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Crackdown on Photocopying

NDPT Announces Next PM ........?

Bi-MonthlyB o d - K y i - Cha- Trin

I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Rs.5Vol. 01, Issue 18, 30 May 2010

Award to Tibetan Women writer

www.thetibetpost.com

.....See page 7

......See page 6

............ See detail on page 7

Tibetans and foreign suporters in Dharamshala urging

China for more freedom of expression in Tibet. Photo:

TPI

Dharamshala: The Chinese government hasbeen known to crack down on many things,like the internet, radio and television channelsand even the print media, but now the paranoidmandarins in Beijing have decided thatphotocopying is another thing to crack downon. .....Detail on page 8

...See page 6

China Must Begin Serious Talks to Solve Tibet Issue: His Holiness

Dharamshala: His Holiness the 14th DalaiLama of Tibet said on Tuesday, in an interviewgiven to the Chinese media outlet Duowei, thatthe Chinese administration needed toacknowledge that there indeed existed a Tibetproblem and that this issue needs to dealt with,and he also said that the best way to resolvethis impasse is to begin serious talks.

When asked on what steps could be taken tomove the issue forward, his holiness said thathe had done everything from his side, and alsoreminded the interviewer Mr. Yu Pinhai, aboutChinese leader Deng Xiaoping's commitmentthat except for the issue of Tibetanindependence everything else can be discussedand resolved, and the fact that some Chineseofficials who said that, there is no Tibetan issue,but only the issue of the Dalai Lama.

His holiness also reiterated the fact that thewhole world knew that, he does not ask theChinese government for independence forTibet, yet the Chinese continue to label him aseparatist, His Holiness the Dalai Lama alsostressed the need for more Tibetans in Chinato take an active part in discussions with theChinese government, he also said that the

Sonam Tsering. Photo: TPI

Dharamshala: Lhasa Intermediate People'sCourt sentenced a Tibetan, Sonam Tsering, todeath with two years reprieve and five otherTibetans to lengthy imprisonment termsbetween 3 to 7 years in prison for secretly hidinghim from the law enforcement agencies.

According to so called Lhasa Evening News;Sonam received his sentence on May 25th underarticle 289 and 263 while the other five Tibetans(Tashi Choedon, Kelyon, Yeshi Tsomo, Tayang,Tsewang Gyurmey) to imprisonment termsbetween 3 to 7 years under Article 310 of the

Leave Tibet and Taiwan to Us,

China Warns the United StatesChimed Yungdrung, president of NDPT. Photo: TPI

Dharamshala: National Democratic Party ofTibet (NDPT) held a press conference thisafternoon to formally announce its 2011 PrimeMinister and Parliamentary candidates. Theconference was chaired by NDPT PresidentChime Yungdong.

NDPT President and chairperson of theconference Chime Yungdong formally

Release 11th Panchen Lama

TibetanStudent

Arrested by Chinapage 5......

Dharamshala: During the ongoing ,China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues(S&ED) being held in Beijing, the Chinesedelegation told the U.S to "respect its coreinterests and major concerns, and to payparticular attention to handling sensitive issuessuch as those regarding Taiwan, Tibet andother sensitive issues properly."

Ma Zhaoxu, spokesman of the Chinesedelegation at the conference was quoted assaying" "China believes both sides shouldabide by the three joint communiques betweenthe two countries and the joint statementissued during U.S. President Obama's visit toChina last November"

The high level talks are being co- chaired byPresident Barack Obama's specialrepresentatives, Treasury Secretary TimothyGeithner and Secretary of State HillaryClinton, and also by President Hu Jintao's

Tibetans in Dharamshala urging China to release the

11th Panchen Lama of Tibet on 17 May 2010,

Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI

10th Panchen’sDaughter

visited to kyigudo

earth quake placepage 5.......

Dharamshala: Regional Tibetan YouthCongress of Dharamshala today remembersthe 15-year anniversary of the abduction andimprisonment of the 11th Panchen Lama

special representatives, Vice Premier WangQishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo. Thetalks focused on issues such as bilateralrelations, cooperation in the areas of publichealth, customs, energy, environment andclimate change, along with military ties.

China has long claimed Taiwan and Tibet aspart of its own territory and, rebukes sharplyany world leaders for showing or expressingany sort of sympathy with Tibetan spiritualleader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama or theTaiwanese government.

When Chinese leaders warned Washington totake into account China's "core concerns"including Taiwan and Tibet. Clinton deftlyreplaced "Tibet" with "human rights" sayingshe was keen to understand China's concernon "Taiwan and human rights issues". It wasnot immediately clear if she had any seriousdifferences with her host on the issue ofhuman rights, which she regards as her ownpolitical agenda.

High profiled delegation led by US Secretaryof Treasury Timothy Geithner abd Secretaryof State Hillary Clinton did not seem to havemuch success in getting Chinese leaders toaccept her prescription on the North Koreanand Iranian nuclear issues. She did manage toelicit some amount of positive verbalresponse from Chinese leaders on economicissues concerning market access andrevaluation of Yuan but there were noagreement on paper over these matters.

majority of Tibetans who are in Tibet are hisboss, he also said that most Tibetans in chinaare afraid to speak out for fear of being labeleda separatist. His Holiness said he had neverasked the Chinese Government for any

position of power for himself in the past, andhe had no desire to do in the future as well.

Speaking on the rich spiritual heritage and aculture that was the way of life for all Tibetans,

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet attending a function in Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton walks past the U.S.

and China national flags upon arrival at a press

conference in Beijing, China, Tuesday, May 25, 2010.

Photo: AP

China’s Death Sentence...

Tsering Woeser on the roof of Jokhang temple in Lhasa,

during 2007 Tibetan Losar (New Year). Photo/ Woser

Dharamshala: A Beijing-based Tibetan writer,Tsering Woeser, has received the 2010‘Courage in Journalism Award'. Each year theaward recognizes heroic women journalistsfrom all over the world who risk politicalpersecution and personal safety in their effortsto expose corruption and defend human rights.

...See page 3

The Tibet Post2 TPI TIBET IN EXILE30 May , 2010 Dharamsala

Candle-Light Vigil Held for Release

of 11th Panchen Lama

endorsed two candidates, Dr.Lobsang Sangay and former Tibetanminister Tenzin N. Tethong, for theupcoming 2011 Tibetan PrimeMinisterial election, and revealed alist of 21 candidates - 6 fromDhotoe, 5 from Dhomed, 10 fromU-Tsang - that it will be backing forthe concurring 2011 Parliamentaryelections.

At the third General Body Meetingof NDPT held in Dharamsala inMarch, executive members andrepresentatives of NDPT's regionalchapters across India and Nepalpassed a resolution to back threenominees for Prime Minister (KalonTripa), and 45 Members ofParliament (MPs) - fifteen from eachof the three Tibetan provinces.

Due to other commitments of theproposed Parliamentary candidates,and the ill-health of the third PrimeMinisterial candidate, ChimeYungdong today announced that onlytwo candidates for Prime Ministerand 21 Parliamentary candidates haveaccepted NDPT backing.

Chime Yungdong commented thatafter which focused on introducingpotential candidates for theupcoming elections - NDPT willinvite the official candidates to speakat length about their political stancesand policies.

Chime Yungdong said thatpamphlets introducing prospectiveMPs will also be circulated aroundTibetan settlements in India.

Dr. Lobsang Sangay is the first

NDPT Announces 2011 Election Candidates

for Tibetan PM and MPs

......continued from front page

NDPT Announces 2011 Election Candidates for

Tibetan PM and MPs

Gendun Choekyi Nyima by thePeople's Republic of China (PRC).Approximately 100 peoplegathered at the main temple for theanniversary. One of the mainguests present was Mr. JampalMonlam, assistant director of theTibetan Center for Human Rightsand Democracy. He talked of therecognition of the 11th PanchenLama by His Holiness the DalaiLama, and the subsequentimprisonment of the PanchenLama by the PRC.

Later, Mr. Dhondup Lhadhar, theGeneral Secretary of the TibetanYouth Congress, addressed thegathering. He spoke about the 10thPanchen Lama, who lived in aChinese prison for 14 years, andwas killed in 1989 by the Chinesegovernment because of the China/Tibet issue. He expressed theimportance for the Tibetan peopleto remember this as part of theirhistory.

He e laborated on theimprisonment of both the 10thand 11th Panchen Lama for 14 and15 years respectively. Indeed, the11th Panchen Lama is believed tobe a reincarnation of the 10thPanchen Lama, and therefore theincarceration of one person, yettwo lives, is unique within worldhistory.

Mr. Lhadhar then talked of theUnited Nat ions and theirpromotion of Human Rights andinternational peace. However thereality of the situation is that whenthe 11th Panchen Lama wasimprisoned - at the age of 6 - theUN did not put pressure on Chinafor his release. He felt this signifieda severe lack of human rights.

Mr. Lhadhar expressed thatalthough prayer is essential, thestruggle for freedom is moreimportant. During the CulturalRevolut ion Tibetans wereprohibited from praying and theirpolitical and religious freedom was

restricted. As such, attendance atthe demonstration marking thisanniversary and the desire forfreedom should be a top priorityfor the Tibetan people.

In Tibetan History, there havebeen two times when people havepassed away and the Lama's havenot been allowed to attend theinvitat ions to pray for thoseaffected. The first occasion wasduring the Cultural Revolution.However, secondly and morerecently, His Holiness the DalaiLama was prevented from visitingthose affected by the earthquakethat struck Tibet in April this year.

