The Secret Tibet (The Forbidden world)

The Tibet Post International {Sunday, 09 March 2008}

Mr. Tsering Wangchuk, one of the famous former reporter and presenter of Radio Broadcast of Lhasa which in so called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), with discussing about his works from 1988 to 1993 and about the Lhasa Radio Broadcast in Tibet.

He told me about his concerning of the difficulties he faced by accesses news services on Lhasa Tibetan radio broadcast in a communist state, the discussion followed his un-success media carries under restrictions of the Chinese authorities. He also tells to the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that the Chinese authorities have always attempted to jam and block all the foreign broadcasts into China, particularly in Lhasa, (the capital of Tibet) and other main Tibetan cities which they determine to “unfriendly”.

What he was tried to show up with his crying soul and he also tells that he was experiencing various aspect of difficulties journalism, the unbiased and alternative news services focusing on Tibetan and Chinese issues are deemed to Chinese authorities “Most powerful Enemies” One of Mr. Tsering Wangchuk’s most difficult is restriction on broadcast services in Tibet since 1993, that he couldn’t provides the reality story and situation of Tibet and Tibetan people under the occupation.

In 1994, He became first Tibetan journalist refugee in India and joined the Tibetan government in exile as reporter of Tibetan freedom, the only official weekly newspaper publishing by Department of information and international relationship (DIIR), now he is the additional secretary of Kashag (The executive cabinet). as a former Tibetan journalist, he also criticizes the French government that its company's helping the jamming and blocking foreign broadcasts.

 "The French company Thales has been the main foreign company providing equipment, technology and engineers assisting the Chinese authorities’ quest to silence and every time maintained to disturb the foreign short wave broadcasting services from Norway and USA etc" he said. 

Tibet Post (TPI): You were a reporter and presenter of Lhasa Radio broadcast of TAR. How was that worked? 

Tsering Wangchuk: First, you must understand how mass media system in a communist state is organized. The policy of the whole category of media—programming, its rules and regulations have been created in tidied restrictions, Lhasa and TAR radio broadcasting itself-is in the hands of the TAR authorities, it is to be focused and reported only positive events in the broadcasts and newspapers. More practically, you can say, it is in the hands of one man, the party secretary of TAR. At its worst, these results in all Medias works produced being of the type his decisions, but allowed to broadcasting some world news.

Tibetans usually used a word, “the whole news in world is always reporting disaster, while it in regional and national always reporting success and good” you have an idea of these situations. Because of this, we have no rights to search for a media system that would guarantee freedom of aspirations and a determination of freedom in media role, if we do this search, that concept of media units immediately crackdown or replaced.  Many Tibetan writers and journalists arrested since 2006, include Tibetan writer Mr. Dolma Kyab. Now China became the main enemy of international media; particularly to the 2445 Tibetan refugees escaped into exile and reached Dharamsala this year for a better right to speak up.

TPI: As a former Tibetan reporter from Tibet, what would you say? 

Tsering Wangchuk: you have no idea that we always had fears in our safety life, we worked under the constant threat of censorship and sanctions, each media unit consists of an editor, a literary writer, researcher and an executive director, these are just acting on their carrier. Around this trio are clustered with others, usually older editors who have been re-educated in communism or Chinese laws.

The people in each media unit work together each news regarding the articles of viewpoint which adapted by the party committee. We broadcast or publish news, write stories, discuss one another’s work, so much dependent each others, you can not setup your own talents with all units, we can not propose various media ideas to the director or editor, accept some positive or negative news of other countries, for example; the crisis Iraq, middle east and US war on terror, the director or editor who always control the all functions with comments by party committee.

In last four decades, many Tibetan writers and journalists forced to preventions and lost their jobs; also there are many reason for widespread self-censorship and the relatively journalists in prison, a Chinese reporter, He recalled the case of a Chinese reporter from Beijing who was dismissed by Radio Lhasa and forced to leave Tibet after investigating allegations that at least eight Chinese people had been murdered by the police. The serial killings, which took place at a Tibetan Town near Lhasa {Gonjar Zong) in the early 1990s, were never covered by media published in Tibet.

