Tibet Digest August 2015

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TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !1 Tibet remains under heavy security, with visits by foreign China’s Minority media ghtly restricted, making an independent assessment of the situaon difficult. Policies Acvists say China has violently tried to stamp out religious freedom and culture in Tibet. China rejects the cricism, saying its rule has ended serfdom and brought development to a backward region. Exiled Tibetans oppose 50th Vice president of Gu-Chu-Sum (Tibetan Polical Prisoners anniversary celebrations of TAR by Movement), Namgyal Dolkar, proposed a worldwide campaign to spread informaon about ground realies in China Tibet. Business Standard “We are definitely going to try to let more and more August 31, 2015 people know about it. That is very crucial not for Tibet or Tibetans living in exile have opposed China’s 50th China but the enre world,” said Dolkar. anniversary celebraon of the formaon of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), saying Beijing has always denied basic human rights to the people. This year marks several sensive anniversaries for the Major policy meeting on Tibet in remote region that China has ruled with an iron fist since buildup to sensitive anniversary 1950, when Communist troops marched in and took Internaonal Campaign For Tibet control of Tibet, in what Beijing calls a “peaceful August 29, 2015 liberaon”. A MAJOR POLICY MEETING ON TIBET PRESIDED OVER BY It is 50 years since China established what it calls the Tibet CHINA’S TOP LEADER XI JINPING CONCLUDED THIS WEEK Autonomous Region and also the 80th birthday of Tibetan IN BEIJING, AS SECURITY IS TIGHTENED IN LHASA IN spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in ADVANCE OF A POLITICAL ANNIVERSARY ON SEPTEMBER 1 India since fleeing Tibet in 1959 following an aborve The Tibet Work Forum on August 24-25, seng out Tibet uprising. policy for the coming years, is the sixth such strategy China will wage an unceasing fight against separasm in meeng on Tibet to be held since the Chinese took over its resve mountainous region of Tibet, President Xi Tibet in 1949-50. Jinping said, as the government repeated it would never Aended by the enre Politburo, the Party leadership, the accept exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s emphasis of the Work Forum was on ‘stability’, a polical genuine autonomy proposals. term associated with a dramac expansion of military and President of the Tibetan Youth Congress, Tenzing Jigme, police powers. According to the Chinese state media, the said they were against such false celebraons as people meeng also emphasised the struggle against ‘separasm’, lacked freedom of religion, freedom of speech and above economic development, in contrast to the last Tibet freedom of press. Work Forum in January, 2010. The official Global Times “It is just another sign of Chinese’s atude and they are reported: “Stressing that naonal unity, consolidang trying to show that all is well inside Tibet but which is not ethnic unity, and realising long-term and comprehensive the case. The case is that Tibetans are sll being denied social stability should be regarded as the primary task for basic human rights – freedom of religion, freedom of the region, Xi said that the country should “firmly take the speech, freedom of press and so we are totally against this iniave” in the fight against separasm, and adhere to kind of false celebraons,” Jigme said in Dharamsala. the principle of governing Tibet under the rule of The TAR was established on September 1, 1965 aer the law.” (August 27, 2015, Global Times). The Chinese People’s Liberaon Army invaded the region in 1949. authories state that the Dalai Lama is a prime cause of Tibetan ‘separasm’. Tibet later signed an agreement with China in 1951 aer which the Tibetan government was converted into a local There has been an intensificaon of security in the Tibet government. Autonomous Region, including an increased number of checkpoints, stepping up of surveillance and controls, and large-scale movement of troops in July.[1] This is likely to be a part not only of the renewed emphasis on polical

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !2 ‘stability’ but also in the buildup to the 50th anniversary of Rule of law is the most important means to realise a more the establishment by the Chinese authories of the Tibet scienfic and modernised governance of Tibet, said the Autonomous Region. researcher, stressing its great significance. Maeo Mecacci, President of the Internaonal Campaign Everyone is equal before the law. Monks and nuns are no for Tibet said: “The sight of armed troops in trucks excepon,” said Norbu, head of the administraon displaying polical slogans moving through Tibet serves commiee of Drepung Monastery in Lhasa,the regional only to underline the failed policies of the Chinese Party capital. state aer more than half a century. These hardline The administraon commiee will deal with lawless measures, and the insistence of the Chinese authories to monks according to law to ensure the monastery and ensure Tibetans ‘celebrate’ this upcoming anniversary, monks abide by law and religious acvies connue reveal the CCP’s uncertaines over lack of its authority in normally, said Norbu. Tibet. This is a leadership that needs to assert itself over a With the promoon of legal knowledge, people’s people who emphasise peace and non-violence, through awareness of law and protecon of their interests has tanks, ‘counter-terrorist’ measures and rhetoric resonant seen remarkable improvement, said Zhou Yalin, a senior of the Cultural Revoluon. The anniversary on September official of Damxung County, Tibet. 1 is an empty celebraon, as there is no genuine autonomy in the ‘Tibet Autonomous Region’, as promised They used to turn to monasteries for help in case of by Beijing in the 1950s. There is a need for a disputes or simply solve them privately, but more and fundamentally new approach on Tibet. Internaonal more people now know they can seek help from police or governments must signal its alarm over the priories courts, said Zhou. revealed by the Sixth Work Forum, which undermine Xi Jinping underlined the policy of maintaining a prudent chances of achieving a genuine stability.” and steady manner in the long-term development of Tibet, requiring far-sight and sustainability in work and measures. China Focus: CPC’s upgraded governance policy of Tibet He stressed pung ecological protecon first. applauded The central leadership’s prudent atude takes into account the ecological pressure of the plateau, said Penpa Xinhua Lhamo. August 28, 2015 “Each generaon is obliged to protect the region’s pure The ruling Communist Party of China’s governance land,” she said. strategies in Tibet, unveiled at a recent meeng, show This is a required adjustment for Tibet’s sustainable and improvement in line with the region’s development, coordinated development aer its economic volume analysts say. reaches a certain scale, said Wang Daiyuan, also with the At a conference on Tibet held by central leadership in academy. Beijing earlier this week, President Xi Jinping underlined In the past, fast development was stressed because the naonal and ethnic unity as the key plans for the Tibet region was poor, he explained. Autonomous Region, vowing to focus on long-term, comprehensive stability and an unswerving bale against Xi also urged persistent stability for Tibet and separasm. neighbouring provinces, which are home to many Tibetan and other ethnic minories, including Qinghai, Sichuan, He stressed important principles such as governing Tibet Yunnan and Gansu. according to the law and striving to make people rich and the region prosperous with long-term development. These To sck to the struggle against the Dalai Lama clique thoughts have been put forward by the central leadership accords with the interests of people of all ethnic groups in since the 18th naonal congress of the CPC in 2012. Tibet, said Penpa Lhamo. “These new thoughts show our governance strategies in Tibet have been gradually perfected,” said Penpa Lhamo, deputy head of the contemporary studies instute of the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !3 China’s Xi vows unceasing fight monasteries in the long run, encouraging interpretaons against Tibet separatism of religious doctrines that are compable with a socialist society,” state media said. Xinhua There should also be more campaigns to promote ethnic August 28, 2015 unity and promote a sense “of belonging to the same China will wage an unceasing fight against separasm in Chinese naonality,” he added. its resve mountainous region of Tibet, President Xi Tibet remains under heavy security, with visits by foreign Jinping said, as the government repeated it would never media ghtly restricted, making an independent accept exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s assessment of the situaon difficult. genuine autonomy proposals. This year marks several sensive anniversaries for the remote region that China has ruled with an iron fist since Dalai Lama’s ‘Middle Way Approach’ 1950, when Communist troops marched in and took control in what Beijing calls a “peaceful liberaon.” snubbed by Xi Jinping It is 50 years since China established what it calls the Tibet August 28, 2015 Autonomous Region and also the 80th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959 following an aborve uprising. At a two-day conference this week of the senior leadership about Tibet, only the sixth ever held, Xi repeated the government’s standard opposion to Tibetan independence, saying he would fight an “an unswerving an-separasm bale,” state media said in comments reported late on Tuesday. “We should fight against separast acvies by the Dalai A Tibetan Buddhist monk walks into the Jokhang Temple on June group,” Xi was quoted as saying. 18, 2009 in Lhasa, Tibet. (Photo by Feng Li/Gey Images/CFP) The Dalai Lama denies seeking independence, saying he Aer the conclusion of the CPC Central Commiee and only wants genuine autonomy for Tibet, something he State Council’s 6th Forum on Tibetan Work, Chinese calls the Middle Way and which Beijing believes is merely president Xi Jinping stated that the focus of policy towards a smokescreen for independence, arguing Tibet already Tibet should be centered on maintaining naonal integrity has real autonomy. and unity among Chinese people, as well as ensuring the An accompanying commentary published by the United long-term peaceful governance of the region and to Front Work Department, which has led unsuccessful on- crackdown on separasm and maintain an unshakeable off talks with the Dalai Lama’s envoys, said the stance against the campaign of the Dalai Lama and his government had not accepted, and would never accept, followers, according to Duowei News, a media outlet run the Middle Way. by overseas Chinese. The Middle Way seeks to cleave off one-quarter of China, Xi also came up with a catchy 20-character summary of his as it would include historic parts of Tibet in neighbouring Tibet policy which roughly translates as, “Rule Tibet by Chinese provinces, the commentary, carried on the law; Make Tibetans prosper and Tibet thrive; Build Tibet department’s WeChat account, said. up over the long-term; Consolidate hearts and minds; “The so-called ‘Middle Way’ is in essence a splist Build a solid foundaon,” the first major policy polical demand,” it said. announcement on Tibet since the 18th CPC Naonal Congress. Acvists say China has violently tried to stamp out religious freedom and culture in Tibet. China rejects the Xi’s aempt to set the basic tone of policy for the next five cricism, saying its rule has ended serfdom and brought to ten years, comes in the run up to celebraon marking development to a backward region. the 50th year of the establishment of the Tibet autonomous region and seems largely to connue China’s Xi called for efforts to promote “patriosm among the previous stance. This does not mean that there are no Tibetan Buddhist circle and effecvely manage changes, as there were some new touches, including,

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !4 “ruling Tibet by law” and “insisng on people’s equality suggesng changes were in store for China’s ethnic before the law. minority policy, allowing them to adopt a less passive Xi made many references to an-separasm in his speech stance in Chinese polics. and stated that separasts or people aempng to disturb Aer the discussion between Zhu and Alai was social stability should be dealt with according to the law. republished in a Hong Kong news outlet, it was cricised A state-media report on the forum commented on the by seven opinion pieces in China Ethnic News, a paper run Dalai Lama and his “Middle Way Approach” which looks to by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. The opinion pieces “peacefully resolve the issue of Tibet and to bring about accused Zhu and Alai of fabricang a contradicon and stability and co-existence between the Tibetan and conflict between ethnic differences and naonal identy. Chinese peoples based on equality and mutual co- The pieces accused Zhu and Alai of taking a homogenous operaon,” according to the Dalai Lama’s official website, ethnic identy and homogenous culture to be the stang that the separast tendencies of the Dalai Lama standard, in a move similar to the Kuomintang’s strategy and his followers have not changed, but that they are just of homogenisaon and exclusion. The pieces said that adopng a new strategy to achieve the same goal. The differences must be acknowledged, but at the same me, arcle stated that the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Approach they acknowledged that the use of the term “look aer” does not acknowledge Tibet to be Chinese territory, is was derogatory when used in reference to China’s policy opposed to the principles enshrined in the Chinese on its ethnic minority peoples. Constuon, does not accept the socialist system being Zhu was, for a long me, vice minister in charge of daily implemented in Tibet or its status as an autonomous affairs for the United Front Work Department and once region of China and wishes to unify the 12 Tibetan served as China’s representave in negoaons with the autonomous prefectures across the four provinces of Dalai Lama. Zhu previously discussed ethnic identy in a Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan under an study report he published at the beginning of 2012, which independent Tibet. aracted a lot of aenon at the me. At the beginning of The arcle also stated that the “Middle Way Approach” 2013 Zhu was moved to a secondary-level post, as the would never be accepted by the Chinese government, chair of the Subcommiee of Ethnic and Religious Affairs suggesng a connuing hard-line stance on the Dalai of the CPPCC Naonal Commiee, but he is sll voicing his Lama. opinion on the sensive issue. The Dalai Lama has aempted to court Xi Jinping several A state-run paper openly cricising a member of a CPPCC mes since the laer assumed power, even making Naonal Subcommiee is very rare and what’s rarer sll is reference to his friendship with Xi’s father Xi Zhongxun. that Zhu has not chosen to bear the cricism in silence, The Dalai Lama has also consistently expressed a wish to mocking the paper for behaviour worthy of the Cultural visit Mount Wutai, but the comments from Xi suggest that Revoluon. This suggests that divisions exist within the this is unlikely. Communist Party on ethnic minority issues, specifically with regard to the governance of Tibet. Although the date of the celebraons for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet autonomous The hopes kindled by the talks between Zhu and Alai that region are yet to be announced, in previous years they China will reflect on its policy towards ethnic minories have taken place on Sept. 1. and Tibet in parcular appear to have been exnguished by Xi’s recent comments. Previously there had been suggesons that changes were in the air for China’s policy on ethnic minories and Tibet, when chair of the Subcommiee of Ethnic and Religious Rule of law to ensure Tibet’s future Affairs of the CPPCC Naonal Commiee Zhu Weiqun and peace, prosperity Alai, a Tibetan writer from Sichuan, held a series of discussions on the stability and development of Sichuan’s Global Times three Tibetan autonomous prefectures and the future of August 27, 2015 China’s ethnic minories. In the just concluded sixth meeng of the work of the Zhu stated in the discussion, “It is me for reflecon and Tibet Autonomous Region, Chinese President Xi Jinping changes to policy on ethnic minories.” Although the idea raised a general plan for administering Tibet. Stressing of taking emphasis off ethnic differences in order to that naonal unity, consolidang ethnic unity, and strengthen naonal identy is hardly new, many realising long-term and comprehensive social stability interpreted the discussion between Zhu and Alai as should be regarded as the primary task for the region, Xi said that the country should “firmly take the iniave” in

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !5 the fight against separasm, and adhere to the principle of China says it will never accept governing Tibet under the rule of law. ‘Middle Way’ solution to Tibet issues This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The region has Tibet Post Internaonal Aug 26, 2015 witnessed rapid development during the half century, especially aer the adopon of a policy which requires different provinces to provide aid to designated areas in Tibet. According to a report from the People’s Daily, the region’s gross domesc product has rocketed from 3.7 billion yuan ($577 million) in 1993 to 92 billion yuan in 2014, while its local fiscal income reached 16.5 billion yuan, 104 mes more than the figure in 1993. All these achievements benefit from the long-term stability of society. However, under the surface of such fruiul development, separasm, led by the Dalai Lama, has been connuously causing turbulence in the region. Be it the March 14 riots in Lhasa in 2008, or the disrupon Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kasur Lodi Gyari, with Envoy of the Olympic torch relay in London and Paris, separast Kelsang Gyaltsen during their meeng with Vice Chairman of Chinese groups have brought blood, casuales, destrucon and People’s Polical Consultave Conference Du Qinglin during their meeng on 30 January 2010 aernoon. (Photo credit DIIR/CTA) splits among different ethnic groups in the country. Dharamshala — The Chinese central government will Given such a backdrop, the unswerving an-separasm never accept the “Middle Way” proposed by the Dalai bale is not only a keynote for the future Tibet policy, but Lama group, China’s United Front said in its official also a prerequisite to future peaceful development in this website in an arcle pen-named Kelsang. Himalayan region. It also accords with Xi’s strategy ideas – “governing border areas is the key for governing a country, The arcle was posted aer the Chinese Central while stabilising Tibet is the priority for governing border Government ended its sixth working conference on Tibet areas.” Tuesday in Beijing. The rule of law is the guarantee of social fairness and “The Central Government did not in the past, nor is now jusce, and only by scking to it can we avoid conflicts and and will not in the future accept the Middle Way soluon defuse tensions. to the Tibet issue,” reads the arcle. Stressing the rule of law in Tibet means the country will The essenal intent of the ‘Middle Way’ is to split China, ” connue the fight against separasm, and crack down on adds the commentary , saying that the Dalai group refuses any behaviour that disrupts social stability. to accept China’s sovereignty in Tibet and wants to seize the reins of power and set up a semi-independent polical The rule of law also indicates that Tibet is guaranteed to regime.” have equal rights of development as any other regions in China. The development results, which other provinces In parcular, China is against the Dalai Lama’s proposal for are pursuing, are also bound to be realised in Tibet. a “high degree of autonomy” in Tibet, saying “the essence of ‘a high degree of autonomy’ is to setup ‘a state within a That’s why Xi also vowed to provide sustainable measures state’ free of any control from the central government. and preferenal policies to promote economic growth and social progress in the area. Stability and unity are the The arcle recalls that the central government has foundaon and the only way toward prosperity in Tibet. aached great importance to Tibet, holding six Tibet working conferences since 1980, with the second one in 1984, the third one in 1994 , the fih one in 2010 and the sixth conference ended just on Tuesday. Each Tibet working conference worked out specific measures to push forward Tibet’s economic development and secure social stability.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !6 On Tibetan Buddhism, the arcle promotes “polical unity Many Uighurs have complained of harsh cultural and and respecng religious belief ” saying the government is religious suppression as well as economic marginalisaon against intervening and liming Tibetan’s religious under Chinese rule, and have increasingly tried to flee the freedom. country. China has repeatedly accused Uighurs of joining However, the Central Tibetan Administraon (CTA) internaonal terror groups and has aempted to prevent repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to the “Middle Way them from leaving. Approach” (MWA) of engaging China through dialogue to Following intense pressure by Beijing, Thailand last month achieve meaningful autonomy for all Tibetans, saying the returned over 100 Uighurs to China, in a move slammed Middle Way Approach, which neither seeks “Greater by many human rights groups. Tibet” nor a “high degree of autonomy”, but “genuine or FILE – Suspected Uighurs are transported back to a meaningful autonomy” for all Tibetan people under a detenon facility in the town of Songkhla in southern “single administraon.” Thailand aer vising women and children at a separate During the seventh round of talks in Beijing on 1 and 2 July shelter, March 26, 2014. 2008, the Tibetan side has presented to the Chinese China denies mistreang the Uighurs, arguing that it has leadership a Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the launched a massive campaign of economic development Tibetan people and Note on the Memorandum on in Xinjiang. It has also launched a massive security Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People, seeking crackdown in Xinjiang, which has been plagued by recent genuine autonomy for Tibet as enshrined in the Chinese violent aacks that Beijing has blamed on Islamic constuon and Law on Regional Naonal Autonomy. militants.

China Jails 45 in Unrest-Hit Xinjiang 50 years of connecting Tibet VoA – News People’s Daily Online August 27, 2015 August 26, 2015 Editor’s note: 2015 marks Tibet’s 50th anniversary of peaceful liberaon. Located on the world’s highest plateau, Tibet used to be known for its underdeveloped transportaon system. Over the last half century, the Chinese government has been dedicated to modernising the connecons on the roads, on the rails, and in the air. Here are eight public transportaon icons in Tibet.

Chinese courts in the resve western province of Xinjiang have jailed 45 people, including some on terrorism-related and illegal border crossing charges, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency. Xinjiang is home to the Uighur ethnic minority, many of whom complain of repression and are the subject of an intense an-terror crackdown by Beijing. Officials say several of those who had crossed the border had gathered with others to view Muslim extremist propaganda and were trying to take part in jihad. At least for more pictures please click the link here: http://fnvaworld.org/? some of them had been captured by Tajikistan police near p=17074 the border with Afghanistan. Others were jailed on charges of organising illegal border crossings. Xinhua said two of the individuals received life sentences.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !7 China Observes 50 Years of Iron Every exisng marker of Tibetan culture has been sought Clad Grip Over Tibet to be exnguished as rapidly as possible. The Chinese government’s repressive treatment extends ANI to all vesges of Tibetan culture, regardless of the source. August 26, 2015 Arcle 3 of the UDHR says that everyone has the right to HONG KONG: China is celebrang the 50th anniversary of life, liberty and security of person. the seng up of its Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), which represents only a stump of the original Tibetan But, when it comes to Tibet, 87000 of them were killed by areas in the country. the People’ Liberaon Army between 1959 and 1960. The 2008 crackdown reportedly led to 228 deaths and 990 The tradionally Tibetan strongholds in modern Sichuan “disappearances”. and Qinghai provinces have been lopped off to become part of provinces where they are now minories, and The liberty of people extends to their means of livelihood thus, face exncon of their cultural and religious identy. and living arrangements, but Tibetans have reportedly placed forcibly in New Socialist Villages (NSV), and are China has accepted the Universal Declaraon of Human without any semblance of liberty. Rights as a member of the United Naons. The declaraon forms the basic charter of rights for all cizens across the The security of Tibetan in Tibet is also greatly under world. doubt, considering the predilecon of Chinese authories towards arbitrary arrest and detenon. However, over the past many decades, China’s adherence to the UDHR has been minimal at best. Arcle 4 of the UDHR says no one shall be held in slavery or servitude, and slavery and the slave trade shall be When it comes to Tibet, though, even those minimal prohibited in all their forms. standards seem to have been misplaced, and the result is an occupied area where Tibetans count for less than an In this instance, China meets of most of the markers, but average Han Chinese cizen, and have no rights worth the what can’t be ignored is that Beijing extracts involuntary name. labour from arbitrarily chosen Tibetans. An arcle-by-arcle analysis of what the UDHR enjoins Arcle 5 of the UDHR says, no one shall be subjected to upon governments and grants to every human being, torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or compared to the reality in Tibet, brings out starkly how far punishment, but in China-ruled TAR, torture is off the expected the Chinese performance has been. commonplace. According to Arcle 1 of the UDHR, all human beings are Arcles 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 refer to the right to recognion born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are before the law, equality before the law, and right to endowed with reason and conscience and should act remedy. They also ask for presumpon of innocence, but towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. insofar as the delivery of jusce in TAR is concerned, China is extremely biased and arbitrary. But if looked from a Tibetan’s perspecve, he or she would not consider being born under Chinese occupaon as As such, these arcles are currently not maintainable freedom. anywhere in China, let alone Tibet. To be equal in rights means being afforded equal Arcle 9 of the UDHR says no one shall be subjected to treatment under the law, but as far as China is concerned, arbitrary arrest, detenon or exile, but this is far from repression is the norm for any form of polical dissent. applicable in TAR. In TAR, there are severe restricons on the freedom of Arcle 12 of the UDHR says no one shall be subjected to movement of Tibetans, and inequality is ever present. arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to aacks upon his honour and Arcle 2 of the UDHR says that everyone is entled to all reputaon. Everyone has the right to the protecon of the rights and freedoms, without disncon of any kind, such law against such interference or aacks. as race, colour, sex, language, religion, polical or other opinion, naonal or social origin, property, birth or other In Chinese-ruled Tibet, there is the pracce of forced status. reselement. The treatment of the Dalai Lama certainly falls under aacks upon honour and reputaon. But in the case of the people of Tibet, their naonal and Heightened surveillance in the region constutes social origin; polical opinions, their religion, and their interference with privacy. language have all been used to persecute them.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !8 Arcle 13 of the UDHR says, everyone has the right to calls the Middle Way and which Beijing believes is merely freedom of movement and residence within the borders a smokescreen for independence, arguing Tibet already of each state and everyone has the right to leave any has real autonomy. country, including his own, and to return to his country, ‘Wont accept Middle Way’ but China’s two-ered passport system severely restricts An accompanying commentary published by the United freedom of movement for Tibetans and other religious Front Work Department, which has led unsuccessful on- minories. off talks with the Dalai Lama’s envoys, said the Indeed, the Dalai Lama himself has stated that the Chinese government had not accepted, and would never accept, government has barred him from re-entering his home. the Middle Way. Arcle 14 of the UDHR says everyone has the right to seek The Middle Way seeks to cleave off one-quarter of China, and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecuon, as it would include historic parts of Tibet in neighbouring but in TAR, this right may not be invoked in the case of Chinese provinces, the commentary, carried on the prosecuons genuinely arising from non-polical crimes. department’s WeChat account, said. Finally, Arcle 15 of the UDHR says everyone has the right “The so-called ‘Middle Way’ is in essence a splist to a naonality, but Tibetans are Chinese naonals. polical demand,” it said. ‘Bid to stamp out Tibetan culture’ Acvists said China had violently tried to stamp out Xi vows unceasing fight against Tibet religious freedom and culture in Tibet. China rejected the separatism cricism, saying its rule had ended serfdom and brought development to a backward region. The Hindu Mr. Xi called for efforts to promote “patriosm among the August 26, 2015 Tibetan Buddhist circle and effecvely manage China reiterates it will never accept the genuine autonomy monasteries in the long run, encouraging interpretaons proposals of the Dalai Lama, exiled Tibetan spiritual of religious doctrines that are compable with a socialist leader. society,” state media said. China will wage an unceasing fight against separasm in There should also be more campaigns to promote ethnic its resve mountainous region of Tibet, President Xi unity and promote a sense “of belonging to the same Jinping said, as the government repeated it would never Chinese naonality,” he added. accept the genuine autonomy proposals of the Dalai Heavy security hampers scruny Lama, exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. Tibet remains under heavy security, with visits by foreign This year marks several sensive anniversaries for the media ghtly restricted, making an independent remote region that China has ruled with an iron fist since assessment of the situaon difficult. 1950, when Communist troops marched in and took control in what Beijing calls a “peaceful liberaon.” It is 50 years since China established what it calls the Tibet Autonomous Region and also the 80th birthday of the Xi for infusing “socialist values” in Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959 following an aborve uprising. Tibetan schools to wean away kids Against Tibetan independence from Dalai Lama At a two-day conference this week of the senior Times of India leadership about Tibet, only the sixth ever held, Mr. Xi August 26, 2015 repeated the government’s standard opposion to Tibetan BEIJING: Chinese president Xi Jinping has asked officials to independence, saying he would fight an “an unswerving alter school curriculum of Tibetan children in order to an-separasm bale,” state media said in comments incorporate “core socialist values”. reported late on Tuesday. This is part of China’s preparaons to bring about major “We should fight against separast acvies by the Dalai changes in the thinking of the next generaon of Tibetans group,” Mr. Xi was quoted as saying. at a me when the Dalai Lama is ageing, and Beijing is The Dalai Lama has denied seeking independence, saying geng ready to appoint a successor of its choice, he only wants genuine autonomy for Tibet, something he observers said. The Communist Party sees the Dalai Lama

