Exiles Urge End to Burnings
2012-09-28
Tibetan exiles call for an end to self-immolations and blame China for the crisis.
The second Tibetan Special General Meeting opens in Dharamsala, India on Sept. 25, 2012.
Hundreds of Tibetan exiles meeting in India called on Friday for an end to self-immolation protests by Tibetans challenging Chinese rule and warned Beijing that it will have to bear “full responsibility” for any further deterioration of Tibetan rights, according to the Tibetan government in exile.
In a series of recommendations issued at the conclusion of a Special General Meeting held in the hill-town of Dharamsala, seat of the exile government and home to exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, more than 400 delegates from 26 countries called the fiery protests by Tibetans “the highest form of non-violent action,” the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said in a statement.
Nevertheless, the meeting expressed “grave concern” over the burnings and urged Tibetans inside Tibet not to take “drastic actions,” the CTA said at the end of the four-day meeting convened to discuss the “crisis” in Tibet following the self-immolations.
“Tibet is a thinly populated country, and in the present situation losing even one life is a great loss for the Tibetan people,” delegates to the meeting declared in the seventh of a list of 31 recommendations and resolutions.
“Please preserve your lives in the future,” they said.
Similar expressions of concern from exile figures and from the Dalai Lama himself over the burnings have gone largely unheeded in the past, with 51 Tibetans having set fire to themselves to date to challenge Chinese rule in Tibetan areas and call for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet.
Wider support sought
The meeting held at the Tibetan Children’s Village school was the largest gathering of exile Tibetans since the Special General Meeting called in 2008 following widespread protests across Tibetan areas of China that resulted in a brutal crackdown by security forces.
Delegates to this week’s meeting—including members of Tibetan organizations based in India, the United States, Europe, and other countries—formed committees to discuss proposals for ending the crisis and for gaining wider international support for Tibetan rights.
Discussions were restricted, though, to proposals put forward within the framework of the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way policy, which calls only for greater autonomy for Tibetans living in Tibetan-populated areas of China, and not for a return to independence.
“The meeting resolved to pursue the Middle Way policy to find a meaningful solution through dialogue with the Chinese government,” the CTA said in its statement.
It also called on the cabinet of the exile government to raise awareness of the Middle Way policy and its proposals among the Chinese people themselves, the CTA said, adding that consistent appeals for support should also be made to the United Nations, the European Union, and other world bodies.
Hard-line policies
International calls for China to address Tibetan concerns are routinely brushed aside by Chinese diplomats, who assert China’s right to rule the Himalayan region it invaded more than 50 years ago.
Noting that Tibetan religion, culture, and language “are being annihilated in Tibet under the Chinese government’s repressive policies,” delegates to the meeting urged Tibetans living in exile to protect and preserve their traditions.
Placing final responsibility on China for an end to the crisis in Tibet, though, delegates to the meeting strongly urged Chinese leaders to end their “hardline policies” in the region, the CTA said in its statement.
“China should take full responsibility for the further deterioration of the situation if they fail to reform its wrong policies,” the CTA said.
Reported by Richard Finney.
Copyright © 1998-2011 Radio Free Asia. All rights reserved.

Special meeting of Tibetans on how to deal with critical situation in Tibet Begins
September 25, 2012 5:31 pm
DHARAMSHALA: Hundreds of Tibetan delegates from across the world met Tuesday in Dharamsala to discuss ways to deal with the critical situation in Tibet and garner concrete support from the international community to resolve the problem of Tibet.
Over 432 delegates from 26 countries, including India, US, and Europe, are attending the Second Special General Meeting of Tibetans.
The four-day meeting opened with a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama being carried and placed on a throne in the auditorium of TCV school. 51 Tibetan national flags hung from the surrounding balcony in the hall as a mark respect for the self-immolators.
Speaker Penpa Tsering, Deputy Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay during the opening ceremony of the special meeting in Dharamsala on 25 September 2012
In his opening address, Mr Penpa Tsering, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, said: “The main reason for holding this Second Special General Meeting of the Tibetan People is how and in what ways the Tibetans living in exile should respond to the tragic situation in Tibet today.”
