What is this “Middle Way” the Dalai Lama Preaches?
Bhuchung K. Tsering
http://weblog.savetibet.org
February 25, 2014
The latest meeting between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and President Barack Obama on February 21, 2014 has led to some developments, including in the Chinese Government asking the question, “What is this “middle way” the Dalai Lama preaches?” (via a Xinhua report on February 22).
If the Chinese authorities feign to know this even after the past many years of dialogue with his representatives, I believe the answer can be got by looking at some outcomes of the Obama-Dalai Lama meeting.
First, the meeting was followed by the most categorical statement  to date by the White House about President Obama supporting the Middle Way approach of the Dalai Lama.  In diplomacy where each and every word in such statements are weighed, the President not only “commended” the Middle Way approach (as has been done in 2010  and 2011 ), but also “expressed support” for it. The Chinese Government has sensed this and hence their Xinhua piece as well as the consternation shown by the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman.
Secondly, and equally important is that the White House explained its understanding of the Middle Way. Spokesman Jay Carney   told the media on February 21, “The United States supports the Dalai Lama’s “middle way” approach of neither assimilation, nor independence for Tibetans in China.”
This is very much in tune with the thinking of the Dalai Lama who has always maintained that his Middle Way was avoiding the two extremes: between the present critical situation of the Tibetan people where their very identity’s survival is at stake and the other extreme of regaining Tibet’s independence.
Thirdly, it is also significant that the White House Spokesman says “The United States supports the Dalai Lama’s “middle way” approach.”  To me, this indicates that the support is not just the personal belief of the President, but also of the United States Government as a whole.
Therefore, the White House statement not only explains the fundamental concept of the Middle Way, but in the process it is a strong refutation of the Chinese Government’s attempt to discredit the Middle Way.
The Dalai Lama came forth with his Middle Way approach in earnest; as a sincere attempt to provide a solution that is mutually beneficial to the Tibetan and to the Chinese, and which takes into consideration China’s stability concerns.  He started formulating this approach internally way back in the 1970s  and so when the then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping sent a message to him in 1978-79 that other than the issue of the independence of Tibet, everything else can be discussed and resolved, the Dalai Lama was able to respond positively.
Since then the Dalai Lama has stopped talking about Tibetan independence and has been calling for a solution that will enable the Tibetan people to livein dignity by preserving and promoting their distinct identity and heritage.
Diplomatically, the Dalai Lama came out with a series of initiatives, beginning with the Five Point Peace Plan in 1987 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to the Strasbourg Proposal at the European Parliament in 1988, etc.  Instead of responding to these initiatives positively, the Chinese Government has continued to sweep the Tibetan problem under the carpet and to control the Tibetan people by force.
Above all, the Memorandum for genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people, which the Dalai Lama’s envoys presented to the Chinese Government in 2008 clearly spells out the Tibetan position.  It outlines 11 areas in which the concerns of the Tibetan people needed to be addressed, all within the framework of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China.
However, China ignores this aspect because it does not fit their politicalagenda and seek recourse to propaganda.
Those who know the Tibetan issue, know that Xinhua and the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman repeat their well known narrative; since the Chinese authorities lack the political courage to address the genuine concerns of the Tibetan people, they find fault with each and every initiative of the Dalai Lama under his Middle Way approach.
The Chinese Government says, “the “middle way” approach demands independence by its very nature.” But the White House statement reflects the international community’s acknowledgement that the Dalai Lama’s approach is one that is not of independence, but of securing dignity and respect for the Tibetan people while addressing stability concerns of China.
Therefore, if there is one clear political message from the Obama-Dalai Lama meeting, it is this: the United States is against the assimilation of the Tibetan people and that the Middle Way is the solution to the Tibetan problem.
 
 
 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Meets with President Barack Obama
February 22, 2014 1:35 am
WASHINGTON, DC. FEBRUARY 21, 2014: His Holiness the Dalai Lama met with President Obama this morning at the White House. This was the third meeting between the Tibetan spiritual leader and the sitting American President. The earlier two meetings, also in the White House, took place on February 18th 2010 and July 16th 2011.
In an almost hour-long meeting, His Holiness shared his core commitment related to promotion of human values, fostering interfaith dialogue and preservation of Tibetan people’s unique culture and rich tradition. The two leaders also discussed issues related to morality and leadership, and how one can produce new generation of ethical leaders in the 21st century.