Today the demonstration startedat the main Temple in McLeodGanj and f inished in lowerDharamshala. Signatures werecollected as part of a petition forthe release of the 11th PanchenLama. This afternoon, prayers willbe said in McLeod Ganj andcandles l i t in memory of theanniversary.

......continued from front page

Daharamshala: The Mcleod Ganjbus stand formed the meeting pointfor hundreds of people taking partin a candle-light vigil on the 15thanniversary of the Panchen Lama'sabduction by the People's Republicof China (PRC). Tibetan residents,monks and foreign tourists gatheredat 6.30pm to start the processionwhich circled the centre of townbefore continuing to the NamgyalMonastery, then the main Tibetantemple of Dharamshala.

Once the procession reached thetemple, participants placed theircandles at the entrance and madetheir way to the centre to hear thevarious planned speakers. LhakpaTsering, the Culture secretary of the

take candle-light vigil on the 15th anniversary of the Panchen Lama's abduction by the

People's Republic of China (PRC) at Dharamsala, photo: TPI

Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC),reminded the audience that the 11thPanchen Lama is the youngestpolitical prisoner in the world.Tsering spoke of his disappointmentat the small turn-out of 66 peoplewho had participated in the morningprotest. He encouraged listeners totake responsibility for this fight forfreedom and not to depend solelyon His Holiness the Dalai Lama, whoturns 75 this year. He also urgedparents to teach their children aboutcurrent political activities, thusenabling them to continue with theTibetan struggle for freedom.

Tenzin Yangzom Organiztionalsecretary of TYC then repeated thismessage in English for the benefit of

the many foreigners in attendance.

Shortly after the final wave of peoplehad gathered, a one minute silencewas observed to remember theplight of the imprisoned PanchenLama.

The evening's events were organizedby the TYC, as part of a day-longcampaign which included themorning protest and a petitionsigning.

Tibetan to have gained a doctoratefrom Harvard University. He is wellknown for his scholarly work onTibetan issues and is noted forputting together groundbreakingconferences between Tibetan andChinese scholars at the university. Hehas been a prominent member ofthe Tibetan Youth Congress, andbecame its youngest ever executivemember.

Tenzin N. Tethong is a fellow ofStanford University and a formerrepresentative of His Holiness theDalai Lama in New York and laterin Washington. He has been involvedin many initiatives aiding Tibetanissues such as The Tibet Fund andPotala Publications, and in 1980 waselected to the Tibetan Governmentin-Exile where he served in variouscapacities.

About a Month After The

Arrest of Renowned

Dharamshala: Tibetan writerTagyal Shokdung by ChineseGovernment. His book wasreprinted by some young Tibetansand it was formally published byGyalnor Tsawang, a member ofAssembly of Tibetan People'sDeputy (ATPD),the book titled"nam sa go chey" was launched atthe Songsten Higher SecondarySchool in Kathmandu, in thepresence of two other members ofATPD, Sponsors, RTYC, TWA andan audience of about a hundredpeople.

Gyalnor Tsawang member ofATPD said that it was his pleasureto launch such a book, furtheradding it was a very brave andpatriotic course of action that wastaken by the author and that, thismove had once again reignited theflame of the Tibetan fight. Tsetan,

another member of the ATPD saidthat, as of now these books can onlybe published in exile, but he hopedthat in the future that books of thesame genre could be published insideTibet.

The book in question talks about, thenationwide peaceful protest againstthe Chinese Government in theMarch 2008 uprising, and wastherefore immediately banned by theChinese government and the authorput in jail. Experts believe that this isa counter revolutionary book that theChinese state would not like thepeople of Tibet to read orunderstand. The title of the book"nam sa go chey" translates intoEnglish as "Opening of Earth andSky". The author Tagyal Shokdungwas arrested in Xining, the provincialCapital of Qinghai district in Chinaon April 23.

“Nam Sa Go Chey”, a book which documents the 2008 peaceful demonstrations in Tibet,

written by Tagyal or Shokdung (the writer's pen name) who was recently arrested

TPI H.H THE DALAI LAMAThe Tibet Post 330 May , 2010 Dharamsala

whether Buddhists, Muslims orChristians, the Dalai Lama said thatthe world, including China faced amoral crisis, and said that it wouldbe beneficial if the Tibetan Buddhistculture could be preserved, it couldresult in a positive change for allhumanity.

His Holiness spoke of the great lovethe Tibetan people had for theirheritage, and talked about the negativeeffect that the attitude of the peoplein power had on general populace inTibet, citing the examples of Khenpo

......continued from front page

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

to Begin 4-Day New York Visit

Dharamshala: Tibet's spiritual andpolitical leader, His Holiness the 14thDalai Lama, will commence histeachings today on a four day visit toNew York, NY U.S.A. The event willbe hosted by the Tibet Centre andHealing the Divide, two Buddhistorganisations based in New York City.All teachings held between the 20thand the 23rd of May will take placein the metropolis’s Radio City MusicHall.

The 74-year old Tibetan leader HisHoliness said that the issue must beexamined bilaterally. On one level, allof the major religions of the worlddiffer in the philosophical aspect yetare similar in their messages of love,compassion, etc. His Holinesspropagated a positive standpoint onall religions based on his own beliefin tolerance. His Holiness said that,while his faith is Buddhism, hepossesses respect, appreciation andadmiration toward all religioustraditions. He has visited mosques,churches, Hindu mandirs, etc.whenever possible.

On another level, there exist two mainBuddhist traditions, Pali and Sanskrit,and as Buddhists we should have faithin both. The Mahayana traditionenvelops Chinese, Japanese, Koreanand Tibetan Buddhism, all of whichshare root in the Nalanda School.Within Tibetan Buddhism, HisHoliness spoke of the schools ofNyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Geluk andJonang, all of which follow theNalanda tradition.

Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holinessalso met with over 100 friends andsupporters of the Tibet Center,including well known singer TonyBennett.

His Holiness stated that he advocatesnon-sectarianism and that all of thepreceding Dalai Lamas have followedthis approach. He mentioned that thefirst Dalai Lama had receivedteachings from Kagyu and Sakyamasters, that the second Dalai Lamawas praised as a non-sectarian masterin his biography, while the third DalaiLama had received teachings from theSakya lineage; the fifth Dalai Lama wasa non-sectarian accepted Kagyuteachings while the seventh DalaiLama followed a purely Geluk

tradition. The 13th Dalai Lama wasprincipally non-sectarian and hehimself had also been following thisapproach.

His Holiness continued that thetradition of critical debate involvingthe voicing of varying viewpoints isan integral part of Tibetan Buddhism.He said there were Tibetan masterswho were critical of Je Tsongkhapaand similarly of Tsongkapo who,while refraining from using offensivelanguage, established pointed casesagainst the viewpoints of challengers.

The director of the Tibet Centre,Nicholas Vreeland, has engaged inaiding the co-ordination of the DalaiLama’s five visits to New York,beginning in 1991. The Tibet Centreis an institute for learning andBuddhist meditation and remainsopen to all. Classes at the Centreinclude Buddhist philosophy andmeditation practice. The Centre alsohosts lectures and seminars by guestspeakers.

The Healing the Divide Foundationwas founded in 2001 by Americanactor and practising Buddhist RichardGere; it aims to promote‘understanding, cooperation andinnovative solutions to issues thatthreaten the welfare and prosperityof people and communities aroundthe world.’ The Foundation is currentlyworking on a project in India referredto as the ‘Tibetan Health Initiative’ inorder to provide the local TibetanMonastic community with improvedhealthcare.

His Holiness will spend the first threedays of his stay discussing twoBuddhists texts: Nagarjuna’s‘Commentary on Bodhicitta’ andShantideva’s ‘A Guide to theBodhisattvas’s Way of Life.’ Thesetexts teach concepts such as humanemptiness and suggest a path twoardenlightenment.

The final day will be dedicated to apublic talk on how to lead a happylife, entitled ‘Awakening the Heart ofSelflessness.’ His Holiness’ speech willcover how to achieve a state ofgenuine selflessness with the aim ofinspiring true caring and compassionfor others. A question-and-answersession with His Holiness will follow.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaks to students, faculty, and guests at the University of

Northern Iowa, Tuesday, May 18, 2010, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Photo: AP

Jigme Phuntsok who faced greatdifficulties in pursuing purelyspiritual activities.

His Holiness the Dalai lama clarifiedthat he" had never asked all theChinese to move out of Tibet, butthat Tibetans be the majority as thatwas essential for the survival of theTibetan identity "he took theexample of development in innerMongolia where there were onlythree to four million Mongolianscompared to around 20 millionChinese. His Holiness said that the

ideal situation being something likesix million Tibetans comparedaround one million Chinese. If thiswere the case in Tibet, he said therewould not be the problems that wefaced today.

On the issue of leadership, HisHoliness said he was not overlyconcerned as he said "In exile since2001 there is an elected politicalleadership and also young andqualified spiritual masters in allTibetan Buddhist lineages aregrowing up."

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Speaks

of Marxism, Capitalism in New YorkDharamshala: Speaking to reportersyesterday in New York where he isgiving a series of lectures in centralManhattan until Sunday, His Holinessthe Dalai Lama reiterated his beliefthat Marxism can bring "moral ethics"to economics.

His Holiness' comments followgrowing disaffection and distrust ofunregulated capitalism in theinternational community.

His Holiness' comments followgrowing disaffection and distrust ofunregulated capitalism in theinternational community.

