For Immediate Release
Historic show of support for Tibet from India’s ruling and opposition parties
Tibetan People’s Solidarity Campaign launched at Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi
January 30, 2013, Delhi: *Various representatives from Indian political parties gathered at the Talkatora indoor stadium where the inaugural ceremony of ‘Tibetan People’s Solidarity Campaign’ was held. Over 5000 people, including 4500 Tibetans from India, Nepal and Bhutan and about 1000 Indian supporters from Delhi, NCR region and Ladakh were present at the function.
Shri L. K Advani, former Deputy Prime Minister graced the ceremony as the Chief Guest.
Shri, Priya Dutt, MP and Dr. E.M Sudarsan Natchiappan, MP were official Congress party delegates.  Shri Hassan Khan, MP represented National Conference.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Penpa Tsering, the Speaker of Tibetan Parliament in Exile said that this mass campaign is ‘first of its kind’ and that it marks ‘a historic moment for our struggle.’
He further remarked that ‘If China is sincere in granting autonomy, then Tibet can play a positive role as a bridge of peace between the two most populous nations in South Asia-India and China.’ While expressing gratitude to the Indian Government and people, the speaker requested the delegates from the ruling Congress party to ‘remind China that resolving Tibetan
issue is in the larger interest of Chinese people.’
The Sikyong (democratically elected political leader of Tibetan people) in his keynote address mentioned that the holding of this campaign in India’s capital city stands as a ‘testament to India’s love and sympathy for Tibetans.’
Sikyong reiterated that ‘freedom for Tibetans and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet’ remains the ‘true aspiration of Tibetans inside Tibet and dream of Tibetans outside Tibet.’ In his reasoning as to why Tibet deserves attention and support, Sikyong stated that ‘Tibet stands as a catalyst and test for China’ and that ‘autonomy in Tibet will be the beginning of moderation for China.’ Sikyong attributed the success of the Tibetan struggle to India, and expressed hope that Tibet could be made ‘India’s success story.’ He concluded with a vision that ‘Tibetans will one day go from the holy land of India to the holy city of Lhasa with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.’
Shri L.K Advani shared few excerpts from Sardar Patel’s November 7, 1950 letter on Tibet addressed to the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Advani ji admitted with conviction that ‘a resolution between China and Tibet, will make the 21st Century- India’s Century.’ He lauded the ‘Tibetan spirit’ and assured that ‘Tibetans will see the light of the day.’  Advani ji concluded by saying that ‘just as His Holiness the Dalai Lama always refers to India as Tibet’s *guru,* we hope to match up to that expectations.’
Ms Priya Dutt, expressed ‘concern and solidarity for Tibetans inside Tibet and paid homage to 99 young lives sacrificed in a struggle to regain identity.’ She thanked the Tibetan people for the presence and blessings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in India.
Dr. Hassan Khan encouraged Tibetan people to persevere and said that ‘the day will come soon for Tibetans to return to their homeland.’
Dr. E.M Sudarsan Natchiappan assured India’s love and support for the Tibetan struggle and said that ‘Tibetans are not just India’s neighbors but also it’s brothers and sisters.’
Ms. Dolma Gyari, Minister for Home, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) was the master of the ceremony and Mr. Tempa Tsering, Representative, Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama proposed the vote of thanks.
Press Contacts:*
Ms. Youdon Aukatsang, TPIE member, 0-9999915061*
Ms. Dhardon Sharling, TPIE member, 0-* 9810847905
Mr. Tashi Phuntsok, Additional Secretary, DIIR: 0-9816539103*
Mr. Tenzin Lekshay, Media officer, Delhi Bureau office, 0-9811422930*

Tibet appeals for end to immolations
By Victor Mallet in Jaipur, India and Jamil Anderlini in Beijing ©AP
Tibet’s exiled government has appealed to its people to stop committing suicide by burning themselves alive following a surge of self-immolations in recent months in protest against China’s occupation of the region.
In 2012 alone, 83 Tibetans killed themselves in this way – 28 of them in November – according to a statement from Lobsang Sangay, political leader, issued by the office of the Dalai Lama, the veteran spiritual leader, who lives in exile in neighbouring India. Three more died in January, with the latest death being that of Kunchok Kyab, 26, a few days ago, he said.
Self-immolation as a form of protest was unheard of in Tibet until 2010 but since then nearly 100 Tibetans, most of them young and some still in their teens, have set themselves alight.
