CTA Website Was Down

Posted on December 29, 2017 in News · 1,387 Views · 144 Comments

On 8th December 2017, the Central Tibetan Administraton’s official website went down for several hours. During the outage, the website’s layout changed multiple times. This stock image was the website’s banner for at least an hour, as part of a stock WordPress template.

The opinion piece below was sent to dorjeshugden.com for publication. We accept submissions from the public, please send in your articles to [email protected].

By: Kay Beswick

The troubles just seem to be mounting for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). For several hours on 8th December 2017 (Friday), the official website of the CTA (Tibetan leadership in Dharamsala, North India) went down and all of its pages were rendered totally inaccessible.

Observers noted that in the time since the website first went down, its status was inconsistent. The outage was first noticed at around 2:10pm (GMT) when it was noted that the layout of the website had been altered, in particular the disappearance of the right column. This is the section of the website that advertises standard information that the CTA finds most significant, including information against the practice of Dorje Shugden. During this time, it was also noted that although the front page looked almost standard (with the exception of the missing right column), none of the links on the website worked. Clicking on any of them would lead to a standard announcement about an error.

Less than an hour later after this initial outage, a maintenance notice appeared on the website, trying to dismiss the technical issues as regularly scheduled maintenance. It should be noted that this announcement has rarely, if ever, been reported before.

Over the several hours that the website was down for, the status of the site kept changing from a stock template, to an announcement of regularly scheduled maintenance, before reverting back to the CTA’s website template but containing totally unaccessible links. Click to enlarge.

Approximately three hours later, it was noted that the entire website’s customizations had disappeared and their layout had reverted to the original WordPress template. There was even a link inviting people to log in to the administrative area of the site, as well as dummy text on their homepage (see video below).

Or watch on server | download video (right click & save file)

Without any website defacement or any hacking group leaving their tag to claim responsibility for this state of affairs, it seems logical to conclude that the CTA’s website going down is the result of incompetence, “performance deficit” and “dereliction of duty” (as per what they accused Penpa Tsering of). This conclusion is also supported by the fact the website’s status keeps changing. It indicates the technical team is aware there is an error but no one can figure out where the error lies, or how to fix it. Each solution they have attempted to implement has not been successful in resolving the problem.

The CTA’s website with Lorem ipsum dummy text in the place of real copy. Click to enlarge.

The irony of this situation, and its karmic links has not gone unnoticed. The CTA has an extensive history of using online platforms to cause division and schism in Tibetan society, and to spread misinformation and lies about people who refuse to toe the party line. For example, they are well known to use social media channels like WeChat, Facebook and YouTube as platforms for their propaganda against the Kagyus, the Jonangpas as well as their political opponents such as Lukar Jam and rangzen supporters. They have also previously funded anti-Dorje Shugden websites to direct hatred, harm and discrimination towards Shugden practitioners. They have used social media to publicize lists of Dorje Shugden practitioners to falsely label them as ‘anti-Dalai Lama’ and thus identify them as deserving targets of violence.

For the many communities who have been victimized by the Tibetan leadership for the last six decades, the outage of their website offered slight, if any, respite from the abuse they have suffered for decades. For a few hours, the CTA’s instrument of vitriol and hatred, sadly disguised as ‘democracy‘ and ‘freedom of speech‘, was not functioning to spread lies around the world.

Will the CTA learn any lessons from this, or will they continue to abuse the tenets of free speech to oppress those who do not share their same views? Given their track record, it seems highly unlikely this will be a lesson that sticks. But one can always hope as we see more and more instances of a government that is finally having to face the consequences of exploiting the goodwill of the world. It is all the Tibetan people can do, as they start to uncover all of the lies that have been sold to them by their very own leadership for the last 60 years.

The CTA’s website with a stock WordPress template and banner. Clearly someone was trying to fix the error but was unsuccessful. Click to enlarge.

Thanks to a technical error, login page to the administrative area of the CTA’s official website became exposed. Click to enlarge.

The ownership details of a now-defunct anti-Dorje Shugden website that was paid for by the Tibetan leadership. Click to enlarge.

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144 total comments on this postSubmit yours

Peter

February 27, 2018

Tibetan govt in exile is corrupt, liars, segregationalists, greedy, bigots and this is what they do when Dalai Lama is alive. After Dalai Lama is no more, the whole Tibetan govt in exile will just collapse overnight.

They lost their country in 1959 because they are too corrupt to keep it. For the last 60 years they cannot get their country back. Tibetan govt is a failure whether in Tibet or in exile.

Tsering

March 3, 2018

Comic drawn by Tendor, a prominent Free Tibet activist.

Sar Lang

March 5, 2018

Lhatse Lobsang, the President of Utsang Yargay Tsokpa, warns the elected leaders including the Sikyong Lobsang Sangye/Tibetan leaders and members of the parliament of his self-immolation in protest if they don’t resolve the termination issue in the coming March parliamentary sessions. Tibetans in India are so unhappy with their Tibetan government in exile in North India, they wish to self-immolate in protest. This would spell big disaster for the corrupt Tibetan government in exile in India.

Utsang monk warrior warns President Sangay of self-immolation
March 4, 2018 | Mila Rangzen
It is no secret His Holiness the Dalai Lama was disappointed with the 2016 Sikyong election that was marked by Khampa negative regionalism that caused disharmony and division in our small community that is surviving on handouts from Indian and foreign individuals, NGOs, and governments for the past six decades.
Actually, it was the 18,000 Utsang people who voted for Khampa Lobsang Sangay that made him win but in return Khampa fanatics, to say thank you, gifted gang intimidation, criminal threats, insults, death threats and violence to the Utsang people.
As if this was not bad enough, President Sangay poured gasoline on the house on fire by terminating former speaker Penpa Tsering whose mother is Utsang from the post of Representative at Washington DC on November 6, 2017, without any valid reasons.
Lhatse Lobsang, the President of Utsang Yargay Tsokpa, warns the elected leaders including the Sikyong and members of the parliament of his self-immolation in protest if they don’t resolve the termination issue in the coming March parliamentary sessions.
https://thetibetstar.com/2018/03/04/utsang-monk-warrior-warns-president-sangay-of-self%E2%80%8B-immolation/

Gangchenpa

March 9, 2018

The Nepalese officials have again turned down permission for Tibetan refugees to commemorate the Tibetan uprising day in order to protect its alliance with the Chinese Communist Party, which has proven to be more beneficial to Nepal as compared to supporting the Tibetan refugees.

The Nepal Chief District Officer issued a written notice in 2005 to the Representative of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Refugees Welfare Office (TRWO) in Kathmandu to suspend both offices, ending a 45 years partnership to care for some 2,500 Tibetan refugees who would transit in Nepal from Tibet. This move was a lesson to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) for not addressing the tensions between the Tibetans and Nepalese, as well as not contributing back to Nepal for as long as they have been there. The fact that the Tibetan refugees continue to protest on March 10 is a perfect example in which they will jeopardise the relationship between Nepal and China, who is now the top assistance providers to Nepal. The Tibetan refugees are forever taking, and never reciprocating the favour has proven to be an ineffective way of dealing with the Nepalese as they feel they are taken for granted always.

Nepal to ban March 10 Tibetan uprising day events
Thursday, March 08, 2018 19:49 | By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Mar. 8: The Tibetan refugee community in Nepal will not be allowed to commemorate the anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising day due this Saturday, after Nepalese officials turned down the permission to hold any “protests” or “public gathering” by Tibetans on the day.
An official notice sent out by the Central Tibetan Administration’s ‘Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office’ in Kathmandu on Wednesday, appealed to Tibetans in Nepal to refrain from organizing protests or public gatherings on the day and instead pray from their homes.
The notice stated that the Nepalese officials have turned down permission to commemorate the Tibetan uprising day this year as well like the previous years in the near past and that refugee Tibetans should abide by the laws of the land.
The official appeal is most likely, in anticipation to avoid any violent interruption by Nepalese police towards Tibetan refugees, as were seen after 2008 when the tension was at its height following alliance between Beijing and Kathmandu. Over 200 peaceful Tibetan protesters were arrested on 10th March 2008 and over 1,100 Tibetans arrested prior to the Beijing Olympics for holding demonstrations the same year.
Tibetan refugees have been subjected to clampdown by Nepalese police over the years on this day, which marks the uprising of the Tibetan people in Tibet in 1959 against the colonial Chinese rule.
Nepal, a tiny Himalayan nation wedged between occupied Tibet and India was once a sanctuary for Tibetan refugees. Until the late eighties, the Nepalese government issued RC (Registration certificate) to Tibetans who came from Tibet as well as their children. A “gentlemen’s agreement” to continue allowing Tibetan refugees to cross over into India was struck between the government of Nepal and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1989 following the Kathmandu government refusal to give refugee status to Tibetans.
However, that agreement has since been pushed aside after Nepal started receiving a lucrative patronage from China. The influx of Tibetan refugees has been severely restricted with the once average of 2000 immigrants a year dropping to a lowly 200 since 2008 Uprising in Tibet. In an extreme case of heavy handedness, 18 Tibetans including some children in 2003, and 3 Tibetans in 2010 were detained by Nepalese police and handed over to Chinese authorities in Tibet.
Nepal which is home to more than 20,000 Tibetans who either came across the border or were born to settlers, are finding it hard to sustain a free and normal existence. The Nepalese government’s treatment of the Tibetan refugees has taken a turn for the worse in the last few years with China pumping in cheap interest loans and relaxed FDR (Foreign Direct Investment) schemes in exchange for its will to be imposed. China’s FDR in Nepal has shot to $128 million in 2015 up from $24 million in 2014 besides perks such as a fleet of Mercedes SUVs.
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=40222

ashrao

March 9, 2018

Indian and Chinese foreign ministries have both made statements thawing relations between the two Asian giants. Determined to improve ties between the countries, the Indian government is taking steps to ensure nothing jeopardizes their efforts. First, they told their officials to distance themselves from the Tibetans, and then the planned #ThankyouIndia2018 events were moved from New Delhi (India’s political capital) to the out of the way Dharamsala.

Now, even Chinese ministers are hoping for improved relations, bringing stability to the volatile region. The Chinese dragon and the Indian elephant need to dance in order to become stronger said the Chinese Foreign Minister.

Will this be the end of India’s support of the Tibetans? What will they do next?

China’s foreign minister suggests ‘Chinese dragon’ and ‘Indian elephant’ should dance, not fight

NEW DELHI — A pair of statements from the Chinese and Indian foreign ministries this week appeared to show an opening in relations between Asia’s most powerful rivals, long competitors on trade and territory.

“The Chinese ‘dragon’ and the Indian ‘elephant’ must not fight each other, but dance with each other,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing on Thursday. If the two countries joined hands, he said, “one plus one will equal not only two, but also eleven,” referring to how powerful they would be together.

On Friday, India foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that stronger ties “are a factor of stability amid today’s global uncertainties” at a meeting at Xiamen in September 2017.

“We are willing to work with the Chinese side to develop our relations based on commonalities, while dealing with differences on the basis of mutual respect and sensitivity to each other’s interests, concerns and aspirations,” Kumar said at a news conference in New Delhi.

Relations between the two countries have been fraught in recent months, as tensions escalated over border issues and Tibet, a semiautonomous region of China. But the statements could suggest willingness to cooperate.

“I don’t think it’s a fundamental shift in the relationship,” said Shashank Joshi, senior research fellow of the Royal United Services Institute.

“We are still looking at broad strategic competition between China and India, which stretches over the Himalayas and into the Indian Ocean. The statement doesn’t mean India is any less concerned on the Belt and Road initiative or the China-Pakistan economic corridor, but India does not want those disagreements to undermine relations,” he said, referring to China’s flagship program to increase connectivity in central, west and south Asia. New Delhi has refused to back the initiative, raising concerns it could directly link its two bordering strategic foes — China and Pakistan.

Earlier this week, Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharam said in parliament that both countries had redeployed troops at Doklam, the contested site of an intense standoff between the two countries last year.

“The strength of both sides have been reduced,” she said, adding that the Chinese army had started the construction of sentry posts, helipads and trenches in the area.

The statements came after unconfirmed reports in Indian media this week that senior government officials were asked not to attend events to mark the Dalai Lama’s 60th year in exile from China. Events for the Buddhist leader — whom China considers a dangerous separatist — were moved from New Delhi to the Himalayan city of Dharamsala, headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

“India and China recognize that they can’t afford to let these disagreements erupt into open conflict,” Joshi said. “Diffusing Tibet issue for now is one for India to signal that’s what it wants to do.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinas-foreign-minister-suggests-chinese-dragon-and-indian-elephant-should-dance-not-fight/2018/03/09/b27f81ac-2397-11e8-a589-763893265565_story.html

Jampel Senge

March 10, 2018

Not only was the thankyouindia2018 forced to move back to McLeodganj, the Tibetans are warned to keep the event low key! BJP leadership, including L K Advani and Shanta Kumar, and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had been invited for the event in Delhi but none of them replied to the invitation. Apart from the change of venue now, new invitation list has to be prepared. It is clear that the Indian government is distancing itself from the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and they will do what is necessary to mend their ties with China.

Post-venue shift from Delhi, Tibetans to keep event low key in McLeodganj

Shri Puri| TNN | Updated: Mar 7, 2018, 11:08 IST
DHARAMSHALA: The event cancellation in Delhi has forced a change of plans in the Tibetan administration and the shifting of venue to McLeodganj. The ‘Thank You India’ event, which was aimed to mark 60 years in-exile of the Dalai Lama, will now be organized in the hill town on March 31.
The venue was shifted to Dharamshala after the foreign secretary wrote a note to the cabinet secretary on February 22, asking government functionaries and senior leaders to skip the Tibetan event in view of “sensitive time” for India and China relations.
On Tuesday, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) president Lobsang Sangay reached here from Delhi via early morning flight but avoided the media. ‘Thank You India’ programme was the brain child of CTA. Beginning March 31 at Rajghat in New Delhi with an inter-faith meeting, this year-long event was to end on December 10, 2018.
Confirming that the event has been shifted to Dharamshala, Tibetan department of information and international relations secretary Dhardon Sharling told TOI, “We do not know the reason, but we have received information that the event has been shifted to Dharamshala from Delhi. This is a minor change, but is being interpreted wrongly. There are no differences between the Indian government and the Tibetan leadership.”
The Tibetan administration is now in talks with the HPCA to organise its event at the cricket stadium, confirmed HPCA spokesman Sanjay Sharma.
The Dalai Lama’s office, too, maintained a distance on this issue, with the Tibetan leader’s private secretary Tenzin Takla saying the CTA was managing the event. “We have not received any invitation yet. The Tibetan administration is dealing with all this, not the Dalai Lama’s office,” he said.
Sources revealed that top BJP leadership, including L K Advani and Shanta Kumar, had been invited for the event in Delhi. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was also among those invited. However, confirmation had not come in from anyone. Now, after the change in venue, the Tibetan government is preparing a new list of invitees for the event, they added.
Asked about China’s pressure on India on this issue, CTA official spokesperson Sonam Dagpo said relations between the two neighbouring countries were important for the world, particularly for South Asian countries. “We don’t feel that the Indian government was under pressure from China,” he said. “We don’t feel this would have any kind of impact the Tibetan movement,” Dagpo added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/post-venue-shift-from-delhi-tibetans-to-keep-event-low-key-in-mcleodganj/articleshow/63193258.cms

SonamT

March 10, 2018

It is very clear by now that the Indian Government does not want the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)’s thank you. No matter how the CTA orchestrates the propaganda campaign to please India, it is very clear that the Indian Government had enough of the Tibetans and are making effort to distance itself from the CTA. Although India will continue to support His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his spiritual works, the distinctions between His Holiness and the CTA is made very clear. Looking at the trend, we may be able to speculate that the Indian Government’s plan for the next few years is to end decades of support to the CTA and its people, eventually clearing all Tibetan refugees from India.

