Tibetan Monks Missing Since April Raid: TCHRD

5 monks are reportedly missing since the raid by Chinese security officials on Ramoche Temple following protests in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in March. The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) said the whereabouts of Ramoche monastery’s Chagzoed (manager and treasurer) Sonam Rabgyal and four other monks could not be ascertained. The monks, say the Tibetan right group based here, were arrested during a ‘midnight raid in monks' residence on 7 April 2008’.

Sonam Rabgyal, 39, a native of Markham County, Chamdo Prefecture, "Tibet Autonomous Region" ('TAR'), Damdul, Rabgyal and two others of Ramoche Temple located in Lhasa came under the suspicion of Chinese police for engaging in pro-Dalai Lama activities.

According to the TCHRD, the monks held a long life offering prayer to the Dalai Lama and read aloud requests for prayer offerings (Tib: Kyabtho) making direct reference to the Dalai Lama's long life and quick resolution of the Tibet issue during the annual Great Prayer Festival (Monlam Chenmo) on 14 February this year. According to sources, the "work team" under the "Patriotic Re-education" Campaign stationed inside the temple knew about their action and interrogated the monks for many days.

On 7 April 2008, around 70 monks of Ramoche Temple were detained after the PSB and PAP forces carried out midnight raid in monks' residences. Although most were released after days of interrogation the whereabouts and conditions of the five- monks still are not known, TCHRD said.

Sources have told TCHRD that religious artifacts made of gold and silver had disappeared after the raid. “Severe restrictions still continue to be put on the movement of the monks of major monasteries since protests broke out in March.

”Even today China has the major monasteries around Lhasa virtually sealed off though officially declaring them reopened to tourism and pilgrimage.

Ramoche Temple housed 115 monks, a mandatory limit set by the Chinese authorities.

In

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22895&article=Tibetan+Monks+Missing+Since+April+Raid%3a+TCHRD

Dissidente Chinês sob detenção em estado crítico de saúde

A saúde do dissidente Budista Chinês, conhecido por defender o Tibete e outros assuntos sensíveis, é crítica vendo-se o detido impossibilitado de comunicar livremente com a sua família, de acordo com fonte que esteve recentemente com ele.

Em Abril, Hu Jia foi acusado de "incitar a subversão do poder do estado" devido a ter criticado o dominante partido Comunista, uma sentença que encontrou rápida condenação por parte dos E.U.A., Grã-Bretanha e Nações Unidas.

Ele encontra-se presentemente a cumprir uma pena de três anos e meio numa prisão próxima da cidade de Tianjin (perto de Pequim) e foi referido como um potencial vencedor do Prémio Nobel da Paz deste ano.

In
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE48Q19W20080927?sp=true

Chinese armed police used spades and meat choppers to beat Tibetan monks

Free Tibet Campaign yesterday (1) reported the beating of 50 Tibetan monks by Chinese armed police at Kirti monastery on 24 September. Kirti monastery is in Ngaba county (Ch: Aba) in the Amdo region of Tibet (Ch: Sichuan province).

Free Tibet Campaign has now received further information from an extremely reliable source on what happened at Kirti monastery.

The monk who was initially beaten on the evening of 24 September has been named as Jimpa Ladja. Jimpa Ladja had left the monastery buildings to go to the toilet but had not gone beyond the outer perimeter of the monastery. (Kirti monastery is surrounded by Chinese armed police. The police are stationed at nine separate checkpoints around the perimeter of the monastery. There are between ten and fifteen police at each checkpoint and each checkpoint is surrounded by a fence. Beyond the checkpoints a separate line has been drawn around the perimeter of the monastery. Monks are forbidden to move beyond the perimeter without permission.)

According to the source, Jimpa Ladja was stopped by armed police at one of the checkpoints while he was walking back to the monastery. The police accused Ladja of walking beyond the perimeter and beat him badly, despite Ladja’s persistent denials that he had crossed the outer perimeter.

Following the beating Ladja was able to walk to a restaurant which is owned by Kirti monastery. Approximately 50 monks were eating at the restaurant when Ladja arrived. Ladja was bleeding and told the monks that he had been beaten, even though he had not crossed the monastery perimeter. According to the source, two of the monks at the restaurant immediately went to the police station situated to the north of Kirti to demand to know why Ladja had been beaten. Chinese armed personnel at the station threatened the monks, firing live rounds into the sky and into the ground in front of the monks. The monks ran back to the restaurant, chased by Chinese armed police who demanded that Ladja leave the restaurant immediately.

According to the source, two separate monks at the restaurant protested to the armed police that it was unreasonable to punish monks for leaving the monastery to go to the toilet. The monks asked the police to call their superiors to settle the problem. One of the police made a call but soon after the call was made two truckloads of armed police arrived at the monastery. The police were armed with rifles, spades and meat choppers.

When the police arrived the monks lay on the ground, and even removed their garments to show the police that they were not armed, according to the source. Despite the absence of violence from the monks, the police beat the monks severely, using the butts of their rifles, spades and even the meat choppers. Five of the 50 monks had to be hospitalized due to the severity of their injuries. The hospitalized monks are: Lama Sotse; Rabgye; Tsang Chopel; Labchoek and Lophel. According to the source, Rabgye and Tsang Chopel had suffered particularly severe injuries after being attacked with spades and meat choppers. The injured monks were taken to the civil hospital in Ngaba town. On 26 September only Lama Sotse remained in the hospital.

The whereabouts of the other four monks who were hospitalized are presently unknown.

Free Tibet Campaign spokesperson, Matt Whitticase, said:

“The Chinese government yesterday issued a White Paper (2) claiming that Tibetan religious beliefs are protected by law. Such claims are shameful in the light of the credible reports we have received of this latest act of brutality against Tibetan monks.

“Such abuses by the Chinese authorities are routine in Tibet and this dire situation is exacerbated by the refusal of the authorities to allow reporters unrestricted access to Tibet. The international community must exert far greater pressure than it has so far on China to open up Tibet to the scrutiny of the media and independent agencies such as the UN and the Red Cross.”

Ends

Notes to editor:

(1) http://www.freetibet.org/newsmedia/250908

(2) http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/25/content_10108521.htm:

Link_Notícia

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4832971.ece?Submitted=true

S.S. Dalai Lama oficialmente convidado a falar no Parlamento Europeu

S.S. o Dalai Lama foi oficialmente convidado a falar no Parlamento Europeu a 4 de Dezembro deste ano.

Hans-Gert Pottering, Presidente do PE confirmou a Thubten Wangchen, Director da Fundacion Casa del Tibet em Barcelona, que S.S. havia sido oficialmente convidado a falar no Parlamento, relativamente às suas intenções quanto ao assunto Tibete - China.

Pottering recebeu oficialmente Thubten la que lhe apresentou uma recolha de 30,000 assinaturas, no âmbito da campanha "SOS Tibet", e apelou a que Pottering interviesse num diálogo sério entre S.S. o Dalai Lama e o presidente Chinês Hu Jintao.

Também presentes na reunião estavam o parlamentar Thomas Mann, líder do Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete do PE, a parlamentar espanhola María Badía, Yangdutso Yangkartsang, Presidente da comunidade Tibetana na Bélgica, Tenzin Wangmo do Bureau du Tibet em Bruxelas e Marcin Libicki, Presidente do Comité de Petições do PE.

