mikeldunham

LUMBINI, Part Ten: Himalayan Buddhist community wants its say too

 

March 15, 2012

 

For almost a month now, I’ve posted exhaustive interviews with experts and stakeholders in the development of Lumbini, a topic that has gained increasing international attention since a Chinese-funded development offer came to light in July 2011. The Hong Kong-based organization in question calls itself the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (APECF). It’s pedigree is nebulous; even its address and telephone number listed on its website have proven to be phony. Ex-Prime Minister and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” was named Co-Chairman of APECF, a detail that immediately raised eyebrows in regard to the appropriateness of a leader of a ten-year armed struggle taking the reins of a site that universally symbolizes non-violence. In the event, the gist of the controversial offer (now on hold, if not permanently debunked) was to pour an unprecedented three billion dollars into and around the Sacred Garden, where the historical Lord Buddha was born.

Regardless of APECF’s legitimacy, coming to terms with the finalization of a master plan before additional development resumes in Lumbini seems to have been ratcheted up in recent months. Only last week, it was announced that the UN’s General Secretary Ban Ki-moon would visit Lumbini on April 29, at the bequest of Prachanda and his recently-created “Greater Lumbini Development National Steering Committee.” And the three billion dollars, which probably never existed except in the fantasy world of Chinese businessmen – a staggeringly tantalizing sum for a nation in which three billion dollars equals 10% of Nepal’s annual GDP – has opened Nepal’s eyes concerning the very real value, (at least monetarily), of Lumbini as a tourism bonanza.

Experts and stakeholders recently interviewed by me include publisher-author KANAK MANI DIXIT, seasoned diplomat and civic leader KUL CHANDRA GAUTAM, internationally renown tourism consultant LISA CHOEGYAL, Greater Lumbini Development National Steering Committee member MINENDRA RIJAL, UNESCO Representative to Nepal AXEL PLATHE, Vice-Chairman of Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) ACHARYA KARMA SANGBO SHERPA, and long-time Lumbini archeologist KOSH PRASAD ACHARYA.

Eye-opening footage of plainclothes Chinese border police bullying CNN on Nepali soil

 

February 22, 2012

The following footage goes a long way in answering the question: To what extent is Nepali sovereignty – at least in security matters – overruled by China’s wishes?

 

 

.................................................................

 

 

 

NO RESPONSE from Nepal to renewed US Tibetan resettlement proposal

 

February 21, 2012

 

The Nepalese government is yet to respond to a December 2011 letter written by three members of the U.S. House of Representatives pushing for the implementation of a stalled Tibetan refugee resettlement program to the US.

 

The letters dated December 9, 2011 were addressed to the President and Prime Minister of Nepal, and were written by Representatives James McGovern (D-MA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA), co-chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and Representative Joe Pitts (R-PA), a member of its Executive Committee.

The letters posted on the Commission’s website last week had prominently asked for the rights of Tibetan refugees in Nepal to be protected, and urged the Nepalese government that it assent to resettling Tibetan refugees in the United States.

On a scale not seen since late 1970s, China detains Tibetans for political “re-education”

 

February 19, 2012

Human Rights Watch issued the following report this week:

 

 

(New York) – The Chinese government should immediately release Tibetans who have been detained by local police and are being forced to undergo political re-education after travelling to India to listen to religious teachings there, Human Rights Watch said today.

Many have been detained since February 6, 2012, in ad hoc detention centers in Lhasa and other areas. Multiple sources told Human Rights Watch that several hundred Tibetans may have been detained in the current sweep, but the exact number is not known. The same sources described the political re-education the detainees are subjected to. No information is available about how long the detainees will be held, but people with knowledge of the detentions in Lhasa say the detentions are expected to last from 20 days to three months.

Grim Beginning of the Chinese New Year for Tibetans in Tibet: Police Open Fire on Crowds; Eastern Tibet in Lockdown Mode

January 29, 2012
 

In the third such incident in Tibet this week, police fired into a crowd of Tibetans yesterday, resulting in the death of a Tibetan student (January 26) in Dzamthang County (Chinese: Rangtang) county, Ngaba Prefecture(Chinese: Aba), according to Kirti monks in exile and other sources in contact with Tibetans in the area. 
 

As reported by International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), the young Tibetan, identified as a 20-year old student named Ogyen, was part of a crowd of Tibetans who had gathered to protest the detention of another young Tibetan, identified as Tarpa, who had posted leaflets in the early afternoon – posters in support of a recent string of self-immolations by Tibetans condemning Chinese repression.
 

1950s film of Tibetan freedom fighters – In Memoriam of two warriors who passed on in 2011

 

January 25, 2012

Remembering Juchen Thupten Namgyal and Donyo Jagortsang

Two more veterans of the Tibetan resistance passed on in 2011: Juchen Thupten Namgyal on August 31, and Donyo Jagortsang on December 19. Both were from Derge, a kingdom in the Kham region of Eastern Tibet. And both were part of Tibet's underground resistance army backed by the CIA, the Chushi Gangdruk.

Exclusive Dispatch on Dalai Lama’s Kalachakra Initiation by famed photographer Thomas L. Kelly and Radio Free Asia correspondent Maura Moynihan

 

January 16, 2012

 

The following is a four-part journal written for Radio Free Asia (RFA) by freelance correspondent Maura Moynihan and documented by one of the most gifted photojournalists in South Asia, Thomas L. Kelly. Thanks to RFA and special thanks to Thomas for granting me permission to use unpublished photographs.

 

PART ONE: Pilgrims Converge on Bodhgaya

Tens of thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from around the world traveled this week to Bodhgaya, a town in northern India, to hear exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama give the "Kalachakra" religious teachings.

At least 9,000 Tibetans traveling on Chinese passports, along with an estimated 1,200 Chinese Buddhists from the mainland, are among those who have registered with the event authorities.

Self-immolation movement continues to increase and spread in Tibet in early 2012

January 11, 2012

above map courtesy of Internaional Campaign for Tibet 

 

 

On January 8, Sonam Wangyal,also known as Sopa Tulku, a respected lama (believed to be a rinpoche, or reincarnate holy man), drank kerosene and set himself on fire. His self-immolation was said to be linked to lack of religious freedoms in the area. Radio Free Asia reported that before he set himself ablaze, he climbed a local hill to burn incense and pray before distributing leaflets saying he would act "not for his personal glory but for Tibet and the happiness of Tibetans. His body exploded in pieces [and the remains were] taken away by police." The deceased was in his 40s.

The incident took place in Darlag county, Golog (Chinese: Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province (the Tibetan area of Amdo). He died shortly afterwards. The self-immolation in Golog significantly broadens the geographical spread of the Tibetan self-immolations into Qinghai, Sichuan, and the Tibet Autonomous Region. 

Only two days before, on January 6, two young Tibetans self-immolated in Ngaba (Chinese: Aba), as confirmed by Xinhua, Chinese state media. According to information from Tibetan exile sources, two Tibetans, Tsultrim and Tennyi, both around 20 years of age, set themselves on fire in the courtyard of a hotel in the center of Ngaba town and ran into the street shouting “His Holiness the Dalai Lama must return to Tibet” and “May His Holiness the Dalai Lama live for 10,000 years!” Tennyi, who is believed to be a monk from Kirti monastery, died on January 6, and Tsultrim, a lay person who may have been a former Kirti monk, died on January 7, according to the same sources.

 

“China sends a message to Nepal” -- by Peter Lee for Asia Times

January 6, 2012

 

Peter Lee writes on East and South Asian affairs and their intersection with US foreign policy.

As baseball's New York Mets struggled toward their historic 120-loss season in 1962, their manager, Casey Stengel, famously lamented of his feckless team: "Can't anybody here play this game?" 
 

