The Tibet Post International

Page1 Tibetan Uprising Day Page 2 Book Exhibitiont Page 3 Spring Monlam Festival Page 4 International News Page 5-6-7 Statements Page 12 Photos

Tibet Women

Social Service

Protest and Arrest, Delhi

Bi-MonthlyB o d - K y i - Cha- Trin

I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Rs.5Vol. 01, Issue 13, 15 March 2010

Taiwan Friends Of Tibet

www.thetibetpost.com

.....See page 2

Tibetan prime minister Prof Samdhong Rinpoche speaking

during the discussion in Dharamshala, India on 4 March

2010. Photo: TPI

Dharamshala: The Social and ResourceDevelopment Fund of the FinancialDepartment of the Central TibetanAdministration opened a two day longSymposium of Tibetan Women'sEmpowerment today in Dharamshala.

Tibetan Prime Minister, Prof. SamdhongRinpoche led proceedings, and is joined byprominent ministers of the ExiledGovernment Tsering Thondup, TaklhaKelsang Yangkyi and former ministers,

......See page 2

............ See detail on page 9

Samasource Initiates Tibetan Employment Project in

Dharamshala. 27 February 2010. Photo: TPI

Dharamshala: The non-profit organizationSamasource yesterday began a data-processingemployment program for Tibetans inDharamsala. YC Dhardhowa, editor of theTibet Post, talked to Samasource’s Chief

.....Detail on page 9

...See page 3

Tibetan Uprising Day: His Holiness DiscussesChina, Buddhism and Life in Exile

Dharamshala: His Holiness the Dalai Lama

yesterday welcomed a group of 23 prominent

democratic activists from around 9 countries

and regions; USA, Australia, Germany, Japan,

Thailand, Cambodia, New Zea-land, Taiwan and

Hong Kong to a ceremony to mark Tibetan

National Uprising Day, in Dharamshala, India.

The group included several Chinese campaigners

living in exile, who His Holiness specifically

addressed, saying they had not travelled to

Dharamshala out of any desire for self-gain or

celebrity, but rather out of a belief in the Tibetan

cause and the wish to lend support to others.

He added that Chinese people everywhere feel

the Tibet issue sullies their country’s good name,

so one reason to resolve it would be to restore

that good name.

“Our main struggle is to preserve Tibetan culture

and Buddhism,” His Holiness continued, “which

could benefit 1.2 billion Chinese people.

“When I meet Chinese friends, they say 1,000

years of their culture and moral traditions

were destroyed in just 60 years – that Chinese

people today are materialistic and without

Chinese Tourists in Taipei. Photo: TPI/file

Taipei: The organization Taiwan Friendsof Tibet has launched a two-day campaignto educate Chinese tourists about the Tibetsituation.

The action started today in Taiwan's capital,Taipei, with the raising of two banners,reading "Let the Dalai Lama go home!"and "Stop cultural genocide in Tibet!"

His Holiness Conveys Message to NinthSession of Tibetan ParliamentPolicemen detain a Tibetan activist protesting against the

Chinese government outside the Chinese Embassy in

New Delhi, India, Tuesday, March 9, 2010. Photo: AP

New Delhi: 9 March 2010-Police say theyhave detained nearly two dozen Tibetanexiles from outside the Chinese Embassyin the Indian capital, where they protestedon the eve of the anniversary of the faileduprising that sent the Dalai Lama into exile

Take Candle Light.........See page 3

Dharamshala: The ninth Tibetanparliamentary budget session, to setgovernment expenditure for 2010-2011, beganyesterday in Dharamshala, India.

Today His Holiness the Dalai Lama conveyeda message, as follows, to the TibetanParliament-in-exile, on democracy, internalconflict and the China-Tibet dialogue:

"I greet all the parliamentary membersattending the ninth session of the 14th TibetanParliament-in-exile and wish you all success withthe process.

"Since coming from Tibet to exile in India,we have succeeded in turning the Tibetanpolitical system into a democracy, as we hadlong dreamed of.

"It is a source of pride that our legislative andeconomic systems, etc, are now under thecontrol of members of a parliament directlyelected by the Tibetan people.

Tibetans and supporters hold a vigil condemn on

Saturday, 06 March 2010. Photo: TPI

10thMarchUprising Day Front page.....

......See page 9

Dharamshala: Hundreds of exi ledTibetans including nuns and monks andsupporters on Friday held a masscandlelight vigil in Dharamshala, India tocondemn "Strike Hard" campaign in Tibet'scapital of Lhasa

"It is very important that we sustain ourmotivation and efforts to improveparliamentary process and standards, keep oursense of equanimity and avoid letting personalconflicts with colleagues affect our work."Because parliament is responsible for boththe administrative executive and the judiciary,it should be accountable to the Tibetan people.

"Since our people elected the prime ministerto office, I have semi-retired from politicalleadership. However, I will continue to try mybest to work on Tibetan issues and the China-Tibet dialogue, as long as the Tibetan peopletrust and believe in me.

"The five-point peace plan is a vision for thefuture and is not strongly related to the China-Tibet dialogue. Because the Chinesegovernment clearly rejected the StrasbourgProposal of 1988 without thoroughlyconsidering or discussing it, the peace plan hasnecessarily lost its validity."Since the resumption of China-Tibet talks in2002, we have tried to prioritize discussion ofthe future status of all Tibetans.

"We have taken China's views into account andendeavoured to be as realistic and open-minded as possible, as is evident in statementsissued every year on Tibetan Uprising Day.

"At the eighth China-Tibet talks, we presenteda memorandum demanding genuineautonomy for all Tibetans, under the

morals, and they hope Tibetan Buddhism and

culture can one day solve these problems.

“So Chinese people have many reasons to

support Tibetan Buddhism and culture,” His

Holiness concluded, before once again

The 51st anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, in Dharamsala, India, on 10 March 2010.

Photo: TPI/YC.Dhardhowa

The ninth session of the 14th Tibetan Parliament in

exile gets underway, 09 March 2010. Photo: TPI

His HolinessMeets withChinese....Front page.....

The Tibet Post2 TPI TIBET IN EXILE15 March , 2010 Dharamsala

Book Exhibition Commemorates

Tibet’s 50-Year Struggle

Against China

Dharamshala: The ex-politicalprisoners organization, Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet thismorning launched a three-day bookexhibit ion in the l ibrary ofNamgyal College, at the mainTibetan temple in Dharamshala,India, where exi led Tibetangovernment based for last 50 years.

The exhibition commemorates 50years of peaceful struggle to save

Tibet from Chinese oppression,and features 200 books about theachievements of those who havefought and in some instances losttheir lives for the Tibetan cause.

Gu Chu Sum's president, VenNgawang Woeber, told The TibetPost International, "The exhibitionmarks the end the first 50 years ofTibet's occupation and of Tibetansliving in exile.

"The books were written by ex-political prisoners who fled toIndia, and other Tibetans in exile,describing the real situation inTibet, in opposition to misleadingChinese propaganda."

Ven Ngawang added that it is veryimportant for Tibetans in exile toread and understand these stories,as historical evidence of China'styranny.

in India.

Chant ing "Free Tibet ," theprotesters on Tuesday rushedtoward the Chinese Embassy gatebut were blocked by Indian policeofficers who put them in a van anddrove to a nearby police station.

A police officer says they werelikely to be released later Tuesday.The officer spoke on condition ofanonymity because she was notauthorized to talk to reporters.

One Tibetan protester chainedhimself to a pole outside theChinese Embassy. He was among

those detained by police.

The protest was organized by theTibetan Youth Congress.

China claims Tibet has alwaysbeen part of its territory, butmany Tibetans say the Himalayanregion was virtually independentfor centuries until Chinese troopsinvaded in the 1950s.

The Tibetan spiritual leader, theDala i Lama, has l ived in thenorthern Indian town ofDharmshala since fleeing Tibetfollowing the failed 1959 uprisingagainst Chinese rule.

More than Two Dozen Tibetans

Detained for Protest Outside

Chinese Embassy......continued from frontpage

Symposium on Tibetan Women’s

Empowerment Commences in

Dharamshala

......continued from frontpage

Rinchen Khandro and JetsunPema. Around 40 femalemembers, nuns and representativesof the Central TibetanAdministration, nunneries andTibetan NGOs were inattendance.

In his keynote address, ProfSamdhong Rinpoche asserted thatthe Women's rights situation inTibet was much better than inmuch of the world, explaining that"In the ancient society of Tibet,since human civilisation began,there has no gender inequality. Thatis due to Buddha including bothgenders in his Heart Sutra, and inTantric teachings."

The Prime Minister proposed that"We should have a clearacknowledgment of women'sempowerment. It is not a demandfor the rights of women, but toensure we provide equalopportunities and activate theinherent power of womanhood."Samdhong Rinpoche resented

figures for gender representation ingovernment, showing that the genderratio of staff in Tibetan settlementoffices of India and Nepal is 446/274 for males to females. The figureof women in governing bodies ofcooperative societies is only 25compared with 229 men. Out of 206local leaders just 24 are women.

"In the schools under Central TibetanAdministration the gender ratio isnow almost equal. This level ofequality gives us a great opportunityfor the future." The Prime Ministersaid. This compares favorably withgenerations ago, where the femalepopulation of the exile communityis very low.

The session will proceed with a paneldiscussion featuring Dr JuileThekkudan of the Society forParticipatory Research in Asia; MsDolkar Wangmo, counselor at thedepartment of education and MsTenzin Dadon Sharling, research andmedia officer at the Tibetan Women'sAssociation.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

thanking the Chinese campaigners

for attending.

Turning to the subject exile in India,

he said that, although it is a sad

situation, one positive thing is that it

has enabled Tibetans to teach the

world how precious their religion and

culture are.

“If I was still living in the Potala in

Tibet, drinking butter tea,“ he said,

“I would not have had the

opportunity to meet so many people

and share my Buddhism and my

culture.

“I am fortunate to be able to teach

Buddhism in exile – so something

good has come out of something

bad.

“Historically, China was a Buddhist

country,” His Holiness continued,

“and even today it is home to many

Buddhists.”

He said that Five Terrace

Mountain, which is associated with

the Manjusri Buddha, is in China,

as is Dala Mountain, which is

associated with the Avalokiteshvara

Buddha.

His Holiness joked that, “Usually

when I meet religious Chinese

friends, I say to them, ‘You are a

senior Buddhist student, and we are

junior students. But junior education

is no poorer than senior education!’”

He concluded by saying that the

Tibet issue is not simply political,

but is also concerned with

Buddhism which, in turn, is about

wider issues than Tibet.

“Just as rivers flow through many

countries, so does Buddhism,” he

said. “It is essential to take a wide

perspective. We should all take heart

and develop our inner energy.

“Focusing solely on the sadness of

our situation in exile will not help

us.”

His Holiness Discusses China............