Durante a reunião Pöttering expressou preocupação relativamente à actual situação vivida no Tibete e garantiu o seu apoio a uma solução pacífica para a questão Tibetana. Pöttering foi um dos principais defensores da resolução adoptada pela maioria do PE em Abril deste ano, que condenava a brutal repressão empreendida pelo governo Chinês sobre os Tibetanos, na sequência das manifestações de 10 de Março.

Thubten Wangchen, agradecendo a Pöttering e ao P.E. o seu apoio, afirmou que a não-violência e a verdade continuam a ser as ferramentas mais poderosas para os Tibetanos atingirem o seu objectivo.

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?article=Dalai+Lama+Officially+Invited+to+Speak+at+EP&id=22881

Chinese armed police renew repression at Kirti monastery in Ngaba town

Free Tibet Campaign has received reports of renewed repression by the Chinese authorities at Kirti monastery in Ngaba county (Ch: Aba county) in the Amdo region of Tibet (Ch: Sichuan province).


According to a very reliable source who lives in Ngaba county, up to 50 monks from Kirti monastery were beaten by armed police on 24 September. Four monks were so badly injured that they had to be hospitalised, according to the source.


Ngaba county has been under tight control by the authorities since March 16 2008 when, according to eyewitnesses, armed police fired into a crowd of protesting Tibetans, killing up to 30 Tibetans.


According to the source, trouble flared again at Kirti monastery (situated about 2km from Ngaba town) yesterday following the severe beating of one of Kirti’s monks by armed police. The monk had left the monastery earlier that day, having obtained the relevant permission from the monastery authorities. As the monk returned to the monastery a short time before dark, he was stopped by Chinese armed police. According to the source, the returning monk was beaten so badly by the armed police that he was bleeding when he managed to return to the monastery.


Monks asked the bleeding monk what had happened; the monk told them he had been beaten by armed police.


Fifty monks from Kirti monastery immediately went to a police station that is situated in the immediate vicinity of the monastery. The monks argued with the police, according to the source, and demanded the police explain the reason for the severe beating of the monk. Police told the protesting monks that they would call local authorities to discuss the matter.


The source reported that shortly after the call was made, two truckloads of armed police arrived at the police station. The police immediately started to beat the monks at the police station, even though the monks had refrained from becoming violent on the arrival of the police, according to the source. Four of the monks were beaten so badly that they had to be hospitalised. Free Tibet Campaign has not been able to confirm where the monks are hospitalised. The four who were hospitalised are high-ranking monks at Kirti monastery and, according to the source, one of them could be the abbot of Kirti, although this could not be confirmed immediately.


Communication with monks at the monastery has been impossible today and it has not been possible to confirm the name of the monk who was initially beaten, nor the names of the four monks that were hospitalised later.


Tension between Tibetans and the local authorities have been high since March 16. On August 10 Free Tibet Campaign reported that troop numbers in the town had risen from around 2000 to around 10,000 since the beginning of August. Free Tibet Campaign also reported credible eyewitness reports that two Tibetan women had been wounded in Ngaba town by gunfire thought to have come from armed Chinese troops on August 9.


Matt Whitticase of Free Tibet Campaign said: “Reports of terrible repression continue to filter out of Tibet, despite the Chinese government’s strenuous attempts to cover up its abuses with its communication blackoutt. The Chinese government must launch an immediate investigation into the beatings by armed police at Kirti and must also immediately confirm the whereabouts of the monks that were hospitalised yesterday.”

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22879&article=Chinese+armed+police+renew+repression+at+Kirti+monastery+in+Ngaba+town

UN demands answers on Chinese torture

China will have to answer the questions during two hearings in Geneva at the beginning of November.

The UN Committee against Torture excoriated China for the "continued pervasiveness" of torture "in the criminal justice system".

It demanded a list of all the people detained in connection with the riots in Tibet in March, including their current location and convictions. It also asked for an explanation as to why detainees were denied access to a doctor during their imprisonment both before and after trial.

"At least 30 persons were found guilty and sentenced less than six weeks after the events, please clarify the basis of these sentences," the committee asked.

It demanded full details about the number of people who were killed in the riots, which spread from Tibet into the neighbouring provinces of Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai. Reports at the time suggested that over 100 people had died in clashes with security forces.

The list of questions, which is dated August 2008, emerged just after Wen Jiabao, the prime minister, made China's first address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

It also coincided with a Chinese "White Paper" on the "protection and development of Tibetan culture."

According to Xinhua, the state news agency, the white paper was designed to "give the international community a better understanding of the reality of the protection and development of Tibetan culture" and to refute charges of "the so-called cultural genocide" in the region.

The paper attacked the Dalai Lama "and his cohorts" in the West for conspiring to "force the Tibetan ethnic group and its culture to stagnate and remain in a state similar to the Middle Ages."

China has compiled five reports to the Committee against Torture. In the latest report, dated June 2007, it said that the "prohibition of torture has been a consistent position of the Chinese government" and listed a number of regulations that have been brought into place to guard human rights. (?!?)

Its report claimed that the number of criminal charges brought because torture was used to extort confessions had fallen from 143 in 1999 to 53 in 2004. However, the Chinese report failed to provide any detail on the cases or to comment on specific incidents raised by the UN.

In its latest grilling, the Committee also asked why China had ignored its recommendation to abolish "the Re-Education through Labour system", which sees dissidents sentenced to hard labour. "The system ... aims at altering the personality of the detainee [and] reportedly causes severe physical and mental pain and suffering," it said.

It also lashed out at the use of "retrievers (jiefang renyuan)", a large number of unofficial thugs who violently round up dissidents and take them to the authorities.

The UN also said it had heard that "the State party has established detention facilities especially to detain petitioners coming to Beijing" and asked for a full clarification, as well as for China to reveal the whereabouts of a number of high-profile dissidents and their legal representatives. It alleged that many of the dissidents had been "forcibly disappeared".

In
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/3080043/UN-demands-answers-on-Chinese-torture.html

Teriam os Srs. Deputados Portugueses coragem para tanto..?

A delegação Chinesa foi hoje calorosamente recebida pelos membros do parlamento Checo com bandeiras Tibetanas e Taiwanesas.

Horrorizados, os membros da delegação anunciaram que deixariam o país...

In

http://www.novinky.cz/clanek/150431-zeleni-vystrnadili-ze-snemovny-cinskou-delegaci-tibetskou-vlajkou.html

Tradução

Sandra Pikorova

UE proíbe produtos chineses para crianças

A União Europeia vai impor um embargo total aos produtos para crianças provenientes da China considerados como produtos de risco, na sequência do escândalo do leite contaminado chinês, anunciou esta quinta-feira a Comissão Europeia.


Três medidas estão previstas nesta fase, que deverão entrar em vigor na sexta-feira.


Todos os produtos provenientes da China que contenham mais de 15 por cento de leite em pó, como biscoitos ou chocolate, serão submetidos a testes de qualidade. Prevê-se também fiscalizar os produtos deste tipo que já se encontrem no mercado europeu.


A Comissão prevê "impor um embargo total sobre os produtos provenientes da China para crianças que contenham qualquer percentagem de leite", por medida de precaução. Os produtos lácteos já são alvo de embargo desde 2002 na UE.


O escândalo de produtos contaminados com melamina deu-se com a revelação de que produtos lácteos produzidos por pelo menos 22 empresas chinesas continham melamina, um composto químico com alto teor de nitrogénio que perturba o funcionamento do sistema urinário.


Até ao momento, a melamina já levou à morte de quatro bebés, havendo cerca de 53.000 intoxicados na China, 13.000 dos quais hospitalizados, dos quais 104 em estado grave, e 40.000 sob vigilância médica.


