The source also said that most of them are detained in a labour camp in Thangnagma….report Asian Lite News
Chinese authorities in the country’s Tibet Autonomous Region are detaining more nomadic Tibetans in Drago county and sending them to labour camps for having content deemed politically inappropriate on their cell phones, according to a media report.
“Many Tibetans were detained in January after Drago county police searched their phone data in Likhog town,” Radio Free Asia (RFA) quoted a Tibetan in exile who has a source inside the region.
The source also said that most of them are detained in a labour camp in Thangnagma.
Most Tibetans who live in Likhog, which is located about 50 kilometres from Drago (in Chinese, Luhuo) county of Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, are nomads, said RFA.
The Tibetan source who is living in exile also said that it is not just a few Tibetans, but many Tibetans arrested this time. “All of those who were arrested are nomads,” he said, though he could not provide an exact figure.
“Though the Drago police have searched the cell phone data of the local Tibetans since last October, the situation right now is even worse,” he said.
Authorities summoned the Tibetans to the police station and asked them if they possessed any politically sensitive photos, videos or other information, or to see if the owners had been in contact with Tibetans living in exile, said the Tibetan in exile.
Some of them were detained for one week and released and then unexpectedly detained again, he said.
“Though the Drago police have searched the cell phone data of the local Tibetans since last October, the situation right now is even worse,” the Tibetan in exile said.
Chinese President makes surprise visit to Tibet (pic credit httpssavetibet.org)
Emphasising that Chinese authorities have not even spared the most remote Tibetan areas for that matter, Ngawang Woebar, a former political prisoner, who currently lives outside China said that the Chinese police have been threatening and searching their cell phone data for sensitive information specifically from the exile community.
It comes as much of the world’s attention is focused on China and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Several countries, including the United States, imposed diplomatic boycotts to protest China’s human rights abuses involving Tibetans, Uyghurs and Hongkongers, according to RFA. (ANI)
Tibetans in exile gathered in Dharamshala on Sunday and celebrated the 109th anniversary of ‘Tibetan Independence Day’…reports Asian Lite News
On February 13, 1913, the 13th Dalai Lama declared Tibetan independence in the declaration of the “Proclamation of Independence” and since then Tibetans mark February 13 as an important day in Tibet’s history to educate people on the significance of Tibet’s history.
To commemorate the occasion the Students for Free Tibet (SFT, India) held a symbolic celebration here in Dharamshala on Sunday.
SFT activists held a talk on this issue and exhibited photographs of previous events of this day. They also held a group dance to celebrate the occasion.
Activists also displayed the treaty which was signed during the Shimla convention in 1913- 1914 concerning the status of Tibet negotiated by then representatives of the Republic of China, Tibet, and the United Kingdom.
Tibetan activists say that Tibet was occupied by China in March 1959. Activists raised their voices to send a clear message to China by saying that “Tibetans shall be happy in the land of Tibet and Chinese shall be happy in the land of China”. (ANI)
Reports about the arrest of dozens of monks and lay Tibetans who opposed this destruction are regularly pouring out of Tibet….reports Asian Lite News
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s campaign against religious symbols, practitioners and language in Tibet reflects the emergence of a “communist Taliban” in today’s China, says analyst Vijay Kranti who has referenced the recent demolition of Buddha statues in Sichuan province to the 2001 destruction of historic statues in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan.
In 2001 the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan had demolished two historic and giant 15th-century statues of Lord Buddha in Bamiyan that invited shock and condemnation from across the world.
In an article, Kranti noted that Chinese authorities in Tibet are demonstrating the very same Taliban spirit as the idea of President Xi Jinping to enforce “Tibetan Buddhism with Chinese socialist character is gaining momentum inside Tibet.
He said that during the past one month, all schools, established by local Tibetan communities and monasteries were pulled down and closed in one stroke of government orders.
“These make-shift schools were being run to impart Tibetan language teaching to Tibetan children after regular school hours. Under Beijing’s orders, all Tibetan students are now obliged to study through Chinese Mandarin as the sole medium of teaching,” writes Kranti.
According to the article, in mid-December of 2021, heavy military deployment was undertaken in Drago, a Tibetan majority county of Sichuan, where local Chinese authorities initiated the demolition of a 99-feet high Buddha statue and 45 big prayer wheels. The statue of Shakya Muni Buddha and the colourful prayer wheels were built by local Tibetan community in October 2015 at a cost of about 40 million Yuans.
