March 2011

DHARAMSHALA: The Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat today announced the proceedings of the Second Tibetan National General Meeting to be held in Dharamsala from 21 - 23 May 2011.

Dharamsala, March 29 – A five – member "Constitutional Amendment Drafting Committee" representing both Kashag (Cabinet) and the Parliament in exile was formed yesterday as per a resolution passed unanimously on the last day of the 14th Tibetan parliament's regular session (budget session) that concluded last week.

A fortnight after the Dalai Lama expressed his desire to give up his political duties, Tibetan Parliament in Exile today agreed to amend its Charter to grant his wish but proposed that he continues as the 'symbolic head' of the exiled Tibetan government.

Dharamsala, March 28 – Chinese authorities in Tibet’s Ngaba County have arrested 3 Tibetans including a younger brother and uncle of Phuntsok, a Tibetan monk of Ngaba Kirti Monastery who died after immolating himself on March 16 marking the third anniversary of a bloody crackdown on Tibetans of Ngaba in 2008.

In his message to the 11th Session of the 14th Assembly of the Tibetan People's Deputies, His Holiness the Dalai Lama,presenting a letter based on sound reason and Tibet's history and reality, said

Chinese authorities move against Tibetans celebrating elections for an exile government.Chinese security forces have detained several Tibetans as they moved this week to clamp down on celebrations marking elections held for an exile government, Tibetan sources said.


Dharamsala, March 25: Prompted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s unbending decision to pass on his political power to an elected leadership, Tibet’s parliament in exile Friday formally decided to accept and act on his proposal.

It’s been startling to witness mass demonstrations in countries across the Middle East for freedom from autocracy, while, in the Tibetan community, a die-hard champion of “people power” tries to dethrone himself and his people keep asking him to stay on.

Brussels, March 23 : Tibetan exiles in Belgium and elsewhere in the free world on Sunday went to polls to elect the new Kalon Tripa (Chief of Cabinet) and also new Members of their Parliament in exile.

Dharamsala, March 19 – Tension ran high Friday as thousands of Tibetan residents of Amdo Ngaba paid their last respects to Phuntsok, a 20 year old monk of Kirti monastery who died after he set himself ablaze on Wednesday, marking the third year since deadly crackdown on protesters in Ngaba on March 16, 2008.

Dharamsala/Shimla: Thousands of Tibetans across the world today voted to elect the prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, an exercise that may usher in a transition in the community's leadership following the Dalai Lama's "flat refusal" to reconsider his decision to retire as its political head.

BRUSSELS: Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice President of the European Parliament responsible for Democracy and Human Rights and Ms. Kristiina Ojuland, MEP hosted a seminar on Tibet in the European Parliament in Brussels "52 Years since the Tibetan Uprising:

WHEN I first told my son Ferran that the 17-year-old king of Tibet would be staying with our family for a week, he raised a 14-year-old eyebrow and said, “I hope he’s not expecting me to serve him.” My 17-year-old son, Alex, was more generous.

DHARAMSHALA: His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give a short teaching based on the "Jataka Tales" (Life Stories of the Buddha) from the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, India, on March 19th, 2011.

BEIJING — A young Tibetan monk who set himself on fire to protest Chinese rule in the vast Tibetan regions of western China died early on Thursday. It was the first time that a monk protesting against China had killed himself through self-immolation, according to historians of modern Tibet.

Dharamsala, March 16 - A prominent Chinese dissident has accused Chinese president Hu Jintao of masterminding the death of the 10th Panchen Lama who passed away in January 1989 at the age of 51.

Before the era of Twitter and Facebook, political prisoners such as Ngawang Sangdrol-la recorded songs on tape cassettes to document the inhumane treatment they experienced in the Drapchi prison of China.

This year the Tibetan New Year celebration took place in the school building in Rikon.

The Tibetan parliament-in-exile is debating whether to accept the Dalai Lama's resignation as its political leader.


To the members of the Fourteenth Assembly of the Tibetan People’s Deputies, It is common knowledge that ancient Tibet, consisting of three provinces (Cholkha-sum) was ruled by a line of forty-two Tibetan kings beginning with Nyatri Tsenpo (127 BCE), and ending with Tri Ralpachen (838 CE).

DHARAMSALA: The movement seeking "genuine autonomy" to Tibet Autonomous Region from China will neither end nor disappear after spiritual leader the Dalai Lama transfers his authority to a elected leader though there will be difficulties, the Tibetan Government-in-Exile said today.

The Tibetan Community of Switzerland and Liechtenstein commemorated the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan peoples uprising day in Bern, capital of Switzerland.

Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan people’s peaceful uprising of 1959 against Communist China’s repression in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, and the third anniversary of the non-violent demonstrations that took place across Tibet in 2008. On this occasion, I would like to pay tribute to and pray for those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for the just cause of Tibet. I express my solidarity with those who continue to suffer repression and pray for the well-being of all sentient beings.

DHARAMSALA: Ceremonies commemorating the 52nd Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day will be held on 10 March 2011 from the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, India. The event will start at approximately 9:00am Indian Standard time and will include His Holiness the Dalai Lama's annual 10th March Statement. Most of the speeches will be in Tibetan language.

March 10 marks the anniversary when Tibetans rose up in the streets of Lhasa against China's nascent occupation of Tibet. It is also when a 24-year-old Dalai Lama fled a pursuing Chinese army and eventually crossed Tibet's border into India as a refugee. That was 52 years ago.

Samdhong Rinpoche, prime minister of Tibetan government in exile, calls on Tibetans not to fall into the trap of the recent Chinese slander against the Dalai Lama, but to continue to assert their identity in a non-violent way. The Jasmine revolt: China is ready to crush any protests with violence.