Why Tibetans Shouldn’t Be Offended by India’s Snub to Dalai Lama
THUBTEN SAMPHEL | 12H 00M AGO
When you thank a person for his or her hospitality or a favour done or courtesy shown to you, that person’s usual and expected response is “You are most welcome.”
In the lead-up to a major year-long Thank You India event to commemorate 60 years in exile and to take place across India and organised by the Central Tibetan Administration, the government of India’s response seems to be “We don’t want your thank you.”
As reported, the cabinet secretary of the union government issued a circular advising central and state leaders and officials not to attend any ‘Thank You, India’ event. The Central Tibetan Administration was advised to move the highlight of the event from New Delhi to Dharamsala.
India’s Diplomatic Tip-Toeing Should Not Distract the Tibetan Refugees
This is the trending topic among Tibetans on social media. Tibetans have expressed their disappointment, suspecting a shift in the attitude of the government of India to the Tibetan cause.
But they shouldn’t be disappointed, and there is no shift in the Indian government’s policy to the issue of Tibet.
In fact, India’s diplomatic tip-toeing around the issue of Tibet should not distract the Tibetan refugees from the Indian government’s massive, consistent and unstinting support to them. With India’s support and under the Dalai Lama’s guidance, the Tibetan refugees have been able to establish a productive and cohesive community serviced by schools, settlements, hospitals, clinics, old people’s homes, monasteries and higher learning centres, all centrally or autonomously supervised by the Central Tibetan Administration.
More importantly, India’s tolerance and hospitality has given space to Tibetan refugees to re-energise and revitalise the institutions, values and disciplines of Tibet’s Buddhist heritage. This ability to re-establish Tibet’s cultural and spiritual heritage in India has attracted students and scholars from areas which once came within the ambit of Tibet’s Buddhist civilisation. The Dalai Lama’s tireless travel and his message of peace and compassion have drawn new students and scholars to India from across the world.
Some scholars call the ability of Tibetan refugees to plant the roots of cultural Tibet in India “one of the miracles of the twentieth century.”
What the next generation of Tibetans does with this gift given to them by the Dalai Lama and India will test the mettle on which depends the continued survival of Tibet outside of the plateau.
As for the government of India’s policy to Tibet is concerned, that was settled in 1954. That year, India and China signed the Panchsheel agreement in which India recognised Tibet as an autonomous part of the People’s Republic of China.
Against this historical background, how the government of India will continue to view the exile community will depend on the Tibetan refugees themselves. How they conduct themselves, how they use the enormous freedom granted to them, and how they use the same energy to strengthen their cultural and community cohesion will shape the central government’s view.
As for the Indian public, there is a groundswell of sympathy and support generated by the Dalai Lama. This support and sympathy should never be squandered.
(Thubten Samphel is the director of the Tibet Policy Institute, a research centre of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala. The opinions expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/why-tibetans-shouldnt-be-upset-by-india-snub-to-dalai-lama

sonkel

March 10, 2018

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) should really learn from Nepal. Aligning with Chinese policy is necessary if you wish for growth and economic stability. The Dalai Lama was recently quoted to say, “We want to stay with China. We want more development.”

Nepal has developed so much since collaborating with China, with China now contributing to around 58 percent of foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments received by Nepal. China has promised that areas of mutual cooperation with Nepal would be expanded in the days to come.

‘Nepal committed to One-China Policy’
Published: March 08, 2018 1:01 pm | RASTRIYA SAMACHAR SAMITI
Kathmandu, March 7
Defence Minister Ishwor Pokhrel said Nepal was committed to One-China Policy.
Minister Pokhrel said this during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong at the former’s office in Singha Durbar. He also said the relations between the armies of the two countries could also be expanded.
Minister Pokhrel assured the Chinese ambassador that all agreements between the governments of the two countries would be implemented. He also hoped that the Chinese government would continue to provide support for infrastructure development in the country.
According to spokesperson for the defence ministry Rishiraj Rajbhandari, Ambassador Hong congratulated the minister and expressed belief that China’s friendly relations with Nepal would be further enhanced during the government led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
Areas of mutual cooperation would be expanded in the days to come, said the Chinese ambassador. The meeting was also attended by Defence Secretary Binod KC, senior Nepali Army officials and officials from the foreign ministry.
https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/nepal-committed-one-china-policy/

Lelkyi Tsho

March 13, 2018

Although both China and India are seen as giants, India has been seen submitting to China more and more. The relocation of “Thank You India” event from Delhi to Dharamsala and Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha’s note to Indian officials to not attend the event because it is a “very sensitive time” for bilateral relations with China both clearly show that India is bending backwards to please China. And they are definitely not going to entertain Lobsang Sangay anymore because the Tibet issue is no longer a trump card for India.

Lobsang Sangay said not long ago that an official usually wants to do something big in their last term of office so that people will remember them. In this case, he will forever be remembered for his incapability and his focus on building closer ties with young women, such as Dhardon Sharling, instead of significant diplomatic ties. He has done a lot of big things in his last term as the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) but none of these shows any leadership characteristics whatsoever. These include:

1) The sacking of Penpa Tsering to evade the Tibet Fund loan scandal of US$1.5 million. He even tried to push the loan on to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to settle on his behalf.

2) Allowing a downsized, low-key #thankyouindia2018 event to celebrate 60 years of exile, something which Dhardon Sharling, the Secretary of Department of Information and International Relations, claimed to have no idea as to why the events were shifted.

3) Allowing fake monk Tenzin Dhonden to use His Holiness’ fame to conduct dubious activities including being involved in a cult and sex scandals.

4) Losing India’s half-century worth of support towards the CTA and its people for his ungrateful attitude. Instead, he focused on filling up his own pockets instead of thinking of the welfare of the Tibetans in exile.

Lobsang Sangay’s intention to take on the role as the President of the CTA is clear and his best ‘achievements’ definitely outshine his predecessors as inept failures.

No need to thank India — just grow up a little
By Lobsang Wangyal | MCLEOD GANJ, India, 13 March 2018
While the Doklam issue was heating up in June 2017, the Indian media was kept busy, and that in turn kept the public busy. I also had many discussions over this issue. I remember one with two young Indian men who were saying that India is not the same 1962 India, that it has changed and become powerful. They boasted that in case of a war India could take on China easily. So I followed that thought to its logical conclusion, saying “sure, there should be a war between India and China, then we will know for sure who is more powerful.” When it came to walking the talk, the two retreated from their strong position and changed their tone, now making it seem that I was promoting war, and was against India.
The Doklam stand-off resulted from an attempt by China to extend a road into an area claimed by both China and Bhutan. I was expecting that India would stand up for itself and launch a “surgical strike”, putting an end to the confrontation. But after a military face-off and many diplomatic engagements, going on for close to three months, it all fizzled out without coming to a military conflict, as India and China agreed to withdraw their armies. (In the meantime, Indians learned what Doklam means in Tibetan — Path of the Nomads.)
China contains India
China’s road extension is a cause of concern for India because it would shorten the distance for the Chinese army to reach India’s strategically vulnerable ‘Chicken’s Neck’ area — the Siliguri Corridor, a narrow stretch of land located in the Indian state of West Bengal that connects India’s northeastern states to the rest of India.
After the situation cooled off, reports started to emerge that China had built military facilities in the very same area. But the Government of India said that the status quo at the site of last year’s face-off still held. It dismissed reports of any Chinese activities in the area.
In the competition for global player China has succeeded in containing India through diplomacy, economically, strategically, as well as outright bullying. China takes a contrary position to India wherever possible, and blocks India’s rightful places in UN councils. It is well known that China has invested heavily in the neighbouring countries of India. India’s neighbouring countries have more Chinese influence than Indian. China flexes its muscles without resistance in places such as the South China Sea, Doklam, and Aksai Chin. It complains whenever possible about anything perceived to be “anti-China”. It goes even to the extreme that due to China’s influence, Pakistan politicians have suggested that Mandarin be taught in the schools.
So China has always created problems for India, yet somehow India seems to feel that China is its friend, and that China will benefit and support India — will give business, recognition, and support. So far nothing of this has happened — in fact, the opposite.
India submits to China
Tibet is India’s best card against China, and India plays it but in a very confusing way. By volunteering the statement that Tibet is part of China, without even any pressure from China to do so, India has wasted this trump card, and received nothing in return. Yet the boundary issues have not been solved, and China doesn’t allow India to take its position on the global stage. China has made sure that all India’s neighbours are closer to it than to India.
India seems to be submitting to China more all the time. What is India trying to achieve by this? The latest sign of submission is India’s objection to the “Thank You India” event planned in Delhi by the Central Tibetan Administration. A series of events were to follow throughout the year. First the Government of India asked its officials not to attend it, and then apparently India objected to holding the opening event in Delhi at all.
Perhaps Sangay received a dressing-down from officials of MEA, when he interrupted his schedule to hurry to Delhi after India’s objection to the event. It is unclear if he was summoned by MEA or he went voluntarily to do some damage control.
This whole incident only shows a weak India, losing the contest of superiority with China, and lowering India’s image on the global stage. And on the flip side of the coin, it showed that the Government of India is not in favour of Sangay’s moves.
Why “Thank You India” now?
In 2009, Tibetans had their “Thank You India”, a sort of “Golden Jubilee”, when Tibetans marked 50 years of life in exile. The Dalai Lama, then as both the political and spiritual leader, in his “Thank You India” address said, “Overall India has given us the greatest moral and material support. Looking back over the past 50 years, we feel confident that we made the right choice when we sought refuge in India.”
Was that “Thank you” not enough? Did India ask for more? I am lost why are we doing it again. 50 years is a milestone — to do it again 10 years later seems gratuitous.
Also there is the expense. The Tibetan administration is asking for funds for their museum project. All the money that would go for (well, be wasted on) these “Thank you” events could be used for the museum project. Although, the effectiveness of this project is debatable: Whether a museum on the premises of CTA, at some distance from McLeod Ganj where most of the tourists are, would get near as many visitors as the current conveniently-located site. This is altogether another matter for discussion.
Grow up a little
One domino effect of Sangay’s superfluous actions is that now the CTA had to indefinitely postpone the World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet, which had been planned to be held at the end of April in Delhi.
The Government of India has clearly signalled that they are not in favour of Sangay’s moves. The exile Cabinet led by Sangay needs to do a retrospection and learn from this experience — that some press coverage and flowery Facebook posts for a little hype don’t help anything. CTA is the hope and heart of six million Tibetans. We need to see some maturity in it.
Didn’t Sangay himself say not long ago, that an official always wants to do something big in their last term of office that people will remember him by?
https://www.tibetsun.com/opinions/2018/03/13/no-need-to-thank-india-just-grow-up-a-little-bit

Khampa Warrior

March 13, 2018

India has lost significant support from Nepal, especially since Nepal’s devastating earthquake in 2015 when China gave the country funds for aid and rebuilding infrastructure. It is now losing its grip more and more, such as in its internet monopoly, now threatened by alternatives from China. China is making inroads into Nepal aggressively. India, which originally thought of China as a friend, can only sit by and watch China exert its influence and power further, such as improving telecommunications and building railway extensions from the border with Nepal and Yadong across Sikkim, to Kathmandu and Lumbini.

Nepal and India have historically enjoyed good ties and strong trade relations and if India does not take advantage of this fast-closing window of opportunity, China will be successful in wooing Nepal. Kathmandu already signed trade and transit agreements with Beijing in March 2016. This gave Nepal an alternative route for its trade and supplies. As China builds a stronghold in Nepal, it will continue achieving its strategic objective of eliminating Indian influence and curbing the Tibetan refugee population.