President Obama said that he was honored to meet His Holiness again. He reiterated his support for the preservation of the unique religious, cultural, and linguistic traditions of Tibet. The President extended support for His Holiness’ Middle Way Approach policy and reiterated that Chinese government should have constructive dialogue with His Holiness’ representatives without any precondition. President Obama asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama about Tibet and His Holiness explained the current situation. President Obama expressed his deep concern about the worsening human rights situation in Tibet and Tibetan areas in China.
Honorable Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay welcomed the meeting between His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and President Obama. “I welcome President Obama’s strong endorsement of the Middle Way Approach policy and constructive dialogue without any precondition. This meeting sends a powerful message of hope to Tibetans in Tibet who are undergoing immense suffering. The meeting reflects the American government and people’s continued commitment to freedom and democracy,” said the Sikyong.

Speech at 100th Meeting of the Tibet Intergroup of the European Parliament
http://www.tibet-europe..com/web/?p=682
Brussels, February 19, 2014
It is a great pleasure and an honour for my Tibetan colleagues and me to participate in this special meeting of the Tibet Intergroup of the European Parliament. This opportunity means a lot to us Tibetans. For it offers us the chance to express to you personally our sincere appreciation and gratitude for your sustained and committed support and solidarity with the non-violent freedom struggle of the Tibetan people.
Your support and friendship sends a clear message of hope, encouragement and solidarity to the people of Tibet at a time when Tibetans in Tibet are undergoing the harshest wave of repression and persecution since the Cultural Revolution. Last Thursday, Lobsang Dorjee, a 25 years old native of Ngaba county in Sichuan Province, became 126th Tibetan to resort to self-immolation to protest against the Chinese repression in Tibet. He is the second Tibetan to commit self-immolation in 2014.
As a Tibetan engaged in raising awareness and support for the cause of Tibet in Europe for many years, I am aware that there is a school of thought among politicians who consider public statements and resolutions condemning human rights abuses, calling for respect for human rights and peaceful conflict resolutions as empty gestures and window-dressing politic. They argue that such acts constitute a “loss of face” of the Chinese leadership and hence counterproductive. But on the other hand they are not willing to consider whether such restrain in avoiding the loss of face of Chinese leaders is also leading to the loss of more life of the repressed and persecuted people.
The so-called “silent diplomacy”, which this school of thought favours, often result – whether deliberately or unintentionally – in evasion, denial and silence about oppression, injustice and abuse of basic rights and freedoms. This is psychologically and morally more devastating for victims of oppression and injustice than the actual repressive measures
In the case of Tibet we realize that there is little that can be done from the outside that immediately brings some improvements in the difficult situation of Tibetans in Tibet. However, statements of concern and support and resolutions on human rights violations in Tibet by distinguished bodies such as the European Parliament send the message to the people in Tibet that they are not forgotten, that Europe cares and is aware of their suffering and that Europe is committed in promoting a peaceful and just resolution to the issue of Tibet. This is a message with tremendous power to give hope and uplift the spirit of the Tibetans in Tibet. This is also the way to persuade Tibetans in Tibet not to loose hope and patience and not to resort to self-immolation in acts of protest. The Tibetan leadership in exile will continue to appeal to our countrymen to refrain from such drastic forms of protest.
Despite the very grim current situation in Tibet I believe there are grounds to entertain a degree of hope and optimism for some movements on the issue of Tibet in the near future.
First of all the spirit of resistance of the Tibetan people in Tibet has never been stronger than today. Tibetans in Tibet have never been more united and determined in reasserting and defending their distinct culture, religion, language and identity. The majority of Tibetans in the frontline of the protest are under 30 years of age. This is a clear indication that this popular resistance is to stay on for a long time to come.
Furthermore, with little notice taken outside of China a vigorous internal debate has been going on in China on policies towards the minorities. Such a national debate on minorities has been non-existent in China a few years ago. This is a clear indication of the increasing awareness and importance of issues related with minorities in China.
Moreover, there is a new leadership in China. According to information from Chinese sources within the new Chinese leadership there are people who feel that there is a need to address the problems in Tibet. But it also says that there is strong opposition to such views. The policy announcements after the Third Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party indicate that the top leadership will take more control of issues such as Tibet and Xinjiang. This is to be welcomed. So far the ossified and hard-line attitude of the entrenched party bureaucracy dealing exclusively with minorities policies has been the major obstacle to any changes on the Tibet issue. Moreover, the new Chinese leadership is yet to formulate and announce its thinking and policy on Tibet.