A Mega book exhibition opened by Guchusum movement of Tibet in Dharamshala, India on 4 March 2010. Photo: TPI

Symposium on Tibetan Women’s Empowerment Commences in Dharamshala. Photo: TPI

Members of Chinese Democractic activists from 9 countries meeting with His Holiness the

Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, India on 10 March 2010. Photo: TPI

TPI H.H THE DALAI LAMAThe Tibet Post 3

His Holiness The Dalai Lama Sends CondolenceOver Chile Earthquake

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Teaching

Ends Spring Monlam Festival

Dharamshala: The five day SpringMonlam Festival finished yesterdaywith His Holiness the Dalai Lama'steachings of Jataka Tales, the storyof the life of Buddha, at the mainTibetan temple in Dharamshala.

The Exiled Tibetan Spiritual Leaderaddressed Tibetan new arrivalswho had come to India to see theirrelatives, telling them, "this teachingis especially for you."

Teachings began with a review ofthe historical roots of Buddhism inTibet and its subsequent flourishingin the 7th century AD. "The

Buddhism Indian Master ShantiDeva introduced to Tibet includesthe complete teachings of the threevehicles of Buddhism, theFoundational Vehicle, Mahayanaand Vajrayana," His Holiness toldthe attendees. "In the 8th century,King Trisong Detsen invited thefamous Indian Tantric mysticPadmasmbhava to Tibet, whohelped the King to rapid expansionof Buddhism in Tibet."

In the teachings, the TibetanSpiritual Leader stressed thatTibetan Buddhism is not Lamaism,"The Buddhism which flourished in

our snow land is a full, completeversion inherited from the ancientNalanda University in India, it isnot so-called lamaism, as is seen bysome Buddhist fellows." He alsoadvised against Tibetan lamas andmonks taking secret mothers[wives], with the exception ofWhite Robe Long Hair MonasticOrder [Nyingma and Sakya sect].

His Holiness the Dalai Lama endedthe teachings by emphasising theimportance of the Tibetanlanguage, only in which the fullBuddhism texts are available andcan be studied.

Dharamshala: Tibetan spiritualleader His Holiness the Dalai Lamaon 28 February respectfully sentmessage (letter) of sympathy andcondolences to President MichelleBachelet of Chile, expressing hissadness "by the loss of many livesand the extensive damage to roadsand buildings as a result of themassive earthquake that struckCentral Chile".

The 74 years old Nobel laureate, HisHoliness in his message to the ChileanPresident said, prayers, sympathy and

condolences to "those who have beendirectly affected by this tragedy".

The streets were deserted Sundaynight in Concepcion, Chile's secondlargest city, amidst a curfew imposedto clamp down on looting a day afterthe South American nation wasrocked by an 8.8-magnitudeearthquake that has caused at least711 lives.

An estimated 90 aftershockscontinued to rattle the region sincethe early Saturday temblor, accordingto the US Geological Survey. Theaftershocks included a 6.9 magnitudequake off the coast.

However, Chile appears to havebeen spared a higher death toll thanksto strict building laws put into effectafter past earthquakes.

The government of PresidentMichelle Bachelet imposed a 30-daystate of emergency and sent 10,000

soldiers into the worst-hit regions ofMaule and Biobio. The military willalso oversee the distribution offood, blankets and medication tohundreds of thousands of people.

In Concepcion, a city of more than600,000, rescue teams searchedfeverishly for residents trapped in adamaged apartment block.

Thirty people were pulled alive froma 14-storey building, which brokeinto two halves, but an unknownnumber remained inside. Most wereasleep when the quake hit at 3.34 a.m.(1204 IST) Saturday.

While the Pacific basin was spared amajor tsunami, there was majortsunami damage in Chile. In thecoastal city of Talcahuano, where thesurge reached nearly 5 metres frompeak to trough, a bizarre exchangetook place: While even larger boatslanded in the city centre, entire homesfloated out to sea.

Chinese-language Version of

His Holiness’ Autobiography

Launched Today

Taipei: Taiwan Friends

of Tibet will today publish aChinese-language version of HisHoliness the Dalai Lama'sautobiography "My Land and MyPeople", to mark the 51stanniversary of Tibetan UprisingDay.

Written by His Holiness in 1962, thebook describes the search thatindentified him as the 14th DalaiLama and reveals his evolutionfrom simple monk to worldreligious leader. It also paints anintimate portrait of Tibetan

Buddhism before the Chineseinvasion.

Taiwan Friends of Tibet said thelaunch of the autobiography ishighly significant and will hopefullyconvey a sense of inheritance to thenext generation of Tibetans.

This evening, pro-TibetanTaiwanese non-profit organizationswill hold a candlelight vigil inFreedom Square, Taipei, inremembrance of those who havesacrificed their lives in the strugglefor a free Tibet.

Taiwan Friends of Tibet Campaign toEducate Chinese Tourists


15 March , 2010 Dharamsala

Campaigners also handed outleaflets in front of Taipei 101,Taiwan's ta l lest bui ld ing,containing information to counterChinese propaganda about thehistory of and current situation inTibet.

Most of the tourists who wereapproached refused to accept theleaflets, and some reacted withhostility.

Ms Meilli Chow, Chairperson ofFriends of Tibet , sa id , "Weunderstand that the Chinese

people , under the ChineseCommunist Party, have faced along-term system of censorship,mis-educat ion and biasedreporting.

"We do not expect Chinesetourists to accept our leafletsinitially," she continued, "but wantthem to witness freedom anddemocracy in action in Taiwan,where different points of viewcan be aired in public . Someculture shock is a good place tostart!"

Report edited by Mattew, TheTibet Post International

His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 28 February

respectfully sent message (letter) of

sympathy and condolences to President

Michelle Bachelet of Chile. photo:TPI

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Teaching Spring Monlam Festival. photo:TPI

My Land And My People, cover copy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s book.

Photo: TPI/Keary Huan

TPI INTERNATIONAL The Tibet Post4

EU Parliament Urges China To Change Its Approach On Tibet Negotiations

Dharamshala: At the opening of thisweek's Strasbourg plenary session,European Parliament President JerzyBuzek appealed to the Chineseleadership to change its approach andto resume the dialogue with therepresentatives of the Dalai Lama.

"The 10th of March is the 51stanniversary of the peoples uprisingin Tibet. Together with 80'000followers, the Dalai Lama had beenforced to flee the country. We alwayshope and continuously appeal to theChinese leadership, to change itsapproach and to resume the dialoguewith the representatives of the DalaiLama," Mr Jerzy Buzek said.

On the occasion of the InternationalTibet Memorial Day, 10 March,

hundreds of MEPs placed Tibetanflags on their desks during the plenarysession at Strasbourg. MEPsapplauded the speech by theChairman of the EP Human RightsCommittee concerning the currentsituation in Tibet.

The organiser of the 'Flag Campaign',the Chairman of the Tibet Intergroupof the EP, Thomas Mann MEP, said:"10 March is a day of mourning. It isalso a day of solidarity and ofresistance against the silencing ofthoughts and speech, against theviolation of human rights and theoppression of cultural and religiousidentity. Today, everywhere in theworld, Tibetan flags are being hoistedon official buildings. Every year,thousands of cities and communities

in the EU take part in this event.MEPs sent a strong signal today ofsolidarity with the Tibetan people."Underscoring the necessity of helpingthe Tibetans with all their might inorder to break through the diplomaticdead ends, Mr Thoman Mann said:"In numerous EP Resolutions, wehave demanded the unconditionalcontinuation of constructive dialoguebetween the Chinese leadership andthe Dalai Lama. In February 2010, theninth round of talks with the Tibetansended without progress. Despite allofficial Tibetan declarations, Chinasees its unity and sovereignty in greatdanger. The demonisation of HisHoliness does not cease. But in China,however, there are not only hardlinersand nationalists. The EU has tosupport all approaches inside Chinawhich respect the territorial integrityof the State and at the same timeensure the cultural and religious identityof the Tibetan people. During HisHoliness' visit to the US in February,President Barack Obama clearlysupported and acknowledged thismiddle way approach of HisHoliness."

More than 110 MEPs from acrossthe political spectrum are Membersof the Tibet Intergroup. Its existencein the EP goes back to 1989. "Wewill also put our efforts into aconstructive dialogue andcooperation between the Chinese andTibetan people during this legislativeterm", said Mr Mann.

The European Economic and Social Committee

(EESC) Held a Press Conference Today in

Dharamshala

The committee is one of twoinstitutions in Brussels which advisesthe European Parliament. PresidentMario Sepi accepted a personalinvitation from the Committee'sChinese counterpart, the Economicand Social Council of China lastOctober to visit Tibet.

Over the course of the three-day visitto Dharamshala the committee has metwith His Holiness the Dalai Lama andPrime Minister of the TibetanGovernment Samdhong Rinpoche inExile to discuss how the EESC, withits potential 36 million euro budget,can best help the Tibetan people.

Sepi has said the visit's intentions wereto,"increase our knowledge of theeconomic and social situation in Tibet,as well as [to explore] all possible fieldsof cooperation and dialogue whichcan be developed, especially in the areasof education, access to employment,health-care, and gender equality."

Anne-Marie Sigmund, head of thedelegation, outlined the purpose of theEESC's Dharamshala visit, "We arehere on a fact-finding mission. Wewant to go back with a lot ofknowledge and possibilities to createnetworks in order to put in place someconcrete activities."

Henri Malosse, President of theEmployers' Group of the EESC,stressed the importance of developinga stronger EU-Tibet businessrelationship through the EESC. "Wewill engage to strengthen the local civilsociety, to see how we can build upcontacts and partnerships withEuropean and other partners toengage in concrete projects with the[Tibetan] Chamber of Commerce,with the business sector and with smallscale industry," assuring attendees that"We will not just go back with a nicepicture with the Dalai Lama (...) Wehave concrete proposals and projects."

Marie Schama, a UK member of theinstitution, said "We have heard fromthe Dalai Lama that he would likemore help for small-scale industry. Welearned from the Tibetan chamber ofcommerce that they would like todevelop more links with European

businesses to help them grow."

The conference' main focus was onthe importance of investing in youth-oriented projects. Schama spoke highlyof her visit to the Tibetan Children'sVillage, and stated her intentions tostart an entrepreneurship program,along with microcredit initiatives toencourage students into enterprise.

The scarcity of scholarships forTibetan students, most of whom facesevere financial difficulty in pursuinghigher education, was addressed bySigmund, who pointed out that whileErasmus Mundus scholarships wereavailable for both Chinese and Indianstudents, but that Tibetan students didnot qualify for either. Sigmundpromised that "We will explore thepossibilities of making ErasmusMundus [scholarships] available forTibetan students."

Malosse also brought up thepossibility to establish a TibetanUniversity in order to encouragelearning and preserve Tibetan culture.

Following on from the Dalai Lama'srecent call for more women inleadership roles, the Committee wasactive in discussing initiatives toprovide more opportunities forwomen in the community.

Schama emphasised the importanceof grassroots entrepreneurship in"bringing women a voice" and stated,quoting Prime Minister SamdhongRinpoche's in their meeting theprevious day, "the question is not aboutempowering women, it's about howwe utilise the power of women."