China rises in Nepal, eyes Lumbini
By JAYADEVA RANADE | NEW DELHI | 11 March, 2018
Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli
China’s strategic objectives include eliminating Indian influence and curbing the Tibetan refugee population.
Consequent to the expansion of Chinese influence, the delicate balance in India’s relations are now under strain and at a crucial juncture. With a new government in Kathmandu, the Prime Ministers of Nepal and India will meet to exchange views and review relations. After Prachanda broke tradition and travelled to Beijing, instead of India, on his first visit abroad as Prime Minister, the symbolism of this gesture has diminished and it is possible that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may ignore precedence to emphasise the importance of India-Nepal ties and travel to Kathmandu first. Nevertheless, it is imperative that India makes a candid, clear-eyed assessment of the extent of Chinese influence there and state of India-Nepal ties.
Shaping the background is China’s unmistakable imprimatur. Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli’s critical reference to India came in the midst of the political crisis in the Maldives and coincided with China’s unprovoked warnings to India against acting unilaterally in the Maldives. Just a few days ago the Pakistan Prime Minister paid a two-day visit to Kathmandu, becoming the first high level foreign leader to meet Prime Minister Oli. The visit was covered in the Chinese media. There is now no room for missteps. India should avoid accepting the sanguine argument that India and Nepal are tied by geography. Modern construction technology has unshackled the constraints of geography as amply evidenced by the transport infrastructure built by China in the inhospitable, high altitude Himalayan region.
China’s interest in Nepal is long term. It has designated Nepal a “friend”, induced it to join Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship “Belt and Road Initiative” and offered it financial and other assistance in addition to holding out the prospect of a security arrangement. China’s strategic objectives include eliminating Indian influence and curbing the Tibetan refugee population. Mao Zedong’s well known observation, that Tibet is the palm of the hand, while Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh are its fingers, remains relevant with attendant implications for India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Following Nepal’s distinct pro-Beijing tilt ever since Prachanda’s appointment as Prime Minister, China has cultivated the full spectrum of political parties and spread its influence among Nepal’s politicians, army, academia, media and businessmen. During the visit of Chinese PLA General Chen Bingde in March 2011, a section of Nepal’s media suggested that he be conferred the rank of honorary general of the Nepal Army—an honour thus far reserved for the Indian Army chief. Echoes of this were evident in Oli’s remarks on 22 February 2018, which pointedly excluded reference to the recruitment of Gorkhas by the British Army and ignored that over 125,000 Nepalis have direct links to the Indian Army.
China has meanwhile acquired long-term leverage in Nepal through ZTE and Huawei, both Chinese telecom companies intimately associated with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Huawei set up mobile telephone networks in Kathmandu and other cities, while ZTE upgraded Nepal Telecom’s nationwide mobile phone capacity. Earlier this month, Nepal agreed to enable use of China’s internet.
The network of 35 China Study Centres (CSC) strategically sited in southern Nepal along India’s border, ostensibly to popularise the Chinese language, also disseminate anti-India propaganda and reinforce traditional Chinese diplomacy. China’s propaganda offensive includes the China Radio International’s local FM radio station in Kathmandu and Nepal-China Mutual Cooperation Society (NCMCS), funded by the Chinese embassy in Nepal.
The game changer is, however, the Qinghai-Lhasa railway capable of carrying an estimated 7 million tonnes of cargo a year, augmented by an all-weather road network. Discussions to extend the railway, which has reached Zhangmu on the border with Nepal and Yadong across Sikkim, to Kathmandu and thence to Lumbini—barely 30 kilometres across the border from India—are fairly advanced. China’s new dual-use transportation network provides alternate routes to landlocked Nepal.
To create a belt of Chinese influence along Nepal’s border with Tibet, China agreed last year to provide annual subsidies totalling US$1.6 million for education, health, basic amenities and roads to residents of 15 border districts in northern Nepal. Twelve of these districts are densely populated by Himali people of Tibetan origin. Early this month the Nepal government instructed all government officials to learn Mandarin!
China’s specific strategic focus has also been on establishing a presence in Buddha’s birthplace of Lumbini. Chinese government-sponsored NGOs have unveiled plans estimated variously at between US$1 billion and US$3 billion for the redevelopment of Lumbini, including an airport and seminary-cum-monastery. Prominent Nepal politicians have been appointed office-bearers of Chinese NGOs. The international airport and railway in Lumbini will mean the long-term presence of Chinese military personnel, who will construct, operate and maintain them. The seminary has the potential to destabilise India’s vulnerable Indo-Tibetan Himalayan Border Belt. China’s plans to make Lumbini a China-dominated hub for the “Buddhist tourism circuit” of Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath etc., will marginalise Indian businessmen and tour operators. It could lead to the “illegal” settlement of Chinese who will inevitably migrate to the Northeast.
India needs to quickly and effectively counter this expansion of Chinese influence and power and especially prevent Chinese dominance of Lumbini. Options are available, but the window of opportunity is fast closing.
Jayadeva Ranade is a former Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India and is presently President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy.
http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/13054-china-rises-nepal-eyes-lumbini

Athar Migmar

March 15, 2018

By hosting the Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi when India-Pakistan ties are at an all-time low, Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli is telling the world that he is not afraid of India, especially after landmark trade and transit agreements were signed with China. This seems to go well with the general sentiments of the Nepali people, as Oli’s pro-China stance is wildly popular among his core constituencies.

As mentioned in the article, New Delhi must learn to accept China’s presence in the region and to work with it. As China works on building trilateral cooperation with Nepal and India, the Tibetans will have no standing. Recently, the report that the Indian government had asked senior leaders and officials not to attend events that would mark the Tibetans’ 60 years in exile, as well as the cancellation of 2 events in Delhi, are clear signs that everyone is trying to please China. The Tibetans have no more sympathizers who will continue to support them as it risks jeopardising relations with China.

Is This the End of India’s Influence Over Nepal?
As India loses its clout, the Nepali prime minister asserts his country’s independent identity.
By Biswas Baral | March 14, 2018
KATHMANDU — There is now little doubt that India has lost strategic space to China in Nepal. Some reckon the era of “special relations” between India and Nepal is nearly over as China makes steady inroads. There has been a truly breathtaking rise in Chinese influence and a corresponding fall in Indian sway in this country of nearly 30 million. The main catalyst for the sea change? The 2015-16 India-inspired blockade of the India-Nepal border, imposed, in part, owing to India’s displeasure over the new constitution Nepal had just promulgated.
As if to rub salt into India’s wounds Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli last week hosted Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who in the process became the first foreign head of government to visit Nepal after Oli assumed office for the second time on February 15. In the words of one geopolitical commentator, Abbasi’s visit was ill-timed. With India-Pakistan ties at an all-time low, asks this commentator, “What other purpose will it [the Pakistan prime minister’s Nepal visit] serve save for antagonizing India?”
But that is not how most Nepalis see it. Oli knows that the more he tries to assert Nepal’s independent identity by distancing himself from India, the greater his popularity will be. Following the 2015-16 blockade. which brought great hardship to common people, the public pressure for closer ties with China has been steadily building, along with the demand that Nepal diversify its relations away from India, heretofore its predominant business partner. This is where Pakistan enters the picture.
By hosting his Pakistani counterpart, Oli — who crested the popularity wave as a valiant blockade-time prime minister — wanted to give a clear message that he doesn’t care what the Indians think of him. After all, his China tilt is wildly popular among his core constituencies. Moreover, the common perception is that Nepal is these days not as reliant on India as it has historically been, especially after the landmark trade and transit agreements signed with China in the wake of the blockade.
Too Little Too Late
It is true that Oli has also sought to mend his frayed ties with New Delhi following his election as prime minister. Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj visited Kathmandu on February 1 after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a clear signal from Oli that he was ready to forget past bitterness and start anew. Earlier, when Modi called Oli to congratulate him on his re-election and invited him to visit India, Oli not only accepted the invite; he replied that he was as keen to welcome Modi to Janakpur and Muktinath, the two holy sites in Nepal Modi has long wanted to visit. The inclusion of Madhesi parties in the Oli government is expected to further ease bilateral ties. Concerns over Madhesi representation were at the core of India’s concerns over the 2015 Nepali Constitution.
There has, moreover, been progress in negotiations on the revision of old Nepal-India treaties that many Nepalis consider unequal. According to recent news reports, India is now ready to discuss regulating the open border, and even considering allowing Nepal to import arms from third countries. India had otherwise treated these issues as non-negotiable. These negotiations may again come to a naught. Nonetheless, Nepali interlocutors in these dialogues sense a definite shift in India’s stand.
But current efforts to revive India-Nepal relations may be a case of too little, too late. Oli knows that for his political longevity he cannot afford an openly hostile India. But at this late stage in his political career, those close to him say, all he cares about is leaving behind a strong legacy as a statesman. With his health failing, Oli knows time is not on his side.
He seems determined to be remembered as the Nepali leader who dared to dream of a future for Nepal independently of India. But not just that. Above all, he wants to be remembered as someone who took concrete steps to turn that old Nepali dream intoa reality. This is why even before assuming office after winning recent elections, he had vowed to expedite connectivity projects with China. To show he is serious he has newly empowered the Prime Minster’s Office to personally oversee their progress.
SAARC Attack
There are other ways Oli can help China’s cause. During Abbasi’s Nepal visit, the two prime ministers agreed on reviving the moribund South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). India has in recent times made a concerted effort to isolate Pakistan, which is why the SAARC summit planned for 2016 in Islamabad had to be postponed indefinably. Abbasi came to Kathmandu to ask for Oli’s support for a prompt holding of the summit — and on Pakistani soil. Abbasi also in a roundabout way suggested that Nepal could mediate talks between India and Pakistan.
India will not be pleased. The last time Nepal and Pakistan were seriously talking was on the eve of the 2014 SAARC summit in Kathmandu. Back then, the two countries had agreed to make China a full SAARC member, which had earned them the great ire of India. India has traditionally not taken kindly to any suggestion for third-party mediation on Kashmir, for example, or for China to play a greater role in SAARC.
India nonetheless may have no option but to accept the writing on the wall. Rather than browbeat its neighbors into following its diktat, as it tried to do with the blockade — or so most Nepalis felt — New Delhi must learn to accept China’s presence in the region and to work with it. China has always supported the idea of trilateral cooperation with Nepal and India, for example with a connecting rail link via Nepal. But India has resisted the suggestion tooth and nail.
This is not to imply that closer relations with China are unquestionably in Nepal’s interest. The political systems of the two countries are polar opposites. There is also little people-to-people engagement, even though cross-border tourism and business exchanges are growing apace. Geography too makes India Nepal’s natural development partner. It would thus be unwise to write the obituary of Indian primacy in Nepal, as some have done of late.
But the Modi government would do well to learn from its mistakes. These days in Nepal, there is no shortage of advice for India on how it can mend its errant ways, or forever lose even its reduced clout. The consensus is that only through open and unconditional engagement with small countries in the region like Nepal and Bhutan can India have a peaceful neighborhood that is conducive to its continued economic rise.
Biswas Baral is the editor of The Annapurna Express, published from Kathmandu. Follow him on Twitter: @biswasktm
https://thediplomat.com/2018/03/is-this-the-end-of-nepals-special-relationship-with-india/

Phuntsok Palden

March 15, 2018

Look at these real tweets, Indians are not happy with Tibetans, questioning why India must support the Dalai Lama.

Phuntsok Palden

March 15, 2018

More tweets of Indians talking about the Dalai Lama.

Phuntsok Palden

March 15, 2018

More tweets of Indians not happy with the Tibetans. One even asks the Tibetans to go back to China.

Phuntsok Palden

March 15, 2018

Indians saying Dalai Lama is anti-India and pro-China.

Phuntsok Palden

March 15, 2018

Clearly the Indians are of the opinion that Dalai Lama’s pro-China stance is hurting Indians.

Phuntsok Palden

March 15, 2018

See this tweet by Savita, this may be what many Indians are thinking right now.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SHUGDEN

March 15, 2018

For years the Tibetan government in-exile has been suppressing Dorje Shugden practitioners and punishing them for practising by barring them from Tibetan hospitals, schools and communal gatherings. They have been severely segregated and pressed down and made into pariahs of society. They did this to scapegoat Shugden as the cause for them to fail in their job in getting Tibet back from China after 60 years in exile. Now the tables have turned. India is starting to change its stance toward the Dalai Lama and Tibetan leadership. The Indian government is starting to make friends with China and that means distancing themselves from the useless Tibetans. Too bad.

Now the Tibetan leadership will know what it feels like to be abandoned, abused and segregated like they did for years to Dorje Shugden practitioners. Without Indian support the Tibetan government will have less power to abuse Shugden practitioners within their communities. Finally the tables have turned against the Tibetan leadership. Now it’s time for them to humble down and shut up! They better not make further trouble. They could have had hundreds of thousands of Dorje Shugden practitioners supporting the Tibetan leadership but you alienated them with your segregation and inhumane policies of segregation and now you have less and less support. Too bad. Dorje Shugden people could have supported you all but you lost it. Too bad.

dorjeeK

March 16, 2018

What the Tibetan leadership said is clearly seen as disrespectful and ungrateful towards the kindness shown by India for hosting the Tibetans for almost 6 decades now. See how upset the Indians are and what they are saying now.

Kaali

March 16, 2018

More and more Indians are speaking their mind, look at this tweet below. It is true that the Tibetan leadership does not get involve or support India when India faces problems, such as during the Gorkhaland and even Doklam crisis. Instead of helping, the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) incite more tension by saying that what happened to Tibet could happen to India as well and that India should be worried about China’s continued military build-up in Doklam.

Kaali

March 16, 2018

Indians are speaking up against Tibetans now. See what t j prasad said. Tibetans live for free for decades in India while amassing massive funds from foreign aid, claiming they are refugees.

Kaali

March 16, 2018

You cannot deny what the Indians have observed. After all, they put up with these fake refugees in their country for decades. What vikram chandra said is true, Tibetans are enjoying their good life everywhere and taking advantage of their host countries.

Senge

March 16, 2018

Policy dive: India believes it’s time to normalise ties with China
A school of thought believes India cannot afford a conflict; its power gap with China is too large; it is neither militarily equipped nor economically positioned to take on Beijing.
Updated: Mar 15, 2018 08:13 IST
Over the past month, India has made a conscious effort to recalibrate ties with China. After a year of stress in the relationship, Delhi appears to feel that it is time to get ties back on track.
Last Friday, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters India was “willing to work with the Chinese side to develop our relations based on commonalities while dealing with differences on the basis of mutual respect and sensitivity to each other’s interests, concerns and aspirations.” He also emphasised that ties between the two were important bilaterally, but also had regional and global significance.
On Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said that China had noted “positive remarks by the Indian side”. He had, last week, also said, “Chinese dragon and Indian elephant must not fight each other, but dance with each other. If China and India are united, one plus one will not include two, but also 11.”
Significance
In diplomacy, statements matter – and so does context. There is definitely a degree of positive signalling on between the two countries. The statements follow foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale’s visit to China last month. A note by the FS to the cabinet secretary, and his subsequent directive, that senior political leaders and government functionaries should stay away from events to commemorate Dalai Lama’s 60th anniversary in exile became public. It was widely interpreted as a move to assuage Chinese sensitivities, since Beijing views Dalai Lama with suspicion and Tibetan activities in India as political.
A series of high-level visits are lined up between the two countries, including visits by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There is buzz about a ‘high level visit’ from China.
The debate
There are two broad schools of thought within the Indian foreign policy establishment, and the wider strategic community, about the reset.
The first is those who believe this is essential. The argument goes something like this. India and China have had a turbulent time over the past few years. China’s decision to block India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG); its position on black-listing Masood Azhar in UN; India’s opposition to China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative; and its deepening strategic engagement with Washington and positions on South China Sea have all contributed to trust deficit. The standoff in Doklam was a big blow to ties. And while an accident —in terms of a larger conflict — was averted, it showed the dangers inherent in the relationship.
India cannot afford a conflict; its power gap with China is too large; it is neither militarily equipped nor economically positioned to take on Beijing; the US — under President Trump — is not a reliable partner. And thus, while protecting core interests like in Doklam, there must be an effort to normalise ties and build trust. It does not help to make China insecure.
The second school of thought does not want confrontation either. But it believes that any effort to reset actually smells of weakness and could well reduce India’s leverage further. They hold that recent tensions are due to Chinese assertiveness – a result of its growing power and a reflection of President Xi Jinping’s personality. China’s deepening political engagement with India’s South Asian periphery; its expansion in Pakistan; its aggression on the land borders and Doklam are all instances of this new Chinese mood, which hurt India.
In this backdrop, any ‘appeasement’ of China will embolden it further. India thus has no choice but to hold strong to any ‘cards’ it may have, including Tibet. It must bet on deepening strategic partnership with US as well as other countries with the ability to take on China. It must qualitatively step up the Quad (an initiative of India, Japan, US, Australia). And it must not worry about Chinese reactions. If anyone, it is India which has reason to be insecure – not China. When India is seen as strong, with options, Chinese behaviour will change. At the moment, the first school is dominant. Over the year, the equations in the India China relationship will be a key foreign policy story to watch.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/policy-dive-india-believes-it-s-time-to-normalise-ties-with-china/story-7sGdSA893tQorPmNrxWbII.html

NorbuT

March 17, 2018

Apart from two big Tibetan events planned in Delhi being scrapped, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) can add another disgrace to the list, this time thanks to its own people, the Tibetans.

