DHARAMSHALA, November 12: In more heartbreaking news coming out of Tibetan, a second Tibetan set himself on fire today in the Rebkong region of eastern Tibet.

Sources are confirming with Phayul that the Tibetan identified as Nyingchag Bum, 20, passed away in his protest in Dowa region of Rebkong.

“Nyingchag Bum from Yonlag Dewa set himself on fire on the main street of Dowa town,” Geshe Rongwo Lobsang Nyendak, a Tibetan member of parliament told Phayul. “Monks from the nearby Dowa Monastery carried his charred body inside the Monastery premises.”

Source: nytimes.com

By ANDREW JACOBS

BEIJING — In a gruesome act of resistance that has played out dozens of times in recent months, six young Tibetans set fire to themselves this week, shouting demands for freedom as they were consumed by flames. On Friday, for the second day in a row, thousands of Tibetan students took to the streets in the northwestern Chinese province of Qinghai denouncing “cultural genocide” and demanding an end to heavy-handed police tactics, exile groups said.

Here in the nation’s capital, where Communist Party power brokers are presenting a new generation of leaders, the outgoing president, Hu Jintao, made no mention on Thursday of the anger consuming China’s discontented borderlands during his sprawling address to the nation. Asked by foreign reporters about the escalating crisis, delegates to the 18th Party Congress blamed the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader, or inelegantly dodged the question altogether. “Can I not answer that?” one asked nervously.

Source: phayul.com

DHARAMSHALA, November 9: Thousands of Tibetan school students in the Rebkong region of eastern Tibet are carrying out a major street protest at the time of filing this report.

Sources have told Phayul that 5000 to 6000 students began protesting in the streets of Rongwo town since 5 am (local time), raising slogans for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return and rights of the Tibetan people.

“The students have been protesting in front of the major Chinese government offices and have jam-packed entire streets in the region,” Dorjee Wangchuk, an exiled Tibetan with contacts in the region said.

“The students have been reciting the ancient Tibetan prayer hymn for His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Ghang-ri Ra-wei Kor-wei) and raised slogans calling for freedom in Tibet, the rights of the Tibetan people, and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet.”

DHARAMSHALA, November 8: In fresh reports coming in, 6000 to 10,000 Tibetans are gathered at the Dolma Sqaure in front of the Rongwo Monastery in Rebkong, eastern Tibet, raising slogans for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.

Sources in exile tell Phayul that the situation there is “very tense and volatile” with Chinese armed forces closing-in on the protesters.

“Thousands of Tibetans are currently gathered at the Dolma Square, the site of Kalsang Jinpa’s self-immolation protest, raising slogans for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his long life,” Geshe Rongpo Lobsang Nyendak, a member of the Tibetan Parliament told Phayul.

“The situation there is very tense as Chinese armed forces have placed severe restrictions on movement in the town and are now closing-in on the protesters.”

18-year-old nomad, Kalsang Jinpa, set himself on fire at the Dolma Square protesting against China’s occupation of Tibet at around 4 pm (local time) today. The former monk of the Rongwo Monastery raised a white banner carrying slogans calling for the Dalai Lama’s return and the rights of the Tibetan people before setting himself ablaze. He passed away in his fiery protest.

Source: Washington Social reader

By Social Reader Editors

President Barack Obama won a second term in the White House after a strong showing in the battleground states.

Ohio, a crucial state for Republican Mitt Romney, tipped the balance in Obama’s favor late Tuesday night. Florida voters were as divided as most observers expected and the result remained too close to call Wednesday afternoon.

There had been talk of a change in the balance of power in Congress, but Republicans maintained theirmajority in the House of Representatives, as did Senate Democrats.

High-profile Senate victories came in Virginia, where Democrat Tim Kaine defeated George Allen, and in Massachusetts, where Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren defeated incumbent Scott Brown. Missouri’s incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill fought off Republican Rep. Todd Aiken, who made news this summer for controversial rape comments. Another Senate candidate whose rape-related comments caused a backlash was Indiana Republican Richard Mourdock, who lost to Rep. Joe Donnelly.

Source: humanrightsfirst.org

5th November, '12. How to Stop Third-Party Enablers of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity

Mass atrocities are organized crimes. Those who commit genocide and crimes against humanity depend on third parties for the goods and services—money, matériel, political support, and a host of other resources—that sustain large-scale violence against civilians. Third parties have supplied military aircraft used by the Sudan Armed Forces against civilians, refined gold and other minerals coming out of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and ensured a steady flow of arms into Rwanda. Governments seeking to prevent atrocities cannot afford a narrow and uncoordinated focus on the perpetrators of such violence. Rather, an effective strategy must include identifying and pressuring third-party enablers—individuals, commercial entities, and countries—in order to interrupt the supply chains that fuel mass violence against civilians.