The same might be asked of the various players in Nepal's carnival of political and diplomatic dysfunction: the dominant United Communist Party Nepal (Maoist), the pro-Indian Nepali Congress, the Madhesi parties representing the interests of the ethnically Indian lowlanders of the Tarai, and even the ostensible grownups in the geopolitical game, the diplomats of India and the People's Republic of China (PRC). 

Nepalese politicians dramatically describe their nation as "a yam between two rocks" to illustrate the vulnerable circumstances of a small nation trying to maintain its equilibrium and independence between two overbearing regional superpowers. 

It would seem that Nepal could plausibly regard itself as the mountain maiden wooed by two determined and deep-pocketed suitors, instead of an imperiled potato. 

However, halting efforts to exploit Sino-Indian rivalry to Nepal's benefit have been consistently frustrated by Nepalese weakness, exacerbated by the factionalism, opportunism and corruption endemic in local politics. 

Groundbreaking Nepali Editorial on the Government’s pro-China policy toward Tibetan Refugees

January 3, 2012

Today, Republica published an editorial by Arun KR Shrivastav, which, as far as I know is a first in methodically questioning the wisdom behind the Nepali government kow-towing to China’s position on Nepal’s Tibetan refugee community. Highly recommended reading.

CHINA, TIBET & NEPAL: Until that Happens    By Arun KR Shrivastav

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s upcoming visit to Nepal purportedly to put bilateral relations irreversibly in the perspective of Tibet is the last masterstroke by the outgoing leadership in China to link its relations with Nepal firmly and solely with the Tibet issue. The current leadership is scheduled to demit office in less than a year. Nepal has adopted a One-China Policy that accepts both Tibet and Taiwan as integral parts of China—a Chinese claim that rest of the world perceives as its insatiable aggrandizement boosted by its sheer size of population, geography and now the economy, ranked number two in the world. So, when it comes to bilateral relations or its worldview, Nepal has no opinion on any of the matters that the world finds wrong with China. And, with a Maoist-led government in power, the differences between the two nations on issues of ideology and therefore, the worldview, perhaps do not exist at all.

Memories of a Khampa Warrior -- "CIA in Tibet"

December 17, 2011

On September 10, 2010, a commemoration ceremony took place in Colorado at the site once known as Camp Hale, a CIA training ground for Tibetan freedom fighters. A handful of Tibetans, who had been trained by the CIA in the early 1960s, attended the ceremony, which included the installation of a plaque in honor of the Tibetans.

Filmmaker Lisa Cathey was there to shoot footage for her upcoming documentary “CIA in Tibet”. Now, she has added an interview with Tashi Paljor, who attended the ceremony and reflects on what it meant to be a Tibetan warrior trained by the United States in the hope of reclaiming his land usurped by Mao Zedong’s People’s Liberation Army.

Asia Times article with Mikel Dunham: “Nepal bends to China over Tibet”

December 6, 2011

 

By Saransh Sehgal 
DHARAMSALA, India - Tibet's government in exile says there has been a sharp drop in the number of Tibetans fleeing to join the refugee community in Dharamsala.

According to records provided by the reception center for new arrivals from Tibet in Dharamsala, there have been just 2,500 arrivals since 2008. In the years 2004 to 2007, new arrivals totaled 12,000, while this year there have been only 600. 

Nepalese border police forcibly return young Tibetan to Tibet -- Last known refoulement occurred June 2010

 

November 26, 2011

 

 

Conditions for Tibetan in Nepal continue to deteriorate amidst growing Chinese pressureNepal police forcibly returned a young Tibetan man who was escaping from Tibet to the Chinese authorities in September, according to information that reached ICT on November 23. According to the same Tibetan sources, the Tibetan - whose full name is known to ICT - is now in detention in Tibet. It is the first known case of the refoulement of a Tibetan from the border areas of Nepal since June 2010.

The return of the Tibetan, Tashi, was in contravention of established protocol between the government of Nepal and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) that provides for the safe transit of Tibetan refugees through Nepalese territory and onward to India. These measures were put into practice after 1989 when Nepal stopped providing refugee status to new arrivals from Tibet. The 20-year old Tibetan who was sent back to Tibet is from a nomadic family in rural Biru County, Nagchu (Chinese: Naqu) Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region. He was traveling into exile in mid-September with a group of five other Tibetans from his village of around the same age, two of whom were interviewed by ICT after they arrived safely in India some weeks later.

The six young men each paid 6000 yuan (approximately US $943) for a guide to take them from Lhasa to the Nepal border. After the group arrived on the Nepal side of the border in mid-September they stayed the night with a local family. The next day, three members of the group left with the guide to travel to Kathmandu, but were detained by Nepalese police on around September 11-13. Also detained were a group of 20 other Tibetans in the border area; all 23 were handed over to Nepal's Department of Immigration in Kathmandu. These 23 Tibetans were held in custody for at least 12 days before being handed over to the UNHCR, despite pressure from the Chinese embassy to return them to the PRC.

In the meantime, Tashi and two of his friends set out on a separate journey to Kathmandu on two motorbikes. But along the route to Kathmandu, two of the Tibetans were stopped by Nepalese police at a road checkpoint and detained in a police vehicle. They did not see what happened to Tashi, but said that the last time they saw him he was en route to Kathmandu by motorbike with a guide. They later learnt that he had been apprehended by police too and had not reached Kathmandu.

One of the Tibetans told ICT: "I was not afraid but very confused, because we didn't know where the Nepalese police will take us and what they would do with us. The police drove back for quite a long time in the dark and the road was very bumpy. After a while we saw many lights through the trees. There were around four armed police in the back of the jeep with us. Suddenly, the in-charge of the police yelled at us to jump and we jumped out of the jeep and ran up into the forest on the mountainside. We never stopped to rest until we reached the top; it was past midnight already. Our clothes were completely wet. We tried to spend the rest of the night at the top of the mountain, and next morning we saw that there was a family house and we went there to ask for something to eat and hot water to drink. Fortunately, the family gave us space to rest as well as food and drink. Then we asked them where we were and how far it was to Kathmandu from there. The mother told us that it will take more than two days to walk to Kathmandu, more than 150 kilometers."

The two Tibetans reached Kathmandu on September 24, after their departure from Tibet on August 28. It was only after reaching the Tibetan Refugee Transit Center in Kathmandu that they learned that their friend Tashi had been been detained by Nepalese police after crossing the border and handed over to their Chinese counterparts on the Tibet side. According to several sources connected to the incident, Tashi is now being held in detention in Lhasa.

Although Nepal is not a signatory to international refugee conventions, the forcible return or refoulement of refugees to a place where their lives or freedoms could be threatened violates a fundamental norm of international law. However, there is no recourse for refoulement and Tibetans that are forcibly returned face torture and harsh prison conditions. That details of Tashi's refoulement are only now coming to light, nearly three months later, speaks to the increased difficulty in ascertaining information on refoulements and possible refoulements.

 

The last known refoulement from Nepal occurred in June, 2010, when two Tibetan monks, 20-year old Dawa and 21-year old Dorjee, and a 22-year old woman called Penpa, were detained by Nepalese police in Nepal's Humla district bordering Purang (Chinese: Burang) county in Ngari prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region. The three Tibetans were held at the police post in the village of Muchu, about a day's walk from the Tibet-Nepal border. According to ICT sources, Chinese border police were in touch with the Nepalese police, and the three Tibetans were taken by helicopter to the border at Hilsa, accompanied by a Nepalese politician and a policeman. Chinese security personnel collected them there and took them back into Tibet. According to the same sources, two of the Tibetans, one of the monks and the young woman, were jailed and would serve around six months. The second monk was allowed to return to his monastery.

