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Tuesday 26 February 2013

Life in Exile


Exile refers to an enforced expulsion from one's native country either by one's own will or by someone else due any political or social instability. So is the case with the Tibetan people. Tibet has been claimed to be a part of China by Chinese which the Tibetans do not accept with the perfect reasons of unique national identity. There is no enough evidence from the part of Chinese government to convince the world of their claim over Tibet but with the forced statements against the Tibetan fight for the Tibetan nationality formed from mistakes in regard with a third person's own national stake like the honorable Jawaharlal Nehru are though well known lies, which can not last any longer with time. However, the situation now is carried on by such wind of absolute force of control in disregard to all national and international laws, humanitarian norms and hence, this rendered a large number of Tibetans homeless and desolate in the diaspora of foreign world.

I was born very much later after the formation of the Tibetan exile community and I was too born in Tibet under a larger controlling government, arrived several decades ago. Though the histories are just stories, they can still create a huge difference to the present life and that is what made the Tibetans abandoned from each other. Though the true history of the two nations, Tibet and China share a distinct relationship that would be between any two countries, Tibet however became a victim of a conquest at a time of economic boom. May be it was in the fate of the Tibetan people to face this brutal repression but it is obvious that this will not last for ever. The opportunity that the weak Tibetan nation presented for colonialism not so long after the end of colonialism from the European powers, the opportunist Chinese regime under the leadership of Mao ventured into the forbidden world of Tibet knowing the opportunity as well as the difficulties onward. However hard it might had been for the communist army then, they were extremely benefited by the situation of Tibet at that time; with the lack of consolidated national framework of government throughout the whole stretch of Tibet and incompetent defense network as well as strategical office of government to take the responsible too. The too sensitive nature of Tibetan culture and traditions too came extremely handy for the invaders then. The state of being of Tibetan country, almost cut out from other parts of the world became the main course of this conquest of power.

The outcome is clearly visible today. With His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fleeing to India for exile, a new turn for the fight back was born. A large number of Tibetans also started taking it to exile after His Holiness and a new world of exile life was born after 1959. The fight against the giant China over the return of Tibetan People's authority never came handy despite the strong support from various governments and other influences across the world. So the exile society kept growing on and on...
Today, it is the year of 2013, about 54 years past the first arrival of Tibetans to exile with no clear sight to how long it is going to last! Many people have merged their bodies into the earth with their larger family members still longing for a reunion out there in Tibet. While there are also a very large number of Tibetans who are born outside Tibet with the eligibility for a citizenship of the country there. But there is the dilemma with oneself there, how can you accept that citizenship? The bones and the flesh are of pure Tibetan person but with a document describing someone else! And then there are people like me in the exile community, not belonging to a proper family in the sight, yet always need to go on with the same situation; no place to return home in the end of the day, no family members to live along with every passage of day and week, no proper community to survive in so comfortably! This is the life in exile.

There is a world around with people in the race for achievements of their personal goals with perfect identity but the Tibetans are still fighting on with their common goal of returning to a free Tibet. With no proper identity and entitled rights, the personal dreams and goals of a Tibetan kid has so commonly remained the same throughout their life! I can't agree with the reasons like incompetency of Tibetans in achieving their goals because we are as much human as any other people around us in this foreign world here. Only the difference is that they have a society passed on from generations, a family to grow with so freely and closely, a nation in which you can live to become the president of it!
Human emotions are to a great extend instinct and however strong you are able to tame your mind over your emotions, it is hardly in your control!

Monday 18 February 2013

102nd Burning Tibetan from Tibet:RFA


A Tibetan man set himself on fire in China’s Gansu province Sunday in protest against Chinese rule in Tibet, bringing the total number of Tibetan self-immolations to 102, sources said.

Namlha Tsering, 49, also known as Hoba, carried out his protest in the middle of a busy street in the seat of Sangchu (in Chinese, Xiahe) county in the Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a source inside Tibet told RFA’s Tibetan Service.

“Today, Feb. 17, a Tibetan named Namlha Tsering self-immolated in the downtown area of Sangchu county in protest against Chinese policy in Tibet,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“He was a resident of Gengya township, an affiliate township of the Labrang monastery in Kanlho prefecture in Gansu.”

