Tsultrim, Tenyi, and Norbu Damdul all succumb to injuries

Phayul[Tuesday, January 10, 2012 10:09]

File photo of Norbu Damdul, a former monk at Kirti Monastery who self immolated calling for 'complete independence for Tibet' on October 15, 2011. This photo was taken in 2009 when Norbu Damdul was still a monk.

DHARAMSHALA, January 10: The death toll in the fiery wave of self-immolations in Tibet since March 2011 has risen to ten with the deaths of Tsultrim, Tenyi, and Norbu Damdul.

Tsultrim and Tenyi, both around 20 years of age, had set their bodies on fire on January 6 at around 2:40 pm Tibet time in the distraught Ngaba region of eastern Tibet, which alone has witnessed ten instances of self-immolations since early last year.

Eyewitness accounts said that the two people, a monk and a layman, were together when they set themselves ablaze.

“With folded hands they faced towards Kirti Monastery and raised a number of slogans amongst which the audible ones were- ‘Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama’ and ‘We want the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet,’” a Tibetan in Bodh Gaya had said quoting eyewitnesses.

According to a release by the exile base of Kirti monastery in Dharamshala, Tenyi succumbed to his burn injuries shortly after Chinese security personnel arrested him on January 6.

Tslutrim passed away a day later in the night of January 7 under increased security restrictions in the region.

“Following their self-immolation, all the Tibetan shops and business were closed as a mark of respect and to show solidarity with the family of the two deceased,” the release said.

“However, as in earlier instances, local Tibetans were barred from visiting the families of the deceased to offer their condolences and prayers by the Chinese authorities.”

Norbu Damdul passes away

Norbu Damdul, a former monk of Kirti Monastery, who set himself on fire on October 15, 2011 passed away in a Chinese military hospital in Barkham, eastern Tibet on January 5, 2012.

His whereabouts remained known for nearly three months after Chinese security personnel arrested him following his self-immolation in the central town of Ngaba.

Norbu Damdul had raised slogans demanding ‘Complete Independence for Tibet’ and ‘Return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet’ according to eyewitness accounts.

Kirti monastery in its release said that the Norbu Damdul’s family was denied the right to perform his last rites.

Since March 2011, 15 Tibetans have set their bodies on fire demanding the return of the Dalai Lama from exile and protesting China’s continued occupation of Tibet.

Tibet is burning – Third self-immolation in three days

Phayul[Monday, January 09, 2012 23:15]

DHARAMSHALA, January 9: Just a day after two Tibetans set their bodies on fire in eastern Tibet, another Tibetan, a reincarnate lama set himself ablaze on January 8, Sunday.

Sonam Wangyal (Sopa), a respected spiritual figure in his early forties from Golok in eastern Tibet passed away on the spot after drinking and spraying kerosene all over his body before lighting himself up according to sources in exile.

Citing sources in Tibet, RFA said that Sopa self-immolated in front of the police station of Darlag (in Chinese, Dari) county in Golog after shouting slogans calling for Tibet's freedom and the long life of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama – demands which have been common to all the 15 Tibetans who have self-immolated in Tibet since March 2011.

In leaflets that Sonam Wangyal distributed just before he set himself ablaze, he stated his fiery sacrifice was not for his “personal glory but for Tibet and the happiness of Tibetans," RFA said quoting a source from inside Tibet.

"The Tibetans should not lose their determination. The day of happiness will come for sure. For the Dalai Lama to live long, the Tibetans should not lose track of their path," Sonam Wangyal said in his last statement.

After Chinese security personnel confiscated his charred body, several hundred Tibetans reportedly marched to the police station to demand his remains.

According to the Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), around 2,000 local Tibetans held a candlelight vigil urging the local police authorities to release his body.

“The local police averted further tension by agreeing to do so,” the CTA report said.

RFA has reported that Chinese security forces are pouring into Darlag “amid indications that thousands of Tibetans are planning to turn up for a memorial service this week for Sopa at a monastery where he had served”.