“Over the past 60 years, the Chinese government has continued to pursue a policy of assimilation designed to obliterate the ethnic identity of the Tibetan people,” he said.
He said the Chinese government has pursued a policy of massive Chinese population transfer into Tibet and the systematic repression of Tibetan people’s political freedom and their language, religion and culture. “Because of it, the situation in Tibet became so severely unbearable that to our knowledge 51 Tibetans have been driven to sacrifice even their lives by setting themselves on fire. Forty-one have died,” he added.
“A state of undeclared martial law continues to remain in force in Tibet, he said adding, “China has converted Tibet into a territory resembling a prison camp, denying permission for visits by independent journalists as well as by governmental and non-governmental delegations seeking to investigate the real situation in the Tibetan areas.”
He said the tragedy of the situation under which Tibetans suffer in immeasurable sorrow and misery today is also an opportunity for us to come together, consolidate our capabilities and respond to the challenge that confronts us.
In his opening remarks, Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay spoke about the efforts made by the Kashag to highlight the grim situation in Tibet and the tragic self-immolations by Tibetans in the international community. He said statements and resolutions of support came from governments and parliaments of different countries such as Australia, Canada, Taiwan, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, South Africa, Poland, Switzerland and the US.  The issue of Tibet was raised and resolution adopted in the US and EU parliaments, he added.
A group of 48 Chinese from Taiwan, US and Japan in the observer’s gallery during the opening ceremony of the special general meeting of Tibetans in Dharamsala on 25 September 2012
The Kashag has made every possible efforts to get the international community’s support to end the tragedy in Tibet, Kalon Tripa said, expressing hope that the four-day meeting will come up with new and concrete action plan.
Kalon Tripa expressed hope the delegates will discuss ways to fulfil the aspirations of the self-immolators for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans.
He also underlined the need for deliberations on how to garner support from Asian countries such as India and China by raising awareness on the significance and impact of Tibet, its stability and conservation of its environment on Asia.
Kalon Tripa thanked governments and parliaments for expressing concern over the prevailing situation in Tibet by issuing statements and adopting resolutions. He appealed to them to take concrete action to press the Chinese government to open up Tibet to fact-finding delegations and the international media to assess the real situation in the Tibetan areas.
He said the Central Tibetan Administration is firmly committed to the Middle-Way policy to resolve the issue of Tibet through dialogue with the Chinese government. Echoing similar position, Tibetan Parliament Speaker Penpa Tsering also said that there would no discussion during the special meeting on adopting new policies other than the Middle-Way policy.
The delegates will come up with a final action plan on the final day of the meeting on Friday. On Friday morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will attend a long life prayer service to be offered by the Kashag and Parliament.

U.S. State Department report on Tibetan-Chinese dialogue faults Beijing for impasse
14 September, 2012
International Campaign for Tibet
In its annual report to Congress on the status of talks between the Chinese and Tibetans, the U.S. State Department faults the Chinese government for the impasse in the dialogue, and for “creating a cycle of repression” in Tibet that has led to the self-immolation crisis.
“The U.S. government makes clear its expectation that Beijing must take the next step, to de-escalate the crisis and to get back to the discussion table,” said Todd Stein, Director for Government Relations at the International Campaign for Tibet. “The U.S. insistence on negotiations is not wavering even with the dialogue in a dormant phase.”
The State Department submits a “report on Tibet negotiations” to Congress every year, as required by the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002. This most recent report covers the period from 2011 to the first quarter of 2012.
The report restates long-standing U.S. policy that “China’s engagement with the Dalai Lama or his representatives to resolve problems facing Tibetans is in the interest of the Chinese government and the Tibetan people.” Noting that the last round of dialogue was in January 2010, the report says that a tenth round would be a “positive step at this critical time.” It appears to blame Beijing for the impasse, saying “prospects for the Chinese government to resume the dialogue appear dim.” Tibetan leader Kalon Tripa Lobsang Sangay has said that the Tibetan side is ready to meet with the Chinese “anywhere, anytime.”
