Content

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THE TIBET BUREAU
OFFICE OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF H. H. THE DALAI LAMA
PLACE DE LA NAVIGATION 10, 1201 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
CONTENTS
On His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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Speaker Nancy Pelosi addresses Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
President Bush addresses Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
Canadian Parliament declares Dalai Lama an Honorary Citizen of Canada
Dalai Lama: A charismatic figure in his adopted land
Press reports on visits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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Hamburg 2007: Buddhistische Belehrungen im Tennisstadion
Zürich 2005: Dalai Lama in der Schweiz eingetroffen
Zürich 2005: Ein Hauch von Politik beim Dalai-Lama-Besuch
On the political issue of Tibet
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Reborn Supremacy: China’s control of Tibetan Reincarnation
Leader Article: Counter China's Designs
Germany and Canada: After meeting the Dalai Lama
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Deutschland und China beenden ihre Eiszeit
German chancellor reiterates no change on Dalai Lama stance
Eagerness for trade and respect for human rights aren't mutually exclusive
The best: 1. Calling China's Bluff
Buddhism in China
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China's Spiritual Awakening
Repression inside Tibet
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Tibetans seen forced to oppose Dalai Lama's return
Year 2007 sees repression worsening in Tibet: Report
China deepens religious repression in Tibet-report
The Tibet Bureau, Geneva is the sole official agency of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and
the Tibetan Government-in-Exile based in Dharamsala, India for Central and Eastern Europe
Tel. +41 22 738 79 40 ▪ Fax +41 22 738 79 41
info@tibetoffice.ch ▪ www.tibetoffice.ch
Speaker Nancy Pelosi addresses Congressional Gold
Medal Ceremony
Members of Congress are afforded many special opportunities. The opportunity to join the President
of the United States and Congressional leaders to award His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the
Congressional Gold Medal is an unsurpassed honor.
I thank the co-sponsors of the legislation for making today possible. With this Gold Medal, we affirm
the special relationship between the United States and the Dalai Lama.
It is a relationship that began with a gold watch. As a boy,the Dalai Lama enjoyed science and
mechanics. Knowing this, President Franklin Roosevelt gave the very young Dalai Lama a watch
showing the phases of the moon and the days of the week.
The Dalai Lama described the gold watch as magnificent and even took it with him when he fled Tibet
in 1959. His Holiness still uses the watch today and his teaching about the connection between science
and religion is an inspiring part of his message.
American presidents and the American people have been inspired by His Holiness, who describes
himself as a simple monk, no more, no less.
To Tibetan Buddhists, he is the earthly manifestation of the living Buddha.To the international
community, he is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. To millions of believers and admirers, he
is a source of wisdom and compassion. To young people, His Holiness is a positive example of how to
make the world a better place.
I will always be grateful to Chairman Tom Lantos for affording many Members of Congress our first
meeting with His Holiness in 1987. It was then that His Holiness described a Middle Way Approach
that seeks real autonomy for Tibetans within the framework of the People's Republic of China. This
was a historic moment because His Holiness was relinquishing his goal of independence in favor of a
compromise solution.
The Dalai Lama has expressed a willingness to visit China to engage directly with high level officials.
It is my sincere hope that Beijing will take advantage of this opportunity and extend an invitation to
His Holiness for substantive discussions. It is easy for us to gather here today to honor the Dalai Lama,
especially when we consider how difficult it is for Tibetans to do so.
To meet with the Dalai Lama, Tibetans flee the repression in their own country, under the threat of
torture and imprisonment for even having a picture of His Holiness. They walk for weeks, without
adequate food or clothing, across the freezing Himalayan mountain passes. It is the most perilous
escape route on earth. After their audience, they make the trip once again, returning to Tibet to rejoin
their families.
When the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, the Nobel Committee affirmed its
unstinting support for his work for peace, and for the unarmed masses on the march in many lands for
liberty, peace and human dignity. And in doing so, the Nobel Committee honored the Tibetans who
march across the Himalayas, and the many others who cannot.
Today, with this Congressional Gold Medal, we honor the Tibetan people again and His Holiness the
Dalai Lama for his many enduring and outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights
and religious understanding.
Your Holiness: you bring luster to this award, and a challenge to the conscience of the world.
President Bush addresses Congressional Gold Medal
Ceremony
Madam Speaker; and Senator Byrd; Mr. Leader; members of the congressional delegation, particularly
Senators Feinstein and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; Senator Thomas -- God rest his soul -distinguished guests, particularly our friend, Elie Wiesel; and Your Holiness.
Over the years, Congress has conferred the Gold Medal on many great figures in history -- usually at a
time when their struggles were over and won. Today Congress has chosen to do something different. It
has conferred this honor on a figure whose work continues -- and whose outcome remains uncertain.
In so doing, America raises its voice in the call for religious liberty and basic human rights. These
values forged our Republic. They sustained us through many trials. And they draw us by conviction
and conscience to the people of Tibet and the man we honor today.
Nearly two decades have passed since the Dalai Lama was welcomed to the White House for the very
first time. Members of both of our political parties and world leaders have seen His Holiness as a man
of faith and sincerity and peace. He's won the respect and affection of the American people -- and
America has earned his respect and affection, as well.
As a nation, we are humbled to know that a young boy in Tibet -- as a young boy in Tibet, His
Holiness kept a model of the Statue of Liberty at his bedside. Years later, on his first visit to America,
he went to Battery Park in New York City so he could see the real thing up close. On his first trip to
Washington, he walked through the Jefferson Memorial -- a monument to the man whose words
launched a revolution that still inspires men and women across the world. Jefferson counted as one of
America's greatest blessings the freedom of worship. It was, he said,"a liberty deemed in other
countries incompatible with good government, and yet proved by our experience to be its best
support."
The freedom of belief is a yearning of the human spirit, a blessing offered to the world, and a
cherished value of our nation. It's the very first protection offered in the American Bill of Rights. It
inspired many of the leaders that this rotunda honors in portraits and in marble. And it still defines our
way of life.
Consider where we gather today. This great symbol of democracy sits quietly near a Catholic parish, a
Jewish synagogue, a Muslim community center, a Greek Orthodox cathedral, and a Buddhist temple -each with faithful followers who practice their deeply held beliefs and live side by side in peace. This
diversity is not a source of instability -- it's a source of strength. (Applause.) This freedom does not
belong to one nation -- it belongs to the world.
One of the tragic anomalies of the past century is that in an era that has seen an unprecedented number
of nations embrace individual freedom has also witnessed the stubborn endurance of religious
repression. Americans cannot look to the plight of the religiously oppressed and close our eyes or turn
away. And that is why I will continue to urge the leaders of China to welcome the Dalai Lama to
China. They will find this good man to be a man of peace and reconciliation. (Applause.)
Throughout our history, we have stood proudly with those who offer a message of hope and freedom
to the world's downtrodden and oppressed. This is why all of us are drawn to a noble and spiritual
leader who lives a world away. Today we honor him as a universal symbol of peace and tolerance, a
shepherd for the faithful, and the keeper of the flame for his people.
I congratulate His Holiness on this recognition. I'm so honored to be here with you, sir. Laura and I
join all Americans in offering the people of Tibet our fervent prayer that they may find days of
prosperity and peace.