On Saturday 17th March, a large number of international protestors gathered near the Tibetan parliament, seeking the impeachment of Tibetan President Sangay, saying his actions are akin to those of a dictator. The protestors are from India, Nepal, Europe, and the US and the protest will go on until the session ends on March 24. Lobsang Sangay definitely made a mark in Tibetan history as he is the first President that Tibetans protested to impeach.
Tibetan govt faces protest from Tibetans amid strained relations with India
S Gopal Puri| TNN | Mar 17, 2018, 11:04 IST
DHARAMSHALA: Amid worsening relations of Tibetan government in exile and India government, the former was facing protest from Tibetans itself.
Indian government’s recent move of asking its senior leaders and dignitaries had already scrapped various Tibetan events planned in Delhi.
On Saturday, number of protestors gathered near the Tibetan parliament protesting against Lobsang Sangay, the president of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
These were the members of the group Truth-Seeking Volunteers holding protest against Lobsang Sangay, leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile- Sikyong, following a rift between him and former speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile Penpa Tsering.
The protesters seek the impeachment of Tibetan President Sangay for actions which, they say, are akin to those of a dictator.
They are also seeking a reply from Sangay and his cabinet for terminating the services of Penpa Tsering, former representative of the office of Tibet in Washington from the office.
Tsering was sacked from the office on November 7, 2017, 15 months after his appointment. It is believed that the cause of Tsering’s ouster was that he raised the issue of a $ 1.5-million loan taken from the Tibet Fund in New York to purchase a new office in Washington.
Sangay had clarified in the parliament that $ 1.5 million was not a loan but a grant.
Thinley Kelsang, a protester, called for Sangay’s impeachment and said he had taken many decisions without the approval of the Tibetan parliament. There were enough reasons for his impeachment, he said.
A petition for his impeachment was submitted to members of parliament, which is holding its 10-day budget session.
The protesters from India, Nepal, Europe, and the US gathered at the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) premises. The protest will go on until the session ends on March 24.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/tibetan-govt-faces-protest-from-tibetans-amid-strained-relations-with-india/articleshow/63341379.cms

tendhar

March 17, 2018

It is understandable that national ministers refrained from attending events organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) following the leaked classified directive from the Indian Cabinet Secretary. But to have a State Minister of Himachal Pradesh (that Dharamsala falls under) skipping such an important event for the Tibetans in-exile is a clear message – India is now making ties with China, and the ‘Tibetan cause’ (Tibetan independence) is no longer useful to India.

Over the past few months, the Dalai Lama has made numerous statements that Tibet should remain part of China. He has been reaffirming his stance that he is not seeking independence for Tibet. Meanwhile, India is exercising a whole new approach – to make friends with China. After all, India’s national interest comes first.
Himachal minister skips Dharamsala Tibetan function
Shri Puri| TNN | Mar 10, 2018, 21:57 IST
DHARAMSALA: In a major shock to the Tibetan administration in Dharamsala, state minister Kishan Kapoor, who was invited as the chief guest at the official function to commemorate the 59th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, skipped the event.
The minister and Tibetan minister evaded the queries in this regard.
The event was organized at Tsuglagkhang (the main temple of the Dalai Lama at Mcleodganj) on Saturday.
It remained a low-key affair owning to the controversy due to which the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) had to cancel its ‘Thank You India’ event scheduled at Delhi on March 31 and April 1.
The event was cancelled after the an advisory was issued from the ministry of foreign affairs asking the dignitaries to stay away from the programme
Following the advisory, the CTA was forced to shift the event from Delhi to Dharamsala.
It was presumed that the had its bearing on the Tibetan National Uprising day function.
CTA had announced that the Kapoor, minister for food and civil supplies and an MLA from Dharamsala seat, would be the chief guest at the function. However, Kishan Kapoor failed to turn up. Only BJP MP George Baker was present at the event.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/Himachal-minister-skips-Dharamsala-Tibetan-function/articleshow/63249334.cms

Jigme Tsering

March 18, 2018

In response to the cancellation of the recent ‘Thank You India’ event in Delhi, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) released a video message by His Holiness the Dalai Lama saying that the Tibetans have not been seeking independence for Tibet from China since 1974. In addition, His Holiness further reiterate the mutual benefits of reconciliation between Tibetans in exile and China.

This statement was very offensive to Indians who were very kind enough to host the Tibetan refugees for the last 60 years. Not only did the Tibetan community contribute nothing to India, they have also been using India in order to further their own cause. Now that India is changing their stance towards China, Tibetans are quick to turn around in favor of China and India is quickly abandoned. What is apparent in this speech is that India remains an undesired place to be called home.
We’ve not sought independence for Tibet from China since 1974: Dalai Lama
TNN | Updated: Mar 17, 2018, 11:03 IST
DHARAMSHALA: Days after a Tibetan event in Delhi was cancelled and shifted to Dharamshala following the Union government note to its senior leaders and government functionaries to stay away from them, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) on Friday came out with a video message of the Dalai Lama, saying they have not been seeking independence for Tibet from China since 1974.
In his video message to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), based in Washington DC, the Dalai Lama has pointed out that China and Tibet can have mutual benefits if reconciled. He’s heard saying: “Living within the People’s Republic of China, we can serve, we can help them and we can share our (ancient) knowledge. They, in turn, provide us means of dollars.”
The occasion for the Tibetan leader’s message is the organization’s 30th founding day anniversary. The department of international relation and information, CTA, released an eight-minute clip of this video message here, wherein the Dalai Lama has spoken briefly on Tibetan’s middle-way approach and the support it has garnered. “Since 1974, we decided not to seek independence. So, now the middle-way approach…. Common interest is more important than one’s own national interest. With that kind of concept, I am very much willing to remain within the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese word ‘gongheguo’ (Republic), shows some kind of union is there,” the Dalai Lama is heard saying in the message.
Seeking ICT’s help, the Tibetan spiritual leader goes on to say, “Your organization has been, for 30 years, showing genuine support for the Tibetan cause. I always claim that the supporter of Tibetan cause is not pro-Tibetan, but rather pro-justice.”
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/weve-not-sought-independence-for-tibet-from-china-since-1974-dalai-lama/articleshow/63338370.cms

Tashi Wangchuk

March 21, 2018

I see many Indians expressing their displeasure with Tibetans on Twitter daily. Look at what they are saying now.

Chewang

March 21, 2018

Modi’s government’s direction is clear regarding the Tibetans – India wants the Tibetan government in exile to avoid indulging in any political activity against Beijing, and on the Indian side, it is stepping up its engagements with China to deepen economic and political cooperation before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in June, of which Prime Minister Modi is attending the multilateral event.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval are scheduled to meet their Chinese counterparts before the SCO summit and ministerial engagements with China is expected to translate into a bilateral informal summit between Modi and Xi.

Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha’s recent note asking all politicians and bureaucrats to refrain from participating in events organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) is a huge contrast to when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in May 2014, this was when the then Prime Minister (now President) of the Tibetan government in exile Lobsang Sangay was invited for his swearing-in. As India denounce their strong support towards the Tibetans in exile, we know that the CTA’s power is dwindling down, especially when the Dalai Lama said that he wants to “voluntarily” put an end to the process of Dalai Lama succession.

SCO ministerial summit: Swaraj, Sitharaman to meet their Chinese counterparts in Beijing
The SCO summit will be in June in Qingdao with Prime Minister Modi attending the multilateral event.
Updated: Mar 21, 2018 09:07 IST
Shishir Gupta Hindustan Times, New Delhi
The government’s engagement with the newly appointed Cabinet of Chinese President Xi Jinping will begin later this month with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman expected to meet their counterparts, state councillor Wang Yi and defence minister General Wei Fenghe, on the sidelines of SCO ministerial summit in Beijing from April 24-26.
The meeting between Swaraj and Wang has been scheduled while the ministry of defence is expected to seek time from General Wei in a bid to build bilateral trust and cooperation. The SCO summit will be in June in Qingdao with Prime Minister Modi attending the multilateral event.
South Block officials indicated that National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is also expected to fly to Beijing after returning from Washington this weekend to meet his counterpart Wang, who is also the special representative for the India-China boundary dialogue. Wang was appointed state councillor by President Xi on Monday after his predecessor Yang Jiechi was elevated to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party.
Top diplomats and China experts told HT that the ongoing engagement with Beijing is designed to deepen economic and political cooperation as Delhi has neither the intention of provoking its neighbour nor the desire to embark on a full-fledged confrontation. This was made clear when cabinet secretary PK Sinha wrote a letter on February 26, asking all politicians and bureaucrats to refrain from participating in events organised by the Tibetan government in exile to celebrate the 60th year of exile of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
While the Modi government wants the Tibetan government in exile to avoid indulging in any political activity perceived to be against Beijing, it is clear that it wants its core interests from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to the Indian Ocean to be fully protected. Just as Chinese core interests of Tibet and Taiwan are non-negotiable for Beijing, Delhi is opposed to any unilateral changing of the LAC or Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean. Indian opposition to China Pakistan Economic Corridor, passing through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, is now a matter of record. As reported earlier in HT, the ministerial engagement with China this month is expected to translate into a bilateral informal summit between Modi and Xi.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sco-ministerial-summit-swaraj-sitharaman-to-meet-their-chinese-counterparts-in-beijing/story-be6FgUHbIXJo0KuQbBEHoJ.html

dolma tso

March 22, 2018

India banning Tibetans from hosting a rally with the Dalai Lama this month for the 60th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule is a clear sign that India wants to improve ties with China.

China said that it is “willing to keep up the good momentum of two-way cooperation with India,” while the Indian side mentioned that India and China agreed to consult each other on regional and international issues.

You can’t really fault India for doing so. After all, it was His Holiness the Dalai Lama who batted for the recognition of the “Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai” (India and China are brothers) spirit to take Sino-Indian relations forward.

India’s Modi, China’s Xi ready to improve bilateral ties
Published: March 21, 2018 8:26 am On: World
REUTERS
BEIJING/ NEW DELHI: India and China agreed to consult each other on regional and international issues, the Indian side said after a phone call on Tuesday between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Relations between the two countries have been tense since last year after their troops faced off on a disputed part of their border. On Tuesday Modi called Xi to congratulate him on his re-election.“The two leaders agreed that as two major powers growing rapidly, bilateral relations between India and China are vital for the realisation of 21st Century as ‘Asian Century’,” Modi’s office said in a statement.
Hundreds of troops were deployed in 2017 on the Doklam plateau, near the borders of India, its ally Bhutan, and China after New Delhi objected to Chinese construction of a road through the mountainous area in their most serious standoff in years.
China is willing to keep up the good momentum of two-way cooperation with India, Xi told Modi, China’s state news agency Xinhua said.
China is ready to enhance communication with Modi on long-term, strategic bilateral issues to promote political mutual trust, Xi added.
China was also angered by Modi’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, a state in northeast India claimed by China.
In a bid to improve ties with China, India banned Tibetans from hosting a rally with the Dalai Lama this month to mark the 60th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Beijing regards the Tibetan spiritual leader as a splittist.
https://thehimalayantimes.com/world/india-narendra-modi-china-xi-jinping-ready-to-improve-bilateral-ties/

Dolma Khoza

March 22, 2018

The Tibetan government in exile has been dumped by the Indian government for a bigger prize: China. For years, the Tibetan government in exile would accuse Dorje Shugden people of taking money from the Chinese but everyone knows that this is not true. Now even their host, India, will be friends with China. Everyone will be friends with China sooner or later, and the Tibetan leadership beg to be as well. The Tibetan leadership shouldn’t have messed with Dorje Shugden people. Too bad for you! And when the Tibetan leadership is friends with China, what will they accuse the Dorje Shugden people of then???

Is India abruptly dumping Dalai Lama to be in China’s good books?
By S. N. M. Abdi
Special to Al Arabiya English
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
New Delhi has suddenly ditched the Dalai Lama – the Nobel Prize winning Tibetan spiritual leader who runs a government-in-exile from India – apparently to mend fences with an increasingly assertive China.
The Dalai Lama has been a revered guest in India for 60 long years after he crossed the Himalayan border to escape the wrath of communist China.
Since 1959, successive governments in New Delhi generously hosted him and his Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) headquartered in Dharamsala along with 95,000 Tibetan refugees, even as Beijing accused India of sheltering China’s Enemy Number 1 and threatened reprisals.
New Delhi’s brave and principled stand was lauded globally and the Dalai Lama – one of the world’s most recognized faces and a human rights icon – emotionally described himself last year as a “son” of India. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government seems to have just dropped the Dalai Lama like a hot potato inviting charges of capitulation and kowtowing to China.
Volte-face
The volte-face is evident from India’s new Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale’s top secret note to Cabinet Secretary P. K. Sinha to ensure that “senior leaders” and “government functionaries” boycott CTA’s events from March 31 to mark the 60th year of the Dalai Lama’s arrival in the country.
Gokhale’s confidential memo published verbatim by the Indian Express newspaper said: “The proposed period (March 31 onwards) will be a very sensitive time in the context of India’s relations with China. Participation by senior leaders or government functionaries, either from the central government or state governments, is not desirable, and should be discouraged.”
Sinha, in turn, issued strict instructions to central and state governments to steer clear of CTA functions.
Sacrificial lamb
“It’s as clear as daylight that India wants to appease and please China”, a top diplomatic source told Al Arabiya. “And the Dalai Lama is the sacrificial lamb at the altar of Indian interests. Modi won’t have to pay a price domestically for dumping the Dalai Lama.”
The diplomat, who declined to be named, said that “India’s climb-down is spurred by hard realities like China’s GDP which is nearly five times that of India; China’s defence spending which is three times larger than India’s, not to speak of the $52 billion trade deficit which underline China’s huge military and economic edge over India.” The abrupt and complete reversal after the bluster and muscle-flexing in 2017, especially during the Doklam stand-off, has angered many in India.
Sushant Singh, one of India’s top defense analysts, tweeted: “The story is not what India does to Dalai Lama. It is how India is unable to deal with China effectively. As we know, China never withdrew fully from Doklam and we have had to accept the new status quo. We have been made to believe that India is standing up to China and not going to “appease” it. This is a clear departure from what people have been told so far, especially after Doklam ‘disengagement’. This is what happens when we adopt an ostrich-like attitude towards China …then lie & obfuscate to our citizens.”
Chickening out?
Another observer, Anuradha Dighe, wrote: “Modiji first chickened out of Dokalam unconditionally and without a signed treaty & lost Bhutan’s trust. Now afraid of interacting with Tibetans in his own country India. Next Modi will give Arunachal Pradesh to China in fear.”
Sources told Al Arabiya that New Delhi – which has traditionally used the Dalai Lama as a bargaining chip with China – decided to pacify Beijing by dumping the Tibetan spiritual leader to ensure that Modi gets a good reception in Qingdao during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in June.
But low-key, warm up celebrations in Dharamsala last week had an unexpected representative from India: George Baker. The nominated BJP MP from West Bengal defied the government’s directive and spent three days in Dharamsala with his Tibetan hosts.
The former actor told Al Arabiya: “As a lawmaker, I can travel to any part of India. Moreover, Tibetans are victims of Chinese oppression and as a rabidly anti-Chinese Indian, it’s my national duty to join Tibetan celebrations.”
Last Update: Wednesday, 21 March 2018 KSA 15:00 – GMT 12:00
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/03/21/Is-India-abruptly-dumping-Dalai-Lama-to-be-in-China-s-good-books-.html

gonpo Tsering

March 22, 2018

There were some speculations that India’s objectives in slighting the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) could be because of a prior agreement with China.