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !9 as a major obstacle in enforcing its idea of a socialist Xi urges promoting economic, social society among Tibetans. development in Tibet Xi also asked officials to strive hard for in calculang “Party-loving and patrioc builders and successors of the SINA socialist cause,” among children in Tibet and four other August 26, 2015 provinces with heavy Tibetan populaon. He also called BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping for wider use of Mandarin China, which is different from has asked for more efforts to promote economic growth the Tibetan language, describing it as “the naonal and all-round social progress in Tibet and Tibetan- commonly-used language and script”. inhabited areas in four other provinces, vowing sustainable measures and connued preferenal policies. Besides rapid development, the government wants to create more employment opportunies for Tibetans to Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas in four other provinces prevent them from taking what Beijing regards as have entered “a crical stage” toward fulfilling the regressive steps in support of the Dalai Lama and his country’s goal of building a moderately prosperous society supporters. in a comprehensive way, Xi said at a two-day meeng on Tibet’s future development, which ended on Tuesday. “More acve employment policies should be carried out to help residents of all ethnic groups to walk out of their Special financial, tax and investment policies should farms and pastors to work in towns and companies and connue to be in place in the future in southwest China’s start businesses,” Xi said at an official meeng on Tibet’s Tibet autonomous region and Tibetan-inhabited areas in development in Beijing. Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces, he added. He also pledged to connue with preferenal policies for Development, which aims to improve living condions for Tibetan inhabited areas, and bring about sustainable various ethnic groups and beef up social cohesion, should development. These areas have entered “a crical stage” be advanced in a prudent and steady manner, and all toward fulfilling the country’s goal of building a measures taken should be sustainable, Xi said. moderately prosperous society in a comprehensive way, Xi urged beering basic public service and adopng the president, who is also general secretary of the targeted measures to alleviate poverty, solve key problems Communist Party said. which lead to poverty and improve living condions for He said Tibetan areas in five provinces, Tibet, Sichuan, the impoverished as soon as possible. Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai– will connue to enjoy special “More acve employment policies should be carried out financial, tax and investment policies. Efforts would be to help residents of all ethnic groups to walk out of their made to improve living condions for various ethnic farms and pastors to work in towns and companies and groups, he said. start businesses,” he said. Speaking on the occasion, Chinese premier Li Keqiang said Meanwhile, Xi said, efforts should also be made to that it is an arduous task for Tibet to build a “moderately incorporate educaon on “socialist core values” into prosperous” society over the next five years. courses in schools at various levels, popularise the He promised to give top priority to improving people’s naonal commonly-used language and script, and strive to livelihood, alleviang poverty and increasing employment foster “Party-loving and patrioc builders and successors among Tibetans, he noted, urging more efforts to boost of the socialist cause.” educaon, medical care and social security in the region. Addressing the same meeng, Premier Li Keqiang said that “Efforts should be given to the development of agriculture it is an arduous task for Tibet to build a “moderately and animal husbandry and related processing business, prosperous” society over the next five years, together with making Tibet an important tourism desnaon in the other parts of the country. world, and promong commerce and trade with South The government should give top priority to improving Asia to boost the Tibetan economy,” he added. people’s livelihood, alleviang poverty and increasing Li also called for speeding up construcon of local employment among Tibetans, he noted, urging more infrastructure should be sped up, including transportaon efforts to boost educaon, medical care and social networks, water conservaon projects, power grids, security in the region. among others. It is key for Tibet to sharpen its self-development capability through promong its specialty industries, infrastructure construcon, and environmental protecon, said the premier.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !10 “Efforts should be given to the development of agriculture Wan Jie, leader of the digitalising project, says the high- and animal husbandry and related processing business, definion digital images can not only protect the relics, making Tibet an important tourism desnaon in the but also bring new way to show more people the great art world, and promong commerce and trade with South conserved in the Potala Palace. Asia to boost the Tibetan economy,” he added. “There are various ways to present the digital images. For Moreover, the building of local infrastructure should be example, we can print them and display the pictures, we sped up, including transportaon networks, water can hold mulmedia exhibion, digital exhibion and the conservaon projects, power grids, among others, Li all-round display. They will let more people enjoy the noted. exhibions and the cultural relics through internet.” The Premier also pledged to increase financial aid and The Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of southwest China’s preferenal policies to the ethnic minority area. Tibet Autonomous Region, has a history of over 1,300 Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Naonal Commiee of years. the Chinese People’s Polical Consultave Conference, It saw a total of 830,000 tourists in 2014, which means asked aendees to learn from the spirit of the meeng over 2,000 people paid a visit every day. and work out effecve measures to boost the The digising project started in 2012. development of Tibet. Other members of the Standing Commiee of the Polical Bureau of the CPC Central Commiee Zhang Dejiang, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, also aended the meeng. Railway line brings new life and opportunities to SW Tibet

Murals in Tibet’s Potala Palace Chinadaily.com.cn Digitized for Better Protection Aug 14, 2015 Kalzang Tsetan’s family business has been benefing from Crienglish.com the opening of the Lhasa-Xigaze railway. August 24, 2015 “We’ve longed for the railway. The materials we used to produce sweet garlic are all imported from Chengdu. Road transport is very expensive. The cost has reduced greatly because of the railway,” said the 27-year-old, whose family runs a garlic industry in Gyangze county, a Xigaze prefecture-level city in the southwest of the Tibet autonomous region. The company produced 2.4 billion kilograms of garlic products last year. In March the company transported about 12,500 kg of sweet garlic products by train from Xigaze to Lhasa at a cost of about 20,000 yuan ($3,222). It was the first me the company adopted rail transportaon. By road, 12.5 tons of garlic products cost about 30,000 yuan. A piece of mural in Tibet’s Potala Palace. [Photo: CFP] “More importantly, train is much safer than trucks. If an Murals in Tibet’s Potala Palace have been digised in accident happens, we would suffer heavy losses,” he said. August in a bid to beer protect the cultural relics. It will be the first anniversary of the opening of the Lhasa- Around 2,500 square meters of murals have been digised Xigaze railway on Sunday. As the railway linking the two into high definion images of 5 billion pixels. largest cies in the Tibet autonomous region, also the The murals present stories of historical figures, religious second railway in Tibet, the Lhasa-Xigaze railway has not stories, biographies of eminent monks as well as various only increased locals’ quality of life but also boosted aspects of people’s life. tourism.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !11 Benefit local’s life His desnaon is the base camp of Mount Qomolangma in The 251-kilo meter high-elevaon railway cut travel me Xigaze. “First of all, I traveled to Lhasa by myself and met between Lhasa, capital of Tibet, and Xigaze, the second some outdoor enthusiasts there. I decided to join them for largest city in the region, from five hours by bus to about the adventure trip at the last minute. I did not really have three. a specific travel plan before,” Yang said. He worked as a staff member in a university and enjoyed his summer The first passenger train le Lhasa for Xigaze on Aug 16 vacaon by traveling to Tibet. last year. The fare ranges from 40.5 to 175.5 yuan depending on comfort. “Travel by train is less expensive,” he said, adding that the Lhasa-Xigaze railway made his trip easier. The line, which began construcon in January 2011, has 14 staons and a maximum train speed of 120 km per The Lhasa-Xigaze railway is the first extension of the 1956- hour. It is capable of transporng more than 8.3 million km Qinghai-Tibet railway, the first railway in Tibet, which metric tons of cargo each year. began operaon in 2006. The new line plays an important role in the rail network in Tibet. Unl June 30 the railway had transported 578,000 passengers. To the east, it connects the Qinghai-Tibet railway and also links Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, a part of Sichuan-Lhasa Since the railway opened, Chungdak Tsering has taken the railway, which is now under construcon. To the west, it train more than 10 mes between Xigaze and Lhasa. plans to link Jilong and Yadong pass neighboring Nepal. “It is much more convenient now and only takes three Apart from the railway, road and aviaon networks have hours. In the past, it took five hours by bus, oen longer also been improved in the past 50 years, as a small part of because of traffic jams and the speed limit, and train is government investment spent on Tibet’s transportaon safer. I can either buy ckets online or at the staon,” the infrastructure. 29-year-old said, adding that this me, he went to the staon a day before the trip and bought ckets in five minutes. Massive security beef up reported Chungdak’s trip to Lhasa was to close a deal on a house ahead of TAR 50th anniversary loan. He is a government employee in Xigaze and bought an apartment in Lhasa. Phayul August 14, 2015 “Lhasa is a beer planned city with a friendly environment, more parks and other resident friendly civil construcons,” he said, adding that the railway makes the commute more convenient. Chungdak is the youngest son in his family. Born and raised in Xigaze, he went to school outside Tibet since middle school at 13, and finished middle school, high school and university there. He returned to Xigaze in 2011. Compared with the old days when he traveled between home and schools, he has found transportaon much more convenient now.

Boost tourism Troops moving through Rebkong (Chinese: Tongren) in Qinghai in The railway has also boosted local tourism. As the home of July/ ICT Mount Qomolangma’s base camp and the tradional seat With the speculaon rife over Chinese president Xi of the Panchen Lama, Xigaze has its unique charm to Jinping’s probable visit to Tibet for the 50th anniversary of aract tourists from China and overseas. the Tibet Autonomous Region, unusual movement of Yang Heng, 24, traveled from Daliang, China’s northeast troops have been witnessed in Lhasa and Shigatse, two Liaoning province to Tibet by train. “I spent about three major cies of TAR, and Rebkong in a build up to the enre days on a train…I love the views. It is almost the celebraons, according to the Washington based same as the view at scenic sites, both making me feel so Internaonal Campaign for Tibet. close to nature,” Yang said. Massive influx of convoy of more than 200 vehicles with heavy weaponries and tanks have been reported by the ICT which added, “The purpose of the troop movements is

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !12 not known, although it is likely to be a combinaon of China to intensify public security conveying propaganda, overt inmidaon and patrols involvement in major military exercises.”

Top leaders from Beijing are expected to aend the Xinhua, August 13, 2015 founding anniversary of the “Tibet Autonomous Region” to be held in Lhasa, the capital, on September 1. Vice Minister of Public Security Huang Ming has called for strengthened public patrols to deter crimes and respond Chinese state media announced this week that a joint to emergencies. military drill entered “live fire stage” “in a plateau area” in Sichuan, organised by the People’s Liberaon Army At a meeng held on Thursday, Huang called for more Chengdu Military Area Command, which oversees Tibetan efficient patrols that would “prevent, spot, control and areas including the sensive border with India. handle” crimes and emergencies in a mely and effecve manner. The images and footage gathered by Internaonal Campaign for Tibet show movement of troops in Shigatse “Joint patrols by police and paramilitary police will be a starng July 27. The ICT said it received images that show key measure in intensified social security,” Huang said, trucks in front of Potala palace with banners with slogans stressing that patrols should be intensified at major events on the sides of the trucks, such as: ‘To defend security and and key meengs. stability in Tibet’; ‘A healthy civilian and peaceful society is During the meeng, paramilitary police were told to step the will of the people’. up exercises and hone their professional skills to fulfil According to a source, no troop movements of this scale patrol missions and handle emergencies with beer had been observed in the areas before. cooperaon and informaon-sharing with police forces. Sources have indicated that the ghtened security is felt in On Thursday noon, a 25-year-old suspect, Gao, aacked a every sphere, including instrucons on the importance of Chinese woman and a French man with a samurai sword ‘stability’ conveyed to Tibetan trade organisaons, in Sanlitun, an upscale shopping district in Beijing, killing business and tourist agencies and an increase in police the woman and injuring the man. checkpoints. Travel permits to the TAR are not being issued for at least the first week of September, the ICT said cing prweb.com. China celebrated September 9 as the founding day of TAR 13th Mt. Qomolangma Cultural unl the death of Mao on the same date in 1976. The Tourism Festival to kick off celebraons were shied to September 1 aer Mao’s China Tibet Online death. August 13, 2015 The ICT believes that the Beijing leadership’s strong With the approach of the 13th Mt. Qomolangma Cultural emphasis to Tibet is reflected in editorials published in the Tourism Fesval in Shigatse, Tibet’s first tourism state media and its renewed cricism of the exiled Tibetan promoon outside the region was successfully held in leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama for commenng on his Chengdu, Aug. 11, 2015. reincarnaon recently. A meeng of the Chinese Politburo Tibetvista.org, together with 18 travel agencies and 25 on July 30 presided over by Xi Jinping asserted the news media from Sichuan, aended the event. connued “an-separast” hardline approach by the authories in Tibet. The Mt.Qomolangma Cultural Tourism Fesval this year will be themed as “Truth Eternal, Auspicious Shigatse” and “The CCP priorises development, infrastructure aims to display Shigatse’s unique culture and history. construcon and resource extracon as key elements of Meanwhile, by hosng the fesval, organisers hope to its strategic objecves in Tibet, casng Tibetan support for further explore the local tourism values and boost the Dalai Lama and protecon of Tibetan naonal identy economic development. as obstacles to its ambions to re-shape the Tibetan plateau for its own purposes and ensure its dominance,” The Mt.Qomolangma Cultural Tourism Fesval this year added ICT. centers centered around “Eternal Love, Auspicious Shigatse” and aims to display cultural and historical development of Shigatse. Meanwhile, by hosng this cultural tourism fesval, the organisers hope to further explore the local tourism values and boost local economic

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !13 development. Rong Xinlong, minister of Shigatse Publicity Eighty per cent of government vehicles in Beijing will be Department, was introducing the The 13th Mt. kept off the road during that period, according to an Qomolangma Cultural Tourism Fesval. During the official announcement. promoon, Rong Xinlong, minister of Shigatse Publicity Department, along with Phurbu Tsering, head of Shigatse Tourism Bureau, expressed their sincere welcome to all the visitors and gave a brief introducon of local tourism Tibetans forced to wear wild animal development. furs, official in Tibet denies

Tibet Post Internaonal August 12, 2015 China to scrutinise mails to be sent to Tibet ahead of parade

PTI August 13, 2015 Beijing: China will strictly scrunise all mails and parcels to be sent to Tibet as part of the stringent scruny measures ahead of the 70th anniversary of its victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on September 3. China’s State Post Bureau (SPB) said that between August 20 and September 12 the real names of both receiver and sender must be submied before packages and mails can be sent to the Tibet Autonomous Region. New images show some local Tibetans with animal furs, standing A series of celebraons will be held from August to mid- on a huge red carpet during a Chinese official event in Driru September to mark the 70th anniversary of victory in County, eastern Tibet. Photo: TPI World War II and the War of Resistance against Japanese Dharamshala — Chinese authories have reportedly Aggression besides events to celebrate the 50th forced Tibetans to wear animal furs and pelts at a recent anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous official event in Driru County of eastern Tibet. Region which will be held in Tibet in early September. “The new policy demanded that local Tibetans should The authories need to step up checks for illegal packages, organise and take part in a cultural performance during a especially for guns, flammable materials and explosives, recent official celebraon in Driru County,” sources said. illegal knives, hazardous chemicals and banned polical “It also required them to wear tradional costumes made publicaons, state-run Global Times reported. out of animal furs and pelts to show “economic China is also turning capital Beijing into a veritable fortress prosperity” with happy life under Chinese Communist ahead of the parade by shung down airports, roads and rule.” close subway staons for night rehearsals. “Chinese officials brought the animal pelt costumes with Streets surrounding Tienanmen Square and Chang’an them and forced Tibetans to wear them during their Avenue, where soldiers will march, will be closed during performances on stage,” Samdup, a Tibetan living in the rehearsal. Belgium told the Tibet Post Internaonal (TPI). Night parking will also be banned on several roads. “Authories have instructed those Tibetans not Officials have already announced that the internaonal performing to aend an event to mark the founding of the and domesc airport here will be closed for several hours People’s Liberaon Army of China on August 1,” he added. every day during the day me from August 20 to “The policy threatening that any Tibetans not taking part September 3. will be punished by not being able to harvest the fungus Beijing will also ban half the cars from the road by for 5 years,” Samdup said, speaking on condion of temporarily implemenng an odd-even license plate anonymity. scheme from August 20 to September 3 as part of its Local Tibetans say “the performances are not an measures to guarantee good air quality during the parade. expression of their happiness of the seasons, rather it is a

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !14 forceful imposion by the Chinese government which Authories in Nangchen County, Yushu Prefecture, portrays the absence of any freedom and human rights”. ordered 10 Tibetan townships to prepare for a summer Animal pelts and furs were used in tradional Tibetan cultural show, wearing “tradional expensive costumes” ares in the past. But, the pracce almost completely to show economic prosperity. stopped in Tibet, in support of a comment made by His Police threaten Tibetans Holiness the Dalai Lama during the 2006 Kalachakra The preparaons were to take place between 1 and 3 iniaon. August. Images from the the annual legislave and polical On the third day four police vehicles arrived with armed advisory sessions in Tibet, show some delegates who police, who threatened the people organising the event. appeared to be wearing furs and pelts from wild animals Aer the event took place, for unknown reasons police as part of their are. started to violently beat the Tibetans, injuring over 30 “The local government did not issue such an order, and people. that there were no performances on the August 1 Many of the vicms required to be hospitalised aer the anniversary,” Chinese state-run media “Global Times” assault. reported, cing Zhou Zhanping, head of the county publicity department. In response to the report, Samdup said that “the Chinese media should present an unbiased informaon. “If the Beijing seeks hearts and minds with Chinese authories do believe that the claims they made are true, they should allow internaonal media to find out Tibetan resettlements the real situaon in Driru County.” THE JAPAN TIMES “China should ease the de facto ban on internaonal AUGUST 9, 2015 journalists wanng to visit Tibet,” he told TPI, urging “China to end the restricon on use of informaon communicaon technologies, including social media related to Tibet issue.” TPI sources also said that under a new policy, Tibetans are also banned from harvesng caterpillar fungus for five years. “The policy imposed under various condions that must be fulfilled in order for Tibetans to harvest caterpillar fungus, which is a mainstay of family incomes,” sources said. A guest house owner stands in front of his property with posters of late Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong and The caterpillar fungus is known in Tibetan as Yartsa leader Deng Xiaoping on the wall, in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Gunbu, with the long history of medicinal use, became a Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, at the end of July. | main source of income for the local Tibetans. REUTERS According to sources “it’s a new threat as a way to force NGABA, CHINA – Nineteen-year-old Longsel Tsondre sees the Tibetans” to accept that they are happy under the nothing romanc about the inerant life his Tibetan government rule. herder family le behind when the government in his remote corner of southwestern China offered to resele them a few years ago. “It was prey tough out there. There was no development Police beat Tibetans after cultural and we were quite poor,” he told reporters on a rare show government-organised trip to Ngaba, a heavily Tibetan

FreeTibet.com part of Sichuan province tradionally strongly defiant of Tuesday, 11 August 2015 Chinese rule. Tibetans told to perform in expensive costumes to show “Now it’s beer. We don’t go to the mountains to herd the “economic prosperity” yaks and horses. Now we dance every day,” he said aer

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !15 performing a Tibetan dance for a busload of Chinese and eliminang expressions of Tibetan naonalism,” said tourists. Kate Saunders, spokeswoman for the Internaonal It is a posive image China wants the world to see, one Campaign for Tibet. aspect of a controversial program to resele into Officials stuck to the government line in cricizing the permanent homes Tibetan herders who have wandered exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, whom these parts for centuries. China regards as a dangerous separast. The Dalai Lama China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since troops took denies espousing violence and says he only wants genuine over the region in 1950, and those controls oen extend autonomy for Tibet. to ethnic Tibetan areas in other parts of China. Robbie Barne, director of modern Tibet studies at The government rejects cricism that it has repressed Columbia University, said it was misguided policies like Tibetan religious freedom and culture, saying its rule has banning worship of the Dalai Lama that negated any ended serfdom and brought development to a backward support the government may get from improving services region. The government says reselement gives herders like educaon for Tibetans. access to health care and schooling and lets them benefit “It does seem in a general way that the (Communist) Party from China’s booming economy by offering new job has put support of Tibetans from all social areas in opportunies, like working in tourism. jeopardy with the number of policies that have been seen Ngaba, known as Aba in Chinese, erupted in a wave of as remarkably culturally insensive,” he said. an-China self-immolaon protests in 2011, becoming one of the most serious challenges against Chinese rule in years. While not officially off limits to foreign reporters, unlike Over 800 volunteers to work in Tibet what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region, where all Xinhua reporng trips need government permission, visits are August 3, 2015 very difficult due to ght security. More than 800 volunteers have been sent to southwest Late last month, the government took a small group of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region this year to support foreign journalists to Ngaba, arranging interviews with educaon, medicine and agricultural producon in officials and reseled herders, though all interviews were underdeveloped areas. conducted in the presence of government minders. A total of 820 volunteers, most of whom are university None of the herders spoke out against the reselement graduates, were selected from more than 10,000 program during interviews with reporters. applicants, since the recruitment was launched in May from 134 universies naonwide, the Tibet regional Shuke Sonam, 27, whose family now runs a guest house, commiee of the Communist Youth League of China said Tibetans living in tents previously would oen be (CYLC) announced Monday. soaked by rain. “Now we have such nice houses, and because we’re taking in guests from other places, it’s Their volunteer service usually lasts one to two years. improved our awareness about life,” she said. They work in educaon, medical care, agriculture, poverty alleviaon and other areas, the commiee said. Bai Yingchun, deputy head of the Ngaba prefecture’s propaganda office, said “absolutely nothing was forced” in The commiee arranged a three-day training for the the reselement program. “The lives of the herders in the volunteers ahead of their mission to the region in order to Tibetan areas are very free. It’s not like what the outside help them adapt to the work and life there. The training world says,” he said. “They don’t have any restricons at will focus on health and hygiene on the plateau, history of all.” Tibet, and briefing of the region’s current situaon. Acvists have expressed concern that China’s main aim Duan Zehua, a volunteer from the Beijing Instute of with such programs is to control a resve populaon, and Graphic Communicaon, said grassroots work experience that Tibetans have been given lile opon but to in Tibet will provide a good chance for volunteers to cooperate. improve themselves and realise the value of life. “It’s much easier to enforce administrave control over China iniated a campaign in 2003 to encourage more seled communies than over nomads in the grasslands, university student volunteers to work in China’s and also the Chinese authories have aligned the policy underdeveloped western regions to promote with specific polical objecves of eliminang separasm development. To date, nearly 3,702 volunteers have

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !16 served in Tibet since 2003, and 1,035 of them have stayed On Thursday before the incident occurred, more than 150 to work in Tibet aer their services. Chinese police and government officials had raided a Tibetan house believed to be Kyi’s in Ngulra and completely demolished the structure, the source said. The London-based advocacy group Free Tibet said the woman set herself on fire aer 150 police and officials began demolishing houses in Ngulra with bulldozers. “A number of the house owners protested, with some Detention and Self- physically hanging on to the demolion equipment,” Free Tibet said in a statement. “Ngulra residents believe Tashi immolation Kyi’s self-immolaon was movated by witnessing the destrucon of her village.” The statement quoted one unnamed source in the village as saying officials said the houses were being demolished because they did not have valid permits. Tibetan Woman Self-Immolates in A Tibetan source, who lives in Europe but maintains Protest Burning in China’s Gansu contact with area residents, told RFA that locals confirmed that authories who raided the houses claimed their Radio Free Asia owners lacked proper documents. August 28, 2015 “This was one of the reasons that Tashi Kyi set herself on fire and died in protest,” he said. Others told him that China’s overall policy of suppression in Tibet could have been the main reason for Kyi’s acons, he said. Kyi’s self-immolaon brings to 143 the total number of burnings by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama began in 2009. Reported by Lhuboom and Lobe Socktsang for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Wrien in English by Roseanne Gerin.

