Community protests force temporary halt of Tibet lithium mine operation
May 16, 2016
Radio Free Asia, May 11, 2016 – In a rare move, authorities in southwestern China’s Sichuan province have ordered a temporary halt to a Chinese mining company’s operations in a Tibetan-populated area after first telling protesters they had no right to ask that the work be stopped.
The order issued on May 6 by authorities in the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and in Kangding city cites environmental problems resulting from the mining and “solemnly commits” to block further operations until community concerns can be resolved.
A copy of the order, which was written in Chinese, was obtained by Radio Free Asia’s Tibetan Service.
Authorities had earlier appealed to Tibetan protesters to end their blockade of a highway aimed at ending work at the lithium mine, which was linked to water pollution and fish deaths in the region, sources told RFA in earlier reports.
More than 100 Tibetans from five nomadic villages in Dartsedo (Kangding) county staged the protest, fearing further environmental damage after the mining company announced last week that it would resume operations after an almost three-year halt.
“The authorities convened a meeting where they tried to convince the community that the land is owned by the government and that the mining operations are a government decision,” one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The local community was told they had no right to block the work, he said.
Chinese security forces armed with rifles surrounded the protesters at one point but did not attack, sources said.
Tibet has become an important source of minerals needed for China’s economic growth, and Chinese mining operations in Tibetan areas have often led to widespread environmental damage, including the pollution of water sources for livestock and humans, experts say.
Reported by RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney

Poet monk sentenced to seven years in prison on unknown charges
May 9, 2016
Central Tibetan Administration, May 9, 2016 – It has been learned today that a Kirti monk and writer Jo Losang Jamyang, 28, whose pen name is Lomik, has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. The hearing took place at the Lunggu (chinese: Wenchuan) county court in Ngaba prefecture.
Lomik was arrested by Chinese police on the streets of Ngaba town at around 11.30 pm on 17 April 2015. He was held in detention, without being brought to trial or informing his family of his whereabouts, for over a year. The charges on which he was tried by the court are not known.
Lomik comes from Jotsang household in village no 3 of Meruma township, son of father Jodor and mother Jamkar. He joined Kirti monastery at a young age and was a student of the Prajnaparamita class. He has also taken part-time courses in non-religious studies at Larung Gar monastery in Serta and the Northwest Minorities University in Lanzhou. He participated in many speaking events, and is the author of numerous poems and regular social commentary, including on freedom of expression for writers in Tibet. A collection of his poems has been published as The Swirling Yellow Mist.
–Report filed by Lobsang Yeshe and Kanyag Tsering–

Protesters in eastern Tibet demand shut-down of polluting mine
May 9, 2016
Tibet Post International, May 6, 2016 – More than 100 Tibetans have protested against Chinese mining operations at a site considered sacred by local Tibetan residents, drawing a large police force to the area and prompting fears of clashes.
‘The protest took place at Yulshok Gargye in Minyak County, Kham Province of eastern Tibet (Ch: Minya, Kangding County, Sichuan, China),” on May 4, 2016,’ Aka Penpa, a monk from South India told the TPI.
He said that “the ongoing mining has led to toxic wastes being dumped into the river resulting in the death of a large number of fishes.”
“About 100 local Tibetans then gathered in Yulshok Gargye to demand an end to the project and calling for urgent action to protect environment and wildlife,” he added.
The locals have engaged in shouting slogans “there is no rule of law for the Communist Party” and saying they lied to us, they cheated on us, they betrayed us and broken promises.
‘Chinese authorities deployed dozens of police forces in vehicles to the protest site, immediately after the event,’ TPI’s source said.
“The situation is still very tense, as there are growing fears among the locals that the security crackdown, may take place in the open sky,” sources said, adding: “It is also unknown whether or not the Chinese authorities arrested any of these Tibetan protesters.”
Yulshok Gargye is a sacred place located in the Minyak County, less than 20 minutes walk from the center of Pa-Lhagang, which is one of the holiest site in Tibetan Buddhism.