The statement called on Tibetans to mourn the dead by cancelling celebrations for Losar, the Tibetan new year, on February 11, and restrict activities at that time to religious rites.
“Kindly pray for all who have sacrificed their lives and for all who continue to suffer in occupied Tibet,” said Mr Sangay in the statement.
“The Central Tibetan Administration continues to appeal to Tibetans to not undertake drastic actions and still self-immolations persist in Tibet. The universal demands of the Tibetans have been the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans.”
China’s growing power has made it increasingly hard for the Dalai Lama to travel and speak freely, especially in Asian countries anxious not to offend Beijing.
Mr Sangay called on China to allow free access to Tibet for the media and foreign observers and promised further international efforts to lobby peacefully for the Tibetan cause. “The responsibility as well as the solution for the current crisis in Tibet lies with the Chinese government.”
The Chinese government blames the Dalai Lama and his “clique” for masterminding the self-immolations, which have spread through many areas where Tibetans form a majority of the population.
In an apparently new tactic to tackle the protests Chinese police have started in recent weeks to arrest Tibetans accused of encouraging others to self-immolate.
Last week, seven Tibetans were arrested on charges of “organising” a self-immolation and on Thursday Chinese state media arrested another man for allegedly encouraging a monk to set himself on fire.
Many of the protesters who have carried out the self-immolations have been monks or nuns and virtually all have yelled slogans as they burnt calling for the end to Chinese rule and the return of the Dalai Lama to his homeland.
The People’s Liberation Army of China invaded Tibet in 1950 and the Dalai Lama fled over the Himalayas to India in 1959 following a failed uprising.

Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay Appeal to Tibetans Not to Celebrate Losar
January 24, 2013 2:53 pm
Press Release
24 January 2013
With profound grief, I report that the number of Tibetans who have set themselves on fire to protest against repression in Tibet is now reaching 100. In 2012 alone, 83 Tibetans self-immolated, and twenty-eight of these occurred within the single month of November. (Watch Sikyong’s Video Message)
Now in the new year of 2013, I am saddened to inform you that three Tibetans have set themselves on fire. The most recent self-immolation by Kunchok Kyab, 26 years old, occurred just a few days ago. Given this continuing tragic situation, I request my fellow Tibetans to not celebrate Losar (Tibetan New Year) with our usual festivities. Instead, when this year’s holiday falls on February 11, I ask you to perform only the customary religious rituals like visiting temples and making offerings. Do wear our traditional robe (Chuba) to display our identity and tradition. Kindly pray for all who have sacrificed their lives and for all who continue to suffer in occupied Tibet.
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) continues to appeal to Tibetans to not undertake drastic actions, and still, self-immolations persist in Tibet. The universal demands of the Tibetans have been the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans. This is the aspiration of Tibetans and our sacred duty to support.
In our 10 March 2012 statement, we called on all Tibetans and friends to make 2012 a Tibet Lobby Year. Due to their dedication, this call has been successful: we have seen resolutions passed in the European Union (EU), France, Italy and the United States, and statements issued by parliamentarians in Brazil, Japan and other nations.
The CTA expresses deep appreciation to these parliamentarians, and to global citizens, for their support. We also remain grateful to the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reporters  Without Borders and Freedom House for their attentiveness to and reports on the deteriorating situation in Tibet.
Let us build on the successful lobbying efforts of 2012 by fully engaging throughout 2013 in the *Solidarity With Tibet Campaign*. This campaign’s first major event took place in New York on 10 December 2012 and the release of the video on self-immolation, “What’s China doing in Tibet?”.
Within India, Tibetan parliamentarians are visiting state capitals to appraise and seek support from many prominent leaders.
From Wednesday, 30th January to 2nd February 2013, thousands of Tibetans will converge in Delhi, India’s capital city, for a series of campaign activities. On 10 March 2013, Tibetans from various corners of Europe will gather in Brussels, the capital city of the EU, to observe the 54th Tibetan national uprising day.
I urge all Tibetan Associations, Tibet Support Groups, international NGOs, people of all faiths, and friends of justice throughout the world to intensify efforts to lobby parliaments and governments. Call on the Chinese government to allow international delegation and media access into Tibet. Reach out to your local and national media and encourage them to write and broadcast about what is happening in Tibet. In all endeavors, please continue to conduct our campaign in a peaceful, legal and dignified manner.
