Central Tibetan Administration

CTA Releases Revised White Paper on Self-Immolations

jamphel — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:10:54 +0000

Dharamshala: The Tibet Policy Institute (TPI), a think-tank of the Central Tibetan Administration, yesterday released the revised version of its White Paper on Tibetan self-immolations on the occasion of International Tibet Solidarity Day.

The White Paper titled ‘Why Tibet is Burning..’ explains the fundamental reasons behind the ongoing wave of self-immolations inside Tibet and the alarming escalation in the protests witnessed in the past few months.

The revised version is available in English, Chinese and Tibetan languages.

“We issue this report to illuminate the deeper layers of the current crisis in Tibet. It is our hope it will motivate and assist members of the international community to urge the new leadership, led by Xi Jinping, to initiate wise new policies in regard to the Tibetan people. As we have repeatedly said, the blame for and the solution to the crisis in Tibet lies in the hands of the Chinese leadership” Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay stated in the foreword of the book.

Despite the Kashag’s repeated appeals to the Tibetan people not to resort to drastic actions such as self-immolation, over 117 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in Tibet to protest against the continued occupation and repression of the Chinese government. The self-immolators have called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans.

Assam leaders urge UN’s intervention in Tibet crisis

jamphel — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:02:34 +0000

Tibetan parliamentarians, Mr Pema Jungney, Ms Yangchen Dolkar, and Ms Dhardon Sharling meeting with Governor of Assam

Political parties pledge support for Parliamentary resolution on Tibet

Guwahati, May 16, 2013: The 6-day lobby campaign in Assam concluded today at Guwahati following a press briefing by the Tibetan Parliamentary delegation at the Press Club of Guwahati. A 3-member Tibetan Parliamentary delegation called on the political leaders, bureaucrats and intellectuals, in the Indian State of Assam for stronger expressions of solidarity and support to finding a lasting solution to the Tibetan struggle.

Honourable Governor of the State, Shri J.B. Patnaik, received the delegation at Raj Bhavan on May 11. The Governor lamented the unprecedented spate of self-immolations inside Tibet and said that ‘it should stop as the stone- hearted Chinese leadership will not be moved by such acts.’ “One must survive to struggle,” said the Governor who served as the former Chief Minister of Odisha.

The Governor expressed the need for ‘expedient intervention of United Nations in the escalating crisis inside Tibet.’ Honourable Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA), Shri Pranab Kumar Gogoi reiterated the same. “Lone, isolated voices across the globe will not undo the atrocities in Tibet, instead a tenacious and resolute action from the United Nations will effectuate the effective addressing of the plight” said Gogoi.

Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Shri Bhimananda Tanti expressed appreciation for the ‘non-violent movement and the unflinching spirit of the Tibetan people.’

Over the 6-day lobby campaign in the State capital, the delegation met with Members of Indian Parliament: Rajya Sabha MP Shri Bhubaneshwar Kalita (Congress State President and also observer for the All India Parliamentary Forum for Tibet), Lok Sabha MP Shri Raman Das (BJP), Lok Sabha MP Smt Bijoy Chakravarty (BJP). Successive meetings with the leaders of the four major political parties of the State: Indian National Congress (INC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), All India United Democratic Front party (UDF) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) proved successful. The delegation also briefed Shri Sarbananda Sonowali – BJP State President and former Lok Sabha MP and D. Bora -Secretariat member of Communist Party of India (CPI).

The Tibetan parliamentary delegation during their meeting with the Speaker of the Assam State Assembly

The Parliamentarians and party leaders concurred with the view that ‘India has a single, united voice on the Tibetan issue,’ and pledged steadfast support for the passing of an ‘All-Party Parliamentary Resolution on the Tibet crisis’. Assam has 21 members in the Indian Parliament with a breakdown of 14 in Lok Sabha and 7 in Rajya Sabha including Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh who filed for his re-nomination yesterday at the State Capital.

The Tibetan delegation met with the Ministers of the State: Minister for Planning and Development, Shri Tanka Bahadur Rai, Minister for Information and Public Relations, Shri Basanta Das, Minister for Cooperation and Border areas development, Shri Siddique Ahmed.

The delegation also met with members of Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA): MLA Shri Prafulla Kumar Mahanta (former Chief Minister of Assam and now party president of AGP), MLA Captain Robin Bordoloi (INC), MLA Shri Sherman Ali Ahmed, (AIDUF) and MLA Shri Monowar Hussain (AIDUF).