A framed photo of Tashi Kyi is placed on an altar following her Tibetan Prisoner in Failing Health death.(Photo courtesy of an RFA listener) Three Years Into 10-Year Term A Tibetan woman died early Friday, a day aer she set herself ablaze in northwest China’s Gansu province in an RFA apparent protest against the demolion of her home by August 26, 2015 police and officials, sources inside and outside the region A Tibetan man jailed three years ago for prevenng said. Chinese police from seizing the body of a self-immolaon protester is in failing health in prison and has been refused Those who witnessed Tashi Kyi, a resident of Ngulra family visits from his ageing parents, sources said. village, Sangkok town, Sangchu (in Chinese, Xiahe) county in Kanlho (Gannan) prefecture, self-immolang tried to Washul Dortruk, age unknown, was handed a ten-year save her by pung out the fire, said a Tibetan source, who term in December 2012 aer returning the body of declined to be named. Lobsang Gendun to his monastery in Qinghai province’s Pema (in Chinese, Banma) county, a local source told RFA’s “She passed away around 3 a.m. Friday,” he told RFA’s Tibetan Service this week. Tibetan Service. “Chinese security officials arrived in the morning and took away her body by force.”

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !17 “Since then, he has been serving his sentence in a prison Ten Are Detained in Tibetan Protest located in the eastern part of [provincial capital] Xining,” March in Nangchen RFA’s source said, speaking on condion of anonymity. “He has completed almost three years, and has another seven years to serve,” he said. Lobsang Gendun, 29, set himself ablaze on Dec. 3 to protest China’s rule in Tibetan areas and walked about 300 steps with his hands folded in prayer, shoung slogans, before he collapsed and died, sources said in earlier reports. Though Chinese police arrived quickly at the scene to remove his remains, local Tibetans struggled with them for possession of the body and took it to Pema county’s Penak monastery, where Gendun had lived before staging his fiery protest, sources said. Failing health Radio Free Asia Dortruk, one of those who returned the dead monk’s body August 26, 2015 to his home, is now in poor health in prison, RFA’s source Authories in northwestern China’s Qinghai province on said. Wednesday detained at least ten Tibetan protesters calling “His parents were allowed to meet with him some years for an equal distribuon of benefits provided by the back, but they are now in their 80s and have been refused government to local families, sources said. permission to see him again,” he said. About 100 families living in Yulshul (in Chinese, Yushu) When other family members were allowed to visit him this Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture’s Nangchen (Nangqian) year, they could see and speak to him only through a glass county had been ruled ineligible for support because paron, the source said. family members had moved from the area to find work or “At that me, they saw that he was very weak, and he schooling for their children, a Tibetan living in India told appeared to have suffered a serious injury to his leg while RFA’s Tibetan Service. in detenon.” “On Aug. 26, about 100 Tibetans from families not listed “His family has appealed for a commutaon of his as beneficiaries gathered at the county center to appeal sentence, but the authories have not responded the decision, and later staged a protest,” Choenyi Woeser posively to their request,” he said. said, cing contacts in Nangchen. Sporadic demonstraons challenging Chinese rule have “However, county officials refused to listen to their connued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since grievances, and about ten protesters were detained,” widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 142 Woeser said. Tibetans to date seng themselves on fire to oppose During their protest, marchers carried banners bearing the Beijing’s rule and call for the Dalai Lama’s return. slogans “Prosperity, Democracy, Development, Harmony, and Truth” wrien clearly in Chinese, he said. Housing, scholarships Recently, the Nangchen County Economic Development Council had announced a project to build new houses and provide scholarships for students in Chumey village in Nangchen’s Nyakla township, Woeser said. “However, Tibetans from that town who had traveled out of the area for work, and also family members? who had moved elsewhere to find beer schools for their children, were not included in the list of beneficiaries of the project,” he said.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !18 Separately, the India-based Central Tibetan Administraon “Not long aer her protest began, a group of ten police (CTA)– arrived at the site and took her away,” said the source, “As a result, these Tibetans held a protest march to who also declined to provide his name. request the authories to reconsider the decision and “Her slogans could not be heard and there is no allow equal treatment of all irrespecve of their current informaon about her place of detenon or current locaon,” CTA said in a statement on Wednesday. condion.” No word was immediately available regarding the names Dolma’s protest follows one held a week earlier in of those taken into custody, or on their present condion Meruma township by a 23-year-old Tibetan nomad named or whereabouts. Woekar Kyi—the mother of a four-year-old son—who had called out for Tibetan freedom and the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Kyi was taken into custody on Aug. 15 by local police in Young Tibetan Woman Detained Meruma shortly aer beginning her protest, and her Following Solo Protest in Ngaba condion and whereabouts are currently unknown.

RFA In December, two other Meruma residents were also August 25, 2015 taken into custody—one a student and the other a monk —apparently on suspicion of involvement in acvies opposing Beijing’s rule in Tibetan areas. Detained Tibetan idenfied Meanwhile, a young Tibetan man detained by police last week in Sichuan aer he held a protest in a public square calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, has been idenfied as Lobsang Thubten, 17, sources said. Thubten’s protest on Aug. 18 in Lithang (in Chinese, Litang) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, took place near a Chinese police post in the county seat, and he was quickly bundled away in a small black car. Dorjee Dolma in an undated photo. Photo courtesy of an RFA The young man, who is a nave of Lithang’s Yonkor village, listener is now being held at a police staon in the county seat, Police in southwestern China’s Sichuan province have Sermay Loga, a Tibetan monk now living in India and detained a young Tibetan woman aer she launched a originally from Lithang told RFA’s Tibetan Service, cing brief protest on a central street in Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) local contacts. county, calling out for Tibetan freedom, sources said. “There are lots of restricons in place in Lithang and The solo protest “against Chinese policy” by Dorje Dolma nearby—the main reason for this is because of Tenzin took place at about 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 20 in the seat of Delek Rinpoche’s death,” Loga said, referring to a popular Ngaba, a Tibetan source who witnessed the incident told Tibetan monk who died last month amid unexplained RFA’s Tibetan Service, speaking on condion of anonymity. circumstances in a Chinese prison. “She shouted in protest for some me before a group of “Also, authories ghtened restricons around the Aug. 1 police arrived at the scene and took her away,” the source anniversary of the People’s Liberaon Army (PLA) and the said. recent release of Runggye Adrak,” he said, referring to a “Dorje Dolma is the daughter of Dorab (father) and Tibetan nomad who was freed from prison last month Tamding Tso (mother), and they are residents of Meruma aer serving eight years for holding a protest similar to township’s Village No. 2, in Ngaba county,” he said. Thubten’s in August 2007. A second Tibetan source told RFA that only a few people Authories have yet to confirm Thubten’s detenon. saw Dolma’s protest because it was held so early in the Reached for comment last week, an officer on duty at the morning, but authories were quick to shut it down and Lithang police staon said he had no record of the protest take her into custody. and hung up the phone.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !19 Resve region Tibetan Youth is Detained After Tibetans living in Kardze prefecture, in which Lithang Staging Solo Protest in Lithang county lies, are known for their strong sense of Tibetan identy and naonalism and frequently stage protests Radio Free Asia August 19, 2015 alone or in groups opposing rule by Beijing. Police in southwestern China’s Sichuan province detained Earlier this month, sources told RFA that authories in a young Tibetan man this week aer he launched a brief Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s Nyagchuka (in Chinese, Yajiang) protest in a public square, calling out for Tibetan freedom county in Kardze have ordered residents to stop discussing and the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, the circumstances surrounding his death, and had sources said. deployed security personnel and restricted communicaons there. The protest by the sll-unidenfied youth took place at about 9:40 a.m. on Aug. 18 in Lithang (in Chinese, Litang) Rinpoche, 65, died on July 12 in the 13th year of a life county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous sentence imposed for what rights groups and supporters Prefecture, a Tibetan monk now living in India and have described as a wrongful convicon on a bombing originally from Lithang told RFA’s Tibetan Service. charge. He was widely respected among Tibetans for his efforts to protect Tibetan culture and the environment. “He was seen carrying a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and heard shoung ‘Free Tibet,’” the monk, named The India-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Sermay Loga, said, cing contacts in Lithang. Democracy (TCHRD) has called for an “independent and imparal invesgaon” into the death of the monk, saying “He also called out for the return of His Holiness to Tibet,” the Chinese government has a legal obligaon to Loga said. determine whether his death was caused intenonally or The young man’s protest took place near a Chinese police by negligence. post on White Crane Square in the Lithang county seat, Runggye Adrak’s detenon following his 2007 protest and he was quickly detained and taken away in a small drew hundreds of Tibetan protesters into police and black car, Loga said, adding that though few Tibetans were government office compounds in Lithang, prompng present to witness the incident, “everyone is now aware police to threaten to shoot when tensions were at their of it.” height. Details on the young man’s identy and present Authories managed to negoate an uneasy truce, but whereabouts and condion were not immediately security forces then converged on Lithang in large available due to communicaons blocks imposed by numbers, and local Tibetan Communist Party officials in Chinese authories in the area. the area were replaced with Han Chinese. Reached for comment on Wednesday, an officer on duty Sentenced in November 2007 to an eight-year term for at the Lithang police staon said he had no record of the “incing to split the country” and “subverng state protest and hung up the phone. power,” Adrak was severely beaten and tortured in Tibetan naonal identy detenon, and was later confined in Sichuan’s Mianyang Tibetans living in Kardze prefecture, in which Lithang prison before his release on July 30, according to TCHRD. county lies, are known for their strong sense of Tibetan Sporadic demonstraons challenging Chinese rule have identy and naonalism and frequently stage protests connued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since alone or in groups opposing rule by Beijing. widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 142 Tibetans opposed to Chinese rule frequently turn to Tibetans to date seng themselves on fire to oppose solitary protest to express their views, Tenzin Nyinjey—a Beijing’s rule and call for the Dalai Lama’s return. researcher at the India-based Tibetan Centre for Human Reported by Chakmo Tso and Lobe Socktsang for RFA’s Rights and Democracy—was quoted as saying by the Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Wrien in Tibetan news service phayul.com on Wednesday. English by Joshua Lipes. “In occupied Tibet, the right to assembly and freedom of expression doesn’t exist at all,” Nyinjey said. “Hence, the solo protests that we see every now and then.” Sporadic demonstraons challenging Chinese rule have connued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !20 widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 142 Tibetans shortly aerward on suspicion of involvement in Tibetans to date seng themselves on fire to oppose the protest or of spreading news of it abroad, and were Beijing’s rule and call for the Dalai Lama’s return. later sentenced to prison terms of from four to six years. Reported by Tenzin Wangyal for RFA’s Tibetan Service. “Recently, Phuntsok, the oldest of the three, has suffered Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Wrien in English by from severe problems with his stomach, and he has been Richard Finney. transferred from prison to the Qinghai Red Cross Hospital in Xining,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condion of anonymity. “He is guarded there by armed police, and his family Tibetan Prisoner Linked to 2012 Self- members are not allowed to visit him,” he said. Immolation is Moved to Hospital in Damchoe Sangpo’s fiery protest was the 22nd of the now Qinghai 142 self-immolaons commied to date by Tibetans protesng Beijing’s policies and rule in Tibetan areas of RFA China. Aug 19, 2015 He had objected to the cancelling by Chinese authories of a tradional prayer fesval held by the monastery and to the presence at the monastery of Chinese security forces, sources said at the me. Security measures had already been ghtened at Bongtak following an earlier protest by a monk protesng Chinese mining operaons in the area. Reported by Chakmo Tso for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Rigdhen Dolma. Wrien in English by Richard Finney.

China arrests young Tibetan mother after calling for freedom in Tibet Map showing locaon of Themchen county in Qinghai’s Tsonub prefecture. The Tibet Post August 15, 2015 A Tibetan prisoner linked to a 2012 self-immolaon protest in northwestern China’s Qinghai province has been moved to an emergency care facility in the provincial capital Xining aer complaining of severe stomach pain, sources said. Phuntsok, believed to be in his 50s, was one of three nonmonasc tantric praconers, or ngakpas, taken into custody during mass detenons following the self- immolaon of Damchoe Sangpo, a monk at the Bongtak monastery in Themchen (in Chinese, Tianjun) county in the Tsonub (Haixi) Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Sangpo, aged about 40, set himself ablaze and died on Feb. 17, 2012 aer protesng Chinese security intrusions at his monastery, sources said in earlier reports. Undated photo of Wokar Kyi, a young Tibetan mother who called for freedom in Tibet. Photo: TPI Phuntsok and fellow ngakpas Jampa and Sherab—all affiliated with the Sang-ngak Tengye Norbu Ling pracce Dharamshala — Source coming out of Tibet says a young center in Themchen—were detained along with other Tibetan mother had disappeared in Ngaba County of north-eastern Tibet aer staging a protest calling for

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !21 “freedom in Tibet” and “return of His Holiness the Dalai Clampdown Amid Questions Over Lama to Tibet”. Death of Tibetan Monk in Custody Wokar Kyi, approximately a 23-year-old Tibetan mother was arrested and disappeared aer staging a protest Radio Free Asia August 13, 2015 against Chinese rule,” Ven Kanyak Tsering, a monk from India based Kir Monastery with close contacts in the Authories in southwestern China’s Sichuan province have Tibetan region told the Tibet Post Internaonal. launched a clampdown in the home county of a popular Tibetan monk who died last month amid unexplained “She raised slogans calling for “freedom in Tibet” and circumstances in a Chinese prison, deploying security “return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet,” Ven personnel and restricng communicaons, a Tibetan Tsering said. source in exile said Wednesday. “Wokar Kyi took to the Meruma township of Ngaba Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 65, died on July 12 in the 13th year County, protesng against the Chinese government, of a life sentence imposed for what rights groups and around 3:00 pm on August 17,” Ven Tsering said, speaking supporters have described as a wrongful convicon on a on condion of anonymity. bombing charge. He was widely respected among Tibetans Ven Tsering added that “Chinese authories arrived at the for his efforts to protect Tibetan culture and the scene within minutes and arrested her. The current environment. condion and whereabouts of Wokar Kyi remain In recent weeks, authories in Rinpoche’s Nyagchuka (in unknown.” Chinese, Yajiang) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan “Wokar Kyi grew up with her nomad parents,” the source Autonomous Prefecture have ordered residents to stop said, adding that “she never aended formal schooling. discussing the circumstances surrounding his death, She hailed from 1st village of Meruma in Ngaba County Lobsang Yonten, a Tibetan exile living in south India, told and her father’s name is Kunpo and mother’s Khakpa. Her RFA’s Tibetan Service. husband’s name is Tashi and they have an four year-old “Aer his death, the Chinese authories started son. conducng polical re-educaon acvies in the area, On July 15, Wangmo, a 22-year-old Tibetan girl from instrucng people not to talk about it, saying it could lead Meruma in Ngaba County was for staging a lone protest to riots,” Yonten said, nong that many local residents are against the repressive policies of the Chinese government affiliated with Rinpoche’s Kham Nalanda Thekchen on 15 July. Jangchub Choling monastery. “Wangmo was released recently aer several days’ “The authories also tried to impress upon the public that detenon. She returned home and was given a hero’s Rinpoche had died a natural death and had received all welcome on arrival,” the source said. possible medical treatment,” he said. On December 29, 2014, Soepa, 21-year-old Tibetan writer According to Yonten, young men in the county have been and blogger, was arrested from a bus on his way from “forced to engage in military training and exercises,” while Meruma township to Ngaba County. Sources said though those who do not comply are “detained for several days” the exact reasons for Soepa’s arrest is not clear, local and subjected to re-educaon. Tibetans say it might be linked to the various arcles and Local Tibetan devotees who wanted to aend a ritual essays published on his blog. prayer for Rinpoche at the Kham Nalanda Thekchen Hundreds of Tibetans, including writers, bloggers, singers Jangchub Choling monastery were not permied to do so, and environmentalists, have been detained or are he said, adding that residents are required to obtain imprisoned, aer aempng to express their views or special permission from authories before they can even share news of the situaon in Tibet with the outside go near the site. world, and provides further evidence of a widespread “A large conngent of security forces is sll deployed in crackdown against free expression in Tibet. the area and Rinpoche’s monastery is also surrounded by police and armed paramilitary units,” he said. Sister and niece On July 30, authories freed the sister and niece of Rinpoche aer holding the two women in custody in a secret locaon for nearly two weeks, the India-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !22 said last week. No charges were filed against them, the Pasang Wangchuk, 37 and a father of three, was detained group said. on July 7 aer making offerings in public to mark the Dalai Dolkar Lhamo, 55, and Nyima Lhamo, aged about 25, had Lama’s 80th birthday a day earlier in defiance of Chinese been detained in Sichuan’s provincial capital Chengdu on bans, sources said. July 17 on suspicion of having shared informaon related “Aer being detained for one month, [Wangchuk] was to the death of Rinpoche with contacts outside the area. released on Aug. 6, around 11:00 a.m., ” a Tibetan living in TCHRD said that family and friends living outside Tibet Tibet told RFA’s Tibetan Service Monday, speaking on feared the two women had been subjected to beangs, condion of anonymity. inmidaon and possibly torture during their detenon. “Before his release, he was told that he cannot travel or Yonten said Wednesday that they have been under police say anything about the detenon, and so on. If he does, monitor since their release. he was warned that he could be punished more severely than what he faced during his last detenon.” “Although the sister and her daughter were released, they are confined in their home without a phone, which the It was not immediately clear why authories had decided authories took away,” he said. to release him. “They were told not to meet or talk with their relaves According to the source, on July 6, Wangchuk “put on his and friends, nor are they permied to travel away from best Tibetan tradional dress, burnt juniper and their house.” performed an incense offering for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” despite a ban on observing the Call for invesgaon exiled spiritual leader’s birthday by Chinese authories. Before being detained, Dolkar Lhamo had appealed to He was detained the following aernoon and taken to a authories for an explanaon of the circumstances prison in Sichuan’s Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan surrounding Rinpoche’s death, also subming abstracts Autonomous Prefecture, sources told RFA at the me. from China’s constuon on required procedures following the death of a prisoner belonging to a minority Wangchuk had also been detained in October 2014 aer naonal group, one source told RFA in an earlier report. staging a solo protest in the market area of Kardze town in which he had shouted slogans calling for Tibetan freedom “But the authories refused to accept those and the return to Tibet of the Dalai Lama. representaons,” the source said. When he was released a month later, a source told RFA In its statement last week, TCHRD called for an that “police warned him they would be watching his “independent and imparal invesgaon” into the death behaviour for a year.” of the widely respected monk, saying the Chinese government has a legal obligaon to determine whether The source said that his contacts could not say whether his death was caused intenonally or by negligence. Wangchuk had been beaten or tortured during the month he spent in jail—a punishment many detained Tibetan Despite protests from his family, Rinpoche’s remains were protesters say they undergo. cremated by prison authories on July 16. Residence searched Reported by Sonam Wangdu for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Wrien in English by Joshua A day aer Wangchuk’s release, authories in Kardze’s Lipes. Sershul county raided the living quarters of detained monk Sonam Yangphel, confiscang a variety of items related to the Dalai Lama, a second source from Tibet, who also declined to provide his name, told RFA. Solo Tibetan Protester Freed From “On Aug. 7, the residence of Sonam Yangphel was Second Month-Long Detention searched in his absence and police took away photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and books wrien by the Dalai Radio Free Asia Lama,” the source said. August 10, 2015 According to RFA’s source, Yangphel—who is a monk of A Tibetan businessman held since last month by Mangge monastery in Sershul—was detained on Nov. 26 authories in China’s Sichuan province for the second me last year for a solo protest in Sershul county center, during in less than a year has been freed aer being warned of which he donned a white scarf and carried a portrait of “severe punishment” if he speaks out about his detenon, the Dalai Lama, calling for the return of the spiritual leader according to Tibetan sources. to Tibet.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !23 “Soon aer that, he was detained in the Sershul county “No charges were filed against them,” TCHRD said, cing detenon center,” the source said. contacts in the region. “His relaves have seen him performing labor at the No word was immediately available regarding the detenon center, but they have not been allowed to see women’s physical or psychological condion, TCHRD said. him,” he said, adding that they were able to pass food to “However, family and friends living outside Tibet fear that Yangphel through facility staff. both women had been subjected to beangs, inmidaon Authories have not provided any informaon about and possibly torture during the almost two-week whether he has been tried or sentenced, the source said. detenon,” the rights group said. Kardze protests Lhamo and her daughter were detained in Sichuan’s Tibetans in Kardze prefecture are known for their strong provincial capital Chengdu at about 8:00 a.m. on July 17 sense of Tibetan identy and naonalism and frequently on suspicion of having shared informaon related to the stage protests alone or in groups opposing rule by Beijing. death of the older woman’s brother, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, with contacts outside the area. The Dalai Lama, who is regarded by Chinese authories as a dangerous separast intent on spling Tibet away from Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 65, died on July 12 in the 13th year China, fled Tibet into exile in India in the midst of a failed of a life sentence imposed for what rights groups and 1959 naonal uprising against Chinese rule. supporters have described as a wrongful convicon on a bombing charge. He was widely respected among Tibetans Chinese authories ghtened restricons across Tibetan- for his efforts to protect Tibetan culture and the populated regions this year in advance of the Dalai Lama’s environment. birthday on July 6, posng warnings against celebraons of the polically sensive event and blocking public His remains were cremated by prison authories on July gatherings that could be linked to it. 16 against the wishes of his family. Sporadic demonstraons challenging Chinese rule have Communicaons blocks connued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since Chinese authories have now imposed communicaons widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 142 blocks in the Nyagchuka area and confiscated family Tibetans to date seng themselves ablaze to oppose members’ mobile phones, TCHRD said, adding that police Beijing’s rule and call for the Dalai Lama’s return. have forbidden relaves from calling meengs to discuss Reported by Sonam Wangdu and Kunsang Tenzin for RFA’s the situaon. Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Wrien in “Chinese troops have also been deployed at Rinpoche’s English by Joshua Lipes. monasteries to stop lay Tibetans from aending prayer sessions” held in the dead monk’s honour, the rights group said. Before being detained, Dolkar Lhamo had appealed to Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s Sister, Niece authories for an explanaon of the circumstances Return Home After Two Weeks’ surrounding Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s death, also Detention subming abstracts from China’s constuon on required procedures following the death of a prisoner belonging to Radio Free Asia a minority naonal group, one source told RFA in an August 7, 2015 earlier report. Authories in southwestern China’s Sichuan province have “But the authories refused to accept those freed the sister and niece of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, a representaons,” the source said. popular Tibetan monk who died last month in unexplained In its statement Friday, TCHRD called for an “independent circumstances in a Chinese prison, aer holding the two and imparal invesgaon” into the death of the widely women in custody in a secret locaon for almost two respected monk. weeks, a rights group said on Friday. “The government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Dolkar Lhamo, 55, and Nyima Lhamo, aged about 25, were has a legal obligaon to carry out the invesgaon to released on July 30 and sent back to their hometown in determine whether the death was caused intenonally or Nyagchuka (in Chinese, Yajiang) county in the Kardze by negligence,” TCHRD said. (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the India-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) “TCHRD urges the local Chinese authories to li the said in an Aug. 7 statement. communicaons ban on Rinpoche’s family members and