And now I ask the Speaker and Senator Byrd to join me for the Gold Medal presentation.
Canadian Parliament declares Dalai Lama an Honorary
Citizen of Canada
Canada Tibet Committee[Friday, June 23, 2006 10:44]
The motion to declare His Holiness the Dalai Lama an Honorary Citizen of Canada was unanimously
approved this afternoon in the House of Commons.
Below is the motion that was put forward by David Sweet, M.P.(Ancaster-Dundas-FlamboroughWestdale)
"That whereas Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, has been recognized with the Nobel
Peace Prize as one of the world's leading champions of peace and non-violence; and
Whereas His Holiness the Dalai Lama will visit Canada from September 9th to the 11th; and
Whereas this House has previously acknowledged historic visits to Canada by other leading
champions of human dignity, such as Raoul Wallenberg and Nelson Mandela, by adopting motions
granting them 'Honourary Canadian Citizenship';
Therefore, this House resolves to bestow the title 'Honourary Canadian Citizen' on His Holiness the
Dalai Lama of Tibet."
The Dalai Lama is the third non-Canadian to receive this honor, the other two being Raoul Wallenberg
in 1985 and Nelson Mandela in 2001.
Dalai Lama: A charismatic figure in his adopted land
TNN[Thursday, January 24, 2008 11:47]
T T Ram Mohan
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh winged his way back from Beijing, China’s bete noire, His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, was in our part of the world. The crowds that gathered to greet him and the
spell he cast on his audiences showed that the ageing leader of Tibet’s government-in-exile remains a
charismatic figure in his adopted land.
At IIM Ahmedabad, a packed auditorium heard the Dalai Lama’s address on ‘Ethics and business’ in
pin-drop silence. When his talk was over, many rushed to the dais, some to touch him, some to
prostrate, others merely to see him from close quarters. Outside the auditorium, many waited patiently
for the Dalai Lama to emerge even if they could catch only the merest glimpse of him.
The Dalai Lama’s appeal has little to do with the attractions of Buddhism. Quite the contrary. He
appeals to people because he offers a version of ethical living that does not have to be based in
religion. Just as the Buddha is the one religious figure that fascinates those with a scientific temper,
the Dalai Lama’s appeal today is to a wider, secular audience.
Those who would steer clear of religion and holy men find themselves drawn to the Dalai Lama. As
journalist Mayank Chhaya notes in his recent biography (The Dalai Lama — Man, Monk, Mystic), the
Dalai Lama “had made his message non-denominational and non-religious without compromising the
enduring mystique of his life”.
Another element in the Dalai Lama’s appeal is his freedom from pomposity or condescension. He
breaks into laughter easily and he comes across as somebody who is accessible. His fan club includes
some of the world’s leading politicians, Hollywood celebrities, scientists and young people. In 1989,
he was awarded the Nobel Peace prize.
In 2005, Time magazine ranked him among the 100 most influential figures in the world. It is hard to
think of a non-political figure in modern times with such a universal following or comparable stature.
Then, there is the Dalai Lama’s ability to reduce the most complex matters to simple terms. At IIMA,
the Dalai Lama explained what ethics in business was all about. For businesses to succeed, the
employee needed to have a sense of belonging to the organisation. This would happen when the
employee came to trust the employer.
And trust would exist only where the employer was seen to act ethically, where his actions sprang
from “warm-heartedness”. Ethical action was also required because success in business alone would
not bring about peace of mind or satisfaction. Only actions that were rooted in “warm heartedness”
would prove constructive.
This is as neat an exposition of ethics in business as any. Much of it may seem self-evident or trite but,
with the Dalai Lama, the medium is the message. The message is effective, it has ready listeners
because the audience is left in no doubt that it emanates from an elevated being. There is something
about his presence — his utterly relaxed manner, perhaps, or a certain joyfulness — that compels
attention.
China has been severely critical of the Dalai Lama’s public appearances and international travels. It
has said that he uses the cover of religion to pursue political goals. The Dalai Lama himself makes no
secret of his commitment to the Tibetan cause. At IIMA, he listed his three priorities today as
promoting ethical behaviour, fostering harmony among religions and pursuing the Tibetan cause.
That cause has begun to look increasingly forlorn in recent years. It is nearly five decades since the
Dalai Lama went into exile and his original goal, independence for Tibet, seems well nigh
unattainable. These days, the Dalai Lama only talks of autonomy of a degree that would help preserve
the Tibetan culture. But China seems to have lost interest even in pursuing a dialogue with him.
Tibet is important to China because of its vast territory and its abundant natural resources. In seeking
to pacify Tibet, China has pursed a policy of engineering huge settlements of Han Chinese in Tibet,
winning over locals through economic development and fostering greater economic linkages between
Tibet and the rest of China. It is a policy that seems to have met with a fair degree of success.
India, like the rest of the world, has been a mute spectator to the goings-on in Tibet if only out of a
sense of utter helplessness. At times, it has seemed that Tibet is a vital card that India will play in
containing Chinese attempts at encircling India.
At other times, it appears that Tibet will be reduced to a side-show in India’s efforts towards greater
rapprochement with China. Nor is the rest of the world in a mood to confront China, an emerging
world power, over the cause of Tibet.
Whatever lies in store for Tibet, the frail figure in ochre, who rattles a mighty kingdom, remains a
powerful symbol — of the relevance of moral values pitted against brute force, of the importance of
means in a world in which ends alone seem to matter.
Hamburg 2007: Buddhistische Belehrungen im
Tennisstadion
NDR Online, 23.07.08
Der Dalai Lama hat am Montag im Rahmen seines Hamburg-Besuchs mit seinen buddhistischen
Belehrungen begonnen. Vor rund 5.000 Besuchern im Tennisstadion am Rothenbaum führte das
tibetische Oberhaupt in die "400 Verse" des indischen Meisters Aryadeva ein - ein Klassiker in der
buddhistischen Lehre. Bis zum Freitag wird der Dalai Lama in täglichen Unterweisungen darlegen,
wie der Geist durch Umgewöhnung, richtiges Denken und Meditation transformiert und "befreit
werden kann".
Kritik an China-Kurs
Der Hamburger GAL-Abgeordnete Manuel Sarrazin hat aus Anlass des Dalai Lama-Besuchs einen
stärkeren Einsatz Hamburgs für die Menschenrechte in China gefordert. Nur mit dem Empfang des
tibetischen Oberhaupts im Rathaus sei es nicht getan. Als Wirtschaftsmetropole profitiere die Stadt
vom boomenden Handel mit der Volksrepublik. Gleichzeitig würden aber mit öffentlichen Geldern
Waren aus chinesischen Zwangsarbeitslagern gekauft, kritisierte er. China hält Tibet seit 1950 besetzt,
der Dalai Lama floh 1959 ins Exil.
Dalai Lama ruft zu Frieden und Mitgefühl auf
Am Sonntag hatten sich wie bereits am Sonnabend rund 10.000 Menschen im Tennisstadion
versammelt. Das geistliche Oberhaupt der Tibeter rief zu mehr Frieden und Mitgefühl in der Welt auf.
