The Secret Tibet (The Forbidden world)

Dharamshala: TibetPost-28-April-2009-Three Tibetan monks from Shapten Monastery in Nagchu county in Tibet were arrested by Chinese authorities on 11 April, they have not been charged. Friends and relatives are unaware of the potential reasons these three were arrested, families are unable to get information about their wellbeing, and they can’t provide food and necessary clothing items.

Thuptan Thabkhe the former abbot of Shabten Monastery in Nagchu District, Tibet, and Geshe Tsultrimm Gyaltsen, from Tsedra Shendup Kunphel-ling Buddhist philosophy institute  traveled to Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, to on behest of the Chinese government, who insisted that the monks go to Lhasa to pick up their doctorate certificates of Buddhist philosophy (Geshe Title).

The two Tibetan monks never made it to Lhasa, and were instead arrested by Chinese soldiers on 11th April this year; they are detained in a prison in Nagchu county.   The Chinese authorities also arrested Ven. Tsondue, titled the democratic manager of the monastery.  

Former Abbot, Ven. Thuptan Thabkhey is 46 years old and he joined the monastery in 1982,  the monastery also called Tsedra Shedup Kunphel-ling, a Buddhist philosophy institute.  He studied Buddhism, including memorizing four root Tantric volumes at Buddhist philosophy institute, after serving 10 years as the monastery’s chief accountant he became the Abbot of Shapten monastery, as abbot he contributed considerable religious insight.  He was arrested in 2006 and was Abbot less than a year.

Ven,. Tsultrim Gyaltsen a 30 year old monk joined the Shabten monastery in 1988, he was acting as the accountant for Shapten monastery at the time of his arrest.   

Ven. Tsondue, is 34 years old and joined the monastic order in 1998 and filled the post of democratic manager of the monastery.

The three monks have been imprisoned for 30 days and are still waiting to be charged by the Chinese authorities.

Translated by Ms. S. Hart and Yangjam both reporter for The Tibet Post and report provided  Ven. Thubkhe on 28 April.

Dharamshala: TibetPost-28-April-2009-Tibetan parliament in Exile urged Chinese president Hu JinTao directly if H.E. Panchen Rinpoche is alive, details of his well being and whereabouts should be made public, and sentencing of 52 year old Abbot postponed, is there reason to hope that the more than 5,600 Tibetans who were arrested or detained will afforded more justice?

Mr. Penpa Tsering, the speaker of Tibetan Parliament in exile, wrote an open letter to Chinese president Hu Jin Tao expressing the Tibetan people’s shared concern for the well being of the 11th Panchen Lama.  The speaker’s letter said:"According to media reports, a Japanese journalist Yoichi Shimatsu had at a conference at Qinghua University in Beijing stated that His Eminence Panchen Rinpoche Gedhun Choekyi Nyima had died of cancer some years ago, which is in total contradiction to your government’s stated position that all is well with H.E. Panchen Rinpoche.”

"All the Tibetans are deeply concerned and worried about the statement if it is true. Therefore we call on you to make it clear to the whole world whether H.E. Panchen Rinpoche is still alive or not and if H.E. Panchen Rinpoche is alive, details of his well being and whereabouts should be made public. We also urge you to reinstate H.E. Panchen Rinpoche Gedhun Choekyi Nyima to his rightful position,” Speaker Penpa Tsering said.

Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche, accused of involvement in last March’s peaceful protest was arrested on 18th March 2008 after nuns from the monasteries where he presided demonstrated on the streets of the Tibetan Capital. Rinpoche was allowed to select his own lawyers, marking the first time that a defendant has not been assigned public defenders selected by the courts.

Li Fangping, Rinpoche’s lawyer said: “They notified me that the date to announce a verdict had been postponed. There is no new date. They said they would let me know in due course.”

Signed and sealed now the international community must wait to see how the Chinese government receives the appeal letter from the Tibetan parliament and exile, and weather they deliver a fair verdict to Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche.

After the deadly Chinese crackdown on Tibetan peaceful demonstrators in all parts of Tibet, over 220 Tibetans killed, 1,294 injured and 290 sentenced, more than 5,600 were arrested or detained and over 1,000 disappeared, but there is still not any explanation for those Tibetans. Moreover, the Chinese court in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, western Tibet sentenced five Tibetans to death, 3 death penalties, two to suspended death penalties, two to life in prison and one jailed for ten years in this month on charges of arson causing death and firing shops.

