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TIBETAN BULLETIN THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE CENTRAL TIBETAN ADMINISTRATION VOluME 24 - ISSUE 4 JULY- AUGUST 2020 Focus 15th Kashag completes 4 years in office: Exclusive Interview News from Tibet and Exile Historic milestone: 19 students to receive the prestigious Sikyong Scholarship this year Feature His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama’s benevolence towards Tibetan people will never be forgotten; This year is dedicated to him: Sikyong on Kundun’s 85th Birthday celebration ***** Birthday messages for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 85th birthday www.tibet.net/en/tibbul www.tibet.net/en/tibbul FOCUS 16 15th Kashag Completes Four Years in Office: TIBETAN Exclusive interview with Chorig Kalon Karma Gelek Yuthok BULLETIN Tibetan Bulletin is an official bi-monthly 19 15th Kashag Completes Four Years in Office: Exclusive journal of the Central Tibetan interview with Home Kalon Sonam Topgyal Khorlatsang Administration. 22 15th Kashag Completes Four Years in Office: Exclusive interview with Finance Kalon Karma Yeshi 24 Free Nations vs Communist China: Prospects and Challenges for Tibet 26 Bringing change to China: an opportunity for governments to course correct on Tibet Signed articles or quotations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Central 27 UK should mirror US’ Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, sanction Tibetan Administration. Chinese officials meddling in the Dalai Lama’s succession: Former UK Minister Contributions are welcome and may be addressed to the editor, Tibetan Bulletin. However the publisher regrets its inability 28 Challenge posed by China is serious; Either we transform China or to return unused articles unless they are China transforms us: Sikyong Dr Sangay at CACN China hearing accompanied by a self-addressed envelope with adequate postage. Tibetan Bulletin is distributed free of charge. To subscribe please email the circulation manager or see back cover. FEATURE Editor 33 His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama’s benevolence towards Tenzin Saldon Tibetan people will never be forgotten; This year is dedicated to Email: [email protected] him: Sikyong on Kundun’s 85th Birthday celebration Asst. Editor 35 Former Indian Foreign Secretary says His Holiness the Tenzin Phende Dalai Lama should receive the Bharat Ratna Layout & Design 36 US Ambassador to India greets His Holiness the Tenzin Phende Dalai Lama on 85th Birthday Circulation Manager 37 BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav’s birthday Norbu Wangdue message for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 85th birthday Email: [email protected] Tibetan Bulletin is published by: Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamshala - 176 215 H.P. India Tel: +91-1892-222510 / 222457 Vol. 24, Issue 4 REGULARS JULY - AUGUST 2020 News From Tibet & Exile ......3 Contact ................................. 31 Quotes ............................32 NEWS FROM TIBET & EXILE Access to the TAR and other Tibetan areas did not improve in 2019: US State Department The Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, US Department of State has submitted its second annual report to Congress under Section 4 of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act. The report analyses the level of access Chinese authorities granted to U.S. diplomats and officials, journalists, and tourists to Tibetan areas in China; a comparison with the level of access granted to other areas of China; a comparison between the levels of access to Tibetan and non-Tibetan areas in relevant provinces; a comparison of the level of access compared to the previous reporting year; and a description of the required permits and other measures that impede travel in Tibetan areas. Access to the TAR and other Tibetan areas did not improve in 2019: US State Department received permission through the TAR Any attempts to speak with locals in The report mentioned about Chinese Foreign Affairs Office (FAQ) to travel TAR and in Tibetan areas of Sichuan government’s systematic impediment to the TAR, FAQ and security personnel province were quickly broken up by of travel to the Tibetan Autonomous tightly chaperoned their trips. security officials. Region (TAR) and Tibetan areas outside The report details various instances the TAR for U.S. diplomats and officials, where the diplomats travelling in the The report also mentioned Foreign journalists, and tourists in 2019. The Tibetan areas of Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) and Correspondent’s Club of China’s 2019 report also mentioned that the approval Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan Autonomous annual report which stated that only for tourist travel to the TAR was easier to Prefectures (TAPs) were routinely nine international journalists applied get but often restricted during sensitive stopped and questioned by security for permission to visit Tibetan areas in dates. officials. Unlike 2017 and 2018, security 2019. The 2018 report noted only seven officials did not physically