The other 122 MLAs of Assam with whom the delegation couldn’t engage in a direct face-to-face meeting were apprised of the campaign and its goals through a memorandum sent via priority mail.

The Tibetan parliamentary delegation addressing a press conference in Guwahati

The delegation visited the National Law College in the capital and met with the Vice Chancellor Dr. Gurjeet Singh and Registrar Kausar J Hilaly.

Since the year 2009, the Tibetans inside Tibet have resorted to a new heightened form of non-violent political protests: that of self-immolation. Since February 27, 2009 till April 24, 2013, 117 Tibetans (men, women, monks, nuns) have set themselves alight protesting the brutal Chinese rule and 100 of them have succumbed to their injuries. They have made a clarion call for: freedom inside Tibet and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama into Tibet. Tibet today remains under virtual lockdown and a communications blackout thus exacerbating the situation.

This year the Tibetan Parliament in exile launched a massive ‘All-India Lobby Campaign’ to highlight the critical situation inside Tibet and to seek bolstered support of the Indian leaders and people while alongside calling for immediate global intervention to end the crisis inside Tibet.

While deeming the unflinching support of the Indian Government and its people towards the Tibetan people as significant, the delegation appealed the State leaders for substantial and public expressions of solidarity and support amid the unprecedented spate of self-immolations by Tibetans inside Tibet and the subsequent deepening crackdown by Chinese Government. The delegates also urged India to engage in urgent diplomatic actions that assert multilateral pressure on the Chinese leadership to address the true grievances of the Tibetan people inside Tibet.

Led by former speaker Pema Jungney, the delegation also includes two women parliamentarians- Yangchen Dolkar and Dhardon Sharling. The first phase of the ‘East and Central India’ lobbying campaign was held in the month of January in four Indian states: West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. Four North-East States: Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya constitute the second phase of the ‘All-India Lobby Campaign.’

Press Contacts:

Mr. Pema Jungney, 9736185856, email: p_jungney@yahoo.com

Ms. Yangchen Dolkar, 9436103446, email: yang_s@rediffmail.com

Ms. Dhardon Sharling, 9418791189, email: dhardonsharling@gmail.com

The Accidental Prime Minister of Tibet

jamphel — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:24:53 +0000

(Below is The Altantic’s exclusive interview with Dr Lobsang Sangay, Sikyong or democratically-elected Tibetan leader and political successor to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, during his recent visit to Norway. The Atlantic covers news and analysis on politics, business, culture, technology, national, international and life on the official site of The Atlantic Magazine, an American magazine founded in 1857 in Boston, Massachusetts.)

Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay with His Holiness the Dalai Lama/File photo

How a Buddhist mindset, the “Middle Way,” and a Harvard education keep Lobsang Sangay, the country’s Sikyong, afloat. Oh, and no attachments, please.

OLGA KHAZAN MAY 15 2013, 7:51 AM ET

[The Atlantic]

OSLO, Norway — In a way, Lobsang Sangay ended up overseeing of one of the world’s longest-running political conflicts largely by accident. A Tibetan legal expert born to refugee parents in India, he was working at Harvard University when, on a lark, he ran for Tibet’s top government job as sikyong, or prime minister, in 2011.

Sangay never actually lived in Tibet, but his connection to the region’s decades-long struggle for autonomy is generations deep. His father was a monk who fled Tibet in 1959, the same year as the Dalai Lama. His uncle was shot dead. His aunt, unable to tolerate the daily injustices of her life, committed suicide by jumping in a river while pregnant. Sangay was born in a refugee camp, attended the University of Delhi, and became the first Tibetan to receive a degree from Harvard Law School. He stayed on as an academic, organizing conferences between Chinese and Tibetan scholars throughout the early 2000s.

Tibet had traditionally been ruled by the Dalai Lama, but in 2011 the aging monk said he would turn his authority over to a new, elected leader. Sangay’s name was submitted to an online petition site, making him an official candidate for office. He ran dutifully and frugally, sharing cabs and hotel rooms with the other candidates, whose platforms differed from his (and each others’) very little. He won with 55 percent of the vote, surprising even himself in the process.

A cornerstone of Tibet’s — and Sangay’s — strategy toward China for the past few years has been the so-called “Middle Way,” or the idea that through dialogue and non-violence, Tibetan people can achieve autonomy within China, similar to what Hong Kong or Macau enjoy today. The newly chosen Chinese leadership hasn’t warmed to the possibility of greater Tibetan self-determination. The government hasincreased its control of Buddhist monasteries in the region, pushed the Tibetan language out of regional schools, and threatened to prosecute any Tibetan caught protesting or inciting protests. As a result, self-immolations have spiked sharply — at least 115 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since March 2011.