In
http://jn.sapo.pt/PaginaInicial/Sociedade/Interior.aspx?content_id=1017879

Envio de carta à Sra. Consul-Geral do Nepal

Apoiantes do Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete, expressando uma séria preocupaçao com a situaçao vivida pelos Tibetanos no Nepal, procederam ontem ao envio da seguinte carta, à Sra. Consul- Geral do Nepal em Portugal.

Lisboa, 22 de Setembro de 2008

Exma. Senhora

Cônsul Geral do Nepal

Dra. Maria Teresa Cruz,

Em primeiro lugar vimos desde já congratulá-la pelo seu empenho e actividades em prol do Nepal.

Em segundo lugar, vimos manifestar-lhe as nossas sérias preocupaçoes relativamente às notícias alusivas à nova política encetada pelo governo Nepalês, de investigação e deportação dos Tibetanos residentes no Nepal que não possuem documentos válidos de residência.

Em nome de alguns representantes e apoiantes do Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete existentes em Portugal, escrevemos-lhe com o intuito de expressar a nossa grave preocupação relativamente ao destino destes Tibetanos, a maioria dos quais têm laços de longa data com o Nepal. De preocupação especial são os 137 Tibetanos que se encontram no Tibetan Refugee Reception Center em Kathmandu, e a quem foi solicitada a apresentação de evidências relativamente ao seu estatuto legal no Nepal. Caso não possuam os documentos válidos e necessários serão deportados para o Tibete.Como sabe cerca de 2,500-3,500 Tibetanos saem anualmente do Tibete, escapando assim à dura repressão imposta pelo governo Chinês, e que inclui a supressão da liberdade de expressão, reunião e religião.

Os Tibetanos enfrentam assim o risco da tortura e da detenção caso regressem ao Tibete. Como parte da Convenção Contra a Tortura, o Nepal encontra-se vinculado ao Artigo 3 da Convenção, que proíbe qualquer deportação sempre que um indivíduo corra o risco da tortura. Nós temos a confiança de que o governo Nepalês respeitará esta obrigação e não forçará nenhum Tibetano sem documentos válidos a regressar ao Tibete. Os Tibetanos que chegaram ao Nepal antes de 1989 podem, juntamente com os seus filhos, receber o Certificado de Registo de Refugiado, que lhes permite permanecer no Nepal. Milhares de Tibetanos, elegíveis para possuírem o Certificado - incluindo possivelmente alguns em detenção - têm esperado durante anos para que o mesmo seja processado e no interim encontram-se sem documentos válidos.Nós apelamos ao governo Nepalês para que este conclua a atribuição dos Certificados a todos os Tibetanos elegíveis para ter residência legal no Nepal. Este ano demonstrou ao mundo que o domínio brutal do governo Chinês sobre o Tibete é um assunto de significância global; um assunto que deve ser abordado mediante esforços multilaterais, de forma a que uma resolução seja encontrada.

O governo Chinês parece estar a exercer uma forte pressão sobre o Nepal de forma a que os Tibetanos sejam expulsos e as vozes dos que defendem os direitos humanos e a liberdade no Tibete sejam silenciadas. A única solução viável relativamente ao número de Tibetanos que circula pelo Nepal, é que o governo Chinês trabalhe com o povo Tibetano de forma a encontrar uma resolução para a questão Tibetana.

Tal como foi evidente no período que conduziu aos, e mesmo durante os Jogos Olímpicos, em todo o mundo as pessoas encontram-se gravemente preocupadas com a situação vivida no interior do Tibete. Agora, o governo Nepalês tem uma oportunidade muito importante de demonstrar uma liderança visionária face a este assunto, abordando as causas últimas subjacentes ao fluxo de entrada de refugiados Tibetanos no Nepal, ao invés de se centrar em medidas superficiais e de curto-prazo.O mundo observará atentamente quando o Nepal realizar a sua primeira aparição no palco mundial, na 63ª sessão da Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas, uma instituição fundada sobre os princípios da paz e cooperação internacional, direitos e auto-determinação de todos os povos, assim como de respeito pelos direitos humanos.

Desta forma nós apelamos ao governo Nepalês de modo a que respeite estes princípios fundamentais e institua novas políticas que respeitem o direito à liberdade de expressão e reunião e contribua para a resolução a longo prazo do domínio Chinês sobre o Tibete.

Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete

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PULSEIRAS RANGZEN

Caros Amigos,

Temos finalmente o prazer de vos comunicar que já dispômos de pulseiras Rangzen para venda.

Inicialmente feitas por monjas Tibetanas, quando detidas pelas autoridades Chinesas em prisões no Tibete, as pulseiras Rangzen começaram desde então, a ser utilizadas como forma de demonstração de apoio pela Independência do Tibete.

Custo unitário: 2,50 eur (0,50 revertem para o G.A.T.)

Para mais informações envie-nos p.f. email

grupodeapoioaotibete@gmail.com

APELO

Caros Amigos,

No seguimento do Press Release para os media hoje enviado pelo GAT, vimos desta forma apelar a que enviem mensagens de protesto, relativamente às afirmaçoes realizadas na passada segunda-feira pelo PM José Sócrates, e referindo-se aos Jogos Olímpicos, quando do encontro com Wang Gang em Lisboa.

Para leitura da notícia acedam pf. a:Portugal, China agree to expand cooperation)

O Senhor PM nao fez referencia à dramática situaçao vivida no Tibete (situaçao essa que se mantem, como sabem) concretamente às contínuas violaçoes dos direitos humanos, assim como ao clima de repressao e medo vivido no Tibete, quando dos Jogos Olímpicos que classificou como "de sucesso".

Poderao enviar as V/mensagens através de:

http://www.portugal.gov.pt/Portal/PT/Geral/Contactos

Caso desejem realizar telefonemas para o Gabinete do PM:

Dr. Pedro Loutie (chefe de Gabinete): 21 392 35 00

Press Release

Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete
24 Setembro


Face às recentes declarações do Sr. Primeiro-Ministro José Sócrates, quando do encontro com Wang Gang (oficial sénior do Partido Comunista Chinês), congratulando a República Popular da China pela organização de sucesso dos Jogos Olímpicos, que decorreram no passado Agosto, vimos desta forma manifestar a nossa indignação pela ausência de qualquer referência à situação vivida no Tibete, no que diz respeito às violações dos direitos humanos, da liberdade religiosa e da liberdade de reunião, verificadas antes, durante e depois dos Jogos Olímpicos.


O Sr. Primeiro-Ministro, preocupado apenas com questões económicas, ignorou deliberadamente a vaga de protestos em toda a comunidade internacional, bem como o facto de a Assembleia da República ter discutido e aprovado, por larga maioria, um voto de condenação da política repressiva do governo chinês em relação ao Tibete, solicitado por uma petição que reuniu mais de onze mil assinaturas de cidadãos portugueses.


Com estas declarações, o sr. Primeiro-Ministro mostra continuar a atitude de subserviência perante a China que contraria a melhor tradição portuguesa de defesa dos direitos humanos.


FIM

Govt to decide soon on Tibetans

BY KULCHANDRA NEUPANE POKHARA,

Sept 23 - Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam said Monday that the government would soon decide the fate of Tibetan refugees residing in Nepal as the country would no longer be able to bear the burden they cause. "The government will soon decide the matter through review of the existing laws or by giving them the status of Nepali citizens," he said while talking to local journalists here at Pokhara.