Coincidentally, Foreign Secretary Gokhale’s note leaked a day before the foreign secretary visited Beijing, and now we hear news that Indian ministers have scheduled to meet their Chinese counterparts to prepare for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in June.

We may never know the real reason is for India’s sudden turn around to appease China. But one thing’s for sure, India will not allow the Tibetans to engage in anti-China activities from now onwards. Like what the article said, “…for India, the Tibetan story was over.”

Letting Go Of The Dalai Lama And Tibet
BloombergQuintOpinion
by Bharat Bhushan
@Bharatitis
Updated on 21 March 2018, 6:57 PM
Published on 21 March 2018, 6:57 PM
The Tibetans in exile must be dismayed after India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale wrote to Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha on Feb. 22 that Indian government officials be advised to skip events organised by the Tibetan Administration in exile. It is not at all certain that the payback from China for alienating the Dalai Lama is going to be commensurate with India’s act.
India’s objectives in slighting the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), as the Tibetan government in exile is known, and indirectly the Dalai Lama, remain unclear. No one knows what understanding, if any, has been reached with China prompting such action. However, its negative consequences are already at play.
The Dalai Lama effectively un-invited himself from the plenary session of the Indian Science Congress in Manipur. Reluctant to embarrass the Indian government, the Tibetan leader turned down the invitation to be present at the plenary session with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To allow a face-saver, his office claimed that the invitation, which the organisers said had been extended two months ago, was never received by him.
The Dalai Lama is also bound to have been deeply embarrassed, as Gokhale’s directive was leaked in the midst of his thirty-third ‘Mind & Life’ dialogue – an annual debate between science and religion. At that time, he was hosting 200 eminent scientists from all over the world at Dharamshala.
The charitable interpretation of what Gokhale, an experienced China hand, did would be that his advisory related to only one particular event. The Central Tibetan Administration had planned a massive ‘Thank You India’ event in Delhi to mark 60 years of the Dalai Lama’s exile from Tibet and to acknowledge Indian support for the exiled Tibetan community in the country. The mega-event would have seen an inter-faith meeting at Rajghat and a gathering of nearly 7,000 people at Thyagaraja Stadium in the Capital in the presence of several Indian political leaders. There were plans to invite former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, LK Advani, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijuju, the Vice President of India and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Such a high profile Tibetan event would have irritated China to no end.
It was cancelled hastily after the foreign secretary’s note, shifted to Dharamshala, and downscaled.
If Foreign Secretary Gokhale was sending a message only to the CTA then the entire episode could have been handled differently. Gokhale has been Indian Ambassador to China as well Joint Secretary (East), the point person in the Ministry of External Affairs for dealing not only with China but also with the Dalai Lama and the CTA. He could have advised the current Joint Secretary (East) to have a quiet word with the ‘Prime Minister’ of the CTA, Lobsang Sangay, who would have complied with the Indian request, and that would have settled the matter.
That the letter was leaked a day before the foreign secretary was visiting Beijing suggests that a message was also being sent to China – that India would not allow the Dalai Lama to agitate the Tibet issue in India publicly.
In this scenario, putting curbs on the activities of the Dalai Lama and the CTA in effect would mean that for India, the Tibetan story was over.
India may also have been upset with the Dalai Lama trying to negotiate with the Chinese keeping it out of the loop. It is an open secret that the Dalai Lama has been in contact with the Chinese for a settlement. Since 1974, his position has been to seek a settlement within China instead of pushing for Tibetan independence. The secretive visit of his emissary and former prime minister of the CTA, Samdong Rinpoche to China in mid-November, where he is believed to have met Chinese officials, might have upset South Block.
If the Dalai Lama is seen playing ducks and drakes with India, then there is every reason for India to keep off and not be used by the Tibetans in exile.
The Indian fear may be that in a deal with Beijing, the Dalai Lama concedes that Tibet was always a part of China, then that would undermine Indian position on the McMahon Line, which India considers as the legal boundary between Tibet and its north-eastern region. China rejects the McMahon Line, which is based on the Simla Accord of 1914 signed between Tibet, China, and Great Britain (as the ruler of British India). China claims that Tibet was not a sovereign state and therefore was not qualified to sign any treaties.
As of now, there is no indication that the Dalai Lama has conceded the Chinese demand that Tibet was always a part of China.
Nor has he accepted the ‘One China’ policy, i.e. that Taiwan and Tibet are integral parts of China.
What might be the quid pro quo for India by curbing the activities of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan exiles? India ratcheted up tensions with China in 2017 through a series of events culminating in the Doklam stand-off on the Bhutan-China border. Its questionable resolution which was widely projected as Indian ‘victory’, it now turns out, only helped entrench the Chinese forces on the plateau. The Chinese presence there has increased manifold. And the Indian Army, in its proxy role for the Bhutanese, is no longer able to patrol the disputed area it used to earlier.
Why would those given to rolling up their sleeves to take on China’s might, suddenly take a U-turn?
Perhaps the new foreign secretary wants to change the atmospherics of Sino-Indian ties before the upcoming preparatory ministerial meetings for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The visits of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj can facilitate a successful visit by Prime Minister Modi to the SCO summit at Qingdao in June.
There may also have been a more immediate reason for appeasing the Chinese — to secure Chinese support for putting Pakistan on the ‘grey list’ of countries funding terrorism in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international money laundering watch-dog. This would subject Pakistan to intense monitoring and scrutiny by the International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) on terror financing. However, the reciprocity at FATF is already in the open – India supported China’s candidature for Vice President of the FATF and in turn, China withdrew its objections to Pakistan being put on the ‘grey list’.
Could it be that by distancing itself from the Dalai Lama, India hopes that China would become more amenable to its membership of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG)? The prospects for that are bleak as China has linked India’s candidature for the NSG with Pakistan being given entry as a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Perhaps India expects that China now stands with it and not Pakistan on designating Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Maulana Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by the United Nations. That too does not seem reasonable and is too small a gesture. In any case, knowing Pakistan, Masood Azhar’s designation as an international terrorist is likely to be as ineffective on the ground as that of Hafiz Saeed’s.
There may be no immediate or substantial gains from curbing the activities of the Dalai Lama and the CTA in India.
However, what is clear is that a ‘muscular’ government which had invited Lobsang Sangay to the inauguration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2014 along with heads of states from South Asia has taken a step back. In doing so it has lost leverage in dealing with China.
It may, therefore, no longer be possible for the South Block mandarins to parade the Dalai Lama at will in Arunachal Pradesh to rile the Chinese as they did in April 2017. Nor would it possible to fly the ‘Prime Minister’ of the CTA, Lobsang Sangay to unfurl the Tibetan flag “metres from Tibet” at Pangong Lake in Ladakh to snub Beijing; or ‘allow’ Tibetan protests outside the Chinese Embassy whenever a dignitary from that country visited India.
There is also a possibility that some Tibetans youngsters – frustrated with the ineffectiveness of the Dalai Lama’s ‘middle path’ and the Indian government’s stance – may choose a different, less peaceful approach to struggle for Tibetan independence.
Bharat Bhushan is a journalist based in Delhi.
The views expressed here are those of the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of Bloomberg Quint or its editorial team.
BloombergQuint
https://www.bloombergquint.com/opinion/2018/03/21/letting-go-of-the-dalai-lama-and-tibet

Thinley Woeser

March 22, 2018

India has switched its policy on Tibet in order to align itself with China and gain economic benefits. With high unemployment rate and serious poverty issues in the countryside resulted in the Kisan Long March, as well as the uncertainties of the General Elections coming up in 2019, Modi’s government need to prioritise the interest of 1.3 billion people over 95,000 Tibetan refugees.

As the largest recipient of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) under the “Belt & Road” initiative, India needs to maintain good relations with China, especially after the Doklam tension. The reality is the fact that India cannot afford to go to war with China as its army is not as well equipped and the cost of war would be astronomical. So India is now opting a conciliatory as opposed to a hardline approach in order to keep China at bay, and for PM Modi to possibly have a higher chance to succeed in the coming election.

Modi and Xi are expected to meet this year on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to be held in June this year at the Chinese city of Qingdao, and Modi’s congratulatory note to Xi for getting re-elected as the President on Chinese social media platform Weibo is a confirmation that further development of Sino-Indian bilateral relations is definitely under way.

Tibet and India’s China Policy
Is India sacrificing Tibet to improve a frosty relationship with China?
By K.S. Venkatachalam
March 20, 2018
China’s foreign policy with India has oscillated between a ballistic approach and studied indifference. India’s approach, meanwhile, has recently flipped from a hardline to a conciliatory approach, confusing observers.
At the heart of India-China tensions is the dispute over territory in the Aksai Chin area, and Tawang in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as a part of southern Tibet. Both countries have so far held 20 rounds of talks to settle the disputes, but, unfortunately, an acceptable solution has eluded them. To the credit of both sides, they have not allowed the situation to go out of control.
However, the situation took a turn for the worse after the Doklam standoff in summer 2017. In spite of a propaganda blitzkrieg and other intimidating tactics adopted by China, India stood its ground. Although India is not a party to the Doklam dispute — that dispute is between China and the tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan — China’s forcible occupation of the area may threaten India’s security. Doklam is critical, as it would allow the Chinese troops to enter India through the Siliguri Corridor or “chicken’s neck” that links the northeastern states to the rest of India. China’s decision to enter Doklam was interpreted as a premeditated move to alter the status quo that had prevailed for decades.
China was surprised by India’s tough posture. Eventually, after tense negotiations, both sides withdrew from the sensitive area, thus diffusing what could have led to an ugly conflict.
India realizes that any war with China would not be in its interests, as the Chinese military is far stronger. On the other hand, China also recognizes that a conflict with India would adversely affect its humongous investment made in India’s neighborhood and that the best way forward would be to maintain peace along the border.
Apart from the border disputes, another major irritant for China has been over the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, who in 1959 (along with tens of thousands of his disciples) was granted refuge in India, where he enjoys a special status. China considers Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist, who even today has great influence over Tibetans. It must be mentioned that Dalai Lama gave up his support for Tibetan independence in 1974, and only wants China to stop repression against the community.
China did not take kindly to the Dalai Lama’s visit to the disputed area of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh last year. The Chinese termed his visit, particularly to Tawang, a “provocation” by India. India responded that “The government has clearly stated on several occasions that HHDL [His Holiness the Dalai Lama] is a revered religious leader, who is deeply respected as such by the Indian people. No additional color should be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and visits to various states of India.”
Since then, however, tensions have cooled. There have been several recent developments that were viewed with interest in India. China recently did not oppose the move of the United States to put Pakistan on the “grey list’” of the Financial Action Task Force for funding terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. China’s decision, especially when it has invested billions of dollars in Pakistan under its Belt and Road Initiative, came as a welcome surprise.
Then, in a significant departure from its stated position on the Dalai Lama, New Delhi refused permission to the Central Tibetan Administration to hold the interfaith prayer and “Thank you India” functions in Delhi, which were scheduled to be held on March 31 and April 1. India’s foreign secretary, in a note to the cabinet secretary, advised the senior leaders and government functionaries not to participate in the events organized by Tibetan organizations as such a step would further deteriorate India’s relations with China.
The note comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit China in June to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Modi is expected to hold talks with the Chinese president on the sidelines of the summit. India does not want any incident that could derail the talks. According to China watchers, this prompted the cancellation of Tibetan events in Delhi.
India’s decision has sent confusing signals to the Tibetans, as they have always looked upon India to support their cause. Many experts interpret India’s stand as weakness in light of the growing military power of China. According to defense experts, China is continuing to build up its military strength at Doklam and that India is unable to prevent the Chinese from building roads in the sensitive region. It is therefore important that the Indian prime minister takes up the issue with President Xi Jinping and impress on him that if China forcibly builds road in Doklam, it could have serious ramification on India-China relations. To achieve that goal, foreign policy experts worry that Modi may sacrifice the cause of Tibet at the altar of better relations with China.
The ability of India and China to be global powers hinges on forming close economic ties and continuing efforts to engage with one another. This is sine qua non for ushering in peace and stability in the region. It is hoped that the Chinese government will take note of the significant shift in India’s policy on the Dalai Lama, and make every effort to improve bilateral ties. China’s positive response could persuade India to join the multibillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative. This will go a long way in strengthening relations, especially at a time when both the countries are embarking on their journey to become global powers.
K.S. Venkatachalam is an independent columnist and political commentator.
https://thediplomat.com/2018/03/tibet-and-indias-china-policy/

Choegyal

March 23, 2018

Looks like India is taking serious measures to ensure that the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala does not engage in any political activity perceived to be against Beijing.

An event to mark 60 years of the Dalai Lama’s stay in India, originally planned in Delhi, was moved back to Dharamsala in order not to create issues for India as Sino-Indian ties are very tense at the moment. As a result, organisers were forced to hold the programme in the temple complex where the Dalai Lama and his followers have been living for decades.

Many are speculating whether these cancellations and the new Indian government policy are permanent or just temporary. Looking at the series of engagements lined up between Delhi and Beijing, such as the upcoming visits to China by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, India is determine to mind Sino-Indian relations post-Doklam, which means the Tibetans should get ready for more bad news in the coming months.

