Tag: dalai lama

Imprisoned Tibetan monk and writer Gartse Jigme in a heartfelt appeal calls on the Chinese government to reach out to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to listen to the demands articulated by self-immolation protesters, as a first step towards creating a truly harmonious and stable Tibet where respect for Tibetan rights and freedoms would replace oppression and suffering.

This essay appears at the end of the second volume of his book, “Tsenpoi Nyingtop” (The King’s Valour) which was published this month in India after the author was sentenced to five years imprisonment. He is being imprisoned at an undisclosed location.

About the book, Gartse Jigme writes:

While publishing this book, I endured loads of pain. Tears drenched my heart. For the true values of truth, justice, rights, equality, peace and harmony, I sacrificed everything and wrote this book. This [book] is a source of joy to me. It is my hope for the future. The book is not at all meant to prove my heroism. This book is a way out for me to shed tears once for the suffering of my ancestors. The book is not written to prove my scholarly credentials. It is a way out for me to shed tears for the pain and suffering endured by my fellow-countrymen. To be honest, I am not a hero. I am not a scholar. I am not wealthy. I am nothing. Amid the waves of truth and justice, I cried once with the suffering of my fellow countrymen.

Continue Reading

 

Gartse Jigme, monk and writer, sentenced to five years in prison
Gartse Jigme, monk and writer, sentenced to five years in prison

By branding Dalai Lama as their enemy and neglecting the demands of self-immolators, they have shown that they consider more than 99% of the Tibetan population as their enemies.

~ Gartse Jigme, imprisoned monk and writer

 

On 14 May 2013, two days before the launch of Chinese state television broadcaster CCTV’s fifth propaganda film on self-immolations, a Tibetan writer was quietly sentenced to five years in prison for writing a book on the issue of Tibet issue including self-immolation protests.

According to exile Tibetan sources, Gartse Jigme, 36, a writer and monk, was sentenced to prison on 14 May 2013 for authoring a book with political contents by Tsekhog (Ch: Zeku) County People’s Court in Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.  

Continue Reading

The Previous Xth Panchen Lama
The Previous Xth Panchen Lama

Today marks the 18th year of Tibet’s XIth Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima’s disappearance into Chinese custody. One of the most important spiritual leaders of Tibet, the then six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family members were ‘disappeared’ by the Chinese authorities on 17 May 1995, just three days after His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognized him as the reincarnation of the previous Xth Panchen Lama.

TCHRD has translated the lyrics of a song, “Dear Panchen Lama”, sung by the imprisoned Tibetan singer Lolo about the previous Xth Panchen Lama and his ‘disappeared’ reincarnation.

Continue Reading

Front cover of the PAP manual manual on mental health
Front cover of the PAP manual on mental health

TCHRD has received a Chinese language copy of a manual published by the Sichuan Provincial Political Department of the People’s Armed Police Force (PAPF, also called PAP), titled “Guide on Psychiatric Wellbeing While Maintaining Stability” that was circulated among different contingents, detachments and squadrons located at the province, prefecture, and county levels of Sichuan. The manual contains issues raised during a videoconference meeting held by Sichuan Province People’s Armed Police Force regarding the psychological and moral issues arising from stability maintenance work in Tibetan areas. Although the manual was drafted before Xi Jinping’s appointment earlier this year, there is no sign that he will change any of his predecessor’s policies regarding Tibet.

Continue Reading

Chinese officials scraped off a longlife prayer for Dalai Lama carved on a rockface near the besieged Nyatso Zilkar Monastery in Tridu (Ch: Chenduo) County in Kyegudo (Ch: Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.