detain international journalists applied for The report highlights that the travel to diplomats. permission. Tibetan areas outside of the TAR did not require a permit. However, requests to Access to the Tibetan population of While responding to the report, Karma meet with government, religious, and the PRC did not improve in 2019 Choeying, Secretary of Department of civil society leaders in these areas were compared to 2018. While there was a Information and International Relations, routinely denied. slight increase in the total number of CTA, remarked, “It is apparent from the visits to the TAR, official chaperones report that the TAR and other Tibetan TAR continued to be the only area of and security personnel prevented U.S. areas are still off limits for foreign China for which the Chinese government diplomats from fully engaging with visitors. As a result, Tibetans continue required diplomats and other foreign Tibetan residents. to suffer under Chinese rule in complete officials to request permission to visit isolation. The world must pay serious and purchase of air and train tickets to The report also brought the instance attention to the plight of the Tibetan the TAR is not possible without official where several Tibetan invitees to lunch people who have endured Chinese approval. In 2019, out of ten official hosted by the U.S. consul general in repression for more than sixty years requests from the U.S. diplomatic Chengdu were stopped by security now.” mission in China to visit TAR, five officials and prevented from attending. were denied. When U.S. diplomats JULY - AUGUST 2020 TIBETAN BULLETIN 3 NEWS FROM TIBET & EXILE five years prison term sentence for the Choedhen) of Drepung Monastery, Tibetan monk dies subversion of state and an additional two Deyang house, Samdup was sentenced years for leaking state secrets. to three years in prison for staging a after two years of ill- peaceful protest with 15 other monks on health due to brutal In the year 2010, Khando Tsetan took May 12, 1992, in Lhasa. After he served part in a Tibetan students protest in his initial three years, he was again torture in Chinese Rebgong calling for language rights imprisoned for another four years for prison after which he spent one and half years unknown reasons. in detention and later was released in the year 2014. However, he continues with Samdup suffered from diabetes and was his spirit and in 2019, he composed a admitted into Lhasa Public Hospital song in praise of H.H. the Dalai Lama. early this year. On February 17, 2020, at 3:15 am, he passed away at the young Khando Tsetan and Tsego are from age of fifty. He is the fourth known Tsekhog (Ch: Zeku) County, Malho former political prisoner who passed (Ch: Huangnam) Tibetan Autonomous away in Tibet this year. Prefecture in Qinghai Province. Tibetan political prisoners are routinely This is not a new case but a common one. tortured and denied proper medical care Over the years, there are several cases in when held in Chinese prisons. For this which Chinese authorities have detained reason, underlying health conditions and sentenced Tibetans who have sung are exacerbated and many prisoners songs in praise of His Holiness the suffer long-term consequences just like Dalai Lama. This is a recurring pattern Samdup. of Tibetan singers, artists, and writers receiving lengthy prison sentences in Tibetans Urge UN Khando Tsetan with his child. Photo courtesy of Tibet. Tibet Times on A-nya Sengdra Two Tibetans named Khando Tsetan and and Against Triad of Tsego were sentenced to seven years and Former Tibetan three years in prison respectively by a Collusion by Chinese political prisoner, Chinese court in north-eastern Tibet in Authorities, Police early July this year. Samdup, passes away and Judiciary on Land The duo was sentenced under the at the age of 50 in Grabs false charges of “state subversion” Tibet and “leaking state secrets” after they During the 44th session of the UN composed, sang, and circulated a song in Human Rights Council (UNHRC), praise of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Tibetans urged the UN to raise voice against the triad of collusion by the According to Tibet Times, a Tibetan Chinese state authorities, Chinese police language media, the lyricist Khando and Chinese judiciary to permit and Tsetan, and the singer Tsego, and an enable misappropriation of Tibetans’ unnamed Tibetan woman were detained lands for Belt and Road Initiative and in 2019 after a song in praise of H.H. the such other so-called “developmental Dalai Lama circulated on Chinese social projects” and appealed the UNHRC and media. Samdup, a former Tibetan political prisoner dies at the age of 50 in Tibet. He is the fourth known Member States to press China to release former political prisoner in Tibet to have died this A-nya Sengdra and other Tibetan human The song was written by Khando Tsetan year. rights defenders. and sung by Tsego. It was later posted by The UN, EU & Human Rights Desk, the unnamed Tibetan woman on social Delivering the oral statement, CTA’s DIIR has learned about the sad news of media.
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