Waste from the mines, in operation since 2005, but stopped in recent years because local protests against the project, which has been dumped in the “Lhuchu River,” resulting in the death of large numbers of fishes. Sources said “they restarted the mine in April this year, resulting in the death of another large numbers of fishes.”
“Tibetan nomads have protested the Chinese mining operations, which poison drinking water and kill herd animals,” he added.
The protest site is also located near Mt Minyak Gangkar, one of the highest mountains in Kham region of eastern Tibet, which is located near Dartsedo City. It is with elevation of 7556m. The town of Dartsedo was an important trade center between Tibet and China, and for centuries its importance lay on the tea-horse trade. Mt Minyak Gangkar is also one of the most sacred snow-capped mountain in the Kham region.
Mining operations in Tibet have led to frequent standoffs with Tibetans who accuse Chinese firms of disrupting sites of spiritual significance and polluting the environment as they extract local wealth.
The operations also have caused landslide, severe damage to local forests, grasslands, and drinking water. Waste from the mines has been dumped in the rivers, and mining activities have polluted the air.

Tibetan mother of five self-immolates to protest Chinese rule
May 9, 2016
Radio Free Asia, May 6, 2016 – A Tibetan mother of five has burned herself to death in southwestern China’s Sichuan province in a challenge to Beijing’s rule in the second such protest in a Tibetan area of China this year, a source in the region told RFA’s Tibetan Service.
Sonam Tso, believed to have been in her 50s, self-immolated on March 23 near a monastery in Dzoege (in Chinese, Ruo’ergai) county in the Ngaba (Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
News of Tso’s protest was initially delayed in reaching outside contacts due to communications clampdowns imposed by Chinese authorities in the area, but her self-immolation followed by almost a month a similar burning in Sichuan’s Kardze prefecture that killed a young monk.
Tso, a native of Akyi township’s Tsa village, launched her protest outside Dzoege’s Sera monastery after telling her husband, who was walking with her, to go ahead, saying that she would join him later, RFA’s source said.
“A young monk heard her call out for the return of [exiled spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama and for freedom for Tibet as she burned,” he said.
Tso’s husband and the monk tried to put out the flames, and an elderly monk named Tsultrim, Tso’s uncle, then brought her inside the monastery.
“She was later put into a vehicle to be taken to a hospital, but she died before leaving the monastery,” the source said.
Speaking separately to RFA, a Tibetan source in exile confirmed the incident had occurred, citing contacts in the region.
Police detained Tso’s uncle for eight days for discussing the incident with other people and forced him to delete the photos he had taken of Tso’s protest, the source said, adding that her husband, Kalsang Gyaltsen, was called in for questioning three times.
“She leaves behind five children—two boys and three girls,” he said.
Tso’s protest brings to 145 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009.
Most protests feature demands for Tibetan freedom and the return of spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since an abortive national uprising in 1959. A handful of self-immolation protests have been over local land or property disputes.
Reported by Sonam Topgyal for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Success of “middle way approach” a priority, says Tibet’s political leader
May 2, 2016
By Geeta Anand and Tenzin Tsering
New York Times, April 27, 2016 – The current political leader of Tibet’s’s exiled government, Lobsang Sangay, won re-election by a decisive majority, the election commission announced Wednesday, and he pledged to push harder for a dialogue with China to resolve the future of Tibet.
“My principal objective will be to resolve the issue of Tibet through the middle way approach,” Mr. Sangay said in a telephone interview.
The “middle way” approach was set in motion by the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people, nearly 30 years ago, in which he softened his demand for independence for the approximately six million Tibetans living in China, instead seeking self-government for them within China.
The Dalai Lama, 80, gave up his political role five years ago in favor of elections to choose a sikyong, a role similar to prime minister. Mr. Sangay was chosen in the first election in 2011.
Both candidates for the sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration, as the exiled government is known, favored the middle way approach, even though a vocal minority believe in fighting for full independence for Tibet. Mr. Sangay, 48, won 33,876 votes, while Penpa Tsering, the speaker of the exiled Parliament, secured 24,846 votes, Sonam Choephel Shosur, the election commissioner, said at a news conference.

