07. Dec 2009
Kardze nun protestor dies in custody
(TCHRD; Tibet.net) A Tibetan nun, Yangkyi Dolma, from Kardze (Chin: Ganzi) who was arrested on 24 March 2009 died on 06 December at Chengdu hospital, according to information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD). On 24 August, six months after her arrest, the Kardze county security forces handed over Yangkyi Dolma to Kardze Intermediate People's Court, however, there is no information on whether she was formally tried by the court or not. Yangkyi Dolma and another nun, Sonam Yangchen of Lamdrag, (earlier reported as Dragkar) nunnery in Kardze county, Kardze TAP, Sichuan Province, staged a protest at the Kardze main market square on 24 March 2009. The protest involved the nuns shouting slogans calling for the "swift return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet"; "human rights for Tibetans in Tibet"; and "religious freedom in Tibet" and handing out pamphlets. Both nuns were severely beaten by the security forces at the scene of the demonstration. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala attributed her death "to severe torture by the prison guards”. According to TCHRD, no post mortem has been held.
07. Dec 2009
Nearly half of Qinghai Lake's source-rivers dry up
(Xinhua) Nearly half the number of rivers emptying into Qinghai Lake (Mong: Koko Nor; Tib: Tso Ngonpo ) have dried up, Xinhua reports, citing a recent survey. Chinese researchers say that of the 127 rivers that flow into the lake, 57 have dried up. The survey was conducted in 2008 by the Administration of Qinghai Lake Nature Reserve and the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to determine the depth and quality of Qinghai Lake's water. According to the report, despite the drying rivers, the lake's water level has been rising for five-straight years, by 54 cm from 2005 to 2008. Experts were reported to believe this to be largely due to the increasing precipitation in the lake area in recent years.
07. Dec 2009
Bhutan authorities report border transgressions
(Kuensel) Kuensel reports that Bhutan's Secretary of International Boundaries, Dasho Pema Wangchuk, presented the updated status report on the boundary negotiations on the border with the PRC on 04 December 2009. He informed parliament that the government protested five times against intrusions by
Chinese soldiers inside Bhutanese territory. He stated that at present there are four areas that are disputed in the western sector- Doklam, Charithang, Sinchulumpa and Dramana. Beijing had proposed that the 19th round of the border talks be held in December 2009. However, the government of Bhutan has proposed that the border talks be held in Thimphu in January 2010. He mentioned repeated clashes in the northern border region with yartsa gumbu (cordyceps cinensis) collectors illegally crossing over from Tibet.
08. Dec 2009
Tibetans arrested in Kardze
(RFA; TCHRD) Around sixty local Tibetans from Nyagchu county (Chin: Yajiang), Kardze TAP, in Sichuan province have been arrested by local Public Security Bureau (PSB) while appealing for the immediate release of Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, according to TCHRD. On 05 December 2009, a group of seven Tibetans, which later swelled to around sixty, mostly youths from Othok, marched to Nyagchu county government headquarters in protest at the spiritual leader's detention and subsequent conviction in 2002. After these initial protesters were arrested, Tibetans from various parts of Nyagchu county flocked to the government headquarters and urged the release of the sixty detainees. RFA reports that Tibetans traveling to the protest site were blocked on the road by Chinese security forces and threatened with a "violent crackdown" unless they dispersed. Between 500 and 600 Tibetans from the Golok and Othok areas of Nyagchu who were detained are being held by Chinese forces "at a place called Yishin", an RFA source said. The situation remains tense.
08. Dec 2009
Eleven Tibetans arrested in Golog over VCD
(TCHRD) TCHRD reports that eleven Tibetans, mostly monks from Tsakho and Khakhor monasteries in Matoe (Chin: Maduo) county Golog (Chin: Guoluo) TAP, Qinghai province, were arrested on 04 December 2009 by the county PSB officials on accusation of producing and distributing subversive songs on a video compact disc (VCD). According to TCHRD, the VCD, called "Chakdrum Marpo" (Red/Blood Omen), was jointly produced by five monks from two different monasteries in Tsakho township and released on 01 September 2009. It comprises mainly of songs with lyrics expressing nostalgia for the Dalai Lama, and complaining over the deaths of Tibetans following the protests across Tibet since 2008. Around 5,000 copies of the VCD were distributed free of cost by six other Tibetans in and around Matoe county. Although the monks remain in police custody, the six distributors were released on bail and given a deadline of 10 December 2009 to retrieve all the distributed VCDs. A TCHRD source said: "Since it [the VCD] was widely distributed in various places it's impossible task to meet the deadline given by authorities and their arrest is quite imminent".