When asked about whether the politicalsensitivity of Tibetan issues -particularly regarding the EESC'smeeting with the Dalai Lama, whomChinese authorities accuse of leading aconcentrated campaign for TibetanIndependence - might hinder progressand the allocation of the EESC's 36million euro budget, Sigmund stated"The EESC is not a political body."Malosse admitted that "difficulties"were likely to be encountered, butresponded that "for me that is a verypoor excuse to do nothing."

US House of Representatives Remembers

Tibet's Struggle on National Uprising Day

ashington, DC: US Speaker of the House of Representatives, NancyPelosi, released the followingstatement yesterday on the 51stAnniversary of the Tibetan NationalUprising.

"Today, on the 51st anniversary ofthe Tibetan Uprising, we honor themany brave Tibetans who havesacrificed their lives fighting forfreedom and the aspirations of theTibetan people to live in peace.

"51 years ago today, the people of

Lhasa peacefully assembled andcalled for an end to harsh Chineserule in Tibet. The ensuing crackdownwas brutal, and His Holiness the DalaiLama was forced into exile.

"For more than five decades,Tibetans have waited for peacefulevolution and democratic reformsthat would usher in a brighter futurein China and Tibet. The dialoguecontinues between Tibetan envoysand Chinese officials, but there hasnot been any substantive progress. Anegotiated agreement is essential andit would ensure internal stability in

Tibet and bolster China's reputationin the world."Meanwhile, the Chinese governmenthas not won the hearts and mindsof the Tibetan people and attemptsto drive a wedge between the DalaiLama and the Tibetan people havebeen counterproductive for theChinese government. Tibetans are asdevoted to their beliefs as ever andthe bond with His Holiness the DalaiLama is unbreakable.

"It is long past time for Beijing towork toward a solution that respectsthe human rights of all Tibetans.

"President Obama is to becommended for his meeting with theDalai Lama at the White House lastmonth. The meeting marked anotherchapter in the long friendship andclose ties between the United Statesand the people of Tibet. We willcontinue to stand with His Holinessto promote, preserve, and protectthe rights of all people to live infreedom worldwide.

"On the 51st anniversary of theDalai Lama being forced into exile,we heed his transcendent messageof peace, and we remember thepeople of Tibet in their ongoingstruggle."


The US House of Representatives speaker, Nancy Pelosi and a group of US House of

Representatives met H.H the 14th Dalai Lama today, Friday 21st March 2008 at main Tibetan

temple, Dharamsala, India. Photo: TPI/YC.Dhardhowa

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek talks to the audience during a ceremony to mark

the start of the European Union’s Lisbon reform treaty in Lisbon December 1, 2009. Photo:

Reuters

The members of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a press

conference today in Dharamshala on 11 March 2010. Photo: TPI/Yangyal Sham

W

The Tibet Post 5

The Tibet Post InternationalPress of Tibet(Head Office)1st Floor, Dolkhang House, JogiwaraRoad, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, Distt.Kangra H.P 176219 India

Advicer Mr. Thomas Keimel

Advicer Dr. Vincent Brucel

Editor Mr. YC. Dhardhowa

Sub Editor Mrs. Yangyal Sham

Reporter Mr. Sangay Dorjee

Reporter Ms. Keary Huang

Circular Ven Phuntsok Dhondup

Publisher Mr. Tenzin Kunga

I n t e r n a t i o n a l

The Tibet P st

Tele: 0091-1892-224641Moble:+91-9882423566

E-mail: [email protected]

TPI STATEMENT OF H.H THE DALAI LAMA

Dharamshala: Today marks the51st anniversary of the Tibetanpeople's peaceful uprising in 1959against Communist China'srepression in Tibet, as well as thesecond anniversary of the peacefulprotests that erupted across Tibet inMarch 2008. On this occasion, I payhomage to those heroic Tibetan menand women, who sacrificed theirlives for the cause of Tibet, and prayfor an early end to the sufferings ofthose still oppressed in Tibet.

Despite the great hardships Tibetanshave faced for many decades, theyhave been able to keep up theircourage and determination,preserve their compassionate cultureand maintain their unique identity. Itis inspiring that today a newgeneration of Tibetans continues tokeep Tibet's just cause alive. I salutethe courage of those Tibetans stillenduring fear and oppression.

Whatever circumstances we findourselves in, it is the responsibilityof all Tibetans to maintain equality,harmony and unity among thevarious nationalities, while continuingto protect our unique identity andculture. Many Tibetans in Tibetanareas are working in variousresponsible posts in the party,government and military, helpingTibetans in whatever way they can.We recognise the positivecontribution that many of themhave made up to now, and obviouslywhen Tibet achieves meaningfulautonomy in the future, they will haveto continue to fulfil suchresponsibilities.

Let me reiterate that once the issueof Tibet is resolved, I will not takeany political position nor willmembers of the TibetanAdministration in exile hold anypositions in the government in Tibet.I have repeatedly made this clear inthe past. To understand the situationof the Tibetans in exile and theiraspirations, I invite Tibetan officialsserving in various Tibetanautonomous areas to visit Tibetancommunities living in the free world,either officially or in a privatecapacity, to observe the situation forthemselves.

Wherever Tibetans in exile havesettled, we have been able topreserve and promote our distinctcultural and spiritual traditions, whilegenerating awareness of the Tibetancause. Unlike other refugees, wehave been relatively successfulbecause we have also been able togive our children a sound moderneducation, while bringing them upaccording to our traditional values.And because the heads of all fourmajor schools of Tibetan Buddhismand the Bon religion are in exile wehave been able to re-establish variousinstitutions for religious training andpractice. In these institutions over tenthousand monks and nuns are free

Statement of H.H the Dalai Lama on the 51st Anniv. of the Tibetan National Uprising Day

to pursue their vocations. We havebeen readily able to provideeducational opportunities for thosemonks, nuns and students whocontinue to come from Tibet. Atthe same time the unprecedentedspread of Tibetan Buddhism inboth East and West and theprospect of continuing to flourishin the future gives us hope that itmay yet survive. This is some solaceto us during this most criticalperiod in Tibet's history.

Today, the Chinese authorities areconducting various politicalcampaigns, including a campaignof patriotic re-education, in manymonasteries in Tibet. They areputting the monks and nuns inprison-like conditions, deprivingthem the opportunity to study andpractise in peace. These conditionsmake the monasteries functionmore like museums and areintended to deliberately annihilateBuddhism.Tibetan culture based on Buddhistvalues of compassion and non-violence benefits not only Tibetans,but also people in the world at large,including the Chinese. Therefore,we Tibetans should not place ourhopes in material progress alone,which is why it is essential that allTibetans, both inside and outsideTibet, should broaden theirmodern education hand in handwith our traditional values. Aboveall, as many young Tibetans aspossible should strive to becomeexperts and skilled professionals.

It is important that Tibetansmaintain friendly relations not onlywith people of all nationalities, butalso amongst themselves. Tibetansshould not engage in petty disputeswith each other. I earnestly appealto them instead to resolve anydifferences with patience andunderstanding.

Whether the Chinese governmentacknowledges it or not, there is aserious problem in Tibet. As theworld knows, this is evidenced bythe fact that there is a huge militarypresence and restrictions on travelin Tibet. It is good for neitherparty. We have to take everyopportunity to solve it. For morethan 30 years, I have tried my bestto enter into talks with the People'sRepublic of China to resolve theissue of Tibet through the Middle-Way Approach that is of benefitto us both. Although I have clearlyarticulated Tibetan aspirations,which are in accordance with theconstitution of the People'sRepublic of China and the law onnational regional autonomy, wehave not obtained any concreteresult. Judging by the attitude ofthe present Chinese leadership, thereis little hope that a result will beachieved soon. Nevertheless, ourstand to continue with the dialogueremains unchanged.

It is a matter of pride andsatisfaction that our mutuallybeneficial Middle-Way Approachand the justice of the Tibetan strugglehave gained growing understandingand support year by year from manypolitical and spiritual leaders,including the President of the UnitedStates of America, reputed non-governmental organisations, theinternational community, and inparticular from Chinese intellectuals.It is evident that the Tibetan issue isnot a dispute between the Chineseand Tibetan peoples, but has comeabout because of the ultra-leftistpolicies of the Chinese Communistauthorities.

Since the demonstrations in Tibet in2008, Chinese intellectuals inside andoutside China have written more than800 unbiased articles on the Tibetanissue. During my visits abroad,wherever I go, when I meet Chinesein general, particularly the intellectualsand students, they offer their genuinesympathy and support. Since theSino-Tibetan problem ultimately hasto be resolved by the two peoplesthemselves, I try to reach out to theChinese people whenever I can tocreate a mutual understandingbetween us. Therefore, it is importantfor Tibetans everywhere to buildcloser relations with the Chinesepeople and try to make them awareof the truth of the Tibetan cause andthe present situation in Tibet.

Let us also remember the people ofEast Turkestan who haveexperienced great difficulties andincreased oppression and the Chineseintellectuals campaigning for greaterfreedom who have received severesentences. I would like to express mysolidarity and stand firmly withthem.

It is also essential that the 1.3 billionChinese people have free access to

information about their own countryand elsewhere, as well as freedomof expression and the rule of law.If there were greater transparencyinside China, there would be greatertrust, which would be the properbasis for promoting harmony,stability and progress. This is whyeveryone concerned must exert theirefforts in this direction.As a free spokesperson of theTibetan people I have repeatedlyspelled out their fundamentalaspirations to the leaders of thePeople's Republic of China. Theirlack of a positive response isdisappointing. Although the presentauthorities may cling to their hard-line stand, judging by the politicalchanges taking place on theinternational stage as well as changesin the perspective of the Chinesepeople, there will be a time when truthwill prevail. Therefore, it is importantthat everyone be patient and not giveup.

We acknowledge the CentralGovernment's new decision taken atthe Fifth Tibet Work Forum toimplement their policies uniformlyin all Tibetan areas to ensure futureprogress and development, whichPremier Wen Jiabao also reiteratedat the recent annual session of theNational People's Congress. This


Tibet's Political and spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama delivers his statement on the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan

National Uprising Day, in Dharamsala, India, on 10 March 2010. Photo: TPI/YC.Dhardhowa

accords with our repeatedlyexpressed wish for a singleadministration for all those Tibetanareas. Similarly, we appreciate thedevelopment work that has takenplace in Tibetan areas, particularly inthe nomadic and farming regions.However, we must be vigilant thatsuch progress does not damage ourprecious culture and language and thenatural environment of the Tibetanplateau, which is linked to the well-being of the whole of Asia.

On this occasion, I wish to take theopportunity to offer my sincerethanks to the leaders of variousnations, their intellectuals, the generalpublic, Tibet Support Groups andothers who cherish truth and justicefor continuing to support the Tibetancause despite the Chinesegovernment's pressure andharassment. Above all I wish to paymy heartfelt gratitude to theGovernment of India, the variousState Governments, and the peopleof India for their continued generoussupport.

Finally, I offer prayers for thehappiness and well-being of allsentient beings.