I appeal to our Chinese brothers and sisters to join us in supporting the aspirations of the Tibetan people. The CTA remains committed to the Middle-Way Approach and to resolve the issue of Tibet peacefully through dialogue. The  responsibility as well as the solution for the current crisis in Tibet lies with the Chinese government.
To our brothers and sisters in Tibet, we are with you every step of the way. The three principles of unity, innovation and self-reliance will guide us towards our goal of seeing His Holiness the Dalai Lama return to Tibet and restoring freedom for Tibetans.

Enforced disappearance of three Tibetan monks following arrest
Published on Friday 4 January 2013.
Reporters Without Borders is concerned about three Tibetan monks – Sungrab Gyatso, Yeshi Sangpo and Draksang – of whom there has been no news since their arrest in early December in Gonghe (Chabcha in Tibetan), a county in the northwestern province of Qinghai, for providing information about a demonstration.
At the same time, Wang Dengchao, a policeman and a pro-democracy activist, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison in Shenzhen, in the southeastern province of Guangdong.
“Jail sentences and holding detainees incommunicado are radical measures but they are used routinely against human rights activists who try to disseminate information that the regime wants to suppress,” Reporters Without Borders said.
“We are outraged by these practices, which show that the People’s Republic of China not only censors messages about freedom and justice but also continues to target those who transmit them. We call for the immediate release of the three monks and the policeman and the withdrawal of all the charges against them.”
According to the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, the three monks were arrested for sharing information about a student demonstration on 26 November in Gonghe County. Many Tibetan monks have been arrested and jailed in recent months for circulating information about protests and cases of self-immolation.
Sungrab Gyatso was arrested by members of the Public Security Bureau on 1 December. Since then, no information has been provided about the conditions in which he is being held on even his location.
The other two monks, Yeshi Sangpo, 37, and Draksang, 26, have been missing since 3 December, when they went to the headquarters of the local government in response to a summons to report for interrogation.
Members of the People’s Armed Police (PAP) had gone to Khyamru monastery the night before to arrest them, but the monks inside refused to open the gates. The PAP responded by barricading the gates from the outside and denied access to other monks who arrived at the hour of prayer the next morning, suggesting that they address their complaints to the local government.
Around 150 monks quickly set off but were stopped by members of the local Tibetan population, who feared an outbreak of violence. Government officials later arrived with special forces and, according to witnesses, said they had a list of 10 Tibetans for arrest, but for the time being just wanted to talk to Yeshi Sangpo and Draksang.
As with Sungrab Gyatso, it is still not known where or in what conditions they are being held.
Wang Dengchao (王登朝), the 38-year-old policeman held in Shenzhen, was given the 14-year jail sentence on charges of embezzlement and obstructing officials. Arrested in March, he had closed links with several dissident bloggers and often visited online forums, where he posted pro-democracy messages and criticized China’s judicial and political systems.

Tibetan Language Classes Closed
2013-01-10
Chinese authorities further restrict assertions of Tibetan national and cultural identity.
Authorities in China’s Sichuan province have banned Tibetan language and culture classes taught informally by volunteers to Tibetan students during their winter break, angering local residents who had sought to promote Tibetan national and cultural identity to their children, according to a local source.
The ban covers at least one township in the Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, with similar bans in place at monasteries in at least two counties in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
The program in Ngaba was initiated last year in the Muge Norwa township of Zungchu (in Chinese, Songpan) county, a man living in the area told RFA’s Tibetan service.
“Local Tibetans welcomed the project. But this year, unfortunately, Chinese authorities objected and shut it down,” the man said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Students then gathered to be taught in the courtyard of a private home, but this too was stopped.”
“This has caused strong resentment within the local Tibetan community, and participants in the classes are disappointed at having been deprived of an opportunity to learn their own language and culture,” he said.
Scores jailed
China has jailed scores of Tibetan writers, artists, singers, and educators for asserting national and cultural identity and civil rights since widespread protests swept Tibet and Tibetan-populated areas of China in 2008.
In November, about 1,000 Tibetan students protested in China’s Qinghai province over the release of an official Chinese booklet that ridiculed the Tibetan language as “irrelevant.”
The booklet also described self-immolations by Tibetans challenging Chinese rule, now totaling 95 since the wave of fiery protests began in February 2009, as “acts of stupidity.”