The Tibetan spiritual leader toldreporters that the world is becominga more tolerant and unified place,though he criticised capitalism, sayingMarxism includes "moral ethics,whereas capitalism is only how tomake profits."

His Holiness was keen to add thatwhenever Marxism has been adoptedby authoritarian regimes such as Chinaor Soviet Russia, it has lead tooppression.

The Tibetan leader and Nobel laureatepreviously called China a "Communistcountry led by a Communist partywithout a communist ideology," andyesterday in New York asserted thatcapitalism "brought a lot of positiveto China. Millions of people's livingstandards improved."

"[The Chinese people] want more

freedoms, they want an independentjudiciary, they want to have a free sortof press," His Holiness added.

Despite being previous advice to notmention or endorse any sense ofMarxism, least of all in the mostenthusiastically capitialist country in theworld, "Still I am a Marxist," the exiledTibetan Buddhist leader declared.

His Holiness the The Dalai Lama speaks during a news conference at Radio City Music Hall

in New York May 20, 2010. Photo: AP

His Holiness Inaugurates Buddha Smiriti Park in Patna

Dharamshala: After wrapping uphis 15 day tour of the US, Tibet’sexiled leader the Dalai Lama, flewto Patna, capital of the Indian stateof Bihar, on Wednesday toinaugurate the highly anticipatedBuddha Smiriti Park.

Upon arriving at the Patna airport,His Holiness the Dalai Lama waswelcomed by Bihar’s Chief MinisterNitish Kumar, and he expressed his

enthusiasm to take part in theceremony.

“I am very happy to come here toparticipate on the consecration ofthis temple at a holy place. And theChief Minister really tends toBuddha dharma (religion), one ofthe important India’s tradition andparticularly the Sanskrit tradition. Sohe is very keen to revive, notnecessarily Buddhist religion, andrather Buddhist concept andBuddhist signs. So I’m very veryhappy to come here," said the DalaiLama to waiting reporters.

His Holiness has inaugurated theBuddha Smiriti Park today, to markthe occasion of Buddha Purnima orthe full moon day of Saka Dawa.This is a special day whichcommemorates Lord Buddha'sbirth, enlightenment, andparinirvana. The memorial park is

dedicated the Lord Buddha tocommemorate his 2,554th birthanniversary, covers 22 acres and costapproximately Rs 125 crore to create.

The ceremony was attended bydelegates from Buddhist countriessuch as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japanand Mynanmar, who will bringpresents of holy relics, urns and othergifts.

Chief Minister Nitish met withTibetan leader at His Holiness’sprivate residence in Dharamshala inFebruary of this year, where heformally invited His Holiness to visitPatna to inaugurate Buddha SmiritiPark.

After the inauguration ceremony, HisHoliness was welcomed back to hishome in Dharamshala, where he hasbeen living in exile over the past 50years.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Chief

Minister Nitish Kumar in Dharamsala on 8

February 2010 /Photo:Tenzin Choejor,

Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The Tibet Post4 30 May , 2010 Dharamsala

Plea to Release Journalists jailed in Tibet

TPI MIND AND LIFE

Encouraging Positive

Mental Qualities Can Make

the World More Peaceful

MADISON: Tibet's political andspiritual leader, His Holiness the DalaiLama said Sunday in Madison, USthat he is hopeful that science canmake the world more peaceful byencouraging positive mental qualitiessuch as empathy and compassion.

Madison governor Jim Doylewarmly welcomed His Holiness, andthe Madison Youth Choir performedbefore high-backed chairs werebrought out for the discussion. Twochildren in the choir presented theTibetan leader with a cap, which hewore throughout the event.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama spokeof the importance of compassion,empathy and oneness to Madison onSunday afternoon, mixing in levityand tales of sibling rivalry with hisbrother, while sitting crosslegged inhis chair and wearing a red Wisconsinbaseball cap. His Holiness said that,unlike religion in which differingbeliefs have caused sharp divisionsacross the globe, "science is universal"and can be used to bring peopletogether.

Nobel Peace Prize winner TenzinGyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama ofTibet, was in town to participate inan hourlong dialogue with Universityof Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientistRichard Davidson, founder of theCenter for Investigating HealthyMinds which is set to open in the fallin the Waisman Center on campus.He called for "a special effort" to betaken to promote traits like tolerance,forgiveness and concern for the well-being of others, among themchildren, before they are taught tofocus on divisions like race andreligion. He noted children fromJewish and Palestinian families willplay together if they are allowed to,even though there may be hostilitybetween their families.

Through education and practice,"these ideas will become a part oftheir life," His Holiness said duringthe hour long discussion. His Holinessalso said that people get a benefit

from taking care of other people.When he meets with people, HisHoliness said, he treats a presidentor queen the same as he would abeggar, “They're are all the same.They want a happy life.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visitmarked the inauguration of theCenter for Investigating HealthyMinds at the University ofWisconsin-Madison, which will bededicated to researching qualities ofthe mind like kindness andcompassion.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama defineda healthy mind as one that is clear,calm, kind, gentle and free of"destructive emotions." He said hehad no doubt that a healthy mindcontributes to good physical healthand a sense of community.

A human being’s “basic nature ispure,” and “everyone experiencespositive and negative emotions,” butthere is the possibility of the mindbeing distorted by ignorance, he toldthe crowd of about 1,100 people inthe Overture Center’s CapitolTheater.

His event was presented as adiscussion with center directorRichard Davidson, a neuroscientistwhose work has been inspired by HisHoliness. Davidson's research on thebrains of veteran practitioners ofmeditation, including Buddhistmonks, suggests mental exercises canimprove one's compassion, empathy,kindness and attention.

Earlier on Sunday, His Holiness theDalai Lama addressed a group ofscientists in the building where thecenter is under construction. Theuniversity says it will be the onlyresearch centre in the world with ameditation room adjacent to a brainimaging laboratory.

The center will carry out research intowhat causes positive mental qualitiesand translation of spiritual texts thatwill explore the impact of

contemplative practices in the realworld.

Its scientists are expected to start astudy this fall teaching mentalexercises to fifth graders in Madisonschools to promote qualities likeattention, relaxation and empathy.They want to find out whether suchexercises can reduce bullying and haveother positive outcomes in theclassroom.

The discussion was moderated byformer New York Times sciencewriter, author and psychologistDaniel Goleman.

"The new Center for InvestigatingHealthy Minds is another shiningexample of how research based herein Madison can change the world,"said Gov. Jim Doyle. “We havelearned so much from you aboutcompassion and its study over theyears,” Davidson told His Holiness,whom he first met in 1992. He saidit’s important for a person’s well-being to focus on the welfare ofothers and decrease focus onthemselves, adding that a focus onothers is at the heart of compassion.

The visit marked the eighth time HisHoliness the Dalai Lama has cometo the Madison area since 1979.

UW professor Richard Davidson (left) and His Holiness the Dalai Lama talk at the Overture

Center's Capitol Theater during an event on Sunday to celebrate the opening of the Center

of Investigating Healthy Minds.

His Holiness Successfully Completes

4-Day New York TourTibet's spiritual and political leader

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, visited

the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

on Sunday, completing his

scheduled teachings and lectures at

the Radio City Music Hall, New

York after holding talks which

tack;led on various subjects including

freedom, peace, harmy, Buddhism

and education.

Upon arrival in New York on 20

May, His Holiness gave an audience

to Tibetans who are from Kyegudo

area in Kham, eastern Tibet, which

recently suffered a devastating

earthquake. These Tibetans had

come to seek His Holiness' blessings

on behalf of the people in their

hometown, particularly to seek his

prayers for the deceased. His

Holiness shared with the group his

thoughts when the tragedy occurred.

He asked these Tibetans to convey

to their friends and relatives back

home that while they have suffered

a great tragedy at the same time it is

fortunate that the victims have

received the prayers of all the great

masters of Tibetan Buddhism.

His Holiness has been in New York

from 21st-23rd May, holding talks

which have tackled subjects varying

from Marxism to the war in Iraq.

The first three days of teachings at

the Radio City Music Hall focused

on discussing two Buddhist texts,

Nagarjuna's 'Commentary on

Bodhicitta' and Shantideva's 'A

Guide to the Bodhisattvas's Way of

Life.'

Speaking to reporters on Thursday,

his first day of talks, His Holiness

declared that he was "still a Marxist"

in spirit, criticising capitalism for

only knowing "how to make

profits. The Dalai Lama however

also asserted that where communism

had been adopted by authoritarian

governments such as in China, there

has been a suppression of human

rights.

On Friday, in a New York hotel

room, His Holiness participated in

an hour-long 'tweet' session with

Chinese web users, hosted by Wang

Lixiong, a Chinese writer and critic

and convert to Tibetan Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama answered questions

(asked and voted for by Chinese

citizens) regarding issues such as

Tibetan autonomy and the

replacement of His Holiness after

his death. His Holiness blamed the

government of China and not the

people for the tensions in Tibet and

expressed his belief that mutual

resolution of benefit to both sides

can be found.

On Sunday morning, His Holiness

visited Hunter College, speaking to

230 students as part of the Bridge

Conference. The Bridge Conference

has been established as a Tibetan and

Chinese Youth Dialogue Project and

the theme of this second conference

was 'Friendship and Mutual

Understanding'. During the talk, His

Holiness criticised the Chinese

government for its use of

propaganda and censorship. He

explained to both the Chinese and

Tibetan students present, that

freedom of speech and openness

"are essential". This topical subject

comes shortly after the recent

revelation that Chinese authorities

have started a clampdown on

photocopying in the Tibetan capital

Lhasa; all those using photocopiers

in the city will have to register their

names and addresses before being

allowed to do so.