"Das 20. Jahrhundert war geprägt von Gewalt, aber das 21. Jahrhundert kann ein Jahrhundert des
Friedens werden", sagte der Dalai Lama. Er befürworte die Idee einer Weltorganisation, in der
Menschen vertreten sind, die ihr Leben in die Mission des Friedens gestellt haben. Außerdem
appellierte der 72-Jährige auch an die Verantwortung eines jeden Einzelnen. "Durch Resolutionen der
UN können wir die Welt allein nicht verändern, wir müssen bei den Individuen anfangen", sagte der
Dalai Lama.
Zu den Gesprächspartnern des Friedensnobelpreisträgers gehörten der Gründer des Alternativen
Nobelpreises, Jakob von Uexküll, und die Sängerin der Band Wir sind Helden, Judith Holofernes.
Großer Andrang
Bereits am Sonnabend hatte der Dalai Lama für einen großen Andrang von Interessierten gesorgt. Am
Morgen waren viele U-Bahnhöfe der Linie 1 und die Züge in Richtung Veranstaltungsort überfüllt.
"Jeder Mensch hat ein Recht auf ein glückliches Leben. Aber ob ihm dies gelingt, hängt von seiner
inneren Haltung ab", sagte der Friedensnobelpreisträger. Im Westen gebe es viele Menschen, die trotz
ihres materiellen Wohlstandes unglücklich seien. "Deshalb müssen wir positive Gefühle wie Liebe,
Mitgefühl und Toleranz entwickeln, um den negativen Gefühlen wie Hass und Wut etwas
entgegenzusetzen", erläuterte der 72-Jährige. Die mentale Einstellung sei "wichtig für unsere
Gesundheit und für ein glückliches Leben". Das Wochenende stand unter dem Motto "Frieden lernen:
Die Praxis der Gewaltlosigkeit".
Vertrauen zu China aufbauen
In einem ARD-Exklusiv-Interview kündigte der Friedensnobelpreisträger an, Vertrauen zu China
aufbauen zu wollen. "Ohne Vertrauen, wie können wir da diskutieren? Die chinesische Seite ist voller
Misstrauen", sagte er. Eine harmonische Gesellschaft könne nicht mit Waffen erzwungen werden. Er
stellte zudem klar, dass er bei einem ausreichenden Grad an Freiheit nach Tibet zurückkehren werde.
"Dann werde ich all meine legitime Autorität abgeben an die lokale tibetische Regierung. Dann wäre
ich weder geistliches noch politisches Oberhaupt der Tibeter."
"Inneren Werten mehr Beachtung schenken"
Bereits am Freitag hatte der Dalai Lama die reichen Länder der Erde zu mehr Verantwortung für die
armen Länder aufgerufen. Vor Journalisten sagte der Friedensnobelpreisträger in Hamburg: "Wir
leben in einer Welt und wir müssen mehr Aufmerksamkeit darauf richten, wie wir die Kluft zwischen
Arm und Reich verringern können." In den USA steige die Zahl der Millionäre, gleichzeitig lebten
immer mehr Menschen in Armut. Diese Kluft sei nicht nur moralisch falsch, sondern auch der
Ursprung vieler gesellschaftlicher Probleme, sagte er. Als Beispiel für ein positives Engagement
nannte er Microsoft-Gründer und Milliardär Bill Gates, der einen großen Teil seines Geldes für
Entwicklungshilfe einsetze. "Wenn wir den inneren Werten mehr Beachtung schenken, werden wir
auch glücklicher sein", sagte der buddhistische Lehrer.
Frauen im Buddhismus
Auch zur Frage des Ordensrechts für Frauen im tibetischen Buddhismus äußerte sich das geistliche
und politische Oberhaupt der Tibeter. Er befürwortete eine volle Ordination für Nonnen. Sie ist in
etwa mit der Priesterweihe bei den Katholiken vergleichbar und ermöglicht es den Nonnen,
akademische Grade zu erwerben und zu unterrichten. Allerdings könne er die Frage nicht allein
entscheiden, sondern nur die buddhistische Gemeinschaft. Zu diesem Zweck fand in Hamburg ein
Kongress buddhistischer Nonnen statt, an dem auch der Dalai Lama teilnahm und dessen
Abschlussrede er hielt.
Hamburgs Bischöfin Maria Jepsen unterstützte die Haltung des buddhistischen Oberhaupts. In
christlichen Kirchen seien die Frauen fast zwei Jahrtausende lang ausgegrenzt worden. Dabei hätten
Frauen genau so viel religiöse Kompetenz wie Männer. "Auch die römisch-katholische Kirche würde
nicht untergehen, wenn sie Frauen ordiniert", sagte Jepsen. Die 62-Jährige war bei ihrer Ernennung im
Jahr 1992 die erste evangelisch-lutherische Bischöfin weltweit.
Stand: 23.07.2007 13:20
Zürich 2005: Dalai Lama in der Schweiz eingetroffen
fest / Quelle: sda / Dienstag, 2. August 2005
Zürich - Der Dalai Lama ist zu seinem zwölftägigen Besuch in der Schweiz eingetroffen.
Im Mittelpunkt stehen die Unterweisungen, welche das geistige Oberhaupt der Tibeter ab Freitag im
Zürcher Hallenstadion halten wird. Ein Treffen mit den Medien in Zürich bildete den Auftakt des
längsten Aufenthalts des Dalai Lama in der Schweiz. Danach reiste der 70-Jährige weiter nach
Einsiedeln SZ, wo am Nachmittag in der Klosterkirche eine interreligiöse Begegnung auf dem
Programm steht. Das Motto lautet "Auf der Suche nach der Fülle des Lebens". Am Mittwoch und
Donnerstag wird der Dalai Lama an Symposien der Universität Zürich sowie der ETH Zürich
teilnehmen. Zudem wird er die Ausstellung "Die 14 Dalai Lamas" eröffnen und mit dem Zürcher
Forum der Religionen eine interreligiöse Begegnung abhalten.
Buddhistische Unterweisungen
Am Freitag beginnen die Unterweisungen des Dalai Lama im neuen Zürcher Hallenstadion. Während
acht Tagen wird er über das Wesen des Buddhismus sprechen. Dabei geht es vor allem um die Frage,
wie ein glückliches, friedvolles und erfülltes Leben möglich ist. Für die Veranstaltung "The Dalai
Lama in Switzerland 2005" im Hallenstadion sind rund 7500 Wochenpässe zu 450 Franken verkauft
worden. An der Tageskasse dürften täglich rund 2000 Tickets zur Verfügung stehen. Während seines
Aufenthalts in der Schweiz wird der Dalai Lama auch mit Politikern zusammentreffen, unter anderem
mit Bundesrat Pascal Couchepin und der Parlamentarier-Gruppe für Tibet.
Zürich 2005: Ein Hauch von Politik beim Dalai-LamaBesuch
Treffen mit Bundesrat Couchepin
4. August 2005, 15:45, NZZ Online
Der Besuch des Dalai Lama hat am Donnerstag einen politischen Anstrich erhalten. Bundesrat
Pascal Couchepin und der Dalai Lama kamen an der ETH Zürich zu einem offiziellen Treffen
zusammen und besprachen unter anderem die Lage in Tibet, wie das EDI bekannt gab. Zudem
nahmen sie an einem Symposium zum Thema Furcht und Angst teil.