There is movement in China on issues that have a bearing on the Tibet issue. Because of these developments it is a crucial time for members of international community to engage the Chinese government on Tibet. There is a unique window of opportunity to act on Tibet. The European Union can play a leading role in the opening of a new page in Tibetan-Chinese relations under the new leadership in China which is marked by the spirit of dialogue and reconciliation.
For this to happen there is a need for robust, coherent and concerted efforts by members of the international community. In this context it is crucial that the Tibet Intergroup of the European Parliament continues to take the lead in international efforts promoting a peaceful resolution of the issue of Tibet through dialogue and negotiations. I am, therefore, appealing to you personally and to the leaders of the European Parliament to ensure that the next legislative of the European Union continues with the long and honourable tradition of championing the peaceful and just cause of the Tibetan people by reconstituting a strong and vocal Tibet Intergroup.  The people of Tibet need your continued support and solidarity.
Thank you

This woman is the voice of Tibet for China and the world
http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-02-11/woman-voice-tibet-china-and-world
(link includes 4m 30s audio)
Public Radio international, 11 Feb 2014
When a 29 year-old Tibetan man set himself on fire earlier this month to protest Chinese rule there, he was among more than 100 who have chosen this form of protest. And the world might not have heard of them except for the writing of Tsering Woeser.
Woeser grew up in Tibet, but now lives in Beijing with her Chinese husband. When I met her there in November, she had just returned from a three month trip to Lhasa, the capital of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
Tibetans visiting Lhasa from outside the holy city are forced to give up their ID cards, Woeser told me. They also are required to stay in designated areas.
“This kind of segregation I thought would never happen to us [Tibetans],” Woeser said. “This only applies to Tibetans, not Han [ethnic Chinese] people. If they enter Tibet, they can move around completely freely.”
Woeser said this is the kind of Chinese policy that explains why more than 120 Tibetans have self-immolated in protest of Chinese rule since 2009. She published a book late last year that profiles the Tibetans who have set themselves on fire.
“I am a Tibetan and I wanted to explain why Tibetans continue to self-immolate as a political protest,” she said. “They are suffering a lot and the world has kept silent.”
In addition to her books, Woeser is a prolific blogger. Interestingly, she writes in Chinese, the language she grew up with in school in Tibetan towns in southwestern Sichuan province. This makes Woeser’s voice for the rights of Tibetans unique, says Elliot Sperling of Indiana University’s Tibetan Studies Program.
“There is a tendency among many people who are interested in Tibet to see Tibet as frozen in this sort of idealistic Buddhist, or even folk, kind of culture. But all culture is dynamic.”
Sperling says Woeser embodies this dynamism. Other Tibetan intellectuals are doing the same from afar. Many of them live in the West and they read and write in English. “But Woeser really represents this within the People’s Republic of China,” he said. “In other words, she represents somebody who’s very much engaged in the modern world.”
That brings big challenges, of course. Tibet is a highly sensitive issue for the Chinese government.
Beijing claims the rights of Tibetans are protected in China. And that the government has gone out of its way to help develop Tibet’s economy and preserve its unique culture.
And people in China tend to buy that line, which makes Woeser’s work all the more vital, says Tenzin Tethong. He is a former cabinet member of the Tibetan government-in-exile, who is now working for Radio Free Asia in Washington, DC.
“This is the one area where the Tibetan story is least understood,” Tethong said. “[The] vast majority of the Chinese public have had a very general understanding that since Tibet became part of the PRC [People’s Republic of China], Tibetan life has improved dramatically for the better, when in reality, there are very, very serious issues going on.”
Last year, Woeser was recognized by Secretary of State John Kerry at a ceremony for the recipients of the International Women of Courage awards. He praised her “for courageously striving to improve human rights conditions for China’s Tibetan citizens by illuminating their plight through her writings, and thus giving eloquent voice to those whose stories might otherwise never be heard.”
But Woeser could not accept the award herself. She was under house arrest in Beijing, which is a recurring nuisance for her.
Woeser continues to publish books outside of China, and to blog. She has more than 47,000 followers on Twitter. But still, I asked, is she really getting through to people in China?
“I have been writing about Tibet issues for so many years,” she said. “I think there is some effect. You just have to keep repeating the truth and eventually, people will start to listen. Besides, what else is there to do?”
