10 January 2008
Tibetan-language office software released
Xinhua reports that a Tibetan-language office software package has been released. "Neo-shine Tibet Office 3.0" has been jointly developed by the China Standard Software Corporation (CSCC) and Tibet University. "Schools in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, are expected to be equipped with the software", CSCC manager Han Nai Ping was quoted as saying. According to the report, the office software is expected to replace Microsoft Office, which was previously widely used in Tibetan-speaking regions, but requires additional plug-ins for the Tibetan language. The report also said that Chinese companies are developing 12 other Tibetan software products, including "STAR Tibetan for Windows 2000/XP" and a Tibetan operating system for Linux, that are expected to be launched later in 2008.
12 January 2008
Tibet issues raised at British Parliament
(Hansard) The subject of Tibet was raised in the Houses of Parliament in London following questions to Meg Munn, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. In response to a question by Norman Baker, a Liberal Democrat MP, Ms Munn said: "We encourage the Chinese Government to fulfil their human rights obligations across China, including in Tibet. We will raise our concerns on Tibet at the next round of the UK-China human rights dialogue in Beijing later this month". Responding to a question from Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a Conservative MP, Ms Munn said: "We take seriously the issues in Tibet and we raise these matters continually at the regular dialogues. This will be the 16th round of dialogues between the UK and China on Tibet, and on this occasion the delegations will make a visit to Tibet to study the situation on the ground."
14 January 2008
China proposes oil and rail link to Kathmandu
(Bernama) As India’s Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, is on official visit in China, the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Cheng Xia Ling, has confirmed his country’s intention to establish a rail link to Kathmandu and has offered to supply oil to Nepal. "The China-Tibet railway link will not end in Lhasa, as we have plans to expand it up to the Nepalese border", the Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted the Ambassador as saying. Mr Cheng said China also wants to establish road links to "promote regional peace and development". He also said China wants to supply petroleum products to Nepal. "We are working towards developing a permanent and long term mechanism to supply petrol to Nepal from China", he said. Nepal is currently facing severe shortages in its petrol supply due to the government’s lack of cash. China is itself is a net importer of oil, with nearly 40% of its oil coming from overseas and this figure is certain to grow in coming years. Apart from the technological challenges, the establishment of a pipeline across Tibet required to supply Nepal would mean a huge investment that would be unlikely to prove economically viable for the foreseeable future. Mr Cheng also condemned the American government's plan to resettle Tibetan refugees in the US. "Tibet's problem is an internal affair of China, so we don't want any kind of interference in it", he said.
14 January 2008
Tibet under strain as visitors surpass locals
(The Guardian) The number of tourists who visited the Tibet Autonomous Region in 2007 soared by 60%, outnumbering the people who live there and putting further pressure on Tibet's already overwhelmed infrastructure, according to figures released by Xinhua. Despite the construction of airports and a rail link from Lhasa to Xining in Qinghai province, Tibet's tourist sector ran an additional 775 tour buses to cope with the influx. The Chinese government says that the tourist surge will help generate the income necessary to protect Tibet's ancient monuments and ways of life.
16 January 2008
Religious statues missing from monastery
(RFA) Twelve historic statues have gone missing from the Pashoe Naira monastery in Pashoe (Chin: Basu) county, Chamdo (Changdu) prefecture, where departing monks are being replaced by government selected monks, according to a Radio Free Asia (RFA) source in the region. The source told RFA’s Tibetan service: "This monastery had 21 monks but later all of them were either forced to leave or they left the monastery on their own and moved to Lhasa. In their place, the Chinese authorities selected their own monks to be in the monastery". The most important statue that is missing is that of Tsongkapa, founder of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, according to local residents. The source also said local Tibetan devotees had appealed to the newly installed monks and local officials to search for and restore the statues but had met with no response. "When the local officials were approached, the officials were unresponsive and even refused to investigate the incident. The local people were told that they will be eventually found", the Tibetan source said. When the original monks left, statues of the controversial deity Dorje Shugden, the cult of which is discouraged by the Dalai Lama, were installed. "This monastery previously had no history of worshiping Shugden", the source added.
16 January 2008
Senior Tashilhunpo monks found hanging
(RFA; AsiaNews) Two senior monks at the Tashilhunpo monastery in Shigatse, have allegedly committed suicide, sources in Tibet and in India have told RFA’s Tibetan service. Gyaltsen Tsepa Lobsang, 71, and Yangpa Locho, 71, were found hanged on 08 September and 04 November respectively. According to local monks, they faced consistent humiliation and exclusion. Both were monks at the seat of the disputed Panchen Lama and were blamed for recognising the 11th Panchen Lama, who was later seized by the authorities. Protests were sparked when Beijing selected its own candidate for the Panchen Lama, and enthroned him in 1995.
17 January 2008
China steps up resettlement of Tibetan herders
(Reuters; Xinhua) The Chinese government will move more than 52,000 Tibetan herders and farmers into permanent housing during 2008, Xinhua reports, a practice human rights groups say has been marked by abuses. "The project to improve their living conditions began in 2006, when the regional government set a target of building homes for 220,000 households", Xinhua said, citing local government officials. "That would mean housing 80 percent of the region's farmers and herders by the end of 2010", it added. Beijing says it resettles Tibetans, across all Tibetan areas, not just the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), to help protect the environment and boost living standards. But the resettlements often involve the slaughter of animals belonging to the mostly nomadic herders, relocation to poorly built accommodation and inability to find work due to lack of skills, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in 2007. Others are forcibly evicted to make room for public works projects, like dams and roads, the group said in a report.
18 January 2008
Dalai Lama “looking forward to complete retirement”
(PTI) The Dalai Lama has said he is looking forward to complete retirement. "I am already semi-retired" Dalai Lama said during a lecture on "Ethics and Business" he was giving at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. "Since 2001 we already have an elected political leadership and since then my position is semi-retired" he said, adding: "I am looking forward to complete retirement from all political and administrative matter". However, the Dalai Lama said he would continue to fight for the Tibetan cause. "This is Tibetan flesh" he said pointing to himself. "So it is my moral responsibility to serve to Tibetan people, culture and environment. I'll carry on to fight for the Tibetan cause till my death".
