ICT Blog – Commentary and observations on Tibetan issues from the staff of ICT

Would China’s new Party Secretary in Lhasa turn out to be a double-edged sword to Tibetans?

The former Party Secretary of Tibet Autonomous Region, Chen Quanguao (left) with the newly appointed Party Secretary Wu Yingjie (right).

September 15, 2016 By: Bhuchung K. Tsering

On August 28, 2016 the Chinese authorities replaced the Party Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Chen Quanguo, with Wu Yingjie. Chen’s transfer may not have any extra significance as he has served in Lhasa for over five years, which is around the time when such Party officials are moved. But Wu is interesting in quite a few ways.

Wu is the first of the “second generation Tibetans” (Chinese: Zang Er Dai) to assume the position of the Party Secretary. The term “second generation Tibetans” is assigned to Chinese officials who have literally grown up in Tibet, having brought there by their parents when they were young.

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The Next American President and Tibet

2 months ago

Bhuchung K. Tsering

As the November 8, 2016 US Presidential elections draw near, there are those who are predicting a very close race between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Tibetan Americans and friends and supporters of the Tibetan people are watching the developments closely. In past elections, Tibetan Americans have shown themselves to be single-issue voters; with Party affiliations being regarded secondary to how the candidate has shown his (and now her) support to Tibet.

Participants of ICT's 2016 Tibetan Youth Leadership at the US State Department.

My Reflection on the 2016 Tibetan Youth Leadership Program

2 months ago

Guest

My experience with the Tibetan Youth Leadership Program (TYLP) started when I was applying to the program in March. The prompt for the essay question was, “What does it take to be a leader in the Tibetan community?” On the surface, it sounded like a easy question with a simple solution; however, when I tried to come up with an answer, it lead to an ambiguous and complex response. This made me question not only what constitutes as a leader, but more importantly what the Tibetan community means to me. These ideas were just the tip of the iceberg for my week with TYLP.

Did the Dalai Lama really warn about refugees and “Arab domination” in Europe?

June 2, 2016

Matteo Mecacci

The publication of an interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the German media has led to some sensational headlines derived from an interview that included questions on the refugee crisis in Europe. These representations, focusing on the Dalai Lama apparently warning against 'Arab domination' and Europe taking in 'too many' migrants are ultimately inconsistent with the well-known and compassionate approach of the Dalai Lama, who has been a refugee himself for more than half a century, and the longer-term perspective he seeks to convey.

Remembering Harry Wu

April 28, 2016

Kate Saunders

Harry Wu, the human rights crusader who ensured the Chinese name for prison labor camps entered the Oxford English Dictionary, has died aged 79. He served the first period of his 19 years in prison camps in the fearsome Qinghe farm in the Beijing area, and it was there, on an ox cart leaving the graveyard, that he made a promise to himself that began his life’s work.

Tasks before the Re-Elected Sikyong

April 27, 2016

Bhuchung K. Tsering

On April 27, 2016, the Tibetan Election Commission announced the results of the Sikyong and parliamentary elections. Except in the case of some members of parliament, for the Sikyong and some other MPs, the results were already known and this is a mere formality.

The ambivalent attitude of the Brussels based European Institute for Asian Studies on Tibet

December 8, 2015

Vincent Metten

Serious questions are raised by the lecture on 4th December at EIAS by a Chinese Communist Party official who has been notable for his attempts to stifle independent debate and adherence to aggressive policies against the Dalai Lama. Pema Thrinley (Chinese transliteration: Baima Chilin) the Vice Chairman of the Ethnic Affairs Committee, National People's Congress of China spoke about "Assessing Economic Development in Tibet".

My Tibet: ICT’s Special Edition 2016 Calendar

November 5, 2015

Tencho Gyatso

We are pleased this year to present to you a Special Edition 2016 ICT wall calendar titled “My Tibet” in honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday. The calendar is now available for purchase at the ICT online store. All the photographs and text featured in the calendar are from a special book titled "My Tibet" by the late photographer and adventure mountaineer, Galen Rowell. Galen’s passion for Tibet grew after travelling on assignment to Tibet a number of times in the mid to late 1980’s.

A red dress too far? Xi goes to the Palace in the UK’s ‘epic kowtow’ to China

October 29, 2015

Kate Saunders

The day before UK PM Cameron entertained Xi Jinping for a pint in his local pub last week, a Chinese Tiananmen survivor and two young Tibetan women were locked up overnight by police in London and informed they were not allowed to be ‘within 100 metres’ of the ‘victim’ of their ‘harassment’, Chinese Communist Party boss Xi. It was a troubling conclusion to a week in which the UK government faced an angry public backlash to 'the great British kowtow', in which the authoritarian leader of the Chinese Communist Party, currently presiding over the most serious crackdown in the PRC in...

Seven days in Washington, DC: my experience participating in ICT’s Tibetan Youth Leadership Program

October 8, 2015

Guest

It was pouring heavily in New York City — June 1, 2015. My friend Tenzin who was also heading to Washington, DC, for the Tibetan Youth Leadership Program was anxiously waiting for me as the train departure was nearing. Bouncing along the streets in full swing, I eventually made it Penn Station right on time, but I was completely soaked, my glasses, backpack, suitcase and everything. No sooner, we settled down and the train started to move, and as I changed my shirt and jacket, I turned to my friend and told her with sigh, “Thank, God! We are escaping this nasty rain.”

China: Quashing free expression at home and abroad

September 29, 2015

John N

Every time I watch the video of Tibetan nomad Runggye Adak going off-script while giving a speech at a major festival in Eastern Tibet, I’m struck by the disconnect between the simple action he took and the enormous consequences that followed. Adak, in full view of thousands of people, said what so many Tibetans think: “If we cannot invite the Dalai Lama home, we will not have freedom of religion and happiness in Tibet.” He went on to call for the 11th Panchen Lama and Tenzin Delek Rinpoche to be freed.