Addressing the situation inside Tibet, the report draws a line from the “increasingly intense and formalized systems of controls” to enforce ‘social stability’ and undermine the Dalai Lama, to the series of self-immolations. It finds, “Increasing official interference in Tibetan religious and cultural spheres provoked acts of resistance among the Tibetan population.”
Regarding the political change in the Tibetan exile community, the report notes that the Dalai Lama in 2011 devolved “his political authority to the elected Tibetan leadership.” It notes that the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Under Secretary Maria Otero, met with Lobsang Nyandak, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Americas, as well as with the Dalai Lama’s representative in New Delhi.
As is required, the Tibet negotiations report lists the steps taken by the U.S. Administration to encourage Tibetan-Chinese dialogue. Included in the list are efforts by senior officials to raise Tibet in multilateral fora, including at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva and at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

TIBET
Berlin protest sheds light on Tibetan plight
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16198814,00.html
28.08.2012
Tibet Initiative Deutschland talks with DW about the growing number of Tibetan self-immolations and its demonstration in Berlin ahead of German Chancellor Merkel’s trip to Beijing for inter-governmental consultations.
DW: What can you tell us about the Tibet Initiative Deutschland’s demonstration in Berlin?
Nadine Baumann: We staged a protest in front of the chancellor’s office on Tuesday (August 28) ahead of Merkel’s visit to Beijing for Sino-German consultations. Those talks with Chinese leaders are mostly about economic issues, but our protest is aimed at informing the public and shedding light on what is currently happening in Tibet. Before the protest we sent a letter to Ms. Merkel asking her to bring up the issue in her talks. She has done this repeatedly in the past and we are very thankful for that. Germany is very outspoken on this issue compared to many other countries, but of course it is still not enough to ensure sustainable improvements in the situation in Tibet. A lot more needs to happen.
In numerous circumstances Germany has addressed the situation of human rights in China, but some of Merkel’s critics maintain that the chancellor of late has gone soft on the issue. Does your initiative share that view?
No, we do not see it that way. We have regular conversations with officials from the German foreign ministry and government representatives and we have been repeatedly assured that Merkel will address this issue in her meetings … and we trust that she will. It must be said that she has done a lot.
Despite the human rights situation in China, Germany and China have very close relations. Are there any negative voices about that in your initiative? Or do you think Germany should continue close economic ties and use them to try and exercise some influence over the situation?
Nadine Baumann (right) says the self-immolations can no longer be seen as isolated incidents
You hit the nail on the head. Of course, we are not so naïve that we think that China, as a global player, should be boycotted or that trade relations should be stopped. That is not our intention or purpose. Quite the contrary: These relations can be used to influence the human rights situation and to seek agreement on certain legal standards and to demand their observance. And I think Germany’s voice as a strong partner in the EU should not be underestimated. This is an opportunity to make a difference.
Turning to the self-immolations in Tibet: This is a very difficult issue because the figures cannot be confirmed as no journalists are allowed into the region. How do you see the situation, and the situation of the media in Tibet? And how do you find out about the self-immolations?
The situation in Tibet is anything but good. As you said, Tibet is off limits and even tourists, for the second time this year, are not allowed in. Journalists, of course, have had no access for a while now. We have been demanding for a long time that an independent, international commission be given access to investigate the incidents. But that has been blocked. We learn about the burnings from Tibetan sources in exile, who maintain contacts with people in Tibet. All of this is very difficult, but due to modern technology, it is a bit easier than it used to be. We carefully investigate the cases we hear about and verify their authenticity. This is not always easy, but it is possible.
It is quite apparent that the number of self-immolations has risen sharply, especially recently. Your website says that since March 2011 some 50 Tibetans have lit themselves on fire. Why this dramatic increase now?
Back in March, we were hoping that these cases were just random, isolated events. But now we see that this is not the case. The Chinese authorities argue that these are just isolated cases, but that is something that can no longer be claimed, especially when you look at the timeframe and the numbers. The number of people who have self-immolated has now reached 51, and of these, 38 people died as a result. What is the reason for this increase? At first we assumed that these were acts of desperation, but now we have come to the conclusion that this is a new form of political protest because the people of Tibet see no other way out. Most Tibetans are Buddhists and Buddhism does not condone suicide. That means these people are acting contrary to their religious traditions.