The Dalai Lama

10 March 2010

The Tibet Post6

The Statement of the Kashag on the 51st Anniv. of the Tibetan National Uprising Day

Dharamshala: Today - 10 March2010 - marks the 51st anniversary ofthe Tibetan people's peaceful uprisingagainst the Chinese authorities. On thismomentous day, the Kashag payshomage to the brave men and womenof Tibet who have laid down theirlives for our spiritual and temporalcause. The Kashag also, in solidaritywith those Tibetan compatriots whoare presently undergoing torture insideTibet, extends its best greetings andcommiserations to all of them.

As detailed in the Kashag's 10 MarchStatement of the previous year, wehave witnessed both positive andnegative developments during the lastover 50 years. On the one hand, allTibetans living inside and outsideTibet have endured tremendoushardships and our spirituality, polityand race have suffered irreparabledamages. However, on the otherhand, Tibetans inside Tibet of all ageshave, without losing heart and innerstrength, kept alive our struggle fortruth all these years. In exile also, wehave made great spiritual and politicalaccomplishments, particularly in thefields of the preservation andpromotion of Tibetan spirituality andculture. Today, while remembering allthese things, the Kashag wouldespecially like to express our deepsense of gratitude to His Holiness theDalai Lama because all the positiveresults that we have been able toaccomplish during these years is dueto His Holiness the Dalai Lama'sleadership.

From the last 10 March anniversaryuntil now, the Tibetans in exile andtheir administration have beenorganising numerous programmes, orcommemorative events, to mark the50 years of their life in exile and toexpress their heartfelt "Thank You"to their host countries. As a part ofthis programme, an informal meetingof the employees of Central Tibetanadministration (CTA) was heldrecently to reflect upon the pastexperiences and to propose ideasregarding our future plans. Asummary of what transpired in thismeeting, which has already beenbrought to the attention of HisHoliness the Dalai Lama, includes,among other things, the CTAemployees re-pledging themselves tothe path of peace and non-violencein carrying forward our struggle fortruth until the eventual resolution ofthe Tibet issue. It is our firm beliefthat the larger Tibetan populationinside and outside Tibet will join inthis solemn pledge.

Of abiding concern to us is that nopositive developments have takenplace in Tibet since a new crisisdeveloped on 10 March 2008.Therefore, the Kashag would like tourge the People's Republic of China(PRC) to put an immediate halt totheir inhuman and unlawful actions,including repression and violations ofhuman rights in Tibet, as well as

handing down death and long-termprison sentences to the Tibetan peoplewithout due process of law. TheKashag would also like to make anemphatic appeal to them to releaseall the innocent Tibetan prisoners,including the young Panchen Lama -Gendun Choekyi Nyima.Furthermore, the Kashag would liketo appeal to the Tibetans inside Tibetto exercise utmost restraint andcaution.

In the on-going dialogue process, wehave presented to the concernedofficials of the PRC theMemorandum on GenuineAutonomy for the Tibetan People on31 October 2008. In thismemorandum, we have, besidesarticulating the fundamentalaspirations of the Tibetan peopleinside and outside Tibet, requested forthe full implementation of theNational Regional Autonomyprovisions as enshrined in theconstitution. The Chinese side has,however, sought to distort ormisrepresent the requests we havemade in it. In order to offerclarifications to these, as well as tomake a fresh request of two points,the envoys of His Holiness the DalaiLama visited Beijing this year andconducted ninth round of talks withtheir Chinese counterparts on 30 and31 January. In this latest round oftalks, the envoys, as advised by HisHoliness the Dalai Lama, put forwardthese two points for the Chinesegovernment's consideration:

1) The ultimate concern of HisHoliness is only the welfare of the six-million Tibetan people. Regarding this,the Chinese central governmentcontends that the Tibetan people inTibet are leading a happy life to theirsatisfaction and that there is no suchissue as the Tibet issue that needs tobe resolved. We believe, however, thatmost of the Tibetans in Tibet facetremendous hardships. There is,among them, a strong feeling ofdissatisfaction or discontentment inevery respect - be it religion, politics,economy, language, culture or socialconditions. In the light of suchdivergent views between the twosides, there is a need for us tocollectively undertake a carefulinvestigation of the situation on theground so as to understand what thereality is. We would like to, therefore,request the Chinese government toundertake the proposed investigationin a manner that affords all Tibetansthe real opportunity to express theirtrue feelings without any fear anddoubts in their minds. If, as a resultof such an investigation, it is foundthat most of the Tibetan people donot believe there is a problem in Tibetand that they are completely satisfiedwith their lot, then this is what HisHoliness the Dalai Lama is calling for.There is, then, no need for both sidesto argue about the issue of Tibet inthe future. Whereas if we find thatmost of the Tibetans are dissatisfied,

then the Chinese central governmentshould also - treading the path of"seeking truth from facts" -acknowledge that there is a problemin Tibet and start discussions tocollectively find the ways and meansof solving the problem.

2) The allegation that His Holiness theDalai Lama or his exile organisationhas instigated the spontaneous andpeaceful uprising that rocked thewhole of the Tibetan areas since 10March 2008 is not true. Hence, thisallegation is not acceptable to us. Thishas been put across to the Chineseleadership during the informaldiscussion that took place in Shenzhen.As a result, during the seventh roundof talks, the Chinese centralgovernment accepted the reality bychanging its stance from the "ThreeStops" to "Four Not-to-Supports".Of late, however, it has begun tomake the same kind of allegationsagainst us. A need has, therefore, arisenfor the Chinese central governmentto clarify now as to whether itsviewpoint is same as it was duringthe seventh round of talks, or has itchanged since then. If it has indeedchanged, then the Chinese centralgovernment should undertake an in-depth investigation - both inside andoutside Tibet - to determinescientifically the truth of theseaccusations. The verdict of such aninvestigation should be accepted byboth the parties concerned.Moreover, we should make amendsif we are found to be wrong. If weare not found to be wrong, then theChinese central government muststop spreading lies, or making suchbaseless allegations, both domesticallyand internationally, and issue aclarification to this effect.

The Chinese government didn'tprovide any clear answers to thesetwo points and they also failed toexactly communicate our requests inits subsequent press briefings orstatements. As for us, we will continueto press ahead with these two requestswe made in a sincere and honestmanner. If the views held by theChinese central government - andwhat they say - have any truth in them,then it should not hesitate to subjectthese to investigation. All of us canvouch for the fact that once a properinvestigation is undertaken, it will helpclear things for the future, thus makingit easier for all to see the reality.

During the past nine rounds of talks,the envoys of His Holiness the DalaiLama have stated categorically to theChinese government that they havenothing to talk about the personalissue of His Holiness or about theissue of a few people surroundinghim. The sole agenda of the dialogueprocess was to discuss about thewelfare of the six-million Tibetanpeople. In none of these exchangeshad they raised the personal issue ofHis Holiness. We have made this amplyclear earlier and we would like to

reiterate this today. Therefore, theChinese government's saying, throughits official statements, that theirpurpose of engaging in dialogue withus is only to talk about the personalissue of His Holiness and not aboutthe welfare of the Tibetan people isnot true. This is simply irrelevant.Although there is no changewhatsoever in our determination toengage in dialogue with the PRC untilthe issue of Tibet is resolved once andfor all, the Kashag would like toemphatically state that the agenda ofthe dialogue process should be onlyabout the welfare of six-millionTibetans and nothing else. Thereforewe reiterate that there is nothing todiscuss about the personal welfare ofHis Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Considering the Tibet problem to bea domestic issue that has to beresolved within the framework of thePRC, we are always engaging with theChinese central government.However, the Chinese side continuesto talk about His Holiness the DalaiLama and the issue of Tibet and exertenormous pressure in connection withthese issues everywhere - be it in theirbilateral relations with other countriesor in various international forums. Itis clear to all of us that this is whatactually drives the issue of Tibettowards becoming aninternationalised issue.

Our struggle is based on truth andnon-violence. We have no doubt thatif all Tibetans living inside andoutside Tibet put their complete faithin the non-violent path that we havechosen and practise, then the truthof the issue of Tibet will prevailsooner rather than later. Today, thereare an increasing number of justice-loving countries, peoples as well asreligious and political leaders,showing great concern and supportto the issue of Tibet. A significantlylarge number of Chinese intellectualsfrom Mainland China and fromabroad are now beginning toappreciate and support His Holinessthe Dalai Lama's Middle-Way policy.Moreover, the truth about theChinese government's wrongpolicies in Tibet is becoming evermore evident these days. Particularly,

the mutually beneficial Middle-Waypolicy does not envisage victory foroneself and defeat for others.Envied by all the people of theworld, it has the strong support ofthe USA and many other like-minded countries. Tibetanintellectuals inside Tibet, across threeregions of Tibet, also admire andsupport it. Hence, the issue of Tibethas achieved - and is continuing toachieve - great results that have boththe short- and long-term benefits.While expressing our immensegratitude to His Holiness the DalaiLama for formulating such a genuinepolicy, the Kashag would like topledge before Your Holiness that wewill continue to uphold this policywithout any doubt in our minds inthe future.

Unimaginable atrocities and crueltyof the past about 60 years have notbeen able to shake the spirit anddetermination of the Tibetan people.The Chinese government is nowfurther sharpening its strategy ofemploying deceit and money todestroy the spirit and unity of theTibetan people. The Kashag believesthat the Tibetan people will not fallprey to these Chinese deceptions. Theunity among all the Tibetan people,which has remained intact for a longtime now, has been strengthened afterthe popular uprising of 2008. TheKashag would like to urge allTibetans to make efforts to furtherstrengthen this bond of unity and tostay clear from the incitements ormachinations of the other side todrive a wedge between us Tibetans.The Kashag would like to also urgethat we Tibetans should caution byrefraining from indulging in internalsquabbles over petty matters.

