Dharamsala Disappointed by Closure of Website in Tibet
Mr. Sonam N. Dagpo
SECRETARIES DIIR
Tel: (91) 1892 222510/222457
Dharamsala 4 April 2005: “We are disappointed by the Chinese government’s closure of a website devoted to Tibetan culture in Tibet,” said Kalon Lobsang Nyandak Zayul, Kalon for the Departments of Finance and Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration based in Dharamsala in northwest India.
“If true, this kind of closure of open discussion forums does damage to China’s international image. It is our sincere hope that this website and other forums of open discussion on issues and concerns of ordinary people in China will be allowed to function. Apart from the fact that freedom of expression is a fundamental human rights, we believe the ability of the Chinese people and nationality minorities to exercise this freedom is invaluable in maintaining China’s current economic dynamism,” said Kalon Lobsang Nyandak Zayul.
Kalon Lobsang Nyandak Zayul was responding to unconfirmed reports of closure of the website. This closure was first reported by China Information Centre on 31 March 2005. According to this report www.tibetcul.com, a website run by Xueyu Zangren (Snow country Tibetans) Cultural Exchange, Co., Ltd. in China’s northwest Gansu province was closed on 25 March 2005 on the orders of the internet administration of the Public Security Bureau of Lanzhou, the provincial capital of Gansu. Tsewang Norbu, a well known Tibetan writer and the editor in chief of the website, cannot be contacted.
The Tibetan Culture website was established on 20 April 2004 and is devoted to the preservation and promotion of Tibet’s spiritual and cultural heritage. According to reports this website is responsible for generating interest in Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism among the young Tibetans in Tibet. This website has generated pointed discussions on Tibetan identity and the challenges facing Tibetan culture. According to reports, the Tibetan culture website launched a campaign to stop a Chinese swimmer from swimming across the sacred Namtso Lake.