Meanwhile, Sangay governs in exile from Dharamsala, India, not recognized by the Chinese government but persistently urging Chinese officials to come to the table.

The Atlantic spoke with Sangay in Norway, where he recently spoke at the Oslo Freedom Forum. An edited transcript of our conversation follows.

Why did you decide to run for office?

My father and my mother — when we lost our country, they fled to India as refugees, so I always had this legacy of the separation of my family. It has stayed in my mind. My parents always felt serving the cause was very important. I was in Beijing in 2005, but the Chinese authorities didn’t allow me to enter Tibet. My father had passed away in 2004 — I told the Chinese authorities that it was important for me to go to Lhasa — it’s important for Tibetans to pay respects and pray. Even then, they refused. The legacy of the elder generation and my own parents’ experience was always there.

How did you come to win the election?

This guy launched a site – kalontripa.org [the former title for the head of the elected government]. He wanted to push candidates to come forward. Anyone could nominate a candidate, but when no candidates volunteered, it almost flopped. A friend of mine happened to visit him. He nominated me, and said, let’s see where it goes. My name was put forward to entice other candidates to come forward. My name came first, then the other candidates actually came. Then newspapers started nominating names, and they all took their cue from the site, and everyone started nominating me because I was listed first. I had no plans whatsoever. I spent 16 years at Harvard Law School. I hardly ever went to the Kennedy School [of government].

I said, “what the heck, I am just going to lose anyway.” I thought I could improve the election by pulling the other candidates along. We never had campaigns or debates of candidates before. After I was drawn in, I started drawing interest in the cause. Conventional wisdom was that I had a 1 or 2 percent chance of winning. You’re running an exile administration, filling the shoes of the Dalai Lama … how can someone parachute in and win just like that?

Then we had debates, and interest started generating. The other candidates were seen as insiders, and me as the outside candidate. And then one thing led to another and people voted for me. It became more of an election of personalities than policies.

The Dalai Lama pulled all of his authority right at the same time. Before, the job was a lot simpler because you could just get a paper signed by him and show it to Tibetans and say, “don’t criticize this.” But then, His Holiness said, “you’re on your own.” And I thought, “Oh my goodness, what did I bargain for?”

I took it as my karma. I started moving forwarded, doing the best I can.

How could the “one country, two systems” mechanism that’s in place in Hong Kong and Macau work for Tibet? What types of liberties or rights do you hope would come through that type of autonomy?

Ideally, you want as much freedom as possible. But realistically we would like something in the middle of repression and separation. Ongoing repression is unbearable. At the same time we are not seeking separation from China.

There is a racial element to this. The Chinese government is giving autonomy to Hong Kong and Macau; the message seems to be that for Tibetans, we don’t trust you. The Chinese constitution clearly says the Tibetan language should be encouraged, and Tibetan culture should be promoted. We want Tibetans to administer their own regime.

Has the fact that you are no longer pushing for full separation resulted in any dissatisfaction among Tibetan exiles?

There are some Tibetans who believe independence is our birthright, and historically speaking, they are right. How we deal with that is that we are a democratic society, and we are all entitled to our own views — we try to maintain it as difference of views, but not divisions.

Do you think there will be a solution to the Tibet issue within the lifetime of the current Dalai Lama?

Yes. Otherwise why would I leave my job at Harvard and go to Dharamsala? You have to always walk with hope that tomorrow will be different and better. If that hope disappears, then I think it’s a very lonely place. You have to believe that he will be able to return to Tibet during his lifetime.

The Tibetan struggle has been going on for so long … how has it changed over time?

Our elder generation were sincere, dedicated, hardworking, they sacrificed a lot. We have to continue that tradition and build on it, with modern education, exposure, and the understanding that we have. The traditional ethos and the modern know-how — you have to have both. People are engaged from different countries and different backgrounds — that is a challenge. Before, everyone was on the same page.

The situation inside Tibet has also gone from bad to worse. Before, there were protests, now there are self-immolations. The Chinese government is more powerful militarily and economically. But you have to keep the spirit and solidarity of Tibetans inside Tibet strong, and united with the spirit outside of Tibet also. We have to keep pressing the Chinese government to enter dialogue with Tibetans. And at the same time we have to invest in nonviolence and democracy, and hope that Chinese leaders will realize that repressive policies toward Tibet are not working.