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !24 ease restricons on local Tibetans and the monasteries “He was accused of building a throne and of forming a founded by Rinpoche.” [social media] WeChat group to encourage acvies sparing animals’ lives to gain merit for the Dalai Lama’s long life,” he said. Tibetan Monk Emerges From Two- Tightened restricons Month Stint in Sichuan Jail in Poor The Dalai Lama, who is regarded by Chinese authories as Health a dangerous separast intent on spling Tibet away from Radio Free Asia China, fled Tibet into exile in India in the midst of a failed August 5, 2015 1959 naonal uprising against Chinese rule. Chinese authories ghtened restricons across Tibetan- populated regions this year in advance of the Dalai Lama’s birthday on July 6, posng warnings against celebraons of the polically sensive event and blocking public gatherings that could be linked to it. Tsering’s Kir monastery has been the scene of repeated self-immolaons and other protests by monks, former monks, and nuns opposed to Chinese rule in Tibetan areas. Authories raided the instuon in 2011, taking away hundreds of monks and sending them for “polical re- educaon” while local Tibetans who sought to protect the Tibetan monk Lobsang Tsering in an undated photo. Photo monks were beaten and detained, sources said in earlier courtesy of an RFA listener reports. Authories in western China’s Sichuan province have freed Sporadic demonstraons challenging Chinese rule have a Tibetan monk detained for two months for planning connued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since celebraons marking the birthday of exiled spiritual leader widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 142 the Dalai Lama, releasing him to his home in poor health, Tibetans to date seng themselves ablaze to oppose sources said. Beijing’s rule and call for the Dalai Lama’s return. Lobsang Tsering, a monk of Kir monastery in Sichuan’s Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Translated by Karma Dorjee. Wrien in English by Richard was released from custody on Aug. 4, a Tibetan living in Finney. the region told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Wednesday. “He had been held for two months in a dark cell with only the sound of an airplane flying above his place of detenon each day,” RFA’s source said, speaking on Exiled Tibetans celebrate release of condion of anonymity. nomad Runggye Adrak from China’s “He thinks that he was kept in a detenon center in the prison area of [Sichuan’s provincial capital] Chengdu, but he August 2, 2015 doesn’t know the exact locaon,” the source said. Dharamsala, Aug 02 (ANI): Tibetans living in exile in Taken to a Chinese military post following his release, Dharamsala celebrated the release of Tibetan nomad, Tsering was joined by a monk named Tenzin who had been Runggye Adrak, aer eight years of imprisonment by sent to escort him home, and both arrived at Kir China. Adrak was jailed for eight years for raising slogans monastery at about 4:00 p.m., the source said. and calling for Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama’s “[Tsering’s] health is reported to be poor, and he could not return to Tibet during a fesval in Lithang county in walk without support,” he said. western China’s Sichuan province. Tsering was detained on June 11 because of his Chinese authories arrested Adrak on August 01, 2007, involvement in preparing celebraons of the 80th birthday and he was sentenced to prison for subverng state laws of the Dalai Lama, the source said. and disrupng public harmony. On Saturday, Tibetans-in- exile celebrated with pomp. However, the relaves of

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !25 Adrak were not present in the celebraon due to security It was canceled again this summer, aer people in the concerns. China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since area and in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, troops took over the region in 1950, and those controls protested the death of another prominent Tibetan oen extend to ethnic Tibetan areas in other parts of polical prisoner, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 65. Mr. Tenzin China. Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled into Delek, who was from the Litang area and was one of the exile in India in 1959 aer an aborve uprising against most prominent Tibetan religious leaders in prison, died Chinese rule. last month under mysterious circumstances while serving economic and cultural developments in Tibet, and to a life sentence for “terrorism and incing separasm.” He provide consular protecon and cizen services. was arrested in 2002. It urged the U.S. government to raise concerns over The authories quickly cremated Mr. Tenzin Delek’s body Tibetan human rights and polical and religious freedom rather than turn it over to relaves to perform tradional at the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic dialogues and Buddhist funeral rites. Security officials also detained a other high level bilateral meengs. sister and a niece of the deceased Rinpoche, according to Students for a Free Tibet, which is based overseas. The More than 130 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in group said Saturday that the two women were released Tibetan areas of China since 2009 as part of a desperate late Thursday. protest against China’s rule and repressive policies in Tibet. China says the suicide protests are acts of terrorism. China’s security clampdown in the vast Tibetan areas increased greatly aer the 2008 unrest and has connued The Dalai Lama and the Chinese government last held at a severe level since then. The intervening years have talks in 2010. The Dalai Lama has said he is opmisc that seen more than 140 self-immolaons by Tibetans, most of Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, who came to power in them intended as protests against what most Tibetans call 2012, could resume the negoaons. the occupaon of their homeland. Though the Litang Horse Fesval has not been held since 2007, a few similar events are held on the Tibetan plateau Tibetan Who Called for Dalai Lama’s with official approval. One, a three-day horse fesval organised by the local government of the Tibetan area of Return Is Said to Be Freed From Gyegudo, known in Chinese as Yushu, ended Monday. Chinese Prison Officials said the fesval in Gyegudo, which has been rebuilt since a 2010 earthquake, had been put on to show New York Times AUGUST 1, 2015 the outside world the culture of Kham, the region of eastern Tibet that includes Litang. BEIJING — A Tibetan man who was imprisoned for eight years aer calling for the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet at a Days before the fesval, a young monk, Sonam Topgyal, popular fesval has been released, according to overseas set himself on fire in the middle of Gyegudo. Tibet advocacy groups. At the last Litang Horse Fesval, in 2007, Mr. Runggye The man, Runggye Adak, is a former nomad and father of Adak, the former nomad, said in a speech to a large crowd 11 who since his imprisonment had become an important that the Dalai Lama was the one person Tibetans truly symbol to Tibetans of resistance to restricve official needed. He also said that “although we can move our policies in Tibetan areas of western China. bodies, we cannot express what is in our hearts,” according to a translaon by the Internaonal Campaign Exile groups said that Mr. Runggye Adak, who is believed for Tibet. Chinese officials generally do not tolerate public to be 60 or 61, was released Friday from a prison in displays of the Dalai Lama’s picture, let alone speeches Sichuan Province, far from the high grasslands of his home calling for his return. county, Litang, where in 2007 he had publicly called for the return of the Dalai Lama, the 80-year-old spiritual On Friday, Mr. Runggye Adak was taken straight to his leader of the Tibetans who is reviled by China’s leaders. home in Litang by the authories, having completed his eight-year prison sentence, according to a report by the Mr. Runggye Adak did that at the Litang Horse Fesval, a Internaonal Campaign for Tibet, based in Washington. well-known event that once drew thousands of nomads, Buddhist monks, nuns, pilgrims and tourists to Litang Last year, Mr. Runggye Adak carried out a 33-day hunger every August. Since Mr. Runggye Adak’s protest, and a strike in prison to protest the authories’ treatment of widespread Tibetan uprising in 2008, officials have polical prisoners, according to two Tibetans living in canceled the fesval every year. India, including Lobsang Jamyang, a monk who is Mr.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !26 Runggye Adak’s eldest son. Mr. Runggye Adak was taken For over 50 years, this radar staon has been used to to a hospital aer his hunger strike, Mr. Lobsang Jamyang secure surveillance and provide civilian air navigaon said last year in an interview. services in Tibet, the report said. Mr. Runggye Adak was held in Mianyang Prison, which is To counter China, 1st of 8 new north of Chengdu, in low-lying hills that were the site of airstrips ready in Arunachal the devastang Sichuan earthquake of 2008. As of 2010, there were 42 Tibetan prisoners in that prison, according Tribune News Service to Adig Tseten, a member of the Tibetan parliament-in- August 23, 2015 exile in Dharamsala, India, and a relave of Mr. Runggye Fiy-three years aer India was “wrong-footed” due to Adak. poor infrastructure during the 1962 Chinese aggression, Some of those 42 prisoners have since been released, but the first of the planned airfields in Arunachal Pradesh is others are sll being held. Mr. Adig Tseten said there had ready and four more will be opened by the year-end in the consistently been 40 or more Tibetan prisoners in state. Mianyang for years. The advanced landing ground (ALG) — euphuism for Brish-era mud-paved landing strip — at Walong in Arunachal is now fully upgraded, paved and network connected with the Indian Air Forces’ (IAF’s) exisng data network. Planes such as Super Hercules C-130-J, Globemaster C-17 and AN-32 can land there, allowing Military and rapid movement of troops, arllery guns, armoured vehicles and tanks. Infrastructure An upgraded Walong airfield was slated to be formally inaugurated on August 20, but the low-key ceremony was Development put off due to adverse weather condions. Sources told the Tribune that four similar airstrips in the hill state will be ready for use by the IAF before November this year. The one at Ziro is slated for compleon in October, while Along, Mechuka and Passighat will be ready in November. China to deploy 3 more unmanned “Work is on in full swing,” a senior funconary said. radars in Tibet along India border The Brish had created small mud-paved landing grounds during the world war-II for their Burma and east India Economic Times operaons. The exisng mud-paved ALGs are too small in August 24, 2015 length and allow only very small aircra to land and have a BEIJING: In a move that will have strategic ramificaons non-existent ground support. These are rendered for India, China will soon deploy three more unmanned unusable during rains. radars in Tibet in addion to the one already installed Other than the ones planned to be operaonal this year, there to strengthen air surveillance in the Himalayan Tung will follow in January 2016, while Tawang (being region along the Indian border. upgraded for military helicopter operaons) will be ready China’s first unmanned radar staon has stood for eight in September next year. These airfields dot various folds of years on top of Ganbala Mountain. This year another the Himalayas in Arunachal and cover an east-west axis three unmanned radars are going to be installed in order bring the IAF and Army’s rapid deployment capabilies to form a radar network with the previous ones, state-run much closer to the ‘MacMahon line’ — the India-China People’s Daily reported. boundary in this part of the country. China completed construcon of Ganbala radar staon in 1965 which is the highest manned radar staon in the world at a height of 5,374 metres above sea level. However, the percentage of oxygen in the air on Ganbala Mountain, located not far from Sikkim and Bhutan borders, is only 48 per cent of that at sea level. That is why the mountain is viewed as a “life forbidding zone”.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !27 Central heating project starts China has conducted night combat training of its J-11 construction in roof of the world/ regiment of the PLA air force in Tibet. “A group of J-11 heavy fighters were seen taking off amid

Xinhua twilight on August 9. They were engaged in a August 12, 2015 confrontaon drill carried out at night,” China mil reported A central heang project began construcon in Ngari Tuesday. Prefecture, the highest region in southwest China’s The regiment has carried out various night training of air plateau region of Tibet, on Monday. bale as part of its annual training plan. Work crews began laying piping for the project in The Shenyang J-11 aircra is a single seat, twin-engine jet Shiquanhe Township, the seat of the prefecture with an fighter. The aircra’s airframe is based on Sukhoi-27 and is altude of more than 4,200 meters. They will provide comparable to General Dynamics F-16, F/A 18 Hornet, heang to 25,000 local residents. Euro fighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale. Ngari has 217 days a year with temperature below 0 To enhance the combat capability of the air force, China degree Celsius. The lowest temperature recorded was 36.7 began to make J-11 heavy fighters by introducing from degrees Celsius below 0. Russia the producon line of Su-27 heavy fighter in 1990s. The central heang project, which will allow the Since 2002, the China-made J-11 heavy fighters have been prefecture government to close 150 small-sized boilers, among the arrays of warplanes of the PLA Air Force. The will reduce consumpon of 31,600 tonnes of coal, 103 J-11 and J-11A heavy fighters are now widely serving in tonnes of dust and 92,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide the aviaon troop units of the Air Force and the Navy of annually. the PLA. “We will not burn cow dung to warm ourselves any more,” said Doje, a local resident in the town. More than 1.4 billion yuan (229 million U.S. dollars) was invested in the project, which is expected to be completed China is building the world’s largest in two years. The heang will come from a thermal power solar plant in the Gobi desert plant in the town. The Asian Correspondent The project will improve living condions for local August 11, 2015 residents and promote environmental protecon in the region, said Zhu Zhongkui, a senior official with the prefecture government.

Night Fighting Tests of China’s J-11 Aircraft in Tibet

DefenseWorld.net August 11, 2015 The Delingha solar thermal power plant is already under construcon. Image via news.com.cn. China’s smog may be infamous, but its Gobi desert is quickly becoming known for soaking up solar rays that could make blue skies the new norm. Last weekend an arcle on Discovery’s website described an ambious, 10-square-mile solar thermal power plant being built in the Gobi desert in the northwestern province of Qinghai. Dubbed Delingha, the facility is expected to provide power to one million households and Chinese J-11 regiment night combat training (Photo: PLA website) is set to go online in 2017.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !28 The Discovery arcle also touched on the broader But not all environmental experts have been dazzled by proliferaon of solar facilies in the region. It cited China’s solar iniaves. Earlier this year, Bloomberg Naonal Geographic’s recent publishing of NASA satellite reported on subpar technical standards in 23 percent of photos to show how photovoltaic panels have sprawled sampled PRC’s panels. Worse sll, an alarming curtailment across the Gobi as of late, covering triple the desert’s land issue has wasted 28 percent of solar electricity in Gansu mass compared to three years ago. and 19 percent in Xinjiang, according to a more recent Green Tech Media arcle. The story went on to quote Adam James, an electricity grid expert and senior analyst at GTM Research, who said that China’s laudable gains in solar plant construcon will be hampered unl its power infrastructure is up to par. He added: “Despite solar receiving strong incenve support and installaons reaching record-seng highs, the Chinese electricity market is sll grappling with serious structural challenges.”

These images from NASA (via Naonal Geographic) show the massive growth of solar in China in just three years. Sky Road in Tibet But apparently Delingha will up the region’s already August 11, 2015/ impressive power producon. According to the The CRIENGLISH.com Inquisitor, it is on track to be the biggest solar power plant A highway transportaon network has been completed to in the world, measuring as large as many of the cies that connect southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region with it will provide green energy to. Discovery noted that its surrounding areas, which has largely promoted the Delingha will be a solar thermal project. That’s an local traffic condions. important disncon— according to solar-thermal.com The transportaon network, with Lhasa, capital city of solar thermal facilies capture sunlight to heat liquids that Tibet Autonomous Region as the center, connects can easily be stored to later run electricity generang southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province, engines. This is more praccal than using mere northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, photovoltaic solar panel technology that directly converts west China’s Qinghai Province, as well as neighbouring sunlight to electricity, which can not be stored for later use countries of India and Nepal to its south. as easily as a thermal system’s heated liquids. By the end of 2014, the total highway mileage in Tibet had Wu Longyi, the board chair of the Qinghai Solar-Thermal reached 75,000 kilo meters, with 5408 villages, or 99.2 Power Group that is heading up Delingha, told Chinese percent of the local villages, accessible to highway state media outlet Xinhua that “designed heat storage is transportaons. For Photos of the Sky Road please click 15 hours, thus, it can guarantee stable, connual power the tle of the arcle or click here: hp://fnvaworld.org/? generaon.” However, China has by no means abandoned p=16759 photovoltaic technology — in fact, a recent Take part arcle says China has become the world’s biggest developer of those PV panels. The ambiously gargantuan Delingha facility is part of China Focus: 50 years of flights to President Xi Jinping’s loy goal to slash 20 percent of the country’s fossil fuel usage by 2030. An Aug. 8 arcle in The Tibet bolsters tourism, economy Independent said the recent rampant growth of such sun English.news.cn soaking power facilies shows that China is “quickly August 11, 2015 becoming a world leader in solar power.” The story also LHASA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) — Flying a plane over the “roof of cited studies by the Internaonal Energy Agency and the the world” is no easy task. UN Environment program that detailed, respecvely, how the PRC aained the globe’s highest level of solar capacity High terrain and severe weather once made Tibet, with an last year and how it became the world’s top renewable average altude of 4,000 meters above sea level, off-limits energy investor, devong $83.3 billion to green power in for aircra. 2014 alone.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !29 Stories of daring American pilots in the 1940s who flew The first flight from Beijing to Lhasa was made by an Il-18 along the Hump Route over the Himalayas to transport aircra on March 1, 1965. military supplies sll resound. More than 500 aircra and “Over the decades, people working in aviaon in Tibet 2,000 pilots were lost to the mountains during World War have made great contribuons and sacrifices to ensure the II. industry’s safety and development,” said Li, adding that As Tibet marks the 50th anniversary of regular flights this beer navigaon technology also improved safety. year, aviaon professionals explain how the industry has Aviaon helped Nyingchi, in eastern Tibet, earn 1.11 transformed life on the plateau. billion yuan (177 million US dollars) in tourist revenue last 50 YEARS: LEAPFROG DEVELOPMENT year. The figure jumped 11 mes compared to the number Gyazhugling Village in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, is a perfect ten years ago. example of how planes can change lives. “Tibet’s tourism, express delivery and other industries Located just outside Lhasa Konggar Airport, Gyazhugling wouldn’t have flourished if it were not for the air was once wild marshlands with only a few herdsmen. connecons,” said Li Hancheng, the current director of the Since 1966, it has grown into a community of 1,000 Tibetan aviaon bureau. residents, with two schools, a clinic, and a cluster of hotels GROWTH BRINGS CHALLENGES and supermarkets. According to a naonal plan for Tibet’s development, in With a 4,000-meter runway, Konggar airport transports the next five years, the number of flights between Tibet thousands of passengers every day. For many tourists, and other cies will increase to 95. Annual passenger Gyazhugling is their first stop. volume will reach 6.6 million by 2020. Tibet now has five airports, one in Lhasa, and another four Officials told Xinhua that passenger volume has reached in Shigatze, Chamdo, Nyingchi and Ngari, which operate twice the designed capacity at Konggar and Nyingchi 58 flights to other Chinese cies, and also to Kathmandu, airports. capital of Nepal. “The infrastructure is in urgent need of further expansion In the past 50 years, Tibet’s airports had 206,000 takeoffs and upgrades,” Li said. and landings, and a total of 24.71 million passengers and “Brain drain” is also a challenge. Dissasfied with harsh 330,000 tons of cargo have been transported via the work condions, some pilots and airport staff have chosen region. to work elsewhere. Planes have brought tourists, boosted spending, carried “It takes at least eight years to train a seasoned captain, agricultural produce to buyers thousands of miles away, because we have stricter requirements for flying the and provided medical evacuaon for herdsmen who live in Tibetan route. We need to recruit experienced pilots to the plateau hinterlands. expand business,” said Bai Weisan, vice manager of Tibet Aviaon officials who have witnessed these changes credit Airlines. the progress to strict aenon to aviaon safety and “We will improve wages for staff to keep them working heavy investment. here,” he said. In 1955, the Central Government decided to open an air route between Beijing and Lhasa, but it took another decade to make the flight happen. “I remember there were endless tests and training. No Development of transportation in one dared to put a plane and passengers over Tibet unless Tibet over past 5 decades it was 100 percent safe,” said Li Shunhua, former Party Photo news. For photos please click the tle of the arcle Secretary of the Tibet Civil Aviaon Bureau. of click here: hp://fnvaworld.org/?p=16778 Li recounted the challenges: heavy clouds, thunderstorms with turbulence severe enough to damage aircra, sand and dust that could lower ground visibility to zero, and a lack of oxygen for ground staff. “In the 1990s, there were sandstorms every aernoon in Lhasa. We had to plant thousands of trees around the airport to keep the air clean,” said Li, who headed the bureau during the period.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !30 Spring water factory produces pure Over the past six years, Factory 5100’s revenues have water, new Tibetans increased six fold, and net profits have increased 40 fold. In one of their beer years, 90 percent of all spring water China Tibet Online sales came from the China Railway. August 10, 2015 The area that Factory 5100 is located in, Lhasa’s Damxung County, is one of the plateau’s grassland farming county. Previously, the town’s average annual revenue was approximately two million yuan; However, aer the cooperaon was formed between Factory 5100 and China Railway, Damxung’s annual tax revenue exceeded 100 million yuan. New ideas of Tibetan workers A new, modern factory is something that Tibetans living in this area are relavely foreign to. Losang, a Tibetan girl, is one of the first civilians that started working in Factory 5100, and she stated that 5100—This isn’t some secret project code number, it’s the before the construcon of the factory, young Tibetans had name of a factory located at an altude of 5100 meters to decide wether they wanted to work in the livestock above sea level. industry, or become a waiter/waitress in Damxung County, where they would be able to earn a monthly salary of Industry moving onto the plateau 2,000 yuan. The full name of Factory 5100 is Tibet 5100 Water Comparavely, people who have been working in the Resource Holdings Limited , which was built in 2005 in the factory for a sufficient amount of me and have more Nyainqentanglha mountains, with a total investment of experience would be able to earn a monthly salary of 500 million yuan, and all of the factory’s machinery is about 5,000 yuan, whereas new workers could expect to imported from Germany. earn around 3,000 yuan. Addionally, workers can also According to some references, the origin of the spring strive to achieve monthly bonuses of a couple thousand water used by Factory 5100, was found in 1986, however yuan, or even year end bonuses of more than 10,000 what enabled them to make extensive use of this water yuan. Although living expenses in Tibet are quite pricy, the source was the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in wages earned by workers is already comparable to 2006. workers in the more developed parts of eastern China. Before this, due to the inconvenience of transportaon in High wages have enced Tibetans to change their Tibet, enterprises were only able to ship spring water by lifestyles around. Informaon provided by Damxung air or by truck, both of which have relavely expensive government has shown that out of the 221 workers shipping costs which eventually increased the price of the employed at Factory 5100, 81.46 percent are Tibetans, spring water. and 69.37percent are children of Tibetans who work in the Aer the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, spring livestock industry. water became one of the few things Tibet could ship to The person in charge of the logiscs department of inland areas of the country, and by using the railway, they Factory 5100 stated that making Tibetans who work in the also prevented sending empty railcars back down the livestock industry change their lifestyles and accustom plateau. themselves to the rigid working hours of a factory is not In 2008, the cooperaon between Factory 5100 and the an easy task, even some workers with posive atudes China Railway progressed, and the 5100 glacier spring like Losang have shown up to work two hours late. Losang water became a complimentary gi for passengers taking believes that the reason behind tardiness isn’t only that the trains. According to a report by Xinhua news, the some Tibetans don’t have a sense of me, but is also due amount of money the China Railway put into purchasing to the fact that the factory is very far away from the spring water has already grown to 1.592 billion yuan, and homes of workers, and if a worker encounters even the in 2013, China Railway spent 323 million yuan on spring slightest problem during their commute to work, it is water alone. difficult to guarantee that they will be able to show up for work on me.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !31 Language is also one of the major barriers that many India’s train to Tawang, a Buddhist pilgrimage at the core Tibetans face in the workplace. When Tibetans entered of Beijing’s claim on Arunachal Pradesh, might be years the workplace about 10 years ago, there were very few away from reality. But the inauguraon of a passenger workers who were educated in Mandarin, so they had service to the froner state has brought the dream project difficules comprehending manuals on how to operate 50km closer to the disputed border with China. factory machinery, and they also ran into difficules On Monday aernoon, railways minister Suresh Prabhu communicang with their superior. inaugurated a new broad gauge train on the Dekargaon As of today, these problems no longer hinder Tibetans in (Assam)-Bhalukpong (Arunachal) stretch. Bhalukpong is the workplace. Losang stated that most of the workers live the gateway to Tawang 330km uphill by road. in the dormitories provided by the factory, and the factory Last year, China opened a railway line connecng Tibetan also provides Tibetan workers with Mandarin and other capital Lhasa to Shigatse 257km west. More importantly vocaonal classes. for New Delhi, Shigatse is north of Sikkim and a show of Factory 5100 will also occasionally organise groups of Beijing’s intent to expand the Chinese railway network to workers to enter inland China and experience social and the polically charged border with India and Nepal. conceptual differences and gaps. These so called This made the NDA government plan railway connecvity “differences and gaps” these workers may encounter while to areas bordering China. Earlier this year, the Railway in the inland are actually decreasing and becoming less Board cleared a proposal for final locaon survey of a prominent. proposed 378km track from central Assam’s Sonitpur In Factory 5100, many workers like to gather around the district to Tawang. The alignment envisaged starts with billiards tables for entertainment. There are television sets the 52km Dekargaon-Bhalukpong stretch laid in the last in the dormitories, so workers have the opportunity to see five years. what the world is like outside of Tibet. Recently, Losang’s “There used to be a metre gauge line on this stretch but it favourite thing to watch on TV are Korean dramas. was more or less defunct. The first passenger service to This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment Bhalukpong should take our achievements to Himalayan of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and Losang’s life is the heights,” a Northeast Froner Railway (NFR) engineer said, epitome of what freedom and autonomy can provide alluding to Tawang’s perch at 10,000 feet in the eastern Tibet with. The meaning behind “ethnic autonomy ” is not Himalayas. only to preserve ethnic minority culture, but also to NFR’s general manager RS Virdi said the proposed line to provide minories with the freedom to create new Tawang is likely to follow the road to Bomdila (between culture. Development is truly the ulmate freedom. Bhalukpong and Tawang) and have an elevaon of 3,048 metres. “The survey will be conducted jointly by the railways with the defence ministry and the government of Train to Tawang brings China border Arunachal Pradesh for idenfying the best alignment,” he 50km closer to India added. Hindustan Times Virdi said regular service for a pair of passenger trains to August 10, 2015 and from Bhalukpong will begin from Tuesday. This train – proposed goods trains too – is expected to be more crucial for defence personnel than locals. “This should take care of the movement of our troops and provisions to some extent,” an officer in the army’s 4th Corps based in central Assam’s Tezpur town said. The Dekargaon-Bhalukpong passenger service was inaugurated along with a train on the newly-laid 512km Rangiya (western Assam)-Murkongselek (eastern Assam, bordering Arunachal) broad gauge track. This line is expected to improve connecvity to central Arunachal Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Sarbananda Sonowal along with RS Birdi GM NF Railway flagging off the Pradesh. Murkongselek- Guwaha Inter City Express and Murkongselek- Dekargaon Express at Murkongselek Railway Staon (PTI Photo)