As Woeser puts it in the epilogue of her book, Voices of Tibet, “As a writer, I have found my conviction to write coming into focus gradually: To write is to experience; to write is to pray; to write is to bear witness. Experience, prayer and bearing witness all intertwine. And to bear witness is to give voice.”

Spain Seeks to Curb Law Allowing Judges to Pursue Cases Globally
By JIM YARDLEYFEB. 10, 2014
MADRID — For nearly two decades, Spanish judges have been the provocateurs of international criminal law, pursuing human rights cases against Argentine military officers, Israeli defense officials or American soldiers in Iraq. Most famously, a Spanish judge opened the case that led to the arrest of the former dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet.
The product of crusading judges who sought to apply international human rights standards to many of the world’s most powerful figures, these cases have only rarely, if ever, resulted in prosecutions in Spain. But they have influenced cases in other countries, notably Argentina, and are an undeniable nuisance for anyone named in an international warrant. They have also complicated diplomacy in unpredictable ways.
Which brings up China. On Monday afternoon, Spain’s National Court ordered international warrants for China’s former President Jiang Zemin and former Prime Minister Li Peng as part of a case about alleged human rights abuses in Tibet. Infuriated, Chinese diplomats are pressuring the Spanish government to stop the prosecution.
On Tuesday, Spain’s Parliament is expected to debate and eventually approve a bill that would do exactly that. Legal experts say the legislation put forward by the governing Popular Party in January would force the dismissal of the China case and would sharply reduce the scope of the national law that has allowed Spanish judges to pursue human rights cases around the world.
“It could set a precedent where the whole system of international law could be affected,” said Alan Cantos, whose Spain-based Tibet Support Committee is a plaintiff in the China case. “Suddenly, China is deciding how international law should be applied.”
China is hardly the only global power that has bristled over accusations from Spanish judges. In recent years, the United States and Israel have applied diplomatic pressure to attempt to circumvent judicial investigations. But the government’s current effort to curb judges is being criticized as kowtowing to an important trade partner, as Spain is struggling to recover from a devastating economic crisis.
“I fear that is correct,” said Ramón Jáuregui, a member of Parliament with the opposition Socialist Party, who opposes changing the law.
Like the United States, Europe has long balanced accommodation and confrontation in its relationship with China, which is one of the European Union’s largest trading partners. Spain, though, has rarely opted for confrontation with China, which holds a healthy share of Spanish debt and has become a lucrative market for Spain’s food and wine industries.
“How important is China for Spain?” asked Miguel Otero, a senior analyst with Elcano Royal Institute, a research center in Madrid. “It is important, and it has the potential to be even more important. They are quite keen to enter the Chinese market.”
Under scrutiny is a doctrine of international law known as universal jurisdiction, which allows courts in any country to prosecute individuals outside their territory for crimes of “international character,” such as genocide, torture, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Human rights groups including Amnesty International consider universal jurisdiction an “essential tool” and issued a joint statement on Monday strongly condemning the proposed changes to Spanish law. Critics of the law argue that the doctrine infringes on national sovereignty and is susceptible to abuse by overzealous judges.
Peter J. Spiro, a professor of international law at Temple University, said universal jurisdiction is an important doctrine, but one that has had a limited application because efforts to broaden its scope have evolved faster than any political consensus around it.
He said that the doctrine had “huge potential” because of the growing influence of the global human rights movement on international law, but that many political leaders remained wary. Belgium, for example, repealed its original law after cases were filed against former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel as well as against former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.
“It’s not just that China is against this,” Professor Spiro said. “It is still a little out of step with prevailing international norms on issues of jurisdiction.”
No country has been more assertive in using the doctrine than Spain, where universal jurisdiction was adopted into national law in 1985. The most famous case came in 1998, when Judge Baltasar Garzón issued a warrant for General Pinochet while the Chilean strongman was visiting London. British authorities arrested General Pinochet but later refused to extradite him to Spain, eventually allowing him to return to Chile, where he ultimately faced criminal charges before his death.
The Pinochet case, if failing to result in a trial in Spain, emboldened legal and human rights activists and brought attention to universal jurisdiction’s potential, analysts say. Other countries adopted their own legal provisions, while Spanish judges took on cases from Argentina to Guatemala to El Salvador to Rwanda.
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But these cases also created political frictions in Spain, especially when Spanish courts began pursuing cases against Israel, the United States and China.