Chinese President makes surprise visit to Tibet (pic credit httpssavetibet.org)
About three weeks later on January 6 this year, yet another similar statue was also demolished by the Chinese authorities, Vijay Kranti said.
Reports about the arrest of dozens of monks and lay Tibetans who opposed this destruction are regularly pouring out of Tibet.
Citing Tibet Watch, a Dharamshala based human rights group, the columnist said that both of these Drago statue projects were executed by the Tibetan community after taking formal approval of local Chinese authorities. However, following President Xi Jinping’s dramatic visit to Tibet in July last year and his call to the administrators and party cadres in Tibet to establish ‘Tibetan Buddhism with Chinese socialist character’ authorities declared that the height of the statues was beyond acceptable limits. They also cancelled earlier permissions for the construction and ordered its demolition. (ANI)
At least a third of the region could melt due to the climate crisis, predicted a report released by International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)…reports Asian Lite News.
The Chinese Communist Party is exploiting Tibet by making the region a dumping ground for toxic waste and has failed to provide the area with the resources needed to protect its fragile ecosystem and unique biome, said a report.
The CCP’s wanton disregard for Tibet is evident from the rapid industrial projects implemented in the region over the past several decades. Even Beijing’s recent white paper on Tibet barely bats an eyelid when it comes to environmental protection, mentioning only some small-scale projects in a few Tibetan cities, said Providence US-based journal.
The Tibetan Plateau is the world’s highest geographic area, with an average altitude of 14,370 feet (4,380 meters). Since its glaciers contain more frozen water than anywhere else in the world except for the Arctic and Antarctic polar caps, Tibet has been dubbed the “Third Pole”, the American publication said.
At least a third of the region could melt due to the climate crisis, predicted a report released by International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The carbon emission rate needs to be cut down for this scenario to be averted, the report claimed, adding that anthropogenic carbon emissions result primarily from fossil fuel mining, deforestation, and emissions from power plants and vehicles.
Due to China’s industrial activities, including lithium mining as well as mining for nuclear minerals in Tibet, the monsoon cycle of the region has also been deeply affected as the country’s industrial activities create a huge carbon footprint.
Beijing has been ignoring Montreal Protocol for its immediate economic gain. The protocol explicitly bans the use of hydrocarbons.
This practice causes drastic harm to the ozone layer that envelops the Earth’s atmosphere and protects us from harmful UV rays. Excessive industrial mining has not only robbed Tibet of its natural resources but has also left the land barren and infertile, said Providence.
Beijing’s restrictions on leading a nomadic lifestyle have also adversely affected Tibetan nomads and their land. The forced resettlement of nomads has left them jobless since they are not accustomed to the life of average job-seekers. The land that they once relied on for farming and livestock grazing does not receive the proper care that it naturally does through nomadic activities, said the US-based publication.
China has been willfully ignoring these concerns, but overseas Tibetan communities during COP26 and voiced their concerns about Tibet’s fragile environment and its importance to the world, according to Providence. (ANI)
Tibetan spiritual leader expressed the hope that she will be able to contribute significantly towards improving the situation of the Tibetan people….reports Asian Lite News
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has written to Uzra Zeya to congratulate her on being appointed the US’ Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.
He expressed the hope that she will be able to contribute significantly towards improving the situation of the Tibetan people.
“As I have had the opportunity to express to successive American leaders,” he wrote in the letter, “a continued and consistent American support has been a source of great encouragement to Tibetans in our peaceful struggle for freedom and dignity. Although I have handed over political authority to an elected Tibetan leadership, I remain concerned about the survival of the Tibetan identity, our distinctive culture and heritage and the protection of Tibet’s fragile natural environment. I am pleased to see that in your first remarks, you mentioned that these will be your priorities.
“As you are aware, there has been widespread international interest in and support for the peaceful struggle of the Tibetan people, whose rich culture of non-violence and compassion has so much potential to contribute to the world. I remain confident that in the long term, the power of truth will prevail.
“I look forward to meeting you and exchanging views on issues that can benefit from your support and initiatives. I am sure you will be in close contact with our elected Tibetan leadership.”
His Holiness stated that he is encouraged to see that in addition to co-ordinating Tibetan issues, concern for democracy is also part of Zeya’s portfolio and that the US recently held a democracy summit.
He concluded, “I firmly believe the United States can play a leadership role in promoting awareness of the fundamental values of democracy, freedom, and human rights.”