Two important issues that theTibetans inside Tibet must give aserious thought to are: 1) Tibetanyouths should be encouraged tobroaden their educational horizon byconcentrating on both traditional andmodern education and by acquiringprofessional and specialised skills intheir chosen fields of study; and 2)explore all possible ways and meansto save the delicate environment ofthe Tibetan plateau from further

TPI STATEMENT OF KASHAG15 March , 2010 Dharamsala

Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, the prime minister of Tibetan Government in-exile delivers his

statement on the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, in Dharamshala,

India, on 10 March 2010 Photo: TPI

March 10 statement of the Tibetan parliament-in-Exile


Dharamshala: While payingobeisance to His Holiness the DalaiLama, the Spiritual and TemporalLeader of the Tibetan people and theSupreme Leader of World Peace forHis august presence, I would like toconvey the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile's greetings to the VeneratedSangha, Former and ServingDignitaries of the three organs of theTibetan Government-in-Exile and theAutonomous Bodies, Former andServing of the Tibetan Governmentofficials, President of DharamsalaLocal Tibetan Assembly andRepresentative of Tibetan WelfareOffice, President of DharamsalaTibetan Freedom movement,Leaders and staffs of the Non-Governmental Organizations,Teachers and Students, all the Tibetanpeople in and outside Tibet, allsupporters of the Tibetan cause andspecially our Chinese and Foreignfriends who have travelled a long wayto be with us here today to observethe 51st anniversary of the TibetanNational Uprising Day.Driven by the evil designs of theChinese communists, the Tibetanpeople rose up in a popular uprisingagainst them in 1959. Since then, theTibetan inside Tibet have had nofreedom whatsoever, and this stateof affairs continues even to this day.Besides their failure to take the groundrealities in account, the Chineseleaders-bye adopting an arrogant andhardline approach-have pursued andare pursuing wrong policies andprogrammes, These are not inagreement with the basic aspirationsof the Tibetan people. As a result,they have not been able to solve theproblem that exists between theTibetans and Chinese authorities forthe past 51 years. All these years theissue of Tibet has, however, continuedto remain on the international stage

as an important issue that needs to beresolved. Moreover, it has become anissue that cannot be wished away bythe Chinese government. This is duemainly to His Holiness the DalaiLama's meritorious servicesthroughout the world, and thecourage and determination of theTibetans inside Tibet as well as theamount of support that we have beenreceiving form the governments andindividuals globally. I would like totake this opportunity to express ourdeep sense of gratitude and thanksto His Holiness the Dalai Lama, theTibetan People inside Tibet and ourinternational supporters. As per theresolution adopted by the TibetanParliament-in Exile last year, amemorial stone in honour of all thoseheroic men and women inside Tibethas been recently erected.

Even though His Holiness the DalaiLama and the Exile TibetanAdministration have been makingsincere and great efforts, the Sino-Tibetan problem remains unresolvedto this day, This is due to lack ofpolitical will on the part of the Chineseleaders and also due to their arrogantand hardline attitude rising from asense that in today's global politicalsituation virtually no powerful nationof the world can function in any fieldwithout appeasing China-be it inpolitics, economy, environment, orsecurity. This is particularly clear whenwe see that there are some Chineseleaders who believe that the issue ofTibet will cease to exist once HisHoliness the Dalai Lama is no lonerthere and that the Tibetan voices canbe suppressed by brute force.

On the basis of our experiencesduring the nine rounds of talks so far,the present Chinese leadership is tryingto fool not only the Tibetans but also

to confuse Chinese people and todeceive international community withtheir contradictory statements. It hasbecome clear that their only aim is topostpone and no have the real desireto resolve the Sino-Tibetan issue. Thisis clear from the fact that on one handthey engage in talks with envoys ofHis Holiness the Dali Lama about theTibetan issue and on the other handthey say that His Holiness does notlegitimately represent the Tibetans.There have been nice rounds of talksin the past eight years during whichissues concerning the form and statusof autonomy for the welfare of Tibetand the Tibetans were discussed. Inaccordance with their suggestions theenvoys of His Holiness presented theMemorandum on GenuineAutonomy for the Tibetan People.The contents of the Memorandumwere rejected in totality at that timeand they announced that during theninth round of talk the envoys didneither revised nor made anyconcession on the Memorandum.This is stranger knowing clearly fromthe widespread peaceful protest in2008 how much respect andveneration the Tibetans have for HisHoliness both historically and in reality.In truth they say these only becauseof their inability to bear His Holiness'fame and achievements and notbecause they have the confidence andpride to hold a plebiscite for Tibetansinside Tibetan monitored by a thirdparty.

His Holiness has stated many timeson various platforms, both in Indiaand around the world, that he is notseeking independence. It is particularlymentioned clearly in theMemorandum on GenuineAutonomy for the Tibetan People thatthe genuine autonomy should beachieved within the framework of the

constitution of the People's Republicof China. Although the Chineseleadership has acknowledge that HisHoliness' stand is "welcome news"during the fourth round of talks, tothis day they claim that His Holinessis a separatist. Such contradictory talksare solely to confuse the Chinesepeople and nothing else.

Though there is a wide gap betweenthe Chinese Government and CentralTibetan Administration's outlook onthe real situation inside Tibet, thedemand to have a commoninvestigation into the real situation isleft unanswered by the Chinese. Wewelcome the uniform policy andprogram to be carried out in wholeof Tibet to develop the economyafter the so-called Fifth Work Forumon Tibet was held. However, Tibetansare being made to build new housesirrespective of their wishes. Suchactions are simply aimed to increasedemands for Chinese goods when thedemands are going down due toglobal recession. If the programmesare meant to benefit the Tibetans thenapart from building houses, theyshould clearly identify the aspirationsof the Tibetan people. And thenimprovement should be made in thefields of education, health andenvironmental protection in Tibet.Particularly, Tibetans must be giventhe freedom of thoughts andpromote opportunities to developTibet's unique culture, religion,language and to engage in Buddhiststudies. Likewise, developmentalprojects in Tibet must suit theaspirations of the Tibetans and todevelop human resources so thatTibetans are able to carry out theseprojects by themselves.

It is unfortunate that even today evena slight, the Tibetan people insideTibet who exercise their human rightsto peacefully express their views anddislike of the Government are madeto suffer suppression, imprisonmentand other inhuman treatments. Someeven face execution. The Chineseleadership should clearly recognizethat if this situation persists then it isimpossible to have cordial Sino-Tibetrelationship. We urge Chinese

Government to immediately releaseall political prisoners who areundergoing suffering in Chineseprison and those already sentenced.

As His Holiness the Dalai Lamaalways states, the purpose of ourmeeting with justice-loving peoplefrom other countries is because theChinese leadership has not properlyresponded to our overtures. If theChinese Government had acceptedand responded properly to themutually beneficial Memorandumforwarded to them, then we haveno reason to appeal to them. TheChinese Government tries to preventHis Holiness the Dalai Lama frommeeting with the world leaders andif at all such meetings take place thenthey are vehemently criticized. Suchbehaviors are not only childish butalso very unbecoming of a powerfulcountry. Therefore, if the Chineseleadership is able to resolve Sino-Tibetproblem by recognizing the mutuallybeneficial approach and in accordancewith the ground realities, then it willbenefit both China and Tibet andimprove relations between the twopeoples.

Tibetans in Tibet demonstrates theirsincerity and heroism in a veryintelligent manner. Therefore, we urgeTibetans in exile to be moredetermined and sincere and to ourinternational friends to continue theirsupport to us. In essence, as per thewishes of His Holiness, we mustunitedly work hard towards aproductive outcome.

Today we have some Chinese friendsincluding democracy activist presenthere with us today to commemoratethe Tibetan people peaceful uprisingday of March 10. We like to thanktheir offering of a souvenir with "Pathto freedom of the Tibetan people"inscribe on it to the exile TibetanGovernment as a symbol of theirsolidarity with the Tibetan people.To conclude, we pray for the longlife of His Holiness the Dalai Lamaand for the reunion of Tibetans insideand outside TibetTibetan Parliament-in-Exile10 March 2010

degradation. These are non-politicalissues that have a strong bearing onthe short- and long-term benefits ofboth the Tibetan and Chinesepeoples. Therefore, it is veryimportant for both sides to makecollective efforts towards these ends.Similarly, everyone should make bestefforts to put into practice theadvices His Holiness the Dalai Lamagive to the people of world ingeneral and to the people of Tibetin particular, the advices of bothspiritual and temporal aspect thathave huge bearing not just in this lifebut also in many lives to come.

If the Tibetans, who are currentlydivided into many administrativeunits, could be brought under a singleautonomous administration, it will bemore helpful in devising a uniformpolicy to bring about all-rounddevelopment in the fields ofeducation, culture, health, etc. It will,in particular, help protect the unique

culture and identity of Tibet. Therequest to bring all Tibetans under asingle administration has now andagain been made to the Chinesegovernment since 1951. As such,during the recent Fifth Work Forumon Tibet, delegates from all Tibetanareas were summoned to deliberateupon a uniform development planfor all Tibetans. The Forum has alsoidentified the fact that the Tibetansin general, and the Tibetan farmersand herders in particular, are laggingbehind as far as the standard of livingis concerned. We must take note ofthese developments indeed. We awaitthe Chinese government to actuallyimplement a uniform developmentprogramme for all the Tibetan-inhabited areas.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama willturn 75 on 6 July 2010. The Kashagplans to celebrate his coming birthdaymore elaborately than the previousones with major spiritual activities.

Similarly, our exile democracy willcomplete 50 years on 2 September,this year. Therefore, we are planningto commemorate this day as well.We hope that all Tibetans will bearthese upcoming events in mind.Although it is very difficult for theTibetans inside Tibet to openlycome out and celebrate theseupcoming events, we believe theywill be able to join us Tibetan exilesin their hearts and minds.

To conclude, the Kashag prays forthe long life of His Holiness the DalaiLama and the spontaneousfulfilment of all his wishes. May thetruth of the issue of Tibet prevailsoon!

The Kashag

N.B. This has been translated fromthe original statement issued inTibetan. If there is any discrepancybetween the two, please treat theTibetan version as authoritative andfinal.

......continued from page No 6

TPI STATEMENT OF PARLIAMENTThe Tibet Post 715 March , 2010 Dharamsala

Mr, Penpa Tsering, the speaker of Tibetan Parliarment in Exile delivers his statement on the

51st anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, in Dharamshala, India, on 10 March

2010 Photo: TPI

TPI INTERVIEW The Tibet Post8


Knights Templar of Britannia Plans a Humanitarian Support for Tibet

Dharamshala: UK based spiritualorganization "Knights Templar ofBritannia" claims it is planning assistin the struggle for Tibetan rights.TPI's Y.C Dhardhowa talked toLord Christopher Macklin, a seniorcouncil member of The KnightsTemplar of Britannia, who isinvolved in coordinating the project.

The recent discovery of a nail byLord Macklin's organisation, claimedto be used to crucify Jesus Christ,has attracted media attention in theUK.

Conspiracy theories concerning theKnights Templar have been rife sincethe publication of Dan Brown'simmensely popular, though criticallypanned, The Da Vinci Codefranchise, and the resulting criticallypanned Hollywood blockbusters.

Modern organisations with links tothe Knights Templar are frequentlyimplicated in these conspiracytheories, and are often looked uponwith a substantial amount ofskepticism.

Lord Macklin has travelled toDharamsala to seek an audience withHis Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama ofTibet.

TPI: Can you introduce yourselfbriefly?

Lord Christopher Macklin: Certainly,my name's Lord ChristopherMacklin, I'm a council member atthe top of the Knights Templar ofBritannia. This is one of 36 ordersthroughout England which theVatican has studied in the past, andin fact our order is the only orderwhich has a grandmaster that hasancestral links to the ancientgrandmasters of before. So it is aproper order and we therefore haveancient knowledge that the KnightsTemplars had going back thousands

of years, and also artifacts which wehave kept secret up until now.

What is the purpose of the KnightsTemplar of Britannia? Is it devotedto a religious or spiritual cause?

The Knights Templars are historicallyspiritual. They are originally theKnights of the Temples, and these'Temples' were the pyramids. TheKnights Templar used to guard thepyramids. These pyramids were veryspecial to the Knights Templar andwe are going to release the reasonswhy in the future.