Dharamshala: TibetPost-22-April-Xinhua, the official mouthpiece of Chinese government, today reported the sentencing of Penkyi (aged 21) of Sakya County to “suspended death penalty", Penkyi (aged 23)  from Nyinmo County to life term and Chime Lhamo (aged 20)  to 10 years imprisonment for starting fires in two downtown clothing shops on March 14, 2008. The exile Tibetan NGOs hold a mass candle light vigil with reciting prayers for the victims, around 600 people gathered for the event.

The Exile Tibetan NGOs; Tibetan Women's Association, National Democratic Party of Tibet, Guchusum Moment of Tibet and Students for a Free Tibet - India urge the Chinese authority to conduct fair and open trails for the convicted Tibetans. We also call on the Chinese authorities to respect national procedural rights and give rights to all the detained Tibetans to independently choose their own lawyers, as stressed in two-year human rights action plan issued by the Chinese government on 13 April 2009.

The Chinese authorities – by sentencing the three Tibetan women – truly undermine the principles of the international human rights bodies and governments amidst the global economic recession where it is believed to have an upper hand. This kind of injustice is intolerable, and therefore, we urge all the freedom loving people of the world to support us during this critical period facing Tibet and Tibetans.

Today's sentence follows two weeks after the Lhasa Intermediate People’s Court sentenced five Tibetans  on charges of arson case. On April 8, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak were given death sentences with immediate effect, while Tenzin Phuntsok and Khantsug received death sentence with two years reprieve and Dawa Sangpo was sentenced to life in jail.

The inhuman treatment of Tibetans inside Tibet is appalling and such act is a gross violation of international human right laws. Therefore, we call on the International bodies, Governments, and Human Rights activists to assert pressure on the Chinese government to comply with the international human rights accords and to ensure that all accused receive fair and open trial and that justice doesn't evade the fate of the Tibetans inside Tibet.

Dharamshala: TibetPost-22-April-2009-The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) expresses its utter disappointment over the de facto expulsion of TCHRD from the United Nations Review Conference on Racism (DRC) being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 20 -24 April 2009. The Centre is appalled by the decision of its non-accreditation to the DRC by the preparatory committee on procedural ground.

TCHRD is one of the several non-governmental organisations whose accreditation was overstepped upon by the preparatory committee due to a procedural matter on 17 April 2009. Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) objected to the Centre's accreditation. The TCHRD believes that objecting to participation of recognized and registered NGOs like TCHRD to the DRC, with the politicization of the process, is a highly discriminatory move by the government of the PRC.

Racism is endemic in the Tibetan areas of present day China. The State is sponsoring racism in Tibet through its population transfer policy. Over the years   hundreds of thousands of Chinese settlers have been recklessly brought into the Tibetan areas because of which racism has become a major issue. However, the State overlooks the issue and sweeps it under the carpet  in its propaganda machinery.

China in its reply to the TCHRD letter states that "violent  criminal activities premeditated by separatist group in Lhasa in March  2008 resulting in the death of 18 innocent persons and injuries to  hundreds of persons". The statement is biased and in itself  highlights the state-practice of racist attitude and policy since  there has also been deaths of at least 135 Tibetans according to our  independent documentation while the other sources cite death of 210 peaceful Tibetan protesters as a direct result of China's "people's  war" military crackdown launched on the Tibetan Plateau since 10 March  2008.

TCHRD received its accreditation to the World Conference Against Racism (WCR) in Durban in 2001 when the General Assembly voted the Centre's accreditation to the World Conference. The Centre's accreditation would have been automatic until PRC raised its second objection and requested 14 days to review TCHRD's latest response when the Prepcom actually had only three working days. Due to the failure to resolve the issue behind closed doors, the Prepcom on 17 April 2009 took a decision "not to take action" on the accreditation of several NGOs which included TCHRD.  The European Union which did not act to overturn the decision described the situation as the "de facto explusion" of TCHRD and this view was even shared by Australia.

There have been two rounds of formal exchanges (see the links below) between the TCHRD and the government of the PRC regarding the Centre's accreditation to the DRC. TCHRD believes that the PRC should face the reality and constructively work towards eliminating racism in Tibet rather than blocking the voices of the oppressed raised through NGOs like TCHRD.

The Centre request all the governments and the NGOs participating in the DRC to tackle the root cause of racism and to expose the states who practice and encourages racism through its various designs. Victory over complete elimination of racism in the world will be a  giant stride for humanity.

Dharamshala: TibetPost-16-April-2009-According to sources in Tibet, the situation in Bathang district, eastern Tibet is getting tense.  Tibetans in the area are suspected of bombing a police building and erecting a sign supporting the Tibetan freedom struggle.   A blast in the Chinese police building in Pogurshi township in Bathang District went off in recent days, and after the incident a large banner was strung up by local Tibetans saying, "Go back, Chinese, from Tibet" and "Tibet belongs to Tibetans", written in both Tibetan and Chinese.