American pressure became evident in the diplomatic cables released in 2010 by WikiLeaks. Citing the cables, El País, a leading Spanish newspaper, reported that American diplomats pressured the Spanish government to derail judicial investigations linked to the Iraq war, the military prison at Guantánamo Bay and secret C.I.A. flights transporting terrorism suspects.
Under that pressure, Spain’s government, then controlled by the Socialist Party, weakened the law in 2009, leading to the dismissal of several cases. Human rights advocates argue that a double standard has emerged — where it is acceptable to prosecute abuses in weak countries but not in global powers.
And they argue that the changes now proposed by the Popular Party would effectively end the use of universal jurisdiction: In cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, Spanish judges could investigate only if the suspect is a Spanish national, a foreigner living in Spain or a foreigner in Spain whose extradition has been denied by Spanish authorities. Similar restrictions would also be applied to torture cases.
“They are trying to eliminate universal jurisdiction,” said Judge Garzón, whose aggressive use of the doctrine later led to his suspension from the Spanish bench in 2010. “That is their goal. They have never believed in it.”
Indeed, Spain is now on the receiving end of such international litigation, as a judge in Argentina is investigating war crimes committed during the era of the Spanish dictator Franco. Popular Party leaders are chafing at that case, and some analysts say that the pressure from China has provided an excuse for the government to dilute a legal doctrine that has brought diplomatic headaches.
The Popular Party has a comfortable majority in Parliament and can pass the changes fairly easily, analysts say. José Miguel Castillo Calvín, a member of the Popular Party in Parliament, argued that Spanish law is out of step with other countries and called the proposed changes “a necessary and appropriate reform.” He also denied that the government was trying to appease China or any other country.
“This reform has not been created with any concrete case in mind,” Mr. Castillo said in a response to written questions. “Secondly, it would be advisable to remember that international jurisdiction is not unlimited.”
Patricia Rafael contributed reporting.
A version of this article appears in print on February 11, 2014, on page A7 of the New York edition with the headline: Spain Seeks to Place Curbs on Law Allowing Judges to Pursue Cases Globally. Order Reprints|Today’s Paper|Subscribe

Tibet not seeking Independence from China- Dalai Lama
TIMES OF INDIA  – 3rd February 2014
GUWAHATI: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Sunday said that Tibet is not seeking independence from China.
While calling for peace, he blamed communist hardliners at the helm in China for attempting to obliterate Tibet’s cultural and historical legacy.
“A non-violence method cannot have one-side victory and one-side defeat. Then confrontation will come leading to violence. With this belief we (Tibet) are not seeking independence from the Peoples Republic of China,” he said delivering the First Lawyers’ Book Stall Founders’ Commemorative Lecture here.
While inaugurating the first edition of the Festival of Tibet later Dalai Lama said that the hardliners were leaving no stone unturned to restrict people from learning about Tibet’s rich cultural history and heritage. Also present at the inauguration of the event was Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi who said that he was a firm believer of Buddha.
“Tibet is one ancient nation that is dying and its people are in danger. Chinese hardliners are putting restrictions on people who would like to learn about Tibetan Buddhism. These very hardliners are omitting Buddhist signs and concepts from books and putting restrictions on Tibetan language as well,” the Dalai Lama said.
“But despite strict restrictions more and more Chinese people are taking interest in Tibet and its legacy. Their number can be put at around 400 million and it is fast increasing. Tibetan culture is about compassion and it is important we create awareness about the place through such festivals,” he added.
Citing the example of one of his mentors who spent 18 years in a Chinese gulag to highlight the spirit of human endurance and compassion, the 78-year-old Nobel laureate also stressed on the importance of holding on to humanitarian value in the present times.
Hordes of devotees from neighbouring Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and other places came to meet the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso at the fest.
“I have never come across a leader who is so humble. Of late we have been witnessing a lot of violence. It is time that we put aside hatred and usher in peace. We need to spread his message of peace and harmony in Assam and the world,” Gogoi said.
“However, despite strict restrictions, more and more Chinese people are taking interest in Tibet and its legacy. Their number can be put at around 400 million and it is fast increasing. Tibetan culture is about compassion and it is important we create awareness about the place through such festivals,” he added.
Citing the example of one of his mentors, who spent 18 years in a Chinese gulag to highlight the spirit of human endurance and compassion, the 78-year-old nobel laureate also stressed on the importance of holding on to humanitarian value in the present times.