Chinese control of the region is nothing new, so again, the question has to be asked: why now?
Tibetans continue to protest Chinese rule
I think we need to realize that the oppression has been growing stronger. In daily life, everybody is being watched and is under surveillance. There is no freedom of expression. Their identity is being systematically destroyed, including their language. These offences are like small pin pricks, which have been going on for a long time, but now, they are increasing in number and intensity. And in reaction to the burnings, the Chinese authorities have again redoubled their clampdown. Tibet is essentially closed off to the outside world by the Chinese military. The last people to go there reported columns of troops and surveillance cameras everywhere. The atmosphere is one of fear and has become unbearable. I can’t say 100 percent why it is happening now, but to me it can only be in connection with the growing pressure.
The Dalai Lama withdrew from politics as the representative of the Tibetans not that long ago. He had always argued for the peaceful path of political change. Since he ended his active role, the number of self-immolations has shot up. Is there any connection?
No, absolutely not. Quite the contrary: The Dalai Lama has also called on Tibetans not to set themselves on fire. He actively supported the Tibetan’s exile democracy, which gave political power to a democratically elected leader, Lobsang Sangay, a Westernized Tibetan who taught at Harvard, who represents the interests of the Tibetan people abroad. He is a young, politically active person, who represents Tibetans politically, while the Dalai Lama remains the spiritual leader. Sangay supports the Middle Way Approach that the Dalai Lama began.
Of course, it must be said that among Tibetans, there are also different currents and that the longer the oppression in Tibet lasts, the more radical the resistance may become … But I do not think it has anything to do with the political retirement of the Dalai Lama.
The number of self-immolations could be interpreted as a certain type of protest movement. Would you say a concrete protest movement is forming in Tibet, and if so, what is it seeking from China and the international community?
We would need to pose this question to the people in Tibet themselves, but unfortunately, we have no access to them. We view the situation as a form of protest because of the sharp increase in people setting fire to themselves. Many people, while doing this, shouted for the return of the Dalai Lama, but under the current circumstances, this is not feasible. He is in exile and China has absolutely no interest in him returning to Tibet … All these acts are essentially a cry for attention from international governments – that they really look at Tibet. What is going on now is happening largely unnoticed by the international community. Tibetans apparently see no other chance but to sacrifice their lives – that is how desperate they are. It is incomprehensible that we are learning about this, but that nothing is being done about it.
Nadine Baumann is executive director of Tibet Initiative Deutschland.

 Tibetan Singer Arrested for Politically Charged Songs
20.08.2012
A 29-year-old Tibetan singer from eastern Tibet was arrested by Chinese authorities for singing politically sensitive songs that expressed longing for the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
Chogsel, who has released four albums and was known to be working in collaboration with other Tibetan singers, was reportedly arrested on July 29 in Siling city.
Chogsel’s songs such as “Dream of a ruddy faced Tibetan” praises the Tibetan exiled spiritual leader Dalai Lama, whom Beijing vilifies. His albums have been banned from sale and confiscated from shops for its lyrical odes to the exiled Buddhist leader.
Over the years, China has sporadically arrested many Tibetan singers who have sung songs with explicit and subdued political messages, and metaphorical songs for the Tibetan spiritual leader.
In April, Lo Lo was arrested for releasing his new album titled “Raise the Flag of Tibet, Sons of the Snow”, which carried overt themes of reunification with Tibetans in exile and political messages calling for Tibet’s independence from China.
In February, another Tibetan singer named Urgyen Tenzin was arrested for singing a song in praise of the Dalai Lama and leader of the Tibetan exile community Lobsang Sangay.

Joining India’s Independence Day celebration – Thank you India!