“Chinese authorities tightened security in Darlag, deploying additional security forces from the main town of Golog, as posters praising Sopa's act and calling for a boycott of Chinese goods appeared in the county,” RFA report said.

At Bodh Gaya, the venue for the ongoing 32nd Kalachakra teachings, Tibetan pilgrims and refugees from Amdo Golok who have gathered here for the ten-day teachings organised a candle light in the evening to show support and solidarity with the plight of people inside Tibet, especially with the family of Sonam Wangyal.

FCO's strategic Programme fund has spend £1.5m

Dear Information Rights Team,
I understand that the FCO's strategic Programme fund has spend £1.5m on a portfolio of projects in China over the last 3 years (Your Ref MIN/15987/2011) .  Can you send me details of these projects specifically: The nature of the project, where they took place, who was involved, the outcome and any other information relating to these projects.  

With Kind Regards

Richard

Response

Foreign & Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
www.fco.gov.uk

23 November 2011
Dear Richard
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - REQUEST REF: Ref: 1183-11
Thank you for your email of 14 November 2011 asking for details of our human rights projects in China over the last 3 years; specifically the nature of the project, where they took place, who was involved, the outcome and any other information relating to these projects.
I am writing to confirm that we have now completed the search for the information requested.
I can confirm that the FCO does hold information relevant to your request. Please find enclosed some of the information that you requested. Some of the relevant information is exempt and has been withheld under Section 27(1) (a) of the Freedom of Information Act (relations between United Kingdom and any other states).
The exemption in Section 27 is qualified and is subject to the balance of the public interest. This means that a public interest test must be carried out to determine whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. Whilst we appreciate the release of this information could increase public understanding of relations between the United Kingdom and China in this case, the effective conduct of the United Kingdom’s international relations, and its ability to protect and promote its interests abroad is of paramount importance.
We believe disclosure of the exempt information would be likely to lead to prejudice to the relations between the UK and China. In particular, if released, the exempt information could jeopardise our ability, and the ability of our partners, to run current and future project work in China. This would reduce the British Government's ability to protect and promote UK interests in China, which would not be in the public interest. Therefore, on balance, we conclude that the public interest is best served in withholding this information.
In keeping with the spirit and effect of the Freedom of Information Act, all information is assumed to be releasable to the public unless it is exempt. The information we have
supplied to you may now be published on our website together with any related information that will provide a key to its wider context.
I hope you are satisfied with this reply. However, if you wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, please write to the Information Rights Team at the Old Admiralty Building, Room SG 120, London SW1A 2PA. E-mail: dp-foi.img@fco.gov.uk. Yu have 40 working days to do so from the date of this letter.
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the FCO. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
We continually strive to improve our service, so we would welcome your feedback and comments. If you would like to provide feedback, please email our Information Rights Team at: dp-foi.img@fco.gov.uk
You can also find out more about the FCO and freedom of information issues at our Access to Information website: http://foi.fco.gov.uk/en
Yours sincerely,
Victoria White
China Department
We keep and use information in line with the Data Protection Act 1998. We may release this personal information to other UK government departments and public authorities.
Human Rights Projects in China
2008-2011
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office focuses project work on human rights in China into 4 areas: criminal justice, death penalty, freedom of expression and civil society. Our objectives for these projects are to work with the grain to increase the protection and promotion of human rights in China. Our engagement has influenced positive changes in the criminal justice system and prisons and a reduction in the scope and application of the death penalty.
FY 2008/09
Project Title
Spend (GBP)
Reform of China's judicial management system
21,600
Improving Prison Management in China-Developing the Human Rights approach in Two Provinces
34,900
Strengthening defence lawyers' rights by promoting effective implementation of the new Lawyers Law
7,637
Promoting independent monitoring of detention centres in China
68, 696
Towards Independent Prison Monitoring in China
51,833
Reducing Pre-trial Detention: the role of the Procuratorate
24,997
Moving the debate forward: Researching China's use of the death penalty
68,452
Restriction in the application of the death penalty for drug-related crimes in Yunnan Province
30,450
Promoting judicial discretion in the reduction and restriction of the application of the death penalty
20,500
Measuring the impact of new foreign correspondent rules on international media coverage of China
30,000
Child participation in reporting and evaluating child rights in China
60,000
FY 2009/10
Project Title
Spend (GBP)
Improving Prison Management in China-Developing the Human Rights
54,140
approach in Two Provinces
Strengthening defence lawyers' rights by promoting effective implementation of the new Lawyers Law
103,641
Promoting independent monitoring of detention centres in China
62, 215
Towards Independent Prison Monitoring in China
49,303
Reducing Pre-trial Detention: the role of the Procuratorate
26,522
Restriction in the application of the death penalty for drug-related crimes in Yunnan Province
98,790
Promoting judicial discretion in the reduction and restriction of the application of the death penalty
87,940
Freedom of expression and implementation of access to government information
22,984
Child participation in reporting and evaluating child rights in China
43,350
FY 2010/11
Project Title
Spend (GBP)
Improving Prison Management in China-Developing the Human Rights approach in Two Provinces
56,220
Strengthening defence lawyers' rights by promoting effective implementation of the new Lawyers Law
38,016
Promoting independent monitoring of detention centres in China
55, 977
Towards Independent Prison Monitoring in China
9,637
Restriction in the application of the death penalty for drug-related crimes in Yunnan Province
26,000
Promoting judicial discretion in the reduction and restriction of the application of the death penalty
63,000
Freedom of expression and implementation of access to government information
66,445
Hearing the public voice - enhancing the role of public opinion in government decision making
66,600
Partners for the period 2008-2011
Research institutes/Universities
Beijing Normal University, Renmin University of China, Wuhan University, China Academy of Social Sciences, and Institute for Procuratorial theory of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate;
Government Bodies
- Ministry of Justice, Hunan Provincial High Court, No. 2 Beijing Municipal Procuraterate, Legislative Affairs Office of Shenzhen Municipal Government and the Information Office of Chongqing Municipality; and
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs)
- Save the Children UK China Programme, International Centre for Prison studies, the Rights Practice, Ipsos MORI, and Great Britain China Centre.