At the Cathedral of St. John the

Divine, His Holiness participated in

a panel discussion on "Kinship and

its Meaning in Our World Today".

Joining him on stage were two

panelists of Muslim faith, Sakena

Yacoobi, who founded the Afghan

Institute of Learning and Eboo

Patel, founder of the Interfaith

Youth Core and member of the

Obama administration's Faith

Advisory Council. Patel raised the

issue of the use of religion in our

lives, questioning whether it will be

used as "a barrier of division", "a

bomb of destruction" or more

hopefully as a "bridge of

cooperation". Patel further

continued his point by praising the

Dalai Lama as "perhaps the greatest

world leader" who shines "a light

on the issue of religion as a bridge

of cooperation".

To this final New York audience of

just under 2,000 people, including

American actors Richard Gere

(founder of the Healing the Divide

Foundation) and Naomi Watts, His

Holiness expressed his view that the

U.S.-led war in Iraq may have been

avoided through negotiations with

Saddam Hussein. This is not the first

time the Dalai Lama has criticised

the Iraq war.

Every year His Holiness spends time

away from Dharamshala,

participating in open talks and

teachings across the world. The

Dalai Lama will shortly be releasing

a book named 'Toward a True

Kinship of Faiths: How the World's

Religions Can Come Together',

covering the many subjects raised

during his tour.

The 74 year old His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaks to the media after a news conference at

Radio City Music Hall in New York May 20, 2010. Photo: Reuters

The Tibet Post 530 May , 2010 DharamsalaTPI TIBET

Donations made to the

orphanage in Kyigudo

Dharamshala:The daughter of the10th panchen lama, Ms RigzinWangmo said on the 22nd of Aprilin an emotional address to thepeople of the earth quake affectedregions of Kyigudo in the easternarea of Tibet that "she wouldforever keep the people of Tibet inher heart, and would never forgetthat in spirit and in blood that shewas Tibetan.

Tsangpa Tulku yuntenphuntsok,

Sakya Tulku Dawa Tsering, BashiLoten are the lamas or spiritualleaders from the Lithang Countyof eastern Tibet visited theearthquake affected area ofKyigudo and donated 20,000 Yuanto the Kyagu monastery in theregion, 30,000 Yuan to the earthquake victims, and also donated70,000 Yuan to a local school fororphans. They also said that theyhoped to donated between 10 to50,000 Yuan annually to the

orphanage school in Kyigudo.

Ms Rigzin Wangmo said that shewent to meet the victims of thisgreat natural tragedy not as an officialwith a post of high standing, but asa normal Tibetan there to expressher solidarity with the people of thisdisturbed region, she also visited theorphanage and school at Kyigudo.

At the school for orphans, MsWangmo said that she related withthe children because she herself wasan orphan and could also understandtheir pain, but then she alsoencouraged the students to studyhard and achieve their goals andaspirations and also warned againstdisappointing the people who hadhopes riding on their success.

The people of Kyigudo prayed forthe well being and long life of DrWangmo, they also spoke of therespect and belief they had for Ms.Wangmo's father the 10th PanchenLama, and when the 3 lamas fromlithang county asked the doctor notto forget them with time,MsWangmo replied very emotionallythat ,her father was very veryimportant for the Tibetan people,because he promoted Tibetaneducation and culture and also saidthat the blood of her father andTibet flowed through her veins.

Ms Rinzin Wangmo the daughter of the 10th panchen lama Visiting earth quake affected

regions of Kyigudo in the eastern area of Tibet.

China Arrest Six Monks in Early Morning

Raids in Eastern Tibet

Dharamshala: Four monks of theWara Monastery in ThangpuTownship, Jomda County (Ch:Jiangda xian) in Chamdo Prefecture,"Tibet Autonomous Region" (‘TAR')were arrested last Saturday (15th May)under suspicion of leading andinstigating a protest at the countyheadquarters in Spring 2008. Twoother official monks of the samemonastery were arrested on Sunday,according to a report by the TibetanCentre for Human Rights andDemocracy (TCHRD).

A total of six monks of the WaraMonastery were arrested during earlymorning raids carried out by scoresof Chinese Public Security Bureau(PSB) officials at the monks' residenceon Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, Thinley, 25, andNangsey, 27, were arrested in their

room whereas Soegon, 26, wasarrested for sounding the alarm onthe arrival of the PSB at themonastery. Kelsang Gyurmey, 29,whom the PSB officials werelooking for, could not be traced inthe monastery and was later arrestedat his home. All four monks werestudents of Buddhist philosophy atWara Buddhist College that comesunder the Wara Monastery. The fourmonks are currently being detainedat Jomda County PSB DetentionCentre.

The following morning, the PSBofficials came again to the WaraMonastery and detained two seniormonks: Sonam Gonpo a.k.aSoegon, 40, and Tagyal, 29. The duowas arrested for their failure to"educate" the monks of themonastery under the "PatrioticEducation" campaign launched atthe beginning of April 2008. Thereis no information on where the twomonks are currently held.

On 3rd April 2008, monks of themonastery confronted andchallenged the teachings of the'Patriotic Education' campaign bysaying that "even at the cost of ourlives we will never defame anddenounce our religious leader, theDalai Lama". According to sources,

many of the monastery's monkswere at the forefront during the 2008protests in Jomda County, when theywere blocked by the People's ArmedPolice (PAP) from advancingtowards the main county market toproceed with their protest.

At the beginning of this year, anovice monk, Jamyang Palden, 14,was detained twice and released afterundergoing torture to extract aconfession for his role in the 2008Jomda protest. He was detained formore than a week on both occasionsat the Jomda County PSB DetentionCentre. Similarly, Gyaltsen, 16, wasdetained under suspicion ofdistributing a speech by the latePanchen Lama to Tibetans duringthe 2008 protest. He was releasedafter a week of interrogation at thePSB detention centre.

TCHRD strongly condemns thearbitrary detention of the Waramonks. The Centre calls upon theChinese authorities to immediatelyand unconditionally release thedetained monks and guarantee thephysical and psychological integrityof the detained monks. The Chineseauthorities should put an end to allacts of harassment against the monksso that they are able to carry out theirreligious studies without obstruction.

Wara Monastery in Thangpu Township,

Jomda County (Ch: Jiangda xian) in Chamdo

Prefecture, “Tibet Autonomous Region”

(‘TAR’)

Chinese Authorities Clamp

Down on Protest School

Dharamsala:The Chinesegovernment recently sent officialauthorities to Machu County, EasternTibet - the site of a recent studentprotest - to ensure the teaching andadvancement of its politicalpropaganda reports Dolkar Kyab,a Tibetan researcher at NorbulinkaInstitute.

On March 14th a group of 25Middle School students callingthemselves the Tibetan LanguagePromotion Association staged aprotest for Tibetan independence.Some 500 locals joined in thespontaneous demonstration beforeauthorities intervened and arrested20 of the youths involved.

Chinese officials say they haveblocked the display of photos ofthe 10th Panchen Lama, GendunChoephel and Dhondup Gyal inclassrooms. Students are nowforbidden to pray or to keep Rosary(prayer beads), while books andother material with religious content

have been banned.

The leaders of the demonstration, 17year old students Tsering Dhondupand Thupten Nyima were torturedfor five days when detained. Bothwere bound and hung from the roofand given electric shocks. They werealso denied food for the duration oftheir detention. After their release,both were expelled from the school,and sent away from their homes.

At present, the parents of the Tseringand Thupten are not permitted to seethem, and can only send food oncea week.

Chinese authorities told teachers ofMachu County Tibetan MiddleSchool that were not being properlyassertive and accused some ofactively misleading students into theirpolitical activism. A total of 21teachers were given fines, includingLobsang Rabgyal and Pema Dorjeefrom Qinghai Province who werefined their salary for five years.

Thupten Nyima student from Machu country Gansu Province.

10th Panchen Lama's Daughter Rigzin

Wangmo Visited Quake Hit Areas

Dharamshala: Rinzin Wangmo, the10th Panchen Lama's daughter, lastmonth helped along Kyigudo reliefefforts by sending a relief convoyof nine trucks and participating inthe distribution of essential aid tovictims, it has emerged.

Rigzin Wangmo first arrived in thedevastated Kyigudo (Chinese: Yushu)County on 22 April, to visit andcomfort the victims in the worst-hit

Rigzin Wangmo, the daughter of 10th

Panchen Choekyi Gyaltsen visiting

Kyigudho quake hit areas in April. Photo:

TPI/Dorjee Tashi

areas of the region.

On 23 April, Wangmo sent the 9trucks, filled with essential food aidand shelter such as roasted barleyflour, butter, salt, tents, quilts andclothing. The aid was aimed to be inline with needs of the victims, mostof whom had not received the vitalfood and shelter supplies promisedby the Chinese government. The aidwas targeted towards nursing homesand orphanages, many of which hadcompletely destroyed by the quake.

Reports of the Tibetan spiritualfigure's visit quote victims saying herarrival brought not only materialassistance, but some spiritual comfortfollowing the Chinese refusal torecognise His Holiness the DalaiLama's bid to visit the Tibetan region.

She has summoned around threehundred monks from different areas

The Tibet Post6 30 May , 2010 Dharamsala TPI TIBET-SHANGRI-LA

It is bestowed by the InternationalWomen's Media Foundation(IWMF), a global network foundedin 1990, dedicated to strengtheningthe role of women in the news andmedia worldwide and promotingfurther freedom of press. TheIWMF includes women and men inthe media in more than 130 countriesworldwide.

