ews on 18 June 2012

In this compilation:
Analysis: China must act to prevent escalation of tensions over Tibet
Monk Detained in Lone Protest
Tibetans sentenced for refusing ‘unworthy’ government aided houses
How Britain created the 'Tibetan issue'
Dalai Lama's United Kingdom trip ruffles mainland China's feathers



http://www.scotsman.com/news/international/analysis-china-must-act-to-prevent-escalation-of-tensions-over-tibet-1-2356344

Analysis: China must act to prevent escalation of tensions over Tibet

Published on Saturday 16 June 2012 00:00
The grim spectacle of young monks, nuns, and lay people setting themselves on fire to protest against conditions in their homeland is a stark reminder of the gloom and despair that now prevails on the Tibetan Plateau.
These acts of self-immolation have been staged to protest against the increasingly heavy controls that China’s government has imposed on Buddhist religious practices. At the end of May, a self-immolation occurred for the first time, in Lhasa, the capital, which may be a powerful portent of new turmoil in Tibet.
The self-immolations are a stark rebuke to the Chinese government’s claims that the lives of many in Tibet have been improving. These singular acts of desperation, irrespective of their motives, should be viewed in the wider context of ongoing religious and political problems in Tibet. Current official Chinese policies threaten the continuing existence of the Tibetan language, culture, religion, heritage, and environment.
Simmering tensions have been fuelled largely by the lengthy “re-education” campaigns imposed on the Tibetans, who are forced to renounce publicly their spiritual leader and profess patriotism and loyalty to China. The escalating situation in the Aba/Ngaba region, a heavily Tibetan area in Sichuan province, where tensions have led to the imposition of unprecedented security measures, is particularly worrisome.
Aba has long had one of the densest concentrations of Buddhist monks and monasteries anywhere in the world.
The security crackdown to stem protests there, and the virtual sealing off of the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, where the first of the current wave of self-immolations occurred, appears merely to have spread protest farther afield. Article 36 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China guarantees all citizens the right to freedom of religion; therefore, religious freedom in Tibet should be respected.
In April, a group of 12 Nobel Peace Prize laureates sent a letter to Chinese president Hu Jintao urging him to “respect the dignity of the Tibetan people” and open up “meaningful dialogue” with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders.
The US Senate and the European Parliament have adopted resolutions expressing their frustration over Chinese policies.
China has legitimate aspirations to be accepted as a responsible stakeholder in global affairs. But the best way for its government to achieve this goal is to demonstrate that it can care for the needs of all of the people living in China, including Tibetans, in a responsible manner.
The Chinese government should contemplate greater openness in Tibet and put a stop to intimidation and harassment, which merely breeds further frustration and resentment
The fate of people arbitrarily imprisoned due to their religious beliefs and participation in recent protests adds to the growing worries about stability in Tibet. To ensure greater transparency, the Chinese authorities should lift restrictions on visits by independent international media and human-rights monitors.
The international community ought to initiate an open and honest dialogue with China at all levels, urging it to guarantee freedom of religion to all of its citizens in accordance with its international obligations – and its own laws.


http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/detained-06152012140845.html

Monk Detained in Lone Protest

2012-06-15
Chinese police tighten security in a restive Tibetan county following a solitary protest.
Chinese police have detained a Tibetan monk and tightened surveillance of his monastery after he staged a solitary protest in front of government offices in Tibet’s Chamdo county, a source in Tibet told RFA on Friday.
“Karma Rabten, a monk from Chamdo Rata monastery, protested in front of the Chamdo government offices and walked to a nearby square, shouting pro-Tibet slogans, on June 5,” the source said.
“He was immediately detained and taken away by police. No one knows where he is now.”
Karma Rabten’s monastery belongs to the Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, and both the monastery and its surrounding area are now under strict surveillance, the source added.
Chamdo county in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has been under tight security controls since the bombing of a government building there in October last year and the self-immolation in December of a former monk.
The Oct. 26 blast in Chamdo’s Dzagyu Karma township struck government offices in the early morning hours and caused no casualties, a source in Tibet’s India-based exile parliament said, citing contacts in Tibet.
Walls of the building had been painted with slogans in red calling for independence for Tibet, and leaflets had been scattered in the area, the source added.