Considered a living incarnation of the previous 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso, hordes of devotees from neighbouring Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and other places came to meet the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso at the fest.
“I have never come across a leader who is so humble. Of late, we have been witnessing a lot of violence. It is time that we put aside hatred and usher in peace. We need to spread his message of peace and harmony in Assam and the world,” said Tarun Gogoi.

Detained Tibetan Monk in ‘Critical’ Condition
2014-01-23
A popular Tibetan religious leader held in jail for more than a month in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region is in critical condition despite a letter purportedly sent by him to his followers last month that he is in good health and being well treated, sources say.
Khenpo Kartse—the title “Khenpo” denotes a senior religious teacher or abbot—is seriously ill with an inflamed liver following his detention on Dec. 6 in Chengdu, the capital of nearby Sichuan province, on suspicion of involvement in “anti-state” activities in Tibet’s Chamdo (in Chinese, Changdu) prefecture.
His lawyers and relatives have been unable to see him since he was taken into custody by Chamdo security officials who traveled all the way to Sichuan to detain him.
“[Now], the health condition of Khenpo, who is under detention in Chamdo, is reported to be critical,” a source with contacts in the area reported to RFA’s Tibetan Service on Thursday.
“He is suffering from an inflamed liver, and more than 40 days have now passed since he was first detained,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“His lawyer and relatives have not been allowed to see him,” the source added.
Khenpo Kartse had earlier sent a letter dated Dec. 26 to his monastery in Nangchen (Nangqian) county in Qinghai province’s Yulshul (Yushu) prefecture, saying that his health was good and asking followers to avoid clashes with the police.
‘Worried and concerned’
Though relatives were later told they could bring medicine to the Khenpo, “when they went to Chamdo to deliver the medicine, they were told to hand it over to officials responsible for its distribution,” RFA’s source said.
“The monks of [Khenpo Kartse’s] Japa monastery and the local Tibetan community in Nangchen are reported to be extremely worried and concerned about him.”
Sixteen Japa monastery monks who had been held since the end of December after protesting in Nangchen against Khenpo Kartse’s detention have meanwhile been released, with the last group freed on Jan. 21, the source said.
One group of nine freed in early January “told others that during their detention, they were asked about Khenpo Kartse’s means of contacting outsiders” regarding area protests and conditions under Chinese rule, one source said.
“They had the impression that [the Chinese] are seeking excuses to impose harsh punishment on the Khenpo.”
Khenpo Kartse, who is also known as Karma Tsewang, was active in social work in the Yulshul area, including in relief efforts following a devastating April 2010 earthquake, and was well-respected among Tibetans for his work to protect and promote the Tibetan language, culture, and religion.
Sporadic demonstrations challenging Beijing’s rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the area in 2008.
A total of 125 Tibetans have also set themselves ablaze in self-immolation protests calling for Tibetan freedom since February 2009, with another six setting fire to themselves in India and Nepal.
Reported by Dolkar for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.

For Immediate Release
China: New Leaders Fail to Embrace Genuine Reforms
2013 Sees Some Movement on Abusive Policies but Ongoing Harsh Repression of Critics
(New York, January 21, 2014) – The Chinese Communist Party reinforced its monopoly on power in 2013 through tough new measures and hardline rhetoric, dashing hopes that the country’s new leadership would engage in deep systemic reforms to improve human rights and strengthen the rule of law, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2014.
Although it announced the abolition of the abusive administrative detention system Re-education Through Labor, relaxation of the one-child policy, and plans to improve the delivery of justice, the new leadership of Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang has yet to embark on fundamental reforms that adequately respond to the public’s increased demands for justice and accountability.
“The Chinese government has responded to domestic and international pressure by announcing partial reforms on issues such as Re-education Through Labor and the one-child policy,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, “But the leadership has also embarked on a harsh crackdown on critics, while using hardline rhetoric to make clear they have no intention of liberalizing the political system.”
In the 667-page world report, its 24th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. Syria’s widespread killings of civilians elicited horror but few steps by world leaders to stop it, Human Rights Watch said. A reinvigorated doctrine of “responsibility to protect” seems to have prevented some mass atrocities in Africa. Majorities in power in Egypt and other countries have suppressed dissent and minority rights. And Edward Snowden’s revelations about US surveillance programs reverberated around the globe.