What are the intentions of the currentKnights Templar?

The Knights Templar are basicallyvery spiritual people. They havecomplete integrity. They do manygood works throughout the world.They get involved in humanitarianprojects, and also within the orderwe have many different projects inEngland.

[People] have to have integrity whenthey join the Knights Templar.People, if they want to, can be trainedas a Knight. To be trained they haveto become spiritual. [There are]many different aspects of becominga Knight, which are spiritual abilities,for example manifestations.

When was the organisationestablished?

It was established a long time ago.It's been around for many years - Ithink it's 700 years old. It comes fromthe ancient Knights Templar. In 1300the Knights Templar disbanded.Because of the order of the pope,the grandmaster at the time, Jacquesde Molay, was slow-roasted at thestake. The pope ordered this becausethe King of France put pressure onthe pope to disband the KnightsTemplars, because he had borrowed

so much money from them that hecouldn't afford to pay it back.

That's why, once the grandmasterwas killed, some Knights Templarsdisbanded into the KnightsHospitalice, and others jumped ontoships and set sail with all the artifactsand all the gold they had anddispersed throughout the world.

And who are the employers of theKnight Templars?

Er... there's no employment. It's aspiritual organization which iscompletely charitable. People getinvolved in the Knights Templar ona charitable basis.

How do people get involved in theKnights Templar of Britannia?

Some are very involved and havemissions out all over the world inAfrica. There are things going on inAmerica - some are looking aftersoup kitchens. People get involvedall over the world, but people canbe as involved or uninvolved as theylike.

But are there any conditions to join?Any requirements, Christianity?

No. It's not a Christian organization -it's a spiritual organization. Weunderstand how all the religions cometogether, and how everything fitstogether. That's why we're looking atwriting a book about the Knightstemplar. We recognize all religions.

How are the Knights Templar ofBritannia interested in Tibetan issues?

We don't like to see the humanitarianproblems which Tibet is having at themoment, and therefore we supportHis Holiness and the Tibetan peopleto try and free themselves of theirproblems. We're hoping to release abig fund of money in the next three

or four months. One thing you'll learnabout the Knights Templar is that thedetermination [that we have] is huge.Once we set a goal we achieve it. Partof Buddhist teaching is that if youbelieve something and you manifestit, it will happen. I believe, along withmy colleagues at the Knights Templar,that we are going to make this fundavailable. [We] have manifested it andit will happen.

700 years of history is not a shortperiod of time, so what have beenyour main successes in the 21stcentury?

We've had many successes. What werealize is that there's a lot of darknessat the moment which is engineeredfrom monetary greed. This seems tobe controlling the world at themoment. Greed seems to havemanifested within people all over theworld. What we're trying to do iseducate people to step back and think"the world is not about money, it'sabout helping people." It's aboutwaking the spirituality within people,to get them to start helping. That'sreally important to us.

You have to remember that theworld's money is held by the very few,and they're pulling all the strings. It'sour mission to try and turn thataround, and get people feelingpositive again. People live in fear atthe moment, because the economicsituation in the Western countries isvery poor - people are in debt or can'tpay their bills - and because of that,because of the fear factor and thenegativity within them, they can'tbecome spiritual. What we hope todo is to reeducate them to let go ofthat money-side and help them tobecome spiritual. We have some ideasfor [doing] that in the future, whichwill be released.

You flew from the UK toDharamshala to meet Tibetan spiritualleader His Holiness the Dalai Lama.Why is it important to meet HisHoliness for your organization?

It's most important because HisHoliness has great wisdom, as youknow. We have wisdom also, and Ithink [ours] is in symbiosis with HisHoliness' ideas, therefore I'm verykeen to meet His Holiness to getsome focus on how we can help himand the Tibetan people, as well as howhe can help us to move forward withthe projects we are doing, of whichthere are many, and [which] are goingto be huge.

You've mentioned that you'vealready met some officials from theCentral Tibetan Government.

I've met the secretary who wasexcited to arrange a meeting withthe Prime Minister in April. It's mymission to come back, because withHis Holiness and the Prime Ministerbehind what we're doing, I think wecan do some great work together.

Getting spirituality back and gettingthe Tibetan people to manifest forthe humanitarian problems to beover is important. We're hoping tomake the fund available which we'restarting to manifest now in variousforms, so hopefully in the next threemonths we'll be able to helpmonetary-wise as well.

If you couldn't meet with HisHoliness this time, would you bediscouraged?

I never get discouraged. One thingabout [myself], as I said, is when Iset a goal I achieve it, and I thinkHis Holiness would back me up onthis because he is a spiritual personof equal standing for myself... Ithink we're two people with theability to perform some amazingthings in the future, and that's whyI'm very excited to meet his Holiness.I know His Holiness will meet mein the future, for sure, because he isa very beautiful spirit.

You've had some media attentionover the discovery of a "Holy Nail",could you tell us about that?

When Jack de Molay was slow-roasted at the stake, and [the KnightsTemplar's] ships set sail all over theworld, one of the fleet went viaMadeira, and they set newcommandries up all over the worldto keep the Knights' Temple alive.Our order manifested out of that.The "Holy Nail" was in a box withparticular Temple symbols which[corresponds] to our records. Weidentified the nail as Christ'scrucifixion nail, which we've beenguarding for over 2000 years.

Now we've got joint ownershipwith the Prince of Pontinha, so we'revery excited about this find. I thinkit's one of our momentous finds.

Is that the photo [of the nail] in yourhand?

It is. It's about four inches long.

Yeah, I can see that in the photo.

When Christ was crucified, notmany people know this, but withcrucifixion what they normally didwas they strapped [the victim's]arms up, then put the nail throughthe bottom part of the arm to causemore pain.

Archaeologists confirm that the nailis from the first or second century,and also that it had been handled ina careful way by many people overa long period of time. Obviouslythey can't confirm that it was Christ'snail, but from our records we canconfirm that it was the nail whichwas lost in the fleet.

And where is the nail now?

Well, I can't really tell you! It's withour security.


YC. Dhardhowa talking Lord Christopher Macklin at the office of The Tibet Post on 5 March 2010. Photo: TPI/Sangay

Samasource Initiates Tibetan Employment Project in Dharamshala

Executive Officer, Leila Janah, andHeidi Minx of builtonrespect.com,who is involved in coordinating theproject.

Leila Janah

Samasource is based in San Fransisco,USA. Our mission is to level theplaying field for digital work on theinternet, by training women, youthand refugees for employment. Samameans “equal” in Sanskrit.

The organization was set up inSeptember 2008, and currently wework with 600 people from ninecountries - in Africa, South and SouthEastern Asia, and Haiti in theCaribbean. We have found $350,000-worth of work for our trainees indigital services.

My parents come from India, but Inever spent much time here when Iwas young. My only exposure topoverty was when my parents toldme to eat all the food on my plate,because there were starving childrenback home in India. I never reallyunderstood what that meant.

When I was sixteen, I received ascholarship from the LorillardTobacco company. I felt really guiltyabout using this money for collegebecause it was dirty tobacco money!I thought maybe I’d feel better if Iused it to volunteer somewhere, andI also wanted to learn more aboutpoverty outside the US.

So I finished high school early andmoved to Ghana, West Africa, towork as an English teacher in a smallvillage of about 200 people.

My students were incredibly brightand motivated. I knew that if theywere in US public schools, they

would flourish. The main reason theyweren’t able to find jobopportunities or continue theirstudies was that they happened to beborn in a poor place, through nofault of their own.

I realised then that the most tragicoutcome of poverty is wasted talent,and I wanted to devote my life todoing something about that.

Later, after graduating from

university, I became a businessconsultant and leaned about theoutsourcing sector. I saw bigcompanies in places like Bombayand Bangalore employing tens ofthousands of people to do digitalwork for US companies and Ithought, if it can work in Bombayor Bangalore, why can’t it work inDharamshala and Nairobi…?Right now our trainees are about 50-

50 women and men. We havehighlighted work for womenbecause they often do domesticwork which goes formallyunacknowledged. So they often don’tget the benefits of working outsidethe home, and very rarely developthe skills that can move them out ofpoverty.

We think digital work is part of thenew economy. It is the way theworld’s headed in terms of jobs. We

want to make a special effort toinclude people who would otherwisebe left be out. And that includeswomen.1.4 billion people in the world liveon less than $1.25 a day. That kindof extreme poverty means you don’thave enough money to meet yourbasics needs. You can’t afford to carefor your children. You can’t affordbasic health care, education and

personal security. It’s that kind ofpoverty that we want to eradicatefrom the world. I would like to seeone million Samasource workers oneday!

Regarding our Tibetan workers, theirprimary benefit is the money they’llearn. Secondly, they learn about howto use the internet to gain paidemployment. These skills will benefitthem wherever they live after the

training.For now, we’ll see how our pilotproject in Dharamsala goes. Thenwe may accept other Tibetan refugeepartner organizations.

Our organization exists to benefitpeople through income generation.It’s completely apolitical.

We don’t train our workers to find

jobs on their own. We train them todo work. We find them a job andthey do the work. If they perform toa certain standard, which means theirspeed has to increase during thetraining, we can find work for them.

In San Francisco, we have a sales team,a business development unit and anaccount management unit thatidentifies big American companies thatcan provide work. We convince thesecompanies to sign contracts with us,then we work with our partners todeliver the workers.

I found out about Samasource lastsummer, from friends in Californiawho are involved in different socialnetworks and fundraising. I checkedit out and realized it could providejob opportunities for my friends inDharamsala who have trouble findingwork.

Plenty of work can be done remotelyfrom different cities and countriesusing a computer. But even if youcould do that work, if you don’tknow how to pitch to the client andcollect the money, you won’t get it.The Samasource model takes thatdifficulty out of the equation.

In Dharamsala, we approacheddifferent NGOs. I would say half ourstudents are Gu Chu Sum graduates,with others from the Hope Centreand LHA.

Students with intermediate Englishskills and basic computer trainingqualified for the program. If ourworkers later move abroad, then theywill have had the benefit of computerwork experience, not just classes. Andwhilst they are with the program, theyare well paid.

So, the project is built on giving peoplerespect and sustainability, and the toolsto enable them do what they do best.


His Holiness Conveys Message to NinthSession of Tibetan Parliament


framework of the Chineseconstitution."During the ninth talks, we issueda public note of explanation aboutthe memorandum, in order todispel Chinese misrepresentationsof its intent.

"I worked hard on the above-mentioned issues, and all decisionswere agreed by resolutions passedby the Tibetan parliament."However, there are rumours thatthe memorandum and note werenot shown to parliament, or werenot agreed by it, or ran counter tomy opinions. These rumoursshould be thoroughly discussedduring this session, in the name oftransparency, as the issues involved

are fundamental to the Tibetancause.

"If new ideas and points of viewregarding our future working plansfor Tibet emerge from theseparliamentary discussions, pleaseremember to present them in lightof Jorngoe Jesum - the principle ofpreparation, implementation andoutcome."