Tibet most tightly controlled region of China, according to foreign correspondents
May 2, 2016
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China, April 29, 2016 – Tibet remains the most intriguing and tightly controlled region in China today. While foreign media outlets were granted some limited access to the Tibet Autonomous Region in 2015, China still rejected roughly three-quarters of the reporters who sought permission to visit last year, according to a new survey by the Foreign Correspondents Club of China.
The survey revealed deep frustration that China only allows foreign journalists to visit Tibet on government-approved trips; employs an opaque process for selecting those who can join these trips; and restricts freedom of movement while there.
While Chinese authorities apparently believe that restricted access will prevent “negative” reporting about issues in the region, the survey results suggest the opposite may be true. Journalists said a lack of access to Tibet increases their reliance on exile sources and overseas academics, who may have particular agendas and lack up-to-date information.
By contrast, the few journalists granted permission to visit to Tibet in 2015said it improved their knowledge of the region and Chinese government administration there.
The FCCC also surveyed journalists on their perspectives about diplomats and foreign government officials who have been allowed to visit Tibet. A vast majority of those responding said these foreign diplomats and officials are not doing enough to press for greater media access to the region.

SUMMARY

The survey — based on 142 responses from foreign journalists based in China, including 35 from non-FCCC members — revealed the following:
The government may be slightly more open to arranging group trips for China-based foreign correspondents. Journalists from more than a dozen foreign media organizations were allowed to join three group reporting trips to the region in 2015. Among the media organizations that visited Tibet in 2015 were ABC Spanish Daily Newspaper, Bloomberg, Russian TV, Kazakhstan TV, Le Figaro, Der Spiegel, ANSA, Mainichi Shimbun, Yonhap, Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao, the Financial Times and Reuters.
Large numbers of journalists are still shut out. Nearly three-quarters of those seeking to report in Tibet (49) had their applications rejected. Only one respondent to the survey reported receiving approval for an individual reporting trip to the region. Many journalists aren’t applying because they believe they won’t get permission or will be subjected to unacceptable reporting restrictions.
Only 36% of journalists said they or their organization had applied to conduct a reporting trip to Tibet in 2015. Of the 64% who did not apply, lack of interest in Tibet was not the reason; rather, half of those journalists said they didn’t apply because they believed permission would not be granted. Another 40% said they didn’t seek permission for a trip because they believed the restrictions imposed by authorities would make substantive reporting impossible. Only 9% said they weren’t interested in Tibetan affairs.
Journalists say the procedures for seeking permission to visit Tibet are opaque and difficult. Of those who applied to conduct trips, 30 (or 79%) said that the process was not straightforward and that details about costs and the itinerary were insufficient.
“It was a totally opaque process, with very little short term notice,” wrote one responder. “Not straightforward at all,” wrote another. “Very (little) information about the itinerary and costs, and the selection of journalists who finally went to Tibet was arbitrary.”
Several of the journalists allowed to visit Tibet in 2015 found the trip worthwhile, despite reporting restrictions:
“Not perfect but it was good to get this trip,” said one reporter. “We got some very good material, especially our photographer.”
“In general, I found the trip useful in the sense that it gave me a glimpse of Tibet, the government’s policies and point of view. There was no chance to do independent reporting per se or freedom to travel to regions or areas that were not included in the trip, nor could I extend the trip on my own. But it was better than nothing. I asked all questions that I wanted to officials, who candidly responded with their own discourse to my questions about more sensitive issues that you don’t usually see explained in state media or press conferences in Beijing. Yes, it was heavy on propaganda, but I was able to get a picture of how the government sees Tibet and how it envisions its future.”
“Reporters of the five Indian media organizations with registered offices in China … were invited to travel to Tibet when the first batch of Indian pilgrims for the Kailash yatra arrived in Yadong on a newly opened route. In Yadong and Lhasa, there was reasonably free access.”