According to information received by TCHRD, the incident happened soon after the 54th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan national uprising on 10 March when monks carved on the nearby rockface a prayer that Tibetan Buddhists recite for the long life of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Continue Reading

Ugyen Lhundup, 57, was a farmer at Thangka Village in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Township in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. In 1999, he came to India and lived for some time to study Buddhism. In 2001, after attending the Kalachakra teachings at Bodh Gaya in the north Indian state of Bihar, he returned to Tibet taking along some CDs and books containing religious teachings, which he shared with others on requests from friends and relatives. He also made free copies of the CDs and distributed them among his social circle. It was then that he became a prime target for supervision and surveillance. On 21 October 2012, to escape imminent arrest, he left his house and farm in the care of his neighbor, and secretly left Tibet and reached India on 15 December 2012. Ugyen Lhundup shares his ordeal:

“In 2002, the head of County Public Security Bureau officer, Loga, summoned me at his office. At the PSB office, the officer confiscated my passport and threatened me with five to six months’ detention, if I did not stop questioning the confiscation of my passport. I was let go but without my passport. 

Continue Reading

According to confirmed information received by TCHRD, on 2 February, at around 6 am, a monk named Lobsang Namgyal, 37, from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County committed self-immolation near the Public Security Bureau office in Dzoege (Ch: Ru’ergai) County in Ngaba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the Tibetan province of Amdo.

The monk, who died on the spot, was seen with running towards the police station, his body in flames, shouting slogans such as ‘May the Dalai Lama live for tens of thousands of years,’ sources told TCHRD.

Lobsang Namgyal 01
Lobsang Namgyal in an undated photograph

Later, the Chinese police found a bag on the site of self-immolation, in which they found the monk’s identity card and a letter, which confirmed the identity of the monk as Lobsang Namgyal hailing from Kirti Monastery. 

Continue Reading

Today, at around 12.40 pm, a nun in Tawu (Ch: Daofu) County, Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP), set herself afire in protest against the Chinese government amid the continued repression of religious freedom and human rights in Tibet.

Palden Choetso, 35 years old, shouted slogans such as “Freedom in Tibet,” “Long live H.H the Dalai Lama,” and “Let the Dalai Lama return to Tibet” before she self-immolated near Namgyal Stupa, a huge stupa in Tawu County.

Latest reports state that nun Choetso died from severe burn injuries. Her body is being kept at Tawu Nyatso Monastery at this moment.

Continue Reading

On 6 July 2011, Dorgay, a monk of Shabten Monastery in Dickyi Township of Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) County in Tibet Autonomous Region was arrested and taken away by Chinese police.

At around 5 am on 6 July, Dorgay, 22, drove his car with 1500-2000 khataks (ceremonial scarves). Praying for the long life of the Dalai Lama, he tied the khataks on trees, electric poles and everywhere in Nagchu region as a celebration of the 76th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Soon after returning to his monastery, Chinese police arrived at the monastery and inquired whether he was the one who put khataks all around Nagchu to which he confessed. Hence, he was arrested and taken away by Chinese police. His whereabouts remain unknown to date. His family members and fellow monks at Shabten Monastery tried to locate him and find out about his conditions but without any success.

Continue Reading

According to the confirmed information just received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), on 16 March 2008, a fresh protest broke out in Rong Gonchen Monastery, Rebkong County (Ch: Tongren xian), Malho Prefecture (Ch: Huangnan) “Tibet Autonomous Prefecture”, Qinghai Province.

According to reliable sources within Tibet, around 300 monks of Rong Gonchen Monastery conducted Sangsol Prayer (Incense burning ritual) on the hill just behind the monastery during the early hours of the day. It was known that the monks performed Long Life Prayer Ceremony for the Dalai Lama. Shortly after the end of the prayer ceremony, the monks started peace march towards the government headquarters of Rebkong County which is located in the downtown market area which was later joined by lay people of the County.

Continue Reading

There are credible reports on the arrest of a monk of Drepung Monastery, five people in Labrang Tashikyil Monastery and two other from Kardze region of Tibet for celebrating the US Congressional Gold Medal Award to the Dalai Lama despite severe restriction and control imposed by the Chinese authorities, according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).

Hundreds of Tibetans in their best attire converged early in the morning at Lingkor Road and Barkhor Street in Lhasa for customary observance of Sangsol(incense burning prayer that involve throwing tsampa in the air for success and good fortune) and visited monasteries in large number to offer prayers despite Chinese authorities imposition of severe restriction and vigilance in Tibet ahead of and during the US Congressional Gold Medal Award ceremony for the Dalai Lama on 17 October.

Continue Reading

to top