NB: This article has been translatedfrom a message in Tibetan from HisHoliness the Dalai Lama, distributedby the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile.If there is any discrepancy betweenthis and the Tibetan text, the Tibetanversion should be consideredauthoritative and final.

which launched by communist regimeof China recently. The event wasorganized by four large TibetanNGOs, Tibetan Youth Congress,Tibetan Women's Association,National Democratic Party of Tibetand Students for Free Tibet.

"The Chinese government's continuedsuppression has intensified in recentdays. With the approach of the historicMarch 10 uprising commemorationand the fear surfacing the re-occurrence of nation white uprising in2008, the Chinese government hasreportedly launched a "Strike Hard"campaign in Lhasa, Tibet's capital andin the surrounding areas to intimidateand suppress Tibetans in the lead upto this sensitive anniversary," a jointcircular from the above organizers said."The campaign is aimed to quell

political dissent through mass detentionand arrests. More than 70 Tibetanswere reportedly detained in Lhasa andcapital retains a huge presence ofChinese solders. Recently, KarzePeople's Intermediate court hassentenced Pema Yeshi to two yearsuspended death sentence on thecharges of "inciting separatism" and"disturbing social order"."The Chinesegovernment doesn't hesitate killingTibetan political prisoners with

Tibetans Hold Vigil to Condemn New ‘Strike Hard’ Campaign in Tibet

impunity and many are sentenced tolife imprisonment and varying prisonerterms. We strongly condemn theChinese government's brutal policies,"the statement read. "We salute andbravery of the Tibetan martyrs whosacrificed their lives for the just causeand we stand in solidarity with ourfellow Tibetans inside Tibet whocontinues to suffer the brutal regime."

According to a Chinese newspaperreport in Lhasa, the city governmentordered a 'strike hard' campaign, whichcovers all prefectures that fall underthe Tibetan Autonomous Region(TAR), a large part of what waspreviously Tibet on March 3.

There are orders to "strike hard againstall kinds of criminal activities and tovigorously uphold the social orderstability," according to the report.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○


TPIThe Tibet Post 915 March , 2010 Dharamsala

Tibetans hold banner saidon Saturday, 06 March 2010.Photo: TPI

Samasource Initiates Tibetan Employment Project in Dharamshala. 27 February 2010. Photo: TPI

TPI TIBET The Tibet Post10

Dharamshala: The Tibetan Centre

for Human Rights and Democracy

(TCHRD) strongly condemns the

Chinese authorities’ “Strike Hard”

campaign, aimed at carrying out

further detentions of Tibetans in

Tibet as the anniversary of the 10

March Tibetan uprising approaches.

According to the official newspaper

Lhasa Evening News (Ch: Lasa Wen

Bao) today, “the Lhasa City Public

Security Bureau (PSB) officials under

the order of Lhasa City government,

the “Tibet Autonomous Region”

(‘TAR’) PSB, “TAR” Party

Committee and Lhasa City Party

Committee had carried out the

“Strike Hard” Campaign from

9:00PM (Beijing standard time)

yesterday across the Tibetan Capital,

Lhasa….the campaign was also

launched across all seven prefectures

under the “TAR” in order to strike

hard according to law against all kinds

of criminal activity and to vigorously

uphold the social order and stability.”

The length of this campaign was not

mentioned, and it may last for

months.

Additional security forces were

deployed in full combat gear in and

around the city of Lhasa and at every

entry point into the city. Vehicles

driving to and from Lhasa city are

being thoroughly searched and

everyone entering or leaving the city

is required to show identification.

New security barricades have been

set up to look for any possible

suspects and round-the-clock security

measures have also been

implemented. Security forces in

combat uniforms were seen

patrolling the major gathering points,

conflict areas, and raids were carried

out on guesthouses. There is no

information on how this campaign

has fared in other prefectures of the

“TAR”.

According to the official report,

Lhasa PSB officials during the

campaign last night detained 70 people

without official registration cards and

identity cards from rented rooms

located on Sera Road. Seven counties

under the Lhasa municipality also

carried out the “strike hard”

campaign with searches and raids.

The new “Strike Hard” campaign is

being launched after years of severely

tight security and repressive political

conditions in Tibet. Unlike previous

“strike hard” campaigns, which

mostly focused on Lhasa city, this

year’s campaign has been launched

throughout the “TAR”

simultaneously. This new

development signals Chinese

authorities’ hardening policies in

Tibet and the their preemptive move

to squash any protests in the coming

days.

“Strike Hard” campaigns are

normally carried out in various parts

of the People's Republic of China

prior to major events, including

national holidays, anniversaries, as

well as before the main annual

government and Party conferences,

often with the stated intention of

"cleansing the social environment."

The “strike hard” campaign launched

yesterday could lead to a series of

arbitrary detentions and arrests prior

to the anniversary of the 10 March

Tibetan uprising. The Chinese

People’s Political Consultative

Conference (CPCC), China’s top

advisory body that convenes today

and the annual plenary sessions of

China’s National People’s Congress

(NPC) on Friday.

Though the primary objectives of the

current "strike hard" campaign were

mentioned as fighting criminals,

upholding social order and stability,

the TCHRD believes the largest

motive behind this campaign is the

Chinese authorities' attempt to detain

Tibetans involved in political

activism, to target former political

prisoners and Tibetan residents from

outside Lhasa, as well as monks and

nuns. Under this campaign, Chinese

law enforcement bodies abuse the

fundamental human rights of the

Tibetan people through arbitrary

arrest, detention, interrogation and

torture, dismissal from jobs and

expulsion from religious institutions.

TCHRD condemns the launch of

"strike hard" campaign and questions

the motivation behind the campaign.

With unprecedented levels of security

presence already throughout Tibet

accompanying the launch of this

campaign, TCHRD fears that

widespread unlawful detentions of

Tibetans will intensify in the coming

weeks and months, and that they may

be used to silence, intimidate and

stifle political dissent in the build up

to the 10 March anniversary when

the authorities fear fresh unrest

following the wave of protests that

swept across the Tibetan plateau in

the past couple of years.

Oppression of Tibetans in Sog County Eastern Tibet Remains Severe

Dharamshala: Tashi, a Tibetan manfrom Rata village, Sog County in theEast of Tibet, has been detained bythe Chinese authorities since themiddle of last month, Mr NgawangTharpa from Sog County currentlyliving in Dharamshala Today toldThe Tibet Post International.

"He is charged with contacting theoutside world and looking at politicalpictures on the internet. The 24 yearold is now incarcerated in Napchucounty, Eastern Tibet," said Tharpa.

According to Mr Tharpa, another

Imprisoned Tibetan, Gyalsang - whowas arrested during the 60th NationalChinese Day and was sentenced to 3years in prison - was permitted visitsfrom his family, however he facesweekly interrogations which involvefrequent beatings.

In general, the situation in SogCounty, particularly in Rata village,has become very intense under theChinese "Love your Religion, Loveyour Country" political campaign socalled "Patriotic Re-educationCampaign."

China Detains Hundreds of Tibetans in Lhasa

Under “Strike Hard Campaign”Dharamshala: With the launch of"Strike Hard" Campaign in the"Tibet Autonomous Region" (‘TAR')from 2nd March, the Chinesesecurity forces had detained nearly500 Tibetans alone from Lhasa city

alone, according to reports given inthe state run web portal.

According to the official reportdated 4 March 2010 given in the staterun web portal www.chinatibet.com,"during the campaign, the Lhasa CityPublic Security Bureau Police Brigade(Ch: Lasa Gong An Ju Xing Jing ZhiDui) raided a total of 4,115 rentedaccommodations, thoroughlychecked 60 high prone areas wherecrime is concentrated, gathering areasfor floating population, places withcomplex social order and iniquity,carried out comprehensive checkson a total of 7,347 non-permanentresidents of the city, raided morethan 70 guest houses, internet cafes,entertainment centre and bars; anddetained a total of 435 people. Ofthese 7 were arrested on theft andburglary, 3 persons on stealing motorbikes, 1 person for duping, 3 otherssuspected burglary accomplices."There is no detail information orreasons were given on the remainingpeople who were arbitrarily detainedduring the "strike hard" campaign

launched since 2 March 2010.The same web news portal dated 5March carried a report on the "StrikeHard" campaign stating, "the LhasaCity PSB headquarters had mobilized1,134 of its personnel and more than

other 300 security forces raiding intotal 2,787 rented accommodations;21 high prone areas; 71 Karaokebars, guest houses, internet cafes,bars; confiscated 12 knives and 6banned publications and detained 49suspects without "three no" (Ch: SanWu)" The latter refers to Identitycard, household registration card (Ch:Hukou) and Temporary stay permit(Ch: Zian Zhu Zheng). The reportalso said that a nun was detained butno detail was given.

According to our sources, in the pastfew days the movement of monksfrom three major monasteries in andaround Lhasa city: Drepung, Gadenand Sera were restricted for indefiniteperiod, however, the monasteries'staffs dealing with food supplies tothese monasteries were known tohave been issued special permit by theauthorities for their daily duties.

To spur up further restriction andcrackdown on potential dissent aheadof sensitive anniversary, LhasaNeighborhood Committee under the

Lhasa Metropolitan area had formeda new "security escort staff " in eachand every sub-districts since 1 March.This new body will work inconjunction with the local publicsecurity officials. The primary objective

of this new bodywas cited as "tomaintain socialorder, thoroughinspection andtracking down ofsuspects, anddetaining thosewithout "threeno" viz. Identitycard, householdregistration card(Ch: Hukou) andTemporary staypermit andprompt reportingof such cases tothe local policestation. TheTibetan Centrefor Human Rightsand Democracy(TCHRD) believethat this newr e q u i r e m e n t

signals authorities' attempt to targetand stranglehold those Tibetansfrom outside "TAR" who are onvisit to the holy city for pilgrimageor engaged in businesses as many ofthose Tibetans were known to beactively involved in the Spring 2008protests in Lhasa.

TCHRD condemns this campaign instrongest terms and calls thegovernment of the People'sRepublic of China to immediatelyend this infamous campaign whichunder the guise of fighting crimesand upholding stability violates andabuses many fundamental humanrights of the Tibetan people througharbitrary arrest, detention,interrogation, restriction on the freemovement of people. TCHRDbelieves that the Chinese authoritiesare using this campaign as double-edged sword to fight crimes anduphold stability as stated objectivebut at the same time it is using thiscampaign to silence, intimidate andstifle political dissent ahead ofsensitive anniversary.


China launches “Strike Hard” Campaign

ahead of sensitive anniversary

The members of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a press

conference today in Dharamshala on 11 March 2010. Photo: TPI/Yangyal Sham

Paramilitary policemen are seen during an

exercise to demonstrate police forces as an effort

to ensure security before China’s 60th National

Day on Oct. 1 in Zibo in east China’s Shandong

province Thursday Sept. 24, 2009. China is taking

no chances in ensuring its celebration of 60

years of communist rule is free of disruptions,

banning foreign tourists from Tibet and telling

people living along the Beijing parade route not

to watch from their balconies. (AP Photo)

Security forces checking ID during the Strik-Hard Campaign. Photo: TCHRD

TPI TIBET

Tibetan Parliament In-Exile Reconvenes

for Ninth Session

Dharamshala: The ninth session of

the 14th Tibetan Parliament in Exile is

set to begin this Monday with the

commencement of the budget session

in Dharamshala, India's Northern Hill

station, where exiled Tibetan

government based for last 50 years.

