21 June 2008
Chinese consul says Sikkim part of India but border lacks demarcation
(TOI) The newly appointed Chinese consul general in Kolkata, Mao Siwei, has confirmed that Beijing recognises Sikkim as part of India, but also stipulated that the border dispute between India and China is unlikely to be settled soon. During former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's visit to Beijing, "the Chinese side had recognized Sikkim as a state of the Indian Union", Mao said at a meeting of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce. At the same time, he mentioned "uneasy problems which will take time to resolve", presumably referring to the Sino-Indian border as a whole, which includes Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh where the two sides had conflicting claims. According to Mao, the Sikkim-Tibet border had been settled in 1890 after Sikkim was brought under British protection. He also said the border had been demarcated only on paper at that time, and no demarcation on the ground had taken place. He agreed that disputes should not continue "when at times it is a matter of a kilometre or so" but became evasive when asked if a a joint survey should be employed to formalise the border demarcation on the ground.
21 June 2008
Olympic torch in Lhasa
(Times; FT) The Olympic torch was carried through the streets of Lhasa, cheered by crowds of Chinese residents and protected by police and paramilitary forces. The relay lasted for just over two hours, much shorter than had been planned before the unrest in Tibet in March, and there were no visible protests. Chinese officials said 156 torchbearers, half of them Tibetans, took turns to carry the flame. Most shops and businesses were shut and the ordinary Tibetan inhabitants in general were conspicuously absent along the route. Zhang Qingli, the head of the Communist party in Tibet, who spoke at a rally to greet the torch outside the Potala Palace, said: "We will certainly be able to totally smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai Lama clique. (…) Tibet's sky will never change and the red flag with five stars [China's flag] will forever flutter high above it".
23 June 2008
Everest treks to be limited by China
(Daily Telegraph; Independent) Beijing is considering restricting the number of climbers allowed to attempt the Tibetan side of Everest (Tib: Chomolangma) from next year. The proposal is one of a series of measures ostensibly designed to tackle environmental degradation on the Tibetan plateau and in the Himalayas generally. The Tibetan environmental protection agency plans to carry out a six month-long campaign to clear rubbish and wants to restrict access to Everest and clean up the northern foothills. Beijing recently paved a road to Base Camp in order to accommodate the Olympic torch, against the wishes of international conservationists, who say most of the rubbish that has accumulated on Everest is cosmetic and not a major problem, though the fact that climbers tear up the local shrub juniper to make fires is worrying because it can lead to soil erosion. The road and Base Camp have become a source of considerable revenue for the tourist industry
25 June 2008
Food shortages in northern Nepal
(PTI) Hundreds of thousands of Nepali people are in need of food aid, particularly those suffering from severe drought in the Himalayan state's far west. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said strikes and shutdowns in the country have limited its ability to provide humanitarian assistance. "I urge all parties to work together to resolve this crisis so that the trucks and fuel needed to carry WFP humanitarian food assistance to drought and conflict-affected populations, so that WFP can continue its efforts to protect the lives of vulnerable families across Nepal", Richard Ragan, WFP country representative to Nepal, said in a statement. There has been severe food scarcity in the country's northern districts due to Beijing restricting movement at its border with Nepal following the protests of March-April 2008 in Tibet. Mustang, depending entirely on Tibet for its food supplies, has been suffering most since the Chinese authorities restricted the movement of Nepalese citizens at the border post of Choser, officials said. Reports earlier said that residents of north-eastern Nepal's Taplejung district also faced one of their worst food crises after China sealed its border.
25 June 2008
IOC rebukes Beijing over Tibet remarks
(Daily Telegraph) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued an unusual criticism of the Chinese authorities for linking policy on Tibet to the Olympics, following Zhang Qingli’s remarks during the Lhasa relay of the Olympic torch. The Communist Party has appeared to violate the very principle both its leaders and the IOC have regularly called upon - that politics and sport should not mix. "The IOC regrets that political statements were made during the closing ceremony of the torch relay in Tibet", it said in a statement. "We have written to BOCOG [Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games] to remind them of the need to separate sport and politics and to ask for their support in making sure that such situations do not arise again". The IOC has little scope to punish Beijing, but the statement will be an embarrassment to the authorities, which has been heavily reliant on the committee's support in trying to prevent boycotts of the Games ceremonies by politicians. IOC committee members have already started to express concerns about the Olympics for other reasons. In April, Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, called on Beijing to honour its commitment to improve human rights ahead of the Games, while other members have criticised a lack of guarantees for broadcasters that they will be allowed to operate freely in the city in August.