10. Dec 2009
Denmark slammed over gesture to Beijing
(AFP) Human rights groups around the world have criticised Denmark for a statement about Tibet widely believed to aim at securing Chinese involvement in a climate agreement at the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen (COP15). The diplomatic note to Beijing said "Denmark takes very seriously the Chinese opposition to meetings between members of the Danish Government and the Dalai Lama, and has duly noted Chinese views that such meetings are against the core interest of China, and will handle such issues prudently". It added, "Denmark is fully aware of the importance and sensitivity of Tibet-related issues and attaches great importance to the view of the Chinese government on these issues".
11. Dec 2009
Remarks by United Front leader "perplexing"
(Tibet.net) The special envoy of the Dalai Lama who heads the sino-Tibetan dialogue process with the PRC, Lodi Gyari, has expressed disconcertment at a remark Zhu Weiqun, vice minister of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) who conducts the talks for the Chinese side, made in an interview given to the state-run Global Times on 08 December. Referring to a statement by the Dalai Lama during his visit to Sydney, Australia, that "during the fifth round of talks in February 2006, officials of UFWD had told Lodi Gyari that they knew the Dalai Lama was not seeking an independent Tibet", Zhu said: "This is yet another lie from the Dalai Lama". In a statement reacting to Zhu's remark, Gyari said, "we are currently under discussion with the Chinese leadership on the next round of dialogue and so the timing and content of this interview are perplexing". He added that it was the Chinese side that had "cautioned" the Tibetan against "negotiating through the media". "But we see it is the Chinese side that is increasingly coming up with obstacles presented through selective interviews to the media".
11. Dec 2009
Report on 'The Impacts of Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau' released
(Tibet.net) The Environment and Development Desk of the CTA has released a report on the causes, effects and implications of climate change on the Tibetan Plateaus in Copenhagen at COP15. 'The Impacts of Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau: A Synthesis of Recent Science And Tibetan Research' summarises over 150 recent research reports published in scientific journals, by Chinese and international scientists on all aspects of climate change on the Tibetan Plateau.
13. Dec 2009
306,000 Tibetans in 46 counties lose land to China's reforestation projects
(Xinhua) Beijing claims that it has turned 16,666 hectares of cultivated land in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) into forests and pastures, "benefiting" 306,000 rural residents in 46 counties. The drive, 'tuigeng huanlin' – Grain for Green, which, according to Xinhua, was implemented over the period from early 2002 to November 2009, rewarded farmers for planting seedlings on hitherto cultivated areas with cash or grain donations in order to reduce erosion and re-vegetate the rivers' catchments areas. Independent experts with experience in the region widely regard the environmental benefits of the Beijing-drafted campaign as questionable and its effect on local development doubtful.
14. Dec 2009
Second line of Xining-Golmud section of Golmud-Lhasa railway to open
(Xinhua) Xinhua reports that construction of a second, parallel line on five sections totalling 356 km between Xining and Golmud of the Xining-Lhasa railway is nearing completion, according to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company. The project was started in September 2007 and involves a total investment of 10 billion Yuan (UK£900m; US$1.46bn; EUR€1.01bn). Upon completion, the electrified railway is expected to handle 50 million tons of cargo per year.
15. Dec 2009
US Secretary Of State calls for human rights in Tibet and East Turkistan
(Tibet Post) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for the protection of human rights for ethnic minorities in Tibet and East Turkestan (Chin: Xinjiang) in the People's Republic of China (PRC), and also "journalists and activists (...) and the courageous individuals who advocate at great peril for democracy" within Russia, countries she calls key to boosting the world economy and strengthening non-proliferation efforts. She insisted that the administration would seek to protect ethnic minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang province, as well as all people who signed Charter 08, a manifesto that calls for democratic reform in China. "Principled pragmatism informs our approach on human rights-informs our approach with all countries, but particularly with key countries like China and Russia", she explained in a speech on the Obama administration's human rights agenda.