China rubs salt on wound, Calls self-immolaters “thieves”

Phayul[Sunday, January 08, 2012 14:25]

DHARAMSHALA, January 8: China’s state news agency Xinhua, while admitting the two instances of self-immolation on January 6 in the Ngaba region of eastern Tibet has accused the two Tibetans of being “thieves.” Identifying the two as former monks of Kirti monastery, the Xinhua report said that one “died in a hotel room after setting himself on fire while another man aged 22 was being treated in hospital after setting himself ablaze”. Xinhua further reported that an “investigation” found that the “men had been involved in a number of thefts, including the ‘case of the Kirti monastery Buddha statue burglary.’” AFP in a report said that the local hospital where one of the self-immolaters is believed to be hospitalised declined to comment while calls to the county government and police “went unanswered”. The latest in the alarming wave of self-immolations in Tibet comes days after a senior Chinese official said that the self-immolations will never succeed in forcing any policy changes. "I can honestly say to our friends that even if such a thing happens again, the direction of the Chinese government's policies in Tibet and our attitude toward the Dalai clique's struggle will not change in any way," Zhu Weiqun, China’s point man for Tibet, who has held several rounds of unsuccessful dialogues with the Dalai Lama’s envoys said in comments carried on government website tibet.cn December 30, 2011. Zhu, a vice minister of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department, directly blamed the Dalai Lama and the exile Tibetan administration for the recent wave of self-immolations in Tibet which has seen 14 Tibetans set their bodies on fire since March 2011 protesting China’s continued occupation of Tibet and demanding the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. The Dalai Lama's supporters had "deceived several naive and young people to self-immolate in order to pressure the Chinese government", Zhu said. There is scarce information on the two Tibetans who self-immolated on January 6 at around 2:40 pm Tibet time in the distraught Ngaba region of eastern Tibet. Eyewitness accounts say that the two people, a monk and a layman, were together when they set themselves ablaze. “With folded hands they faced towards Kirti Monastery and raised a number of slogans amongst which the audible ones were- ‘Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama’ and ‘We want the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet,’” a Tibetan in Bodh Gaya had said quoting eyewitnesses. Another Tibet with contacts inside the Ngaba Kirti monastery told Phayul that one of the self-immolating Tibetans had wound his body with barbed wire before setting his body on fire in order to avoid being easily grabbed by Chinese security personnel.