Tashi's two Tibetan friends who are now safely in India said that they and his family are now very worried about his safety and welfare. Tibetans who have been caught escaping from Tibet are known to have undergone torture and hard labor while in custody. One of his friends said: "Since our arrival [in exile] we have learned many stories about the new arrivals being handed back to Chinese border security after being arrested in Nepal. Very sad stories." They also described their own feelings on being in India, saying: "We already had an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and it was very great and we had that kind of feeling we are not be able express in words. Now we are dreaming and excited to join the Tibetan Transit School in Dharamsala. And also we are very keen to learn Tibetan and English. We don't have a specific dream for the future, but we definitely want to be real Tibetans."

Tashi's two Tibetan friends said that Tashi had similar reasons for leaving Tibet to theirs - a desire to see the Dalai Lama, to have a good education, and to escape from the strictures of the Chinese authorities' policies in rural areas, affecting their livelihoods. One of them told ICT:  "My family had 80 yaks, 200 sheep and five horses before, and I was grazing them together with other people in the village. Before 2005, our land was not divided or fenced at all, but since 2005, the local government set up fences and divided the land according to the number of family members. Now we cannot graze livestock freely as before, because, you can only graze on your own land, and it is not really necessary to watch the livestock as closely as before. But the problem that so many families face is shortage of grazing, and the only option is to reduce the number of your livestock or rent the land of other families who have few livestock. Most people choose the first option. Now my family has 60 Yaks, 120 sheep and 4 horses."

Tashi's other Tibetan friend said: "We grew up together and were always together with the livestock on the mountains back in Tibet, so we had plenty time to discuss going to India so on. Particularly, we spoke many times about His Holiness, and the massive protest in 2008 in Tibet. We heard from elderly people in the village that His Holiness is in India plus we had much more information about the Tibet issue since 2008. We used to listen to Radio Free Asia on the mountains with our livestock sometimes. Finally, we made the decision to leave Tibet and go to India, since then, I became more interested in education than before."

 

 

As Nepal-China relations develop, Tibetan refugees in Nepal face increasing dangers both on the journey into exile and within the long-standing Tibetan community in Kathmandu. In one recent incident on October 17, four Tibetan community leaders were detained by Nepalese police following a speech by China's Ambassador to Nepal Yang Houlan on October 16, in which he blamed "international and domestic forces" for "coordinating [anti-China] activities in Nepal".

The refoulement comes at a time when Nepal's treatment of Tibetan refugees are coming under greater scrutiny by the United States government.  Two U.S. Congressmen visited Kathmandu in late September and October with the situation facing Tibetan refugees on their agenda.  On November 20, U.S. Ambassador Scott DeLisi authored an article in the Kathmandu Post urging the government to continue to protect Tibetan refugees.  The opinion piece came days before Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha visited Lhasa, Tibet, where he reportedly thanked the Government of China for its support and pledged to not allow any "anti-Chinese activities" on Nepali soil.


...............................................................................

 

 

Mikel Dunham’s “CAUGHT IN NEPAL” is now available worldwide

 

November 8, 2011

Today is the pub date for my newest book, a project that began more than three years ago. I gave digital cameras to Tibetan refugees stranded in Nepal with the task of documenting their daily lives in their settlements. Caught in Nepal is the result of that joint effort. The book includes my essay on the 2000-year-old relationship between the people of Nepal and Tibet. 

The book is now available. If you are not in Nepal you can still purchase a copy directly through the Nepali publisher’s website, (located in Kathmandu), or, if you prefer, through amazon.com. 


Vajra Publisher's Link

 

Amazon.com Link

………………………………………………………………………………..

Self-immolations continue in Tibet; 8th Tibetan youth sets fire to himself in Ngaba

 

October 18, 2011

A former Kirti monk set fire to himself in a protest on the main street in Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) county town just before noon on October 15, according to exiled Tibetan sources. Norbu Damdrul, a 19-year old former monk at Kirti monastery in Ngaba, shouted “We need freedom and independence for Tibet,” and called for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet as his body was burning, according to the same sources.

 
Norbu’s body was badly burned, but according to the same sources he was still alive when police stationed on the street extinguished the flames and kicked Norbu before taking him away. According to at least one source in the area, the vehicle transporting Norbu Damdrul left the scene headed in the opposite direction of the local hospital. Norbu Damdrul’s current whereabouts and well-being are unknown, according to the same sources. A large crowd of Tibetans who had gathered at the scene was dispersed at gunpoint by security personnel, according to the same sources.

 
Kirti monks have been restricted from making traditional prayers for those who have died, and officials have announced that anyone who showed sympathy and support for the families of the Tibetans who immolated themselves would be detained.

 
Norbu Damdrul is from Cheji township, Ngaba county, Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, the Tibetan area of Amdo. His protest is the eighth self-immolation protest in Ngaba since 2009, seven of which have occurred since March 16, 2011. Norbu Damdrul is a former monk at Kirti monastery and has lived with his parents since June, 2010, according to the same sources. It is not known whether Norbu Damdrul chose to disrobe, or was expelled from the monastery by government authorities.

 
Norbu Damdrul is the ninth Tibetan monk or former Tibetan monk to self-immolate since a young Kirti monk named Tapey set fire to himself on February 27, 2009 after monks at the monastery were told by the local authorities that they were not allowed to observe Monlam, a traditional prayer festival that is held after Tibetan New Year (Losar). Tapey was shot by security personnel before they put out the flames. Eight of the self-immolations have taken place in Ngaba, while one, by a Nyitso monastery monk named Tsewang Norbu, took place in neighboring Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province.

 
The Ngaba area has been under military lockdown since major protests were held in the area following the spread of protests across the Tibetan plateau beginning in March, 2008. Earlier this year on March 16, a 20-year old monk named Phuntsog died after setting fire to himself in a protest held on the 3rd anniversary of a protest at Kirti in 2008 during which at least 10 Tibetans were shot dead. A stepped-up crackdown by authorities in the area ensued, in which hundreds of Kirti monks were detained, many were expelled, and several received prison sentences varying from 10 to 13 years. During a vigil held by local Tibetans at the main gate of Kirti monastery on April 21 amidst the crackdown, two elderly Tibetans were beaten to death by security personnel. 
Of the nine self-immolation protests, four are known to have died. Most recently, two former monks died following their self-immolation protest on October 7, 2011. Choephel, age 19, and Kayang, age 18, clasped their hands together and set fire to themselves along the main street in Ngaba county town, according to exile Tibetan sources in contact with Tibetans in the area. According to at least one source, both may have been expelled from Kirti during the current crackdown. 
There are unconfirmed reports that Kesang Wangchuk, who is in hospital after committing self-immolation protest on October 3, has been subjected to interrogation and torture. 

 

.................................................................................

 

 

Two more Tibetan teenagers set fire to themselves, protesting Chinese repression. Five in the last two weeks.

October 8, 2011

Two former monks from the embattled Kirti monastery set fire to themselves today in Ngaba county town, according to exile Tibetans in contact with Tibetans in the area. There have been five self-immolations in Ngaba county town in less than two weeks, and seven since February, 2009.

The two Tibetan teenagers, Choephel, age 19, and Kayang, age 18, staged their protest this morning on the main street in Ngaba county town, Ngaba county, Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province (the Tibetan area of Amdo), according to exile Tibetan sources.

 
The two young men clasped their hands together and set fire to themselves before security personnel extinguished the flames and took the two to the county’s government-run hospital, according to the same sources. Their current whereabouts and well-being has not been confirmed, but according to at least one source, Choephel may have died shortly after the protest.