The Biden administration has designated Under Secretary Uzra Zeya to serve concurrently as the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues.
Pic credits @SecBlinken
The Indian-American currently serves as Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human rights — a position that has traditionally doubled as the special coordinator. The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 mandates the appointment of the special coordinator.
According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, “I have designated Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya to serve concurrently as the United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, an important role she will take on effective immediately.
“She will also continue to serve as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, a position for which she was sworn in on July 14, 2021.”
Zeya will coordinate the US government policies, programmes, and projects concerning Tibetan issues, consistent with the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, as amended by the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, said Blinken in a statement.
The Indian-American currently serves as Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human rights — a position that has traditionally doubled as the special coordinator. …reports VISHAL GULATI
Taking ahead the Trump administration’s policy on Tibet and help promoting respect for the human rights of Tibetans, who have lived under China’s rule for over six decades, the Biden administration has designated Under Secretary Uzra Zeya to serve concurrently as the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues.
The Indian-American currently serves as Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human rights — a position that has traditionally doubled as the special coordinator. The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 mandates the appointment of the special coordinator.
According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, “I have designated Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya to serve concurrently as the United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, an important role she will take on effective immediately.
“She will also continue to serve as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, a position for which she was sworn in on July 14, 2021.”
Zeya will coordinate the US government policies, programmes, and projects concerning Tibetan issues, consistent with the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, as amended by the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, said Blinken in a statement on Monday.
Specifically, she will promote substantive dialogue, without preconditions, between the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Dalai Lama, his representatives, or democratically elected Tibetan leaders in support of a negotiated agreement on Tibet.
She will promote respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Tibetans, including their freedom of religion or belief, and will support efforts to preserve their distinct historical, linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage.
She will further support the US efforts to address the humanitarian needs of Tibetan refugees and diaspora communities, including those in the US who have faced threats and intimidation instigated by the PRC.
She also will promote activities to protect the environment and sustainably manage the water and other natural resources of the Tibetan plateau.
Consistent with the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018, Zeya also will seek to increase access to Tibet for the US officials, journalists, and other citizens.
Special Coordinator Zeya will work closely with Tibetan cultural, religious, and political leaders, the US Congress, international allies and partners, and civil society representatives on these matters.
This designation demonstrates the Administration’s commitment to advance the human rights of Tibetans, help preserve their distinct heritage, address their humanitarian needs, and meet environmental and water resource challenges of the Tibetan plateau, the statement added.
Expressing gratitude on his appointment, Zeya, who has decades of high-level experience in US foreign policy, including on the issue of Tibet, tweeted, “I am honored to serve as the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. I am committed to promoting respect for the human rights of Tibetans and helping to preserve their religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage.”
Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President Penpa Tsering thanked Blinken for her appointment.
“I look forward to working with @UnderSecStateJ to bring tangible progress in human rights situation in Tibet & resolve Sino-Tibet conflict through #MiddleWayApproach,” he tweeted.
Hailing her appointment, International Campaign for Tibet Interim President Bhuchung K. Tsering said, “We anticipate that as someone familiar with the Tibetan issue, Zeya will work proactively at promoting dialogue between the Dalai Lama’s envoys and the Chinese leadership, as well as at advocating for US interests in Tibet, and advancing the cause of Tibetan Americans and Tibetans around the globe.
I am honored to serve as the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. I am committed to promoting respect for the human rights of Tibetans and helping to preserve their religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage. pic.twitter.com/A9P5oIkYn0
“As mandated by the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of last year, we urge Special Coordinator Zeya to proactively take the lead in gathering support from like-minded countries to formulate a common approach on the Tibetan issue. We look forward to working with Special Coordinator Uzra Zeya.”
In a historic achievement for the Tibetan government-in-exile last year under the helm of Donald Trump, the US Senate has unanimously passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA) of 2020 that had been stuck at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee months.
Describing as a historic decision, then CTA President Lobsang Sangay had told IANS the Tibetan Policy and Support Act made it official the US policy that decisions regarding the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama are exclusively within the authority of the current Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhist leaders and the Tibetan people.
“Any interference by the Chinese government officials will be met with serious sanctions and be deemed inadmissible into the United States,” he had said.
In addition, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act formally acknowledged the CTA as the legitimate institution reflecting the aspirations of the Tibetan diaspora around the world and Sikyong as the President of the CTA.