Youdon Aukatsang | Aug 14, 2012, 04.52PM IST
On this auspicious occasion of 66th anniversary of India’s Independence, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the people and government of this great country. We remain eternally grateful for the most generous support this country has offered us since we came in as refugees in 1959 fleeing persecution, with our beloved leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
To most Tibetans of my generation and younger, India is the only home that we have seen since birth. It is here that most of us blossomed with values, education, and the zeal to sustain our democratic movement. The biggest democracy in the world has totally embraced us with its warm hospitality.
While we celebrate the Independence Day, we are reminded of the fact that it has been 60 years since China invaded Tibet. Chinese troops entered Tibet through Chamdo in 1949.
History is witness to the fact that a unified Tibetan empire flourished from 7th-11th century. With internal fragmentation, there came periods of Mongol and Chinese invasions. The Chinese empires used divide and rule tactics to exert their influence in Tibet. This tactics was also extended to territorial division. All of Amdo and large parts of Eastern Kham were incorporated into neighboring Chinese provinces by early 18th Century. But by the beginning of the 19th century, the Qing dynasty weakened to the point of becoming symbolic.
With the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, the 13th Dalai Lama returned to Tibet in July 1912 and banished the symbolic presence of the Amban and Chinese troops. In 1913, the 13th Dalai Lama issued a proclamation of independence of Tibet and for the next over 36 years, Tibet enjoyed de facto independent status.
This historical fact cannot be changed. China has tried hard to rewrite history and even placed a condition on Tibetan leadership to pronounce that Tibet has been historically a part of China. Our leadership has not succumbed to Chinese pressure on this historical fact.
The vision of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has been to seek genuine autonomy for Tibetans within China. This arrangement calls for a single Tibetan administrative unit with Tibetans having the power to legislate, execute and administer all matters within the competencies of the region. The 13th House of the Tibetan Parliament in exile stood with the vision of His Holiness and passed a legislation supporting the middle way approach of genuine autonomy.
The magnanimous decision of His Holiness to handover political power to directly elected leadership has brought the exiled Tibetan administration closer to true democracy. The new leadership under Dr. Lobsang Sangay has reaffirmed its commitment to seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet. Advocates of independence for Tibet such as Tibetan Youth Congress and Students for Free Tibet, however believe that independence is the only solution to keep the hopes and aspirations of the Tibetans alive.
While we enjoy full freedom under a vibrant democratic set up, our brothers and sisters are second-class citizens in their own homeland. They do not even have the basic right to express their thoughts and demonstrate their true feelings. People’s lives have been so tightly controlled by the Chinese government that there is no space for any conventional protests or even peaceful gatherings in Tibet. Tibetans are therefore undertaking extreme acts of self-immolation since 2009 to express their dissent to the Chinese oppressive regime. As recent as August 13, we have had two monks self-immolating in Ngaba province in Amdo. The onus lies solely with the Chinese government and the blame cannot be passed on to His Holiness the Dalai Lama or the exiled leadership.
Starting with monk Tapey who self immolated on 27 February 2009, to the most recent incident of two monks self immolating on August 13 from Ngaba, Amdo, Tibetans have demonstrated ultimate rejection of the Chinese rule in Tibet. Of the 49 who have self-immolated, at least 37 have been known to have died. 36 of these have been reported since January 2012. Many Tibetans have been and are being detained for purposes of investigation and their whereabouts remain unknown even as they continue to be subjected to all kinds of unbearable torture.
As spokesperson for those who have no voices but yet are relentlessly fighting the brutal Chinese system, we should not get side tracked with debates on the correctness of the act of self-immolation. We are losing precious Tibetan lives and we must not let their sacrifices go in vain.
Tibetan issue has all the elements that a truly democratic country like India stands for. It is an issue pertaining to freedom, justice, equality and democracy. Tibetan movement may be the only movement truly upholding the principles of non-violence that this country advocates so strongly.
In this real politick world where economic concerns override all other issues, let us work together and take up the challenge to keep the Tibetan cause alive and relevant.
Youdon Aukatsang is based in New Delhi and is a Member of Tibetan Parliament in exile.

