Tibet

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 2 Jan: Chinese authorities have sentenced a Tibetan man named Lhakdor to 11 years in prison for allegedly spreading rumours about Tibet’s independence, as reported by Tibet Times. The charges and imprisonment reportedly took place in July 2016. However, due to a lack of access under strict Chinese control and surveillance inside Tibet, the news has only recently surfaced.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 28 Dec: A massive fire erupted in the Drayap region of Kham Tibet, following a reported rocket booster crash. Videos circulating on social media captured the intense flames, believed to have been caused by a blast from a rocket booster that crashed in the area on 26 December.

DHARAMSALA, 22 Dec: Gonmo Kyi (Gonpo Kyi), the sister of imprisoned Tibetan businessman and philanthropist Dorjee Tashi, has been released by Chinese authorities in Lhasa, Tibet Watch said.
Citing a reliable source, the research partner of the London-based advocacy group Free Tibet reported that Chinese police authorities in Lhasa released Gonpo Kyi on Thursday, four days after the release of her husband Choekyong. Tibet Watch stated they don’t have any additional information other than her release, as the couple’s family members and relatives are under heightened surveillance.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 20 Dec: Chokyong Tsering was released by the Lhasa police authority on 18 December, while the whereabouts of his wife, Gonpo Kyi, who is currently detained, remain unknown, according to a Tibet Times report today.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 14 Dec: The Chinese authorities arrested Gonpo Kyi and her husband Choekyong, detaining the couple on the morning of December 13, with their current situation and location unknown, as reported by freetibet.org

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 28 Nov: Golok Palden, a Tibetan singer from Golok in the traditional Tibetan province of Amdo, was sentenced to three years of imprisonment by the Chinese authorities on the accusation of singing a Tibetan ‘patriotic song,’ as reported by Tibet Times on 27 November.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 17 November: The Chinese Communist Party’s latest ‘White Paper’ on Tibet claimed a flourishing publishing sector in Tibetan languages, which in reality, has been undergoing heightened restrictions and is bound to limited themes under the scrutiny of Chinese authorities. China’s restrictions on the Tibetan language and its publications inside Tibet apply across all three traditional provinces of Tibet: Kham, Amdo, and U-Tsang.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 17 November: Four Tibetans from Serta County have been given a two-year prison sentence each on alleged charges of conducting religious activities. They are currently imprisoned in Yak-Nga jail, reported Tibet Times on 15 November.

DHARAMSALA, 3 Nov: Pema Tseden’s final film, “Snow Leopard,” was honoured with the prestigious Tokyo Grand Prix prize at the conclusion ceremony of the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on Wednesday, as reported by various online sources.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 2 Nov: The rush for “lithium,” dubbed as “white gold”, triggered by China’s booming electric vehicle (EV) industry, is centring on the Tibetan plateau for massive lithium extraction. This poses risks to Tibet’s fragile ecology and aggravates rights violations, according to a report published by Turquoise Roof, a portal for briefings on Tibet today – policy developments, insights, and stories published on Wednesday