We’ve seen self-immolations increase sharply in the past year. What explains the rise?

The system is so repressive that there is bound to be resentment and resistance. In 2008, there were a lot of protests all over Tibet. The consequences were very harsh. Most of them were arrested, tortured, put behind bars, and many died. Self-immolation is also a form of protest, but unlike before, self-immolators are drinking poison or petrol before they self-immolate, or left messages saying, “Don’t let me fall into the hands of Chinese authorities” — they wanted a quick death rather than to suffer at the hands of the Chinese.

The macro cause is repression, and the immediate cause is that there is no space for any form of protest. The Chinese have been cracking down on domestic monastic communities. Now the Communist party decides who can be a monk or not, and that seems to cause some monks to commit self-immolation. The largest number of self-immolations took place during the Party Congress in November — they wanted to send an urgent message to the Chinese leadership.

There have been some signs that China has recently stepped up the campaign to suppress Tibetan culture. Do you think anything will change for the Tibetan people under China’s new leadership?

On the personnel level, there used to be one representative for “minorities” in the Politburo. In the 200-member central committee, there were 16 representatives for minorities. The one has been reduced to zero, and 16 to 10. Even the token representation has been reduced. It doesn’t look like they’re giving priority to the minority issue in general and to the Tibet issue in particular. Also, at the ground level, the Chinese are prosecuting self-immolation. It seems they really want to continue this vicious cycle. In that sense, it’s not that optimistic.

But they only took over fully in March. By March of 2014, we’ll get a clear picture of whether Xi wants to bring change or not. It’s a little early at the moment.

How do you feel like your Harvard education and U.S. experience has helped you so far?

It helps you meet all kinds of leaders. It gives you knowledge and confidence. But I’m a Tibetan, and humility is an integral part of Tibetan tradition. It’s how to balance learning from America but not being too American. You have to be individualistic in some sense, but at the same time you’re very aware of the communitarian mindset that Tibetans have. You have to balance between the two.

How do you work with the Chinese government, since they won’t recognize you?

Publicly, we reach out to say that we are ready for dialogue, that’s our stance. Now, formally, we haven’t had dialogue since January 2010. But informally, many Chinese do come to Dharamsala — journalists, scholars — and I convey to them the same message. When I come out here [to Oslo] or anywhere, I meet Chinese scholars. My commitment to dialogue is established. Now, the Chinese government has yet to respond.

It sounds like you were subject to Chinese phishing attempts via email attachments? Does that happen often?

Yes, all the time. They try to monitor me, destroy my computer, make my life difficult.

It’s where the Buddhist philosophy comes in — don’t have attachments!

What can the everyday people do for Tibet, if they’re interested in the cause?

First, I would urge them to visit Tibet.net. Through that, get engaged in Tibetan issues. And after that, they should write to congressmen and senators on the need to support the issue of Tibet. It’s an urgent critical situation. And come Dharamsala!

CTA Pleads for the Protection of Barkhor from Destruction

jamphel — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:31:42 +0000

Press Release
16 May 2013

We are deeply concerned about the so-called “face-lift project” that is currently underway in Barkhor and the old town area of Tibet’s capital Lhasa.

Apparently, for this project China is investing 196 million US dollar to upgrade “infrastructure” in the old town of Lhasa. However, according to recent reports, it confirms that the actual plan is to completely transform the Jokhang and Barkhor area which is of great spiritual and cultural heritage of Tibetans for more than a thousand year, into a superficial tourist spot.

Fearing this inevitability under Chinese regime, the Central Tibetan Administration in the past had pleaded many times with the UNESCO and other organizations for the inclusion of Jokhang and Barkhor area in the World Heritage list. We strongly urge the Chinese leadership to stop destructing one of the last remnants of spiritual, cultural and social centre of Tibet.

Media contacts:

Mr Tashi Phuntsok, DIIR Secretary, +91 98050 22510
Mr Tsering Wangchuk, Press Officer, +91 98827 28337

The Tibetan test By Edward Lucas

jamphel — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:50:30 +0000

[Europeanvoice.com]

By Edward Lucas

The West must unite to resist Chinese bullying against those who meet Tibet’s leaders

The Tibet season has opened again, with a dire warning to the British government that Prime Minister David Cameron’s temerity in meeting the Dalai Lama last year had blighted relations. Only an apology can mend matters. The communist authorities in Beijing like to think that they can boss other countries around on this score. When Nicolas Sarkozy, then French president, met the Tibetan leader in 2009, France was forced to issue a humble joint statement implying that it would do no such thing again. In 2007, after Germany’s Angela Merkel met the Dalai Lama, Germany did the same.