Students burned the offending booklets during the protest and called for “equality among nationalities and freedom to study the Tibetan language.”
And in March, around 700 students from the Rebkong County Middle School of Nationalities returned from a holiday break to find their textbooks for the new term written in Chinese.
“They started ripping the books up and tried to march into the town to call for language rights,” but were stopped by their teachers from proceeding into town, the London-based rights group Free Tibet said.
‘Shattered hopes’
Response to the language classes offered this winter in Muge Norwa township had been “very encouraging,” RFA’s source said, adding that even nearby townships had sent over 100 students to participate.
“All hoped that the project would continue,” he said. “Now their hopes have been shattered.”
Tibetan language classes organized by Beri monastery in Kardze prefecture and by monasteries in Dege county have also been banned, he said.
Reported by Lumbum Tashi for RFA’s Tibetan service. Translated by Benpa Topgyal and Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Copyright © 1998-2011 Radio Free Asia. All rights reserved.

Sikyong Opens International Conference on China’s Leadership Transition
December 28, 2012.
DHARAMSHALA: Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay today opened an international conference of China experts entitled, ‘Leadership Transition in China: Implications for the Chinese, Tibetans and Others’ at Gangchen Kyishong.
In his inaugural address, Sikyong Dr Sangay said that the experts’ perspectives and their substantive analysis on China’s political, social and economic point of views would help CTA’s approach.
“The recent change in the Chinese leadership will have global implications, regional as well as on India and the Tibetan people. And your much sought after expertise will help us prepare and think through as to how we should move forward in the comings months and years,” he said.
Kalon Dicki Chhoyang of Department of Information and International Relations spoke about the genesis of the Tibet Policy Institute. She said the Tibet Policy Institute is a new initiative by the administration to conduct research and advise the Central Tibetan leadership on policy making.
“The Tibet Policy Institute was initiated because we had a strong need for a think-tank. We want this institute to reach international standards in terms of intellectual vigor and objectivity. What we don’t want is an equivalent of Chinese propaganda machinery on the Tibetan side,” she said.
Prof Chong Pin-Lin, Taiwan’s former deputy minister of national defense, expressed optimism about new Chinese president Xi Jinping’s future approach towards the issue of Tibet in view of his father’s liberal stand, and his wife as a follower of Tibetan Buddhism.  He said Mr Xi may approach His Holiness the Dalai Lama for dialogue on Tibet problem and he also faces grave challenges to tackle issues of minority nationalities.
Other speakers at the conference include Dr Gordon Chang, noted lawyer, author and television analyst, Prof Micheal van Walt van Praag,visiting professor at Princeton, Prof Madhu Bhalla, Dr Abanti Bhattacharya, Zhu Rui and Kasur Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, former special envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The conference is organised by the Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and will be held from 28-30 December.

Tibetan Task Force on Negotiations Discusses Critical Situation in Tibet and China’s New Leadership
January 2, 2013
PRESS RELEASE
A two-day meeting of the Task Force on Negotiations was held in Dharamsala from December 31, 2012 to January 1, 2013, chaired by Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay.
The meeting reviewed the deepening political crisis in Tibet, specifically the tragic spate of self-immolations, and discussed the urgent need for peaceful resolution of the issue of Tibet. The meeting also discussed the changes in the Chinese leadership and their implications on the Tibetan issue.
Substantive assessments were made on the genesis of the Tibetan dialogue process, its future prospects and challenges, based on the situation in Tibet, China and in the international community. Various constructive opinions were expressed to continue the dialogue. The procedure for appointment of envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama was also discussed.
The Tibetan leadership remains firmly committed to non-violence and the Middle-Way Approach, and strongly believes that the only way to resolve the issue of Tibet is through dialogue. “Substance being primary and process secondary, we are ready to engage in meaningful dialogue anywhere and at anytime”, said Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay.
We continue to appeal to Tibetans not to undertake drastic actions, including self-immolations. We welcome the statements of concern by the United Nations and governments about the current situation in Tibet as well as their encouragement for dialogue.
The Task Force will be reconstituted with additional new members, and a meeting will be convened soon after the National People’s Congress session in March this year, when the new Chinese leadership will assume full responsibility.
The Kashag
January 2, 2013
Contact: Mr Thubten Samphel +9805024662