Along with aiming to set the budget for

the coming fiscal year, the talks will

address the overspill from last year's

meeting, which ended under

acrimonious circumstances, short of its

concluding session.

The biennial conference was postponed

last year following a walkout of MPs

over allegations of unfair claiming of

travel expenses, which left Speaker for

the Tibetan Government Penpa Tsering

with no choice but to shut down

proceedings.

"As usual this March session is mainly

devoted to annual budget of the Tibetan

Government-in-Exile that includes

administration of all the government

offices, including the regional ones. Out

of the 11-day session, at least 3-4 days

will be devoted to the budget matters,"

Penpa Tsering told phayul.com.

Other issues, such as increasing the

number MPs on the representative

council, and planning celebrations for the

50th anniversary of the Tibetan

Parliament, will also be discussed.

The session will be convened between

the 8th and 20th of March.

China's Communist Regime Indicates Hard Line on

H.H. The Dalai Lama succession

The governor of the so called "TibetAutonomous Region", Pema Trinley(Ch: Padma Choling) (newlyappointed by the Communist regimeof China), claimed on Sunday thatTibetan spiritual leader His Holinessthe Dalai Lama "did not have a rightto choose his successor," Chinesestate controlled news agency Xinhuahas reported.

"It must get the approval of thecentral government otherwise thereincarnation will be illegitimate andinvalid," he told reporters on thesidelines of the China's NationalPeople's Congress session.

But, His Holiness has said hissuccessor could be appointed beforehis death or democratically elected.The Dalai Lama could also, he hassaid, be reincarnated in exile -- outof Beijing's reach.Amid such worries, the 1989 Nobel

Peace Prize winner, His Holiness saidlast month he would have nomisgivings ending the centuries-oldspiritual tradition if Tibetans sochoose.

"(Its) ultimately up to people, I madeclear, whether this very institutionshould continue or not," His Holinessthe 14th Dalai Lama told NationalPublic Radio on a visit to LosAngeles.

"If majority of Tibetan people feelthe Dalai institution is no longermuch relevant, then this institutionshould cease -- there is no problem.

"It looks like the Chinese are moreconcerned about this institution thanme," he said with a laugh.

"Right now there is no need toexcessively discuss this issue ofreincarnation," Tibet's regionalchairman Padma Choling toldjournalists.

"At this moment the Dalai is still alive,let's wait until he is dead and thenwe can talk about it."

Controversy emerged over thereincarnation issue in 1995 whenChina selected Gyaltsen Norbu(Ch:Gyaincain Norbu) as the 11thPanchen Lama, one of Tibet's

highest ranking figure, regardingTibetan Buddism.In doing so, the Communist regimeof China rejected a Tibetan boyrecognized by His Holiness the DalaiLama. The child, Gedhun ChoekyiNyima, has disappeared from publicview and is believed to have beenput under a form of house arrest.He is also known to be the youngestpolitical prisoner in the world.

Asked at the same press conferenceabout the boy's whereabouts andwhy he disappeared, Padma Cholingsaid he was being kept out of publicview at his own request. "As far as Iknow he and his family are nowliving a good life in Tibet," he said.

"He and his family are reluctant tobe disturbed and want to live anordinary life," he added. China hasbeen raising the profile of its 20-year-old choice as Panchen Lama inan apparent attempt to legitimizehim.

The so called Gyaincain Norbu wasrecently appointed vice president ofChina's national Buddhist associationand as a delegate to a body thatadvises the main parliament, whichis the midst of its March 5-14session. He has been quoted by statemedia praising Chinese control ofTibet.

California Psychologist fulfills His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Urgent Request

San Francisco, California, USA(March 1, 2010) - "I have beenwaiting my whole life to tell whathappened in Tibet," declared an 82year-old Tibetan refugee aftermeeting with Marcella Adamski,Ph.D., a clinical psychologist workingin San Francisco's Financial District,who is working to record the lifestories of exiled Tibetan elders.

Dr. Adamski explained that, "WhenI met with His Holiness the DalaiLama, I asked what could be doneto help the people of Tibet. Heemphasized the vital importance ofrecording the life experiences ofolder Tibetans in exile, who bothwitnessed and endured the invasionand occupation of Tibet by theChinese. She added, "The DalaiLama urged that the elders beinterviewed before they pass awayand their stories are lost forever."

In response to this, Adamskifounded a non-profit organization

in 2003 called the Tibet Oral HistoryProject, which has videotaped 85elders' eyewitness accounts to date.In an effort to preserve as manyoral histories as possible, Adamskiwill travel this April to DhoegulingTibetan Settlement in Mundgod, aTibetan refugee town in southernIndia nicknamed "Little Tibet."Adamski and her team ofAmericans and Tibetans plan tovideotape over 50 interviews withelderly Tibetans in Dhoeguling.

When H.H the Dalai Lama wasforced to flee Tibet in 1959, anestimated 80,000 Tibetans followedtheir spiritual leader into exile inIndia, where most still live. TheProject's interviews document boththe memories of the refugees' livesin Tibet before the occupation, andtheir accounts of the Chineseinvasion and the hardships of lifeunder foreign rule.

Adamski described, "The refugeesthat we interview come fromdiverse backgrounds - nomads,farmers, housewives, traders,monks, nuns and communityleaders. After the Chinese invasionof Tibet, many of them becamepolitical prisoners, forced laborers,and even resistance fighters. Now,at the ages of 80 or 90, theserefugees are the last generation whocan describe what it was like to

grow up in a free Tibet."Film footage and printed transcriptsof 25 of these interviews arecurrently available on the Project'swebsite. The complete oral historycollection will also be provided toTibetan archives and internationalresearch libraries. In addition, RadioFree Asia's Tibetan Service isbroadcasting interview excerptsworldwide, even in China, on theirweekly "Life in Exile" radio show.

Radio Free Asia's Senior Editor,Benpa Topgyal, explained, "I feel itis as important for the present andthe future generation of Tibetans toknow their forefather's legacy as itis for the Chinese to understandTibetan issues from an angle andsource other than the officialChinese government propaganda."

Many Tibetan advocacy groupsaround the world have shown theirappreciation for Dr. Adamski'swork. Dennis Cusack, a SanFrancisco attorney and Co-chair ofthe International Tibet SupportNetwork, stated that, "The TibetOral History Project plays a crucialrole in the Tibetan struggle forfreedom. Hearing these interviews,younger generations of Tibetanscan bind themselves even moretightly to the Tibetan identity thatthey and their elders are fighting topreserve."

International Students from Sixteen Coun-

tries Stood in Solidarity with Tibetans

Pune - Students from 16 different

countries in Pune met today to

commemorate the 51st anniversary

of the Tibetan Uprising day at

Symbiosis Auditorium.

March 10 holds a special significance

in the hearts of all Tibetans as on

this day, 51 years ago, Tibet

experienced one of the bloodiest

massacre in the history of our

struggle. Thousands of innocents

and nonviolent protesters were killed

by the People's Liberation

Army(PLA) in Lhasa. The day also

signifies Tibetan people's resistance

against Chinese occupation of Tibet

when thousands of Tibetans

gathered infront of the Potala palace

to guard the Dalai Lama and defy

the foreign occupation.

"It is our responsibility as Tibetans

growing in the free world to share

the plight of our brothers and sisters

in Tibet to the global community."

said Tenzin Tselha, Coordinator of

Students for a free Tibet - Pune

chapter. "Organizing this meeting of

international students enable us to

educate our peers from different

parts of the world to understand

Tibetan struggle better."

In today's event, "Knowing Others",

Tibetan students did a special

presentation on the Tibetan

freedom strug gle and Tibetan

culture to the gathering followed by

presentation of culture by student

part icipants from different

countries. The participants also sang

their feelings through songs, hence

creating an atmosphere of

international union.

"Through this meeting, we were able

to highlight the current situation in

Tibet to the participants." said

Tenzin dolkar, a Tibetan participant

and member of Students for a free

Tibet. "Situation in Tibet has never

improved since the Occupation. We

demand the Chinese government to

stop oppressing people of Tibet."

Pune is a city of many communities

and diverse culture. Known for its

educational facilities with more than

hundred educational institutes and

nine universities, Pune has attracted

international students for different

parts of the world.

Students for a free Tibet, Pune

chapter remembers this day and

wants to acquaint the plight and

tragedy of Tibet that is fragmented

into the hearts of s ix mil l ion

Tibetans to Pune and beyond.

The Tibet Post 1115 March , 2010 Dharamsala

The ninth session of the 14th Tibetan Parliament in Exile is set to begin this Monday with

the commencement of the budget session in Dharamshala, India. Photo:TPI

Pema Trinley (Ch: Padma Choling), the

newly oppointed governor of so called

Tibet Autonomous Regoin. Photo: TPI

The portrait gallery reveals the striking faces

of the elders who made this project come

to life. Photo: tibetoralhistory

Members of Students for a free Tibet -

Pune outside Symbiosis Vishwabhavan,

Pune. Photo: SFT/India

TPI PHOTOSThe Tibet Post 1215 March , 2010 Dharamsala

Tibetan National Uprising Day

Exiled Tibetan Women commemorate the 51st anniversary of theTibetan Women’s National Uprising Day in Dharamshala, Indiaon 12 March 2010. Photo: TPI / Yangsham

Members of Chinese Democractic Activists from 9 countriesmeeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala,India. Photo: TPI

His Holiness the Dalai Lama meeting a Weiming Chen,member of Chinese Democractic Activists in Dharamsala,India. Photo: TPI

ATibetan protester on the 51st anniversary of the TibetanNational Uprising Day, in Dharamsala, India. Photo: TPI

Weiming Chen’s sculpture “Tibetan Road to Freedom”,dedicated to the heroes of Tibet on the 51st TibetanNational Uprising Day. Photo: TPI

Members of the French Green Party commemorates the 51stTibetan National Uprising Day in Paris. Photo: TPI

Tibetans and Australians Mark the 51st anniversary of TibetanNational Uprising Day in Australia . Photo: TPI / Sophie Coles

Journalists from news agencies in exile at work duringcommemorations in Dharamsala, India. Photo: TPI

Members of the French Green Party in Paris. Photo: TPI

Ministers of the Tibetan Government Exile attendingcommemorations in Dharamsala, India. Photo: TPI

Protestors are surrounded by Nepalese police in Boudha,Kathmandu, on the 51st Tibetan National Uprising Day.Photo: TPI / Lhuboom

Journalists struggle to take pictures of the commemorations inDharamsala, Indai. Photo: TPI

www.shambalapost.com www.tibetexpress.com www.lhasapost.com www.outlooktibet.com

Documents

The Tibet Post International