(ap) An dem offiziellen Treffen an der Eidgenössischen Technischen Hochschule (ETH) hiess
Couchepin den spirituellen Leiter der tibetisch-buddhistischen Gemeinschaft im Namen des
Bundesrates in der Schweiz willkommen, wie das Eidgenössische Departement des Innern (EDI) in
Bern mitteilte.
Aktuelle Lage diskutiert
Der Innenminister, in dessen Zuständigkeitsbereich auch die ETH gehört, und der Dalai Lama
unterhielten sich gemäss Mitteilung während 40 Minuten in freundschaftlicher, entspannter
Atmosphäre. Diskutiert wurden laut EDI die aktuelle Lage in der autonomen Region Tibet, die
Verhandlungen von Dalai-Lama-Vertretern mit der Regierung der Volksrepublik China und die Frage
der Religions- und Kulturfreiheit.
Zur Sprache kamen auch die Integration der tibetischen Gemeinschaft in der Schweiz und das vom
Bund finanzierte Projekt zur Restaurierung des Ramoche-Tempels in Tibets Hauptstadt Lhasa. Der
Dalai Lama dankte der Schweiz gemäss Mitteilung für die Aufnahme tibetischer Flüchtlinge in der
Vergangenheit.
Kein Anlass zu Misstrauen für China
Nach dem Treffen stellten sich die beiden in der von Sicherheitskräften streng bewachten ETH kurz
den Fragen von Journalisten. Der Dalai Lama sagte unter anderem, die Schweiz könnte China
beibringen, dass kein Anlass zu Misstrauen bestehe. Eine gute Lösung sei möglich. Er schloss nicht
aus, dass auch ein fünftes und allenfalls ein sechstes Treffen seiner Delegation mit Vertretern Chinas
in der Schweiz stattfinden könnte, wie vor Kurzem das vierte in Bern.
Man habe über eine Lösung für die Region gesprochen, sagte Bundesrat Couchepin. Die Schweiz sei
zwar keine grosse Macht, doch für den Frieden könne man immer etwas tun. Die Schweiz sei der
Meinung, dass Tibet wie Taiwan zu China gehöre. «Aber wir sind für die Beibehaltung der
verschiedenen kulturellen und religiösen Traditionen», sagte er im Radio DRS.
Weg zum Dialog ebnen
Am ETH-Symposium sagte Couchepin unter anderem, der Dalai Lama sei nicht als Bekehrer
gekommen, sondern in der Hoffnung, durch buddhistische Fragen und Antworten die Wahrnehmung
des eigenen spirituellen Erbes zu erweitern. Die Anwesenheit des Dalai Lamas biete die Gelegenheit,
sich in allen Bereichen des öffentlichen und privaten Lebens über Angst und Furcht hinwegzusetzen
und den Weg zum Dialog zu ebnen. An dem Symposium sprachen unter anderen der Theologe Eugen
Drewermann, die Politikerin und Diplomatin Gret Heer und der Psychoanalytiker Arno Gruen.
Reborn Supremacy: China’s control of Tibetan
Reincarnation
Non-Subscriber Extract
Jane's Intelligence and Insight
21 January 2008
Reincarnation rarely overlaps with international security concerns. However, in the Tibet Autonomous
Region (TAR) of China, the topic has implications for the way Beijing rules the region.
Since invading the then-independent Tibet in 1950, Beijing has ensured tight military and political
control over the strategically important area. Struggling against this control has been the spiritual
leader of Tibetan Buddhists and last independent political leader of Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin
Gyatso, who was 15 when China invaded and in his early twenties when he fled the region to India in
1959. Now 72 years old, he and his Tibetan government-in-exile are concerned that his death and
reincarnation (the present Dalai Lama is believed by Tibetan Buddhists to be the latest in an unbroken
lineage of incarnations) will eliminate the possibility of political accommodation with China, given the
Dalai Lama's role as the symbolic focus of the Tibetan issue.
For its part, Beijing similarly believes the Dalai Lama's demise will remove a figure of symbolic force
and sap the movement of much of its international resonance. It is therefore seeking to, and believes it
can, manage the Dalai Lama's death with alacrity and prevent any deterioration in security.
The issue of reincarnation was highlighted in November when the Dalai Lama announced during a
visit to Japan that he might choose his successor while he is still alive. Although there are instances in
Tibetan history where an incarnate Tibetan lama is believed by Tibetans to have reincarnated before
his passing, the Dalai Lama's statement was still somewhat unusual, and certainly politically
significant as an attempt to thwart Beijing's control and supervision of the reincarnation of influential
Tibetan lamas.
However, despite the Dalai Lama's statement, the government-in-exile in Dharmsala remains
undecided on the issue. A referendum on the concept of succession and a popular election for any
successor have also been mentioned by the Dalai Lama in 2007. This hesitancy was underlined by
further remarks in December, when the Dalai Lama also acknowledged that he and his exile
government had come to no real decision about any specific method for managing the search for and
recognition of the next dalai lama. This indecision highlights the difficult situation for the Tibetan
government-in-exile, which has little influence in the TAR's politics, and the nimble diplomacy of
Beijing.
China's intentions regarding its desire to select the next Dalai Lama have been known for more than a
decade, long enough for the Tibetan leader and his exile government to have formulated a clear and
decisive plan for the succession. That they still remain undecided about how specifically to counter
China's plans at this late stage is symptomatic of the almost wholly reactive nature of their strategy
towards China. China has long remained several steps ahead of them at almost every stage.
Playing on the Dalai Lama's political naivety and his desperation to resolve the Tibet issue, China
acted to ensure that the idea of Tibetan independence lost some of its legitimacy by shrewdly insisting
he be more vocal about accepting Tibet as a part of China. What ensued during the 1990s and into the
present decade was effective statecraft.
Leader Article: Counter China's Designs
The Times Of India, Brahma Chellaney
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
One issue emblematic of the Sino-Indian strategic dissonance is Burma. Indeed, there are several
important parallels between Burma and the vast territory whose annexation brought Han forces to
India’s borders for the first time in history - Tibet. India and China may be 5,000-year-old civilisations
but the two had no experience in dealing with each other politically until Tibet’s forcible absorption
made them neighbours. In contrast, India has had close historical ties with Tibet and with Burma, part
of the British Indian empire until 1937. The majority people of Burma, the Burmans, are of Tibetan
stock, and the Burman script, like the Tibetan one, was taken from Sanskrit.
Today, Tibet and Burma are at the centre of the India-China relationship. Having lost the traditionally
neutral buffer of Tibet, India sees Burma as a hedge against China’s authoritarian rise. It is significant
that the resistance against repressive rule in both Tibet and Burma is led by iconic Nobel laureates, one
living in exile in India and the other with close ties to India but under house arrest in Rangoon.
Equally remarkable is that the Dalai Lama and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi received the Nobel peace prize
in quick succession for the same reason: for leading a non-violent struggle, in the style of Mahatma
Gandhi.
Yet another parallel is that heavy repression has failed to break the resistance to autocratic rule in both
Tibet and Burma. More than half a century after Tibet’s annexation, the Tibetan struggle ranks as one
of the longest and most-powerful resistance movements in modern world history. With no links to
violence or terror, it actually stands out as a model.
Similarly, despite detaining Suu Kyi for nearly 13 of the past 19 years, the junta has failed to suppress
the democracy movement, as last September’s monk-led mass protests showed.