Uzra Zeya Pic credits IANS
It also authorizes a number of appropriations for Tibet and Tibetan related issues including (not less than) $8 million for Tibetan communities in the Tibet Autonomous Region and in other Tibetan communities in China; $6 million for Tibetan communities in India and Nepal; $3 million to strengthen the capacity of Tibetan institutions and governance in exile; over $3.4 million and $4 million respectively for Voice of America’s and Radio Free Asia’s reporting on Tibet and Tibetans; $1 million for Office of the United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, among others.
The Dalai Lama has been living in India since fleeing his homeland Tibet in 1959. The government-in-exile is based in this northern hill town of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
The letters suggest that President Biden invite the Dalai Lama to the Oval Office — as several of his predecessors have done — or meet with him in his exile home of India, among other options….reports Asian Lite News
The Biden administration’s presumptive Tibet Coordinator must push for a meeting between the US President and the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fully implement US laws on Tibet, end the practice of calling Tibet part of China, say more than 60 members of the US Congress in new Senate and House bipartisan letters.
The letters to US Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya are the latest sign of Congress intensifying its interest in Tibet.
Zeya’s appointment as special coordinator for Tibetan issues in the US State Department is expected soon.
Marco Rubio (R-Fla) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) in the Senate and Jim McGovern (D-Mass) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) in the House led the letters. The broad, diverse and bipartisan swath of signers demonstrated once again Congress’ steadfast support for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, religious freedom and basic human rights.
“These letters provide a vital framework for the next special coordinator to address China’s oppression in Tibet while making it clear that Congress expects the Biden administration to act quickly and meaningfully to support the Tibetan people,” said Franz Matzner, government Relations Director of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), an advocacy group with offices in Washington D.C. and Europe.
“At a time when Freedom House has declared Tibet the least-free country on earth alongside Syria, ICT thanks the 38 Senators and 27 Representatives who signed onto these letters and showed crucial leadership on the Tibetan issue. We look forward to working with the next special coordinator and encourage her to use these letters to advance US policy on Tibet.”
What the letters say: Zeya currently serves as Under Secretary of State for civilian security, democracy and human rights — a position that has traditionally doubled as the Special Coordinator.
The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 mandates the appointment of the special coordinator.
The letters to Zeya list 10 areas where Congress and the Biden administration can work together on Tibet, including: Engaging with the Dalai Lama and the central Tibetan administration, which provides democratic governance for Tibetans in exile.
The letters suggest that President Biden invite the Dalai Lama to the Oval Office — as several of his predecessors have done — or meet with him in his exile home of India, among other options.
Resisting China’s attempts to interfere in the Dalai Lama’s succession, the Chinese government plans to appoint its own successor to the 86-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader.
But the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA) of 2020 states that only the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Buddhist community can decide on his succession.
The letters urge the Biden administration to “work with like-minded governments to “affirm this principle as the international norm,” as the TPSA requires.
The letters call on Zeya to fully implement the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018, which pushes for access to Tibet for US journalists, diplomats and ordinary citizens.
The letters ask Zeya to follow through on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s promise to establish a Tibet unit in the US Embassy in Beijing. They also affirm the Congress members’ interest in opening a US consulate in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, as the TPSA encourages.
The last round of Sino-Tibetan dialogue took place over a decade ago. Since then, the Chinese government has refused further talks, insisting that the Dalai Lama first agree to unreasonable preconditions.
The letters say, “We encourage the US government to engage earnestly with both sides, like-minded partners, and experts to explore novel strategies that could produce forward movement” on resuming talks.
Chinese President makes surprise visit to Tibet (pic credit httpssavetibet.org)
In a break from past reports, the US State Department’s 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices do not refer to Tibetan areas as “part of the People’s Republic of China.”
The Congress members urge the US State Department to continue excluding that phrase, both to promote dialogue without preconditions and show respect for Tibetan’s rights and history.
The letters also call for support of Tibetan political prisoners, refugees in Nepal, their language and culture etc.
The Dalai Lama has been living in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959. The central Tibetan administration is based in this northern hill town of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
According to a Canadian think tank, the policy appears to be favouring the poor in Tibet but delving deeper into it reveals the real agenda behind it…reports Asian Lite News.
Amid ongoing concerns over human rights issues in China, a new research paper has thrown light on China’s relocation policy in Tibet, which under the garb of social changes, threatens its unique and centuries-old culture.
This was revealed in a research paper released last month by “Tibetan Studies” – a bi-weekly magazine of the Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences (TASS).