Two Tibetans set themselves ablaze in Ngaba

Phayul[Friday, January 06, 2012 22:10]

DHARAMSHALA, January 6: Continuing the fiery episode of self-immolations in the new year, two Tibetans in Tibet set themselves on fire this afternoon. According to information received from various sources, the incident happened at around 2:40 pm Tibet time in the distraught Ngaba region of eastern Tibet, which alone has seen ten cases of self-immolation since March last year. While there is scarce information on the details of the two people, eyewitness accounts say that the two people, a monk and a layman, were together when they set themselves ablaze in Ngaba town. Free Tibet, the UK based organisation campaigning for an end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet, while quoting sources from inside Tibet said in a release today that “the person believed to be a lay person, was heard calling for the return of the Dalai Lama before Chinese forces extinguished the flames and removed him.” His well-being and whereabouts are unknown. In other information given by a Tibetan from the Ngaba region currently attending the ongoing Kalachakra teachings in Bodh Gaya, both the Tibetans had their hands folded in prayers as they faced towards the Kirti monastery, engulfed in flames. “With folded hands they faced towards Kirti Monastery and raised a number of slogans amongst which the audible ones were- ‘Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama’ and ‘We want the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet’,” the Tibetan said quoting eyewitnesses. The eyewitness confirmed that Chinese security personnel arrived at the scene and forcibly took them away. “The flames were huge and the layman might have probably died and there is less chances for the monk to survive,” the Tibetan said. These are the 13th and 14th cases of self-immolations in Tibet since March 2011. Tibetans have set their bodies on fire with an alarming consistency, demanding the return of the Dalai Lama from exile and protesting against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Earlier pamphlets spread around the Ngaba region had proclaimed that many more Tibetans were ready to self-immolate for the common cause of Tibet.

Correspondance With James Gray

Original email

Dear Mr. Gray,

We enjoyed reading your article in a recent Gazette and Herald after your trip to India entitled 'Let's strive to help Tibet overcome it's troubles'. As a Tibet Support Group, and with members in your constituency, we are greatly appreciative of your support and your many years of concern in this specific area. It is of great value that you will certainly do anything that you can, therefore with this sentiment we urge you to attend the debate in the House of Commons on Tibet on Wednesday 7th December. This will be the first debate on Tibet in Westminster since April 2008.

The debate will provide an opportunity for you to raise concerns about issues facing Tibet and ask questions of the Foreign Office and the British government. In particular, we urge you to call on our government to make a strong, robust statement of concern on China's repressive policies in Tibet.

The debate comes at a time of increasing repression in Tibet which, this year, has led to Tibetans taking the tragic action of setting themselves on fire. The most recent, a 12th immolation, took place last Thursday in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

With you in your support,

Bath District Tibet Support Group

Response via OCR:

JAMES GRAY MP
HOUSE OF COMMONS
LONDON SWIA GAA

7th December

Richard, 

Thank you for your email December with regard to Tibet.
I am extremely concerned about this matter and I can assure you that the Government is too. The Foreign and Commonwealth Ofïice (FCO) has urged the Chinese government to work with local monasteries and communities to resolve the grievances which have led to these desperate actions.
The FCO’s Human Rights Command Paper makes clear the UK’s concems regarding the human rights situation in China and Tibet. The consistent position has been that long term stability can only be achieved through respect for human rights and genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework ofthe Chinese constitution. The Government believes that meaningful dialogue between the Dalai Lama’s representatives and the Chinese authorities is the best way to make this happen.