NOVEMBER GROUP TRIP
According to the survey results, the bulk of the foreign journalists who visited Tibet in 2015 did so on a five-day November group trip organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Notification for the trip was provided on the ministry’s website in October, with a short deadline for applying. MOFA originally scheduled the trip for October, then delayed it, later rescheduling it with little notice to those who had applied. Selection criteria were not revealed and some journalists said after applying they were unable to confirm the status of their application with officials because the phones at the appointed office went unanswered.
Those selected visited Tibet from Nov. 16-20. Participants stayed at Lhasa Hotel and visited Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, schools and an academy, a beer factory and Namtso Lake, where they visited a village and talked with the village leader. “Very pleasant and relaxed, though managed,” said one respondent.
A majority of the journalists who visited Tibet in 2015 and responded to the survey said sources appeared reluctant to speak freely. Only one said they had satisfactory freedom of movement.
Cost of the November trip per person was about $2,000, including airfare, meals, hotel and land transport. Roughly half of those attending said the price of attending was fair. Some complained about cost of airfare (booked through a MOFA-specified agent) and unexpected charges for hotel, meal and land transport were presented at the end of the trip.
GENERAL VIEWPOINTS
Foreign journalists are highly skeptical about their ability to report accurately and fairly in Tibet, even when MOFA allows them to go on an individual or group trip. Of the 121 respondents, more than 90% percent answered “no” when asked if they could report in Tibet in accordance with China’s general reporting principles allowing freedom to travel and speak to sources who agree to be interviewed. Said one journalist:
“I feel it is possible to report the issues around Tibet. However, without independent access to Tibet it is not possible to speak to people living there, gather their first-hand testimony, and document conditions for ourselves. This prevents us from being able to report comprehensively or indeed accurately about Tibet, and means the region is effectively closed to independent, impartial journalism. A three-day, extremely limited and heavily controlled official trip is absolutely unacceptable, and should in no way be interpreted as meaning that journalists are now able to travel to Tibet.”
Foreign journalists, based on the survey, listed restrictions on access to Tibet, restriction of movement once in Tibet and sources’ fear of speaking freely as the three leading reasons they cannot do accurate and comprehensive reporting on Tibet.
Journalists indicated that the lack of access to Tibet forced them to rely on Tibetan exile sources and other experts outside of the region in an attempt to provide balance in their reports. Said one reporter: “I feel that the government restrictions on Tibet reporting lead to one-dimensional reporting. Nearly every story becomes Chinese gov’t vs. Tibetan human rights and religious freedom. More access would lead to a lot more nuance, I believe.”
Added another: “It’s complicated. We can try to balance the reporting that we can occasionally do in government trips with voices that express different point of views – there are many scholars, dissidents and Tibetan organizations abroad. But in general terms, I also think there is a disconnect between these overseas actors in the Tibetan puzzle (each of them with their agenda, of course) and the situation on the ground, which is something that we cannot access independently. A difficult dilemmas that you face as a journalist in Tibet, and in China in general, is… even if you find the chance to get rid of your minders and get out in the street to try to talk to people, I’m going to have limited time to try to find a voice that tells me (freely?) about what the government is doing good or bad. In a way, that person is locked in Tibet, facing reprisals for being quoted in an article in Western media, or by being seen talking to a foreign reporter. And the only reason why I’m sticking the microphone in front of that random person who was just passing by in front of me that morning, is because I have the need to fulfill this illusion of balance by having somebody tell me something different to what the government has told me. I don’t think it’s fair to do that… so given the lack of time and opportunity to talk freely with people, I decided to go with the option of finding the other side of the story in overseas groups and scholars.”
DIPLOMATIC ACCESS

In 2015, China allowed some foreign diplomats and foreign government officials to visit Tibet, including U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus and U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader.
However, few, if any, of those delegations appear to have been accompanied by members of their national press. The FCCC queried foreign journalists on whether members of their government had visited Tibet in 2015. Of the 25 respondents who said they were aware that a representative of their government had visited Tibet, only 16% said they were satisfied that these officials had provided sufficient information about their trip to the press both before and after the trip.