Monks harassed

Monks in the nearby Karma monastery were immediately confined inside their compound on suspicion of possible involvement in the blast. 
“Chinese police, armed public security, and government officials have been coming to Karma monastery every day,” one resident told RFA in an e-mail a few days later.
“They have taken each monk’s photo and fingerprints and collected blood samples from each monk. They have also forced each monk to provide three writing samples.”
Most monks fled the facility a few days later to escape harassment, a source said.
A little more than a month later, on Dec. 1, a former Karma monastery monk, Tenzin Phuntsog, 46, set himself ablaze in the first self-immolation protest reported inside the TAR, a Tibetan living in exile said.
A second source, calling from Tibet, confirmed the incident and said that Tenzin Phuntsog had discussed “the status of Tibet and the Tibetan people’s welfare” with family and friends a few days before his fiery protest.
“He was very frustrated by the recent imposition of restrictions on Karma monastery and by the detention of so many monks.”
“Before he set fire to himself, Tenzin Phuntsog shouted slogans and scattered leaflets,” he said.




http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?article=Tibetans+sentenced+for+refusing+‘unworthy’+government+aided+houses&id=31603

Tibetans sentenced for refusing ‘unworthy’ government aided houses

Phayul[Monday, June 18, 2012 20:14]
DHARAMSHALA, June 18: A Chinese court in eastern Tibet sentenced two Tibetans from Andu township of Ngaba region to varying prison terms for refusing to accept houses built with Chinese government aid earlier this month.
“The Ngaba county Peoples Court On June 2 sentenced Pulten, 40 to three years and Gyurko, 37 to two years in jail on charges of refusing houses built with Chinese government aid,” Kanyag Tsering, an exile Tibetan monk from the region said.
Tsering said they had refused from taking the keys when presented to them, reasoning that the worth of the poorly built houses was much less than the money the Chinese authorities were asking local Tibetans to cough up.
“The Local Tibetans felt that the actual worth of the poorly built houses, constructed by the government in the name of aid, were much less than the amount of money that the government was asking them to pay,” Tsering said. “So, many of them refused to accept the houses.”
Although most of those arrested in April for defying government “help” were released, Testing noted that the duo were singled out as they had approached the local courts, accusing the concerned government officials of corruption.
“Pulten and Gyurko had approached the local courts, accusing the Chinese government officials of siphoning off money from the housing aid, but instead they were sentenced,” Tsering said. “Moreover, the police rounded up the local Tibetans, severely beating many and critically injuring two.”

Another Kirti monk heavily sentenced
Losang Phuntsok, 29, a monk at the besieged Kirti Monastery in Ngaba has been sentenced to eight years in prison on unknown charges by the Ngaba prefecture court in Barkham.
He has also been deprived of his “political rights” for four years, according to the exile base of Kirti monastery in Dharamshala. Soon after his sentencing, he was taken to another place to serve his sentence.
Losang Phutsok’s whereabouts had remained unknown since his arrest on October 17, 2011.
The Ngaba region remains the nerve centre of the ongoing wave of self-immolations inside Tibet. 39 Tibetans have set their bodies on fire since 2009 demanding the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile and freedom in Tibet.
A number of Kirti monks have either been heavily sentenced since the self-immolations began or continue to remain untraceable.



http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-06/18/content_15508030.htm

How Britain created the 'Tibetan issue'