For the autocrats in Beijing, who value Burma as an entryway to the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean,
the demonstration of people’s power in a next-door state was troubling news because such grass-roots
protests could inspire popular challenge to their own authoritarianism. Having strategically penetrated
resource-rich Burma, Beijing is busy completing the Irrawaddy Corridor involving road, river, rail and
energy-transport links between Burmese ports and Yunnan.
For India, such links constitute strategic pressure on the eastern flank. China is already building
another north-south strategic corridor to the west of India - the Trans-Karakoram Corridor stretching
right up to Pakistan’s Chinese-built Gwadar port, at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz - as well as an
east-west strategic corridor in Tibet across India’s northern frontiers. In Burma, Beijing is also helping
construct a 1,500-km highway leading to Arunachal Pradesh.
Such links hold serious implications for India because they allow Beijing to strategically meddle in
India’s restive north-east and step up indirect military pressure. Operating through the plains of Burma
in India’s north-east is much easier than having to operate across the mighty Himalayas. In 1962,
Indian forces found themselves outflanked by the invading People’s Liberation Army at certain points
in Arunachal (then NEFA), spurring speculation that some Chinese units quietly entered via the
Burmese plains, not by climbing the Himalayas.
The potential for Chinese strategic mischief has to be viewed against the background that the original
tribal insurgencies in the north-east were instigated by Mao’s China, which trained and armed the
rebels, be it Naga or Mizo guerrillas, partly by exploiting the Burma route. During World War II, the
allied and axis powers had classified Burma as a “back door to India”. Today, India shares a porous
1,378-km border with Burma, with insurgents operating on both sides through shared ethnicity.
Tibet and Burma are going to stay pivotal to Indian security. The centrality of the Tibet issue has been
highlighted both by China’s Tibet-linked territorial claim to Arunachal and by its major inter-basin
and inter-river water transfer projects in the Tibetan plateau, the source of all of Asia’s major rivers
except the Ganges. By damming the Brahmaputra and Sutlej and toying with the idea of diverting the
Brahmaputra waters to the parched Yellow River, Beijing is threatening to fashion water into a
weapon against India.
The junta has run Burma for 46 years, while the communist party has ruled China for 59 years. Neither
model is sustainable. The longest any autocratic system has survived in modern history was 74 years
in the Soviet Union.
But while Burma has faced stringent sanctions since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, the postTiananmen sanctions against China did not last long on the argument that engagement was a better
way to bring about political change - a principle not applied to impoverished Burma.
India cannot afford to shut itself out of Burma, or else - with an increasingly assertive China to the
north, a China-allied Pakistan on the west, a Chinese-influenced Burma to the east, and growing
Chinese naval interest in the Indian Ocean - it will get encircled. Just as India has not abandoned the
Tibetan cause and indeed remains the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile despite doing business
with China, India will continue to support the Burmese democracy movement and remain home to
large numbers of refugees and dissidents despite a carefully calibrated engagement with the junta
aimed at promoting political reconciliation and stemming the growing Chinese clout.
(The writer is a strategic affairs analyst.)
Deutschland und China beenden ihre Eiszeit
SPIEGEL online hen/AP 22. Januar 2008
Rückkehr zur normalen Zusammenarbeit: China und Deutschland haben ihre diplomatische
Krise für beendet erklärt. Es sei Zeit, nach vorn zu schauen, sagte Außenminister Steinmeier
nach einem Treffen mit seinem Amtskollegen Yang.
Berlin - Vier Monate währte die diplomatische Krise zwischen China und Deutschland - jetzt haben
sich die Außenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier und Yang Jiechi darauf verständigt, zu einer
normalen diplomatischen Zusammenarbeit zurückzukehren. Grundlage dafür war ein Briefwechsel, in
dem die Bundesregierung die Zweifel Pekings an der deutschen Ein-China-Politik ausräumte. Als
Zeichen der Entspannung wollen in den nächsten Monaten mehrere Bundesminister und
Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel nach China reisen.
Steinmeier räumte ein, dass die vergangenen Monate "nicht ganz einfach" für die deutsch-chinesischen
Beziehungen gewesen sein. Nun sei es aber an der Zeit nach vorne zu schauen. "Eine gute und enge
Partnerschaft zwischen Deutschland und China entspricht einer lange Tradition", sagte er.
Auch Yang betonte, die chinesische Regierung lege großen Wert auf gute deutsch-chinesische
Beziehungen. "Wir stehen vor vielen gemeinsamen neuen Herausforderungen", sagte er.
Die Krise in den deutsch-chinesischen Beziehungen war durch ein Treffen Merkels mit dem Dalai
Lama im Berliner Kanzleramt im vergangenen September ausgelöst worden. Hochrangige
diplomatische Kontakte wurden von Peking weitgehend eingestellt. Ende November startete
Steinmeier bei einem Geheimtreffen mit Yang am Rande der Nahost-Konferenz in Annapolis eine
diplomatische Offensive.
Das Ergebnis war ein Briefwechsel, in dem die Bundesregierung bekräftigt, dass sie Tibet und Taiwan
als Teile Chinas anerkennt.
Sie spricht sich darin zudem gegen ein taiwanesisches Referendum über einen Uno-Beitritt aus und
macht deutlich, dass sie Unabhängigkeitsbestrebungen Tibets weder unterstützt noch fördert.
In einem der Briefe, die während der vergangenen Wochen ausgetauscht wurden, wird aber auch der
Schutz der tibetischen Kultur angesprochen. "Dabei wünscht die Bundesregierung weitere Fortschritte
bei der Förderung und dem Erhalt der Kultur und der Religion der Tibeter", heißt es darin.
Das Ende der Krise hatte sich bereits in den vergangenen Tagen abgezeichnet. Merkel sagte dazu in
einem NDR-Interview, jetzt könne wieder das Einigende zwischen Deutschland und China in den
Vordergrund gestellt werden. Meinungsverschiedenheiten müssten zwischen Freunden "aushaltbar
sein".
Bei ihrem knapp einstündigen Gespräch vereinbarten Steinmeier und Yang eine ganze Serie von
Ministerreisen nach China in den nächsten Monaten. Als erstes Kabinettsmitglied wird
Umweltminister Sigmar Gabriel Ende Januar in China erwartet. Im Mai folgt ein Besuch Steinmeiers
in der zentralchinesischen Millionenstadt Chongqing. Auch Reisen von Innenminister Wolfgang
Schäuble und Bildungsministerin Annette Schavan ins Reich der Mitte sind bereits geplant.
Merkel hatte bereits in der vergangenen Woche angekündigt, dass sie Ende Oktober an einem
Gipfeltreffen der EU mit asiatischen Staaten in Peking teilnehmen will. Steinmeier schlug Yang
zudem eine China-Reise einer Delegation von Bundestagsabgeordneten vor, bei der es auch nach Tibet
gehen soll. "Der chinesische Außenminister hat das begrüßt", hieß es in Diplomatenkreisen.
Yang lud Steinmeier auch zu den Olympischen Spielen in Peking ein, die im August stattfinden. Ob
diese Reise zu Stande kommt, steht aber noch nicht fest.