These are tough times for Tibetans, not just because of their despair at occupation of their homeland, but because of Western pusillanimity. Under the last Labour government, Britain (for no good reason) dropped its position of recognising only Chinese “suzerainty” over Tibet, not de jure rule. Now Cameron is being asked to kow-tow if he wants to restore Chinese trade and investment. Estonia, where President Toomas Hendrick Ilves commendably met the Dalai Lama in 2011, has had the same icy treatment. (View full article)

Clarification on Sikyong’s talk at Council on Foreign Relations

jamphel — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:15:35 +0000

This is to clarify some misinterpretation about Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay’s talk on Tibet at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington on 8 May 2013, which was covered by AFP and other media. (video link here)

In his talk at CFR, the Sikyong was referring to the socialist system of China at the national level. The Middle-Way policy seeks genuine autonomy within the framework of the Chinese constitution which obviously requires restructuring of the existing system to include all the Tibetan areas under one single administration and implementation of Chinese laws.

Also in an Op-Ed by Nicholas Kristoff in the New York Times on 6 August 2008, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had stated that he can accept the socialist system of China if genuine autonomy is granted to Tibetans.

The Sikyong has consistently maintained that the occupation of Tibet and repression of Tibetans are the causes of protest through self-immolation by Tibetans.

Mr Tsering Wangchuk

Press Officer

DIIR, CTA

His Holiness addresses Wisconsin State Legislature and Tibetan Community

jamphel — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:13:09 +0000

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is introduced during his visit to the Wisconsin State Legislature in Madison, Wisconsin on May 14, 2013. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL

[dalailama.com]

MADISON: His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed the State Assembly and the Tibetan community during his visit to Madison, Wisconsin, on 14 May.

Invited to address the Wisconsin State Legislature, His Holiness was introduced as someone who had included Madison in his first visit to the USA in 1979, who gave his first Kalachakra Empowerment in the Western World here in 1981, and who was here in Madison when he received news of having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. He greeted the members of the assembly:

“Brothers and sisters, it’s a great honour to address you who represent the people of this state. I have been an admirer and promoter of democracy since witnessing the bullying of the Regent in Tibet. I learned about the virtues of democracy and the power of an independent judiciary when I was a boy. These are things to admire. In 1951, I took power and in 1952 set up a reform committee, although it wasn’t very successful because the Chinese wanted to implement reforms their way. In 1959, after escaping into exile, we started to change our system. With the first election of a leader in 2001, I became semi-retired and with the election of a new leadership in 2011, I decided the time had come not only for me to retire completely, but also for the institution of Dalai Lamas to retire from political concerns.

“One of my commitments is to promoting human values in the interest of human happiness; my second commitment involves fostering inter-religious harmony. The third commitment involves Tibet because I am a Tibetan. I used to exercise temporal and religious authority, but now I’m concerned to work to preserve Tibet’s Buddhist culture, a culture of peace and non-violence. This is what I am trying to do. Thank you.”

Earlier in the morning, His Holiness addressed a gathering of Tibetans who live mostly in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Young Tibetans in traditional dress listen to His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his meeting with the Tibetan community in Madison, Wisconsin on May 14, 2013. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL

“During this visit to Madison, I am glad to have this opportunity to meet with those of you resident here – my greetings to you all. We’ve been in exile for 54 years, the third generation, but young and old we have kept our identity and pride as Tibetans. The number of people in the world at large who are aware of the Tibetan struggle has increased, and the number of Chinese who are aware of our cause and offer us sympathy has grown too. If the new Chinese leader, Xi Jinping forms his policy on the basis of reality, taking a realistic view, there are grounds for hope that things may improve. Both in Tibet and in exile there has been no slackening of our determination, nor of our dedication to non-violence.”

His Holiness touched on the issue of Dolgyal or Shugden which he said poses an obstacle. If you take refuge in Dolgyal it is an obstacle to taking refuge in the Three Jewels and it also poses a threat to the harmony among Tibet’s various Buddhist traditions. He quoted the Panchen Rinpoche saying that our admiration for other religious traditions should be like the effulgence of a jewel – radiant in all directions.

