World

DHARAMSALA, 30 Oct: The annual “Rendez-vous Bundesplatz” light show in Bern, Switzerland — a 30-minute projection on the façade of the Federal Palace that takes spectators on a visual journey around the world — has removed its planned visual stop in Tibet, citing that the segment was “too political” to be displayed on the symbolically significant parliament building.

According to an article published on Nau.ch, a Swiss independent digital news platform on 27 October, the Tibet projection was removed after the Parliamentary Services, which manages the Federal Palace, deemed it politically sensitive and mandated that only projections without “politicial intentions” are allowed. 

A spokesperson for the parliamentary administration explained that Tibet was considered politically sensitive, especially because the projection would have appeared on the highly symbolic façade of the Federal Palace.

Now, spectators are reportedly shown a Thai Buddha instead of Tibet during the ongoing light show, scheduled from 18 October to 22 November. China, which makes Tibet politically sensitive, will not be featured in the light show, a decision by the Swiss parliament that maintains a veneer of “neutrality”.

The removal has drawn criticism for the Swiss parliament’s complicity in China’s colonial project to erase the Tibetan identity and render Tibet invisible on the world stage.

Swiss National Councilor Fabian Molina, co-president of the Parliamentary Group for Tibet, described the removal as a bending of the parliament towards China.

China expert Ralph Weber said the revised storyboard of the night show was an anticipatory compliance towards Beijing, while the projections were originally intended only to showcase the scenic beauty of Tibet.

Kowtowing to China’s expansionist policies has increasingly  become the convenient approach in many parts of the world, particularly in European countries. In recent years, the Tibetan community has witnessed pervasive Chinese influence in European public institutions like museums and universities, which actively support China’s colonial narrative of Tibet.

Despite relentless protests and a legal notice by Tibetan activists, the Musée Guimet in Paris has yet to accurately represent “Tibet” in its Nepal-Tibet exhibition, instead using the Chinese colonial term ‘Himalayan World,’ which blurs the distinct cultural and political identities in the region and effectively denies Tibet the agency to present itself as a separate nation.

Those in positions of power may claim neutrality, but true neutrality does not exist in a world without apolitical spaces. Those subjected to the power must understand that claiming neutrality is itself a political act. In an unequal conflict, neutrality is a mirage and to remain silent is to side with the oppressor. 

By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA 3 Oct: Human Rights First, a US-based human rights advocacy group, has announced that Oscar-nominated actor and longtime Tibet advocate Richard Gere will receive its inaugural Visionary Award. The honour recognises his lifelong commitment to defending the rights and dignity of oppressed people around the world.

By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 30 Sept: UN experts have raised serious concerns over the erasure of the name “Tibet” in French museums, declaring that such actions contribute to the sinicization of Tibetan heritage by the Chinese government and undermine the rights of the Tibetan people.

DHARAMSALA 15, Sept: UN human rights experts have publicaly condemned China’s planned interference in the succession of the Dalai Lama, emphasising that the 14th Dalai Lama should have the authority to determine his succession according to Tibetan traditions, free from state interference.
As reported by the International Tibet Network, a joint letter dated 15 July 2025, and made public made public in September 2025, by a group of five UN Special Rapporteurs asked Beijing to explain concerning reports of state interference in the religious rights of Buddhists, particularly policies surrounding the reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhist lamas and the succession of the 14th Dalai Lama.
The letter also highlights concerns regarding the whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who has been under enforced disappearance since 17 May 1995. The UN experts noted that such enforced disappearances violate jus cogens, or peremptory norms, a category of fundamental principles that govern customary international law.
They further stressed that China is obligated to provide verified information on his fate, health, and well-being.
The experts specifically cited China’s policies like the 2007 ‘Measures on the Management of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas’, which requires government approval for any reincarnation and rejects any reincarnation born outside Chinese territory; the 2017 ‘Revised Regulations on Religious Affairs,’ which expanded state oversight of all religious activities and institutions; and the 2021 ‘Measures for the Administration of Religious Clergy’, which mandate that clergy register with the state and pledge loyalty to the Communist Party.
Raising concerns over these provisions, the rapporteurs asked Beijing to clarify how these laws and measures are compatible with China’s obligations under international human rights law, requesting that the government allow Tibetans to exercise their religious freedom while awaiting a response.
Without prejudging the accuracy of the information received, the experts expressed grave concern over the alleged interference by the Chinese government in the succession process of the 14th Dalai Lama. 
They stated, “We may publicly express our concerns in the near future as, in our view, the information upon which the press release will be based is sufficiently reliable to indicate a matter warranting immediate attention.”
The letter also noted that within 60 days, both the letter and any response from the Chinese side would be made public; however, no such response has been released so far.

The intervention by the UN experts is seen as vital and unprecedented by the Tibetan side in their efforts to resist China’s aggressive interference in the selection of their next spiritual leader.

“The unprecedented action by five UN special rapporteurs and working groups (on freedom of religion or belief, cultural rights, enforced disappearances, freedom of opinion and expression, and minority issues) is a direct and unequivocal response to Beijing’s attempt to seize control of a centuries-old spiritual tradition,” the International Tibet Network said in a statement.

“It is a direct and unequivocal response to Beijing’s attempt to seize control of a centuries-old spiritual tradition,” Chime Lhamo, a human rights advocate and youth leader, stated in a joint Instagram post by six NGOs working for Tibet.

By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 4 Aug: China studies at UK universities are facing an unprecedented crisis as Beijing’s transnational repression campaign transforms British campuses into extensions of China’s surveillance state, a new think tank report by the UK-China Transparency(UKCT) warns.

By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 28 July: China has strongly opposed Czech President Petr Pavel’s meeting in India with the Dalai Lama and leaders of the Tibetan government in exile, urgently calling on the Czech side to honour its commitment to the One-China Principle.

By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 17 June: Wu Yingjie, China’s former party head of the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region(TAR) in occupied Tibet, has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by a Chinese court in a bribery case totalling more than 343 million yuan ($47.8 million)

DHARAMSALA, 16 July: Exactly 8 days after the Dalai Lama turned 90, the US Senate on Monday passed a unanimous resolution to celebrate 6 July 2025 as a Day of Compassion.

By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 14 July: A week after the historic 90th birthday celebration of the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet at his official exile residence in Dharamsala, India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar today called for “continued normalisation of ties” between India and China during his meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing.

By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA 2 June: Days ahead of his 90th birthday celebration, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet has officially affirmed that there will be a 15th Dalai Lama. He unequivocally stated that the responsibility for recognising his future reincarnation lies exclusively with the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the private office of the Dalai Lama, and made it clear that no other party holds any authority in this matter, reaffirming the position he outlined in a statement on his reincarnation dating back to 2011.