Woeser, a freelance writer andblogger for the site ‘Invisible Tibet',has been under constant scrutinyfrom the Chinese authorities since thepublication of her book ‘Notes onTibet' in 2003. The book was bannedalmost immediately as China saw itas a threat to their nation. Woeser wasaccused of writing sympathetic andfavorable references to the DalaiLama whom Beijing condemns as a‘separatist', and she has not beenallowed to publish in China since,although these restrictions have failedto deter her.

Born in Lhasa in 1966, Woeser is aquarter-Han Chinese and threequarter-Tibetan. She graduated fromthe South West University forNationalities in Chengdu in 1988 andis celebrated as one of the fewTibetan authors to write in Chinese.In 2007, Tsering Woeser was grantedthe Norwegian Authors Unionawards Freedom of ExpressionPrize but was effectively barred byChinese authorities from leavingChina for Oslo to accept the honour.She was also awarded an honorary‘freedom of speech medal' by theAssociation of Tibetan Journalists(ATJ) based in Dharamshala. In heracceptance speech written fromBeijing, she expressed, "If everyonegives up their rights out of fear, thenthere will be more unrestrictedoppression from leaders. So, the bestway to enjoy freedom of speech andexpression is to break out of therestricted rules and regulationcurtailing freedom."

Tibetan Writer Honoured for

Her Courage and Dedication......continued from front page

Criminal Law of the People'sRepublic of China. The official mediareported that Sonam was charged ofrioting and inciting the public to rioton 14 March 2008. He undertookleadership role in inciting hundreds ofpeople in rioting by setting cars andshops on fire and overturning policevehicles. He was reported to havewielded a knife in the air and loudlyshouted anti government slogans atopa police vehicle. A damage of around40 million Yuan has been done dueto the rioting. The other five Tibetanswere charged of sheltering Sonamfrom the police.

Tsering, currently 23 years old, wasborn to Tsering Samdup (father) andYangkyi (mother) in a semi nomadicfamily in Rachap Township, PayulCounty, Kardze "TibetanAutonomous Prefecture", Sichuan. Inlate 2007 Sonam arrived in Lhasa onpilgrimage and stayed back. Whenpopular protest broke out in Lhasa

in March 2008, he took activeparticipation in it. Sonam was arrestedin mid October 2009, 17 months afterthe Uprising in Lhasa.

With the passing of the death sentenceon Tsering, a total of seven Tibetanshave been given the capitalpunishment and two the deathsentence. Around 450 Tibetans havebeen given various imprisonmentterms for their participation in thepan-Tibet spring uprising against thegovernment of People's Republic ofChina. The spontaneous protest by theTibetans in venting out a built upresentment over decades of flawedpolicies by the government has beendealt with iron-fisted crackdown bythe government and its various lawenforcement and judicial agencies. Thegovernment and its propagandadepartment have been repeatedlypainting the popular Tibetan uprisingwith an image of criminal activitiesto the international community.

China Sentences One Tibetanto Death and Five to Lengthy

Prison Terms......continued from front page

......continued from page 5

China’s Western Conquest Continues: Is Tibet Extinct in Shangri La?

Dharamshala: Coming off the

sleeper bus from Kunming to

Shangri La, eastern Tibet this March

brought more than just fresh air and

a mild headache due to the altitude.

Outside the bus station is a long

corridor for a main street, empty and

modern. The lone vehicles look like

small jets on a massive runway

struggling to take flight as they drive

by. After thirty minutes or so of

navigating the hollow streets we

found the Old Town with renovated

wooden shops and prayer flags. We

passed stores with Tibetan women

on display in their traditional clothes

weaving items for clamoring

Chinese tourists who came to "see"

Tibet. Being my first experience in a

community of Tibetan influence I

was fascinated despite a growing

suspicion that something was not

quite right. It was not until watching

a unit of soldiers in army fatigues

run by my window while drinking

Yak Butter Tea. Not until merely

playing guitar on the opposite side

of a military compound only to get

scared off by intimidating looks

from heavily armed guards. Or not

until seeing riot police armed with

their shields and clubs when I went

to see my friends off at the bus

station did I realize what was at stake.

Throughout the week that I spent in

Shangri La, a personal

transformation was taking place

within me. I remember standing

dizzily underneath the largest prayer

wheel I've seen and a sense of

wonder came over me. We went

hiking to a monastery on the hill

where thousands of prayer flags

adorn the peaceful forest. Then one

day I was humbled to my knees in

one of the temples and had a vision

of traveling through Tibet alone. At

that point I made the decision; I

wanted to go to central Tibet.

Despite my determination, I quickly

learned that it would be nearly

impossible to venture legally into

Tibet. When I went to the bus station

to find out when buses went to

Deqin, a border town 10 hours north

of Shangri La they told me the road

was snowed in. I overhear a person

that needed to get to Chengdu in

Sichuan province and was told that

there weren't any buses for foreigners

at the present time. Both enraged we

went to the police station to discover

why foreigners weren't allowed in

Sichuan. The police told us that

foreigners aren't allowed in western

Sichuan because it was near the

anniversary of the Lhasa riots in 2008.

They also told me that foreigners

aren't allowed permits into Tibet

until some time in April from China

because of the same reason. Hopes

quickly faded, not only would I have

to wait for two weeks at least, travel

agencies wanted over $1,000.00 for

a three day tour just to Lhasa. I won't

even mention the prices for a full ten

day tour.

We were not the only ones having

these problems; Taiwanese travelers

on pilgrimages had their plans ruined

because permits were not being

given out at that time. Other travelers

who were coming back from Tibet

complained that tour guides control

everything they do and see. They also

told us about how many armed

soldiers are in Lhasa as well as

surveillance cameras. The people

who work in Youth Hostels were

terrified to say too much because

they feared that someone would tell

police about their opinions and be

sent to prison.

So even though I couldn't go to

central Tibet, I observed the

contradictions that remain in Shangri

La with China Telecoms and army

surplus stores everywhere. The

contradictions made it obvious that

a cultural battle was taking place.

Children attending the youth

academy walk down the streets in

camouflage where as the others

attending Monastery sport their

maroon and gold robes. It makes me

remember that wars and oppression

are often times founded on

differences in ideas, like Tibet. China

does not have to worry about Tibet

taking over China, but China still

commits atrocities because of ideas

different from theirs. Shangri La

should be on a list with countless

other cities where modern culture is

endangering the once well preserved

way of life for Tibetans. It is my hope

that the traditions that have seen Tibet

through hundreds of years can

outlast the childish spread of control

and industry through western China

into Tibet.

Young Tibetans spinning a big prayer wheel for good luck, Shangri La, eastern Tibet, March

2010. Photo: TPI/Mike TaylorViewing the Prayer flags from hill, Shangri La, eastern Tibet, March 2010.

Photo: TPI/Mike Taylor

of eastern Tibet at the funeral to offerprayers for those who lost thier livesduring the deadly earthquake. It's verycomforting for those who survived.

In a message to victims of the disaster,Wangmo said that the spirit of the10th Panchen Lama was with them,and stressed the importance ofcommunity assistance and solidarityin dealing with the tragedy.

"We want you to know that in thisland our ancestors experienced andovercame a variety of disasters. Fromgeneration to generation [the Tibetanpeople] have taken root here, and builtup a beautiful and warm home. Todaywe should have the confidence andreason to believe that with strongcommunity assistance, Yushu peoplein their perseverance will in the nearfuture see this land bloom oncemore."

The Tibet Post 730 May , 2010 DharamsalaTPI INTERNATIONAL

India: Stand up and speak up!

Dharamshala: Rewind to march2008; when the Chinese securityforces came out in full force, andcrushed the uprising in Tibetan capitalof Lhasa and quelled all publicsentiment on the Tibetan plateau, andhere at home the Indian response tothis crackdown was dispiriting to saythe least, In parliament the seasonedpolitician and then foreign ministerPranab Mukherjee could onlyexpress distress at the plight of thehapless Tibetans. Worse still, Indianpolice swooped down on nonviolentTibetan protesters near Dharamshala,the principal refuge of the TibetanDiaspora, and incarcerated them for14 days using India's preventivedetention laws, a relic of the colonialage.

Looking at the matter globally, whenBurma's junta in the September of2007 killed at least 31 people duringmonk-led protests in the capitalRangoon, it triggered internationaloutrage and a new wave of US-ledsanctions. But when the junta's closestassociate, the world's largestautocracy in Beijing, has crackeddown on monks, nuns and others inalmost all parts of Tibet, with anindeterminate number of peoplekilled. The muted global responsethus far raises the question whetherChina has accumulated such poweras to escape international censureover highly repressive actions.

India does not do itself, anydisservice if she displays a greaterdeal of independence and does notbow-down to Beijing's stand onTibet, why does India with her rapideconomic growth, powerful militaryand robust democratic institutions actin such a subservient nature to theChina?

New Delhi's reluctance to challengeChina over Tibet goes back toBeijing's brutal repression of theKhampa revolt 50 years ago, whenHis Holiness the Dalai Lama, thespiritual and temporal head of theTibetans, fled to India. AlthoughChina sharply reproved India forproviding refuge to His Holiness,India stood its ground. Shortlythereafter, following a breakdown ofnegotiations over a disputed border,

China attacked and defeated India inOctober 1962. Even though India'sarmy has since been modernized andprepared for mountain warfare, thememory of this rout still hauntsIndian military planners andpolicymakers.