I am aware that the FCO is actively monitoring this issue and raising it with Chinese Authorities. Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne MP wrote to the Chinese Ambassador earlier this year raising his concerns regarding the situation at the Kirti Monastery and officials have also raised their concerns with the Chinese Embassy in London and the Ministry of Foreign in Beijing. British Embassy in China also make regular visits to Tibetan areas. and l am have done so recently.

Unfortunately I was not able to attend the meeting in the House today as I was

involved in a Parliamentary Committee. I am however a member of the All Party Parliamentary Party for Tibet and closely follow these matters.

Response

Dear Mr Gray,

thank you for your letter of the 7th Dec, I too am mindful of the efforts of FCO Minister Jeremy Brown MP and the efforts of the British Embassy staff with respect to the Tibetan issues.

I am also aware that you have not signed the EDM 2327 on the self immolations that have recently occurred in Tibet (letter to XXXXX 7th Dec who has passed it to me) and that your reasons for this include

• uncertain as to it helping the Tibetan cause,
• you make the point that self immolation is 'fundamentally against all Buddhist beliefs'
• you believe that the EDM publicises the self immolation action.

Please note that the EDM does not encompass an endorsement of self immolation as the words start 'That this House is greatly saddened by the disturbing news of 10 incidents of self-immolation...' Can we not agree that it is sad that these monks and nuns have been driven to take their own life? These people must be faced with the prospect of not only loosing their land, culture and identity but also not being allowed to practice their religion due to the controls imposed by the Chinese authorities. Having lived in a functioning democracy all our lives we cannot begin to understand what it means to be under severe government repression.

For my part it is essential that independent observers are sent to Tibet, for which the EDM calls for, along with other action.

Can I also assure you that self immolation is not 'fundamentally against all Buddhist beliefs', a misunderstanding that was also iterated by a recent Chinese Embassy letter to the Guardian. Indeed Buddhism, particularly Mahayana (or Madhyamaka philosophy) which is the primary form of Buddhism in Tibet, provides no absolutes to 'believe' in. A central tenet of Buddhism is the recognition of the impermanent and unpredictable nature of reality. Thus there can be no absolute set of laws that will work in all circumstances. When a monk or nun take a vow to not kill, they do so with the knowledge that there may be certain extreme circumstances that require killing. The vow would be broken if they do not act in accordance with such extreme circumstances.

Perhaps extreme circumstances have been found in Tibet and like Vietnamese monks before them, they have found that the only solution is provided by the ultimate act of renunciation.

With Kind regards

Bath Dist Tibet Support Group


Response via OCR:

JAMES GRAY MP
HOUSE OF COMMONS
LONDON SWIA GAA

14th December 2011
 

Richard 

 Thank you for your email of December with regard to Tibet.
There is no stronger advocate than I for the rights of the downtrodden people of Tibet, but that is not to presume that you and I would necessarily agree about tactics for raising it. I am particularly unhappy about publicity surrounding monkish self-immolation.

I bow to your wisdom with regard to Buddhist theology although I was quoting His Holiness the Dalai Lama directly in that regard since he made plain to us in a private audience that he most certainly did not approve of self-immolations.

My concern is that by seeking to use suicide as a means towards the end of achieving greater human rights in Tibet we may inadvertently perhaps be encouraging those very suicides.

I fear therefore that I will not be signing EDM 2327 nor was I prepared to be a co-signatory to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet’s recent letter to the Guardian.

