressive policies and to negotiate with the Dalai Lama.
Beijing has defended its iron-fisted rule in Tibet, saying the remote region suffered from dire poverty, brutal exploitation of serfs and economic stagnation until 1950 when Communist troops "peacefully liberated" it.
adapted from Yahoo news

Tuesday 25 December 2012

Statement of Catherine Ashton, the European Union on Tibetan self-immolations

EU Flag (Getty Images)

"The EU is profoundly saddened by the increasing number of Tibetans committing self-immolation, many of them young people.
We are concerned by the restrictions on expressions of Tibetan identity, which appear to be giving rise to a surge of discontent in the region. While respecting China’s territorial integrity, the EU calls upon the Chinese authorities to address the deep¬rooted causes of the frustration of the Tibetan people and ensure that their civil, political, economic and social and cultural rights are respected, including their right to enjoy their own culture, to practise their own religion and to use their own language. 
The EU fully supports the statement made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navi Pillay on 2 November 2012. The EU calls upon the Chinese authorities to respect the rights of Tibetans to peaceful assembly and expression, to act with restraint, and to release all individuals detained for taking part in peaceful demonstrations.
We also urge Chinese authorities to allow free access to all Tibetan autonomous areas for diplomats as well as for international journalists.
Recognising their intense sense of despair, the EU calls on Tibetans to refrain from resorting to extreme forms of protest, such as self-immolation, and on their community and religious leaders to use their influence to help stop this tragic loss of life.
Finally, the EU encourages all concerned parties to resume a meaningful dialogue."

adapted from UK Embassy, Beijing

UK concerned about Tibet and nails on Chinese government


BEIJING:
“We strongly support the recent statement from Baroness Ashton about the situation in Tibet. We continue to have serious concerns about the human rights situation there, including the self-immolation in Tibetan regions.
We urge the Chinese authorities to exercise restraint. At the same time, I join Baroness Ashton in calling on Tibetans not to resort to extreme forms of protest such as self-immolation, and urge their community and religious leaders to use their influence to stop this tragic loss of life. We strongly support the resumption of meaningful dialogue to resolve the underlying grievances of Tibetan communities.
I also urge the Chinese government to ensure unrestricted access to the Tibetan Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas of China for diplomats, international media and other concerned parties. We believe a long term solution is best achieved through respect for universal principles of human rights and genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the Chinese constitution.” 
Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire, European Union statement on self-immolations in Tibet

Saturday 15 December 2012

Dorje Shugde : DALAI LAMA REJECTED FROM TAIWAN

(A disheartening and pitiable news I just came across on FB. As these people are themselves not Tibetans. Fact the His Holiness teaches can not be understood by them! So poor)

"Rejected by the world, the Tibetans have finally also been rejected by their one natural supporter, Taiwan. In an unprecedented move, Taiwan has barred His Holiness the Dalai Lama from entering the country, an action widely seen as reflecting the government's fear of angering China.

With Taiwan becoming increasingly anti-Dalai Lama, global support for Tibetan leaders and Tibetan independence is d
isappearing. So what lies ahead for Dorje Shugden supporters, who have always been deemed anti-Dalai Lama (although we are not)?
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DALAI LAMA REJECTED FROM TAIWAN

[[[ The original news article ]]]
TAIPEI, Nov 22, 2012 (AFP) – Taiwan has decided to bar the Dalai Lama from entering the island, triggering an angry response from a women’s organisation that had invited him to a meeting there next month, officials said Thursday.

The Taiwan chapter of the Federation of Business and Professional Women, headed by former vice president Annette Lu, said the move reflected fear of angering China, which sees the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader as a separatist.

“We are angry as the government is obviously worried about China’s reaction. It’s ridiculous that Taiwan has to listen to China and seek its approval before doing anything,” said a spokeswoman for Lu.

The federation said that they had contacted the Dalai Lama directly and that he had agreed to attend their Asia Pacific regional conference in Taipei in December.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry confirmed that they would not allow the visit, but denied China had anything to do with the decision.

“It’s just not a good time,” foreign ministry spokesman Steve Hsia told AFP, declining to elaborate.

China is highly critical of the Dalai Lama, suspecting him of seeking independence for his Himalayan homeland, even though he says he only wants greater autonomy and religious freedom.

The Dalai Lama had voiced a wish to visit Taiwan in 2008, but at that time, too, the island’s government had argued the time was not right.

He did visit Taiwan in 2009 to comfort victims of a deadly typhoon in a trip that was strongly criticised by China and reportedly triggered mass cancellations of mainland tourist groups to the island.

Dalai Lama visits to Taiwan are particularly galling for China, as it still regards the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, even though it has ruled itself since the end of a civil war in 1949.

Ties between Taiwan and China have improved markedly since Ma Ying-Jeou became Taiwan’s president in 2008 on a Beijing-friendly platform."

shared from Dorje Shugden FB page

Saturday 1 December 2012

Dr. Lobsang Sangay: Tibet is not a priority for China


Speaking about the new policy of Tibet:
In China don't expect any change even with a new leadership. It is true Xi Jinping's father knew the Dalai Lama and even the Panchen Lama. He had in fact backed China's most liberal premier Hu Yaobang. Whether the father's ideas have influenced the son is not clear. We may or hope to see some change only after the 19th party congress in about five years from now. The present people are in their 60s, people whose minds were shaped in a different era. Also, the system carries on no matter whose in charge. Point to note is that Tibet is not a priority for China's government. How else can you explain Tibet and Tibetans being fed the same medicine even though it's apparent that the medicine is not working.
The recent chain of Self immolation:
Self immolation have now touched 85. There was one immolation in 2009 but in 2011 it shot up to 23. Match this with the crackdown on Tibetans seeking to enter India through Nepal. The Chinese have sealed close to 75 per cent of the border with Nepal. They have also trained Nepali border guards and are providing food and fuel to Nepali villages near the border to report the presence of any Tibetans in their area. Up to 2008, between 3000-5000 Tibetans used to enter Nepal, now it is down to 1000.
The positive here is that the international community is becoming increasingly vocal about Tibet. After a long time the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay issued a strong statement on Tibet.
The Communist PLA government view on Tibet:
There is a theory (and this is only a theory) that the PLA leadership sees no purpose in their presence in every nook and corner of Tibet. Currently, PLA troops are deployed in villages, in small towns. This is apparently not liked by the top commanders who say their job is to defend the borders from invasion, not point their guns at their own people. Autonomy for Tibet is something they would be open to if it would lessen the tension and violence. China's defence budget is around $107 bn but the internal security budget is $111 bn and per capita the largest chunk of this budget is spent on Tibet's six million people.
There's another theory that the Chinese only trust their ethnic kin. They've granted autonomy to fellow Chinese in Hong Kong and Macao. The dialogue with Taiwan centres on the same readiness to extend autonomy to Taiwanese. This may not extend to Tibetans whom the Chinese clearly do not trust.
About the India-China relationship:
I think the Indian government is getting more realistic about China. I don't want to see any confrontation between India and China but Tibet is a standing example of what the Chinese are capable of. India needs to be more assertive vis a vis China. It's an example that will go down well with the rest of Asia.
adapted from the excerpt from the interview of Lobsang Sangay by IBNlive INDIA