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !32 Deepest Underground High-speed As Reuters notes, the PLA Daily also highlighted comments Rail Station Completed in Tianjin by General Chang Wanquan, China’s defense minister. In his remarks, Chang notes that “the Taiwan queson The world’s largest and deepest underground high-speed concerns the core interest of the Chinese naon.” He rail staon has been completed, shortening the trip from connues, “People across the Taiwan Straits belong to one Beijing to Tianjin’s Yujiabao Financial Zone to only 45 family. We will connue to promote peaceful minutes, Xinhua reports. development of cross-Straits relaons. We firmly oppose The Yujiapu Staon in Tianjin is between 60 to 65 meters and will deter any aempt to separate Taiwan from China, below ground, stretching the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed and will resolutely safeguard naonal sovereignty and rail to the coastal areas of Tianjin. The highest speed of territorial integrity.” the rail is expected to reach 350 km/h. While Chang’s remarks emphasised the importance of the As the staon is built in saline and alkaline soil, a one- Taiwan issue for the PLA, the organisaon has transformed meter thick, 1,435 meter long wall was built to prevent considerably over the past decade. Parcularly in the water penetraon. marime domain, the PLA Navy is beginning to take on a special importance in China’s naonal security strategy. As China’s 2015 white paper noted, the PLA is beginning to leave behind “the tradional mentality that land China’s People’s Liberation Army outweighs sea,” a significant change in how the country thinks about the role of its military. In turn, the PLA Navy Turns 88 is swily turning into an expedionary force, capable of The Diplomat projecng power far beyond China’s borders. August 3, 2015 China’s military celebrates its 88th anniversary as it prepares for new threats. China’s military wants more teeth to On Saturday, the Chinese People’s Liberaon Army (PLA) turned 88, a parcularly auspicious number given the counter India, US, Japan connotaons associated with the number eight in Chinese PTI culture. As the PLA celebrated 88 years since its founding August 3, 2015 on August 1, 1927, its official newspaper, the PLA Daily, BEIJING: Brackeng India along with the US, Japan, Taiwan reportedly stressed growing threats to the integrity of and Vietnam as “threats” to China’a airspace, the PLA in a China’s borders, including its disputed marime claims in study has sought the broadening of its air surveillance and the East and South China Seas. aack capabilies with high-speed cruise missiles and a According to Reuters, the PLA Daily ran a front page new generaon of bombers. editorial emphasising a growing risk environment for China’s Air Force Command Academy in its report last year China. ”The situaon surrounding our country is generally idenfied the United States, Japan, Taiwan, India and stable, but the risks and challenges are extremely severe, Vietnam as “threats” to its military airspace unl the year and the possibility of chaos and war on our doorstep has 2030, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported. increased,” it said. ”The marime security environment is more complicated, and the undercurrents in the East and While the massive expansion of Chinese navy with a South China Seas have been gushing up,” the PLA Daily second aircra carrier and a new bomber to operate from editorial connued. its decks aracted worldwide aenon, the new study showed that the airforce has started developing a similar The editorial echoed some of the senment expressed in expansion strategy, the report said. China’s recently released 2015 defense white paper, which The Diplomat covered in more detail earlier this year. The study called for nine types of strategic equipment to While that white paper noted the PLA’s growing role as a counter the threats, which included high-speed air- global military, it emphasised the need for China to pay launched cruise missiles, large transport planes, an airship heed to its immediate strategic environs, including in that moves in the upper atmosphere, a next-generaon China’s near seas. Crically, the white paper noted the fighter, unmanned aack aircra, air-force satellites and connued relevance of Taiwan as the PLA’s primary war- precision-guided bombs. fighng scenario. It said the 2.3 million-strong People’s Liberaon Army (PLA), the world’s largest, needs to broaden its air

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !33 surveillance and aack capabilies to the western Pacific, People aged 18 to 22 can apply to join the military, with including the areas near Japan to ensure its command. the maximum recruitment age for college graduates The PLA operates with an annual budget of about USD 145 extended to 24. billion, over three mes India’s USD 40-billion budget. The army also welcomes high school graduates aged 17 or The Beijing-based academy, a think-tank of an air force above. leadership training organisaon, prepared the report in In order to help the military recruit more college students, November last year. the country’s top legislature amended the Military Service Studies by the academy have previously served as policy Law in 2011, raising the maximum age for recruits to 24. guidelines, the report said. The academy report proposes broadening the scope of surveillance from a “first island chain” linking Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines and one of China’s defence Strict discipline of PLA key to lines in the open ocean to a “second island chain” linking victory: People’s Daily the Izu Island chain, Guam and New Guinea. English.news.cn The study affords a glimpse into the Chinese military’s August 1, 2015 confidence in thwarng the US military, which is crical of BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — The expulsion of former China’s controversial land-reclamaon in the South China military leader Guo Boxiong has once again demonstrated Sea. the Chinese leadership’s determinaon to run the People’s It menons enhancing the ability to aack US bases on Liberaon Army (PLA) with strict discipline, said a Chinese side of the second archipelago line with strategic commentary to be carried Saturday by the People’s Daily, bombers and “deter US military intervenon” in the event the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China of a defence operaon involving Chinese islands. (CPC). The academy report proposed cooperaon between Guo, former vice chairman of the Central Military airforce and navy to enhance air-defence capability in the Commission (CMC), was announced to have been expelled Air Defence Idenficaon Zone China established over the from the CPC for suspected discipline violaons and taking East China Sea two years ago, and stresses the need to bribes. boost joint training. There is no hiding place for corrupon within the Party, The report also places emphasis on the developments of and it is even more so with the PLA, which holds the space and missile programmes. weapons to guard naonal security, the arcle said. It said the airforce would be put in charge of a space unit There are no excepons in an army ruled in accordance to be established in the future and that careful with the law and guarded by strong discipline, it said. examinaon was needed regarding the form it would take. The influence of Guo Boxiong’s and Xu Caihou’s acvies has profoundly damaged army-building efforts, but will not taint the loyal nature of the PLA, it said. Since its founding 88 years ago, historical experience has China starts 2015 military made it clear that the PLA has become and stayed recruitment invincible due to its strict organisaon, management and discipline. English.news.cn August 2, 2015 Since the conclusion of the 18th Naonal Congress of the BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) — China has begun a two-month CPC, strict regulaons and rules have been rolled out to drive to recruit young people, especially those with ghten the management of the army, leaving no space for educaon, to its army. corrupon. The Ministry of Naonal Defense is looking mostly for The negave impact of Guo’s and Xu’s cases should be people educated to high school level or above, it said on fully eradicated, while the proud tradion and sound work Sunday. style of the PLA will be connued to enhance the combat capacity of the army, the arcle said. The ministry also said it is seeking recruits from ethnic minories who have bilingual skills or other speciales.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !34 China’s military wants more teeth to The academy report proposed cooperaon between counter India, US, Japan/ airforce and navy to enhance air-defence capability in the Air Defence Idenficaon Zone China established over the PTI East China Sea two years ago, and stresses the need to August 3, 2015 boost joint training. BEIJING: Brackeng India along with the US, Japan, Taiwan The report also places emphasis on the developments of and Vietnam as “threats” to China’a airspace, the PLA in a space and missile programmes. study has sought the broadening of its air surveillance and It said the airforce would be put in charge of a space unit aack capabilies with high-speed cruise missiles and a to be established in the future and that careful new generaon of bombers. examinaon was needed regarding the form it would take. China’s Air Force Command Academy in its report last year idenfied the United States, Japan, Taiwan, India and Vietnam as “threats” to its military airspace unl the year 2030, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported. While the massive expansion of Chinese navy with a second aircra carrier and a new bomber to operate from its decks aracted worldwide aenon, the new study Environment showed that the airforce has started developing a similar expansion strategy, the report said. The study called for nine types of strategic equipment to 50 Years of Chinese Rule has Pushed counter the threats, which included high-speed air- Tibet into Ecological Disaster launched cruise missiles, large transport planes, an airship that moves in the upper atmosphere, a next-generaon fighter, unmanned aack aircra, air-force satellites and August 29, 2015 precision-guided bombs. HONG KONG: The establishment of the People’s Republic It said the 2.3 million-strong People’s Liberaon Army of China in 1949 led to efforts to greatly expand (PLA), the world’s largest, needs to broaden its air agricultural producon in China. surveillance and aack capabilies to the western Pacific, The ensuing proliferaon of irrigaon wells sped ahead of including the areas near Japan to ensure its command. the natural rate of replenishment of aquifers that were The PLA operates with an annual budget of about USD 145 their source. billion, over three mes India’s USD 40-billion budget. As a result, regions of China, parcularly the arid north, The Beijing-based academy, a think tank of an air force have accumulated a considerable water deficit. This deficit leadership training organisaon, prepared the report in has been further worsened by industrialisaon and the November last year. polluon of groundwater tables. Studies by the academy have previously served as policy Considering that the Tibetan Plateau is home to some of guidelines, the report said. the world’s most extensive underground aquifers, China’s The academy report proposes broadening the scope of interest in the exploitaon of these resources is obvious. surveillance from a “first island chain” linking Okinawa, Since the compleon of the Golmud-Lhasa Railway in Taiwan and the Philippines and one of China’s defence 2006, many such projects have been planned. lines in the open ocean to a “second island chain” linking A Wilson Center report points out that China’s South- the Izu Island chain, Guam and New Guinea. North Water Diversion Project has a ‘Western Route’ The study affords a glimpse into the Chinese military’s planned that will tap three tributaries of the Yangtze on confidence in thwarng the US military, which is crical of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. China’s controversial land-reclamaon in the South China While the route has received extensive cricism from Sea. Chinese and foreign academics alike, the line remains It menons enhancing the ability to aack US bases on planned. Chinese side of the second archipelago line with strategic The project is “definitely not meant to develop Tibet”, bombers and “deter US military intervenon” in the event according to Tibetan natural resources expert Tashi of a defence operaon involving Chinese islands. Tsering, as it takes water from rivers dependent on

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !35 glaciers that are receding, and will hurt the availability of Many countries downstream have already protested such water in Tibet itself. development. In 2014, the Tibet Autonomous Region produced 300,000 For Tibetans, more dam construcon will lead to a tons of boled water, including the premium brand Tibet reduced rate of flow of the rivers that sustain them, Spring 5100 which, as per the Wall Street Journal, has making subsistence farming unpredictable for those overtaken Evian and Perrier as the most coveted premium dependent upon it. water seller in Chi. A 2003 report on “Ecological Improvement and Lobsang Gyaltsen, Chairman of the region, has Environmental Protecon in Tibet” published by the disingenuously claimed that Beijing wished to “strike a Chinese authories, menons that Tibet before 1950 was balance between economic development and “in a state of passive adaptaon to natural condions and environmental protecon” in the development of the one-way exploitaon of natural resources”. boled water industry. The Chinese are being disingenuous at best, and malicious As if this was not enough, several concessions have also at worst, by ignoring the sustainable agriculture pracces been offered to water manufacturers in the region, with that existed among nomadic Tibetans. authories hoping to raise boled water output to five Historically, Tibetan Drogpas have been the protectors of million tons by 2017. the great Tibetan grasslands. Development policy expert Concerns have been raised by academics as to the impact Gabriel Lafie says that: ‘nomadic knowledge of how, on environmental protecon. when and where to graze, and the nomadic willingness to Canadian water acvist Maude Barlow says that “The live in portable woven yak hair tents, summer and winter, boled water industry is one of the most pollung with their animals, kept the pasture free of invasive toxic industries on earth, and one of the least regulated.” weeds, erosion, shrub invasion, and infestaons of pests’. An arcle in the Vermont Law School journal reveals that Under the commune system, starng in 1958, Chinese the industry in China has “anquated and lax regulaons”, authories moved the herders into small communes and and highlights the energy intensive nature of boled stripped them of their possessions. They were forced to water producon. adhere to quotas of producon, leading to greatly expanded herd sizes. Considering that the mega dam projects are rounely being pushed through without adequate environmental Ignoring nomadic advice as backward and irraonal, the impact assessments, it is not a stretch to assume that authories pressed forward unl the late 1970s, when the boling plants may be geng past with even more lax communes collapsed, with depleted grasslands and controls. unsustainably large herds. Known as the world’s Third Pole, the glaciers on the Land reform in the 1990s offered a glimpse of hope in that Tibetan Plateau feed the Salween, Mekong, Yangtze, it gave nomads long-term leases over pastures, Yellow River, Indus, Ganges and the Brahmaputra. encouraging the same tradional modes of care. Collecvely, these rivers directly sustain 1.3 billion people. However, other policies gradually encroached on the Relentless polluon by the expanding footprints of mobility of the nomads, and limits on family and herd size Chinese industry has led to climac change and to average were made compulsory. temperatures on the plateau rising thrice the global These concurrent policies failed spectacularly due to a lack speed. of understanding on part of the authories, who promptly Even according to Chinese sciensts, 95 percent of these scape goateed the nomads, pushing through the Restore glaciers are now receding. The retreat and melng of Grasslands Policy in 2003. these glaciers will first lead to massive flooding along each This nullified the tradional biodiversity conservaon skills river, and then rapidly lead to chronic and devastang of the nomadic people. Nomads were forcefully reseled water shortages for billions. into villages. While the development of several hydroelectric power The overuse of the 1950s connues to affect the plants in the area is lowering reliance on thermal energy, ecological situaon today, which is now being worsened concerns have arisen over the magnitude of the new by minWhile the development of several hydroelectric construcon – and its effect on the paths of the great power plants in the area is lowering reliance on thermal rivers. energy, concerns have arisen over the magnitude of the

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !36 new construcon – and its effect on the paths of the great energy, concerns have arisen over the magnitude of the rivers. new construcon – and its effect on the paths of the great Many countries downstream have already protested such rivers. development. Many countries downstream have already protested such For Tibetans, more dam construcon will lead to a development. reduced rate of flow of the rivers that sustain them, For Tibetans, more dam construcon will lead to a making subsistence farming unpredictable for those reduced rate of flow of the rivers that sustain them, dependent upon it. making subsistence farming unpredictable for those A 2003 report on “Ecological Improvement and dependent upon it. Environmental Protecon in Tibet” published by the A 2003 report on “Ecological Improvement and Chinese authories, menons that Tibet before 1950 was Environmental Protecon in Tibet” published by the “in a state of passive adaptaon to natural condions and Chinese authories, menons that Tibet before 1950 was one-way exploitaon of natural resources”. “in a state of passive adaptaon to natural condions and The Chinese are being disingenuous at best, and malicious one-way exploitaon of natural resources”. at worst, by ignoring the sustainable agriculture pracces The Chinese are being disingenuous at best, and malicious that existed among nomadic Tibetans. at worst, by ignoring the sustainable agriculture pracces Historically, Tibetan Drogpas have been the protectors of that existed among nomadic Tibetans. the great Tibetan grasslands. Development policy expert Historically, Tibetan Drogpas have been the protectors of Gabriel Lafie says that: ‘nomadic knowledge of how, the great Tibetan grasslands. Development policy expert when and where to graze, and the nomadic willingness to Gabriel Lafie says that: ‘nomadic knowledge of how, live in portable woven yak hair tents, summer and winter, when and where to graze, and the nomadic willingness to with their animals, kept the pasture free of invasive toxic live in portable woven yak hair tents, summer and winter, weeds, erosion, shrub invasion, and infestaons of pests’. with their animals, kept the pasture free of invasive toxic Under the commune system, starng in 1958, Chinese weeds, erosion, shrub invasion, and infestaons of pests’. authories moved the herders into small communes and Under the commune system, starng in 1958, Chinese stripped them of their possessions. They were forced to authories moved the herders into small communes and adhere to quotas of producon, leading to greatly stripped them of their possessions. They were forced to expanded herd sizes. adhere to quotas of producon, leading to greatly Ignoring nomadic advice as backward and irraonal, the expanded herd sizes. authories pressed forward unl the late 1970s, when the Ignoring nomadic advice as backward and irraonal, the communes collapsed, with depleted grasslands and authories pressed forward unl the late 1970s, when the unsustainably large herds. communes collapsed, with depleted grasslands and Land reform in the 1990s offered a glimpse of hope in that unsustainably large herds. it gave nomads long-term leases over pastures, Land reform in the 1990s offered a glimpse of hope in that encouraging the same tradional modes of care. it gave nomads long-term leases over pastures, However, other policies gradually encroached on the encouraging the same tradional modes of care. mobility of the nomads, and limits on family and herd size However, other policies gradually encroached on the were made compulsory. mobility of the nomads, and limits on family and herd size These concurrent policies failed spectacularly due to a lack were made compulsory. of understanding on part of the authories, who promptly These concurrent policies failed spectacularly due to a lack scape goateed the nomads, pushing through the Restore of understanding on part of the authories, who promptly Grasslands Policy in 2003. scape goateed the nomads, pushing through the Restore This nullified the tradional biodiversity conservaon skills Grasslands Policy in 2003. of the nomadic people. Nomads were forcefully reseled This nullified the tradional biodiversity conservaon skills into villages. of the nomadic people. Nomads were forcefully reseled The overuse of the 1950s connues to affect the into villages. ecological situaon today, which is now being worsened The overuse of the 1950s connues to affect the by minWhile the development of several hydroelectric ecological situaon today, which is now being worsened power plants in the area is lowering reliance on thermal by mining, agriculture and road construcon in the region.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !37 Indeed, the reselement of nomads has also led to Tibet builds national ecological negave consequences. Research has shown that a certain security barrier sustainable amount of grazing is beer for the grasslands than leaving them completely open as was done aer China Tibet Online 2003. August 27, 2015 The acons of the authories in the region have exposed The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, also known as the “Third Pole”, the once-vibrant grasslands to deserficaon, further is “the source of rivers” and “the source of ecology” of damaging the ecology of Tibet. China, South Asia and Southeast Asia. For more than 50 years, Tibet has made tremendous efforts for building an Chinese pracces in Tibet can be seen at best as important naonal ecological security barrier. damaging, and at worst as acvely exploitave. The river valley of Lkoka and Shigatse in Tibet has the The massive water transfer projects will lead to the most serious sand storm. However, through a series of diversion of important riverine resources; the boled measures including natural forest protecon, water industry is essenally unregulated. afforestaon, construcon of ecological public welfare Mining projects connue unchecked, with foreign firms forests and sand control tesng demonstraon zone in invited to parcipate in the plundering of Tibet. 2014, the forest area of Tibet has reached 16.85 million Dam construcon threatens local ecosystems and the flow hectares, and Tibet’s forest coverage rate had increased of rivers that sustain billions of people – and is done from 12.37 percent in 2002 to 14 percent. Tibet’s forest without environmental impact assessments. area has increased by 1.95 million hectares over more than ten years; in the meanme, all kinds of deserficated The forced reselement of nomadic tribes has led to the land area has decreased by 65,700 hectares. degradaon of grasslands and the encroachment of deserts into once-living areas. Nagqu is the largest pastoral area in Tibet, whose prairie had suffered a lot from excessive grazing. Learning from All of these threaten the people of Asia, dependent upon these lessons, Nagqu started the implementaon of Tibet as a water source. grazing prohibion and increasing livestocks, increasing More acutely, however, they represent the Chinese the proporon of the female animals in season and fine atude to Tibet and Tibetans as a people. The lack of breeds, giving subsidies to grassland where the ecology is respect for nave customs is indicave of the disdain with protected well for breeding balance. Tsering, head of Tibet which Tibet is treated; the eager seizure of natural Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau said that since resources shows a lack of willingness to understand Tibet 2011, the prohibited grazing grassland area has reached itself. 3.78 hectares, with the “balanced breeding ” grassland Indeed, the manner in which China is administering Tibet area of 27.54 hectares. in regards to ecological issues is similar to the way Lhalu wetland is worthy of the name “lung” of the city European powers once exploited their colonies for their with Lhasa residents all benefit from it. Puebla Tsering, natural bounes. head of the Lhalu Wetland Naonal Nature Reserve It would be wise now to remember that those colonies Administraon said: “Lhalu wetland absorbs 78,800 tons were, and connue to be, ravaged by the damage of carbon dioxide a year, while releases 60,000 tons of perpetrated on their environment and their cultures. oxygen.” So, the 50th anniversary of Tibet Autonomous Region on Since the “Ninth Five-year Plan”(1996-2000) has been September 1 will be an occasion of pride and self- carried out, the Lhalu wetland has been listed as a key congratulaon for Beijing, but for Tibet, only another environmental protecon project in Lhasa. In 2013, it opportunity to count what it has lost and might never planed to invest 700 million yuan(109 U.S. dollars) for its regain – the autonomy of its ecology, of its culture, and its protecon. Now the Lhalu wetland covers an area of 12.2 way of life. square kilo meters. At present, the Tibet wetland area has The trade-off is scary, but who in Beijing is listening? increased to 6.53 million hectares, which ranks the first in the country. Tibet has unique natural environment, and its ecosystem has a higher sensivity to external influence than places of the same latude. Losang Jamcan, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region said: “the environmental and ecological protecon is the priority in Tibet’s economic

