In London on Thursday 22nd May, Avaaz.org will organize a 3-mile long “human chain handshake” from the Dalai Lama to the Chinese Embassy. They are calling it “Give Peace a Hand”. Here is the link.

I am deeply saddened by the loss of many lives and many more who have been injured in the catastrophic earthquake that struck Sichuan province of China. I would like to extend my deep sympathy and heartfelt condolences to those families who have been directly affected by the strong earthquake on 12 May 2008. I offer my prayers for those who have lost their lives and those injured in the quake.

The Dalai Lama

May 13, 2008

http://www.dalailama.com/news.248.htm

It’s great to see this timely new website, associated with the forthcoming book of the same name by Professor Robert Thurman.

Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen and I had the honour of briefing His Holiness the Dalai Lama immediately after our arrival yesterday from China. Kalon Tripa, Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, joined us in the briefing. We also briefed the Deputy Speaker, Mrs. Dolma Gyari, this morning. The Speaker, Mr. Karma Choephel, is currently on an official visit.

On 4 May 2008 in Shenzhen, China, we met with Executive Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun and Vice Minister Sithar of the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party. We would like to express our appreciation to the hosts for accepting our suggestion to hold this informal meeting in Shenzhen as well as agreeing to a meeting of principals without aides. Executive Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun and Vice Minister Sithar were our counterparts for the last several years. This long relationship made it possible to have open and frank discussions in a friendly and respectful atmosphere, despite the prevailing tense and grave situation in Tibet.

Our main purpose of seeking this urgent informal meeting was to discuss the critical situation in Tibet. There were strong and divergent views on the nature as well as the causes of the recent tragic events in Tibet. These views were expressed in a frank and candid manner. On our part we rejected categorically the accusation made against His Holiness the Dalai Lama of instigating the demonstrations and unrest in Tibet. Instead we made it clear that the events in Tibet are the inescapable consequences of wrong policies of the authorities towards the Tibetans, which goes back several decades. The recent crisis in Tibet is a clear symptom of deeply felt grievances and resentment of the Tibetans with these policies. The task at hand is to address the legitimate concerns of the Tibetan people in a realistic and constructive way.

We have stressed the importance of ending the current repression throughout Tibet. We have called for the release of prisoners, to allow those injured to be given proper medical treatment and give unfettered access to visitors, including the media. We have also called for an end to the “patriotic re-education” campaign which is deeply resented by the Tibetan people.

We also rejected the accusation that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is sabotaging the Olympic Games 2008. On the contrary, we made it clear that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has consistently and unambiguously supported the Beijing Olympic Games right from the beginning.

Despite major differences on important issues both sides demonstrated a willingness to seek common approaches in addressing the issues at hand. In this regard, each side made some concrete proposals, which can be part of the future agenda. As a result an understanding was reached to continue the formal round of discussions. A date for the seventh round will be finalised soon after mutual consultations.

We welcome the recent statement of President Hu Jintao that his government is “serious” about the dialogue and his acknowledging that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is being “conscientious and serious”. This statement is encouraging at a time when there is growing skepticism about China’s sincerity in resolving the Tibet issue through dialogue.

08 May 2008
Dharamsala

This sad news received by email today: Lobsang Lhalungpa, translator of the Life of Milarepa and a major figure in the Tibetan exile community, was killed two days ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico, aged 82. He was hit by a drunk driver.

In brief, with little official information available, we can report that:

• Chinese government authorities have acknowledged the “surrender” or detention of some 4,000 Tibetans.
• We know of numerous deaths as a result of Chinese forces firing into crowds of demonstrators in several areas of Tibet.
• Many monasteries have been sealed off and under lockdown across Tibet, and monks within subjected to many deprivations and punishments.
• Police have been carrying out house-to-house night raids in Lhasa, in villages and nomad encampments, dragging away many Tibetans.
• Hundreds of Tibetans have been loaded onto the new train in Lhasa and taken away to prisons in China.
• Large numbers of Chinese forces have been sent to all the Tibetan areas where demonstrations have occurred. In the Amdo and Kham areas of eastern Tibet, demonstrations have been widespread and large-scale, and retaliation has been brutal.
• One or more instances of protest have been reported in at least 52 county-level locations, as well as Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan), Lanzhou (the capital of Gansu) and Beijing.
• More than 98 protests have been counted so far, and they are still happening. In only one of those protests, as far as we are aware, has violence been used against Chinese civilians.
• In recent weeks a new wave of protests has begun, in response to stringent patriotic education campaigns in monasteries and requirements to denounce the Dalai Lama. The actions of the authorities are doing nothing to create stability - they are provoking further resentment, despair and unrest. For instance, in a raid on Labrang monastery on April 15, Chinese forces smashed altars in monks’ cells and burned images of the Dalai Lama that some monks had kept at great risk. At Tongkor monastery in Kardze, photographs of His Holiness were trampled upon. When monks and laypeople protested about the actions of the work team and called for His Holiness to return to Tibet, troops fired into the crowd, killing 15 Tibetans including monks, a young woman and a teenage boy.
• In the Tibet Autonomous Region alone, authorities have announced that they will try some 1000 Tibetans by May 1st. China has virtually closed the TAR. With the exception of two show-tours, no journalists or diplomats have secured permission to visit the TAR since the crisis began, so these trials will be carried out absent outside observers.
• Major monasteries and townships including Labrang Monastery, Kanhlo TAP, Gansu; Amchok Monastery, Ngaba TAP, Sichuan; Kardze Monastery, Kardze TAP, Sichuan; Tonkhor Monastery, Kardze TAP, Qinghai; Thonggu Monastery, Kardze TAP, Qinghai; Kirti Monastery, Ngaba TAP, Sichuan; Wara Monastery, Kardze TAP; Shiwa Monastery, Nyarong Prefecture, Kardze, TAP and Larung Gar, Serthar, Sichuan, are sealed off or are under intense surveillance.

