Tibet

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 2 March: Tibet, the country under the occupation of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is listed as “the least free place” in the world once again, scoring zero, the worst in eight years, in the watchdog group Freedom House’s latest global freedom index report released on 29 February.

DHARAMSALA, 29 Feb: The Human Rights Watch (HRW), a global rights watchdog, declared on Wednesday that Chinese authorities are particularly “brutal” in their response to protests by “Tibetans and other ethnic groups”, calling for the immediate release of hundreds of Tibetan monks and villagers who were detained for peacefully protesting the construction of a hydroelectric dam in Derge in Kham, Eastern Tibet, on the Dri Chu River.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 28 Feb: Amid China’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in Derge, Tibet, mass arrests of Tibetans who staged peaceful protests against China’s hydroelectric dam project on the Drichu River, and the impending forced relocation, Beijing has now reportedly granted approval to Zijin Mining, a leading Chinese mining company, to proceed with its planned second-phase expansion of the Julong copper project. The mining site is located at the eastern lower mountain near the sacred Mount Kailash.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 20 February: Tenzin Khenrap, a Tibetan monk from Nyagchu county in Kardze, in the traditional Tibetan province of Kham, was arrested by Chinese authorities in July last year for possessing a photo of the Dalai Lama, reported Radio Free Asia on 15 February.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 15 Feb: Several hundred Tibetans from Derge in the Traditional Tibetan province of Kham gathered in front of Derge County’s administrative building on 14 February to protest against China’s planned construction of a hydropower project in the area. The Tibetans appealed to the authorities to cease the project and rescind its announcement calling for Tibetans in the area to relocate, clearing the land for the dam project.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 3 February: Rinchen Tsultrim, a Tibetan monk and political prisoner, was released after completing his four-and-a-half-year sentence, from Chinese prison on 1 February by the Chinese authority, according to multiple reports. However, he still remains under close surveillance.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA 25 Jan: China’s construction of a new dam in Tibet’s Purang region in Ngari has reportedly been completed, indicating significant strategic implications for neighbouring countries such as India and Nepal, according to a Newsweek.com report on January 22.

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 10 Jan: Chinese authorities are conducting door-to-door inspections to enforce a ban on Tibetan children participating in private classes and engaging in religious activities during the winter break, as reported by Radio Free Asia on Tuesday, citing three sources within 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.