He also said that the government would take very strict measures to stop the use of Nepali soil against others. "We'll arrest the protesting Tibetans and initiate action against those having identity cards while handing over others with no identity papers to the UNHCR."


There are around 14,000 Tibetans here with ID cards and refugee status, which the government conferred on Tibetans entering Nepal before 1985. It has been 13 years since the government stopped issuing such ID cards even as around 2,500 Tibetans have been entering Nepal every year.


"Most of those (Tibetans) arrested don't possess identity card or passports which means they are living in Nepal illegally," Gautam said, adding, "If we can't stop this, we are not a country."


Claiming that over 100,000 Tibetans have been sheltering in Nepal on various pretexts, DPM Gautam said, "If we continue issuing identity cards to every Tibetan, they will double within 50 years. So, it's high time we decided over this as we can't keep them here like this any more." He also warned the Tibetans not to "misuse" the rights given them as a goodwill. "Legal action will be taken if they are found misusing their rights while in Nepal."


Meanwhile, Nepal's Ambassador to China, Tanka Karki, said that China is happy with the action the government of Nepal has been taking against Tibetan protesters in Kathmandu.


Earlier this month, the government had handed over 132 Tibetan protesters to UNHCR in order to determine their refugee status after arresting them during three-day long protests outside of the Chinese Embassy visa section. According to UNHCR officials, they are still investigating their status.

China CNPC proposes gas link to Tibet: report

Top Chinese oil and gas firm CNPC is proposing a 1,365-kilometre natural gas pipeline that could pump up to 1.2 billion cubic metres of the fuel from northwestern Qinghai province to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

The 624 million yuan ($A109.48 million) pipeline would start from Tainan gasfield in the Tsaidam Basin in Qinghai and run more than 500 kilometres across the frozen Qinghai-Tibet Plateau before reaching Lhasa, a local newspaper in Qinghai said last week.

The feasibility study of the plan has been submitted to the National Development and Reform Commission for approval while environmental and safety review procedures were proceeding, reported the Xihai Metropolis Daily.

Large-scale construction in the environmentally fragile Tibet region often sparks criticism from environmentalists, and Tibetan activists contend such moves are designed to strengthen Beijing's control and marginalise ethnic Tibetans.

China's military forces built a 1,080-kilometre pipeline in the 1970s that pumps refined oil products from Golmud in Qinghai to Lhasa.

A 1,142-kilometre railway link between the two cities, inaugurated on July 1, 2006, passes through spectacular icy peaks on the Tibetan highlands, and has brought an unprecedented number of tourists to the scarcely populated region.


In
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/China-CNPC-proposes-gas-link-to-Tibet--report-JRCJ9?OpenDocument

Crianças Tibetanas sujeitas a puniçoes

Milhares de crianças Tibetanas e suas famílias enfrentarao puniçoes severas por parte do governo Chines, devido ao facto de terem frequentado escolas do governo Tibetano no exílio.

Em Julho, as autoridades do Partido Comunista da Regiao Autónoma Tibetana publicaram uma directiva onde se afirmava que as crianças Tibetanas teriam que confessar caso tivessem estado em escolas na Índia e acreditado no que aí foi ensinado, de acordo com informaçao veiculada pela International Campaign for Tibet.

De acordo com as medidas, impostas pelo Departamento de Disciplina do Comité do Partido da R.A.T., as crianças que regressem ao Tibete vindas de escolas no exílio, assim como os pais que nao trouxerem os seus filhos de volta para o Tibete, enfrentarao uma "acçao disciplinadora".

Anualmente, centenas de crianças sao secretamente transportadas do Tibete para a cidade de Dharamsala, no norte da Índia e sede do governo Tibetano no exílio, de forma a receberem a educaçao religiosa que lhes é negada pela China comunista, no seu próprio país.


De forma a conseguirem escapar, as crianças tem que atravessar passes montanhosos cobertos de neve e bastante perigosos, correndo o risco de serem detidas ou mesmo alvejadas durante o percurso.

O aviso Chines vem na mesma altura em que Pequim reforçou a sua campanha no Nepal.

O novo governo Nepales encabeçado pelos Maoístas já reiterou o seu apoio à política da China única, que advoga ser o Tibete uma parte inalianável da R.P.C.

O novo Ministro dos Assuntos Internos Nepales Bandev Gautam afirmou ontem que o Nepal nao autorizará a realizaçao de actividades contra a amiga China.

In

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/tibetan-children-face-punishment-for-studying-in-india_10098749.html

Pedimos desculpas pelas falhas técnicas relativamente à acentuaçao.

Portugal, China agree to expand cooperation

Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates met with Wang Gang, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Monday and the two pledged efforts to expand exchange and cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

Socrates congratulated China on its successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, which he said has manifested China's outstanding organization ability and displayed its achievement in sports and other fields.

Portugal and China, as each other's all-round strategic partner, should further enhance their pragmatic cooperation, said the prime minister. He expressed the wishes that China would make Portugal an important platform for cooperation with Europe and Africa.

Socrates urged both sides to step up efforts to explore potentials in trade cooperation, saying Portugal encourages more local firms to invest in China and Chinese investment is welcomed in Portugal.

During their meeting, Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, spoke highly of the stable development of China-Portugal relations and their ever-expanding cooperation in trade and cultural exchange.

Wang, who is also vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said China appreciates Portugal's adherence to the one-China policy, its opposition to "Taiwan independence" and the fact that it does not support "Tibet independence" in any form.

The next year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-Portugal diplomatic relations, and China would like to take the opportunity to deepen trade and cultural cooperation with Portugal and promote their ties to a new height, Wang said.

Wang said China attaches great importance to its relations with Europe and it hopes Portugal, an important member of the European Union (EU) and China's reliable friend and partner in the EU, would continue to play an important role in pushing forward the China-EU relations.

In
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/23/content_10096726.htm

Time to Act for Tibetans in Nepal

The Tibetan Refugee Reception Centre in Nepal has been largely empty since the protests began in March. With increased Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP) presence on the Tibet-Nepal border, and Tibetan citizens needing permits to move even small distances from their local area, few refugees have made it across the border. These tight restrictions on movement have seen the numbers of refugees leaving Tibet from Nepal and onwards to India to less than 100 refugees, with the centre often accommodating only long term refugees in the clinic, and no ‘newcomers’ at all. But this week, TRRC has been inundated with refugees, but with a difference- these refugees did not come directly from Tibet but have been living in Nepal for several years.

On September 9th, 72 Tibetan protesters were arrested after a ‘die-in’ protest was held outside the Visa Consulate of the Chinese Embassy. The following day, 42 Tibetans were arrested in the same place for performing political theatre, and 30 more Tibetans on the 11th. Of these protesters, 132 have been transferred from various jails around Kathmandu to TRRC near Swayambhu, West Kathmandu. All are facing deportation to India, for not possessing refugee cards, ‘RC’s’. It is estimated that at least 20,000 Tibetans are currently living in Nepal, but the actual number could be well over 30,000. Of these, less than 20,000 are believed to have RC’s and Nepal’s government is making it increasingly difficult to obtain and even renew RC’s on an annual basis. Nepal stopped allowing Tibetan refugees to settle in Nepal following diplomatic pressure after a flood of refugees fled in the wake of the 1987-89 Lhasa protests. Even many of those born after 1989 to parents who possess RC’s have not been granted RC’s. In an economically undeveloped country like Nepal, where for years the governments’ authority over its people has been undermined by in-fighting, corruption and inefficiency, accurate figures and statistics are often hard to come by. However many Tibetans live in Nepal, their presence is strongly felt, with strong cultural ties, and many Nepalese, such as Sherpa’s and Tamang’s following Tibetan Buddhism and cultural practices. Tibetans have played a major role in Nepal’s economy, kick-starting the carpet industry which for decades has been one of Nepal’s main exports. Furthermore, Nepal’s tourist board had often focused on Tibetan Gompas and its monks, and even advertised Nepal as the gateway to Tibet. With such strong cultural, religious and economic links to Tibet, one might wonder why the Nepalese government’s treatment of Tibetan refugees has sunk to this new low. One need look no further than the increased Chinese presence in Nepalese politics.