26 June 2008
Lhasa Airport set for night flights
(Xinhua) Lhasa’s Gongkar (Chin: Gongga) Airport has installed runway lighting to allow it to receive flights around the clock for the first time since it started operation 43 years ago. Chen Hua, an airport official, said that with the new runway lighting, the airport can increase its handling capacity by at least 40 percent. Gongkar Airport, one of four in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), extended its runway to 4,000 metres in 2001, and built a new terminal and passenger facilities. The airport aims to handle 1.1 million passengers a year by 2010. It is not yet known when the first night flights into the airport will take place.
26 June 2008
Tibetan monk alleges police stole money
(RFA) A Tibetan monk in Qinghai province has petitioned authorities to investigate the disappearance of a large sum of cash from his monastery quarters, saying he believes police officers that searched his room are responsible. In an unusual petition to county prosecutors, Choyang Gyatso wrote that 23,000 Yuan (UK£1,690; US$3,354; EUR€2,136), given to him for safekeeping, vanished from his quarters at Rongwo monastery between 17 and 19 April, for which he blames 20 police who searched the premises after they detained him. Radio Free Asia (RFA) reports that he has also threatened to sue the government unless authorities investigate. The petition, dated 13 May, informs the Rebgong (Chin: Tongren) People’s Procuratorate that on the afternoon of Choyang Gyatso’s detention, police “searched my room in the monastery, and took 23,000 yuan”. “I think this is directly related to those people who searched my room, and they should be held directly responsible for the incident, therefore, I would like to request that the People’s Procuratorate quickly investigate the incident, and demand that those who stole my money from my room return it immediately. If your esteemed working unit does not investigate the incident, I will sue and find out all the illegal actions of those involved in this incident, at any cost”.
26 June 2008
Beijing denies "politicising" Olympics
(AFP) Beijing has denied that it violated the prohibition on politicising the Olympics when Zhang Qingli, the TAR Communist Party chief, called for government opponents to be "smashed" to protect the Games. The comments prompted a strong rebuke from the IOC, which told Beijing to "separate sport and politics". While not directly referring to Zhang by name, a Chinese foreign ministry official denied that the key Olympic principle had been breached. "I don't think their purpose is to politicise the Olympics but rather to create a stable and harmonious environment for the Olympics", spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters. "So you can't say relevant remarks by relevant officials reflect a Chinese position of politicising the Olympics".
27 June 2008
US tells Nepal to release Tibetans
(Bloomberg; HRW) Nepali authorities must free three Tibetans detained without charge and treat protesters humanely, the US State Department said. The US is “deeply concerned” by the arrests of Kelsang Chung, Ngawang Sangmo and Tashi Dolma, deputy spokesman Tom Casey said in a statement, and called for their immediate and unconditional release. Police in Kathmandu have detained and released hundreds of Tibetan exiles protesting outside the Chinese Embassy since unrest erupted in Tibet in March 2008, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Casey criticised the Nepali authorities for “the ongoing harsh treatment of peaceful protesters”. “We urge Nepal to ensure the humane treatment of peaceful protesters and to adhere to its international human rights obligations”, said Casey, adding the US respects “Nepal's national security concerns and the importance of protecting diplomatic premises”.
27 June 2008
Lhasa is No 1 priority for new US consulates in China
(ICT) The US Congress has approved legislation that includes a provision for $5 million to construct a US consulate in Lhasa. The provision additionally directs the State Department, under the principle of reciprocity, to agree to the construction of a Chinese consular post anywhere in the US only when the Chinese government agrees to the US consulate in Lhasa. The Lhasa consulate provision is included in the Emergency Supplemental bill (H.R. 2642) approved by the House on 19 June and by the Senate on 26 June. The establishment of a diplomatic presence in Lhasa was urged by Congress in the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002. Senior State Department officials have confirmed that Lhasa is now their number one priority on a list of locations in China that the US government has been looking at for future consulates.