German chancellor reiterates no change on Dalai Lama
stance
IRNA Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Berlin, January 15: German Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirmed that there has been no change on
her position on the Dalai Lama following Beijing's strong criticism over last September's between
Merkel and the Tibetan spiritual leader at the chancellery.
Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, "Everything has been said on this issue. Friendships have to
endure differences."
Merkel's remarks on China followed recent comments by her Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier who openly acknowledged that Berlin-Beijing ties were in "deep turmoil" in the wake of
the official Dalai Lama meeting.
The chancellor and her foreign minister were involved in a major feud over the China policy in recent
weeks.
Merkel has strongly defended her decision to meet with the Dalai Lama.
"As chancellor, I decide whom I meet and where I meet them. I wish everyone in the government
would keep to this position because otherwise China's respect for us will not increase," she was quoted
saying.
Her remarks were clearly aimed at Steinmeier who has criticized Merkel for trying to "showcase" the
human rights issue as part of her wider public relations strategy in the field of German foreign policy.
The Merkel-Steinmeier dispute comes at at time where both coalition partners are getting ready for the
2009 election campaign with the Social Democrats (SPD) trailing by a wide margin in all opinion
polls over the past weeks.
Although SPD chairman Kurt Beck is still a front-runner for the chancellor's job, Merkel sees also in
Steinmeier a likely serious contender for the top post in Germany.
While Merkel has pressed ahead with the US rapprochement process and tried to distance herself from
China and Russia, Steinmeier who was the former bureau chief of ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder -had played an instrumental role in fostering closer ties with Beijing and Moscow since the late 1990s.
Beijing has called off a series high-level political meetings in recent weeks, voicing its protest over the
provocative talks between Merkel and the Dalai Lama at the chancellery in late September.
Meanwhile, the German government is openly provoking China by planning to meet again with the
Dalai Lama, according to recent news reports.
The human rights coordinator of the German government, Guenter Nooke is reportedly expected to
meet the Dalai Lama in Berlin on May 19.
It is still unclear whether Nooke will receive the Dalai Lama in his office in the German Foreign
Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama has also requested to hold talks with Steinmeier, however he has yet to
receive an answer.
The German Foreign Ministry said it was still "reviewing" the request.
Eagerness for trade and respect for human rights aren't
mutually exclusive
Editorial: The Montreal Gazette
9 January 2008
Vancouver Sun
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cordial meeting with the Dalai Lama last October left the Chinese
embassy in Ottawa fizzing with irritation.
But now that David Emerson, Canada's trade minister, is in Beijing on a five-day trade mission that
will also take him to Mongolia and Hong Kong, China's bluster seems to have melted away.
In fact, Emerson had some interesting figures to report: Canadian exports to China are rising sharply -by 27 per cent according to new preliminary figures. Canada has a trade deficit with China, as does
every country: In 2006 we sold about $7.66 billion worth of goods and services to China -- wood pulp,
chemicals, nickel, ores and machinery, mainly -- but imported four-and-a-half times as much.
Look again at that list. China isn't importing any of that for pleasure; these are materials that China's
fast-developing economy needs. A spat with Canada over the Dalai Lama reflects the sterile politics of
a repressive one-party state, while the trade growth reveals something quite different -- a dynamic and
bustling economy. Trade, unlike the government's rhetoric, is not fully controlled from the centre, and
so better reflects reality.
Emerson says that he has heard no threats about commercial repercussions from the Dalai Lama's visit.
"I do not believe that it will fundamentally derail the relationship."
One meeting of a working group on bilateral relations was cancelled by China after the Dalai Lama
visited, but on the other hand in Beijing Emerson took part in the formal opening of a new commercial
annex at the Canadian embassy. Agreements on tourism and air transport remain hung up, but they
were stalled before the Dalai Lama's visit. Emerson says he hopes for progress on those matters, too.
Meanwhile last week, Huseyin Celil, a Canadian citizen imprisoned in China for life after a shoddy
"trial" on terrorism charges in 2006, was allowed to see his sister Meryem. Nobody can say what this
means, but it's clearly not a sign of Chinese intransigence.
China's campaign to portray the Dalai Lama as an outlaw to be kept in political isolation has failed.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and United States President George W. Bush also met him last
fall; he is respected, even revered, around the world.
Chinese claims that the Dalai Lama is the front man for "the separatist Tibet independence forces" was
a clear signal to the government of Canada, a place where "separatist" is a word full of meaning. But
Harper, to his credit, rejected China's claim, and declared that he would not turn his back on human
rights for the sake of the "almighty dollar."
That was posturing. The real Canadian position is, or should be, that there is no either-or choice here.
Canada can and should speak plainly and loudly about human rights matters, but can also leave
companies free to pursue contracts.
Slowly, we believe, the Chinese government will come to see that respect for rights and eagerness to
trade do not have to be mutually exclusive.
The best: 1. Calling China's Bluff
Canada’s Foreign Policy Newsweekly / Best & Worst Foreign Policy Moves
Embassy, January 23rd, 2008
This government has never shied away from criticizing China's human rights record–impressive given
the Asian nation's growing clout.
Still, over the past year the government had toned down its message, as evidenced by comments from
Chinese Ambassador to Canada Lu Shumin who said repeatedly that relations had improved since
2006. But then news broke that Prime Minister Stephen Harper was going to follow the lead of other
world leaders by publicly meeting Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
Mr. Lu warned such a tête-à-tête would affect bilateral relations, and members of the Canadian
business community with links to China were visibly concerned. Unmoved, Mr. Harper met the Dalai
Lama on Parliament Hill on Oct. 29, and the monk, an honourary Canadian citizen, was received by
the government with open arms and much publicity.
In response, the Chinese government called Canada's Ambassador to China Robert Wright onto the
carpet to express its dissatisfaction, while the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa held a press conference and
released a strongly worded statement.
But business seems to continue as usual. Canadian firms continue to land contracts in China, trade and
investment numbers are reaching new heights, and there haven't been any reports of real impacts.
While the government's apparently selective manner in sticking to its so-called principled approach to
foreign policy, seen by its interest in inking deals with Colombia, Mongolia and Vietnam without
criticizing those states, is suspect. But the government's decision to call China's apparent bluff and
take a stand by hosting the Dalai Lama, a move many Canadians and the Opposition supported, is
admirable.
China's Spiritual Awakening
Business Week [Friday, January 11, 2008 14:29]
Why a growing number of successful urban professionals are flocking to Buddhism
by Dexter Roberts
In early December, Beijing's in-crowd converged on the central business district for the opening of the
Kunlun gallery. Sipping Veuve Clicquot and Mumm champagne, the real estate tycoons, stock market
warriors, and Prada-clad celebrities gawked at Ming Dynasty Buddhist statuary and 15th century scroll
paintings.
Four Tibetan art works eventually fetched $3.4 million and, at a follow-up auction eight days later, 87
pieces of Buddhist art netted $10.4 million. For the gallery's proprietor, a half-Tibetan, half-Chinese
entrepreneur named Yi Xi Ping Cuo, 35, the brisk business was another testament to the popularity of
Buddhism in China. "Every year there are millions more Buddhists," says Yi. "Of course they want to
put a Buddhist statue in their homes to make their hearts peaceful."