Para continuar a ler este artigo p.f. aceda a:

http://www.phosamosa.com/client/index.php?action=all_single_youth&id=27

Lodi Gyari, Representante Especial de S.S. Dalai Lama no âmbito das conversações com o governo Chinês, estará presente amanhã dia 23, num almoço que honra e reconhece o trabalho de um grupo de activistas pela democracia, de todo o mundo, e a convite do presidente Americano.

Lodi Gyari é esperado na China durante o mês de Outubro, para o oitavo round de conversações com representantes do governo Chinês.

In
http://savetibet.org/news/newsitem.php?id=1365

"Despite the official narrative of ethnic harmony, the March riots seem to have frayed further already-fragile Tibetan-Han relations.

“We rarely really interact with the Tibetans. They are really bu xing,” muttered an ethnic Chinese shopkeeper about how the Tibetans were “no good”, echoing a view voiced by a few others.

Wang, a taxi driver who arrived from Gansu province two years ago, was more blunt: “These days, when business is good, I avoid picking up Tibetan passengers and take only Chinese ones. When I’ve no choice, I drive the Tibetans. But when they get into my car, I feel angry.”He added: “Before March, we Hans often gave money to the Tibetan pilgrims who beg. Now we don’t give a cent.”

The Sichuan cook, who has lived in Lhasa for 15 years, was more polite. “There’s a bit of a psychological barrier now when we interact with Tibetans. But overall ethnic relations are good. Eighty per cent of our customers are Tibetans.”

Para ler este artigo na totalidade pf. aceda a:
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/16465

International NGO Seek China’s Investigation on Tibet Crackdown

The Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) yesterday called upon the Chinese authorities “to inform the Council on the investigation into the crackdown” on the Tibetan Uprising which began on 10 March. Mr. Lukas Machon of the ICJ in a statement to the UN Human Rights Council stated that “violent crackdown on the peaceful protest in Tibet on March ’08, including arbitrary executions, use of excessive non-lethal force by the security forces and arbitrary detentions, has not been investigated to date.”

Yesterday, the 9th session of Human Rights Council continued its discussion on the subject of “human Rights Situations that require the Council’s attention”. Mr. Tenzin S. Kayta delivered the first statement on behalf of 4 NGOs, calling the Council “to encourage the Chinese authorities to immediately receive the High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant Special Procedure mandate-holders to visit Tibetan areas of present-day People’s Republic of China.”

“The human rights crisis confronted by the Tibetan people demands the immediate attention as we urge the Council to take serious note of this deteriorating situation”, urged the joint NGO statement by Society for Threatened Peoples, FORUM ASIA (Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development), Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network and Movement against Racism and for Friendship amongst People (MRAP).

Mr. Qian Bo, a delegated of China in reaction said that his government “rejected a statement made by the Society of Threatened People which misrepresented facts and was totally unfounded. The statement was obviously politically motivated. He also stated that his “government had been working to promote and protect human rights in Tibet.”

The statement by Society for Threatened Peoples alerted the UN’s highest human rights body to take serious note of the overwhelming reports of the deaths, arrests, torture and disappearance Tibetans since China launched the “people’s war” to suppress the Tibetan Uprising”.

During the three-minute allotted time for NGO statements, Mr. Kayta told the Council that: “An analysis of official Chinese figures reveals that over 4,400 Tibetans have been detained or allegedly surrendered in connection with protests which began on 10 March 2008. But these figures do not include every Tibetan area where protests and detentions have occurred. Over 3,000 Tibetans have reportedly been released, leaving the status of over 1,200 Tibetans unknown.”

ICJ informed the Council that it “has been receiving reports of continuous arbitrary and incommunicado detention of monks and other perceived opponents, short of any due process guarantees.” The statement added: “Those sentenced to severe prison terms, including the life imprisonment remain in jail, without the review of legality of criminal procedures organised under distress”.

The Joint NGO intervention on Tibet began by stating that at the Seventh session of the Council, Society for Threatened Peoples raised concern about the frequent reports of the deportation of Tibetan refugees by the Government of Nepal. “Today we urge the Council to take note of the announcement last week that Tibetans living in the country without legal documents would face deportation from Nepal. This is an alarming and yet ironic development as the Nepal stopped issuing registration certificates to Tibetans by 1990s.”

On 15 September, 2008, the Asian Centre for Human Rights said in a press release from New Delhi said: “Nepal not only tolerates similar protests by the Bhutanese refugees but the Communist of Nepal (Maoists) has included the issue of Bhutanese refugees in its Common Minimum Programme. The racist policy of the Maoists-led government against the Tibetan refugees who face arrest, imprisonment and deportation could not have been more conspicuous.

When the UN Human Rights Council concluded its debate on human rights situations, it heard from 33 non-governmental organizations that raised the human rights violations in Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Western Sahara, Ethiopia India, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bolivia, Colombia, Zimbabwe, the Republic of Korea, Egypt, Libya, Viet Nam, Syria, UK, France and Georgia.

France reacted to allegations of involvement in the Rwanda Genocide when its representative to the Council: “France had been seriously accused by name for a role that it did not play in the Rwandan genocide. France deplored this serious and unfounded accusation. The French authorities in the Government and Parliament had addressed this issue in a transparent process. The national commission of inquiry had shed full light on the events.”

In

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22834&article=International+NGO+Seek+China%e2%80%99s+Investigation+on+Tibet+Crackdown

O Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete vai lançar

Campanha pelos Tibetanos no Nepal.

Brevemente mais informaçoes.

Contamos com o vosso apoio !

First Lawsuit Against China's Govt. Religious Body Filed

In what is believed to be the first lawsuit against a government religious authority in China, a Christian house church in Chengdu city lodged a court case against the Shuangliu County Bureau of People's Religious Affairs for illegally shutting down a religious gathering held by the church on May 2, 2008.

A religious gathering organized by the Qiuyu Blessings Church on May 2 was interrupted by 40 public security officers and religious affairs authorities who confiscated bibles and other religious educational materials, church members told HRIC. An after-the-fact official order was sent to the church banning the gathering.

“Such actions constitute an attack on the government’s wish for a harmonious society, on civilized methods of law enforcement, on China’s human rights situation—which has received much attention domestically and abroad in the run-up to the Olympics—and in particular, on our religious freedom, personal freedom and private property,” church members said in an open letter issued after the incident.

In July this year, the Qiuyu Church unsuccessfully challenged the ban.

The complaint, filed by Wang Yi on behalf of the church, charges that the raid was illegal because the raiding officers did not provide a legal basis for their action, and the subsequent unsigned order banning the event also failed to cite specifically what regulations were violated. Wang wants this order annulled.