The burning marked the second in Sangchu county in days.

On Wednesday, Drukpa Khar, 26, died after dousing himself in gasoline and setting himself alight in Achok town in Sangchu.

Photos sent to RFA by a source from the area showed Namlha Tsering’s body engulfed in flames as he sat cross-legged in a roadway with cars passing by him.

Later photos show Chinese security personnel surrounding the area where his body had lain, ashes clearly visible on the ground.

Namlha Tsering’s condition was unknown Sunday, but reports said that he was unlikely to have survived the ordeal and that he had been bundled away by Chinese authorities.

The London-based Free Tibet advocacy group said in a statement Sunday that eyewitnesses had described Namlha Tsering as being "severely burned" in the protest and said that he had been taken away by security forces who subsequently stated that he had died.

Free Tibet said that Namlha Tsering has a wife and four sons, the oldest of whom is a monk.

His protest comes on the fifth day of the traditional Tibetan Losar New Year, which has been marked this year by most Tibetans with prayers for compatriots who burned themselves to death during the year to challenge Chinese rule.

The latest incident raised the self-immolation toll to 102 despite Chinese government moves to detain, charge, and jail Tibetans over suspected roles in the burnings or other protests questioning Beijing’s rule in Tibetan-populated areas and calling for the return of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.


Blame 

Beijing has defended its rule of Tibet and says the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders in exile have orchestrated the self-immolations from their base in India.

But Tibetan exile leaders deny involvement in the burnings and have called on Tibetans in Tibet to exercise restraint.

At least 15 Tibetans, including monks, have been jailed in recent weeks in connection with the self-immolations. Some were handed sentences of up to 13 years.

Rights groups have condemned the Chinese authorities for criminalizing the burning protests and cracking down on Tibetans who are seen to have provided encouragement or support.

In addition to the harsh sentences, Chinese authorities have also deployed paramilitary forces, shut down communications and restricted travel in the areas where self-immolations have occurred.

Stephanie Brigden, director of Free Tibet, said that the burning protests had continued, despite the tough new measures Beijing had introduced in the region.

“During November when the Chinese leadership transition took place, self-immolation protests were an almost daily occurrence. Since then, China has introduced a slew of new repressive measures in an attempt to stop them," she said.

"It is now clear that there are still Tibetans willing to undertake this most extreme form of protest and just as importantly, other Tibetans willing to risk the wrath of the state by reporting their actions to the outside world.”

The U.S. State Department on Friday noted the “horrific figures” of burning protests in Tibet and expressed deep concern over the self-immolations.

“We call on those who are immolating or those who might be considering this to think hard about whether it’s the best way to express yourself,” department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.

“And we also, as we always do, call on the Chinese Government to address its own policies in Tibet that have caused these kinds of tension and frustration.”

shared from RFA

Thursday 14 February 2013

China blocks Aussie official's Tibet visit


AUSTRALIA'S top diplomat in China has been unable to win Beijing's permission to visit Tibet after almost a year of trying.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr announced in March 2012 that Ambassador Frances Adamson would seek to travel to Tibet to talk to locals and look into why a growing number of Tibetan pro-independence protesters were setting themselves on fire.
"Unfortunately I'm not able to share encouraging news," Senator Carr told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Thursday.
Ms Adamson had made several requests but so far to no avail.
"I regret that I can't report progress," he said.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Secretary Peter Varghese said Australia believed there have been at least 98 self-immolations in the past two years.
"We have consistently conveyed to the Chinese authorities our concern about the situation," he said.
He revealed in October that top Australian officials had visited China to push for more regular formal meetings between Canberra and Beijing.Senator Carr said Australian plans to boost diplomatic ties with China was effectively on hold until after its leadership transition is finalised in March.
Such an arrangement would be similar to those Australia already has in place with countries like the US, but Beijing is yet to respond to the proposal.
The new arrangements could include annual meetings between the Australian prime minister and Chinese president, as well as separate meetings between foreign and economic ministers.