Kayang and Choephel were both former monks at Kirti monastery in Ngaba, but have since disrobed, according to exile Tibetan sources. The Ngaba area has been under military lockdown since major protests were held in the area following the spread of protests across the Tibetan plateau beginning in March, 2008.

 
In one major demonstration in Ngaba in 2008, at least 10 Tibetans were shot dead by security forces. According to the Tibetan exile sources, Kayang’s cousin, a Tibetan named Tashi, was one of the Tibetans killed in the Chinese government crackdown in Ngaba in 2008.

Dharamsala-based Tibetan researcher Zorgyi, who works for International Campaign for Tibet, said, “This sort of committed decision (self-immolation) can only be made under such suffering and pain caused by the Chinese government’s restrictions and repression. Normally, these people would not have taken this sort of action. Therefore, through their decision to self-immolate, we can understand what sort of situation Tibetans in Tibet are in. Tibetans are deeply religious, and they are willing to pay the ultimate price for their religion and freedom.”

The Ngaba region has faced intense security pressure since protests occurred across the Tibetan plateau in 2008 and were quickly followed by a military crackdown by Chinese officials. More recently, monks at Kirti monastery in Ngaba have faced particularly harsh security measures following the self-immolation by a monk named Phuntsog, who died after setting fire to himself in a protest earlier this year on March 16.

 
Protests by local Tibetans in the area have been violently put down, including one incident in which two elderly Tibetans were killed by paramilitary police on April 21 while they took part in a standing vigil at the gate of Kirti monastery by a group of laypeople – mainly in their sixties or older – in an effort to prevent monks from being taken away by security forces in a raid on the monastery.

 
For a detailed history of the suffering of Tibetans in the Ngaba region of Chinese-occupied Tibet, and to learn how you can help, link to:

 

           International Campaign for Tibet Action Center

 

 

.................................................................

 

 

3 Tibetan monks in the last week self-immolate as China violently suppresses their monastery

 

October 4, 2011

 

A 17-year old monk from Kirti monastery immolated himself in Ngaba county town at approximately 2:00 pm local time yesterday, according to Tibetans in exile in contact with Tibetans in the area. The monk, Kelsang Wangchuk, carried a photo of the Dalai Lama and was shouting slogans against the Chinese government when he set fire to himself along the main street in Ngaba county, Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province. Full details of the incident have yet to emerge, but some exiled sources say that he was immediately surrounded by security personnel, who extinguished the fire and beat Kelsang Wangchuk before taking him away. Kelsang’s current wellbeing and whereabouts are unknown.

According to the same Tibetan sources, people in the street and surrounding area began to gather at the scene and prepared to protest, but the crowd was quickly dispersed by security personnel. Shortly after the immolation, additional security forces were deployed in Ngaba county town and at Kirti monastery, increasing an already tense security atmosphere in an area known for its outspoken expression of the Tibetan identity and frequent peaceful protests.

 According to monks from the re-established Kirti monastery in exile in Dharamsala, India, pamphlets were distributed and posted around Kirti monastery and the market place in Ngaba county town a few days ago, stating that if the current security crackdown in the area were to continue, “many more people were prepared to give up their lives” in protest.

Kelsang Wangchuk, who is from Tsaru’ma village, Chujee’ma township in Ngaba county, is the third monk from Kirti monastery to set fire to himself in the past week. On September 26 Lobsang Kelsang and Lobsang Kunchok, both believed to be approximately 18-years old, set fire to themselves while shouting “Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” in a protest also held in Ngaba county town. After extinguishing the flames, police took the two young monks into custody. Their current whereabouts and wellbeing remain unknown.

 On February 27, 2009, a Kirti monk in his mid-twenties named Tapey set himself on fire in protest after local authorities told monks at Kirti monastery that they were not allowed to observe Monlam, a traditional prayer festival that is held after Tibetan New Year (Losar). According to several sources from the area, police shot Tapey before they extinguished the flames and took him into custody. His whereabouts and current condition remain unknown.

In nearby Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, a 29-year old monk named Tsewang Norbu died on August 15 after drinking petrol and setting fire to himself while calling for freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet. Tsewang Norbu was a monk at Nyitso monastery in Tawu (Chinese: Daofu) in Kardze, an important historic center of Tibetan religious culture that was surrounded by military troops following Tsewang Norbu’s protest. 

 

...........................................................................

 

 

Tibetans Held While Chinese Security Chief Visits Nepal: Radio Free Asia report with Mikel Dunham

 

 August 18, 2011

Detentions reflect growing Chinese influence in Nepal

Nepalese police detained eight Tibetans in Kathmandu this week in a bid to block anti-China protests during the visit of a high-level delegation from Beijing, sources said. 

The delegation, led by Chinese Communist Party Politburo security chief Zhou Yongkang, arrived in Nepal’s capital on Tuesday for a three-day visit, where it announced a $50 million aid package to the impoverished Himalayan country. 

LUMBINI, NEPAL: Chinese-Maoist Scheme to Commandeer the Birthplace of Buddha

 

August 12, 2011

A Chinese NGO has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UN Industrial Development Organization to transform Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, into a mega-complex of international tourism. The problem is that the Nepal government wasn’t notified of the project. To make matters worse, it now has been revealed that Maoist Supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” is co-chairman of the controversial (and up until now little known)NGO. 

Since when did the Chinese and the Maoists in Nepal get to decide what’s best for Nepal without bothering to confer with the government of Nepal? 

The NGO in question is the Hong Kong-based Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation and Exchange Foundation (APECEF).

Mikel Dunham's "Buddha's Warriors" now available in Czech

 

August 10, 2011

 

 

To Order Link here: PASEKA PUBLISHERS

 

 

.....................................................................................

 

Mikel Dunham on Radio Free Asia: Nepal Arrests Dalai Lama's Envoy

 

August 6, 2011

 

 

Authorities in Nepal arrested on Friday the Dalai Lama's new representative in the Himalayan territory after he held a news conference calling for protection of Tibetan refugee rights, sources said.

The arrest of Thinley Lama, volunteer coordinator of the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office, came amid persistent pressure from Beijing urging the Nepalese government to stop “anti-China activities” by Tibetan refugees.

He was taken away and interrogated by police after he held a press conference asking the Nepal government to ensure the rights of the country’s 20,000 Tibetan refugees under Nepal’s new constitution.

The press conference, held at a Kathmandu hotel, was Thinley Lama’s first since his June appointment. (Full transcript translated into English provided below.)

Thinley Lama, a Nepali citizen, was expected to be released after signing  specific "commitments," a source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“They want him to shackle himself in future press conferences,” the source said.

PERSECUTION

Rights groups criticized the Nepali government and called for strong action from the international community and an end to what they called "persecution" of Tibetan refugees in Nepal.

"I think this gesture—arresting this representative of the Tibetan government in exile—brings us to a new low," Sophie Richardson, Human Rights Watch's Asia advocacy director, told RFA.

"We have not seen behavior this specific, this aggressive, and frankly this baseless, in quite some time, and it is a very alarming development that requires a fairly vociferous response from the international community to make sure that the government of Nepal is upholding its obligations to Tibetans," she said. 

China has been more aggressive in urging Nepal to take action against Tibetan refugees since last month when the new Chinese ambassador to Nepal, Yang Houlan, assumed office, news reports said. 

Yang had reminded the Nepali government and political parties in the country against allowing any “anti-China activity” by Tibetans living in Nepal, the reports said.

Tibetan refugees living in Nepal are under pressure to avoid asserting their national identity as their host country moves closer to its powerful northern neighbor China, analysts say.

Even religious ceremonies and community gatherings by Tibetans are increasingly viewed with suspicion by authorities in Nepal. They were also prevented from celebrating the birthday of the Dalai Lama last month.