Before the new leadership formally assumed power in March 2013, many in China had high expectations for reforms to address rising social tensions resulting from land seizures, forced evictions, corruption, pollution, poor treatment of migrant workers, discrimination based on residency status (“hukou”), imprisonment of activists, and other problems.
During the Chinese Communist Party 3rd plenum in November, the Party announced that it had decided to abolish Re-education Through Labor, which has allowed the detention of individuals for years without trial since the 1950s. It also announced relaxation of the birth quotas under the coercive family planning policy, allowing couples to have a second child if one of the parents is an only child. Following the Plenum, the Supreme People’s Court issued guidelines urging courts to strictly adhere to procedural protections in the revised Criminal Procedure Law, including prohibiting using confessions through torture as evidence at trial. The new leadership also announced its commitment to fight endemic corruption by striking at both “tigers and flies,” suggesting position and connections will no longer assure protection.
“It is too soon to know whether recently announced reforms will be matched by action to translate them into reality,” Adams said. “But while Xi Jinping has spoken a lot about tackling corruption and there have been some high profile arrests, the government has harshly retaliated against those who exposed high-level corruption in the government and Party.”
Beginning in March, China detained and arrested more than fifty activists across the country in an attempt to push back and reassert control over the acceptable boundaries for civil society activism. Those detained include activists involved with the New Citizens Movement, a civic platform that organizes street protests to press for the public disclosure of official assets as a mechanism to fight corruption. Many of these activists remain in detention.
In August, the Chinese government waged one of the harshest crackdowns on the Internet in recent years, railing against “online rumors,” detaining “rumor mongers” across the country, punishing outspoken citizens and journalists for blowing the whistle on corruption, and extending existing criminal legal provisions to make it easier to punish online expression.
The government continued to implement repressive policies in the minority areas of Tibet and Xinjiang. In Tibet, it maintained a massive security presence, severely restricted the movement of Tibetans, and stepped up surveillance of the local population by moving party cadres into every village. In Xinjiang, pervasive ethnic discrimination and severe religious repression continued to fuel rising tensions. More than one hundred people, including ethnic Uyghurs, Han, and others were killed in incidents that produced the highest collective toll since the July 2009 Urumqi riots. In both Tibet and Xinjiang, the government used live ammunition against peaceful protestors, injuring and killing some. In both areas the government is also carrying out involuntary population relocation and rehousing on a massive scale.
Among other concerns, this year’s World Report 2014 also highlighted:
●      Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo continued his 11-year jail term in northern Liaoning Province. His wife Liu Xia remained under unlawful house arrest, reportedly suffering from severe depression;
●      China continued to lead the world in executions. The exact number remained a state secret, but experts estimate it decreased progressively from about 10,000 a year a decade ago to less than 4,000 in recent years;
●      After years of denial and inaction, the Ministry of Environmental Protection finally acknowledged the existence of “cancer villages,” with abnormally high cancer rates. Domestic media had written extensively on the issue. Victims have long pressed for justice and compensation with no consequences; and
●      In May, China’s first-ever Mental Health Law came into effect, filling an important legal void but failing to close loopholes that allow government authorities and families to detain people in psychiatric hospitals against their will.
Human Rights Watch said that international pressure on China over rights was inconsistent in 2013, continuing a long-term trend. Many countries, such as the United Kingdom and France, toned down their criticism in summits with the Chinese leadership, instead touting “human rights dialogues” that are proven to achieve few, if any, results.
“China is home to more than a billion people and is a major global power, so how the rest of the world addresses its human rights situation is more vital than ever,” Adams said.
To read Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2014 chapter on China, please visit:
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/country-chapters/china
For more Human Rights Watch reporting on China, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/asia/china
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Respected Tibetan Monk Burns Himself to Death in Gansu
2013-12-19
A respected Tibetan monk burned himself to death in Gansu province on Thursday in protest against “suppressive Chinese law,” saying in a suicide note that he wanted to “sacrifice” his life for the interest of the Tibetans, according to sources.
Tsultrim Gyatso, 43, self-immolated at a road junction in Sangchu (in Chinese, Xiahe) county in the Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture after penning his one-page suicide note at his monastery in which he also called for the return of the exiled Tibetan spirtual leader the Dalai Lama, the sources in the area said.
“Before his self-immolation at a cross-section in Sangchu, he went to his room after lunch break, lit a lamp, opened a book on the teachings of Buddha and wrote his one-page suicide note,” a Tibetan lecturer at the Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education (DLIHE) in Bangalore, India, told RFA’s Tibetan Service.