Mr. Dakpa, whose mother only is still alive, Dorkar, who has five living family members, Atsok, with six living family members, Pema Wangchuk, who also has six family members, are suspected of being behind the above-mentioned incidence.  Dorkar in particular, who knows how to speak and write in Chinese, is suspected of creating the banner.  When Chinese armed forced police arrived in the town to arrest these four, they escaped into the mountains.  Moreover, many men who held responsibilities in the town faced difficulties in by staying in town, and were forced to escape  to neighboring areas to hide from the Chinese military.  Due to the amount of people who have escaped, many farms are left untended.

70 Chinese authorities, including armed forces and police, have currently been going door-to-door raiding homes.  On the night of 14 April, the villagers in Porgushi set fire to a military compound, but there were no casualties.  The military warned the townspeople: "We will not leave until we have arrested ten people."  However, Tibetans in the area have united and decided not to give any people into the hands of the Chinese military.  The situation is now very tense between the Chinese military and Tibetans in the area.

During the performance of religious ritual dances in Dzokchen Monastery in Dege County, Eastern Tibet on 25-26 March of this year, Tibetans burned all wild animal skins used as garments, including fox skins, following a public announcement.  Many young people rode their motorbikes in front of government buildings in protest.  Local Chinese officials, however, stayed inside the building and did not come out.  Around 6,000 Tibetan people joined the protest, but authorities did not increase military armed force, fearing a clash between Chinese forces and the demonstrators.  After the festival was over, people returned to their homes, and monks departed on two months of holiday.  Chinese officials then made a public announcement condemning the burning of fur garments and said that the incident would be investigated.  In 2006, His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave a Kalachakra teaching in South India and strongly advised Tibetans in all parts of Tibet to stop wearing garments made of animal fur.

Dharamshala: TibetPost: 15-April-2009 - In a press conference this morning , a public appeal was made for the intervention of the global community in the cases of Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak, who were both sentenced to death by a Chinese court.  In addition, representatives called for the immediate action in the cases of Tenzin Phuntsok and Kangtsuk who were both given suspended death sentences, and to Dawa Sangpo who was sentenced to life imprisonment.   The conference was organized by representatives from the Tibetan People's Uprising Movement that consists of four NGOs: Tibetan Women's Association, Students for a Free Tibet, the National Democratic Party of Tibet, and the Former Political Prisoner's Movement (Guchusum).

Despite claims to the contrary in recent publications outlining the death penalty and other policies concerning ethnic minorities such as Tibet, Chinese authorities "routinely deny Tibetans their basic legal rights and protections within the so-called judicial system in China", said Tenzin Choeying, the National Director of Students for a Free Tibet in a press release.

The Tibetan People's Uprising Movement has drafted letters to the Chinese Minister of Justice, Wu Aiying, urging her to review the four death sentences immediately and "allow them to be partially investigated with further trials to be conducted openly and with due regard to international legal standards".  In addition, a letter has also been drafted to Amnesty International appealing for aid in saving the lives of the sentences Tibetans.

In its Two-Year Human Rights Action Plan, issued on 13 April of this year, the Chinese government claims that "every precaution will be taken" in sentencing prisoners to death, and that "the system of the death sentence with a two-year reprieve shall be improved".  It has become apparent in recent days, however, that the trials given to these sentenced prisoners in Tibet were neither free nor fair.  Tibetans have no right to express their political opinions in their own country, nor are they given the right to religious and cultural freedoms.

"The Chinese government's second class treatment of Tibetans is appalling." States a report by the Tibetan People's Uprising Movement. "We call on the Chinese authorities to respect human rights and give rights to all the detained Tibetans to independently choose their own lawyers, as it has been written in a report issued by the Chinese government on their two-year human rights action plan issued on 13th April 2009."   

The five Tibetan prisoners were tried in three separate reported arson cases in which altogether seven civilians were killed and five shops set on fire in Tibet's capital, Lhasa.   

Since the March uprising of last year, in which the five detainees were involved and consequently sentenced, 220 Tibetans have died, 1,294 have been injured, 290 sentences, 5,600 arrested or detained, and over 1,000 have disappeared.  The sentencing of these five without a fair trial is representative of an abysmal Chinese human rights track record that spans back for generations.

Students for a Free Tibet, an organizer of the press conference, has 650 branches worldwide.  Representatives from the organization also held a signature campaign today, and announced that it would be drafting appeal letters to more NGOs, the UN, and the EU, asking for aid in saving the lives of the five prisoners.