The most of reporters who normally would be unable to discuss their reports with their editors, any news reports of crisis which related Chinese officials must published after permitted by secretary general of TAR, that is my purpose and main duty as a former journalist to carried out the realities about media in Tibet and there are reasons to become a refugee for free asses of any reality news, this time it is more worse than 1990s. 

TPI: The party authorities control official Media in TAR, is there any independent agency?

 Wangchuk: No. There is no any independent agency both in print and broadcast media in TAR, only official news media allowed. Until the start of 1980s, very few publications were available in Tibet; include Tibet youth weekly, the Communist youth wing's newspaper, launched in 1985, to Radio and TV, a weekly guide to the programs of radio and television stations, launched in 1989.

A report issued by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, July 1995, said that 55 publications were available in the autonomous region: 23 in Tibetan, 30 in Chinese and two in English. Four years later, in February 1999, the agency reported that the region had 16 newspapers, 34 magazines, 67 bookshops and four printing works since 1993, most are in Chinese language when I was in Tibet. In Tibet, where much of population is illiterate and poor, the power of foreign Radio, TV and Newspaper is particularly obvious.

The Radio broadcasting and TV programs are the main medium for mass information and education, and the Chinese communist government in Tibet has monopoly control over the mass media and with the lack of independent information sources, the general public has no access to free information and lacks a medium to its concerns. The leading newspaper is Tibet Daily in TAR, later published Lhasa Evening Newspaper, the newspapers states its purpose and main objectives, for example; it said “it is mouthpiece of the party committee” it never published a single unbiased and alternative news issue of Tibet and its people.

Other issue in most of the areas populated Tibetans is the fact that very few Tibetan officials are employed in the Radio, TV and News-paper departments. In Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan provinces heavily populated by Tibetans, most of these positions are occupied by Chinese officials; they always quoted the news of Xinhua news agency, biggest official news agency of China. 

TPI: Chinese authorities have numerous monitoring and jamming stations outfitted with the most sophisticated equipments after 1997, what do you think?

 Wangchuk: The French company Thales has been the main foreign company providing equipment, technology and engineers assisting the Chinese authorities’ quest to silence and make unclear foreign short wave broadcasts, every issues of the world dependence to Chinese economy policy, we don’t have the power to stop the foreigners to make money. In Tibet, the reporters have to subscribe to when writing reports; we can not write about situations of Tibet or its history and can not write anything in contravention of government’s policy.

The reporters must have to write about how the government was helping the people. The jamming and blocking the foreign radios so much increased and it is increasing, it is very difficult to buy a digital radio in Tibet, and the normal radio always gets jamming and blocking news from Radio Broadcasting services.

The Chinese authorities in Tibet did not show any significant sign of let-up. Throughout the year, various human rights abuses in Tibet were documented affecting both the civil and political rights, and economic, social and cultural rights of the Tibetan people. Arbitrary arrest, detention and imprisonment continue to be appalling as ever in Tibet.  During the year, two events of concern, start of Gormo-Lhasa railway and the Nangpa La Pass tragedy, gripped international attention intensifying concerns over cultural genocide in Tibet and the plight of Tibetans escaping human rights abuses in Chinese occupied Tibet. 

TPI: End of 2006, China promised the free access of information for the foreign journalists it will begins from beginning of 2007, do you think that will bring any good changes in China, particularly in Tibet?

 Wangchuk: No, not exactly. I think, there is another dirty game started behind the 2008 international Olympic Game in China, Chinese authorities have invited some internationally related journalists into China recently and they officially declared that the foreign journalists are allowed to access their reports independently from 2007. But on the waves of their recent political agenda and events, I think, there are no any significant changes taking place in China and Tibet, so far, it will not.

Actually, the foreign journalists are demanding complete independent to access the information and report during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Game only, they might visit in TAR and other provinces where Tibetans most populated, but, they will can not access and focus any reality issues of the Tibet and Tibetan people under Chinese machine guns, even they managed some reality issues, no one will give a grantee to safety of the Tibetans after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Game. Another example, Chinese media Xinhua reported the railway carried 272,700 passengers and 37,400 tons of freight between July September 2006, I think 60 percents of 272,700 passengers remand settled in Tibet.

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