DHARAMSHALA: A leading Tibetan monk of Khashi monastery in Ngaba who has invested his efforts in the preservation of Tibetan language and culture, and keeping unity among Tibetans, was sentenced to 7 years in prison on trumped-up charges on 18 June.

The Intermediate People’s Court in Ngaba allegedly charged Lho Yonten Gyatso, 37, over sending information to the United Nations Human Rights Council about the political situation in Tibet since the 2008 protest and releasing information and photo of Tenzin Wangmo after she set herself on fire on 17 October last year.  He is currently lodged in a jail in Mianyang in China’s Sichuan Province.

DHARAMSHALA, August 17: Amidst growing concerns over the safety of Tibetans, especially in south Indian cities, after a Tibetan youth was stabbed in Mysore on August 14, the exile Tibetan cabinet has directed Tibetan representatives to meet Muslim leaders and appraise them with factual information.

Although reports indicate that the youth in out of danger, but the real motive of the attack, by the two motorbike-borne assailants, is not fully known.

Police suspect the Tibetan youth may have been a victim of random attacks targeted against people from northeast India following the recent ethnic clashes in the state of Assam.

DHARAMSHALA, August 17: With the wave of self-immolations continuing to rage across the Tibetan plateau, Tibetans and supporters carried out a mock funeral procession in New York City demanding global intervention to end China’s failed policies in Tibet.

The procession was carried out on Wednesday to mark one year since the self-immolation of a Tibetan monk named Tsewang Norbu and in memory of the 49 other Tibetans who have torched their bodies demanding freedom in Tibet and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.

Within the last two weeks as many as five Tibetans set themselves on fire in separate incidents, followed by protests which resulted in the death of Tibetan protester as a result of severe beating by Chinese forces.

Source : phayul.com

DHARAMSHALA, August 17: China’s best known artist and a fierce critic of the authoritarian government in Beijing, Ai Wei Wei has said that he would “feel ashamed” to visit Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, following the ongoing wave of self-immolations by Tibetans.

In an interview with Foreign Policy, Ai remarked that the Tibetan people are burning themselves to death and nobody was taking notice.

“Already over 40 of them (Tibetans) in the past two years (have self-immolated), and nobody's talking about it,” Ai said.

The 54-year-old, who was last year hailed by ArtReview as the world’s most powerful artist, said that he would feel ashamed to visit Lhasa in response to a query on whether he has visited Tibet’s ancient capital city on earlier occasions.

Source: phayul.com

DHARAMSHALA, August 9: Tibetans and supporters responded to the Kashag’s appeal for an international solidarity vigil on August 8, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay’s inauguration.

The Tibetan cabinet in an earlier statement said that the international vigil will “remember those Tibetans who have given up their lives for Tibet and show solidarity with every Tibetan in Tibet who continues to suffer oppression under Chinese rule.” 

In the Australian city of Melbourne, the local Tibetan community and Australian friends and supporters of Tibet held a candle-light vigil yesterday at the Federation Square.

DHARAMSHALA, August 8: On the eve of completing his first year in office as the elected head of the Tibetan people, Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay issued a letter reflecting on some of the progress the present Kashag has made under his leadership.

Elected into office soon after His Holiness the Dalai Lama devolved his entire political authority to the elected leadership, Dr Sangay in the letter noted that the responsibility has been handled “reasonably well so far, thanks to the unity, solidarity and support from Tibetans in and outside Tibet, and our friends.”

Dr Sangay said the 14th Kashag’s “energetic outreach effort” was able to “sustain attention on Tibet and enhance the profile of the Tibetan political leadership.”

“My colleagues in the Kashag have been traveling to various countries and my travels have taken me to seventeen different cities on four continents,” Kalon Tripa said. “I have met with senior government officials, prominent lawmakers, including the Speaker of the U.S. Congress, well-known media organizations, and other notable world citizens like Nobel Peace Laureates with whom I have highlighted the dire situation in Tibet and sought their support.”