College students’ meet begins, arrested Tibetan writer
gets gallantry award[Friday, 7 January 2011, 6:05 p.m.]

DHARAMSALA:
Over 80 Tibetan students from 25 different Indian colleges and Tibetan
monastic institutions have gathered for their 5th annual conference at
the College For Higher Tibetan Studies at Sarah near Dharamsala. Some
of key agendas of the conference include deliberations on how the
chosen fields of studies can contribute to the issue of Tibet,
forthcoming final round of democratic elections in exile, and the
importance of Tibetan language and forging unity among Tibetan college
students.  The deputy speaker of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile,
Dolma Gyari, Kalon Tripa Prof Samdhong Rinpoche and His Eminence the
17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje addressed the opening session
of the four-day meeting this morning.  Kalon Tripa said one the
important agenda would be to carry out in depth discussions to assess
the current and future status of Tibet and its people which is known for
its global prominence in terms of excellence in education and literary
art. Based on the findings, the students should carefully think about
their responsibilities towards sustaining the rich cultural heritage of
Tibet, he added.The students conferred Thangka (scroll painting)
upon Kalon Tripa Prof Samdhong Rinpoche as a token of gratitude and in
recognition of his service in the Diaspora community. The conference will conclude on 10 January.The annual conference aims to (1) construct
a closer bond among the students (2) motivate self-realisation and (3)
inculcate the values of self responsibility.Arrested Tibetan writer
honoured

Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje (2nd left)) confers the gallantry award upon Tashi Rabten who is currently in detention in Tibet. Also seen in the picture are president of the Tibetan college student’s association (2nd right) and deputy speaker Dolma Gyari (1st right)

Tashi Rabten, a Tibetan writer from Ngaba in
Tibet’s Amdo Province, currently in detention for openly advocating
democracy, freedom and equality in Tibet, was honoured with gallantry
award today. A monk student of Kirti Monastery in Dharamsala
accepted the award on behalf of Tashi Rabten.In July 2009, Tashi
Rabten was briefly arrested possibly for his book, a collection of
political articles focusing on democracy, freedom, and equality entitled
Written in Blood, as well as his participation in the publication of
banned literary magazine Shar Dungri, which dealt with the suppression
of the 2008 protests throughout Tibet, PEN reported.He was taken
into custody by the Chinese authorities on 6 April 2010 at Northwestern
Minorities University in Lanzhou, where he is a student. The
writer is believed to be held in a detention center in Barkham county in
Ngaba.