Dalai Lama event: Not Delhi or Dharamsala stadium, but temple zone
By Rakesh Mohan Chaturvedi, ET Bureau | Updated: Mar 16, 2018, 08.59 AM IST
NEW DELHI: Tibetans in exile have moved the venue of an event to mark 60 years of Dalai Lama’s stay in India from the cricket stadium in Dharamsala to a temple complex in the region.
The event was to be held in New Delhi initially but was shifted to Dharamsala shortly after a government note asked senior leaders and officials to refrain from attending it.
The Tibetan government in exile had approached the administration for permission to use the cricket stadium but the organise the celebrations there.
Government insiders denied any pressure was exerted on the organisers to give up the request for the Dharamsala stadium. “We have very cordial and warm relations with the Dalai Lama and are willing to do whatever we can to help his followers,” an official said.
Foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale had sent out a note last month to Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, following which the latter issued a directive that it was not ‘desirable’ for senior leaders and government functionaries of the Centre or states to participate in programmes of the Tibetan government in exile. This was ostensibly done to avoid rubbing China the wrong way as Sino-Indian ties were delicately poised at the moment.
China has described the Dalai Lama as a ‘dangerous separatist’.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman are set to make separate visits to China next month.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/dalai-lama-event-not-delhi-or-dharamsala-stadium-but-temple-zone/articleshow/63324851.cms

Tashi Rinchen

March 25, 2018

Now that India has decided to improve her bilateral relationship with China, the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) are deprived of the honor and privileges that they have grown accustomed to. A state minister of Himachal Pradesh, invited as the Chief Guest decided not to turn up for the Tibetans’ March 10th event. Now there’s another bad news for the Tibetans. The 7th World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet scheduled on April 26 – 28 in Delhi is canceled.

The last global conference was held six years ago, and it is clear that the Tibet issue has not been high on anyone’s agenda for a long time. If we look at the trend now, it is clear that the Indian government prevents any official from attending any Tibetan events, and even refuses to host any discussion on the Tibet issue. With a series of upcoming high profile meetings between Indian and China officials, it looks like India is dropping its support on the Tibet issue completely. It remains to be seen how things will become worse for the CTA. The next thing we can expect to see is perhaps Indian officials will start avoiding to be seen with Tibetan officials, and perhaps even the Dalai Lama as they are courting China?

Global lawmakers’ meet on Tibet called off
By: Suhasini Haidar and Nistula Hebbar
Updated: March 22, 2018 22:29 IST
Decision comes as India seeks to reset ties with China, prepares for high profile visits.
After the cancellation of events involving the Dalai Lama in Delhi, a global conference on Tibet, scheduled for next month, has also been put off, officials in Delhi and Dharamshala confirmed to The Hindu. The decision reflects “sensitivities” over upcoming high profile meetings between the Indian and Chinese leadership, they said.
The cancellation of the 7th World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet, which had been planned for April 26-28 in Delhi is significant as the high profile event was going to be held in India 24 years after it was first held.
The last such convention, held in Canada in 2012, had attracted more than 50 parliamentarians from 30 countries.
Preparations underway
Preparations for the event this year were in full swing, and parliamentarians from the self-styled “Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE)” of the Central Tibetan Authority in India had met with several MPs in Delhi in December 2017 to extend invitations.
“The World Parliamentarians conference on Tibet has been postponed,” confirmed former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP MP Shanta Kumar, who was the co-convenor of the conference.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) did not give any reasons for the postponement, only saying that it had been done due to “unforeseen circumstances”. Mr. Kumar, who also heads the Indo-Tibet Parliamentarians forum, did not indicate any alternative date when the conference would be held.
Tibetan community leaders also announced the “postponement” of the WPCT in the ongoing session of the ‘TPiE’ in Dharamshala this week.
‘Sensitive time’
The Ministry of External Affairs and the MHA, which handles affairs of the Tibetan community in India, declined to formally comment on the development. But a senior official aware of the preparations for the conference, which lawmakers from more than 20 countries were expected to attend, admitted that the cancellation came for the same reasons an inter-faith religious ceremony at Rajghat on March 31 was cancelled and a public rally at Delhi’s Thyagaraja stadium on April 1 was moved to Dharamshala. The Dalai Lama was to attend both events.
A spokesperson for the Dalai Lama’s Bureau had said while the government had not directly called for the cancellation of the events, its “concerns had been conveyed” to the Tibetan leadership, after reports that the Cabinet Secretary had put out a memo telling officials not to attend the events as it was a “sensitive time” for India-China relations, with several high profile meetings planned.
Several senior Chinese party leaders, including Commerce Minister Zhong ,Shan are expected to visit Delhi in the next few weeks, while both Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Beijing in April.
Meanwhile a diplomatic source said an “informal summit” between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping even before they meet in Qingdao in June for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is being “worked on”.
Worrying u-turn
A Member of Parliament, who asked not to be named, said the government’s ‘U-turn’ on the Tibetan issue had set off alarm bells in the Tibetan refugee community in India. “Leaders of the Tibetan ‘parliament in exile’ (TPiE) are worried and called to discuss whether this was a phase in Sino-Indian ties, or a more permanent situation,” said the MP, who was also involved in the planning of the WPCT.
The moves are seen as an attempt to reset ties between New Delhi and Beijing, which have steadily deteriorated for the past few years. But in the last few weeks, a visit by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to Beijing, and China’s decision not to oppose a move against Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in Paris have indicated that the narrative is turning.
The government’s alleged memo to officials, a decision to cancel an Asian security conference organised by the Ministry of Defence think-tank — the Institute of Defence and Strategic Analysis (IDSA) — in early March at the last minute, as well as the Dalai Lama’s decision to skip a visit to Manipur for the Indian Science Congress, were seen as attempts to avoid any controversy with Beijing during the reset.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/global-lawmakers-meet-on-tibet-called-off/article23324829.ece

Kelsang Rabgyal

March 25, 2018

Time for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) to wake up! CTA’s events are being rejected and postponed one by one. The CTA should realise by now that they are being strictly sidelined by India and nobody really wants to associate with them as they spell trouble. The Tibetans cannot be so oblivious, or maybe they are just too embarrassed to talk about it. Perhaps they are just too busy scrambling around to find out what event will be cancelled next from one of their insiders in the Indian government in order to save face, if there is any left to save.

Another Tibetan event in Delhi deferred
Shri Puri | TNN | Updated: Mar 24, 2018, 08:14 IST
DHARAMSHALA: In a major jolt to Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), another major Tibetan event which was planned in Delhi in April has been deferred. Tibetan parliament deputy speaker Acharya Yeshi confirmed the development but refused to give any details.
It is a second major Delhi slated Tibetan event to have been called off. Earlier, Thank You India event to mark 60 years of the exile of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama was scrapped following the Union goverment’s directions to senior dignitaries to stay away from it.
Now, ‘Global conference on Tibet’, which was to be held from April 26 to 28 in New Delhi, has been deferred. “The event has been postponed. It was to be hosted by the CTA in Delhi and parliamentarians from 30 countries were to participate it,” said Kangra MP Shanta Kumar, who was also to attend it.
Repeated attempts to contact the Tibetan administration remained futile but well placed sources said no further dates have been announced for the event.
He averted querries on reasons for the change of plan. Tibetan parliamentarian Karma Yeshi denied any knowledge about the development this. Another Tibetan MP Lobsang didn’t respond to calls on the phone.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/another-tibetan-event-in-delhi-deferred/articleshow/63436500.cms

Namgyal Wangchuk

March 26, 2018

Things are going from bad to worse as the Tibetan leadership has to grapple with yet another problem. Not only does the Indian leadership now refuse to be seen with them, but tourists are no longer attracted to Dharamsala, whether it’s to attend teachings by the Dalai Lama or because they want to go somewhere exotic. The region has seen a tremendous drop in tourists especially for the month of March, which used to be peak tourist season when the town would overflow with visitors.

And not only has the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) failed to host an annual summer festival that used to be a major tourist attraction, but now they are even blaming the cancellation on a lack of funds allocated by the Indian leadership. Does the CTA REALLY think this will improve their relationship with the Indian government? It is typical CTA mentality – if you don’t give things to them for free, they won’t do anything.

And just to prove everyone really has NO idea what to do to bring the tourists back, they’re thinking of requesting the Dalai Lama to give even more teachings as an attraction point. Yes, they are going to ask an 82-year old man to do even MORE work to bring in the money. When will the CTA let the Dalai Lama retire? And yes, that’s right – they don’t want to request the Dalai Lama to give teachings because they want Dharma. They want the Dharma to make MORE MONEY. That’s how it has ALWAYS been with the CTA. So maybe the real reasons tourists are avoiding Dharamsala is because they’ve figured this out, and they have had enough of giving their money to a corrupt leadership that has exploited them financially for 60 years.

Poor tourist inflow leaves Dharamsala hoteliers worried
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, March 14
The middle of March generally marks the onset of the tourist season in Dharamsala. However, hotels and tourism industry here is dejected.
Sanjeev Gandhi, general secretary, Upper Dharamsala Hotel Association, while talking to The Tribune, said in March a lot of foreign tourists used to start pouring in the Dharamsala region. However, this year even the Dalai Lama teachings have failed to attract foreign tourists to Dharamsala.
While about 50 per cent of the hotels have lost their power and water connections and are closed, the rest are witnessing just 10 per cent occupancy. The fall in tourist inflow in Dharamsala region is a matter of serious concern for the hotel industry which is a major employment generator in the area.
Deepak Kumar, running a hotel booking agency, said that the upper areas of Dharamsala like Dharamkot and Upper Bhagsu used to be overflowing with tourists in the month of March. However, this year even these areas are also having very less tourists. A major reason for this is that the message has travelled among foreign and domestic tourists that most of the hotels in the region are closed. Due to it the tourists are avoiding Dharamsala region.
Interestingly, despite strict action taken by authorities against the illegal hotels in the region construction work was going on in some of the illegal hotels. Some of the hoteliers alleged that it was due to the people who are resorting to illegal constructions that the entire industry was suffering. They have also blamed the authorities for not taking action against such erring hoteliers in time.
In the recent past, members of the hotel association of Dharamsala had met Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. They had requested the CM that the Dalai Lama should be asked to hold more teachings in the Dharamsala region and the state government should facilitate it as it can boost the tourism and provide employment to people of the region.
There was a demand that more events should be organized to attract the tourists. Earlier, a summer festival was organized in Dharamsala but during the stint of the previous Congress government the event was abandoned.
After representations from the hoteliers, the Himachal Cabinet had decided that instead of the entire hotels only the illegal portions of the buildings would be sealed. However, the Cabinet decision is not likely to bail out the hotel industry in Dharamsala as many of the hotels constructed in the core area of McLeodganj were totally illegal.
The state government has also announced that it would develop a vision policy for the development of various tourism zones in the state.
It was being said that the policy proposal would be sent to the union government for financing. However, the policy is likely to take a lot of time and before that the state would have to do something on its own to boost tourism and save the sector that provides direct and indirect employment to highest number of people in the state.
10 per cent occupancy
* While about 50 per cent of the hotels have lost their power and water connections and are closed, the rest are witnessing just 10 per cent occupancy.
* The fall in tourist inflow in Dharamsala region is a matter of serious concern for the hotel industry which is a major employment generator in the area.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/poor-tourist-inflow-leaves-dharamsala-hoteliers-worried/557915.html

Dolma Jane

March 27, 2018

The last time world parliamentarians met to discuss Tibet was in Canada in 2012. It has taken them six years to organize the same meeting, a sure sign that the world has had better things to do in the last six years than to discuss Tibet.

However the latest meeting, scheduled to be held in New Delhi, has been cancelled, the reason being it is a “sensitive time” for India-China relations. This took place after India “conveyed its concerns” to the Tibetan leadership. While it may sound like a benign reason, this is not the first incident in recent times where India has directed the CTA to stop provoking China. Very significantly, the Indian Foreign Secretary also directed Indian officials not to attend CTA events hosted as part of their “Thank You India” campaign, meant to celebrate 60 years of Indian kindness towards the Tibetans.

Apart from the cancelation of those Tibetan-related events, His Holiness the Dalai Lama also announced that he would not travel for the rest of the year. All seems to spell doom for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). It is clear that India does not want anything to do with the Tibetans, and it is only a matter of time India starts saying that Tibet is a part of China. So it seems that the only direction for the CTA now is to befriend China, just like the rest of the world is doing.

World parliamentarians’ meet on Tibet in New Delhi put off
MARCH 25, 2018 1:38 AM
(TibetanReview.net, Mar24, 2018) – The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at Dharamshala, India, has cancelled a planned meeting of parliamentarians from across the democratic world supportive of the Tibet issue scheduled to be held in New Delhi over Apr 26-28, reported thehindu.com Mar 22. The meet was to be the 7th World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet.
The report quoted former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP MP Shanta Kumar, cited as the co-convenor of the conference, as confirming, “The World Parliamentarians conference on Tibet has been postponed.”
The report cited India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as saying the meet had been postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances”. The report also said Mr Kumar, who heads the All-Party Parliamentarians Forum in the Indian parliament, did not indicate any alternative date when the conference would be held.
The report said lawmakers from more than 20 countries were expected to attend the meet. It cited the MHA as admitting the cancellation came for the same reasons an inter-faith religious ceremony at Rajghat on Mar 31 was cancelled and a public rally at Delhi’s Thyagaraja stadium on Apr 1 was moved to Dharamshala.
The report cited a spokesperson at the Bureau of HH the Dalai Lama in New Delhi as saying that while New Delhi had not directly called for the cancellation of the events, its “concerns had been conveyed” to the Tibetan leadership, after reports that the Cabinet Secretary had put out a memo telling officials not to attend the events as it was a “sensitive time” for India-China relations, with several high profile meetings planned.
The parliamentarians’ meet is held after indeterminate gaps of several years, with the first one held 24 years ago in Dharamshala, and the last one in Canada in 2012.
The report said preparations for the event were in full swing, and a delegation from the Tibetan Parliament in Exile had met with several MPs in Delhi in Dec 2017 to extend invitations. Also, President Lobsang Sangay of the CTA had asked Japanese MPs to attend the event during his recent visit to Tokyo.
http://www.tibetanreview.net/world-parliamentarians-meet-on-tibet-in-new-delhi-put-off/

Lelkyi Tsho

March 27, 2018

After the humiliation of their Chief Guest not attending the Tibetan Uprising Day event, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has resorted to keeping their list of invitees secret for the upcoming opening ceremony of the “Thank You India” campaign. This is an unprecedented move as they are always publicising who their special guests are.