Said one respondent: “In two cases I know of, the trips by U.S. government officials (diplomats and senior legislators) were kept secret until after the fact.”
CONCLUSION
Although China may be “opening up” — ever so slightly — in allowing more China-based foreign reporters to visit Tibet in groups, the region remains effectively closed to outside media coverage. These restrictions prevent the world from learning the real story of Tibet, and prevent China from telling its story. They also fuel suspicion about government treatment of Tibetans in the TAR, and prevent journalists from confirming that investment and poverty alleviation efforts have improved the lives of people there, as China claims. This media blackout is being abetted by visiting foreign diplomats who, apparently in exchange for access to Tibet, agree to Chinese conditions that foreign media not be notified about trips, or invited to join.
RECOMMENDATIONS
For the Chinese government:
China should lift restrictions on foreign media visiting Tibet, in line with China’s general reporting principles allowing freedom to travel and speak to sources who agree to be interviewed. Short of that, China should at least take intermediary steps of: Arranging more trips; Granting more independent trips; Making the application process more transparent; Allowing reporters to request specific itineraries on group trip; Informing reporters of the cost of trips before they happen; Ending intimidation of Tibetan sources
For foreign governments:
The FCCC notes with concern and disappointment the apparent inability or unwillingness of foreign government delegations to arrange journalists’ access to Tibet to chronicle these visits. The FCCC urges:
– All foreign government representatives visiting Tibet to travel with reporters from their home country or other nations, and to make such media coverage a routine part of such visits.
– Foreign government delegations to raise the issue of media access to Tibet with their Chinese counterparts that reciprocates the access Chinese journalists enjoy abroad. It is inconceivable, for instance, to imagine Chinese journalists in the United States being forbidden to visit Florida except on highly managed trips arranged by the State Department.
Website: www.fccchina.org

Senior religious leader released from prison in uncertain health
April 25, 2016
Radio Free Asia, April 19, 2016 – Authorities in western China’s Sichuan province have freed a senior Tibetan religious figure jailed since 2009 for resisting political reeducation campaigns at his monastery, returning him to his home in uncertain health, Tibetan sources say.
Buruna Rinpoche, the spiritual teacher of a community of nuns, was escorted secretly to his home in the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on April 17 following his release, a resident of the area told RFA’s Tibetan Service.
“Buruna Rinpoche, who was detained in 2008 and sentenced to jail in 2009, was released a few days ago and has returned home,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“In the past few years, Rinpoche’s health was reportedly very poor due to torture and a poor diet during the time that he served his sentence,” the source said.
On Dec. 23, 2009, Buruna Rinpoche was sentenced along with 54 nuns of the Buruna nunnery for protesting an official campaign of political reeducation imposed in local monasteries and for refusing to sign a document criticizing exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, the source said.
“Rinpoche was also implicated in a protest by his nuns in Kardze town,” he said.
Forbidden to speak
Separately, a Tibetan source living in India confirmed Buruna Rinpoche’s release, but said that he was now staying in Sichuan’s provincial capital Chengdu.
“Buruna Rinpoche, who is also known as Tulku Phurbu Tsering, was released from Mianyang Prison near Chengdu at about 7:30 p.m. on April 17,” the source said, also speaking on condition he not be named.
“I have no detained information on his present condition, but Rinpoche said that he will be in Chengdu for a few days,” he said.
“He could be planning to undergo some medical check-ups and treatment in Chengdu,” a third source, a former political prisoner now living in Australia, said.
“It is difficult for now to comment on the actual state of his health, but we know that he was told by authorities not to say anything about his trip home following his release,” the source, named Norbu Damdul, said.
Buruna nunnery, also called Pangri Na, is one of two Tibetan nunneries—the other called Yarteng-—operating under Buruna Rinpoche’s guidance.
Buruna was destroyed during a 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, but was rebuilt in 1983 and expanded in 2000. It is located on a hilltop near Kardze.