View this story online at :    http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/immolate-08132012134204.html
Two Tibetans Self-Immolate in Ngaba
AUGUST 13, 2012 — Two Tibetans set themselves on fire Monday in protest against Chinese rule in Ngaba county in Sichuan province, triggering clashes between local Tibetans and police that resulted in a Tibetan beaten to death, sources said.
Amid the rising tensions, some sources said there was a third self-immolation in the county, located in the Ngaba (Aba, in Chinese) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, but the incident could not be immediately confirmed.
The two confirmed self-immolations on Monday evening set the stage for bigger protests by Tibetans and a heavy police presence.
Lungtok, a monk from the restive Kirti monastery in Ngaba, and another Tibetan, believed to be a layperson and identified as Tashi, torched themselves at around 6:00 p.m. local time to highlight their opposition to Chinese rule in Tibetan-populated areas, a Tibetan source in the area told RFA.
“A large contingent of police and armed PSB [Public Security Bureau] personnel arrived at the site of the self-immolation and imposed stern restrictions in the area,” the source said.
“The local Tibetans gathered in the area clashed with police and the situation became very tense. One Tibetan died from being beaten by the police.”
Details unknown
There were no immediate details of the condition of the two self-immolators who, according to witnesses, were whisked away by Chinese security forces to a nearby hospital, sources inside Tibet said.
“I heard about the two Tibetans who self-immolated today around 6:00 p.m. and one was a monk,” a second source said, speaking to RFA from the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The source added, “Another monk also self-immolated around 8:00 p.m. today but details on him are not known.”
Information about the possible third self-immolation could not be confirmed with residents in the area amid the heightened security.
“A large number of Tibetans are protesting against the Chinese authorities and the situation is grim and serious,” the second source said.
Exiled monk Lobsang Yeshi of the sister Kirti monastery in India’s hill town of Dharamsala, while confirming the two self-immolations, said he had also heard unconfirmed reports of a third burning protest.
“It is true that two [Tibetans] did self-immolate in Ngaba and we are seeking more details. We also heard that a third Tibetan self-immolated and protested but the details are not available,” he told RFA.
Including the two confirmed incidents on Monday, 49 Tibetans in total have self-immolated since the current wave of fiery protests began in February 2009, with nearly all of the protests taking place in Tibetan-populated provinces in western China.
Nearly all of them protested against Chinese rule and called for the return of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader who is living in exile in Dharamsala.
Last week, three Tibetans died in self-immolation protests — two in Ngaba and one in the southern part of Kanlho (Gannan, in Chinese) prefecture in Gansu province.
Tibetan groups say the wave of self-immolation protests will continue until the underlying human rights and other problems in the Tibetan-populated areas are addressed by the Chinese authorities.
Chinese authorities however have labeled the self-immolators as terrorists, outcasts, criminals, and mentally ill people and have blamed the Dalai Lama for encouraging the burnings.
View this story online at :    http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/immolate-08132012134204.html

PRESS RELEASE by Tibet Bureau, Geneva
Date: 3 August 2012
Tibetan intellectuals especially targeted by Chinese authorities
At least 24 Tibetans intellectuals – monks, men and women have been given sentences ranging from few months to life imprisonment for excising their freedom of expression.  The Chinese authorities especially targeted Tibetan writers, bloggers, singers, teachers, documentary makers and environmentalist under a crackdown policy since 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
64 Tibetan intellectuals’ details were today submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to Freedom of opinion and Expression for their urgent intervention.
These new generation of young Tibetans born and educated under Chinese Communist rule have edited banned magazines and are tech-savvy bloggers imprisoned for gathering, expressing and sharing information about conditions in Tibet especially after the March 2008 demonstrations across Tibet.
Their writing challenged the official account of the events of 2008 and situation in Tibet in general. The crackdown on Tibetan artists and intellectuals are the harshest since the Cultural Revolution. Strict restrictions have been placed on photocopying and printing documents.
A public health worker, 41-year-old Wangdu was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2008 for sending e-mail to the outside world. He worked on an HIV/AIDS prevention project for the Australian Burnet medical research institute in Lhasa.