Buddhism is booming—quite a paradox given the Communist Party's official atheism and its troubled
relationship with the Dalai Lama. The faith's growing popularity reflects a yearning for meaning
among China's yuppies, who increasingly are attracted to Buddhism's rejection of materialism and
emphasis on the transitory nature of life. "They have a BMW and a house in the countryside," says
Lawrence Brahm, an American who runs three boutique hotels, including one in Tibet. "And they're
bored. They're realizing there's more to life than collecting toys." Buddhism's trendiness has spawned
a surge in faith-related business: Flights to the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, are booked solid, monasteries
are building guesthouses, and Web sites offering free downloadable mantras are proliferating.
Buddhism arrived in China from India in the first century A.D. and flourished right up to the modern
era. After the Communists seized power in 1949, they discouraged religion. But like Christianity,
Buddhism never entirely disappeared. Some believers continued quietly to practice at altars set up in
their homes. And not long after China embraced market forces in the late 1970s and '80s, the faith
reemerged in the countryside, with peasants visiting refurbished temples, where they burned incense
and prayed.
Despite opening up, China remains wary of religious groups. Its relations with Rome, while improved
in recent years, are hardly friendly. And some seven years ago the authorities crushed the Falun Gong,
which the government deemed an unacceptable threat after 10,000 sect members showed up in Beijing
to protest their official ostracism. But the government is comfortable with Buddhism. "Buddhists
seldom mess with politics," says Chan Koon Chung, a writer and Buddhist in Beijing. "So it's more
palatable to the government." In a recent speech President Hu Jintao even suggested that religion,
including Buddhism, could help to ease tensions between the haves and the have-nots.
In the past few years, the faith has been resonating with the white-collar class. As China clocks its fifth
year of double-digit growth, working 12 hours a day and on weekends is de rigueur. Li Xinglu once
typified the breed: hard-working, successful, unfulfilled. She ran an events-promotion firm and
brought the likes of Ricky Martin, Boyz II Men, and the Dance Theater of Harlem to Beijing and
Shanghai. She mixed with pop stars, diplomats, and entrepreneurs. But something was missing. "I was
smoking, drinking, and spending all night in the clubs," says Li, who is 39 and married to an American
fund manager. "I spent a lot of time chasing happiness."
A recurring dream about her grandmother's death and conversations with a spiritually inclined
colleague got her thinking. Before long, Li was on a plane bound for the northwestern city of Xining.
After a 21-hour Jeep ride across the Tibetan plateau, she arrived at the Tse-Reh monastery. There Li
met her teacher, a 19-year-old monk who set her on a new path. Today, Li has put her career on hold
and focuses instead on charitable acts, including raising money for an orphanage for Tibetan children.
She credits her conversion for halting a downward spiral. "I didn't understand there was such a thing
as a soul or spirit," says Li.
Not long ago, young upwardly mobile Chinese flew to places such as Thailand for the sun, sea, and
sand. Now, like Li, many are heading to Buddhist retreats at home. Temples are being refurbished for
the tourist hordes. Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai is now one of China's top Buddhist destinations.
The 126-year-old monastery runs its own 44-room hotel (double occupancy: $134) and sells lucky
amulets, DVDs of monks reciting mantras, and other spiritual paraphernalia. (Monks hoping to
maximize profits are even attending MBA programs that offer temple-management classes.)
WELCOME RESPITE
In November, the chamber of commerce in coastal Xiamen sponsored the second annual Buddhist
Items & Crafts fair. More than 40,000 entrepreneurs descended on the vast Xiamen International
Conference & Exhibition Center and loaded up on statuary, prayer beads, incense burners, and other
goods. "This is a huge commercial opportunity," says Xuan Fang, who teaches religious studies at the
People's University in Beijing. "A string of prayer beads that may be worth no more than one yuan
could sell for dozens of yuan in a temple."
Some traditionalists fret that Buddhism is becoming too trendy. Exhibit A: pop diva Faye Wong, a
convert whose videos sometimes feature Buddhist images. And some monasteries focus as much on
attracting tourists as practicing the faith. "Commercialization," says professor Xuan, "is one of the
most dangerous trends of Chinese Buddhism." Still, for stressed-out yuppies, Buddhism is a respite
from the rat race. "Society brings so many headaches," says Nikki Xi, a convert who works for a Web
ad agency. "I'm more relaxed. [Buddhism] makes the whole work process smoother."
Roberts is BusinessWeek's Asia News Editor and China bureau chief.
Tibetans seen forced to oppose Dalai Lama's return
Reuters [Sunday, January 06, 2008 14:13]
By Benjamin Kang Lim
BEIJING, January 6: Chinese authorities have been forcing Tibetans to sign a petition opposing the
Dalai Lama's return, a London-based group said, in apparent retaliation for the award of a high U.S.
honour to Tibet's spiritual leader.
President George W. Bush gave the exiled god-king the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington in
October, infuriating Beijing. It came on the heels of the Dalai Lama's reception by German Chancellor
Angela Merkel in September.
The Dalai Lama, 72, has lived in exile in India since fleeing his predominantly Buddhist homeland in
1959 after a failed uprising against Communist rule. Closed-door talks between Beijing and his envoys
have made little progress.
"The Chinese authorities are really stepping up their anti-Dalai Lama rhetoric and propaganda," Anne
Holmes, acting director of the Free Tibet Campaign, said in an e-mail on Sunday.
During a public meeting in December in Lithang in the Kham area of Gansu province, which is
populated largely by Tibetans, residents were asked to raise their hands if they opposed the Dalai
Lama's return. No one obliged, the campaign group said.
Residents were then asked to raise their hands if they did not have weapons at home. As it is illegal to
possess firearms, everyone raised their hand. A photo was then taken and sent to state media, claiming
residents were opposed to the Dalai Lama's return, the Free Tibet Campaign said.
Also in December, secretaries and accountants in townships in Gansu were invited on a nationwide
tour paid for by the government, the group said.
FORCED TO SIGN
Before setting out, they were called to a meeting in Lanzhou, capital of the northwestern province, and
forced to sign a petition on behalf of the people they represent opposing the Dalai Lama's return, the
Free Tibet Campaign said. The meeting was apparently broadcast on local television.
An old man from Amchok town, Hezui city, refused to sign and was taken away and beaten, Holmes
said. She said the beating had led a group of young Tibetans to attack township secretaries and
accountants while they were eating at a restaurant in Gyelmogon.
Several secretaries were seriously injured and taken to hospital in Ganan city, Holmes said, quoting a
monk who had witnessed the attack and spoken to the injured.
Matt Whitticase, spokesman for the group, said Tibetans in Gansu had been forced to celebrate the
New Year by slaughtering pigs, contravening their earlier decision not to butcher hogs so as to pray
for long life for the Dalai Lama who was born in the Year of the Pig.
Many in Tibet still pledge loyalty to the Dalai Lama despite Beijing's condemnation of him as a
separatist. While he advocates a "middle way" approach that advocates autonomy for Tibet within
China, Beijing officials do not trust him.
Several Tibetans were arrested last year for burning furs after the Nobel Peace Prize laureate called on
Tibetans not to wear the furs and skins of endangered animals.
Qin Yizhi, Communist Party boss in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, has urged residents to "make new,
greater contributions in opposing splittism, maintaining stability and promoting lasting peace", the
regional government's official Web site said.