“Tibetan treasures of gold and silver have been looted under suppressive Chinese law,” Gyatso said in his note, according to the lecturer, citing contacts in the region. “All citizens are driven to sufferings,” Gyatso said.
“Tears drop from my eyes when I dwell on this state of sufferings [of the Tibetans],” according to Gyatso’s note. “For the return of the Dalai Lama, and the release of the Panchen Lama, and the well being of six million Tibetans, I sacrifice my precious life in self-immolation.”
The Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was just six years old when he was kidnapped by the Chinese authorities in 1995 after he was identified as the reincarnation of the second-highest monk in Tibetan Buddhism by the Dalai Lama, who is living in exile in India.
A Tibetan source in Sangchu told RFA that Gyatso, known locally for his accomplishments in the study of Buddhism and Tibetan culture, died on the spot and his body was taken to the Achok monastery where more than 400 monks conducted funeral prayers.
Prayers stopped by police
Chinese police ordered the monks to halt the prayers but the monks continued the prayers in a different section of the monastery, the Tibetan lecturer in Banglore said.
“Over 400 monks of Achok monastery were saying prayers for the late Tsultrim Gyatso but a group of 10 Sangchu police arrived at the monastery and interrupted the prayers. The monks [in a different section of the monastery] continued the prayers,” he said.
Gyatso’s burning protest was the 125th Tibetan self-immolation in China since the fiery campaign began in 2009 calling for Tibetan freedom and for the return to Tibet of the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959 following a failed national uprising against Chinese rule.
Before Gyatso’s burning protest, a Tibetan herdsman had self-immolated on Dec. 4 in protest against Chinese rule at Ngaba county’s Meruma township center in Sichuan province.
He died on the way to the hospital and his remains were secretly cremated by the authorities.
Sporadic demonstrations challenging Beijing’s rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008.
Controls tightened
Chinese authorities have tightened controls in a bid to check self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing Tibetans whom they accuse of being linked to the burnings. Some have been jailed for up to 15 years.
The authorities have also attempted to pressure local Tibetans to sign an official order that forbids any kind of activities to support or sympathize with self-immolation protests, residents said.
In the latest crackdown, the authorities detained two monks and a government worker on suspicion they were supportive of 20-year-old Tibetan monk Tsering Gyal, who burned himself to death in Qinghai province last month in protest against Chinese rule, according to sources this week.
The two monks were dragged at night from their quarters, while the government worker was beaten and detained for possession of Gyal’s photo on her mobile phone, the sources said this week.
Reported by Yangdon Demo and Chakmo Tso for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.

 Tibet talks could take place in Iceland, Iceland MPs suggest China
Tuesday, 03 December 2013
The Cameron Hickert, Tibet Post International
Dharamshala: – Denouncing the atrocities perpetrated against Tibetans in Tibet, a group of MPs from all Icelandic political parties except Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson’s Progressive Party have submitted a parliamentary resolution encouraging the Chinese government to resume peace talks with His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s representatives, ruv.is and Iceland Review Online report.
The resolution urges the Icelandic parliament to highlight concerns over growing violence against and oppression of Tibetans by the Chinese government.
It calls on parliament to condemn the crackdown on peaceful protests in Tibet and insist that the Chinese government not stand in way of the UN sending a delegation to investigate human rights abuses in Tibet.
Encouraging the Chinese government to initiate peace talks with the representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the MPs suggest that talks could take place in Iceland.
A statement accompanying the resolution said that many parliaments around the world have passed resolutions regarding the critical situation in Tibet.
Twelve Nobel Peace winners have sent letters to the Chinese government encouraging peace talks with the Tibetan people.
The MPs believe that the Icelandic parliament should take a stance, particularly given that senior officials of the Chinese government have visited Iceland on a regular basis.
“We Icelanders have a moral obligation under our free trade agreement with China, which takes effect in early 2014, to highlight that we will not accept human rights violations of the kind outlined in the statement.”
Last week Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the democratically-elected leader and political successor to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, reiterated commitment to dialogue to find a solution for the issue of Tibet within the framework of the Chinese constitution.
“The situation in Tibet is tragic and unfortunate. Over 122 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest against the Chinese government’s policies of political repression, religious persecution, cultural assimilation, economic discrimination, and environmental destruction in Tibet,” the Tibetan political leader told reporters in Shimla.