Also Indian foreign policy has beenburdened by a legion of panda-huggers, who bring discredit to ourdemocracy and comfort to ouradversary. These Sinophiles believethe only alternative to continuedappeasement is confrontation. Theycannot grasp the simple fact thatbetween appeasement andconfrontation lie a hundred differentoptions. A false choice - payobeisance to Beijing or brace up forconfrontation - has been used toblock any legitimate debate on policyoptions.Why Tibet matters?

Why does Tibet matter so much?, itis but a frozen plateau located at aunforgiving altitude and devoid ofany noticeable value to anyone, butif one looks closer we understandthe value of Tibet to India. Tibet'svast glaciers and high altitude haveendowed it with the world's greatestriver systems. With global warminglikely to aggravate water woes,Chinese domination over the originsof Asia's water sources is a worryingfactor for lower lying countries likeIndia. Think back to the words ofthe former World Bank Vice-President Ismail Serageldin when hewarned that, "If the wars of thiscentury were fought over oil, thewars of the next century will befought over water."

Tibet's forcible absorption not onlyhelped China to expand its landmassby one-third, but also has given it acontiguous border, for the first timein history, with India, Bhutan andNepal, and a gateway to Pakistan andBurma. By subsequently and illegallyannexing Aksai Chin in Ladakh , theChinese was able to link Tibet withanother vast, restive region, EasternTurkestan (Ch: Xinjiang), home toTurkic-speaking Muslim ethnicgroups and seat of a short-livedindependent East Turkestan Republicup to 1949. The reckless exploitation

of the immense mineral depositsthat the Tibetan plateau possesses,and the building of new hydro andrailway projects that links themainland with the Tibetan region areplaying havoc with Tibet's fragileecosystem which in turn is critical tothe climate security of India and otherregional states.

Tibet's security and autonomy aretied to India's own well-being. If the‘Roof of the World' is on fire, Indiacan hardly be safe. The choice beforeIndia is to either stay stuck in adefensive, unviable negotiatingposition, where it has to fend offChinese territorial demands, or totake the Chinese bull by the hornsand question the very legitimacy ofBeijing's right to make territorialclaims ecclesiastically on behalf ofTibetan Buddhism when it still hasto make peace with Tibetans.

Second, if Tibet is to be the meansby which India coops up the bull inits own China shop, it has to treatthe Dalai Lama as its most powerfulally. As long as the Dalai Lama isbased at Dharamshala, he will remainIndia's biggest strategic asset againstChina. The Tibetans in Tibet willneither acquiesce to Chinese rule, astheir latest defiance shows, nor sidewith China against India.

India has long, albeit fitfully, soughtto uphold human rights both athome and abroad. Today, when ithas aspirations of regional and globalleadership, it needs to demonstratethe self-confidence to condemnChina's repression of its Tibetanminority and to provide comfort tothe Tibetan diaspora. If India wishesto be seen as the exemplar of amodern democratic nation withglobal aspirations then, she shouldat minimum stand up and take astand.

Mr Gautham Ashok is an activeIndian student based Pune, India, hehas also written some article aboutTibet issue, and you can reach himat gautam.ashok@simc.edu

Battles of the 21st Century: Cyber WarfareDharamshala: As the world stepsinto a new century and globalizationcontinues to grow at the crest ofinformation and technologicalevolution, a new kind of war is beingwaged. These battles discountaggregates of soldiers or numbersof warheads, and shift the battlefieldfrom geological space, tocyberspace.

This is why China, a country thatcommands over 8 million troops -the world's largest army - andpossesses one of the worlds largeststockpile of nuclear warheads, isstruggling in a tough battle oftechnological wits.

Just over a week ago starting fromMay 10th to May 16th, a total of 81Chinese government websites were

reportedly found to be hacked andtampered with mainly due tosoftware risk loopholes, pagerevisions and Malware, according toa report by National ComputerNetwork Emergency ResponseTechnical Team.

A report by the NCNERTT revealed150 /CN malicious domain names,5 malicious codes, and 5 softwareloopholes. The report alsodiscovered that a malicious domaingroup with the codename .xorg.pl

which is registered in Poland, hasover 100 malicious domain namesused to attack Chinese websites andits users.

This is only a small episode that isthe series of a global cyberwar. InApril of 2008, the official websiteof the Tibetan government-in-exilein India was hacked and crashed,offering a "page can not bedisplayed" to browsers of the siteas well as other Tibetan websitesincluding Out Look Tibet.

A Tibetan flying Indian and Tibetan national flags in Dharamshala, India. Photo: TPI

People of Hong Kong Vote

for Democracy

Dharamsala: The struggle fordemocracy in Hong Kong claimeda small, yet potent victory when -despite a low voter turn out at 17.1percent - all 5 pro-democracylawmakers won re-election onSunday in the by-elections of theLegislative Council.

The 5 lawmakers from 2 pro-democracy parties submitted lettersof resignation last January in attemptto trigger by-elections, which theyhope to turn into an informalreferendum on introducing greaterdemocracy in the SpecialAdministrative Region of HongKong prior to the coming electionsthat are to be held in 2012, ratherthan waiting until 2017 or after - asBeijing officials have stated.

Since January, Hong Kong's political

system has been increasingly strainedwith tensions, primarily due to apublic dissatisfaction on a lack ofdemocracy compounded witheconomic havoc brought about bythe recent global recession. This wasmarked by a growing number ofprotests on opposing theconstruction of an expensive high-speed rail that links Hong Kong withShenzhen and Guagzhou in mainlandChina, and China's consistent delayand backtracking on commitmentsmade in the 1990s to allow thepublic to directly elect a majority oflawmakers in the region's LegislativeCouncil.

Donald Tsang, the Beijing-backedchief executive of Hong Kong hasalso suffered significant decline inapproval ratings since the recent

Hong Kong Votes for Democracy. Photo: FIle

...See page 10

TPI PEACE AND NON-VIOLENCE The Tibet Post8 30 May , 2010 Dharamsala

In news, just filtering through, theresidents of Tibetan capital Lhasa willnow have to register their names ifthey want to take photocopies of anydocuments, this in an apparent bid tocrackdown on separatistsphotocopying and distributing"objectionable material" i.e.pamphlets.

According to a local official at LhasaPublic Security Bureau, thegovernment hoped to implement theplanned measures soon, but declined

from giving an exact launch date. Healso said that the "Lhasa's publicsecurity forces have been investigatingthese (photocopying) businesses andkeeping track of them", although herefused to elaborate on what sort ofprinted material police wereconcerned about. The police areallegedly worried about separatistusing photocopying machines to printout illegal content on pamphlets.

The china daily reports that the newrules would require customers to

China's Harsh Crackdown on Photocopying in

Lhasa, Tibet......continued from front page

His Holiness Gives Talk on

Education and Non-Violence

at UNI, Iowa

Dharamshala: Tibetan spiritualleader, His Holiness spoke at theMcLeod Centre at the University ofNorthern Iowa (UNI), Cedar Falls,Iowa, during his first ever visit to thestate on Tuesday 18th May.

The day's proceedings were split intothree events, beginning with amorning discussion entitled‘Educating for a Non-ViolentWorld', in which the panel spokeabout educating both the ‘head andthe heart' and promoting non-violence. Other topics coveredincluded ideas on how individual andsocietal ethics can be used to conquerviolence and promote peace. To endthe morning talk, the Provost of theuniversity, Gloria Gibson, presentedHis Holiness with a purple ‘Panthers'(the University football team) sun-visor, much to the delight of thecrowd.

In the afternoon, His Holinessreceived an honorary humanitiesdegree from UNI PresidentBenjamin Allen, for his dedication topromoting positive human valuessuch as love and forgiveness. Theuniversity has been linked with Tibetfor 16 years as one of a handful ofuniversities participating in the TibetFund. As part of the programme,the institute has welcomed on averagethree students from Tibet annuallyand has totalled an enrollment of 30Tibetan students over this time.

At 2pm His Holiness gave a keynotespeech entitled ‘The Power ofEducation'. Referring to his owneducation, His Holiness the DalaiLama revealed that he was in fact a‘lazy' student in his youth, generatinglaughter from the 5,400-strong sell-out crowd. On a more serious note,His Holiness urged UNI lecturers todevelop a syllabus that included moreteachings on moral ethics and the‘education of the heart'. The talkhighlighted the way in which such aneducation should be used to resolvecurrent world conflicts. His Holinessemphasised the eternal value ofeducation, as knowledge is somethingthat ‘nobody can steal'.

Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness spoke at the McLeod Centre at the University of

Northern Iowa (UNI), Photo:AP

His Holines the 14th Dalai Lama ofTibet received applause for hiscomment that we must respect allreligions, saying they provide notonly a day-to-day perspective, butalso a long-term vision. But he saidit doesn't really matter what religionyou are. "My religion is very simple.My religion is kindness."

Speaking to the focus of the forum,the Dalai Lama said, "Educationbrings about knowledge, educationbrings equality, but education aloneis not sufficient. We must have moresensitivity to what people think."

He said we need to educate bothmind and heart to create peace, andit needs to start early in life."Whenever we saw some conflict ordisagreement the instinctive responseis how to force. Using force orviolent attitude always bring moretrouble. From kindergarten mustteach whenever you see conflict usingforce is the wrong method."

Fundamentally, he said, we arehuman beings, then faith, color orgender, these are secondary. "I amalways telling people many problemswe are facing today are man-madeproblems. Most of these problemshave too many emphasis on wealth,gender, race, forget it,fundatmentally we are the samehuman being."