Extracted from U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Testimony, April 23rd, 2008.

The full text is here.

Deteriorating situation in Tibet and fear of worse to come in days ahead

Since 10th March 2008, there have been widespread protests in all areas of U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo, including in various cities of China where Tibetans live. These protests are the outburst of dissatisfaction and deep-rooted resentment perpetuated in the hearts of the Tibetan people for the last five decades by excessive repression and mishandling of peaceful protests by small number of monks and lay people in several places in and outside “TAR” on 10th March 2008.

10th March is a historic day for the Tibetan people. Every year there is some kind of peaceful demonstration, which does not continue beyond that day. But this year protests continued in the succeeding days due to unnecessary repressive measures and use of force.

If the objective of using force by the Chinese authorities is to maintain peace and order in Tibet, they could have achieved it within a day. But normalcy did not return even after more than five weeks and more protests and repressive measures are happening day after day. This arouses the suspicion about the intentions of the Chinese authorities. Among the many suspicious incidents, the following are conspicuous:

• On 14th March, unusual unrest was allowed in Lhasa for several hours without the authorities taking any preventive measures.
• Most of protesters involved in violent acts on that day were unfamiliar to the local people. In particular, there are cases where people have seen Chinese policemen in Tibetan dress and in monks’ robes taking the leading role during the protests.
• The Chinese authorities claim that they have found guns and bullets at some Tibetan monasteries. This claim is based on recovering some unserviceable country-made guns and swords, which were offered to the chambers of the protective deities (Gonkhang) of monasteries. And in some other cases, the military personnel themselves brought arms and ammunitions to monasteries. Later they claimed to have found these in the monasteries and blame the Tibetans for harbouring arms and ammunition in the monastic compounds.
• Chinese authorities also claim that Tibetan independence forces are planning to launch suicide attacks.
• They accuse some monks of exploding a bomb that damaged a building in Chamdo in east Tibet. The authorities are yet to produce any convincing evidence.
• Patriotic re-education campaign is re-launched and monasteries and households are ordered to fly the Chinese national flag on their buildings.
• Anti-Dalai Lama campaigns are being rigorously carried out everywhere. This hurts the sentiments of the Tibetan people most.
• The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is carrying out a systematic and vigorous effort to create a rift between the Tibetans and the Chinese people. This is being done by a huge propaganda to fan nationalism and hatred of the “Dalai clique” amongst the Chinese people.

These acts do not help in restoring mental peace and social order in Tibet. On the contrary, these acts are considered highly provocative by the Tibetans because they hurt them the most. All these acts appear to be aimed to undermine the Tibetan people’s tolerance and provoke them into violent retaliation. They also indicate that various agencies of the PRC have plans to carry out more bombing and other destructive activities and put the blame on the innocent Tibetans for such actions.

We are deeply concerned by the ongoing repressive action such as brutal beatings, torture, killings, deprivation of essential foods and drinking water, which lead to the starvation of concerned Tibetans. We are also very much concerned that such repressive action may continue for many more months to come.

Tibet is virtually sealed off and in a short period, the Chinese authorities will destroy all evidence by executing the innocent Tibetans. The international community must intervene immediately and persuade the PRC authorities to end these atrocious acts.

The vexed situation in Tibet has lingered because of the ultra leftist policies adopted by PRC authorities during the year 1957/58, which led to the popular uprising on 10th March 1959. Since then the Tibetans have suffered immensely. Over a million Tibetans perished and the situation remains troubled. These policies were recognised as wrong and reversed in Mainland China. But no change in policy has taken place for the Tibetan nationality. Even now, unless the basic policy of PRC towards the Tibetan nationality is changed, no amount of force can keep the Tibetan people under control.

The PRC leadership on one hand demand that His Holiness the Dalai Lama use his influence to restore normalcy in Tibet. On the other hand they have not created any space or channel to allow His Holiness the Dalai Lama to use his influence in Tibet. On the contrary, the Chinese leadership have stepped up their anti - Dalai Lama campaign throughout Tibet.

The PRC leadership refuse to find out the root cause of unrest in Tibet and make efforts to remove the cause. On the contrary they are aggravating the problem by various means. This is a clear indication that they do not want to have peace and stability in Tibet.

We, therefore, urgently appeal to the international community to take effective and immediate actions to prevent the PRC from indulging in such brutal acts against the Tibetan people and to stop their policy of systematic cultural genocide in Tibet.

“I am not going to say we should boycott the Olympic Games because you have to think of the athletes spending so much time preparing for this wonderful moment in their lives. But, I reckon none of the heads of state ought to go.

“I just hope China will realize that her best interests are in listening to the Dalai Lama. Anyone who has met him, knows you have been in the presence of one of the most holy people. For someone who has been in exile now nearly 50 years, his joyousness is amazing. He bubbles. He has a sense of fun like a schoolboy, really. Sometimes I say to him, ‘Shhh. The cameras are on us. Behave like a holy man.’

“But he’s an amazing person. I’m very sad that he’s being vilified in a way that anyone who knows him would say, ‘Oh come off it, man.’ The Dalai Lama has said clearly, ‘Let’s negotiate. We don’t want to separate from China. All we want is autonomy to preserve the very ancient Tibetan traditions and religion.’ ”