"This is a test case about the extent of the religious freedom that the Chinese government says its people enjoy," said Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China (HRIC). "We are encouraged that house church members are beginning to use the law as a tool to defend their rights. This is the only way toward building a civil society."

According to HRIC, when Wang Yi delivered the complaint to the Shuangliu County Court onSeptember 16, the judge said the evidence Wang presented was insufficient to support the case. Wang returned the following day with more documentation, but the judge refused to issue a receipt for the complaint and the supporting documents, or a notification to accept the case. By law, a court has seven days to decide a validity of a case.

Wang said that he hopes this case will prompt other house churches in China to use legal procedures and the court to assert their right to freedom of religion. "Through this case, we hope to be able to pursue our freedom of religion without going to jail, and that the government will use rational and lawful means to deal with its conflicts with house churches," Wang said.

Human Rights in China called on the Chinese government to stop harassing peaceful religious practitioners.

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22828&article=First+Lawsuit+Against+China's+Govt.+Religious+Body+Filed

Jornalista Tibetano detido, monja morta pelas autoridades Chinesas

Um jornalista Tibetano foi preso por volta da meia-noite, no dia 11 de Setembro, de acordo com informaçoes fornecidas pelo serviço de radio Voice of Tibet.

Rangjhung trabalhava para a estaçao televisiva de Sertha como jornalista, tendo sido levado de sua casa em Amdo Golok.

O seu paradeiro, assim como as razoes da sua detençao, sao desconhecidas.

Sertha Tsuiltrim Woser, membro do Paralmento Tibetano no Exílio, em declaraçoes à Voice of Tibet afirmou que Rangjhumg era funcionário da estaçao televisiva de Sertha e responsável pela selecçao e apresentaçao de notícias na estaçao televisiva.

Rangjhung tem 25 anos, tendo anteriormente trabalhado como professor durante um ano.

Com a China a colocar uma firme tampa relativamente a eventuais notícias alusivas ao Tibete, chegaram no entanto informaçoes relativas à morte de uma monja devido a maus tratos, assim como a detençoes de duas monjas.

Geshe Monlam Tharchin, membro do GTE em declaraçoes à VOT afirmou que a 8 de Junho, uma monja Tibetana chamada Tsering, do mosteiro de Samtenling situado no condado de Draggo, colou posters e distribuiu folhetos apelando ao regresso de S.S. o Dalai Lama ao Tibete.

Posteriormente as monjas do mosteiro de Samtenling marcharam em direcçao à cidade, onde ocorreram protestos de apoio à monja Tsering (NT: que faleceu). Os portestos foram interrompidos pelas autoridades Chinesas. Umas das monjas, de nome Guru, foi atingida na cabeça por um bastao de ferro. Seguidamente as suas maos foram atadas e foi atirada para um veículo em movimento. A monja foi levada para o hospital mas faleceu.

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22819&article=Tibetan+TV+Journalist+Arrested%2c+Nun+Dead

Nota
Pedimos desculpa devido ao facto do acento "til" nao constar. Tal deve-se a problemas ao nível do teclado, por vezes utilizado.

Razoes pela qual governo Chines nao permitiu protestos...

A razao principal pela qual nao ocorreram protestos, durante os Jogos Olímpicos, nas zonas especificamente designadas para a ocorrencia dos mesmos, foi devido ao facto de todos os assuntos terem sido solucionados, de acordo com a imprensa estatal.

De acordo com afirmaçoes proferidas pelo oficial de segurança dos JO Liu Shaowu, nao houve a necessidade de realizar protestos, uma vez que as "autoridades relevantes" intervieram de forma a auxiliar na resoluçao da questao em causa.

In
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/17/AR2008091703816.html

New Website in Chinese Aims to Close Information Gap on Tibet

Designed to fill the information gap on Tibet for a broader Chinese-speaking audience, a new website in Chinese http://www.liaowangxizang.net/ underwritten by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) launches today.

Rinchen Tashi, Deputy Director for Chinese Outreach at ICT said, "Despite advances in China's internet infrastructure and information technology, the Chinese people have few options to get information on Tibet other than official Chinese sources." Tashi added that "understanding that a unidirectional flow of information is not in the long-term interest of the Chinese and Tibetan people, we have launched http://www.liaowangxizang.net/ to provide a holistic view of the issues surrounding Tibet."

In the absence of an alternative news source, many Chinese people continue to hold a negative impression of Tibetans and the Dalai Lama. While such a situation may serve the short-term political interest of the leadership in Beijing, it will not contribute to the unity and stability of the People's Republic of China. In fact, a group of Chinese scholars wrote a letter on March 22, 2008 in which they stated, "...the one-sided propaganda of the official Chinese media is having the effect of stirring up inter-ethnic animosity and aggravating an already tense situation. This is extremely detrimental to the long-term goal of safeguarding national unity. "

In the immediate aftermath of the March demonstrations in Tibet, the Chinese propaganda machine depicted Tibet and Tibetans in very negative terms which resulted in heightened racial tension between Chinese and Tibetans.

What is needed is to find and encourage common ground between Tibetans and Chinese in order to foster coexistence of the two cultures in whatever political future Tibet will have. Tibetan Buddhism is one such area that can contribute to bringing the two societies closer together. In a message to http://www.liaowangxizang.net/ Arjia Rinpoche, a prominent Tibetan Buddhist, and abbot of Kumbum Monastery in Tibet, quoted a traditional Chinese saying, "Chinese and Tibetans have a channel; This forum is the golden bridge."

"http://www.liaowangxizang.net/ highlights different aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, and in particular focuses on areas of particular interest to the Chinese community," said Pema Wangyal, ICT's China Analyst, who coordinates outreach to Chinese Buddhists.

"Already there are increasing numbers of Chinese people benefiting from the spiritual foundation of Tibetan Buddhism," Wangyal said, adding, "Historically, too, Buddhism has been a major force in the relationship between Tibetan and Chinese rulers." http://www.liaowangxizang.net/ provides visitors with more features and options to not only get updated information on Tibetan issues, but it also acts as an social community, where Tibetans and Chinese can exchange views in a spirit of frankness and respect.
"The site has a blog where anyone can post their view. We are committed to publishing all perspectives as long as they are presented respectfully," Tashi said. He added "It is our hope that through this website the Chinese speaking community, particularly those within China, will get a better understanding of all things related to Tibet and Tibetans."

In

http://savetibet.org/news/newsitem.php?id=1359

Rhymes Against the State

The Olympics arrive

Beijing's alive!

The torch on display!

(The people make way.)

The foreigners are here

So the sky's suddenly clear!

And here's a new treat:

Fewer cars on the street!

Of course we are moved

That the food has improved.

And: no beggars, no riff-raff,

No petitions, you see,

No jails, no beatings

Just sweet "harmony!"

Who cares if the locals

Are kicked and repressed

So long as the world

Is duly impressed?

When the Olympics are done

We'll be back to square one:

Corruption and privilege

Won't that be fun?

Secrecy, strong-arming

Brainwashing, tax-farming

Mugging protesters

And hiding their tears;

Ruling by thugs,

But arresting "by law"

A new "Chinese model"

For many more years!

In

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502254.html

Crianças Tibetanas pintam "Feelings from Tibet"

Crianças Tibetanas, hoje refugiadas na Índia, usam a arte para exprimir os seus pensamentos acerca da sua terra, das suas famílias e dos Jogos Olímpicos na China.

No desenho o leão, que representa a China, devora o cordeiro Tibetano enquanto as Nações Unidas assistem impavidamente.