The university reported that the day'sevents had helped raise a total ofUS $32,000, which will be used inaiding future Tibetan studentscholarships.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lamaof Tibet was welcomed to theUniversity of Northern Iowa by asell-out crowd of more than 5,400people in the McLeod Center. Justas with the morning sesson, theDalai Lama took the stage for hisafternoon keynote to a great dealof applause.

Following on from his visit toCedar falls, His Holiness willcontinue his tour to New York.

submit both their names andaddresses, and only permanent Lhasaresidents would be allowed to makephotocopies.

There have been sporadic instancesof protests, with the latest being inChina's far western province ofGansu where on Saturday, 15Tibetans were wounded in a clashwith local police after they blocked aroad leading to a cement factory theyblame for spewing pollution, anoverseas Tibetan rights group said.

A Harmonious Society Develop by

Guns -Impossible: His HolinessDharamshala: In a speech given byHis Holiness the Dalai Lama onSunday morning, at the bridgeconference aimed at fosteringunderstanding between Chinese andTibetan students in the United States,he said that a world peace andharmony is impossible in a societythat has been developed by guns.

"Openness and freedom of speechare essential, under fear, with policewatching, how can harmonydevelop? Harmony by gun -impossible. "his holiness said in aspeech that was full of tongue incheek comments aimed at theChinese government, the Tibetanspiritual leader said that someChinese officials aimed to portrayhim as "demon - with horns, theirthinking is almost childish", hisholiness opined

He also said that he only everwanted self governing autonomy"autonomy" for Tibet and not totalseparation from the Chinese state.When told by some Tibetans thatthey feared to visit his governmentin exile based in Dharamshala, Indiafor fear of it being infested withspies, His Holiness the Dalai Lama

said that "Any spy is welcome, Wehave nothing to hide."

His holiness spoke of the Chinesepropaganda that gave Tibetans a badimage among the Chinesepopulation; he believed that thepropaganda made the Chinese thinkthat Tibetans were "backward andstupid". Incidentally the Chineseregime had invited the Dalai Lamato return to Tibet in the 1980's butthe Nobel peace prize winning monk

had declined the offer saying that"The issue is civil rights. Until theyaddress that, there's no point in myreturn"

The bridge conference wasorganized by Tenzin Delek, who hadlived in Tibetan refugee camps inIndia until 2008 said that" TheWestern education system is all aboutobjectivity. It's easier for us tounderstand each other's position herein the melting pot of America".

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaks during during a press conference after the first of his

teaching sessions May 20, 2010 at Radio City Hall in New York. The Dalai Lama is on a four-

day visit to New York. Photo: AP

HH the Dalai Lama has First Tweet with Chinese Web Users

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at the temple in Dharamshala. Photo/TPI

Dharamshala: Tibet's exiledspiritual leader, His Holiness theDalai Lama, spent one hour onFriday evening answering questionsvia Twitter from Chinese web users.This is the first online chat of its kindwith Chinese citizens since the DalaiLama joined twitter in February ofthis year. The chat was hosted byWang Lixiong, a Chinese writer andcritic, on his Twitter account.

Approximately 12,000 Chinese webusers took the opportunity to voteon which of 250 questions shouldbe put forward to His Holiness. Thequestions scoring the highestpopularity were used during the

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The Tibet Post TPI TIBET 930 May , 2010 Dharamsala

Chinese Authorities Steal Valuables

in Quake-Rocked Kyigudo County

Dharamshala: Chinese authoritiessecretly transported valuable goodsand jewelery from SanjianCommercial Complex in quake-devastated Kyigudo (Chinese: Yushu)County to central China, accordingto a reliable source received by TheTibet Post International.

Chinese security insisted on guardingthe shopping centre in fear of lootingby the destitute population, then stolethe valuables they were protecting,say locals and shop-owners.

Thousands were killed and manymore seriously injured when the 6.9magnitude earthquake and its 18aftershocks shook the Tibetanregion. An estimated 95% of allhousing was completely destroyed,contributing to the death toll andleaving over 120,000 homeless andwithout adequate shelter in thefreezing climate.

Kyigudo county of Tibet where deadly earthquake rocked. Photo: TPI

Tibetan Female Students Shine in AISSCE Results

Dharamshala: Results released lastFriday have shown that femalestudents in Tibetan schools havegained higher marks then theirmale counterparts in all threesubject areas of the All IndiaSenior School Cert i f icateExaminat ion (AISSCE). Theexams, conducted by the CentralBoard of Secondary Education,took place between March andApril this year.

The percentage pass rate of Tibetanstudents however somewhatdisappointingly dropped from lastyear's score of 92.99%, to an averageof 86.48%. Of this average, malestudents achieved a pass rate of86.59%, whilst female studentsgained an 86.39% score.

Top achieving students were:Monika Chauhan of CSTHerbertpur, who scored 91.4% in

Students from Dharamshala TCV playing music instrutments. Photo: TPI

The four-story shopping centrecontaining the valuables, however,sustained only superficial damage.

Shop owners in the complex wereblocked from moving outcommercial goods and jewelery byChinese authorities, who then insistedon taking control of security of theshops. After 10 days, authoritiessecretly transported valuables such asgold and silver jewelery and lockedsafes to an unknown destination.

Chinese authorities subsequentlyclaimed that the missing items werestolen by a group of thieves; shopowners refute this as a shoddy coverup and place the blame on theauthorities.

The report follows last month's theftof highly sought-after (at $2000 -$6000 each) Tibetan Mastiffs byChinese government relief workers.

Science; Pema Dolkar of TCVGopalpur who scored 89.6% inArts; Tenzin Choedon of TCV SOSBylakuppe who achieved 90.6% inCommerce and Tenzin Sangmo ofCST Mundgod achieving 87.8% invocational studies.

Out of the total of 1337 pupilsattending 14 Tibetan schools acrossIndia, 1280 were registered asparticipants of the examinations.From this number, a total of 1107students passed successfully, 39failed and 57 were absent for theexams.

The following rankings reflect the14 school results: TCV Gopalpur(100%), CST Mundgod (98.73%),CST Kalimpong (97.06%), TCV-SOS Bylakuppe (95.91%), TNMF,Clement town (95.24%), THF,Mussoorie (84.62%), CST Dalhousie(84.00%), TCV, Upper Dharamsala(81.19%), CST Paonta (79.41%),CST Bylakuppe (78.05%), CSTDarjeeling (74.24%), CSTHerbertpur (67.65%), CSTMussoorie (65.82%) and CSTShimla (64.71%).

China’s Controversial Plans for Dam on

Yarlung Tsangpo in TibetDharamshala: The BrahmaputraRiver, or the Yarlung Tsangpo as itis known in Tibet, is the latest targetof China's hydroelectric plans. Theplanned dam is set to be the largestin the world, greater than the ThreeGorges Dam in China, and will bepart of a 540 megawatts (MW)power generation project due forcompletion by December 2015.According to several media reportsthere are 28 other dams eitherplanned or currently constructionalong the Yarlung Tsangpo, thoughChina are yet to confirm these.

The Gezhouba Corporation,responsible for the project, is amongChina's largest construction andengineering companies. The GeneralManager of China's HydropowerEngineering Consulting Group hasstated that Tibet's resources "will beconverted into economic advantage",however some reports (denied byChina) have claimed that water mayin the future be diverted from theriver to areas of drought insouthwest China. This would createknock-on effects in India andBangladesh, reducing the flow ofwater in the parts of theBrahmaputra that run through them.

The Yarlung Tsangpo source lies ata height of 4,000 metres insouthwestern Tibet, at the JimaYangzong glacier and flows in aneasterly direction for 1,600kmthrough Tibet. Before entering Indiaas the Siang River in ArunachalPradesh, the river takes a massive u-

turn named the ‘Great Bend'. It is inthis most easterly Indian state wherethere is a confluence of the Siang,Dibang and Lohit rivers, formingthe Brahmaputra. The Brahmaputrapasses through India in its middlesector through Assam, leading on toBangladesh, its lower riparian, whereit converges with the river Ganga tocreate the largest delta in the world,before reaching its mouth at the Bayof Bengal. A huge proportion ofriver runoff from Tibetan rivers,approximately 90 per cent, flowsfurther downstream to manycountries such as India, China,Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.Interfering with the natural flow ofriver water in Tibet will thus haverepercussions for other nations.

Backed by Jairam Ramesh, theMinister of State for Environmentand Forests, India has recently statedthat it would not stand for any futureChinese plans to intervene with theBrahmaputra River for both politicaland ecological reasons. Ramesh hadexpressed particular concern over thelack of a "water-sharing treaty",something that latest reports suggestis in the process of being created. Itwill constitute an agreement betweenthe two nations to share allinformation concerning hydro-electric projects on the Brahmaputra.Furthermore the Minister insists thatIndia must quicken its ownhydroelectric plans in theBrahmaputra basin, so that India'sbargaining position with China isstrengthened. The diplomatic processof negotiation is predicted to be aslow one, as recently experiencedwith the issue of sharing glaciologicaldata which was delayed last yearbecause of Chinese reservations.

Reports on the 5th of May from theIndian External Affairs Minister,Somanahalli Malliah Krishna, showthat China has expressed that theplanned project in Zhangmu would"not in any way impact the river'sdownstream flow" in India. Krishnarevealed that Chinese ForeignMinister, Yang Jiechi, had assuredhim during his latest visit to Beijing

that China was always responsible inits actions regarding trans-borderwater politics. Yang had also insistedthat the plans for the river were togenerate hydroelectric power andnot to store the water or regulate itsvolume, thus not affecting the riverflow in Indian territory.