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !38 development no maer whether it is resource Unlike other provinces, Tibet has rarely negated development, major construcon or industrial environment protecon projects. The reason is very development.” simple. If a project does not conform to the environmental The Tibetan antelope is first-grade animal under state protecon criteria in Tibet, even it is a huge and beneficial protecon in China. In order to ensure their smooth investment, eventually they cannot even apply for the migraon and breeding, every year at this me, the public qualificaon, said Zhuang Hongxiang. “Tibet refuses to security police and wildlife conservaon staff patrol all eliminate the highly pollung, energy intensive and highly day, and the armed police officers and soldiers carry out a pollung projects from the very beginning.” “plateau sword” protecon operaon to develop the This is an atude and a kind of determinaon. It is the safest life channel for the animal. same for industrial projects and those major projects who Due to poaching occurred in the 1980s and the 1990s, promotes economic and social development. We adhere nearly a hundred kinds of wildlife out of 125 species have to the principle of prevenng polluon and protecng the been endangered under special state protecon in Tibet. ecological environment facilies must be designed A crackdown on this crime has been carried out to save together with the main part of the project, construcng the plateau treasures by seng up nature reserves and and pung into use at the same me, and conducng special protecon agencies and law enforcement teams. daily audit in the county, weekly audit in the city and There are more than 3,700 full-me guards to protect monthly audit in the province. wildlife of various types and 84,000 part-me personnel to In 2013, in order to implement the spirit of the 18th patrol, manage and protect the area so as to build up an Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Tibet put iron wall to protect wild animals. Mt. Qomolangma forward that by 2030 it will build a strong ecological area Naonal Nature Reserve built an animal protecon with beauful ecological environment, ecological monitoring system by the tradional and modern scienfic economic development, comfortable home, and with the and technological approaches combined. harmony between man and nature, for the basic “Now with 24 hours of monitoring, once any suspicious realisaon of the goal of building a beauful Tibet. circumstance appears, we will give photographic forensics, In 2014, Tibet officially started to carry out an then send our people out to check,” said the Reserve environmental protecon assessment in its 74 counes, Deputy Commissioner Phurjung. while the assessment results relate to the promoon of Aer decades of efforts, the wildlife populaon of Tibet is the main officials at the county level. This measure has of restorave growth. The Tibetan antelope populaon brought dynamic to environment protecon in the county. has increased from 50,000-70,000 in 1995 to more than By 2014, Tibet has established 22 ecological reserves, nine 200,000. The black-necked cranes increased from naonal forest parks, 10 naonal wetland park, four state- 1,000-3,000 in 1995 to almost 7000. The now area plateau level scenic spots and three state-level wetland parks. is becoming a animal paradise. Establishing ecological reserves is not enough. In 2014, In 2006, the Tibet wildlife accident damage compensaon Tibet explores to establish the ecological protecon project has been started, and up to 2014 the cash “red-ine system”. compensaon has reached 420 million yuan, which is a The system is the guarantee while the law is weapon. In win-win situaon of maintaining public interests and recent years, Tibet speeds up the environmental protecng wild animals. legislaon steps, has enacted the Environmental “In the environmental protecon work in Tibet, the most Protecon Regulaons of the Tibet Autonomous Region important is the ecological protecon instead of polluon and a series of environmental protecon laws and rules. prevenon,” said Zhuang Hongxiang, deputy director of The regional ecological construcon and environmental Department of Environmental Protecon of the Tibet protecon has been going on a legislave path. Autonomous Region. Tibetan industrial polluon is small “Tibet is one of the world’s cleanest regions in the world,” mainly concentrated in the mining and building materials said Yao Tandong, academician of Chinese Academy of industries. Sciences, director of the Research Instute of the Qinghai- Tibet cleaned up 12 cement enterprises and its backward Tibet Plateau. “Its overall plateau ecosystem is good, and technology to redevelop the cement producon line. In its environment quality keeps improving.” 2014, the district cement output reached more than 3,42 million tons among them. At present, the new producon technology is fully replacing the backward one.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !39 Tibetan crane’s winter habitat under Tawang district of India’s north-eastern Arunachal Pradesh threat from Indian hydroelectric state. The arrival of the birds is awaited with great ancipaon and anxiety by the indigenous Monpa tribe, a project 45,000-strong Buddhist community congregated around The Guardian the famous Tawang Buddhist monastery. August 27, 2015 “Whenever the Monpa sight these birds, they take it as a sign of good fortune and prosperity,” said WWF-India’s Pankaj Chandan, an expert on the black-necked crane. “If the birds don’t come, they fear a catastrophe. You will find the birds depicted in painngs in several monasteries in the region.” Tsangyang Gyatso, the colourful sixth Dalai Lama, was a Monpa by ethnicity and was born close to the Tawang monastery. He was abducted from Lhasa by the Chinese emperor in 1706, but while leaving Tibet he is said to have composed a poem that led to the Monpa legend about the black-necked crane. “White crane, lend me your wings. I will not fly far. From Lithang [in China] I shall return.” Hydropower project in eastern Himalayas will destroy migraon site of ‘vulnerable’ black-necked cranes, conservaonists claim. A hydroelectric project in India’s eastern Himalayas will Govt eyes tunnel under Brahmaputra: soon destroy one of the winter habitats of the magnificent PM Tibetan crane, a vulnerable bird regarded by local Buddhists as the reincarnaon of a the sixth Dalai Lama, The Financial Express sciensts and environmentalists have warned. August 21, 2015 Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina said on Thursday her The Tibetan, or black-necked, crane, a species unique to government was acvely considering construcon of a Asia, has already disappeared from Vietnam, and can now tunnel under the Brahmaputra river to link Balashighat in be sighted only in parts of China, India and Bhutan, Gaibandha district with Bahadurabadghat of Jamalpur besides its main breeding grounds on the Tibetan plateau. district, according to our correspondent from Gaibandha. It is listed as vulnerable on the Internaonal Union for Conservaon of Nature’s Red List. “Feasibility study has already begun and it is going on in full swing to construct the tunnel under the river aiming to Now, however, its existence is expected to become even improve the communicaon system and reduce the more perilous. Despite protests from indigenous Monpa pressure of traffic on the Bangabandhu Bridge over the people and conservaonists, Delhi is going ahead with the Jamuna”, she said. construcon of the 780MW Nyamjang Chhu hydroelectric project that it is feared will destroy the migraon site of She was speaking through video conferencing from the the black-necked cranes. Ganabhaban marking inauguraon of the Baradaha Bridge over the Karotoa river on the Gaibandha-Nakaihat A dozen other hydroelectric projects are also planned in Gobindaganj Road under Gobindaganj upazila. the region, part of a massive plan to generate electricity from Himalayan rivers to meet India’s rising energy Sheikh Hasina said the then Awami League government requirements. started the construcon work on the bridge in 1997 aiming to migate sufferings of the people. “The hydroelectric projects will totally destroy natural habitats in the region,” said Asad Rahmani, scienfic But later the development work was stopped during the adviser of the Bombay Natural History Society. “When tenure of the last BNP government ignoring the interest of planning such projects, we’re not paying aenon to their the people, she alleged. impact on local culture. The electricity is for people like us Aer assuming office for the second me in 2009 her in the cies, but all the damage is suffered by the local government took an iniave to finish the incomplete people.” work under the project, she said. Due to pragmac Every winter, eight black-necked cranes migrate from Tibet measures taken by her government the seasonal to the flood plains of the Nyamjang Chhu river in the joblessness locally called ‘monga’ and poverty had already

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !40 disappeared from the district, she said. The ‘monga’, she promises to trace environmental problems to whoever added, would not visit the district any further, if the was originally responsible. Awami League-led government remains in power in Officials will be held accountable for serious future. environmental problems resulng from improper Whip of the Jaya Sangsad and local lawmaker Mahabub implementaon of central authories’ policies, as well as Ara Begum Gini and Principal Abul Kalam Azad, elected violaons of laws and regulaons. MP from Gaibandha-4 constuency (Gobindaganj upazila) Central- and local-Party officials, and governmental also took part in the discussion through the video officials at county level and above will be subject to a conference. lifelong-liability system, meaning any corrupon or derelicon of duty that caused serious environmental harm can be punished retroacvely, according to the document. Information of Tibet’s Largest Lake Officials will be held responsible if they fail to effecvely to be Recorded carry out supervision, or approve environmentally disqualified projects, or aempt to shirk the responsibility Xinhua of protecng the environment. August 24, 2015/ Moreover, the regulaon banned promoon for officials Serling Tso Lake, the largest lake in southwest China’s found guilty of misconduct, and officials will receive an Tibet Autonomous Region, is being surveyed by Yangtze unfavourable appraisal in their performance assessment. River Water Resources Commission’s hydrological bureau Xia Guang, director of the Policy Research Center for and Tibet regional hydrological bureau, sources with the Environment and Economy under the Ministry of commission said on Sunday. Environmental Protecon, said the new regulaon clearly This is the first comprehensive field study on the lake, said defines the official “dos and don’ts”. Tan Liang, a vice chief engineer with the commission. Moreover, according to Zhang Yuxing, a chief engineer Basic informaon, including the lake’s depth as well as its with the Survey Scheme Designing Instute under the underwater and bank terrain will be recorded, according State Forestry Administraon, the conduct of both Party to Tan. and government officials will now be under equal scruny. With an altude of over 4,530 meters, Serling Tso Lake “This will force officials to give environment issues greater reportedly replaced Namtso as the largest lake in Tibet in consideraon,” he said. 2014 as a result of melng glaciers and increased rain It was noted that the new regulaon not only promises resulted in its rapid expansion. retrospecve punishment but will also idenfy violaons Serling Tso measured 2,391 square kilo meters in June before too much damage is done. 2014, 369 square km larger than Namtso, making it the However, observers have warned that the regulaon second biggest salt lake in China. needs more specificaons if it is to be effecvely enforced. The project, which began in early July, is sll ongoing. Wang Yi, director of the Instute of Policy and Management under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stressed that detailed issues such as basic data collecon China Focus: New rules on officials’ and verificaon needed more aenon. environmental responsibility Published on Monday, the new regulaon took effect on Aug. 9, just days before massive warehouse explosions in Xinhua News Agency Tianjin, which are thought to have contaminated the Aug 18, 2015 surrounding area with dangerous chemicals. BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) — A new regulaon on holding China’s State Council on Tuesday announced a team had officials accountable for environmental hazards will beer been assigned to “invesgate the cause of the explosions” define their professional responsibilies, according to and “determine liability.” Communist Party of China (CPC) experts. The general offices of the CPC Central Commiee, and the State Council on Monday published the regulaon, which

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !41 Chinese Police Beat Tibetan Women, that local officials and businessmen are profing together Elderly Over Dam Protest from the work. Tibet has become an important source of minerals needed

Radio Free Asia for China’s economic growth, and Chinese mining August 18, 2015 operaons in Tibet have oen led to widespread environmental damage, including the polluon of water sources for both livestock and humans, experts say. Reported by Chakmo Tso for RFA’s Tibetan Service and by Dan Zhen for the Mandarin Service. Translated by Rigdhen Dolma and by Ping Chen. Wrien in English by Richard Finney.

Take up dam issue with China: Gogoi again urges PM

Daijiworld.com August 13, 2015 Mining trucks move along a road in Yadzi county, Qinghai, in an undated photo. Photo courtesy of an RFA listener Guwaha, Aug 12 (IANS): Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday once again urged Prime Minister Security forces in northwestern China’s Qinghai province Narendra Modi to take up with China the issue of its aacked and beat a group of elderly Tibetan villagers and construcng big dams on the Brahmaputra river. women who were blocking construcon of a dam last week, injuring an unknown number and later detaining In a statement issued here on Wednesday, Gogoi several, according to a local source. expressed serious concern over Modi’s silence on the issue and said the dams will adversely affect downstream The group had sought since the beginning of the year to areas of Assam and the northeast. halt the work near Seching village in the Yadzi (in Chinese, Xunhua) Salar Autonomous County amid concerns it could “In spite of the knowledge of the government of India be linked to mining operaons in the area, an area regarding construcon of large dams by China on the resident told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Monday. Brahmaputra, I fail to comprehend why the government is not taking the maer seriously,” he said. Chinese police, including about 100 members of a special task force, arrived at the construcon site on Aug. 10 to aack the group when younger protesters were away working in the fields, RFA’s source said, speaking on condion of anonymity. India conveys concerns to China over “They took them away to a secluded place and beat them, Brahmaputra hydropower projects and a few were detained,” the source said. Economic Times The beang was reported to be “severe” and several August 13, 2015 protesters were injured in the assault, but detailed NEW DELHI: With indicaons that China has approved informaon on the number or names of those hurt was three more hydropower projects on the main stream of not immediately available. Brahmaputra River, India today asserted its user rights as a When villagers went next day to county offices to protest, lower riparian State, saying it has conveyed its “concerns” the county chief refused to meet with them, the source to the Chinese government at the highest level. said. In her reply to a queson in Lok Sabha, Union Water “Instead, he sent two officials out to rebuke the crowd,” Resources Minister Uma Bhar said that India has urged he said. China to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any acvies in upstream areas. Mining operaons in Yadzi, including the extracon of copper and gold, may have never been approved by According to her, the government has ascertained that authories above the county level, the source said, adding one power-generang unit of the Zangmu hydroelectric project has been operaonalised in November, 2014.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !42 The outline of the 12th Five Year Plan for Naonal With the development of tourism in Tibet, the Tibet- Economic and Social Development of the People’s specific medicines, such as rhodiolae root, soussurea, Republic of China’ indicates that three more hydropower genanfuereridiels and other precious natural drugs, are projects on the main stream of Brahmaputra river in Tibet promoted blindly. Most tourists have no idea that only Autonomous Region have been approved for through special processing can some drugs benefit people. implementaon by the Chinese Authories, she said. Selling Tibetan medicine blindly not only wastes the “As these projects are considered to be Run of River (RoR) natural resources but also misleads the customers. “We hydro-electric projects, detailed data in this regard is not are appealing to the relave departments of protecng available to be able to assess the likely impact,” she the Tibetan medicine to issue regulaons for protecon added. and using of Tibetan medicines.”said Tashi Tsering. Government of India, she said, “carefully” monitors all developments on the Brahmaputra river. China Pushes India to the Wall on “As a lower riparian State with considerable established Brahmaputra user rights to the water of the river, India has conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authories, at the The New Indian Express August 8, 2015 highest levels of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and has urged China to ensure that the interests On July 30, the usually combave Uma Bhar, the union of down streams States are not harmed by any acvies in minister for water resources, exhibited a diffident upstream areas,” the Minister said. demeanor in the Lok Sabha when she gave out that China may construct three more hydropower projects on the Brahmaputra in Tibet (called Yarlung Tsangpo there) under 74 Tibetan medicine materials its recently announced 12th Five Year Plan. identified as endangered species The minister added two other important facts. First, she indicated that an earlier such power project at Zangmu, China Tibet News other than the proposed three, is a run-of-the-river type. August 12, 2015 Secondly their effects and significance cannot be judged at Aer the collecon and choice of endangered Tibetan the moment due to non-availability of data. medicine materials on southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) by Tibetan medicine experts, The minister’s statement, instead of clearing the air of botanists and some companies, 74 species are on the list confusion and apprehension, is however likely to cause of endangered Tibetan medicine, which are divided into more doubts. There is an exisng agreement between three levels for protecon. Besides, according to the India and China which covers exchange of hydrological demands of local pharmaceucal factory and markets data between the two countries on the Brahmaputra. Has from inside and outside TAR, theses endangered Tibetan this agreement fallen into disuse? Secondly, the said medicine species are further classified. projects being run-of-the-river type does not hold out any assurance because even these types of projects entail “The research of arficial culture will be carried out, which creaon of storage dams. is the most effecve way for endangered Tibetan medicine species protecon.”said Tashi Tsering, the director of the The aforemenoned hydro power projects will be located biology instute in Tibetan Hospital of ATR. The Tibetan at Dagu, Jiexu and Jiacha, all in the middle reaches of the Hospital will focus on the collecon of Tibetan medicine Brahmaputra. Another one at a place called Zangmu, seeds, the quality seeds control, the seeds breeding and whose existence was long denied by China but ulmately other research works. Besides, a variety of arficial culture conceded in 2010 aer repeated Indian protestaons, has will be aempted to promote culvaon. already been partly commissioned. In spite of Uma Bhar’s apparent calm and nonchalance in the Lok Sabha, It is reported from the Cheezheng Tibetan Medicine Co., doubt persists in New Delhi’s corridors of power. During LTD in Tibet that three kinds of Tibetan medicine bases– the me of the previous UPA government it was decided protecon base, wild nurturing base and Tibetan medicine that the ministries of defence, external affairs and the growing base were built. The protecng base mainly department of space would take up the maer jointly with conserves the producing areas of Tibetan medicine with China. Was it really done? An answer is necessary. biodiversity of Qinghai-Tibet plateau and lays the found bases for ensuring the sustainable development of Tibetan Ominous warnings are close at hand. On March 1, 2012, medicines. the river Siang (the local name of the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh) had run completely dry at a place

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !43 called Pasighat where it normally used to be very wide. Nepal quakes caused minimal Although the river picked up momentum later on, it has damage to Everest trails – study not yet aained its former virility.

Moreover, all the four hydro projects will be situated very F. World. August 7, 2015 close to each other and this complicates the maer further as large amounts of water will be stored within a KATHMANDU Most lodges and hiking trails near Mount narrow geographical expanse leading to the possibility of Everest suffered only minimal damage during two depriving northeastern India of not only water but also devastang earthquakes in Nepal this year, according to a the much-needed silt which makes the Assam plains government-commissioned report that will offer some ferle. There may also be floods in the region if China hope to a baered tourism industry. decides to arbitrarily release water from these dams The quakes struck Nepal in April and May, triggering during the monsoon. avalanches on the world’s highest mountain and killing How many hydroelectric dams has China been 8,900 people, including scores of foreign climbers and construcng in Tibet? There is a great divergence of trekkers. opinion on the maer. Some say the number adds up to “The majority of accommodaon structures and trails more than 100. However Jana Jagri, an Assam based have sustained minimal damage from the April and May NGO, thinks that 26 are coming up. According to its earthquakes,” said the report by California-based esmate, Assam will get 64 percent less water during the engineering firm Miyamoto Internaonal. monsoon season and 85 percent less water during in the The paper seen by Reuters on Thursday added that Nepal rest of the year due to China’s dam building acvies. must now carry out a detailed assessment of the region But the real cause of concern for India is the widespread aer the ongoing rainy season to manage further risks to report that China would construct a giant hydro power trekkers. project at a place called Medog which is very near the The government commissioned the report into the safety Great Bend, a great U turn which the mighty Brahmaputra of the Everest region and the Annapurna trekking circuit takes before entering India aer a 2,000-metre fall. It is aer Western insurance firms hiked premiums for slated to generate 38-49 gigawas of electricity, which is travellers aer the quakes. more than India’s installed hydro capacity of 33 gigawas. If it materialises, the dam will be twice as big as the Three Nepal’s tourist industry, which contributes about four Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river. That China is serious percent to the economy, could see a 40 percent decline on about the Medog plant is borne out by the development last year, officials have said. and upgradaon of the Bome-Medog highway, a kind of Around 140,000 trekkers and climbers visit the Annapurna infrastructural development which generally precedes circuit and Everest region every year, about 70 percent of beginning of such projects. There are reports that China all hikers to the country. has constructed two huge water reservoirs at the Great Bend area with storage capacies of 42 million and 31 million cubic metres. Tibet to strengthen eco- All these projects are situated in an earthquake-prone environmental protection by law area and very close to the geological fault line where the China Tibet Online Indian Plate collides with the Eurasian Plate. According to August 7, 2015 many experts, the massive earthquake in 2008 breaching Mulple measures will be taken to step up environmental parts of the Three Gorges Dam was caused by the protecon in Tibet, including the law. In future, all kinds of stupendous weight of water of the nearby Zipingpu Dam measures may be explored to take legal acons against which was just half-a-kilometre from the geological fault ecological violaons to protect public interests, Xinhua line. If such a catastrophe occurs again, vast areas of reported. Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will go under water. According to the People’s Procuratorate of the Tibet The crux of the problem is that there is no water sharing Autonomous Region, the procuratorial authority will seek treaty between India and China covering trans-naonal to establish a criminal jusce protecon mechanism for rivers and using the internaonal law that exisng usage ecological resources. The mechanism shall be based on of water will determine respecve shares of countries, prosecutor’s prosecuon funcons, integrate criminal Beijing has pushed New Delhi to the wall. India has only prosecuon resources, and focus on the comprehensive itself to blame. applicaon of such means as arrest, prosecuon, ligaon

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !44 supervision, and invesgaon and prevenon of job- “In the past, our rivers were crisp and clean, and the related crimes. mountains and valley were known for their natural “Tibet’s ecological resources have always been maintained beauty,” one Gyama resident told RFA in an earlier report. at a good level. A good ecological environment is in itself “Now the rivers are polluted with poisonous waste from an invaluable resource and the largest late-developing the mines,” he said. advantage enjoyed by Tibet,” Chief Procurator Zhang Operaons at one Gyama mine, scene of a catastrophic Peizhong said, “Strengthening judicial protecon of the landslide that killed 83 in March 2013, have already fouled ecological environment is a duty-bound responsibility of local water sources, experts say. the procuratorial authority, polically and legally.” The Fih Work Conference on Tibet made it very clear to build Tibet into a naonal ecological security barrier. Now Tibet has made eco-environmental protecon a boom China to deploy space-air-ground line or red line and incorporated it into the environmental sensors for environment protection performance assessment for 74 counes (or districts) within the region to make it remain a land of clear water Xinhua and azure sky. August 5, 2015 China will build a space-air-ground integrated sensing system to detect and stop polluon, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protecon Tuesday. Tibetans Fear New Mine is Planned China’s central authories decided in July to build a For Polluted Gyama Valley comprehensive ecological environment monitoring system that will have the ability for automac early warning using Radio Free Asia surveillance sites across the country. August 5, 2015 The ministry said it will retake the power of environmental Chinese road-building crews have begun cung a new monitoring from local authories, so that the country will track leading to Gyama Valley near Tibet’s regional capital have a unified standard for polluon detecon and Lhasa, leading to local fears that a new mine may soon be punishment. built in a region already heavily polluted by Chinese extracon operaons, sources say. A total of 2.5 billion yuan (402.8 million U.S.dollars) has already been invested to build the system, the ministry New mining in the area of the copper-rich Gyama said. township, which lies in the Tibet Autonomous Region’s Maldro Gongkar (in Chinese, Mozhugongka) county, could So far, there has been more than 2,700 surveillance sites begin as early as this month, a Tibetan living in exile told with 60,000 professional staff spread all over the country, RFA’s Tibetan Service. covering 338 cies. “Many workers have been seen busy on construcon in The ministry said it will also ulise satellites for remote the area,” RFA’s source said, cing local contacts. sensing and drones to conduct regular surveillance on air and water quality. Both government and privately owned mining companies have been acve in extracng ore from Gyama Valley in recent years, leading to frequent Tibetan protests over harm caused to the environment and local livestock, a second exile source said, also cing contacts in the area. Tibet hammers out major scheme for “What we are seeing now may be plans for a new mine [in wetland eco-compensation Gyama],” he said. China Tibet Online Tibet has become an important source of minerals needed August 4, 2015 for China’s economic growth, and Chinese mining The Tibet Autonomous Region formulated a three-year operaons in Tibet have oen led to widespread pilot scheme recently for ecological benefit compensaon environmental damage, including the polluon of water targeng key wetlands in Tibet to boost wetland ecological sources for both livestock and humans, experts say. conservaon and restoraon, China Tibet News reported. According to the Forestry Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region, the pilot scheme will tentavely run

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !45 from 2015 to 2017. The wetlands under the scheme, with a total area of about 412,000 hectares, spread across Other News three naonal nature reserves in three pilot counes – namely, the Serling Co Black-Necked Crane Naonal Nature Reserve, the Qomolangma Naonal Nature Reserve and the Black-Necked Crane Naonal Nature His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet Reserve in the middle reaches of Yarlung Zangbo River. denies Xi’s blame on economy To beer protect these wetlands, they are divided into Tibet Post Internaonal lake wetlands and non-lake wetlands (marsh wetlands and August 28, 2015 river wetlands) and a proper per capita management area Dharamshala — The spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness is used to assign keepers. the Dalai Lama has responded to the blame from the “The purpose of implemenng the eco-compensaon Chinese government on “Stock Market Crash,” connecng scheme is to let farmers and herdsmen benefit from it to the freedom struggle of Tibetan people. wetland conservaon and in turn promote wetland His Holiness the Dalai Lama has vehemently denied any conservaon and restoraon,” an official with the Forestry involvement in the ongoing troubles of the Chinese Department said. economy. “I am exiled in India, all I do is meditate and Also according to the Forestry Department, a conservaon pray. I barely read the newspaper, I find it hilarious that I period which begins in May and ends in October is am blamed for crashing the economy of a billion people” decided according to characteriscs of annual migraon of he told reporters with a large grin. wild birds as well as biological habits of other rare wildlife “Maybe President Xi Jinping is right aer all, since within the wetlands. Grazing and other human acvies everything is inmately connected in this universe, maybe are prohibited in the wetlands during the period. Farmers I am responsible for the Chinese market crash, and herdsmen who observe wetland conservaon will be earthquakes in South America and all the misery in the given a compensaon of 90 yuan per hectare per year. world” said the 80-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader with In addion to implement the wetland-wide conservaon, humour. grazing will be limited in some key parts of the wetlands President Xi Jinping announced that China will wage an under the scheme, which represent a total area of unceasing fight against the “economic terrorism” led by 16,438.2 hectares. Farmers and herdsmen within the His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetan separasts on the areas will be given a compensaon of 22.5 yuan per Chinese economy. hectare per year. Aer watching share prices tumble around 25 percent in a Grassy marshes within the project area have been lile more than a week, China’s president reassured degrading due to influence of natural climate condions, investors that “everything will be done to take care of the with the current grass coverage rates of some areas Tibetan problem” Xi acknowledged on August 25. dropping to below 20 percent. Tibet will work out a plan to enforce enclosure to wetlands whose degradaon “We will increase our fight against the Tibetan separast exerts major impact on producon and livestock grazing of acvies and the Dalai Lama menace” Xi was quoted as farmers and herdsmen to preserve and restore integrity saying yesterday. “Unl they stop their economic and stability of the wetland ecosystem, the source from terrorism against the Chinese people and their economy, Tibet’s Forestry Department said. China will fight an unswerving bale against these terrorists” he acknowledged on a naonwide television Tibet is home to 6.529 million hectares of wetlands in broadcast. total, accounng for 5.31 percent of China’s territory, ranking the second in the country. There are four wetland “The Dalai Lama, through his ongoing pursuit to destroy categories and 17 wetland types. The four categories of the Chinese economy through guerrilla taccs and wetlands are the lake wetland, the marsh wetland, the propaganda, is truly the greatest enemy of the Chinese river wetland and and man—made wetland,of which people” said the so called leading Chinese economist Liu 99.92 percent are natural. Huy Yang. “The Western world believes the Dalai Lama is a peace loving sect leader, but all he lives for is the destrucon of Chinese pride and naonalism” Yang told journalists.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !46 “The whole world hopes the Chinese regime is promising Leaders such as South Korea’s Park Geun-hye, who will more openness for possible reform and change, but aer aend the ceremonies but not the parade, have placed all the regime lives for is the destrucon of Tibetan strict limits on their parcipaon. cultural identy and violaon of fundamental rights – This week Japan announced that prime minister Shinzo freedom of speech and expression through terrorist taccs Abe would not take part, while the US embassy in Beijing in the past six decades,” said Mr Nyima T.J. leading Tibetan said on Tuesday that it would “make available informaon polical analyst and researcher, focusing on China’s Tibet about US parcipaon closer to the event”. policy. Britain has said it will send Kenneth Clarke, former jusce “The decades-old Communist regime founded by Mao is minister, as an envoy. Germany will be represented by its guilty of mass genocide against the Tibetan and Chinese ambassador. France will send Laurent Fabius, its foreign people,” Mr T.J. responded, adding, “maybe those minister. countries spotlight their fears and sense of the totalitarian Of UN Security Council members, only Russian president nature of Chinese regime, as there is a increasing sense of Vladimir Pun has confirmed his aendance, and a terror among the people and China now became an complement of Russian troops will march with Chinese enemy of the people, including Tibetans.” troops. Mr Pun hosted Mr Xi in May for Russia’s own victory parade, which was widely boycoed among global leaders because of the war in Ukraine. China to parade its weaponry on 70th The parade will include 12,000 Chinese soldiers who were anniversary of war’s end trained in precision marching by pracsing blindfolded in sand, with their steps measured for accuracy to the Financial Times nearest millimetre, according to military experts. August 25, 2015/ However, the star of the show will be the hardware on display. On Sunday J-15 fighter jets and Z-19 aack helicopters were visible over Beijing during a rehearsal in which 189 aircra filled the sky with plumes of coloured smoke and flew in formaon to display the number 70. Meanwhile, formaons of tanks and missile launchers rolled through the heart of the capital. China has not publicly confirmed what equipment will be included in the parade, and in rehearsals many advanced weapons have been concealed under tarpaulins. But experts expect that among them will be a truck-mounted version of the DF-41 interconnental missile, which carries China will next week make a public display of its weaponry mulple warheads and was tested earlier this year. in a military parade through the heart of Beijing, “I expect the featured weapon of the parade will be the highlighng its most modern tanks, missiles, fighter jets DF-41,” said Yue Gang, a former officer in the People’s and aack helicopters a fortnight before president Xi Liberaon Army. He said that while satellite images of the Jinping heads to Washington for talks. weapon had been published, this would be its first public On Tuesday, Beijing announced that 49 countries had display. agreed to send leaders or representaves to the Shao Yongling, a colonel at the PLA’s Second Arllery September 3 parade, which marks the 70th anniversary of Command College, told the Communist party-affiliated the end of the second world war. Global Times that Sunday’s rehearsal was the first me the China insists the event is a sincere aempt at healing and DF-21D “carrier killer” missile had been displayed in reconciliaon, but some countries suspect it is more an public. Many US experts say the US has no defence against exercise in drumbeang naonalism. With tanks set to roll the missile, which flies at up to 15 mes the speed of through symbolically resonant Tiananmen Square, site of sound and is aimed at destroying surface ships. the bloody 1989 massacre, many are either staying away On Tuesday China rejected charges that the parade or sending lower-level representaon. amounted to a flexing of muscles.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !47 “If someone says this is flexing anything, it is a flexing of Chinese authories had shut down the website on other the spirit of peace by the Chinese people,” said Zhang occasions as well, according to Free Tibet. Ming, deputy foreign minister. In February 2009, they had searched Tsephel’s home and Few are surprised Japan has elected to stay away from the seized his computer, mobile phone and other belongings, commemoraon, which is officially referred to by Chinese and took him into custody. state media as “victory day in the war against Japanese That November, the Intermediate People’s Court in Kanlho aggression”. sentenced him to 15 years in prison for “divulging state China insists Mr Abe’s apology this month for Japan’s secrets” during a closed-door trial. warme crimes was not repentant enough. Authories previously had detained and tortured Tsephel Mr Zhang said on Tuesday that the celebraon was not for two months in 1995 for his alleged involvement in directed against Tokyo. polical acvies, according to the Free Tibet website. “We have said me and again that this commemoraon Authories targeted many other contributors, especially does not target any third party or Japan or the Japanese Tibetans, who wrote arcles for the website and warned people”, he said. its owners about accepng reports that went against Chinese policy in Tibetan-populated areas, he said. The website carried news and other reports, both wrien and audio, as well as video stories, music and Chinese Authorities Force Tibetan contemporary wrings. Literary Website Offline Chinese authories heavily censor the Internet naonwide