Many of the refugees arrived in Nepal following a failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule in which thousands fled south across the Himalayas.

Many still flee Tibet each year, hoping to transit Nepal to India, home of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

At the press conference on Friday, Thinley referred to four treaties signed between Nepal and Tibet as two "sovereign countries" in 1645, 1789, 1792 and 1856, the Times of India reported. 

He noted that on the basis of amicable relations with Tibet, earlier Nepali governments had given sanctuary to Tibetans forced to leave their countries as "political refugees," the report said. China says there are no Tibetan “refugees,” only illegal immigrants.

"I guess the thing that really ‘got their goat’ was that he referenced old treaties between Nepal and Tibet," said Mikel Dunham, an American writer and blogger on Nepal’s politics who frequently travels to the country."That would not have gone down well, particularly with the new Chinese ambassador in Nepal, Yang Houlan, who seems to be the feistiest of all the [Chinese] ambassadors so far."

What other authors are saying about "CAUGHT IN NEPAL: Tibetan Refugees Photographing Tibetan Refugees"

 

July 27, 2011

 

 

“The plight of Tibetan refugees has long been documented with startling clarity and insight by renowned author Mikel Dunham, who has brought their voice to the world through his powerful writing, commentary and deep immersion into the complex political situation of Nepal. It is thrilling and ingenious then that he is empowering those same Tibetan voices that the world desperately needs to hear by aiding them through the medium of photography. By giving cameras to Tibetan refugees, he has given them voice in documenting the intimacy of their daily lives. Caught in Nepal: Tibetan Refugees Photographing Tibetan Refugees, is an inspired undertaking and an invaluable addition to the study of the Tibetan Diaspora.”

Jonathan Green, author of Murder in the High Himalaya

 

 

 

 

 

 

“This book is an immensely valuable record of the reality of Tibetans’ existence as refugees in Nepal. Mikel Dunham and his amateur Tibetan photographers have made a tremendous contribution to our understanding of Tibetans’ lives in Nepal and the existential issues that daily confront them.”  

Warren W. Smith, Jr., author of Tibet’s Last Stand

 

 

 

 

 

"The raw and heartfelt moments captured in Caught in Nepal reveal the grit, courage, and fortitude of refugees from Tibet as they struggle to maintain their unique cultural identity outside their occupied homeland.” 

Matteo Pistono, author of In the Shadow of the Buddha

 

 

.....................................................

 

International Campaign for Tibet article by Mikel Dunham

 

July 17, 2011

 An Inside look at Tibetan Exiles Trapped without Basic Rights

by Mikel Dunham
  

1. It’s been fifty years since Tibetan refugees began funneling into Nepal and establishing refugee settlements. That first generation of exiles had resisted the 1950s’ Chinese invasion of their homeland. Then, after fleeing Tibet in the wake of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s own escape, the freedom fighters regrouped in Mustang – a Nepali district overlooking the Tibetan plain – to continue the fight with support from the U.S. government.  Many of their families set up (what they thought were) temporary homes south of the Himalaya massif. That was the beginning of the refugee camps in Nepal: in Pokhara and, further east, in the Kathmandu Valley. 

 

Most of the oldest exiles have now passed on, leaving second and third and even fourth generation offspring. Unlike their forefathers, these younger refugees harbor no hope of ever returning to their homeland. 

Chinese pressure on a succession of weak Nepali governments has been so successful that all major political parties in Nepal now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Beijing’s insistence on a “One-China Policy”, i.e. China’s spurious claim that Tibet has always been an inseparable part of China. 

Where does that leave Tibetan refugees stranded in Nepal? They have no legal status. Tibetan refugees cannot own property or own businesses. They are not allowed to register the births or marriages of their children. Without the proper paperwork, they are deprived of the opportunity to attain higher education, meaningful employment in the Nepali job market, and visas to go to other countries. In short, the only right Tibetan exiles have in Nepal is to be in Nepal and it has left them despondent and idle – not unlike Native Americans must have felt, at the beginning of the 1900s, when their confinement to reservations represented an unjust dead-end. 

Over the years, I have seen this constriction of Tibetan hope firsthand. Because of various books and projects, I have had occasion to visit the refugee settlements almost annually since the mid-1990s. Each year, I have seen the exiles’ prospects dim to the point that, now, in 2011, the great challenge for Tibetans stranded in Nepal is finding a legal means to leave Nepal forever. 

Westerners who visit Nepal often come away with the false notion that the Tibetan refugees are economically thriving and that they enjoy freedom to practice their religion without interference from the Nepali government. This is not the case and, for years, I’ve tried to address this misconception by conducting and publishing interviews with refugees. It’s been a difficult message to get across to the international community. 

Then, about three years ago, I came up with a different tactic: Why not let the Tibetans speak for themselves through cameras?

With the support of the William Hinman Foundation, I distributed ten inexpensive digital cameras to young volunteers living in the Tibetan settlements. None of the recipients had ever owned cameras and only three exhibited any knowledge or experience with photographic equipment. That didn’t matter to me. I wasn’t looking for expertise. I was looking for access to the most intimate aspects of the daily lives of Tibetans-in-exile.

The result of the experiment is my new book, CAUGHT IN NEPAL: Tibetan Refugees Photographing Tibetan Refugees. Out of thousands of submitted photographs, approximately 150 photographs were incorporated into the book, grouped in sections such as “Buddhist Devotion”, “The Importance of Community”, and “Political Struggle”. There is also an accompanying text, written by me, entitled, The History of Nepali-Tibetan Relations and Why Tibetan Refugees are Stranded in Nepal Today.

Politically, the refugees have never been as heavily censored as they are at the present time. That is why I believe this book is so relevant. Tibetans in Nepal may not be able to wave the Tibetan flag or gather publicly to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s birthday – as was recently and heartbreakingly revealed only last week in Kathmandu – but there is still a publisher in Kathmandu who is brave enough to publish the book. 

Tweet

...................................................................

 

Nepal Supreme Court decides in favor of Tibetan Refugees

 

July 14, 2011

The Supreme Court of Nepal has ordered the release of a group of 12 Tibetans after finding that their 20 days in detention was “without reasonable explanation… and that said detention is illegal,” according to court documents obtained by the International Campaign for Tibet. 

The 12 were ordered released on July 10 and is the second instance in little over a year in which the Supreme Court of Nepal has ordered the release of a group of Tibetans detained in Kathmandu on political grounds. On March 22, 2010, the Supreme Court ordered the release of three young Tibetan men, Sherap Dhondup, Sonam Dhondup and Kelsang Dhondup, who were detained in Boudhanath neighborhood of Kathmandu on March 9 and accused of “posing a threat to Nepal-China relations,” with the police also claiming they found weapons on the Tibetans, an allegation that the Tibetans denied while talking to reporters, saying it was “totally fabricated” (ICT report).

“The Nepal Supreme Court’s ruling clearly points to the political nature of these detentions, highlighting the precarious situation Tibetans face in Nepal,” said Mary Beth Markey, President of the International Campaign for Tibet. “This is an encouraging indication of the independence of the judicial system in Nepal despite Beijing’s pressure on Nepal to crackdown on activities it deems to be ‘anti-China.’ Given the blatant disregard for the law as demonstrated by the police, the Chief District Officer and other officials involved in favor of political enforcement, it seems the only way for Tibetans to avoid detention over the specter of ‘anti-China’ activities is for Tibetans to renounce their very identity,” said Markey.