Could it be that none of the Indian dignitaries have agreed to grace the event so the CTA has no one to announce as yet? Or is it because the CTA are embarrassed and afraid that history may repeat itself, and are trying to prevent a similar incident where Chief Guest Kishan Kapoor did not show up after they had publicised he would be there? Or perhaps this is a way to go around the Indian government’s directive which discouraged Indian officials from attending Tibetan related events. Perhaps the CTA thinks that if the Indian government doesn’t know who the CTA invites, then the Indian government will not be able to contact the invitees and tell them not to go, again.

One thing’s for sure, the CTA has lost its support from the Indian government. PM Modi is scheduled to visit China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in June and India will not allow any incident that may derail the talks.

Embargo on information on Tibetans’ ‘Thank You India’ campaign
Areeba Falak | Updated : March 24, 2018, 5:45 PM
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has embargoed all information related to the opening ceremony of the “Thank You India” campaign which is to start from 31 March at Dharamshala. The guest list of the dignitaries is being kept under wraps and will be revealed only a day before, said sources in the CTA.
The “Thank You India” campaign was scheduled to begin with an inter-faith prayer meet headed by the Dalai Lama at Rajghat in New Delhi, but the venue was changed unceremoniously to Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, after the Indian government directed its officials at the Centre and state governments to refrain from participating in the campaign. Tibet’s government-in-exile, known as the Central Tibetan Administration, is based at Dharamshala. The prayer meet that was to be held at Rajghat was to be followed by a public event at Thyagraj Stadium, which too stands cancelled.
Informed sources told The Sunday Guardian that the list of guests who are being invited is being kept a secret. “Generally, we do not embargo such information for our events, but for events of huge relevance, it has been done in the past for various security, strategic and political reasons. Last time, there was an embargo on our preparations when His Holiness Dalai Lama had to meet a high-level US Congressional delegation in May 2017,” a source said. In January, while announcing the “Thank You India” campaign in New Delhi, CTA president Dr Lobsang Sangay had said that he would like to gift the ensemble of the campaign to Prime Minister Narendra Modi which had led to speculation that PM Modi might participate in the campaign. However, sources in the CTA said that there is no progress on the gift.
The campaign will continue as a pan-India one that will celebrate Tibet’s gratitude towards India for being a “father-like-figure”. However, the decision to change the venue of the mega event to be held on 31 March at Dharamshala has posed some logistic problems. A source said, “People whom we intended to invite might not be able to travel all the way to Dharamshala now. Delhi was a convenient venue. Because of these technical reasons, some important people might skip attendance.”
As far as resentment among Tibetans towards the Indian government for restraining ministers and officials from participating in the campaign is concerned, a source in the CTA said, “Those who are well aware with internal matters and functioning know that this will not affect Tibet’s affection towards India. But among the common masses, the resentment has found a place. The people can take it as an offence that the gratitude that Tibetans were trying to express to India was ill-received, but, in the same breath, internal officials understand the circumstances.”
Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, had said, “India’s position on the Dalai Lama is clear and consistent. He is a revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India. There is no change in that position.”
Last year, when India had allowed the Dalai Lama to visit Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, China’s state media had seen it as a “provocation” after which the heat subsided. But India’s denial to let its officials participate in the “Thank You India” campaign was seen as a change in India’s assertiveness towards Tibet. In June, PM Modi is scheduled to visit China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Observers point out that India did not want any incident that could derail the talks and played safe by refraining Indian officials and ministers from participating in Tibet’s “Thank You India” campaign.
https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/embargo-information-tibetans-thank-india-campaign

Ngawang Jigme

March 27, 2018

This is probably the biggest slap in the face for the Tibetan leadership in Dharamsala. They have been using the Dalai Lama for years now in order to garner support, and flex their authority and influence over others. But in an interview to CNN-News18 earlier this month, the Dalai Lama said he does not care about the alleged pressure from China which caused the cancellation of the high-profile ‘Thank You India’ events in Delhi. The events were supposed to mark 60 years of the Tibetan government’s exile in India. On top of that, he said that the position of the Dalai Lama was no longer relevant, and that the Tibetan people – not the leadership – must decide on whether to continue the position or not.

It seems like the Dalai Lama is leaving the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and the Tibetans in-exile to fend for themselves. No more spoon-feeding. Perhaps the Dalai Lama has had enough of being exploited by the Tibetan leadership and lost all hope in the Tibetan president’s paving the way for the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet or even Tibetan autonomy. In that case, isn’t the CTA comparatively more irrelevant than the Dalai Lama, since it failed to achieve what it set out to do decades ago?

Dalai Lama To Kick Off Year-Long ‘Thank You India’ Events On Saturday
The Central Tibetan Administration will organise a public event at the Tsuglagkhang temple on Saturday and the event will be attended by Indian dignitaries too.
Aishwarya Kumar | News18.com
Updated: March 27, 2018, 11:49 AM IST
New Delhi: Marking the 60th year of exile in India, Tibetan Buddhist leader Dalai Lama is set to kick off yearlong pan India ‘Thank You India’ events on March 31.
The Central Tibetan Administration will organise a public event at the Tsuglagkhang temple on Saturday and the event will be attended by Indian dignitaries too.
In a statement, President Dr Losang Sangay said that Tibet is inextricably linked to India through geography, history, culture, and spiritually and that “the Tibetan struggle is ‘Made in India’ and said that ‘the success of the Tibetan struggle will be India’s success story.”
The announcement of the spiritual leader’s attendance comes a month after, according to a report in the Indian Express earlier this month, foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had sent a note on February 22 to Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha, following which the “senior leaders” and “government functionaries” of the Centre and states were directed to skip events of exiled Tibetan leaders.
The Centre later clarified that Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama was free to “carry out his religious activities in India”, reacting to reports that the government has asked senior functionaries to “skip” all events by the “Tibetan leadership in India”.
In an interview to CNN-News18 earlier this month, Dalai Lama had said that he doesn’t care about alleged pressure from China forcing the cancellation of events in Delhi to mark 60 years of the Tibetan government’s exile in India. He also said the position of the Dalai Lama has become irrelevant now and that the Tibetan people must decide on whether to continue it. The Tibetan government-in-exile shifted the high-profile event commemorating Dalai Lama’s 60 years of exile as an effort to bringing peace to relations between India and China.
Many Tibetan activists are said to have communicated to relevant authorities as the development ‘humiliated’ Dalai Lama.
China has for long considered the spiritual leader as a dangerous separatist and says Tibet is an integral part of its territory and has been for centuries. Beijing also says its rule ended serfdom and brought prosperity to what was a backward region, and that it fully respects the rights of the Tibetan people.
“Today, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the best ambassador for Indian values of non-violence, ahimsa and inter-religious harmony and the promotion of basic human values: compassion and kindness,” said Dr Sangay.
https://www.news18.com/news/india/dalai-lama-to-kick-off-year-long-thank-you-india-events-on-saturday-1700849.html

Tashi Namgyal

March 29, 2018

As long as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and the Tibetan refugees are living on Indian soil, they will continue to be a thorn in the relationship between China and India, as China will continue to view India as harboring Tibetan separatists.

So if Dr. Lobsang Sangay is serious about not wanting to “cause inconvenience” to India, he should do MUCH MUCH more than just moving the “Thank You India” from New Delhi to Dharamsala (which he was ordered to do anyway). He should stop condemning China and stop flying the Tibetan flag, which contradicts China’s policies regarding Tibet. And he should also use donations that the CTA receives to organize the return of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan refugees to their home in China. Otherwise, whatever he says about not wanting to “cause inconvenience” to India is just lip service, like it has been for the last 60 years.

Tibetans ‘Don’t Want To Discomfort India’, Cancel Mega Event
After cancelling events in the national capital, the Tibetan government-in-exile will now start pan-India “Thank You India” programmes.
All India | Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: March 28, 2018 20:12 IST
The president of the the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Lobsang Sangay, on Wednesday said his government-in-exile “doesn’t want to cause inconvenience to host India”.
Speaking on cancelling of events planned by his administration, earlier in New Delhi, to mark the beginning of the 60th year of the Dalai Lama stepping on India soil, he told reporters in Dharamshala: “Whatever we do, we don’t want to cause inconvenience to our hosts or to the persons who want to meet us.”
“They may have particular reasons as to why these coming months are sensitive. So, we completely understand and respect that. There is no disappointment at all but rather an understanding of the situation,” he said.
Lobsang Sangay was responding to a media query regarding a circular issued by the Indian government relating to the “Thank You India” events starting on March 31.
Without mincing words, he said the government and people of India have done the most for Tibet.
“Every year, in all the formal and non-formal events, we Tibetans always say thank you India. I think it’s important that we also demonstrate our gratitude in deeds.”
“His Holiness the Dalai Lama calls himself a ‘son of India’. So, we should be saying thank you a lot. Moreover, our relationship with India is like parent and children. Therefore, we want to thank India,” he said.
Amid the recent tensions with China, the Indian government was reported to have cautioned its senior officials last month to stay away from events aimed at marking the start of the Dalai Lama’s 60th year of exile.
After cancelling events in the national capital, the Tibetan government-in-exile will now start pan-India “Thank You India” programmes to mark the beginning of the 60th year of the Dalai Lama arriving in India.
The Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet to India in March 1959.
To mark the events, Lobsang Sangay on Wednesday released a “Thank you India” music video, performed and produced by artistes of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, thanking India for its hospitality and assistance.
Lobsang Sangay said the year-long events lined up as part of the campaign include a mass tree plantation drive to support a green India movement, participating in Yoga Day events organised by the government of India, distribution of food to the hungry and homeless and a mass cleanliness drive to observe the Indian government’s Swachh Bharat initiative.
Acknowledging the growing Chinese pressure on global leaders on the Tibet issue, Lobsang Sangay said: “Wherever I go, be it Europe, the US, the pressure is increasing.”
The CTA is organising a public event in Dharamshala to officially launch the “Thank You India” campaign on March 31.
It will be one of the largest events ever organised by the Tibetans in Dharamsala and hundreds of guests are expected to attend, including Naren Das, a member of the first delegation that received the Dalai Lama when he first set foot on India.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will attend the event.
The Dalai Lama, in an interview to CNN News18, has said he “doesn’t care about how Chinese pressure forced the cancellation of the events of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Delhi”.
He said it was more about “how you feel for Tibetans and how Tibetans feel for India”.
The Tibetan administration in exile is based in the north Indian hill town of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tibetans-dont-want-to-discomfort-india-cancel-mega-event-1829921

Big Boss fan

March 29, 2018

It’s the beginning of the end for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). How can the Dalai Lama, whom Tibetans believe to be the Buddha of Compassion Chenresig, be exhausted? Lets say the Dalai Lama is just a simple monk which he often claims. Even as a simple monk, the Dalai Lama is also a seasoned tantric practitioner who has been practising tantra for decades so he should be able to easily heal himself through controlling his winds. So why is the Dalai Lama exhausted and not healing himself? The logical conclusion is that the Dalai Lama is purposely manifesting exhaustion.

Whatever the Dalai Lama’s reasons are, one thing is for sure and that is the cancelation of the Dalai Lama’s travel schedule will speed up the decline of the CTA. Everyone knows that the Dalai Lama is the breadwinner of the Tibetan refugees and the CTA because the world likes him. They give money because they want to support HIM through supporting the Tibetan people. But as the Dalai Lama reduces his visibility from travelling less, and also becomes less accessible, the world will slowly forget about him and the support, especially of a financial nature, to the Tibetan cause will weaken.

So Lobsang Sangay, the President of the CTA, has failed to perform in his role despite the support of the Dalai Lama. He’s not as well-liked or as attractive to support as the Dalai Lama. Hence in the future, without the backing of the Dalai Lama, Lobsang Sangay will never be able to sustain the CTA, and he will not be able to raise the same amount of awareness and fund as the Dalai Lama did, because no one knows who he is.

The end of the CTA draws closer every day.

Most of Dalai Lama’s 2018 foreign tours cancelled
MARCH 27, 2018 11:00 PM
(TibetanReview.net, Mar27, 2018) – The Dalai Lama is said to have cancelled most of his foreign travels for the rest of this year due to his octogenarian age and tiredness. Earlier, the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, had told the Tibetan Parliament in Exile during its Mar 14-24 session that the cancellation had nothing to do with any recent contact with China.
The Dalai Lama is exhausted and this has made it very difficult for him to commit to his intensive travel schedule, newsweek.com Mar 25 cited Mr Sonam Dagpo, the CTA’s foreign relations secretary as saying.
He has said the Dalai Lama had been invited to several countries but had cut down his public engagements due to his age. “He is exhausted after teaching for a long period of time. Therefore, a few commitments have been canceled.”
Dagpo has clarified, however, that the Dalai Lama’s health was not at risk and the cancellations had only been due to him being exhausted from what his teaching practices involved. He has said that while the ribbon cutting ceremonies and inaugurations only last a couple of hours, his teachings can last for several days.
The Dalai Lama most recently addressed a gathering at the Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies’ (CIHTS) on Mar 20. But a schedule section currently shows no further dates for the year, the report noted newsweek.com.
However, one visit said to be confirmed is to Switzerland in September for the 50th anniversary of the Tibet Institute at Rikon.
The report cited the CNN to point out that the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, who will turn 83 in July, had traveled to eight foreign countries last year, compared to 16 the year before.
Though fully retired from politics in 2011, the Dalai Lama has made it clear that he will continue to take active interest to seek a solution to the Tibet issue with China.
Beijing has made it clear that it remains interested to talk, if at all, only with the Dalai Lama while insisting that there is no Tibet issue to be discussed.
Recent media reports in India said the Dalai Lama’s emissary Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, a former head of the CTA, had undertaken a clandestine visit to China in Nov 2017 and held talks with officials there. But this was later reported to have been denied by Samdhong Rinpoche himself.
And President Lobsang Sangay told the exile parliament that whether any visit did or did not take place was a personal matter to Samdhong Rinpoche. He also said any Tibetan discussing Tibet with China was required to take the CTA into confidence.
http://www.tibetanreview.net/most-of-dalai-lamas-2018-foreign-tours-cancelled/

Lhakpa Tsering

March 29, 2018

India has swapped its hard line approach to China. Top Indian officials distanced themselves from the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) after a directive from India’s Foreign Secretary to avoid events hosted by the Tibetan leadership, and after the enforcement of an unprecedented ban on Tibetans holding a rally with the Dalai Lama in New Delhi.

Now it has been announced in Reuters that the Tibet card is no longer a strategic tool for India, and the Dalai Lama himself has said that the position of the Dalai Lama has become irrelevant now.