81-years-old Paljor Norbu, a Tibetan traditional printer master was arrested on 31 October 2008 and sentenced in a secret trial to seven years in prison. His family ran printing business for generations publishing Buddhist texts for monasteries in the Barkhor area in Lhasa.
12 intellectuals were released on fear of custodial death after excessive torture during detention by the Chinese authorities. Due to the severity of the torture some have become physically and mentally dependent on their family members.
The whereabouts of about 37 intellectuals are unknown. There are great concerns for their health. Family members have been intimidated and denied visits to prisons. Four school teachers were expelled and one demoted. A writer and comedian were escaped into exile.
On 12 June, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, in her address to the European Parliament on the situation in Tibet said, “Over the last three years, an increasing number of Tibetan intellectuals and cultural figures have faced criminal charges or been imprisoned. The EU is worried by restrictions on expressions of Tibetan identity and freedom of expression in Tibet.”
She said that EU was concerned by the deterioration of the situation in Tibet, as illustrated by the wave of self-immolations and by clashes between the police and the local population since the beginning of the year.
Detailed profile of Tibetan intellectuals are available  website http://tibetoffice.ch/

State Department reports on continued erosion of religious freedom in Tibet
31st July  2012 –  International Campaign for Tibet
The U.S. State Department has identified Chinese policies as a cause of the self-immolations in Tibet. In its just-released annual report on religious freedom, the Department wrote that, “official interference in the practice of Tibetan Buddhist religious traditions generated profound grievances and contributed to a series of self-immolations by Tibetans.”
“We welcome the Department’s advocacy on Tibet and its focus on the severe restrictions on religious freedom that are exacerbating the self-immolation crisis,” said Todd Stein, Director of Government Relations at the International Campaign for Tibet. “We know that Tibet was raised in last week’s human rights dialogue with the Chinese, and look forward to hearing whether the Chinese had any positive response to the U.S.’s concerns on Tibet, and what the State Department’s consequential next step will be if they did not.”
The findings are located in the special Tibet section of the State Department’s 2011 International Religious Freedom Report, an annual assessment of countries’ respect for religious liberty, mandated by Congress in 1998. The Tibet section can be found at www.state.gov.
The report’s assessments come amidst a roll-out across Tibetan areas of rules and regulations which “provide the ostensible legal basis for [Chinese] government control over and authoritative reinterpretation of Tibetan Buddhism.” Such measures, first implemented in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), are being extended to other Tibetan autonomous jurisdictions in eastern Tibet, which have witnessed the greatest number of self-immolations.
Examples include codified “government control over the selection of religious leaders, including reincarnate lamas,” requiring government permission for large-scale religious gatherings and building construction, the permanent stationing of government officials inside monasteries, and ‘patriotic education’ activities that force monks and nuns to denounce the Dalai Lama and praise Chinese Communist leaders. The report found these measures to be the “primary sources of discontent among Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns, and the impetus behind such acts of protest as self-immolation.”
The report cites a number of individual cases, but noted that “limited access … made it difficult to ascertain the number of cases of Tibetan prisoners of religious conscience. It states that, “U.S. government officials repeatedly requested diplomatic access to the TAR but only one TAR visit was approved [in April 2011], and that visit was closely controlled and monitored.” If further reported that U.S. diplomats and other foreigners seeking to travel in other Tibetan areas were turned back at roadblocks or refused transportation on public buses … that were ostensibly open to foreign tourists.”
The report’s observations on religious freedom are consistent with those in a major report issued by the International Campaign for Tibet in April, entitled “60 Years of Misrule; Arguing Cultural Genocide in Tibet.” It found that religious repression formed part of a consistent and systemic Chinese effort to replace organic Tibetan culture with a state-approved version to suit the Party’s ideological, political and economic objectives. It argues that these policies are so systematic and persistent in their destruction of Tibetan culture, that they contain elements of cultural genocide.

China and the art of contradiction on Tibet
Bhuchung K. Tsering
http://tibetreport.wordpress.com
July 14, 2012
The other day, I read through Mao Zedong’s essay “On Contradiction” in the course of researching for a paper. Mao has said that life is a result of contradiction and I believe the present Chinese leadership is certainly proving this in its approach towards the Tibetan issue.
