dalai lama birthday

11/07/2016 News

TCHRD condemns detention of Buddhist Believers for celebrating Dalai Lama’s birthday in Nepal

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) condemns the detention of Tibetan Buddhist believers and disruption of the 81^st birthday celebration of the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 6 July 2016 at Srongtsen Bhrikuti Tibetan School located at Boudhanath area in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The Kathmandu-based NGO Human Rights Organisation Nepal (HURON) informed TCHRD that the local police detained 30 people including 28 Tibetans on the morning of 6 July for participating in the religious event to celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday. Nine Tibetans were arrested around 11 am at Srongtsen School and an additional 19 were arrested outside the school, and then taken to Mahindra Police Club. Around 5 pm, the 30 detainees were released and handed over to HURON.

17/07/2013 News

More injured by gunshots than earlier reported in Tawu

Smoke from incense and juniper leaves fill the air as Tawu Tibetans celebrate Dalai Lama’s birthday on 6 July.

New information from Tibet sheds light on important details related to 6 July shootings, beatings and teargassing by China’s People’s Armed Police (PAP) forces in Tawu (Ch: Daofu/Dawu) County on the 78^th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. (Click here for our previous report on Tawu shootings.)

According to information received by TCHRD, on the afternoon of 6 July armed police detained 18 Tibetans from a bridge on the foothills of Machen Pomra mountain, en route to the famous Tawu Nogen Stupa (Tib: Tawu Nogen Chorten). Out of them, 14 have sustained gunshot wounds and are receiving treatment. There is no death reported yet although the injured are not out of danger.

TCHRD has identified a few more injured Tibetans. Yama Tsering, 72, was severely beaten and got four of his ribs broken. Another Tibetan man, Dekyi Gonpo aka Goleb has become deaf in one ear due to beatings.

11/07/2013 News

Senior monk among the latest identified in Tawu shootings

Warning: This post contains graphic images.

An undated photograph of Chanzoe Tsewang Choephel, a senior monk and staff at Nyatso Monastery. — An undated photograph of Tsewang Choephel, a senior monk and staff at Nyatso Monastery.

Tsewang Choephel, a senior monk and administrative staff (Tib: chanzoe) at Nyatso Monastery, is the latest Tibetan to be identified among those injured in Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP) firing on 6 July.

According to information and photographs received by TCHRD, senior monk Tsewang Choephel was shot at multiple times on his hands and legs. His condition is critical. With Tsewang Choephel’s identification, the number of the injured in PAP firing has increased to ten, including a layman Ugyen Tashi who was shot with eight bullets.

The beatings, shootings and teargassing in Tawu led to the violent disruption of an otherwise peaceful religious ceremony observed to celebrate the 78^th birthday of the Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The scale and extent of the Tawu shootings appear to overshadow another brutal shootings in January 2012 in Drango (Ch: Luhuo) County.

10/07/2013 News

Environmental activist suffers broken ribs after savage beatings in Tawu

Chinese armed police arrive to surround the venue of birthday celebration. — Chinese armed police arrive to surround the venue of the Dalai Lama’s birthday celebration on 6 July in Tawu County.

A Tibetan environmental activist has his ribs broken after enduring savage beatings at the hands of China’s People’s Armed Police forces on 6 July when local Tibetans in Tawu (Ch: Daofu/Dawu) County gathered to celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 78th birthday in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

According to information received by TCHRD, Gyaltsen, a Tibetan layman and environmental activist from Dunkye camp, was among a group of Tibetans who were savagely beaten at a bridge near Machen Pomra mountain. Gyaltsen suffered two broken ribs and many others in the group also sustained serious injuries. After the beatings, armed police detained 14 known Tibetans including Gyaltsen but they were released on the night of 7 July following protests from local Tibetans who had gathered at the courtyard of Nyatso Monastery to protest the detention.

09/07/2013 News

Tibetans in critical condition after Chinese armed police shoot into crowd celebrating Dalai Lama’s birthday

Gyen Tashi Sonam was shot in his head; receives treatment in a hospital in Dartsedo.

Several known Tibetans are in critical condition and many more injured after Chinese armed police fired into a crowd of Tibetans gathered to celebrate the 78^th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 6 July in Tawu (Ch: Daofu) County in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

According to information received by TCHRD, at least nine Tibetans have sustained serious gunshot wounds and are believed to be in critical condition. Many others, both monastic and lay Tibetans, whose exact numbers cannot be determined immediately, have been injured after paramilitary forces from People’s Armed Police (PAP) lobbed teargas shells and beat them. The injured are mostly monks from Nyatso Monastery, nuns from Geden Choeling Nunnery and a considerable number of lay Tibetans in Tawu County.

Gyen Tashi Sonam, a monk and teacher at Nyatso Monastery, who was shot in his head, is being treated along with others at a hospital in Dartsedo (Ch: Kangding) County.