Updated: 2012-06-18 07:57
By Chen Yanqi (China Daily)
Tibet is part of China, and the Tibetan people are important members of the Chinese nation. The so-called Tibetan issue was manufactured as part of the imperialist aggressors' attempts to carve up China. Britain, through its continuous involvement, has played a central role in this.
British troops invaded Tibet in 1888 and 1903, but were turned back by the resistance of the Tibetan army and civilians. After their failure to turn Tibet into a colony through armed aggression, British imperialists started to foster pro-imperialist separatists in Tibet, plotted activities to separate Tibet from China and trumpeted "independence for Tibet". In August 1907, Britain and Russia signed the Convention between Great Britain and Russia on Tibet. With this convention, Britain planned to turn Tibet into a "buffer zone" between India and Russia.
The Revolution of 1911 toppled the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In 1913, the British government engineered the Simla Conference to instigate the Tibetan representative to raise the slogan of "Tibetan independence" for the first time, which was immediately rejected by the representative from the central government of the Republic of China. The British representative then introduced the so-called compromise scheme, attempting to change China's sovereignty over Tibet into "suzerainty" and separate Tibet from the authority of the Chinese government under the pretext of "autonomy". Upon instruction, the representative of the central government refused to sign the Simla Convention and made a statement saying that the government of China refused to recognize any such agreement or document.
Starting from 1947, with the independence of India, Pakistan and other Southeast Asia nations, Britain's colonial empire began to collapse. Also, recognizing the fact that Britain's international stature was declining, the British government began to adopt new approaches toward Tibet. First, it refused to recognize China's sovereignty over Tibet and only recognized that China had "a special position in Tibet". For many years, Britain remained the only major Western country that didn't recognize China's sovereignty over Tibet. Second, it continued to instigate "independence". Even after Tibet's peaceful liberation, MI6 sent agents disguised as travelers to Tibet. London became the "base camp" for organizations promoting "Tibet's independence". Third, British politicians continue to meet with the Dalai Lama. In 1991, then prime minister John Major met with the Dalai Lama, setting a precedent for his successors to follow. On May 14, 2012, according to this so-called common practice, incumbent Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg met with the Dalai Lama once again in London.
The "Tibet issue" is purely an issue invented by Britain. But a lie told one thousand times eventually becomes believable. That's why there are a handful of people who still think that Tibet remains an "issue".
But a lie is a lie. The fact that Tibet is part of the People's Republic of China can never be changed. Britain can only avoid isolation if it follows the global trend of recognizing and accepting this fact. Fortunately, Britain is gradually realizing this.
In October 2008, then Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a written statement to the British Parliament that Britain does not support "Tibet's independence", and that Tibet is part of the People's Republic of China.
The statement resolved the last remaining historical issue between China and Britain. Yet even so, there are still people who continue to see this late-coming decision as a major loss for Britain. These people need to give up their colonial mentality and imperialist arrogance.
Britain needs to reflect on its behavior and win the trust of the Chinese people. To do so, it should take real action and send the right signals. Only then will the Chinese people forgive what it did in Tibet.
The author is a Beijing-based scholar of international relations.



http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/europe/2012/06/17/344654/Dalai-Lamas.htm

Dalai Lama's United Kingdom trip ruffles mainland China's feathers

SALFORD, England -- The Dalai Lama walked into an Olympic row with China on Friday on a visit to Leeds in northern England, the city chosen as the base for the Chinese Olympic team this summer.
The BBC reported that China had urged Leeds City Council to stop his visit and threatened to pull out of the city, but the council insisted the visit to address a business convention was private.
The report added that the row seemed to have blown over and there would be no boycott of the Leeds training camp.
It was the latest low-level diplomatic tussle between China and Britain since Prime Minister David Cameron angered the Chinese by meeting the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader in London in May.
China, which has ruled Tibet since 1950 when its troops occupied the country, considers the Dalai Lama a separatist, and last month told Britain's envoy to Beijing the meeting had “seriously interfered” with China's internal affairs.
Leeds City Council said in a statement: “The Yorkshire International Business Convention is a private event not organized by Leeds City Council.
“Whilst we are aware of some sensitivities around this year's convention, as it is not a council event we do not feel it is appropriate for us to make any further comment.”
Leeds is due to host China's pre-Olympic training center, with more than 200 athletes, coaches and support staff expected in the city from early July ahead of the London Games.
The 76-year-old Dalai Lama shrugged off the controversy, telling reporters Beijing's displeasure over his foreign trips were commonplace.
“That always happens. It's almost like routine,” he told a news conference on Friday when asked about the report.
Chinese officials have snubbed British officials during trips to Beijing since the May meeting with Cameron.
“The Chinese have cancelled some high-level visits and meetings since the Dalai Lama's visit,” a Foreign Office spokesman said.
“This is disappointing as we believe that it damages both Chinese and British interests. We strongly believe it is in the interests of both countries to manage our differences sensibly and cooperate as much as possible and look forward to doing so in future.”
The Dalai Lama, who is on a short British tour to share his beliefs in non-violence and compassion with young people, was in London last month to receive a prize for affirming the spiritual dimension of life.
The Chinese embassy in London was not immediately available for comment, but Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said on Wednesday that politics and sport should not mix.
He blamed any deterioration of ties between Britain and China on the Dalai Lama's visit, but did not confirm that British ministers had been snubbed in Beijing.
“Not long ago the British side insisted on arranging for the British leader to meet the Dalai Lama; China has already expressed its extreme displeasure and resolute opposition,” he said.
“The responsibility for the impact this has had on Sino-British ties rests solely on the British side,” he added.
Cameron's office said at the time of the May meeting that the Dalai Lama was “an important religious figure” who had met previous British prime ministers.
The Dalai Lama denies seeking independence for Tibet, and says he wants merely “meaningful autonomy” for his Himalayan homeland.
Tibetan protests against Chinese rule have intensified in recent months, and a number of protesters have set themselves on fire.