Some months back we had the practical reality of the Chinese authorities not providing visas to foreigners wishing to visit Tibet , corroborated by travel agencies who reported receiving instructions to that effect.  Of course, that was to avoid “incidents” during a “sensitive” period.  But seeing how that has taken the air out of
Chinese desire to project an image of normalcy in Tibet , there is a new narrative coming from Beijing  accusing the foreign media of “making distorted reports and misleading the whole world.” An article in an official Chinese news site on Tibet had this to say, “”We’d call on the Western press to speak with evidence instead of misleading the international tourists who are longing to travel to Tibet , especially in the peak season.”  The new narrative is that there has been no ban on foreigners’ traveling to Tibet at all.
Actually, it was officials of Tibet-based travel agencies who reported the ban, obviously because they had to inform their clients who would have booked trips to Tibet . An employee of the Tibet China International Tour Service told AFP in early June 2012: “The tourism bureau asked us to stop organizing foreign groups to Tibet
in late May. We don’t know when they will lift the ban.”
This is a case of the Chinese authorities contradicting themselves in order to fit their current narrative on Tibet .
Yet another contradictory issue is about the historic and historical appointment of a Caucasian American as the abbot of a Tibetan monastery that has been re-established in south India . Although the Chinese leadership swears by socialism, equality, etc., yet they contradicted this by showing their innate racist tendencies on the appointment of this American as an abbot. In an article on China ’s official website titled, “Why does Dalai Lama appoint Nicholas Vreeland head of Rato Monastery?” the writer is condescending about Ven. Vreeland. There is no attempt by the Chinese side to appreciate the many years of rigorous studies that Ven. Vreeland has undergone in the institutions set up by the Tibetan exile community. Above all, do the Chinese authorities not know that historically, foreigners — be it Ladakhis, Mongols or even Chinese – have been appointed to various positions in the Tibetan monastic institutions? Had there been a free media in China  I would not see any additional implication of this article, other than being the views of a private individual. However, everything in China has to have official sanction, particularly on an sensitive issue like Tibet .
As if feeling that the people are not getting the message about their contradictory policies, the Chinese authorities in Lhasa have said they “will invest 30 billion yuan ($4.7 billion) to build a massive culture and tourism park in the next three to five years.” This at a time when Xinhua itself reported in April this year that “Though Tibet is a place with rich water resources, due to poor economic and geological conditions, farmers and herders in the plateau’s remote areas still have trouble obtaining clean and safe drinking water.”
Even though the authorities are projecting this theme park as an economic development project, the political agenda is quite clear if one looks at what it will exhibit.
The report about the theme park says, “The park will include attractions themed around Princess Wencheng, daughter of Emperor Li Shimin of the prosperous Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), who married Tibetan King Songtsan Gambo when she was 16. The princess, along with a dowry consisting of numerous treasures, books, golden furniture and medical equipment, traveled 3,000 km to her new home.”
Is it not clear to the Chinese authorities that what the Tibetans need at this point of time is an assurance that their life, dignity and freedom will be respected and not another project that will only heighten their fear psychosis? May be the Chinese officials are too blind to see their contradictions.
This reminds one of France ’s Queen Marie Antoinette who is reported to have said  “let them eat cake” upon learning that the peasants had no bread to eat? Or a better comparison would be the report that “an ancient Chinese emperor who, being told that his subjects didn’t have enough rice to eat, replied, “Why don’t they eat meat?” ”
Given that these writings are appearing on websites overseen by the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party, it would be safe to assume that some officials in that department share these views.
Observers of the Tibetan issue have noted the contradiction in the fact that the United Front that formally acts as the host to the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the dialogue process also has among its mission statement to “ Take on responsibility for investigating and researching all matters concerning …separatist threat posed to the motherland both domestically and from abroad by the Dalai Lama clique.”
We certainly live in a world of contradictions, at least Chinese contradictions on Tibet !