The research paper, prepared by Chinese scholars, states that in the fight against poverty and on the path towards a moderately prosperous society, the Chinese government has implemented a policy of relocating people from an inhospitable area to another more geologically favourable area.
According to a Canadian think tank, the policy appears to be favouring the poor in Tibet but delving deeper into it reveals the real agenda behind it.
“The people from far-flung areas are being relocated to regions that are easily accessible to Chinese authorities for executing Chinese cultural assimilation programmes,” said International Forum For Rights And Security (IFFRAS).
The key objective of this policy, according to IFFRAS, is to transform Tibetan culture completely into Chinese culture.
“The relocation programme is nothing but part of China’s ‘Sinicization of Tibet’ strategy. Sinicization of Tibet refers to the programmes and laws of the Chinese government which force ‘cultural unity’ in Tibet,” the think tank said.
The report further states that deeper social and cultural changes are being undertaken to ‘sinicise’ Tibet and assimilate its unique centuries-old culture into the Han mainstream.
“Efforts are being made to superimpose Chinese (Han) history and culture on the Tibetan people. Work is soon to begin on a new encyclopaedia that outlines China’s version of the history of Tibet — the ‘Encyclopaedia of Ethnic Unity and Progress (Tibet Volume),” IFFRAS said.
Despite ample evidence that proves the contrary, the Chinese government maintains that its policies have benefited Tibet, and cultural and social changes are consequences of modernization.
However, the think tank argues that China’s policies have only threatened Tibet’s unique and centuries-old culture and the Tibetan Buddhist religion. “Tibetans complain of being robbed of their dignity in their own homeland and of being swamped by Chinese immigration to the point of becoming a minority in their own country,” said IFFRAS. (ANI)
She brings a practitioner’s keen eye to the labyrinth of negotiations and official interactions that took place between the two countries from 1949 to 1962…writes Vishnu Makhijani.
The Sino-Indian border stand-off is set for a long haul as Beijing seems “to have lost the plot” and within China, nationalism and authoritarianism “make for a toxic cocktail” that is steadily rising levels of tension in the region, says Nirupama Rao, a former Indian Foreign Secretary who has served ambassadorial stints in Beijing and Washington.
She also asserts that the Government must bring the Opposition on the same page on its dealings with China and formulate an effective communication policy that articulates a balanced approach, while the media must act responsibly on the issue.
“I certainly do not see any rainbows on the horizon ahead. The Chinese stand on the boundary question has steadily grown more rigid, inflexible and aggressively assertive in recent years,” Rao told in an interview on her book “The Fractured Himalaya – India, Tibet, China 1949-1962” (Penguin).
“They seem to have lost the plot. You have an increasing number of transgressions along the Line of Actual Control in the border areas. We have to deal with the situation by ensuring that the Chinese advances across the Line of Actual Control in all sectors of the boundary are dealt with firmness and by adequate and effective defensive measures.
“The pattern of Chinese behaviour is witnessed all across the region including in the maritime environment of the East and South China Seas. In China, nationalism and authoritarianism make for a toxic cocktail that is steadily rising levels of tension in the region,” Rao maintained.
At the bottom line, she writes in the book that losing the future “because of our ongoing quarrel between past and present in the quest for vengeful indictment can yield little by way of value. Beyond emotion and sentiment, the space for mutually acceptable solutions does exist and must be exploited.”
However, “the possibilities and prospects of realising such a scenario may increasingly be fewer and fewer if we do not learn from the lessons of history. Because of this, optimism is a scarce commodity and the road is long. We must for now accept the smallness, and the restricted, confining nature of the present.”
“Perhaps, one can visualise the dramatis personae in our history, most of them taken by the Grim Reaper, congregating one last time in some galactic hideaway as they take stock of the enormous liabilities that stem from the gambles they made – and the burden this inheritance imposes on future generations, yet unborn,” Rao writes.
Noting that India and China “are still writing the second act in the story of the life of their relationship”, Rao writes: “Around them, and within their own borders, worlds have changed unalterably. But a clear and unbiased reading of the history of the fifties and the early sixties of the last century in their bilateral interaction to yields useful pointers. Diplomacy may be life without maps, but an understanding of its history enables us to chart new paths and address fault lines. Only a combination of hindsight about history, and foresight, can help illuminate the pathways to an ultimate solution.”
