US President Raises Tibetan Rights Issue with Xi Jinping

DHARAMSHALA: President Barack Obama raised the Tibet issue during a joint press conference in Beijing on Wednesday with Chinese president Xi Jinping, the Daily Mail reported.
‘We are not in favor of independence,’ President Obama said at the press conference.

‘But we did encourage Chinese authorities to take steps to preserve the unique cultural, religious and linguistic identity of the Tibetan people,’ he said.

Chinese Foreign ministry condemns Britain over latest human rights report

China on Tuesday condemned Britain for interfering in its domestic affairs, in response to a human rights report, a day after the British government said Beijing had called off human rights talks.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused Britain of issuing the report with "irresponsible remarks made about the Chinese political system, rudely slandering and criticizing China's human rights situation."

Tibetan Monk Self-Immolates to Protest China’s Rule (Graphic Photos). -The total number of Tibetans who set themselves on fire to protest against the Chinese repressive rule has now risen to 124.

DHARAMSHALA: A Tibetan monk died after setting himself on fire in Sangchu county in Kanlho prefecture in northeastern Tibet (incorporated into China’s Gansu Province) on Thursday (19 December), according to reports coming out Tibet.

Tsultrim Gyatso, a 44-year-old monk of Achok Monastery in Labrang Tashikhyil, set fire to himself on the main street in Achok town around 3 pm today. He died on the spot. The local Tibetans immediately took his body into the monastery, where prayer service was conducted by over 400 monks.

Photos of the incident showed his completely charred body in flames and people pouring water to douse the fire.

Court ruling on Tibet raises concerns over Spain-China relations

[Source: Financial Times]
By Tobias Buck in Madrid and Simon Rabinovitch in Shanghai There is rising concern in Spain over a diplomatic and economic backlash from China, after a criminal court in Madrid called for the arrest of five former Chinese leaders for their role in alleged crimes of genocide in Tibet. The ruling, handed down last week, is aimed at Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese president, Li Peng, the former prime minister, and three other high-ranking ex-officials. The men are said to have held “political or military responsibility” in periods when the Chinese authorities are alleged to have committed human rights abuses against the Tibetan population.

Οι ανθρώπινοι δαυλοί του Θιβέτ.... Tears of Tibet ...

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Ακραίες πράξεις σαν κι αυτές, αν και αυτοκαταστροφικές, πάντα θα διατηρούν το νόημά τους

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Σαν σύμβολο ριζοσπαστικής πολιτικής διαμαρτυρίας, Θιβετιανοί μοναχοί και απλοί πολίτες αυτοπυρπολούνται σε δημόσιους δρόμους για λογαριασμό της συλλογικής αιτίας για ένα ελεύθερο Θιβέτ. Τείνουν να καταπίνουν κηροζίνη, να τυλίγονται συρματόσκοινο και θεληματικά να αυτοπυρπολούνται φωνάζοντας συνθήματα για ένα ελεύθερο Θιβέτ. Σε μοναστήρια διάσπαρτα στην οροσειρά των Ινδικών Ιμαλαΐων, Θιβετιανοί εξόριστοι προσπαθούν να κρατήσουν ζωντανό έναν αρχαίο πολιτισμό και μιαν αρχαία παράδοση.
Με πάνω από 50 χρόνια εξορίας και με σημάδια αυξανόμενης καταπίεσης από το Κινέζικο Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα που διοικεί τη χώρα, οι ελπίδες τους για ένα ελεύθερο Θιβέτ στερεύουν. Η επιθυμία τους είναι να δουν τον πνευματικό τους ηγέτη, τον Δαλάι Λάμα, να επιστρέφει στο παλάτι του στο Θιβέτ και την κινεζική κυβέρνηση να τους παραχωρήσει την αδικαιολόγητα στερημένη αυτονομία τους.

Tears of Tibet: A Seminar at European Parliament

DHARAMSHALA: In view of the ongoing self-immolations in Tibet, MEPs from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) will host a seminar titled “Tears of Tibet” at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday (10 April). The conference will assess the impacts of Chinese policies on human rights and the environment in Tibet, and the role of Europe Union.
“Tensions between the local Tibetans and the Chinese state have increased since the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese rule in 2008. Up to now we have unfortunately not seen any significant signs that the Chinese state is looking to achieve a genuine peace settlement,” ALDE said. Since 2009, over 114 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in Tibet calling for freedom for Tibetans and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to his homeland.

ALDE said the conference aims to review EP action for a peaceful solution and to discuss how to change the approach/strategy in order to help the Tibetan people. It expressed its belief that the EU should have a stronger role in trying to solve the growing tension in Tibet. 

What is happening in Tibet is genocide: Telo Rinpoche

ZURICH: Telo Rinpoche, the spiritual leader of the Kalmyk people of Russian Federation, has said what is happening in Tibet is genocide.

He said it was unfortunate that world leaders are not doing anything about the tragic situation in Tibet. Telo Rinpoche was speaking at a side-event at the UN in Geneva sponsored by five NGOs on “The People’s Republic of China: Threat to the Survival of Tibetan Buddhism”.

Rinpoche said that the survival of Tibetan Buddhism affects not only the Tibetan people but also the world. The preservation of Tibetan Buddhism is also the survival of Tibetan Buddhist science and philosophy, he said.