China regularly defends its rule in the Himalayan region, saying the Communists ended centuries of
serfdom and brought prosperity to the underdeveloped region.
In December China dismissed accusations that religious repression was increasing in Tibet, and
accused the Dalai Lama of wanting to reintroduce serfdom.
(Additional reporting by Li Jiansheng; editing by Roger Crabb)
Year 2007 sees repression worsening in Tibet: Report
Phayul - By Phurbu Thinley
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy’s 2007 annual report finds cases of arbitrary
arrests and detentions inside Tibet increased almost threefold compared to 2006 indicating a
worsening of human rights situation in Tibet ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Dharamsala, January 21: Year 2007 saw repression worsen in Tibet signaling a hardening attitude of
China despite holding sixth round of talks between the envoys of the Dalai Lama envoys and Beijing,
the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy" (TCHRD) stated in its 2007 annual report
released here today.
The report titled- Human Rights Situation in Tibet: Annual Report 2007 notes “Through out the year,
the Chinese authorities in occupied Tibet unleashed spate after spate of policy campaigns, regulations
and decrees to subject Tibetans to intensified state controls over their human rights and fundamental
freedoms,”
The year round assessment of the human rights situation in Tibet finds Communist Chinese
Authorities committing severe violations of human rights in Tibet as a result of placing heightened
security measures and cracking down heavily on incidences of peaceful protests by Tibetan people.
Not surprisingly, the report finds “cases of arbitrary arrest and detentions” increased almost threefold
compared to previous year (2006), “suggesting a clear indication of the human rights situation
worsening in Tibet”.
The report documents 65 known cases of arbitrary arrests in 2007 alone out of the total 119 known
Tibetan political prisoners, of which 43 are serving terms of more than ten years.
“The actual number could be even much higher,” TCHRD’s Director Mr Urgen Tenzin speculates,
pointing at the lack of freedom as the key factor hindering more accurate monitoring of the situation
inside Tibet.
According to the report, “Chinese authorities routinely resorted to arbitrary arrests, imprisonment and
torture in dealing with peaceful protests by Tibetans, which normally included displaying Tibetan
flags, staging non-violent demonstrations, possessing pictures of the Dalai Lama, and posters calling
for freedom of Tibet.”
Although the so called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is considered politically more sensitive
region, interestingly TCHRD finds Kardze region outside of the TAR as “the most volatile Tibetan
area in terms of political developments, for several successive years now”. The report shows that half
of the total 65 known cases of arbitrary arrests during 2007 were recorded from the Kardze region
alone.
The centre’s report puts peculiar note of the intensified repression placed upon the Tibetan Buddhist
monasteries and nunneries, which have long been identified by Chinese authorities as the “hot bed of
dissents” in Tibet.
Accordingly, the report finds that 70% (80 out of the 119) of the known political prisoners are monks
and nuns.
The report says that “during 2007, religious freedom in Tibet took a major set back” after the Chinese
authorities introduced two new religious regulations. “Tibet Autonomous Region Implementing
Measures for the Regulation of Religious Affairs” and “Measures on the Reincarnation of Living
Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism”, the report says, were primarily aimed at subjecting “Tibetan
Buddhism and its spiritual masters under intensified state control through legal conundrums”.
Further the report alleges that the Communist authorities regularly conducted ‘patriotic re-education’
and ‘love your country, love your religion’ political campaigns in the monastic institutions” and
reinvigorated the ‘Patriotic education’ in various Tibetan areas during the year as a measure toward
bringing the monastic communities under a tight official grip”.
One of the major concerns raised in the report remains to be continuing arrival of new Tibet refugees
after fleeing across the harsh Himalayan terrains, very often putting their lives into extreme risks. In
2007, some 2338 Tibetans managed to safely reach the Tibetan Reception Centre in Dharamsala, the
seat of the Dalai Lama and the base of the Tibetan Government-in Exile. Of the total number of
refugees, the report shows, around half of them were below the age of 18 seeking educational
opportunities as a result of poor educational facilities in the rural areas of Tibet where about 75% of
the Tibetan population reside. And where schools do exist, they have “biased (Chinese) curriculum”,
the repot exposes.
Persecution of several Tibetans in the eastern Tibet region following an open pro-independence and
pro-Dalai Lama outcry in Lithang by a Tibetan nomad, Rongye Adrak that escalated into a mass
Tibetan protests against Chinese authorities; closing down of Tibetans sites, online blogs and
restrictions on internet and other media; destruction of statues of religious significance, especially
those of Guru Rinpoche by Communist authorities; heightened security measures restricting Tibetans
from taking part in religious activities and public celebrations; detaining and torturing school students
by authorities in Amchok Bora Village in Labrang County; another shooting incident on the Nangpa
La Pass; mass relocation of Tibetan herders affecting their traditional livelihood and further
marginalization of Tibetans as a result of the new railway accelerating the Chinese population transfer
into Tibet are some of the major cases extensively highlighted in the report categorised into Civil and
Political Liberties, Religion, Education in Tibet and Development chapters.
With the Beijing Olympic Games only a few months away in August 2008, TCHRD’s report seeks to
“build up pressure and expose China’s human rights farce to the world”.
China deepens religious repression in Tibet-report
Reuters
Monday, December 10, 2007
BEIJING, Dec 10: Religious repression in the Chinese ruled Himalayan region of Tibet is tightening,
with authorities intensifying pressure on monks to denounce the exiled Dalai Lama, a new report said
on Monday.
The government had started building police stations close to, or even in, monasteries, limiting the
number of monks or nuns and making them take exams to prove their loyalty to China, the Londonbased Tibet Watch said.
Though visitors to Tibet may notice rebuilt and restored monasteries and monks and nuns apparently
able to freely practise Buddhism, it is only for show, the group said.
"Monks have also told us of returning to monasteries that are more like museums. Monks and nuns
talk of having money donated for the upkeep of monasteries and nunneries snatched by the Chinese
authorities," Anne Holmes, Acting Director of Free Tibet Campaign, said in a statement.
China has ruled Tibet with an iron hand since its troops took control in 1950. But many in Tibet still
pledge loyalty to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama, despite Beijing's condemnation of him
as a traitor for staging a failed uprising against Chinese rule and fleeing to India in 1959.
China denies religious repression and regularly defends its rule in Tibet, saying the Communists ended
centuries of serfdom and brought prosperity to the underdeveloped region.
Tibet Watch said China was trying to crack down on Tibetans' devotion to their spiritual leader, the
Dalai Lama, with a series of new measures, including detaining and torturing monks and nuns who
refuse to denounce him.
Tibet Watch quoted an unidentified nun as describing what happened to her when soldiers found she
was wearing a picture of the Dalai Lama around her neck, as China has banned his image being show
in the country.
"They saw the photo and when I would not give it to them, the soldiers rushed over and beat me.
When my companions cried out that a nun was being killed, they were beaten and thrown across the
room," she said.
"I was punched and kicked and blood was spouting from my mouth. Then I was tied to a pillar and
kicked on my chest many times," the nun added.
China must respect religious freedom in Tibet, the report added.
"How can China ever expect to be a respected player on the world stage when it does everything in its
power to control and undermine the religious beliefs that are a basic human right of the Tibetan
people?" Holmes added.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard, editing by Nick Macfie)