The 12 Tibetans ordered released on July 10 had been detained since June 21 following their participation in a candlelight vigil in the Boudhanath neighborhood of Kathmandu to express solidarity with Tibetan demonstrators in Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province who are currently under an intense security crackdown (ICT report). The prosecutor’s office accused the Tibetans of organizing an “anti-China” activity “harmful to China-Nepal foreign relations,” according to an ICT monitor in Kathmandu. The Nepal Supreme Court chastised the Boudhanath police, the Chief District Officer and the prosecutor’s office involved in the detention for failing to provide a written explanation to the court for the Tibetans’ detention and for failing to issue arrest warrants for the Tibetans, according to the court documents.

ABUSE IN DETENTION

Also, according to the ICT report, among the 12 Tibetans recently released was a 39-year old Tibetan man, who was beaten with a bamboo baton and accused of being the main organizer of “anti-China” activities in Kathmandu. In addition to physical abuse, he was coerced into signing a confession and then locked overnight without drinking water in a bathroom at the Boudhanath police station.  He told ICT that the DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) of the Boudhanath police station called him to his office, where there were another six or seven police officers, and accused him of organizing the candlelight vigil that evening. The Tibetan told him that he took part in the vigil, but that he wasn’t the organizer. The DSP then got angry and slapped him in the face several times, dragged him by the hair onto the office floor, and accused him of being the main “Free Tibet” activist in Kathmandu. Other police officers recorded the questioning and beating on video. He told ICT: “Even though I was not an organizer of the vigil, he [the DSP] told me: ‘If you don’t confess, I will kill you tonight.’ Then he beat me with a bamboo stick. He hit me all over my body, but mostly on my legs. Then the DSP hit my knees and my stomach a few times while pulling my hair. I thought he was going to kill me and then I confessed and said I was the organizer.  Then he punched my mouth and locked me in the toilet with no drinking water or anything until 8am the next day.”

You can help to fight injustice toward Tibetan refugees in Nepal by supporting my new book, Caught in Nepal: Tibetan Refugees photographing Tibetan Refugees

 

………………………..............………………………

 

 

Dunham's radio interview with Tom Lutz, Publisher of Los Angeles Review of Books

July 10, 2011

Last Thursday, Mikel Dunham was interviewed on Radio Pacifica's Ian Masters' talk show in Los Angeles. Tom Lutz, Publisher of the Los Angeles Review of Books was guest host. Below is the link:

 

CLICK HERE:

Tom Lutz-Mikel Dunham interview

 

 

..............................................................................

 

 

 

 

Nepal’s Grim Birthday Present to the Dalai Lama

 

July 7, 2011

Worldwide, while millions of devotees celebrated the Dalai Lama’s 76th birthday, Nepal prevented exiled Tibetans from doing the same in Kathmandu.

Hundreds of riot police blocked Tibetans from entering a school where celebrations were planned. Only students in uniform were allowed entrance, while other Tibetans, including monks and nuns were shunned. 

Across the capital, all public celebrations for the Dalai Lama were prohibited.

This should not come as a surprise to anyone monitoring the anti-Tibetan trend currently choreographed by Nepal’s Maoist Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Krishna Bahadur Mahara. 

Video announcement of Mikel Dunham's new book ... CAUGHT IN NEPAL: TIBETAN REFUGEES PHOTOGRAPHING TIBETAN REFUGEES

 

June 8, 2011 

 

 

 

 

   FOR VIDEO and how you can help: CLICK HERE

 

 ....................................................................................

 

 

 

 

 

 

..................................................................

 

Ongoing risk for Tibetan refugees in Nepal – Annual Report from ICT

 

 

June 18, 2011

With U.N. World Refugee Day (June 20) just around the corner, a new International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) report has just been released that details the dangers for Tibetan refugees transiting Nepal and for Nepal’s long-staying Tibetan refugee community. 

 

The report for 2010, ”Dangerous Crossing: Conditions Impacting the Flight of Tibetan Refugees,” attributes these dangers to inadequate protections provided to Tibetans by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the government of Nepal, and to significant pressure from Nepal’s northern neighbor, the People’s Republic of China, to comply with its directives on the treatment of Tibetan refugees and their activities in Nepal. 

In 2010, security along the Tibet-Nepal border, enhanced in preparation for the lighting of the 2008 Olympic torch lighting on Mt. Everest, was further entrenched. The numbers of Tibetan refugees successfully reaching the Tibetan Refugee Transit Center in Kathamandu, in sharp decline since 2008, were slightly higher than in 2009. 

Dismal to Hopeless: Update on the rights of Tibetan refugees in Nepal

 

 

June 9. 2011

Earlier this week, June 5-6, United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State (DAS) for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Kelly Clements visited Kathmandu to discuss humanitarian protection and assistance issues for Tibetan and Bhutanese refugees. This was her second trip to Nepal within the year. 

In regard to Tibetan refugees, DAS Clements voiced her concern to Home Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara. She stressed her concern over Nepal’s failure to register Tibetan children born in Nepal after the 1990 census. Nepal has not conducted a Tibetan census since – two decades of inattention.

WHAT IS NEPAL’S STANCE ON TIBETAN REFUGEES AND TO WHAT EXTENT DOES IT CONCUR WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW?

China further intrudes in Nepal’s domestic affairs

 

April 21, 2011

This week, two events underline the Chinese government’s ever more emboldened stance in Nepal. 

1) A diplomatic row erupted between China and Nepal as Beijing expressed dissatisfaction over the appointment of a minister of Tibetan ethnic origin by the communist party-led government of Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal. Chinese embassy officials in Kathmandu denounced the appointment of Lharkyal Lama as State Minister for Finance. The embassy’s stance is that Mr. Lama is connected with the “Free Tibet Movement”, a CPN-UML party source said in Nagarik Daily. According to Republica, Lama holds the nationality of Nepal, India and Tibet –the latter, of course, being unacceptable to Beijing.

Nepal Shames Itself: Only country in the world forbidding Tibetan exiles to participate in democracy

 

March 21, 2011

Worldwide, more than 82,000 exile Tibetans voted yesterday for the new Kalon Tripa (Prime Minister), who will head the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, located in Dharamsala, India. The election holds a particular significance because, on March 10, the Dalai Lama announced his intention to retire – or, more specifically, to devolve political authority to an elected leadership other than himself. In addition to the Kalon Tripaas, 44 members of the Tibetan Parliament will be determined by the voting.

Eighty-six regional election offices throughout the world were set up to count the votes and to forward the results in secret to Dharamsala. Election booths in various places in Asia, Europe, the United States and Canada, were arranged without incident. 

But the general mood of optimism across the Tibetan Diaspora was seriously dampened by the news that more than 10,000 Tibetans in Nepal were forbidden to participate in the democratic process. 

Monk immolates himself; major protests at Tibetan monastery violently suppressed

 

 March 17, 2011

 

 

Peaceful protests were violently suppressed today at Kirti monastery in the Ngaba area of Tibet after a young monk set himself on fire and later died. 

The 21-year old monk, called Phuntsog, immolated himself earlier today, which is the 3rd anniversary of a protest at Kirti in 2008 during which at least 10 Tibetans were shot dead. Police extinguished the flames and were seen beating Phuntsog before he died, according to Tibetan exiles in contact with Tibetans in Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province (the Tibetan area of Amdo). 

According to the same sources, protests then broke out against the Chinese authorities involving hundreds of monks and laypeople. After an attempted peaceful march from the monastery, police broke up the protests, detaining an unknown number of monks and beating Tibetans involved.

 

The March 10 Tibetan demonstration that wasn’t: Nepal successfully stifles refugees’ desire to be heard by the outside world

 

 March 11, 2011

Yesterday, the Nepali government ordered the police to suppress a peaceful demonstration of more than 1,000 Tibetan refugees pleading for an end to the Chinese iron-fisted rule over Tibet. The demonstrators, chanting anti-Chinese slogans and waving Tibetan flags, gathered outside the Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu to mark the 52nd anniversary of March 10, 1959. On that day, riots in Lhasa over Mao’s invasion of Tibet led to brutal Chinese PLA retaliation. A few days later, the Dalai Lama's made his famous escape to India, never to return to his homeland.