Although at the moment China insiststhat the Zhangmu project onlyconcerns hydroelectricity, there arefears over possible future hydro-engineering projects further on theTsangpo at the Great Bend. Thereare concerns that China may divertwater in this area as part of the South-to-North Diversion Scheme. Thescheme would be used to irrigatearid areas in the north where over athird of the population lives, yet lessthan a tenth of the country's waterresources is found. A dam would bebuilt at the Great Bend and waterfrom China's southern rivers as wellas from Tibet's Tsangpo would bediverted in a northerly direction alongthree routes; the western route couldhave detrimental ecological andhydrological effects in India andBangladesh. This would also lead tofurther complications with India'sown hydroelectric plans in ArunachalPradesh and a potential north-to-south irrigation scheme to bringwater to drier areas in southern India.Indian authorities have said that slowprogress on their own hydro planshave been due to inadequate funding,protests and bureaucraticimpediments, whereas China doesnot partake in public negotiations andhas both the financial andtechnological resources available tothem to pursue their projects.

It was only recently that Chinaadmitted its plans for the Zhangmudam, denying the project for manyyears previously. This has led to Indiansuspicion regarding future Chinesewater plans, despite China's strongdenial of any water diversion projects.Other concerns raised regarding thesuitability of such a large project inthe area have highlighted the seismicinstability of the region, which couldprove devastating if dams were built.

Tibetan river, Yarlungtsangpo, central Tibet, 21 May 2006. Photo: TPI/File

TPI OUT LOOK TIBET The Tibet Post10 30 May , 2010 Dharamsala

The death of free trial in China?

Dharamshala: In November, 2009,the Chinese government executed 4Tibetans, two men, one woman anda fourth unidentified person, forallegedly "starting fatal fires" duringthe uprising in March 2008.With theworld mulling over a moratorium onthe death penalty, the Chinesegovernment continues to exercise thedread verdict with little or no restraint.

International Law on the DeathPenalty

"Every human being has the inherentright to life. This right shall beprotected by law. No one shall bearbitrarily deprived of his life."

UN Covenant on Civil and PoliticalRights

This international convention doesnot in itself prohibit the death penalty.However, it strongly discourages it.In December 2007 and 2008 theUnited Nations General Assemblyadopted resolutions 62/149 and 63/168. These resolutions call for amoratorium on the use of the deathpenalty.

These resolutions, together withother recently adopted internationaltreaties, establish an internationaltrend toward abolishing the deathpenalty.

However, the Chinese governmentcontinues to execute an indeterminate

Kungtsuk, who was given a suspended death sentence and is at severe risk

question and answer session.Questions were voted for usingGoogle Moderator, which waseventually blocked by Chineseauthorities on Thursday.

Questions asked included topics suchas what would happen after HisHoliness' death and the issue of theChinese-chosen Panchen Lama. HisHoliness expressed concern aboutthe possibility of the Chineseauthorities choosing their own DalaiLama to replace him after his death,which would pose a similar problemto that of the current situation ofhaving two Panchen Lamas. TheDalai Lama also covered questionsregarding the dialogues between theChinese government and the Tibetangovernment-in-exile, which haveproved fruitless so far. He stated thatalthough he has no demands ofthem, the Chinese government insistson saying that there is no Tibet issue,just a Dalai Lama issue.

When discussing the Sino-Tibetanrelationship, the Dalai Lamaexplained that their relationship stemsback at least 1000 years and that thiscurrent period of strife is a result ofthe Chinese government and not itspeople. On the protection of theSino-Tibetan relationship, HisHoliness emphasised the importanceof reducing the suspicion held byboth sides and for all to be viewedas human beings.

His Holiness attributed the problemof the emerging gap between theordinary Tibetan and the HanChinese people living in Tibet to the

lack of transparency of the Chinesegovernment and for notimplementing Deng Xiaoping's ‘seekthe truth from the fact' in their policies.

Referring to the ‘Memorandum onGenuine Autonomy for the TibetanPeople', web users expressed theirconcerns over the possiblediscrimination and expulsion of theHan Chinese should Tibet gainautonomy. His Holiness answered byexplaining that there were HanChinese living in Tibet before the1950s and that they would still residethere in the future regardless of anychanges in the autonomy of theTibetan people. However the DalaiLama also referred to the problem ininner Mongolia, where theMongolians themselves have becomea minority. He expressed fear that anincrease in the population of HanChinese people in Tibet wouldthreaten the Tibetan language andculture.

His Holiness concluded that since theestablishment of the communistgovernment in China, dramaticchanges in governance have takenplace from Mao's era to Hu's era. Inthis sense, His Holiness believes thatfurther changes in Chinese nationalpolicies will come, especially in regardsto the Tibetan issue where a mutualresolution of benefit to both sides canbe found.

A translated version of the questionand answer session can be read in fullat the following link http://d o c s . g o o g l e . c o m /View?id=df2gh45v_15cjqqdcgb

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protests took place, as he struggledwith rising local discontent.

Demonstrations in Hong Kong hasusually maintained a relatively civildemeanor found uncommon byinternational standards. This isparticularly apparent as 500,000people congregated peacefully in2003 to protest against theintroduction of Basic Law Article 23,which stipulates that the Hong KongSpecial Administrative Region shall

enact laws to protect national securityby means of prohibiting "any act oftreason, secession, sedition orsubversion against the CentralPeople's Government". The law isnow withdrawn and shelvedindefinitely.

The voter turnout of 570,000 out of3.3 million eligible voters thatprovided the victory of the 5 pro-democracy lawmakers is a powerfulreflection of the massive

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..............................Vote for Democracy

..........Tweet with Chinese Web Users

demonstrations that took place in2003.The Hong Kong government hasbeen working to provide largerdemocratic civil participation for the2012 elections. However, this hasbeen met with dissatisfaction fromdemocratic advocates who haveexpressed that the plans do not gofar enough. Tsang also promisedmore democratic procedures for theelection of chief executive in 2017and Legislative Council in 2020.

number of people every year.Amnesty International stated in its2008 Report on China that deathpenalty statistics are regarded as astate secret.

"Based on public reports, AmnestyInternational estimated that at least470 people were executed and 1,860people sentenced to death during2007, although the true figures werebelieved to be much higher. Deathsentences and executions continuedto be imposed for 68 offences,including many non-violent crimessuch as corruption and drug-relatedoffences."

The Swedish representative to theUnited Nations Human RightsCouncil stated that, 80% of the totalexecutions that were carried out inthe world were from China, this wascited by Amnesty international in2007

The facts unknown

The Chinese state run media (Xinhua)reports that on April 8, 2009 "thetwo defendants [Lobsang Gyaltsenand Loyak] given the death penaltyhad committed extremely seriouscrimes and have to be executed toassuage the people's anger." They andtwo others, Penkyi and theunidentified fourth person werecharged with "starting fatal fires."

Is there any evidence that these

crimes, which require criminal intent,were committed? Are there any factsthat point to the alleged deaths anddamage to property? What are thefacts that allegedly tie any deaths orloss of property to these individuals?

News in Tibet is controlled byXinhua, the Communist Partypropaganda agency. Are there anyindependent reports?

At the very least, China shouldprovide to the internationalcommunity a copy of any recordingsof testimony and evidence presentedat the trials and any evidence if any,that might and could haveexonerated them.

Seeing is not always believing...

Under international law, anyoneaccused of a crime has certainfundamental rights. They include aright to a fair trial by an independentbody, and the right to legalrepresentation.

China's own constitution gives theaccused the right to an open trial,to legal counsel and even states thatthe courts exercise their powerindependently. However, the wordsare applied contrary to theircommon sense meaning. Once wedelve deeper into the doublemeaning of the Chinese constitutionwe understand how....

The structure of the legal systemprevents a fair and impartial trial.The Communist Party controls thelegal system at all levels.

The Communist Party elects theNational People's Congress. ThePeople's Congress elects thepresident of the Supreme Courtand the procurator general(prosecutor), as well as other keygovernment officials. And sadlyenough also has the power toremove them.

And although the constitution states"The people's courts shall . . .exercise judicial powerindependently"

It does not however ‘actindependently of the Party'. This isthe one crucial fact that the westernmedia does not pick up on

The President of the SupremePeople's Court stated in October2007: "The power of the courts toadjudicate independently doesn'tmean at all independence from theParty. It is the opposite . . . "

interestingly enough, WangShengjun, the President of theSupreme Court, is not a legalprofessional but a police and partyadministrator.

Lawyers are not independenteither. In a speech in October2007, the vice-minister of justicesaid that lawyers "must support theleadership of the Party at all times."

A new Law on Lawyers waspassed in 2007 (effective 2008)purporting to give lawyers more

rights, it in fact did not do so. Thevice minister of justice in October2007 stated that the party "ruledout greater independence for thelegal profession, stressing to thecontrary the need to further controlthe work of lawyers as a way todiffuse social unrest." paranoiaanyone??

Summary

So little is known about whatactually occurred in Tibet - whatwrongs, if any, were done and bywhom. Whether or not these fourindividuals committed any criminalwrongs, they were entitled to a fairand impartial trial and independentlawyers of their own choosing. Itis very doubtful indeed they hadany of these. It is shameful indeedthat even after the Beijing Olympicsof 2008, when the Chinesegovernment promised to improveits human rights record, the statisticsstate the exact opposite.