Stand up for Tibet

Urge World Leaders to Stand Up For Tibet

The Tibetan people are facing one of the darkest periods in their history of repression under Chinese rule. Only US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has spoken out publicly about the self-immolations and called for China to reform its Tibet policies. This public statement of support has given Tibetans everywhere a reason to hope. To stop this crisis other world leaders need to speak out too.
Take Action Now: Send urgent messages demanding World Leaders Stand Up For Tibet

Go to this link
http://standupfortibet.org/global-action/worldleaders/

Sacrifice by a Tibetan in Chamdo

Phayul[Friday, December 02, 2011 07:51] By Tendar Tsering

DHARAMSHALA, December 2: Various sources are now confirming that another Tibetan has set himself ablaze in Tibet in an apparent protest against the continued Chinese occupation of Tibet.

Tenzin Phuntsok, a former monk in his forties, reportedly self-immolated in Chamdo area of Tibet on Thursday. Tenzin Phuntsok is believed to have survived the self-immolation and has been taken to a local hospital.

No other details are available at the time of reporting.

Tenzin Phuntsok is being described as a former monk of the Karma monastery in Chamdo.

The entire Chamdo region, especially the Karma monastery have been facing increased repression after unconfirmed reports emerged of a bomb blast at a Chinese government building in Chamdo on October 26.

No casualties had been reported, although, following the blast, the Karma monastery was locked down and strict restrictions were placed on its monks.

Kelsang Gyaltsen, a member of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile had told Phayul that the blast could be a plot to frame false charges against Tibetans.

"In 2001, China did the same thing, they falsely accused and jailed Trulku Tenzin Delek, an influential Tibetan religious leader on charges of a bomb blast," he said. 


The Karma monastery located on the eastern bank of the Dzachu river in Chamdo was founded by the first Gyalwang Karmapa, the head of Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism in the 12th century.
Repression has been intense in Chamdo, particularly since the 2008 pan-Tibet protests. The area witnessed a dramatic tightening of security and the imposition of ‘emergency’ measures by the authorities according to a notice of strategies issued by Chinese government officials in Chamdo in 2009.

The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa in a statement had called the desperate acts of self-immolation being carried out by people with pure motivation as a “cry against the injustice and repression under which they live."

While urging the Chinese leadership to "heed to Tibetans' legitimate demands,” Gyalwang Karmapa said that Beijing "needs to seriously review its policies towards Tibetans and other minorities."

This is the twelfth known case of self-immolation in Tibet since March this year.

Tibetan women delegates keep Tibet alive at Durban climate meet

Phayul[Tuesday, December 06, 2011 16:35]

Tibetan Women's Association delegates carrying out a protest at the ongoing world climate summit in Durban, South Africa. (Photo/TWA)

DHARAMSHALA, December 6: As world leaders accused China of throwing into "confusion" the ongoing world climate talks in Durban, South Africa, Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) representatives are providing an alternative voice for Tibet at the world’s largest climate change summit.

Tenzin Dolma, Joint secretary and Tenzin Woebum, head of the TWA Women’s Environment and Development Desk, representing Tibet Third Pole (T3P), an international working group of Tibetans and Tibet supporters formed in response to China’s environmental threat to Tibetans and Asians, arrived in Durban on November 28 to take part in the two-week Conference of Parties (COP-17) meeting from November 28 – December 9.

In a release December 5, TWA noted that NGOs, UN observers and the media at the meeting have shown “commendable interest” in the Tibet story and the Tibetan delegation has successfully kept the Tibetan agenda on “high stakes” at the conference despite China’s overwhelming influence.

“It is significant to have the Tibet voice heard in this magnanimous gathering of leaders and activists with vested interest. This is especially so when China is painting a different picture of Tibet,” said Dolma.