His Holiness participated in a dialogue on the theme, ‘Change your Mind, Change the World.’

CTA to Observe International Solidarity Day on 17 May

jamphel — Thu, 16 May 2013 06:59:19 +0000

DHARAMSHALA: The Central Tibetan Administration will observe International Solidarity Day tomorrow on 17 May. The International Solidarity Day is being organised to symbolise international community’s solidarity with the aspirations of the Tibetan people inside Tibet who yearn for freedom and continue to stand strong in the face of great adversity.

The Department of Information and International Relation’s Tibet Museum will showcase a full-day exhibition tomorrow at the Tsuglagkhang from 10:00 am. The exhibitions are entitled ‘History of Tibet’, ‘A Long Look Homeward’ as well as a special exhibition on the wave of Tibetan self-immolations since 2009.

The Department of Religion of the Central Tibetan Administration will organise a prayer service at 04:00 pm at the Tsuglakhang. The prayer service is being held as a mark of solidarity with all the Tibetan self-immolators and those suffering political incarceration in Chinese prisons. The gathering will pray for Lobsang Dawa and Kunchok Woeser, who set themselves on fire on 24 April near Taksang Lhamo Kirti monastery in eastern Tibet.

After the prayer service, a function will be held at the Tsuglakhang courtyard. The Kashag and the Tibetan Parliament in Exile will address the gathering, followed by a brief presentation on the life of 11th Panchen Lama Gedun Choekyi Nyima by Tsangtruk Top, a teacher at Sarha College for Higher Tibetan Studies.

The function will conclude with a short skit by the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts or Gopalpur TCV School, followed by a mass recitation of Words of Truth (Den-Tsig-Mon-Lam), a prayer composed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

Observation of this day is decided jointly by the Kashag and Parliamentary Standing Committee.

With self-immolations now numbering 117 since February 2009, and over a million Tibetans perished as a result of Chinese occupation, Tibetans inside Tibet are sending a clear signal to the world rejecting P.R of China’s policies in Tibet which have led to political repression, cultural assimilation, environmental destruction and economic marginalization. Now, more than ever before, Tibetan people need to be reassured and given hope that their plight has not been forgotten by the rest of the world.

The Central Tibetan Administration therefore calls upon Tibetans and their friends to observe this day with expressions of solidarity involving people’s elected representatives, local government or holding an activity as deemed appropriate. In view of self-immolations, particularly the recent self-immolation by two monks of Ngaba Kirti monastery, all are requested to hold prayers on the same day.

Vacancy for Contractual Staff at DIIR

jamphel — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:18:00 +0000

The Audio/Visual section of the Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration has announced the following vacancies on two-year contractual basis.

1) Designation: Under-secretary

Seats Available: 1

Qualifications:

Master in Mass Communication or Journalism from a recognised university
Two years of work experience
Proficiency in Tibetan language
Good skills in videography and programming

2) Designation: Section Officer and Office Superintendent

Seats Available: Section Officer 1* and Office Superintendent 2*

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication or Journalism from a recognised university
Two years of work experience
Proficiency in Tibetan language
Good skills in videography and programming

*( Designations will be allotted based on the merit of the exam result]

3) Interested candidates need to provide the following documents to appear for the exam:

A copy of updated Green Book with bona fide letter from the local Tibetan Freedom Movement
Copies of the first and the last updated page of the Registration Certificate (RC)
Fitness certificate affixed with one photograph from a clinic affiliated to the Department

of Health or any recognised hospital
If the candidate is presently working, he/she needs to obtain an NOC (No Objection

Certificate) from the present employer or institution where he/she is working.
The candidate needs to get all these documents attested by the Tibetan Settlement Officer

or any CTA official above the rank of Joint Secretary.
The last date of submission of application is 14 June 2013.

Applications should be addressed to:

The Secretary

Department of Information and International Relations

CTA, Gangchen Kyishong

Dharamshala,176215

Distt. Kangra, H.P

Tibetan Scholars’ Appeal to Halt the Destruction of Old Lhasa

jamphel — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:11:13 +0000

[Petitions24.com]

To:

President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China

Mme. Irina Bukova, Director-General of UNESCO

We, the undersigned, independent and institutionally-affiliated specialists in various fields of Tibetan Studies, respectfully submit this petition to you out of grave concern over the rapidly-progressing destruction of much of the traditional architectural heritage of the Old City of Lhasa and its environs. This destruction is not simply a question of aesthetics:

(View full report)