“Feelings From Tibet,” uma exposição de pinturas realizada por estudantes da Tibetan Children’s Village School Suja, teve lugar a 16 e 17 de Agosto na escola, situada em Bir no norte da Índia.

Cerca de 300 alunos e staff da escola visitaram a exposição dos jovens artistas com idades compreendidas entre os 6 e os 17 anos.

In

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/tibet_children-08252008145506.html

Beijing's Post Olympic Shakedown in Xinjiang and Tibet

While the catchwords and slogans of the just-ended Beijing Olympics trumpeted “harmony” and “One World, One Dream,” the traditionally tense relations between Han Chinese and ethnic minorities – particularly Uyghurs and Tibetans – could worsen significantly in the foreseeable future. Four quasi-terrorist attacks in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region (XAR) in August resulted in the death of at least 22 People’s Armed Police (PAP) officers and police. This is despite the fact that since the riots that hit Tibet and four neighboring provinces in March, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) administration has tightened security in the Xinjiang and Tibet autonomous regions. President and Commander-in-chief Hu Jintao, the only member of the Politburo Standing Committee with personal experience in handling ethnic-minority disturbances, has so far said nothing concerning the Xinjiang attacks. Yet indications are that Beijing will amplify its two-pronged approach by employing even tougher strategies to “nip troublemaking in the bud” while at the same time earmarking more funds to win over the support particularly of needy Uyghur and Tibetans.

(...)

As for Tibet, whatever enthusiasm that CCP authorities may have in seeking a negotiated settlement with the exiled government seems to have fizzled out with the end of the Summer Games. After two fruitless sessions between the party’s United Front Department and the Dalai Lama’s emissaries, no new meetings have been scheduled. In the meantime, attention has been focused on whether Beijing will speed up so-called Sinicization of the region, mainly through encouraging more Han Chinese to migrate to and work in Tibet. In his meetings with French parliamentarians last month, the Dalai Lama asserted that Beijing would accelerate the process of moving as many as a million Chinese to Tibet after the Olympics (Reuters, August 22). Also in August, the Ministry of Railways announced that six branch lines would be added to the Qinghai-Tibet rail network, which has been criticized by the Tibet exiled government as primarily a vehicle for Sinicization (China Times, August 19).While top leaders such as President Hu and Premier Wen have steered clear of making comments on Beijing’s problematic relations with Uyghurs and Tibetans, it is clear that the CCP leadership has abandoned the conciliatory ethnic policies associated with former party chief Hu Yaobang, who headed the CCP’s liberal wing in the early to mid-1980s. After hitting a brief high note with the string of shuttle talks between Beijing and representatives of the Dalai Lama in the lead up to the Olympics, communications have broken down between Beijing and dissident groups in Xinjiang and Tibet, and the possibilities are high that an exacerbation of Beijing’s hard-line, play-tough tactics in the two autonomous regions could stoke mutual suspicions – and nudge relations between Han Chinese and ethnic minorities into a vicious cycle.

In

http://www.jamestown.org/china_brief/article.php?articleid=2374388

China Attempts to Stifle NGO Statement on Tibet

Ambassador Martin Ihoeghian Uhomohbhi of Nigeria, the President of the UN Human Rights Council, this morning overruled an attempt by a Chinese delegate to interrupt a statement on Tibet by a German NGO. A member of Society for Threatened Peoples was speaking with reference to the response given by the Chinese authorities to three human rights experts of the Council, including the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people on the “alleged severe impact of resettlement programs and forced evictions that are currently being implemented in Tibetan areas of the People's Republic of China (PRC).”

The Ninth Session of the Human Rights Council was having an interactive dialogue on the report submitted to the body by Prof. James Anaya, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights of indigenous peoples. In an addendum to his report called “summary of cases transmitted to Governments and replies received”, the Special Rapporteur detailed the 3 October 2007 communication to the Chinese authorities stating: “It was alleged that tens of thousands of Tibetans are being negatively affected by nomad settlement and resettlement, land confiscation and fencing policies, which are mainly implemented in Golok (Guoluo) and Yushu districts of Qinghai province, but also in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and other provinces that have large Tibetan populations, including Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan. It was reported that these policies have had a very adverse impact on the traditional lifestyles and living patterns in Tibetan areas, affecting directly the fabric of traditional Tibetan life and devastating the economy of these communities. The implementation of these policies contributes to the challenges that Tibetan cultural and religious identity face today.”

To this communication which was joined by the Special Rapporteur Special Rapporteur on adequate housing and the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, China responded on 21 December 2007 claiming “…a series of projects for the benefit of the people in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) have been carried out. These projects support and encourage the rapid development of Tibetan economy and society, regenerate and strengthen agricultural and pastoral lands, and improve living and economic conditions of farmers and pastoralists. The Government stressed that, at the same time, it has paid attention to and respected the thoughts of the Tibetan people and supported their traditional lives, customs, and culture. The Government noted that it has received widespread support and favorable comments about the projects from the farmers and pastoralists.”

The statement by Society for Threatened Peoples delivered by Tenzin S. Kayta while welcoming China's response alerted the Council that the NGO “believe the issue of consent of the Tibetans involved is fundamental … given the human rights crisis prevailing on the Tibetan Plateau, an independent analysis here would be impossible.” The three-minute statement added: “However, a documentary called, "Dispatches-Undercover in Tibet" released this year by Channel 4 British Television revealed that "the nomadic way of life being forcefully wiped out as native Tibetans are stripped of their land and livestock and are being resettled in concrete camps."

A representative of the Chinese delegation reasoned that the NGO statement was not relevant to the topic under discussion in the Council to which the Council President ruled that the statement was in order when he even read the first paragraph of the NGO statement. The Chinese delegate then asserted that “Tibet was a part of China and Tibetan people are one of 56 ethnic groups of China” while rejecting notion of the existence of indigenous people in present-day China. “We don’t have indigenous people”, the Chinese delegate claimed. Society for Threatened Peoples intervention also informed the Council about the interview given to the British TV documentary in which a Tibetan evicted from his grasslands says: "Life here is incredibly hard. People are suffering from hunger and hardship. They have no jobs and they have no food…no land. The only way they can fill their empty stomachs is by stealing. Nobody wanted to move here. But if you ask questions dressed like a Chinese, they won't dare to tell you the truth. They will only have good things to say because we live in terror…Its just like living through the Cultural Revolution. Everybody is so depressed, they look awful, their faces have become pale, and their eyes are sunken. Everyone is afraid of speaking the truth. I could be arrested tomorrow if they knew what I've just said."After studying China’s response, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of indigenous peoples, observes that he “will continue to closely monitor the situation and called on China “to take the necessary measures to ensure that the development projects referred to do not infringe the human rights of the people affected and that any such adverse impacts be remedied promptly.” Responding to China’s position that there are no indigenous people in China, Prof. Anaya stated that while he understands the “sensitivities” that many States have on the issue on the coverage of the term indigenous peoples. However, he encouraged “a human rights-based approach, one which looks to the particular issues involved and the human rights dimensions of those issues.” He added: “I see issues that are common to indigenous peoples throughout the world and the focus that I will be advancing is one on those particular issues on the human rights dimensions of them as I believe my predecessor did in his communication on the situation of Tibetans in China.”

Society for Threatened Peoples urged the Special Rapporteur also urged “the Special Rapporteur to closely monitor the situation in Tibet, including by seeking a fact-finding mission to ascertain the fate Tibetans evicted from their ancestral lands.”