Radio Free Asia under a wide variety of laws and administrave regulaons, especially in potenally volale areas. August 25, 2015 Chinese authories have shut down a website founded by They rounely suppress websites in the Tibetan language a group of young Tibetans that served as a forum for news as a way to maintain control over the region which has and literary wrings in the nave language of the seen sporadic demonstraons challenging Chinese since residents of Tibetan-populated regions of western China, a widespread protests swept the region in 2008. source inside the autonomous region said. Reported by Lhuboom for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Writer Kunchok Tsephel established the website in 2005 Translated by Karma Dorjee. Wrien in English by with his own money as a joint venture with young poet Roseanne Gerin. Kybchen Dedrol in Machu (in Chinese, Maqu) county of Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu province, according to the Tibetan source and informaon China-based APT groups hackers on the website of the nonprofit, nongovernmental target India for secret information organisaon Free Tibet. The Wire Authories closed down the website called Choemei (also August 24, 2015 spelled Chodme), or “Buer Lamp” in Tibetan, on August Several hackers from China have been suspected to hack 18. It was one of the oldest Tibetan websites promong informaon from Indian instuons in search of private culture and literature. informaon. These hackers were detected around the “The concerned Chinese authories instructed the owner month of April before the visit of the PM to China and of the website to re-register with China’s Department of they are sll seen to be conducng hacking acvies. Communicaons,” the Tibetan source inside the The group has been seen to target phishing emails that autonomous region said, referring to the body that contain Microso word aachments. The hackers intend regulates telecommunicaons, postal services, to collect informaon on Indian security and polics and broadcasng and print media. they have been sending phishing emails to the intending The owner of the website apologised to all readers for the vicms which contain virus due to which they can also abrupt withdrawal of the arcles on the website, he said. hack into infected computers and steal informaon. “Many readers expressed their disappointment at being Stealing informaon has now become the main target for deprived of their news and access to the website,” he said. the Chinese hackers. The Chinese hackers are seen to be from the APT groups. There have been many such hacking incidents and now

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !48 India needs to take a strong hold on the security of its Koirala expressed gratude to the Chinese side for helping private informaon. The PM has also stressed the needs of the country reopen the Araniko highway, which links the strong security as well as protecon which will restrict two naons but was blocked due to the landslides hackers from hacking into computers. triggered deadly earthquakes. The hackers have been targeng at government as well as The next meeng of the Nepal-Tibet Trade Facilitaon private instuons, schools and educaonal instuons, Commiee will be held in Tibet in 2016, officials said. diplomac as well as scienfic instuons for any kind of informaon. Chinese hackers targeting Sino-India border dispute: Report

Nepal, China agree to establish three The Tribune additional trading points/ August 21, 2015 Beijing, August 21 Chinese hackers are believed to be Shanghaidaily.com Aug 22,2015 snooping on informaon related to the Sino-India border dispute and Tibetan exile groups in India since 2012, a US- KATHMANDU, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — Nepal and China on based cyber-security firm has claimed. Saturday agreed to establish three addional trading points in view of boosng trade between the two The hackers were detected in April ahead of Prime countries. Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in May and they are sll conducng aacks, cyber-security firm FireEye The two countries reached an agreement in this regard said. during the sixth meeng of China’s Tibet and Nepal Trade Facilitaon Commiee in Kathmandu, Nepal’s Ministry of One advanced team has been zeroing in on organisaons Commerce and Supplies said in a press statement on there to steal informaon related to border disputes and Saturday. Tibetan exile groups, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted a FireEye statement as saying. As per the deal, the two sides will carry out a feasibility study soon in a bid to establish three new trading points in “Over the past four years, this threat group has (targeted) Gorkha, Dolakha and Mugu, which are Nepal’s bordering over 100 vicms, approximately 70 per cent of which were districts with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. in India,” it said. The proposed border points between the two countries In April, FireEye had reported that a separate Chinese are Chhekampar and Larke areas of Gorkha District, hacking team, APT30, had been spying on governments Lamabagar area of Dolakha District and Mugu District on and businesses in Southeast Asia and India uninterrupted the Nepali side. for a decade, echoing claims made by researchers at US firm McAfee in 2011. “Six trading points — Olangchugola, Kimathanka, Tatopani, Rasuwagadhi, Mustang and Yari — were opened between China had refuted it strongly such allegaons in April. the two countries in the past. Now we have decided to “I want to stress that the Chinese government firmly bans establish three new trading points,” Joint Secretary at the and crackdown on all forms of hacker aacks,” Chinese Nepal’s Ministry of Commerce Jibaraj Koirala who led the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei had said in Nepali delegaon in the meeng told Xinhua. response to the allegaons by FireEye. The two-day meeng also decided to accelerate The new report said the APT hacker group “also targeted renovaon of Nepal-China customs points — Khasa and Tibetan acvists and others in Southeast Asia, with a focus Rashuwagadhi — which were devastated by April 25 on governmental, diplomac, scienfic and educaonal earthquake and ensuing aershocks. organisaons.” At the meeng, the Chinese side expressed readiness to China has viewed Tibetan groups in India with suspicion complete the construcon of Larcha Dry port at the ever since the Dalai Lama fled China in 1959 to establish earliest as per the agreement reached between the two the Central Tibetan Administraon, more commonly countries. known as the Tibetan government-in-exile, in Dharamsala. Reiterang China’s commitment in Nepal’s rebuilding Unrest in China’s Tibetan autonomous region in the run- process, head of the 10-member Chinese delegaon up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics led to a crackdown by assured the Nepali officials that China would connue to Chinese authories and protests by Tibetan groups in provide assistance to Nepal. India, Europe and North America.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !49 A spate of self-immolaons in the Himalayan province in Hacks were detected in the run-up to the first state visit to 2012 spurred another security crackdown. China by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April, Over 130 Tibetans commied self immolaons in recent and the group is likely sll conducng aacks, FireEye said. years, according to overseas Tibetan groups. “Over the past four years, this threat group has [targeted] China has long been accused of spying on Tibetan groups over 100 vicms, approximately 70 per cent of which were in India, including the Tibet government-in-exile and the in India,” it said in a statement. Dalai Lama, the Post report said. It “also targeted Tibetan acvists and others in Southeast In 2009, researchers at the Informaon Warfare Monitor, a Asia, with a focus on governmental, diplomac, scienfic Canadian NGO, accused Chinese hacking groups of and educaonal organisaons.” breaking into computers at Tibetan government-in-exile Beijing has viewed Tibetan groups in India with suspicion organisaons in London, New York and Dharamsala. ever since the Dalai Lama fled China in 1959 to establish “Malware aacks against ethnic minority groups in China the Central Tibetan Administraon, more commonly including Tibetans and Uygurs, and religious groups such known as the Tibetan government-in-exile, in Dharamsala. as Falun Gong, go back to at least 2002, and possibly Unrest in China’s Tibetan autonomous region in the run- earlier,” according to the University of Toronto’s Cizen up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics led to a crackdown by Lab, which monitors cybersecurity issues. Chinese authories and protests by Tibetan groups in While pinpoinng the culprits for any given hack aack India, Europe and North America. A spate of self- can be very difficult, FireEye experts told the Post that, at immolaons in the Himalayan province in 2012 spurred least in terms of the latest campaign, all signs pointed to another security crackdown. China. China has previously been accused of spying on Tibetan They said the aackers were “well-resourced, with long- organisaons overseas in an apparent aempt to stave off term objecves”, and conducted operaons around the future unrest at home. clock, indicang high levels of discipline and funding. In April, FireEye reported that a separate Chinese hacking The malware used also pointed to China. team, APT30, had been spying on governments and businesses in Southeast Asia and India uninterrupted for a “Collecng intelligence on India remains a key strategic decade, echoing claims made by researchers at US firm goal for China-based APT groups,” Bryce Boland, FireEye McAfee in 2011. chief technology officer for Asia-Pacific said. “These aacks on India and its neighbouring countries reflect growing interest in (India’s) foreign affairs,” he was quoted by the Post as saying. — PTI

Chinese hackers spying on Tibetan groups in India for years, experts say

South China Morning Post August 21, 2015

Cybersecurity firm says hackers on the mainland have Chinese military personnel guard a street in the Tibetan capital of targeted Tibetan exile groups for at least four years, claim Lhasa in 2012 as China stepped up security in the province aer a long denied by Beijing. series of self-immolaons by protesters. Photo: AP Chinese hackers are believed to have targeted Tibetan China has always denied involvement in such operaons. exile groups in India that Beijing views as a threat for at “The Chinese government firmly opposes hacking aacks; least four years, despite China denying any official this posion is consistent and clear,” foreign ministry involvement in hacking. spokesman Hong Lei said aer the April report. One advanced team has been zeroing in on organisaons China has long been accused of spying on Tibetan groups there to steal informaon related to border disputes and in India, including the Tibet government-in-exile and the Tibetan exile groups, according to cybersecurity firm Dalai Lama. FireEye. In 2009, researchers at the Informaon Warfare Monitor, a Canadian NGO, accused Chinese hacking groups of

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !50 breaking into computers at Tibetan government-in-exile Indian pilgrims finish journey to organisaons in London, New York and Dharamsala. Tibet “Malware aacks against ethnic minority groups in China including Tibetans and Uygurs, and religious groups such ShanghaiDaily.com Aug 20,2015 as Falun Gong, go back to at least 2002, and possibly earlier,” according to the University of Toronto’s Cizen LHASA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — The last batch of 51 Indian Lab, which monitors cybersecurity issues. pilgrims le Tibet using the recently opened Nathu La Pass on Thursday morning, marking the end of this year’s pilgrimage. The newly opened mountain pass links India’s Sikkim State to the sacred Mount Kangriboqe and Mapam Yumco Lake in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. China has allowed Indian pilgrims to use the Nathu La Pass since June 22. The first group of 43 pilgrims returned to India on July 3 aer their journey. A total of 240 indian pilgrims entered Tibet through Nathu La Pass this year, said Li Wenbin, who works for the Flames shoot from a jeep aer it crashed into the barrier of a froner inspecon staon. bridge at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 2013, killing three Ravinder Kumar Sharma, from New Delhi, who was among people inside the vehicle and two tourists. China billed it a the last batch, said,” [I]finally saw the sacred mountain terrorist aack by ethnic Uygurs. Photo: SCMP Pictures and lake and I’ve fulfilled my dream. I thank China’s warm Uygurs are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group in the far welcome and recepon.” western Chinese province of Xinjiang. Some complain of Chinese authories have built shelters at four resng discriminaon in favour of Han Chinese. Others have been points, which provided welcome breaking points for the accused of “terrorist” acvity by Beijing, including one pilgrims as they adapted to the high altude. The Nathu La incident in 2013 when a jeep loaded with knives and scks Pass sits 4,545 meters above sea level. crashed in Tiananmen Square, killing five people. The government also set up a recepon center by Mapam While pinpoinng the culprits for any given hack aack Yumco Lake where a kitchen, bathroom, blankets and can be very difficult, FireEye experts told the Post that, at souvenirs are provided. A four-star hotel has been opened least in terms of the latest campaign, all signs pointed to at the foot of Mount Kangrinboqe. China. The opening of the pass will promote people-to-people They said the aackers were “well-resourced, with long- exchanges and improve es between China and India, said term objecves”, and conducted operaons around the Le Yucheng, Chinese ambassador to India, who completed clock, indicang high levels of discipline and funding. The the journey with the first group of pilgrims. malware used also pointed to China. The new route shortens the pilgrimage from more than 20 “Collecng intelligence on India remains a key strategic days to about eight to 12 days. goal for China-based APT groups,” said Bryce Boland, FireEye chief technology officer for Asia-Pacific. Pilgrims to Ngari Prefecture tradionally climb over the Qang La Pass, which sits 5,200 meters above sea level on “These aacks on India and its neighbouring countries the China-India-Nepal border. The road is steep and reflect growing interest in [India’s] foreign affairs.” usually covered by snow. According to Indian media, around 250 Indians, in five groups of 50, will travel to Tibet along the new route this year. Another 18 groups of 60 will undertake the pilgrimage along the old route. Completely closed for more than 40 years, it was reopened in 2006, but for trade only. The Chinese government first allowed Indians to make pilgrimages to Tibet in 1981. China has welcomed almost 80,000 Indian pilgrims in the past decade alone.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !51 China and India have been strengthening their relaonship Ethnic games conclude in Inner lately. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China Mongolia in May, following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to New Delhi last year. Xinhua August 18, 2015

Independence Day celebrated by Indian, Chinese troops in Arunachal

A performance at the closing ceremony of the ethnic games in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. (Photo/CNS) China’s ethnic games concluded on Monday, wrapping up the nine-day compeon and folk-style sports demonstraon in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. Ni Central Some 6,240 athletes from all 56 recognised ethnic groups August 18, 2015 in China competed or performed in nearly 200 tradional Indian and Chinese troops jointly celebrated the country’s sporng events with 188 first prizes, 472 second prizes 69th Independence Day at Bumla in Arunachal Pradesh on and 496 third prizes being awarded instead of medals, August 15. which put cultural exchanges and mutual understanding ahead of the results of the events. Bumla, located at a height of about 15,000 in Arunachal Pradesh, has been a witness to many border personnel The 34 delegaons allowed an exclusive experience to meengs in the past, a defence communiqué said here spectators with their unique ethnic-style tradional today. sports. The tournament is much like a fashion show and tradional culture exhibion than sports compeon. A warm welcome was extended by the Indian delegaon leader Brigadier D S Kushwah to the Chinese delegaon. Ma Yanlin of the Miao ethnic group in Guizhou province dressed in a Miao tradional costume to aend a culture The event commenced with the hoisng of naonal flags exchange program in the middle of the games. She wore a and rendion of naonal anthems of both the countries, one-meter-high hat and magnificent tradional dress followed by welcome addresses by both the delegaon which was decorated with many silver accessories and leaders. other ornaments. A cultural programme was held for the vising Chinese “Not quite like the other sports events, the ethnic games delegaon followed by social interacon. The event are much more a culture feat and tradional fesval to witnessed parcipaon of women and children from both me,” said the 22-year-old, whose silver accessories sides. combined for a weight of more than seven kilograms, A dance was performed by the Monpa tribe and students swinging and jingling like a music instrument. from Tawang. Indian troops performed Bhangra and Gatka With its 62-year history, the quadrennial games served as which was lauded by the Chinese. a get-together party for the country’s 56 ethnic groups Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to strengthen and has played a key role in keeping mulple tradional friendship and maintain peace and tranquillity along the sports alive. border. In November 1953, nearly 400 athletes from China’s (then Both delegaon leaders appreciated the growing trust and recognised) 13 ethnic groups parcipated in the inaugural harmony between the two countries and were sanguine ethnic games in Tianjin, taking part in compeons such that Indo–-China relaonship would connue to grow in the future, the communiqué said.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !52 as weightliing, boxing, wrestling and a couple of Introduction to the nature, evolution tradional sports. and achievement of the middle-way- The first ethnic games lasted five days and aracted a total policy of 120,000 spectators. It was also the first ever mulple- sport event in the world’s most populous country. Some 29 years passed however before the event took The Department of Informaon and Internaonal place again, this me in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Relaons, (DIIR) Central Tibetan Administraon Mongolia, in 1982, where 55 ethnic groups parcipated, To read the full report click here: hp://fnvaworld.org/? excluding the ethnic Han Chinese majority. p=17275 Since 1991, the ethnic games have become a quadrennial event, featuring ethnic sports and characteriscs of the country’s ethnic minories, who account for almost 9% of US government to China: “We see the country’s total populaon of 1.3 billion people. tremendous problems in Tibet”

The ethnic games offers an opportunity for people from Tibet Post Internaonal China’s rural and border areas to present their speciales 14 August 2015 as well. In 2007, Tibetan athlete Dahi traveled on a train Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights for the first me in his life aer being selected by the and Labor Tom Malinowski briefs reporters following the Gansu delegaon to aend the eighth ethnic games in U.S.-China Human Rights Dialogue at the U.S. Department Guangzhou, one of the largest and most prosperous of State in Washington, D.C., on August 13, 2015. Photo: provinces in China. State Department The Tibetan herdsman, born on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, Dharamshala — “We see tremendous problems in Tibet,” barely slept during his 36-hour trip because he didn’t want US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human to miss any of the scenery along the way. Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski said during a special Tradional sports can be expressions of both skill and joy. briefing on Wednesday, in Washington DC. Thanks to the games, many ethnic tradions can be “We also urged greater access to Tibetan areas by preserved even if they no longer play a major role in day- diplomats and journalists on the basis of reciprocity,” he to-day life. said, while briefing on the 19th round of the U.S.-China Single bamboo driing, which originated in Guizhou Human Rights Dialogue. province and once served as a local transportaon The US has pressed hard on human rights issues including method, was introduced to the games as a tle event four religious freedom and deteriorang situaon in Tibet, years ago. Athletes need to stand on a seven-meter-long while recognising the issue of Tibet as a priority of US bamboo pole and use a much thinner bamboo in hands as government policy. an oar to glide on water. During a day-long US-China dialogue on human rights, the There are 17 tle events in the games, including a dragon- US pressed China on a number of human rights issues boat race, slt race, board shoe race, equestrian, swing, including the recent crackdown on lawyers and increasing shulecock kick, Huapao (which bears similaries to tension in the Tibetan areas, Malinowski said. rugby), ethnic maral arts, yajia (ethnic-style one-on-one He said these issues will feature very prominently in Xi’s tug of war), and bowl (which bears similaries to hockey). meeng with President Barack Obama in September. Athletes from the majority Han ethnic group are allowed “Today’s meengs also help set the stage – and this is to parcipate in team events are allowed to make up up to very, very important – for the upcoming state visit in one third of the squad. September of Chinese President Xi Jinping, where human The ethnic games priorises cultural exchanges, ethnic rights will be very prominently addressed.” interacon and mutual understanding more than “We suggested that China could reduce tensions in compeon, recognising and upholding culture Tibetan areas by renewing dialogue with the Dalai Lama or differences and ethnic features. his representaves and by respecng the religious The next ethnic games will be held in Zhengzhou, the pracces of Tibetan Buddhists, like their ability to select capital of central China’s Henan province, in 2019. reincarnate lamas or to handle the deceased with proper rituals, Malinowski said.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !53 “It’s [Tibet] absolutely a priority, and I menoned it in my acvists, and their family members being detained, opening statement,” when asked whether or not the issue quesoned, interrogated, or held incommunicado.,” he of Tibet is a top priority for US when it comes to China. said, adding: “many are sll in custody, many reportedly “We see tremendous problems in Tibet,” Malinowski said have been denied access to defense counsel. during the special press briefing, when asked his “Some have been forced to make televised confessions, “assessment of human rights situaon in Tibet.” acons as we explained today that run contrary to China’s “But I think in this [Tibet] case, probably the best advice I own criminal procedure law.” would have to you is to look at our recently released “We called for the immediate release of lawyers sll being Human Rights Report, which gives the full assessment of held and charged with crimes including Wang Yu, Zhou the wide range of problems.” Shifeng, Li Heping, and Liu Xiaoyuan, among others,” he “The dialogue gave us a chance to convey in advance of stressed. that visit the growing sense of alarm in the US about “We also discussed other prominent cases of aorneys human rights developments in China and to stress the and legal acvists who have been detained or imprisoned importance of making specific improvements in keeping for peaceful acvies,” he said. with China’s own laws and internaonal commitments,” He further added: The Chinese leadership’s recent fourth Malinowski said. plenum emphasised ruling the country according to law, “The recent deterioraon of the human rights situaon but it is hard to have rule of law when lawyers are and the Chinese Government’s increasing emphasis in its arrested for defending their clients or when the rhetoric and its laws on fighng what it calls, “cultural government equates arguing a case in court with, quote, infiltraon and Western influence” raises serious “creang a disturbance” or “picking a quarrel” – two of quesons whether China remains on a long-term path the vague offenses under which lawyers and others have towards greater openness and integraon with the world been prosecuted. or has begun to turn inward,” he said. “Rule of law means that when there is a conflict between This trend harms the interests of the Chinese people most the primacy of the law and the preferences of the state, of all given China’s importance and influence is of great law takes precedence,” he added, saying “In China, the concern to the internaonal community as a whole, he opposite appears increasingly to be the case.” said. “In China, as in any other country, when legal avenues to Malinowski acknowledged that the Chinese delegaon resolve grievances are closed, those grievances don’t go raised the issue of recent police aacks on certain secons away; they build up and the likelihood of social unrest and of the society in the US. instability increases,” Malinowski said. “They did raise a couple of issues, although I have to say that the vast majority of the conversaon concerned events in China. They raised, for example, the recent incidents of police violence. US Senators to Obama: Raise Tibet “The Ferguson case was raised briefly and I actually human rights issues with Xi thought this was quite interesng because they said ‘We The Echo of India all saw that on TV’ and my response, without in any way 12 Aug 2015 diminishing the seriousness of the problem that we are Ten powerful Senators have asked US President Barack facing in the US, was, ‘Exactly, you saw it on TV because Obama to raise concern with his Chinese counterpart Xi the Chinese state media was able to be in Ferguson and to Jinping over human rights condions in China, parcularly cover those events nonstop from start to finish,” on the issues of Tibetan lamas, when the two leaders Malinowski said. meet here in September. “The internaonal media does not have that kind of “We understand that there are many important issues in access in China when there is violence, in Tibet or Xinjiang the US-China bilateral relaonship we expect that China’s or in other parts of the country. Nor, I would add, did the recent acons in the East and South China Seas, economic US Government arrest the lawyers of Michael Brown or and trade issues, climate change, as well as the recent people who took video footage of the police violence,” he cyberaacks, will figure prominently in your discussions,” said. the Senators wrote in a leer to Obama on Tuesday. “We discussed the Chinese Government’s crackdown on lawyers, which has resulted in over 250 aorneys,