“The Fractured Himalaya” unknots the intensely complex saga of the early years of the India-China relationship. Rao’s telling is based not only on archival material from India, China, Britain and the United States but also on a deep personal knowledge of China. In addition, she brings a practitioner’s keen eye to the labyrinth of negotiations and official interactions that took place between the two countries from 1949 to 1962.
The book looks at the inflexion points when the trajectory of diplomacy between the two nations could have course-corrected but was not. Importantly, it dwells on the strategic dilemma posed by Tibet in relations between India and China-a dilemma that is far from being resolved. The question of Tibet is closely interwoven into the fabric of this history. It also turns the searchlight on the key personalities involved – Jawaharlal Nehru, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and the 14th Dalai Lama – and their interactions as the tournament of those years was played out, moving step by closer step to the conflict of 1962.
It is quite clear that the Government and the Opposition are at daggers drawn on the LAC standoff. How can this situation be resolved to bring everyone on the same page?
“Only dialogue in a reasoned and transparent manner between the Government and the Opposition can be the prescribed solution. The Opposition also needs to understand the complex issues we are dealing with, as also the history of the problem. This is an issue of national interest as well as national security that we must close ranks in the political space of a democratic society, Rao asserted.
“Noise and more noise, in the public space – and here, the media must also act responsibly – can never help the nation. The Government also needs an effective communication policy that is always anticipatory of the direction in which the public debate is going and is able to lead the discussion by articulating the balanced approach that is greatly needed in such matters,” she added.
At 6pm: join @NMenonRao and me – on her masterly book – The Fractured Himalaya: India Tibet China 1949-1962. The roots of today's crisis remain enmeshed in a web of historic differences between Indian and Chinese leaders. We can only fix the present if we understand the past. pic.twitter.com/O6qd5JeAVb
What impact would the developments in Afghanistan have on India-China relations – both in the short term and in the long run?
“China’s closeness and strategic alliance with Pakistan make for a regional posture that has generated more tension, alienation and distance between India and China. China’s intentions and strategic outlook vis-a-vis Afghanistan lack clarity. For that matter, the entire situation in Afghanistan today is marked by great uncertainty about the future and rising levels of human suffering among the ordinary population of the country.
“China must engage India in helping to bring about a viable regional understanding and path forward on Afghanistan that has the welfare, the human security and the development of the people of Afghanistan at its core,” Rao maintained.
During the speech at the jointly organized a protest demonstration in Paris on November 20 to campaign against the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Dhondup Wangchen narrated his own experience as a political prisoner in China….reports Asian Lite News
Six Tibetan community associations including Students for Free Tibet (SFT); Tibetan Youth Congress, France; U-Tsang Association, France; Chushi Gangdruk; Domey Association, France; and Tibetan Community Association, jointly organized a protest demonstration in Paris on November 20 to campaign against the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
The main speaker at the demonstration was Dhondup Wangchen, a Tibetan filmmaker and a former political prisoner, who is on a 22 country tour to request politicians, journalists and the citizens to boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympic games.
During the speech, he narrated his own experience as a political prisoner in China and the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibet. During his tour, Wangchen will be recording video messages from people around the world and submitting the same to International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the end of his tour.
Wangchen arrived in Paris on Wednesday where he was received by the President of Tibetan Community, SFT and the other Tibetan Associations at Gare du Nord railways station, reported the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
During his Paris visit, Wangchen is scheduled to have separate meetings with Francois Vauglin, Mayor of Paris 11, Jean-Luc Romero-Michel, Deputy Mayor of Paris, Raphael Glucksmann, European Member of Parliament, and senators and deputies of the Tibet support.
SFT France will be coordinating Wangchen’s Paris tour between November 18 and 23, 2021. As per the scheduled programme, he will meet journalists, politicians, and individuals to narrate his personal experience of the suffering of Chinese prisoners and the suffering of Tibetan people inside Tibet in the aftermath of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, hoping that his narrative and emotional experience will bring Tibet to the forefronts at the 2022 Beijing Olympic games, reported CTA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tymfr7PjCnM
Although, the Chinese government has won the right to host the 2008 Olympics with pledges to improve its human rights performance in line with Olympic ideals. However, the promises were never met, rather the human rights situation continued to deteriorate in Tibet.
He will also be telecasting his film “Leaving Fear Behind” to the Tibetan people and narrating the experience and suffering he underwent making this film.
He will be recording video statements from individuals, journalists, politicians and others during his tour. The videos will be later compiled and handed over to the International Olympic Committee at the end of this tour, reported CTA. (ANI)