Reported by Sonam Wangdu and Lhuboom for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Pop star Selena Gomez banned from China due to photo with Dalai Lama
April 25, 2016
New Zealand Herald, April 20, 2016 – Selena Gomez has reportedly been banned from performing in China due to her association with the Dalai Lama.
The Come & Get It singer had announced earlier this month that she would be playing two concerts in China as part of her Revival tour, which begins in May in the U.S.
However, her concerts in Guangzhou and Shanghai on 6 and 8 August have since been removed from her website.
The shows have been cancelled because Chinese authorities have allegedly blocked Selena from performing in the country because of her connection to the spiritual leader, according to a report in Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper.
Selena posted a picture on social media in 2014 showing her meeting the Dalai Lama, who has been an unpopular figure in China since he fled to India and established a Tibetan government.
In the snap, which was taken from an event in Canada, a seated Selena is tilting her head back and smiling at the leader as he touches the back of her head and chin and looks down upon her. In the caption, she wrote, “words of wisdom. #speechless.”
Selena would not be the first music act to be blocked from China for an association with the Dalai Lama – Bon Jovi’s gigs in September, 2015 were scrapped because they reportedly used a picture of the exiled Buddhist leader during a concert in Taiwan back in 2010.
Maroon 5’s concerts in Shanghai and Beijing were reportedly cancelled last year after band member Jesse Carmichael sent the spiritual leader a birthday tweet.
In 2013, Selena had to cancel two concerts in Russia when immigration officials denied her visa application.
Reports suggested they were concerned she would use her shows to speak out against the country’s anti-gay legislation.

Dalai Lama greets Queen Elizabeth on her birthday
April 25, 2016
IANS, April 22, 2016 – The Dalai Lama greeted Queen Elizabeth II of Britain on the occasion of her 90th birthday on April 23, a statement said on Friday.
In a letter, the globetrotting Tibetan spiritual leader wrote: “Her Majesty is someone I have admired since I was a small boy in Tibet.”
“I remember reading about her and seeing newsreels of various members of the royal family visiting and comforting people in war-torn London. I understand that befitting celebrations of her status as Britain’s longest serving monarch are taking place while many tributes are being paid to her from across the world,” he said.
“I would like to add my own congratulations and wish Her Majesty a happy birthday,” the Nobel Peace laureate said.
Describing Queen Elizabeth as “a steadfast source of inspiration to many, a model of strength and dedication”, he said: “On this auspicious occasion I offer my prayers for the happiness, prosperity and long life of Her Majesty and the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”
The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland Tibet in 1959. The Tibetan administration-in-exile is based here.

Dalai Lama, Archbishop Tutu sign interfaith climate statement
April 18, 2016
By Megan Darby
Leaders from all the world’s major religions are set to declare their backing for ambitious climate action at an event in New York on Monday.
Climate Change News, April 18, 2016 – The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Pakistani grand imam Maulana Khabir Azad are among 270 signatories of an interfaith statement.
Emphasising each person’s “moral responsibility” to care for our shared Earth, the statement will be handed over to the UN’s Mogens Lykketoft in a ceremony at 11:00 Eastern Time.
It comes ahead of a gathering of national leaders on Friday to sign the landmark climate pact agreed in Paris – a necessary step towards its entry into force.
“Humanity is at a crucial turning point,” according to the statement. “We as faith communities recognize that we must begin a transition away from polluting fossil fuels and towards clean renewable energy sources.
“It is clear that for many people significant lifestyle changes will have to be made. We must strive for alternatives to the culture of consumerism that is so destructive to ourselves and to our planet.”
It calls for rapid action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, with global levels peaking in 2020 to keep the possibility of a 1.5C warming limit within reach.
People of faith are encouraged to reduce their own carbon footprints, divest from fossil fuels and invest in cleaner sources of energy.
Radhanath Swami of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is one of the speakers at Monday’s event, to be held in the Church Center for the UN.
“The environmental crisis is ultimately a crisis of the heart,” he said ahead of the service. “The more we are disconnected from one another and from God, the more we are disconnected from Mother Earth. We must therefore strive to re-establish our relationship with the earth.” WTN – Canada