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !54 “While these issues deserve a full and robust exchange of 2. Human Rights views, so too do human rights…Mr President, we The Olympics Games will “benefit the further recognise that managing the US-China relaonship is an development of our human rights cause,” said Liu Qi, enormous and complex task. We firmly believe that a full Mayor of Beijing. and frank discussion of our concerns regarding human But contrary to these claims, torture, arbitrary detenon, rights and civil society in China would serve to strengthen and reeducaon through labor increased. In the months our relaonship,” the Senators wrote in the leer released before the Olympics, the Chinese Communist Party to the press. imprisoned hundreds of dissidents. When Tibetan riots Xi will visit the White House next month where Obama and demonstraons erupted in March of 2008, the will host him over a State Dinner. Chinese regime cracked down on the protesters, detaining The leer was signed by Senators Ben Cardin, John thousands and killing hundreds, while prevenng McCain, Pat Leahy, Kelly Ayoe, Sherrod Brown, Tom journalists from entering affected regions, according to Coon, Tammy Baldwin, Susan Collins, Robert Menendez Tsering Woeser, a Tibetan acvist. and John Cornyn. The Chinese regime also intensified the suppression of In the leer, the Senators hoped that the President’s Falun Gong, authorising hundreds of illegal arrests across administraon would connue to urge China to end the China, according to Minghui.org, a website carrying “harassment, detenon, and other mistreatment of firsthand reports of the persecuon. And praconers in individuals” who seek to peacefully pracce their religion, Beijing labor camps were relocated elsewhere to avoid and express their views or seek legal redress. media scruny. “In parcular, we hope that you will emphasise to The U.S. Congress’s Human Rights Caucus issued a President Xi that China should respect the basic and statement in early July 2008 that “strongly condemned” universally recognised right of religious freedom, to the Chinese regime’s crackdown on the Uyghurs, China’s include refraining from persecuon of Falun Gong Muslim minority. Congressman Frank Wolf said, “The praconers and from interference in the centuries-old Chinese government should not be permied to use the system of recognising reincarnate Tibetan Buddhist ‘war on terror’ or Olympic security as a front to persecute lamas,” he said. (PTI) the Uighurs.” 3. Displacements and Evicons In 2002, the Chinese regime pledged in a Beijing Olympics Acon Plan to pay “special aenon” to conserving Looking Back: 4 Broken Promises of buildings in old Beijing, a historic neighbourhood of the Beijing 2008 Olympics famous “hutong” alleyways. But authories disregarded

Epoch Times their pledge, demolishing homes and evicng residents to August 5, 2015 make way for new infrastructure. According to the Centre on Housing Rights and Evicons, over a million Beijing In the 2001 bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, residents were displaced and denied proper compensaon the Chinese regime made grand promises to quell outcries or access to legal recourse about its human rights violaons and environmental abuses. But in the years that followed, the Chinese 4. Air Polluon Communist Party broke them all. The Chinese regime pledged that by 2008, air polluon 1. Press Freedom levels would meet the standards of the World Health Organisaon. “We will give the media complete freedom to report when they come to China” said Wang Wei, Secretary General of But Steven Andrews, an environmental consultant in the Beijing Olympic Bid Commiee. Beijing, told the Washington Post that air quality was actually worse in 2007 than in 2001. Chinese authories But to prevent negave coverage, many foreign journalists only succeeded in reducing air polluon during the were refused entry into China. The ones that were allowed Olympics through short-term measures like closing in found that sites like those involving Tibet, the factories, halng construcon, and keeping half the city’s Tiananmen Square massacre, or the persecuted spiritual cars off the road. group of Falun Gong, remained blocked. Reporters who aempted to publicise these sensive issues were detained and their reports suppressed.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !55 Chinese cyber espionage group They didn’t connect the group to the Chinese government, hacked base but most Chinese cyber groups are considered by industry experts to be working for Beijing. CNN Not only were they able to break into the companies, but August 5, 2015 were able to steal sensive data, as well. Washington (CNN): A highly trained group of Chinese Hackworth couldn’t reveal any names of the vicms, but hackers is targeng defense, commercial and polical said researchers personally observed more than 100 organisaons worldwide, pulling off sophiscated heists of watering hole traps on websites worldwide and idenfied sensive informaon, according to new research out 50 targets in the U.S. and U.K. He esmated what Dell Wednesday. could monitor was only a sliver of what the group was Though Chinese cyber espionage has been well- accomplishing. documented, researchers from Dell SecureWorks Counter “I would go as far as to say that the amount and type of Threat Unit — a division of Dell tech company — say this data that was stolen is of concern both to our industrial group, nicknamed Emissary Panda by another research base and our defense programs,” Hackworth said. firm, has pulled off cyberaacks at a level of sophiscaon Once the groups managed to make an inial foray into an and specialisaon rarely seen before among Chinese organisaon’s networks, within hours they were able to hackers. access credenals that gave them “full run of the place,” “In the instances we were able to observe them, they had Hackworth said. They would then spend days or weeks very specific organisaons and projects in mind that they making detailed lists of everything on the network that were pursuing, and the broad spectrum of industry might have value, returning finally to take only a select vercals they targeted indicated they were more of a few items. surgical tool used to take specific things from specific It was that precision, combined with a sophiscated organisaons, rather than the smash and grab, take organisaonal structure, that makes researchers believe everything type,” said Aaron Hackworth, Dell SecureWorks they are dealing with a group that is the best of the best. senior disnguished engineer. “It almost feels like they were tasked for specific things,” The research contradicts the convenonal noon of Hackworth said, adding that even aer the hackers were Chinese cyber thieves, who are typically described as discovered and kicked out of networks, they found a way taking everything they can get their hands on. back in. “The tenacity of these groups is something oen “I liken them a bit to a drunk burglar,” FBI Director James overlooked in these reports; they don’t stop. If you’re a Comey said of China’s hacking groups in a “60 Minutes” target of interest, that interest doesn’t stop when you interview. “They’re kicking in the front door, knocking over wipe the malware off the computers. … They’re going to the vase, while they’re walking out with your television connue to pursue it regardless of what the defenders set. They’re just prolific. Their strategy seems to be: We’ll do.” just be everywhere all the me. And there’s no way they can stop us.” The group has been spoed before in 2013, turning the website of the Russian embassy in Washington and a Spanish defense firm into what’s called a watering hole aack — where the hackers turn the website against visitors to it to spread their malicious soware. Since then, Dell researchers have observed the hackers aacking a wide range of targets, including major U.S. defense contractors, aerospace firms, automakers, the energy sector, law firms handling sensive business deals and polical targets — including ethnic minories in China. That last target, combined with the hours the group operates, the parcular malicious soware it uses and the use of search engine Baidu all give researchers a high degree of confidence the culprits are Chinese, Dell said.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !56 Ling Jihua’s brother could become Chengdu back in 2012, and potenally even more China’s Snowden: Duowei explosive than the documents on US government surveillance released by former CIA contractor Edward Want China Times Snowden in 2013. August 5, 2015 In fact, if the claims of seeking polical asylum are true, Ling Wancheng could become China’s own version of Snowden, Duowei added. Duowei’s asserons have been backed up by the New York Times, which published a report earlier this week claiming that China is demanding that the US government return Ling Wancheng. Cing several US officials familiar with the case, the report said that Ling Wancheng may be in possession of “embarrassing informaon” about current and former officials loyal to Chinese president Xi Jinping, and that he could become “one of the most damaging defectors” in the history of the People’s Republic of China should Ling Wancheng, who also goes by the name of Wang Cheng and polical asylum be granted. Jason Ling. (Internet photo) It is not doubted by US officials that Ling Wancheng is The fate of disgraced former presidenal aide Ling Jihua currently in the US, where he and his wife bought a may sll be up in the air due to a major bargaining chip luxurious property in the small Californian town of Loomis held by his brother Ling Wancheng, who remains in hiding from NBA player Beno Udrih for US$2.5 million in in the United States and is rumoured to be seeking September 2013. polical asylum, reports Duowei News, a US-based Christopher Johnson, a former CIA analyst focusing on Chinese polical news outlet. China, told the New York Times that Chinese leaders might The 58-year-old Ling Jihua, best known as the polical want Ling Wancheng’s assistance in prosecung his older “fixer” of former president Hu Jintao, was placed under brother, but more importantly, to prevent the “treasure invesgaon for “suspected serious disciplinary violaon” trove” of knowledge he has about Chinese polics from last December and expelled from the Communist Party on being divulged to US officials. “The leadership would want July 20 aer being found to have violated polical rules, this guy badly. There’s no queson that he would have abusing his power, accepng huge bribes and obtaining a access to a lot of interesng things,” Johnson said. significant amount of party and state “core secrets.” In The report said Beijing has been raising pressure on addion, he was found to have commied adultery with a Washington in recent months to return Ling Wancheng, number of women and traded his power for sex. whose absence from a list released by Chinese authories While Ling Jihua has yet to be convicted by a court of law, containing the names of 40 fugives believed to be hiding an official announcement of this kind from an-gra in the US indicates just how delicate the situaon is for the authories in China typically signifies that his fate has Communist Party. already been sealed. Duowei believes, however, that there The case is said to be further straining relaons between could sll be developments in the case because his the two countries ahead of Xi’s planned state visit to the youngest brother Ling Wancheng is said to be in US in September, especially aer it was revealed last possession of so-called “core secrets” he surrepously month that US officials believe Chinese government accumulated over the 15 years he spent in the Communist hackers had stolen personnel files of millions of US Party’s General Office. government workers and contractors. According to Duowei, Ling Wancheng remains in hiding in As of now, the charges against Ling Jihua are sufficient to the US and is using the classified documents to threaten earn him the death penalty, Duowei said. While is unlikely the Chinese government into releasing his brother. There that Ling Jihua will be able to escape prison from here, the are suggesons that the informaon in Ling Wancheng’s severity of his punishment could very well depend on possession is far more sensive and important than that whether Beijing is able to get its hands on his brother, handed over by disgraced former Chongqing police chief Duowei added, nong that if polical asylum is granted Wang Lijun — currently serving a 15-year prison sentence — during his aempted defecon at the US consulate in

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !57 the situaon will turn from a simple corrupon case into In his message, Li said China and Nepal have been one involving naonal security. developing their es on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. China-Nepal relaons have become a model for equal treatment and friendly coexistence between big and small Chinese police repair damaged countries, he added. highway inside Nepal The Chinese side always supports Nepal’s efforts in

Press Trust of India | Beijing safeguarding naonal independence, sovereignty and August 5, 2015 territorial integrity, and highly appreciates its adherence to the one-China policy, he said. The 100 Chinese police officers, who entered the Nepalese territory via Tibet aer the China-Nepal Highway was The premier said China is willing to work with Nepal to blocked by a landslide, have cleared the 30-kilometre keep promong their comprehensive cooperave stretch of the vital himalayan route. partnership for generaons to higher levels. The officers entered Nepal from Tibet on Saturday to help For his part, Koirala described China as a trustworthy repair the rain-ravaged highway at the request of the friendly neighbour, close friend and reliable development Nepal government. partner to Nepal, saying his country firmly scks to the one-China policy. The part of the highway on the Nepalese side is 114- kilometre long and was ravaged by days of heavy rainfall. He also thanked China for its support and help for Nepal’s social and economic development. The Nepalese Army had said that a joint team from the two countries would clear the blocked Tatopani- The prime minister voiced his belief that the two Khadichaur stretch of the highway within 20 days, state- countries’ friendly cooperaon will be further run Xinhua news agency reported today. strengthened during Nepal’s reconstrucon aer the devastang earthquakes in April. China has dispatched 100 Chinese People’s Armed Police Force officers for repair of the highway, a vital route for trade for the local people. The 943-km China-Nepal Highway connects Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China, with the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. It was put into use in July 1965. Commentaries Heavy rainfall have led to mudslides and blocked traffic at several areas in recent days in Nepal. Chinese armed transport police entered Nepal for the first How the once-thriving commerce on me in early May to carry out relief work aer a massive the India-China border dried up earthquake struck the himalayan country on April 25. About 9,000 people were killed in the quake. Quartz India Kai Friese August 31, 2015 In early August, the Indian prime minister addressed Chinese, Nepalese PMs Exchange anxious quesons in parliament regarding the impact of Congratulations on Anniversary of the recent downturn in the Chinese market. Ties Indian exports, he confirmed, had declined precipitously to a third of last year’s figures, and imports too were Xinhua down by more than 30%. As the New York Times reported, August 1, 2015 the prime minister agreed that “Indian traders were being Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday exchanged put to considerable harassment by Chinese authories congratulatory messages with his Nepalese counterpart, and that Peiping was violang the terms of the accord.” Sushil Koirala, to mark the 60th anniversary of the That’s right, ‘Peiping’: this was in August 1959, aer all. establishment of diplomac relaons between their two countries.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !58 The commerce Jawaharlal Nehru was referring to was the Here’s the tactic that makes China’s overland trade with Tibet, worth some $525,000 in 1958. espionage activities are so effective It comprised mostly of Tibetan wool and a wide range of Indian manufactured goods from cloth and cigarees to Business Insider India dismantled trucks and jeeps for the Chinese army, hauled Jeremy Bender over the Himalayan passes between Lhasa and the Indian August 18, 2015 town of Kalimpong, popularly known as the “Harbour of As the US sll aempts to formulate a response to China’s Tibet.” massive hack of the US government’s Office of Personnel Come August 2015, Beijing’s economic policies are Management – a breach that affected some 22 million headline news in New Delhi again in the wake of the people, including federal employees with security devaluaon of the yuan and the precipitous fall in Chinese clearances – the massive size and scope of Beijing’s stocks, which triggered an alarming 6% crash in India’s intelligence gathering operaons connues to come into own BSE Sensex and a two-year low in the value of the focus. rupee. Unlike other naons, China uses a broad array of both To be sure, the effects of China’s “Black Monday” have professional and cizen spies to gather data, Peter Mas been felt not just in India—but across the globe. And explains for War On The Rocks. other than the fact that the events of both August 1959 As Mas describes it, the first level of Chinese and August 2015 diminished many Indian fortunes, they intelligence-gathering resembles that of just about any express such different realies that they might as well other government. A Ministry of State Security carries out have occurred on different planets. surveillance of targets within China and monitors potenal Perhaps they have. The world is indeed a very different threats, while the Ministry of Public Security has control place today. China is now India’s largest trading partner, over China’s naonal databases and surveillance the value of bilateral trade is esmated at over $70 billion networks. and India’s trade deficit is around $48 billion. Indian China also has various levels of military intelligence imports are now dominated by consumer goods, notably organisaons within the People’s Liberaon Army. Most of mobile phones, while exports to China are led by iron ore the operaves for these organisaons are also based in and more recently coon. China, although Mas notes that “defense aaches and And yet, despite the significant scale of this trade and the clandesne collectors do operate abroad.” glaring fact that that the two countries’ fortunes and This also isn’t all that different from how countries misfortunes are inextricably intertwined in a global normally operate. The US has some 17 intelligence economy, it was not long before an element of agencies, several of which are organised under branches schadenfreude emerged in Indian comment and analysis of the military. They weren’t under the oversight of a of “the Great Fall of China.” One senior member of the single Director of Naonal Intelligence unl 2005. Bharaya Janata Party, Subramanian Swamy, welcomed Where China begins to differ from other naons is its use the crisis as an “opportunity for India,” nong that he had of operaves who aren’t intelligence professionals and predicted the collapse of the Chinese economy by 2020. who may technically be outside Beijing’s already sprawling “I’m glad that it is happening five years earlier,” he said. security sector. According to Mas, Chinese media Similarly, a web chat with readers hosted by an editor of a agencies and their foreign-based journalists have likely leading Indian financial paper was peppered with queries collected non-classified data on such sensive topics as along the lines of “will India surge ahead of China?” foreign governments’ stances towards Tibet or the South To read the full arcle click here hp://fnvaworld.org/? China Sea. These journalists then file reports directly to p=17100 or the tle of this arcle the Central Commiee in Beijing. “Although most Chinese journalists are not intelligence officers and do not recruit clandesne sources, good journalists can provide informaon that is not publicly available, but also not classified,” Mas writes. To read the full arcle please click here: hp:// fnvaworld.org/?p=16998 or the tle of this arcle

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !59 China – A Peaceful Country always Visitors are flocking to Tibet, one of Ready for War the world’s remotest holiday

August 17, 2015/ destinations, as a result of massive Ni Central investment in the region’s Claude Arpi transportation infrastructure, report China is a peaceful country: it is at least what Beijing likes Luo Wangshu in Xigaze and Xin to say. Dingding in Beijing. n June, Beijing reiterated its ‘peaceful’ doctrine in a White ECNS.CN Paper (WP) on ‘China’s military strategy’, which affirmed August 16, 2015 that the country generally enjoys a favourable Driving in Tibet was once considered a dangerous line of environment for development, though external challenges work. So much so, that the locals sll e brightly coloured are increasing. flags signalling “good luck” to cables and rocks on the peak Of course, in Beijing’s eyes, the main villain is Washington; of every mountain and hill. Beijing does not appreciate the US’ ‘rebalancing’ strategy’ “The flags are there to wish passers-by a safe journey,” and its enhanced military presence in the region. Then, explained Yarphel, who has 22 years experience as a local there is Japan. Mao would have probably called Tokyo a government driver in Ngari prefecture in the Tibet US lackey; the WP affirms that Japan is “sparing no effort autonomous region – oen referred to as “the roof of the to dodge the post-war mechanism, overhauling its military world”. and security policies.” During his long working life, Yarphel has developed a Although China is a peaceful naon, Beijing is geng special roune and follows a number of rituals. Whenever ready for any eventuality. he drives past the peak of a mountain, he honks his horn. On August 10, the Chinese media, led by Xinhua “It’s a greeng to the gods, asking them to bless us,” he announced: “China ramps up joint military exercises”; said. More prosaically, it’s also a good way to let other further reporng: “A joint military drill that started in late motorists know he’s there. “On unpaved roads, visibility is July, entered a live fire stage in a plateau area in oen zero because your vision is obscured by the clouds southwest China’s Sichuan Province.” of dust that rise from the road surface,” he said. ‘Plateau area’ is another word for Tibet, i.e. India’s Yarphel has encountered this situaon many mes on his northern borders. travels between Xigaze prefecture and Burang, a county in The drill, coded ‘Joint Acon-2015D’, is organised by the Ngari, the home of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, Chengdu Military Area Command (MAC) of the People’s which are both regarded as holy features by the local Liberaon Army (PLA). It is the first of five such drills, to be Buddhists. “I constantly have to step on the brakes and held during the current year in separate MACs. slow down,” he said. Xinhua further pointed out: The 1,100-kilo meter journey from Xigaze to Burang used to take at least two days, because “driving 12 hours a day “It will involve a total of more than 140,000 soldiers from on such a bumpy road was hard and I was exhausted over 140 PLA regiments of various types.” prey quickly”, he added. That is not a joke, nearly one and half lakh of soldiers for a Things changed when the road was asphalted, cung the ‘joint operaon’ which includes the ground forces (PLA) as journey me by half. “Driving on the new road means the well as the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), the PLA Navy (PLAN), journey is no longer such a ring experience,” he said. the Second Arllery Forces (missiles), the People’s Armed Police (PAPF), but also intelligence, reconnaissance and The upgraded transportaon infrastructure has also electronic warfare units. This is what He Qimao, head of benefited Gelek Gyatso, a senior monk at Lingbu the joint drill bureau of the PLA General Staff’s training Monastery in Gyangze county. department, announced. To read the full arcle please click here: hp://fnvaworld.org/? To read the full arcle please click here: hp:// p=16883 or click the tle of this arcle fnvaworld.org/?p=17016 or the tle of this arcle.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !60 Are Uighur Turks oppressed in Jinping announced this economic development framework China? which will integrate trade and investment in Eurasia in 2013. It included 65 countries situated on the original Silk Daily News Road through Central Asia, West Asia, the Middle East and August 10, 2015 Europe.

During every Ramadan, news erupts in the Turkish press To read the full arcle please click here:hp://fnvaworld.org/? claiming China is oppressing Uighur Turks in the country p=16684 or click the tle of this arcle and banning their pracce of Islam. As usual, this was again the case last month. Similar news was broadly covered in the media upon which an-China TIBETS ROAD AHEAD demonstraons and aacks took place throughout Turkey. Tibetans lose a haven in Nepal under Yet are these claims valid? Are Uighurs tyrannised in China? Chinese pressure I had the chance to have first-hand observaons and LOS ANGELES TIMES meengs in China last week when I took part in President BARBARA DEMICK Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s official visit to Beijing. AUGUST 6, 2015 First of all, Uighurs are a Turkic ethnic group; their Tsomo escaped Tibet last year on a zipline that carried her language is related to Turkish and most of them are into Nepal over a chasm of jagged rocks and a river Muslim. gushing white as frothing milk. Yet they are not the only minority in China. China’s The 23-year-old student remembers she was numb with populaon is 1.4 billion and 92 percent of it is ethnically terror as the smugglers fastened a thick rope through her Han. The rest, 8 percent, is composed of 55 different legs and across her chest in a harness. It was the dead of ethnic groups. Muslims constute 19 million, which is night, but sll she could hear the river roaring below her. about only 1 percent of the whole populaon. According “It was like something out of a bad dream. I was so scared to official numbers, there are 9.5 million Uighurs, yet I peed in my pants,” said Tsomo, who is now a student Uighurs themselves claim they are 15 million. majoring in English at a Tibetan school in India. Han Chinese is considered the first class ethnicity in the She was among the lucky few. country. They are said to be given the best jobs and the For decades, Nepal was the main staon on an majority do well economically, something that has fuelled underground railroad for Tibetans fleeing China, which resentment among Uighurs. claims sovereignty over Tibet. Aer a long trek over the But the most conflicng issue between Beijing and Uighurs Himalayas, evading Chinese security, refugees would seek is the name of the Xinjiang region. Uighurs call it “East asylum in Nepal or move onward to India, where the Dalai Turkestan,” which originated from the “East Turkestan Lama, their spiritual leader, lives in exile. Islamic Republic,” which briefly survived as an Now the doors are slamming shut, as Nepal falls under the independent state between 1933-34. The second me sway of China’s power and money. Uighurs were independent in history was under the “East Turkestan Republic” between 1944-49, which had been Nepal is a case study in how a rising China has come to built with the support of the Soviet Union. Yet later in exert itself over its neighbours. Landlocked and 1949, Xinjiang officially became part of communist China. impoverished, with a chaoc polical system and recovering from natural disaster, Nepal has capitulated Beijing opposes this name and insists on “Xinjiang easily to Beijing’s will — and nowhere has that been more Autonomous Region.” When they hear “East Turkestan,” strongly expressed than in the fate of would-be Chinese people feel just like a Turk would feel if Turkey’s immigrants from Tibet. southeast region were called “Kurdistan.” From 1991 to 2008, an average of 2,200 Tibetans came Xinjiang is given this much importance by Beijing and the across annually, according to the U.N. High Commissioner wider internaonal community mainly because most of for Refugees. Only 171 made it in 2013, and fewer last the oil and gas resources in the country are found in this year. region. Moreover it is the most strategic transit point of the Silk Road. One reason is that a booming Chinese economy has persuaded many Tibetans to remain at home. Some are This is sll a highly strategic asset, since the Silk Road is even returning to Tibet aer years of exile. But the geng revitalised by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

TIBET DIGEST AUGUST 2015 ! !61 dwindling number of Tibetan immigrants to Nepal also suggests strongly that the once-welcoming Nepalese government has been pressured by China to shut the door. To read the full arcle please click here: hp:// fnvaworld.org/?p=16611 or the tle of this arcle

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