On Monday, the Ninth Session of the Council heard a statement from the new High High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethem Pillay who said: "Genocide is the ultimate form of discrimination …We must all do everything in our power to prevent it. What I learned as a judge on the Rwanda Tribunal about the way in which one human being can abuse another, will haunt me forever."

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22790&article=China+Attempts+to+Stifle+NGO+Statement+on+Tibet

72 Tibetanos detidos no Nepal

72 Tibetanos foram detidos pela polícia na capital Nepalesa, esta terça-feira.

Mais de uma centena de manifestantes Tibetanos juntaram-se na secção consular da embaixada da R.P.C. onde decorreu a manifestação pacífica.

Os manifestantes permaneceram silenciosos e exibiram estandartes e cartazes apelando à liberdade e aos direitos humanos no Tibete.

Testemunhas no local observaram que a polícia não foi tão violenta com os manifstantes como em ocasiões anteriores.

Desde Março deste ano que no Nepal decorrem manifestações constantes pelo Tibete por parte de Tibetanos, tendo estas sido violentamente reprimidas pelas forças de segurança locais.

In
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22781&article=72+Tibetans+arrested+in+Nepal

9 Tibetanos detidos em Nova Delhi

Um pequeno grupo de novo Tibetanos foi detido, esta 2ªfeira, quando tentavam protestar frente ao Taj Mansingh Hotel, em Nova Déli, onde o ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros da R.P.C., Yang Jiechi se encontrava em reunião com líderes Indianos.

Os Tibetanos foram detidos pelas forças de segurança Indianas minutos após terem chegado ao local.

Os nove activistas do Tibetan Youth Congress encontram-se na estação de polícia de Tughlakabad, em Nova Déli.

In

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22771&article=9+Tibetans+Arrested+as+Chinese+FM+Meets+Indian+Leaders

Taktser Rinpoche, eldest brother of H.H. the Dalai Lama, passes away

Taktser Rinpoche, the eldest brother of H.H. the Dalai Lama, passed away earlier today (September 5) at home in Indiana in the United States having been ill for several years. He was 86 years old.

Taktser Rinpoche - whose given name was Thupten Jigme Norbu - was recognized at the age of three as the reincarnated abbot of Kumbum monastery in modern-day Qinghai, one of the most important monasteries in Tibet, and was therefore already a prominent figure in Tibet's religious hierarchy even before his brother the Dalai Lama was born.

In the immediate wake of the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949-1950, Taktser Rinpoche played important intermediary roles first between the Dalai Lama and Chinese Communist officials and then later, when in India, between the US State Department and the Dalai Lama during the protracted negotiations between Beijing and Lhasa surrounding signature of the controversial Seventeen Point Agreement - the document which was intended to give legitimacy to China's rule of Tibet.

Taktser Rinpoche was deeply mistrustful of the Chinese Communist Party's intentions in Tibet, and was a prominent voice advising the Dalai Lama to leave Tibet in the face of what was perceived as direct threats to his own personal safety as well as to the integrity of Tibet itself.

In 1950, when the Dalai Lama was still in Lhasa, Chinese officials attempted to persuade Taktser Rinpoche to travel to Lhasa and convince the Dalai Lama to accept the "peaceful liberation" of Tibet, even promising to make him the governor of Tibet if he succeeded, according to one account. Taktser Rinpoche eventually agreed to travel to Lhasa to see the Dalai Lama, but evaded his Chinese escorts on route and instead conveyed to the Dalai Lama his deep misgivings about China's influence in Tibet, and urging the Dalai Lama to retreat to the border with India.

Although a devout and dedicated follower of the Dalai Lama, Taktser Rinpoche nevertheless took a different stand on Tibet's status to his brother, calling instead for the complete independence of Tibet as opposed to the model of autonomy put forward by the Dalai Lama.

An extremely energetic individual, Taktser Rinpoche dedicated his life to serving the Dalai Lama, Tibet and the Tibetan people, including serving as the Dalai Lama's representative in Japan. Upon leaving Tibet in the 1950s and over a long and prolific writing career, he wrote several academic papers and books on Tibet including his own autobiography, Tibet Is My Country, one of the first books on the Tibetan experience to have scholarly credibility. He went on to serve as Professor of Tibetan Studies at Indiana University in the United States, where in 1979 he founded the Tibetan Cultural Center.

Taktser Rinpoche was a tireless advocate for the protection of Tibetan culture and the rights of the Tibetan people in Tibet. Each year - including this year prior to the Beijing Olympics - he participated in long walks and cycle rides to raise awareness of the plight of the Tibetan people.
He is survived by his wife Kunyang Norbu, and three sons.

In

http://savetibet.org/news/newsitem.php?id=1358

Taktser Rinpoche, eldest brother of the Dalai Lama, passes away

Taktser Rinpoche, the eldest brother of the Dalai Lama, passed away earlier today (September 5) at home in Indiana in the United States having been ill for several years. He was 86 years old.

Taktser Rinpoche - whose given name was Thupten Jigme Norbu - was recognized at the age of three as the reincarnated abbot of Kumbum monastery in modern-day Qinghai, one of the most important monasteries in Tibet, and was therefore already a prominent figure in Tibet's religious hierarchy even before his brother the Dalai Lama was born.

In the immediate wake of the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949-1950, Taktser Rinpoche played important intermediary roles first between the Dalai Lama and Chinese Communist officials and then later, when in India, between the US State Department and the Dalai Lama during the protracted negotiations between Beijing and Lhasa surrounding signature of the controversial Seventeen Point Agreement - the document which was intended to give legitimacy to China's rule of Tibet.

Taktser Rinpoche was deeply mistrustful of the Chinese Communist Party's intentions in Tibet, and was a prominent voice advising the Dalai Lama to leave Tibet in the face of what was perceived as direct threats to his own personal safety as well as to the integrity of Tibet itself.

In 1950, when the Dalai Lama was still in Lhasa, Chinese officials attempted to persuade Taktser Rinpoche to travel to Lhasa and convince the Dalai Lama to accept the "peaceful liberation" of Tibet, even promising to make him the governor of Tibet if he succeeded, according to one account. Taktser Rinpoche eventually agreed to travel to Lhasa to see the Dalai Lama, but evaded his Chinese escorts on route and instead conveyed to the Dalai Lama his deep misgivings about China's influence in Tibet, and urging the Dalai Lama to retreat to the border with India.

Although a devout and dedicated follower of the Dalai Lama, Taktser Rinpoche nevertheless took a different stand on Tibet's status to his brother, calling instead for the complete independence of Tibet as opposed to the model of autonomy put forward by the Dalai Lama.

An extremely energetic individual, Taktser Rinpoche dedicated his life to serving the Dalai Lama, Tibet and the Tibetan people, including serving as the Dalai Lama's representative in Japan. Upon leaving Tibet in the 1950s and over a long and prolific writing career, he wrote several academic papers and books on Tibet including his own autobiography, Tibet Is My Country, one of the first books on the Tibetan experience to have scholarly credibility. He went on to serve as Professor of Tibetan Studies at Indiana University in the United States, where in 1979 he founded the Tibetan Cultural Center.

Taktser Rinpoche was a tireless advocate for the protection of Tibetan culture and the rights of the Tibetan people in Tibet. Each year - including this year prior to the Beijing Olympics - he participated in long walks and cycle rides to raise awareness of the plight of the Tibetan people.
He is survived by his wife Kunyang Norbu, and three sons.

In

http://savetibet.org/news/newsitem.php?id=1358