Unlike previous years in Kathmandu on this Tibetan anniversary, no serious injuries were reported. Police in riot gear told the crowd to disperse, then pushed them back with bamboo batons. A few arrests were made but the overall effect was an exemplary display of how well organized Nepali security can be when the Chinese government is breathing down its neck.

While the whole world sympathizes with the people of northern Africa and the Gulf States for their demonstrations, the Tibetan community’s desire for freedom of speech and religion are successfully relegated to state-imposed silence.

Nepal government cracks down on Tibetan welfare election with riot gear

 

 

February 18, 2011

Nepal's "one China policy" is ever more frequently invoked by the government as justification for shutting down community activities within the Tibetan community. 

The newest crackdown took place on Sunday, when the government sent armed police -- in riot gear and wielding batons -- to shut down local elections for the leadership of the Chushi-Gangdruk, a Tibetan community group principally looking after the welfare of veterans of the Tibetan resistance force that battled the Chinese People's Liberation Army from 1958 to 1974.

What were the sinister intentions behind the Chushi Gangdruk election? 

High-level US visit shows commitment to Tibetan refugees in Nepal

 

February 15, 2011

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Under Secretary of State Maria Otero, who serves concurrently as U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, and U.S. Ambassador Scott DeLisi visited the Tibetan Refugee Transit Center in Kathmandu on February 13 as part of a high-level visit that includes meetings with government and UN officials. Her visit to Kathmandu comes as both new and long-staying Tibetan refugees feel increasingly exposed to Chinese influence in Nepal.

“Under Secretary Maria Otero expressed the United States’ continued support for the safety and welfare of Tibetan refugees in Nepal, and said she would carry their message back to Washington,” said Todd Stein, Director of Government Relations at the International Campaign for Tibet, from Kathmandu. “Her visit signals that concerns for Tibetans, both the refugees and vulnerable long-staying population, remain a key interest in U.S. relations with Nepal.”

 

Mikel Dunham interviewed by Radio Free Asia: Tibetan refugees in Nepal

 

 February 13, 2011

 

Tibetans 'Insecure' in Nepal

Reported by Richard Finney

As relations between China and Nepal grow closer, Tibetans come under greater scrutiny and pressure.

An estimated 20,000 Tibetans now live in Nepal, though accurate numbers are hard to come by. Many arrived in Nepal following a failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule in which thousands fled south across the Himalayas.

Many still flee Tibet each year, hoping to transit Nepal to India, home of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

As relations between China and Nepal grow closer, though, recent agreements and meetings between the two countries “can only be regarded as bad news for Tibetans,” said Mikel Dunham, a writer and close observer of Nepalese politics and frequent visitor to the country.

Dunham noted that in November, China hosted a two-week special training for Nepalese police to help them prevent “pro-Tibet, anti-China” activities and demonstrations from occurring in Nepal.

“Then, in December 2010, Nepal and China agreed to step up security along their mutual border areas,” Dunham said. “This is an obvious move to make it more difficult for Tibetans inside Tibet to cross into Nepal.”

“The general mood of Tibetan refugees stranded in Nepal is, as it has been for many years now, one of depression,” Dunham said.

“The only difference now is that the Tibetans are beginning to understand that, whichever political party wields power in [Nepal’s capital] Kathmandu, the government of Nepal will remain resolutely pro-Chinese and therefore only marginally—if at all—sympathetic to the plight of Tibetans.”

 

HOW TO BE A CHINESE SPY: Dress up like a Buddhist monk from Nepal

 

January 18, 2011

Espionage has always capitalized on mockery. The most recent example is China’s grim ploy to disguise their spooks as Buddhist monks – the very demographic to which Beijing has been the least tolerant and the most intent upon oppressing – a policy that has held firm since the 1950s. 

Bipin Chand Agarwal, journalist for The Times of India, reported about three such Chinese suspects, arrested at the Indo-Nepali border yesterday.

Mikel Dunham’s book review of Matteo Pistono’s "In the Shadow of the Buddha"

 

January 17, 2011

 

In the Shadow of the Buddha is a book about religious freedom, transmitted from a prism that refracts a quartet of incisively written points of view. What’s really remarkable about Matteo Pistono’s book is that he wears his various narrative hats with equal authority. The end result is one of seemingly incongruous components interlocking to create a multi-textural experience seldom offered to readers. 

 

Pistono, the spy:  During the last decade, the author has made numerous trips to Tibet to surreptitiously photograph evidence of Chinese oppression inside Tibet and to smuggle out written documents that have become essential data to international human rights organizations, as well as to the US State Department. His fearless information gathering has contributed greatly to a deeper understanding of Tibet, normally off-limits to Western reporters.

Teaser for upcoming documentary with Mikel Dunham

 

December 21, 2010

Spanish film director Jordi Carot is in mid-production of his documentary on compassion and universal justice as seen through the Tibetan eye. The working title is Blowin in the Mountains.

Filming locations include Dharamsala, Bodhgaya, Sikkim, Kathmandu, Los Angeles and Barcelona. 

Cast includes:

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tashi Wangdi

Penpa Tsering

Kelsang Gyaltsen

Thubten Wangchen

Lhasang Tsering

Loten Namling

JJI Exile Brothers

Palden Gyatso

Richard Gere

Mikel Dunham

 

Carot’s film is being completed with the Xochipilli team and Life & Pictures Productions. Stay tuned for more information as it comes available.

 

 

Click below for film teaser:

 

                                                    Blowin in the Mountains

 

 
 

………………………..........................…………………………….

 

 

 

In Memoriam: E. Gene Smith

 

December 19, 2010

 
Gene Smith passed on December 16, to the profound regret of the international community of Tibetans, Tibetan historians and scholars, and Buddhists around the world.

A true pioneer in Tibetan Studies, Gene dedicated his life to preserving the rich literary heritage of Tibet.

Former CIA instructors: What it was like to train Tibetan warriors in the late 1950s

October 31, 2010

Including a new film clip interview with Ray Starke

 

In my book, Buddha’s Warriors, former CIA instructors at Camp Hale (the top-secret facility located near Leadville, Colorado), talked about the remrkable character and ability of the Tibetan warriors, who they had been tasked to train for reinfiltration into Tibet, thereby augmenting the Tibetan resistance already in full bloom against the Chinese invasion of their country.

Here is an excerpt:

Film clip: Jamyang Norbu on Tibetan independence, past and future

 

October 15, 2010

 

 

 

Jamyang Norbu is a noted author, blogger and activist in the forefront of the Tibetan struggle for independence from China. While he has many supporters, he is also controversial within the Tibetan community for criticizing the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration for eventually taking a "middle way" position of accepting Chinese rule, seeking only autonomy within it.

Norbu began working in the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in 1968, and was part of the Tibetan resistance in Mustang, Nepal from '71 to '72, just when the CIA was beginning to pull their aid. Mainly charged with getting intelligence on China, he also helped raise funds to keep the resistance alive until the Dalai Lama finally put an end to the Mustang base in 1974. Among other involvements in Tibetan activism, Norbu was president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, director of Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, and co-founder of the Amnye Machen Institute for advanced studies on Tibet.

In the film clip, Norbu talks about the collective psyche of Tibetan refugees – in the 1960s, when Tibetans first became refugees, and in the 21st century, when cynicism has come into play.