According to the release, the TWA delegation have proposed six key demands, which prominently include an immediate halt to all land uses that threaten the Tibetan Plateau's ecosystems, especially the plateau’s water resources; an immediate halt to the removal of Tibetan nomads from the grasslands; and a transparent, inclusive, and participatory trans-boundary resource management and decision-making mechanisms that includes all local and regional stakeholders whose lives depend on these ecosystem services, especially Tibet’s nomadic herders.

“The environmental campaigns by Tibetan delegates include lobbying Government delegates and pressuring them to include Tibet in the negotiations, addressing press conferences and public talks, and making presentations on Tibet’s waters, dams, and the plight of Tibetan nomads,” TWA said.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has repeatedly urged world leaders to put global interest ahead of domestic interests when dealing with issues that affect the entire world.

“The elected government, sometimes their number one priority is nation, national economy interest, and the global issues are sometimes secondary,” the Dalai Lama had said while addressing an environment conference in Sidney two years back.

“That, I think, should change. The global issues should be number one. In some cases in order to protect global issues, some sacrifice of national interest is must”.

TWA will also be launching a new publication ‘Purging the Treasure House: Displacement and the Status of the Tibetan Nomad’ on December7 at a public event.

11,810 delegates; 1409 NGOs, 86 Inter Governmental Organisations from 200 countries are attending the meeting, working for a breakthrough on the renewal of the global environmental treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, which expires next year.

Leaked photos show Chinese brutality in Tibet

Phayul[Sunday, December 04, 2011 21:21]

DHARAMSHALA December 4: Photos depicting China’s brutality in Tibet and the Chinese security official’s high-handed and vulgar display of power over Tibetan monks and commoners have been leaked out of Tibet.

A Chinese website based in US - boxun.com, on Friday released eight photographs of Tibetans with their hands tied at their backs, being paraded publicly in military vehicles, escorted by security officials, and kneeling on the ground. Placards with their names and their “crimes” such as “separatist” are seen hung from their necks.

Other photos also show large contingents of People's Armed Police and Special Branch of People's Armed Police carrying automatic rifles, manning the streets.
While the website didn’t provide exact locations and date of the pictures, individuals and organisations in exile have identified few of the photographs.

Speaking to Phayul, a monk at the exile base of the Kirti Monastery in Dharamshala, Kanyag Tsering identified that four of the photos were from Ngaba in eastern Tibet.

“The ground where hundreds of Chinese armed security personnel are sitting is a public basketball ground in Ngaba Kriti town” Tsering told Phayul.

“The photo taken from inside a car is also in Kriti as you can visibly see the Kriti monastery stupa at the back with Chinese security officials manning the intersection with automatic rifles right at the front,” added Tsering.

Although Tsering wasn’t sure of the dates when the photographs were taken, the exiled monk recognised the houses and the streets in two other photos with armed Chinese security personnel marching in a show of power.

“The photograph showing Chinese security forces in green and blue uniform is taken near the Ngaba town court,” said Tsering.

The Kirti monastery in Ngaba and its surrounding regions have been facing growing restrictions since March this year after Phuntsog, a young Kirti monk self immolated protesting China’s occupation of Tibet and calling for the Dalai Lama’s return from exile.

Since then, eleven more Tibetans, including monks, nuns, and lay people have set their bodies on fire, the latest being Tenzin Phuntsok who set himself ablaze in Chamdo on December 1.

In the only on-ground report from Ngaba since March this year by foreign journalists, Robert Saiget, an AFP reporter in October said that “police, many carrying riot shields and armed with clubs and iron, lined the streets of the town”.

“Large groups of soldiers in camouflage carried automatic rifles, metal rods with spiked tips and fire extinguishers, while police buses, trucks and armoured personnel carriers blocked the streets,” AFP had reported in accord with the recently leaked photographs.

Writing on Facebook, the Beijing based award-winning Tibetan blogger and activist Woeser said that she was shocked to see the pictures.

“These photos clearly show the suppression of the truth of the Tibetans,” Woeser said.