29 June 2008
March to Tibet brought to an end
(Phayul) After 110 days, the March to Tibet organised by five exile NGOs was officially brought to an end at the Tibetan refugee camp in Paonta Sahib. The presidents of the five participating NGOs told the marchers to return to their settlements to prepare for larger initiatives in August, during the Beijing Olympics. "Although the March to Tibet has come to an end, the Tibetan People's Uprising Movement is not over. We will reunite in even larger numbers to protest against China hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics", said Ngawang Woebar, President of GuChuSum, Ex-Political Prisoner's Movement of Tibet. The 41 marchers who were arrested the week before in separate incidents along the Indo-Tibet border district of Kinnaur, were all released.
01 July 2008
Police stop Tibetan protesters near Chinese border
(AP) Nepali police detained 42 Tibetan monks and nuns after the group trekked for five days through the Himalayas to protest against China's crackdown in Tibet, officials said. Police blocked the protesters' path about seven miles from the Tibet-Nepal border. Police asked them to turn around, and when they refused, they were all detained, said police official Birendra Shahi. AP reports that police did not use force, but loaded the protesters into trucks and drove them to the nearest town. The protesters had avoided walking along the main highway from the capital fearing they would be arrested by Nepali police, but as they approached the border they left the mountain trail and marched openly on the main highway waving Tibetan flags and banners that said, "Free Tibet. Save Tibet. Restore human rights".
01 July 2008
Beijing opposes linking Tibet to Olympics
(Xinhua) Beijing once again expressed opposition to connecting Tibet-related issues with the Beijing Olympics. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao made the remarks in response to a question concerning French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent comments about the Dalai Lama. Sarkozy said he would attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics if the latest contact between Beijing and the Dalai Lama achieved some progress. He also said he would meet with the Dalai Lama in early August. "The Tibet issue is China's internal affair, and the contact between the central government and the Dalai Lama's private representatives is an internal matter", Liu said. "We oppose some country leaders meeting with the Dalai Lama in any form, oppose connecting Tibet-related issues with the Beijing Olympics and politicising the Olympics", the spokesman said.
03 July 2008
Dalai Lama's envoys return after talks with Beijing
(AP; Tibet.net) Envoys of the Dalai Lama returned to India following talks with representatives of the Chinese Government in Beijing. During the two-day session, Kelsang Gyaltsen and Lodi Gyari had a day-long discussion with Executive Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun and Vice Minister Sithar, and also met Du Qinglin, head of the Party's United Front Work Department, which deals with ethnic minorities and religious groups. Lodi Gyari said that the latest round of talks with China was "one of the most difficult sessions" held so far, but that he will return for more discussions after the Beijing Olympics. In a statement, Gyari said: “While the Chinese side finally seems to have realised that their allegations against His Holiness for instigating the recent events in Tibet and in sabotaging the Olympics Games have become untenable, they are now urging His Holiness not to support violence, terrorism, and sabotaging the Olympics”. He added: “In the course of our discussions we were compelled to candidly convey to our counterparts that in the absence of serious and sincere commitment on their part the continuation of the present dialogue process would serve no purpose”.
03 July 2008
Tibetan infrastructure development concerns Indian Army
(IANS) An Indian Army chief has said that China’s military modernisation and improvement of infrastructure in the TAR was a matter of concern. “We need to take note of the likely implication of China’s military modernization, improvement of infrastructure in the TAR and other related issues, which could impact our security in the long term”, said General Deepak Kapoor during a lecture at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses. Acknowledging China’s might Kapoor said: “Our [India-China] mutual economic engagements and continued efforts to amicably resolve this boundary issue have ensured peace along the border”. Speaking on “The changing global security environment with specific reference to our region and its impact on the Indian Army,” Kapoor detailed challenges faced by India due to varying forms of instability in the country’s immediate neighbourhood.