 

 

                                                CLICK HERE for FILM CLIP                

 

…………………………………..............……………………………………

 

 

Nepal’s Maoists black-flag eye clinic and other Indian health aid

 

October 7, 2010

The Maoists continue to do the bidding of Beijing. Yesterday, they stepped up their anti-Indian campaign by attempting to foil Rakesh Sood  -- Indian Ambassador to Nepal -- from visiting the Mt. Everest region, where he was scheduled to inaugurate various Indian-assisted projects previously green-lighted under bilateral cooperation.

A group of 30-35 Maoists associated with a regional group called the Sherpa Rastriya Mukti Morcha-Nepal tried to block the road when Sood touched down at the Solukhumbu Airport. They waved black flags at the ambassador, a particularly menacing and insulting warning sometimes used in Nepali demonstrations. The group was led by former Maoist minister for culture Gopal Kirati, who had earlier spearheaded the attack on Indian priests at the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu – a protest that seriously backfired on Maoist Supremo Prachanda, who was prime minister at the time.

There can be little doubt that the protest was mounted on behalf of China. Northern Nepal remains an extremely sensitive spot for Beijing, ever since China annexed Tibet in the 1950s.

Nepal – playing China’s lackey – seizes ballot boxes for Tibetan election

 

October 5, 2010

Apparently, all China has to do to get its way in Nepal these days is to speed-dial Nepal’s Home Minister Bhim Rawal, and the perceived problem will be eliminated.

This is what happened on Sunday, when Nepal’s northern neighbor pressured the struggling government to disrupt the peaceful election held by Tibetan refugees. The election was held to elect a new prime minister for the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India. 

Armed police in riot gear stormed three elections centers in Kathmandu – shortly before voting was completed -- and confiscated the ballot boxes, despite the fact that – according to human rights organizations in Kathmandu – tacit permission had been given by Nepali authorities. 

This was the first time Nepal had interfered with the Tibetans low-profile election process. 

5316 Tibetans were registered to vote in the Boudhanath stupa area of Kathmandu, 980 in Jawalakhel, and 2336 in Swayambhunath at the nunnery. 15 ballot boxes were seized in Boudhanath. Five boxes were seized in Swayambhu. In Jawalakel, the voting process had already been completed and the boxes had been removed.  

 

 

 

 

Bhim Rawal, the current Minister of of Home Affairs, just returned from New York, where he led Nepal’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. Rawal is a leader within the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) also known as the UML.

For this writer, the problem does not so much hinge on what any given political party in Nepal feels about the 20,000 Tibetan refugees stranded in Nepal – who are not allowed to own property, and who have no hope of gaining Nepali citizenship. The real problem – at least for me – is the process that took place here:

China doesn’t like something. China phones the Home Ministry. The Home Ministry immediately calls in the armed police. The armed police hit the streets in riot gear and carry out their orders. 

Where’s the affirmation of the basic human rights due every human being in Nepal in such a backroom operation?

The irony here is that, while Nepal’s government can’t conduct a successful election for its own prime ministry (nine failures in the last two months!) the Tibetans, who conducted a quiet and orderly election (with no funds or bureaucratic might), will certainly result in the naming of a new Tibetan prime minister – with or without the ballot boxes absconded by the Nepali government at the behest of Beijing. The contrast is as blatant as it is shameful.

 

To see the video of the police taking away the ballot boxes CLICK HERE

 

……………………….........................................…………………………

 

 

Short film: Secret CIA training of Tibetans Memorialized at Camp Hale, Colorado

 

 

October 2, 2010

 

At almost 10,000 feet altitude, Camp Hale was originally used for training by the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division during WWII. Then, in the late 1950s, under the supervision of Roger E. McCarthy, it became a top secret facility, utilized to train Tibetan resistance fighters. Many of the Tibetan trainees were killed after they were airdropped back into Tibet. Approximately 20 of the Tibetans are still alive.

On September 10, 2010, Camp Hale was commemorated with a plaque paying tribute to the brave Tibetans and the CIA team who trained them so many years ago. It was the first time the US has ever officially acknowledged the CIA's operation with the Tibetans. 

Colorado Senator Mark Udall hosted the event.

 

 click here for short film

...............................................................

 

Film clip: CIA IMPACT on TIBET? -- part ten with Roger E. McCarthy

August 28, 2010

 

In the final video of this series, Roger E. McCarthy, the co-creator of the top-secret Tibetan Task Force (code-named STCIRCUS) is introduced. In the spring of 1957, he trained the first Tibetan team, which was secretly escorted out of Darjeeling, then to East Pakistan on foot, then flown to Okinawa in a blacked-out plane, and finally flown to the island of Saipan.

 

Several years later, McCarthy established the Tibetan training site at Camp Hale, Colorado.

 

During my seven-year-research for my book Buddha’s Warriors, McCarthy became my friend, then mentor, and finally my surrogate father. In 1999, we traveled together – along with his son Kevin – where we were granted a filmed interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at his residence.  We also traveled to Tibetan refugee settlements – both in India and Nepal – where he was reunited with the long-ago Tibetan resistance fighters, whom he had grown to regard as old friends.

 

The video includes excerpts from his 1998 presentation at Toronto University, as well a panel discussion for Stanford University in 2006 called "CIA and the Secret War in Tibet", where he and I were among other panelists Bruce Walker, Ken Knaus andTenzin Tethong.

 

 

CLICK HERE for film clip  

 

..........................................................

 

 

Film Clip -- CIA IMPACT ON TIBET -- part nine

August 20, 2010

 

Born in Lhasa, Tsering Shakya is a noted scholar and author of articles and books on Tibet, including "The Dragon in the Land of Snows", and  the co-authored "The Struggle for Tibet". Currently, he is Professor of Tibetan history and literature at University of British Columbia, where he has organized the 2010 International Association for Tibetan Studies conference, underway this week at UBC's Institute for Asian Research, with 400 scholars from 21 countries attending. 

Click here for film clip

......................................................

Film Clip -- CIA IMPACT ON TIBET -- part eight

August 18, 2010

  

 

Ken Knaus and John Greaney were both CIA Officers on the Tibetan Task Force. Greaney, the Deputy Chief from 1957-1961, was in charge of US communications with the Tibetan radio team inside the Dalai Lama's escape party in 1959. Knaus began in 1958 as a Case Officer and Instructor at Camp Hale, Colorado, then became the operation's Project Manager from 1961-1965. Knaus is the author of "Orphans of the Cold War: America and the Tibetan Struggle for Survival". From separate interviews in 2008, here's their take on the CIA's impact.

Also a note on current events: For some time, Knaus has been lobbying the powers that be in Washington DC to have a sign posted at Camp Hale, pronouncing its use as a secret CIA training site for Tibetan resistance fighters from 1959 to 1965. Recently, Colorado Senator Mark Udall has agreed to support this, and a ceremony will take place there soon. More on that in future updates.

click here for film clip

....................................................

 

 

Film Clip: Mikel Dunham -- CIA IMPACT ON TIBET -- part seven

August 6, 2010

click here for film clip  

..............................................

Film Clip: CIA IMPACT ON TIBET -- part four

 

July 22, 2010

 

 

Bruce Walker was a CIA Case Officer and Training Instructor with the Tibetan Task Force from 1960 to 1968 – both at Camp Hale and later in New Delhi. Dedicated to preserving the memory of STCIRCUS, the operation's code name, Walker has donated archival material to the Hoover Institution at Stanford, and recently commissioned a painting for the CIA's "Intelligence Art Gallery", part of the CIA Museum, entitled "The Secret PLA Pouch Heads for K Building”, among other Tibetan-related historical projects.

 

Numerous photographs published in B uddha’s Warriors  came from Walker’s private collection.

 

CLICK HERE for film clip

 

...............................................................................