All of this easily leads to the conclusion that the CTA will soon be defunct. India is offering citizenship to Tibetans in India. The flow of refugees arriving in Nepal and India has been curtailed for the last decade after Nepal closed a popular route used by refugees leaving Tibet. The President of the Tibetan leadership Lobsang Sangay is plagued by various scandals on a near-daily basis, and Tibetans in exile are protesting and calling for his impeachment. Another possible leader of the Tibetans in exile, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the head of the Karma Kagyu sect has been abroad for the past year to “rest and recover” due to health concerns. With no viable leader without the Dalai Lama, and having lost their biggest supporter and ally in India, it looks like there is no light at the end of the tunnel for the CTA.

Dalai Lama faces cold shoulder as India looks to improve China ties
Sanjeev Miglani
MARCH 29, 2018 / 8:14 PM / UPDATED 8 HOURS AGO
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, faces increasing isolation in his home in exile as India tones down an assertive stand toward its powerful neighbor and rival, China, in the hope of calming ties strained by a border stand-off.
The Asian giants were locked in a 73-day military face off in a remote, high-altitude stretch of their disputed border last year, with, at one point, soldiers from the two sides throwing punches and stones at each other.
The confrontation between the nuclear-armed powers in the Himalayas underscored Indian alarm at China’s expanding security and economic links in South Asia.
China’s ambitious Belt and Road initiative of transport and energy links bypasses India, apart from a corner of the disputed Kashmir region, also claimed by Pakistan, but involves India’s neighbors Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives.
Now Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist government, is reversing course, apparently after realizing its hard line on China was not working, and the Dalai Lama is facing the cold shoulder.
“We are moving forward with this relationship, the idea is to put the events of 2017 behind us,” an Indian government source involved in China policy said.
The idea is to “be sensitive” to each other’s core concerns and not let differences turn into disputes, the source said.
The Dalai Lama has lived mostly in the north Indian town of Dharamsala since 1959, when he fled a Chinese crackdown on an uprising in his homeland.
In Dharamsala, his supporters run a small government in exile and campaign for autonomy for Tibet by peaceful means. India has allowed him to pursue his religious activities in the country and to travel abroad.
Early this month, India issued an unprecedented ban on Tibetans holding a rally with the Dalai Lama in New Delhi to mark the 60th anniversary of the start of the failed uprising against Chinese rule.
‘DEEPLY RESPECTED’
This week, the Dalai Lama canceled a visit to the Indian border state of Sikkim this week, hosted by authorities there, officials say, lest it offended China.
Sikkim is south of the Doklam plateau where the hundreds of Indian and Chinese soldiers confronted each other last year after India objected to China’s construction of a road in an area claimed by India’s tiny ally, Bhutan.
Even “thank you” rallies by Tibetans planned for New Delhi to show appreciation to India for hosting the Dalai Lama and his followers have been shifted to Dharamsala.
India’s foreign ministry said the government had not changed its position on the Dalai Lama.
“He is a revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India. His Holiness is accorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India,” spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.
But India’s recent attitude is in stark contrast with his former treatment.
In 2016, the Dalai Lama was invited to India’s presidential palace for a ceremony honoring Nobel Peace prize winners. The government later allowed him to visit the disputed state of Arunachal Pradesh, disregarding Chinese objections.
China reviles the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist and his activities in India have always been a source of friction, and a tool with which India can needle China.
“Tibet has utility to irritate China, but it is becoming costly for us now. They are punishing us,” said P. Stobdan, a former Indian ambassador.
China has blocked India’s membership of a nuclear cartel and it also blocks U.N. sanctions against a Pakistan-based militant leader blamed for attacks on India.
‘UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT’
The Tibetan government-in-exile has been phlegmatic, expressing understanding of the shifting circumstances and gratitude to India for hosting the Dalai Lama for 60 years.
“The Indian government has its reasons why, these coming months are sensitive, and we completely understand and respect that so there’s no disappointment at all,” Lobsang Sangay, the head of the government in exile told reporters.
China has hailed better ties.
“Everyone can see that recently, due to the efforts of both sides, China-India relations have maintained positive momentum and development, and exchanges and cooperation in all areas have achieved new progress,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday.
Lu said China was willing to work with India to maintain exchanges on all levels and to increase mutual political trust and “appropriately control differences”.
A flurry of visits is planned.
Next week, India National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is heading to China and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj is due to visit in April.
Modi will visit in June for a regional conference and talks with President Xi Jinping.
The two sides are also expected to revive “hand-in-hand” counter-terrorism exercises when India’s defense minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, visits China in April, a defense source said. The drills were suspended earlier.
Additional reporting Michael Martina in BEIJING; Abhishek Madhukar in DHARAMSALA and Zarir Hussain in GUWAHATI; Editing by Robert Birsel
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-china/dalai-lama-faces-cold-shoulder-as-india-looks-to-improve-china-ties-idUSKBN1H51O7

Chokphel

March 29, 2018

When Nepal said ‘no more’ to Tibetan activists protesting in Nepal, they seriously meant it. To show just how serious and efficient they are, they even took a Tibetan activist into custody after he posted a picture holding a Tibetan flag in front of the Boudhanath Stupa on Facebook.

If Tibetans really wish to continue living in peace in foreign countries, they had better follow the rules of that host country and toe the line. Overzealous activism for the Tibetan cause will no longer be tolerated in countries, such as Nepal, which are trying to improve ties with China. When will the Tibetans wake up and realise that they can no longer fight against China, a superpower with far-reaching influence in international affairs?

Tibetan activist detained for nine days in Nepal after Tibetan flag Facebook photo
MOLLY LORTIE, THE TIBET POST INTERNATIONAL 29 MARCH 2018
Dharamshala — Reports indicate that a Tibetan activist was detained in Nepal for nine days after posting a picture of himself with a Tibetan flag on Facebook.
According to a report from International Campaign for Tibet, Tibetan activist Adak took a picture of himself holding a Tibetan flag near Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu and posted it to Facebook. Three days after posting the image, police approached him, he told ICT.
Police showed him the photograph and upon confirmation that it was his picture, they took him into custody. Adak told ICT that he was slapped and kicked in the process but was not further beaten in custody. He said that police threatened to deport him to Tibet.
According to ICT, Adak was held from March 14 to March 22, when he was released after the Nepalese human rights organization, HURON, intervened on his behalf.
Adak is a member of the Tibetan Volunteers Group in Nepal, who planned peaceful protests in 2008. Though, Adak told ICT that, “for the past three years or more it has been too dangerous for the group to carry out any form of peaceful protest due to China’s influence in Nepal. Letters to the embassies and photographs on social media are different and lower profile forms of advocacy that we have sought to adopt.
“I don’t know how the Nepalese police knew about the photo on Facebook,” Adak told ICT. “We can only assume it is interference from the Chinese. Nowadays the situation for Tibetans in Nepal is almost the same as for Tibetans in Tibet.”
After his release Adak was admitted to hospital and put on a glucose drip, as his health was affected by his period in custody. For his own safety, he has now left Nepal for India during the politically sensitive anniversary month of March.
After his release Adak was admitted to hospital and put on a glucose drip, as his health was affected by his period in custody. For his own safety, he has left Nepal for India.
There are increasing dangers for Tibetans in Nepal as ties between Nepal and China deepen. There are rumors of a high-level Chinese delegation visit to Kathmandu soon.
http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/exile/6092-tibetan-activist-detained-for-nine-days-in-nepal-after-tibetan-flag-facebook-photo

Khampa Warrior

March 31, 2018

After weeks of speculation following India’s change of policy towards the Tibetans in exile, the Indian government announced this morning at the opening of the ‘Thank You India’ event in Dharamsala that India supports the Dalai Lama’s struggle to return to China.

The statement from the Union Minister Mahesh Sharma is particularly significant because it was delivered at this specially organized event for Tibetans in exile to express their gratitude to India for protecting and hosting the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan refugees for almost 60 years.

Clearly, India wants the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan refugees to return to China and stop being a thorn in the relationship between these two Asian giants. This direction is one that the Dalai Lama agrees with since he has said on numerous occasions that he wishes to return and Tibet wants to stay in China.

If the Tibetans are sincere when they say that India is the guru and Tibetans are the students (shishya), they should appreciate the Indian government’s wish for them to return home and stop creating trouble for India.

Tibetans’ ‘Thank You India’ event Highlights: India supports Dalai Lama’s struggle to return to Tibet, says Mahesh Sharma
Tibetans’ Thank You India event: The year-long event has been planned by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Tibetan government-in-exile headquartered here, to mark 60 years of the Dalai Lama’s arrival in India.
By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi |
Updated: March 31, 2018 12:00:34 pm
11:51AM
31 Mar,18
‘We support the Dalai Lama’s struggle for returning to his country’
When it’s issue of relations between India and Tibet, there is no need for a thank you. This is an emotional moment, the word refugee is painful you are our friends and guests in India. Tibetans have integrated Indian culture as flower and fragrance, thus the word thank you does not hold a meaning. We are committed to protecting and supporting the Tibetan culture. Prime Minister Modi is taking Indian culture and traditional message of peace to the world and Tibetan culture is part of it., said Mahesh Sharma. Sharma added, “We support the Dalai Lama’s struggle for returning to his country.”
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/dalai-lama-tibet-thank-you-india-event-live-updates-cta-china-bjp-5118008/?#liveblogstart

Jampel Senge

March 31, 2018

Tibetans throw Dalai Lama Statue into River in Tibet

Tibetans are sick and tired of the Tibetan in-exile leadership and are showing their frustration by throwing the 14th Dalai Lama’s statue into the river. What’s more shocking was that this incident happened in Amdo, the birth province of the Dalai Lama where he is highly revered.

The failure of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in advancing the Tibetan cause for six decades, combined with more recent setbacks like being snubbed by their host India, means that patience in Tibet is wearing thin. As more world leaders distance themselves from the Dalai Lama and the CTA, the chance for Tibetan autonomy or even the return of Tibetans in-exile to Tibet is bleak. The Dalai Lama is still branded a separatist with no sign of dialogue with China in sight.

For all the negative actions done to Dorje Shugden practitioners for decades, including denying their basic rights to health care, food, education etc., and encouraging ostracism and discrimination against them, the karma now returns to the CTA in manifold ways. The Tibetans now denounce their ‘God-King’, signalling that the CTA’s final end is not too far away.

http://video.dorjeshugden.com/comment-videos/comment-1522524193.mp4

ashrao

March 31, 2018

India is saying “no thank you” to the Tibetans, who are quickly losing their standing. India would rather make China happy for security in the region, as well as political and economic harmony.

1. “Thank you India” events held this weekend caused the Indian government apprehension as to how China is going feel, since China considers Tibetans in-exile to be separatists. On top of this, Tibetans themselves are highly embarrassed at the situation, given that their supposedly landmark events were so small.

2. Mr. Sonam Dagpo, chief organiser for the events and the Tibetan leadership’s spokesperson said that it was “futile” for Tibetans to hold such events. The Indian government had already told their officials not attend.

3. Dr. Jonathan Holslag said India giving in to China was largely symbolic. But that India needs to catch up with China. India needs to something to give them leverage in this situation, and all fingers point to distancing themselves from the Tibetans.

No, thank you, India tells Dalai Lama

MCLEOD GANJ (India) • An original song of thanks to India had been rehearsed, and a stadium in New Delhi booked for a celebratory rally – all a gesture of gratitude from the Dalai Lama and his followers for India’s role in sheltering them after a Chinese crackdown on rebellious Tibetans 60 years ago.

Instead, the “Thank You India” celebrations this weekend set off apprehension in New Delhi and embarrassment among Tibetans.

A directive from India’s foreign minister urged officials to discard their invitations, and it was blunt in saying the timing of the events coincided with a “sensitive time” for New Delhi’s relations with Beijing. A series of high-level meetings between Indian and Chinese officials are being billed in India as an attempt to smooth over an increasingly tense relationship.

Invitations to officials were withdrawn, and the event was moved from a New Delhi stadium to the secluded northern town of McLeod Ganj, home to the Dalai Lama’s temple and the seat of the Tibetan government in exile. A scheduled interfaith prayer in the Indian capital was cancelled rather than moved, given the lack of other religious representatives in McLeod Ganj.

“In Delhi, we approached many dignitaries and invited them,” said Mr Sonam Dagpo, a spokesman for Tibet’s government in exile and the chief organiser for the planned events. “But the foreign minister’s notice says very clearly that Indian officials shouldn’t attend. So why continue? It’s futile.”

The cancelled events underline India’s struggle to both court and counterbalance China, an increasingly difficult feat given Beijing’s recent willingness to exhibit its military growth.

India has continued to host the Dalai Lama and his fellow Tibetan Buddhist exiles even though China condemns them as dangerous separatists. But the Indian government has also sought at times to rein in the religious leader at crucial moments in the relationship with China, and this is certainly one of them. India is trying to encourage trade ties and Chinese investments while playing catch-up to modernise its military, worried about China’s rapidly expanding forces and its growing influence all around India in South Asia.

“Giving in to China on the Tibetan community in exile is largely symbolic,” said Dr Jonathan Holslag, professor of international politics at the Free University of Brussels. “But it does mark India’s weakening compared to China. China is rapidly modernising its military presence, and India cannot follow.”

When China increased its annual defence budget in March to US$175 billion (S$230 billion), it dwarfed the US$45 billion India had announced just weeks before.

The coming talks with China cited by the Indian foreign minister’s directive will be the highest-level meetings since the two countries engaged in a military standoff last year, after China expanded an unpaved road in a contested sliver of territory in the Himalayas.

The dispute was resolved in August, but Indian and Chinese troops threw rocks and chest bumped each other in a clash that some fear could flare up again. Over the next few months, India’s defence and foreign ministers will meet their Chinese counterparts before a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in June. The main topics on the agenda are trade and border disputes, according to Western diplomats in New Delhi.

An Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman said New Delhi has not changed its stance on the Dalai Lama, adding: “His Holiness is accorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India.”

But generally, analysts say, it is clear that India has been more cautious with China about the Dalai Lama and other issues.

“This is not appeasement. China’s relative bargaining positions have improved across the board,” said Mr C. Raja Mohan, director of Carnegie India, a branch of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “The main objective is to manage the relationship while avoiding a confrontation but leaving space for India to progress, catch up and increase its bargaining position.”

Go Home Tibetans!

April 2, 2018

Even the Tibetans themselves do not care about Tibet anymore 👎

The key to resolving Tibetans’ suffering is India
your say April 03, 2018 01:00
On June 21 last year, US Congress members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) petitioned President Trump to quickly name a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.
But according to the US Department of State website, this position is still vacant. Appointing a Special Coordinator for Tibet, though, is just one important step in solving the rights crisis of Tibetans.
First and foremost the TLHRC and US Congress should realise that the human rights problems in Tibet can be overcome much more easily if India plays a proactive role. The Indian government currently has little interest in helping resolve the problem of Chinese repression over the border. Likewise the millions of Tibetans living abroad have mainly lost interest in the plight of Tibet since nothing has happened during the past 60 years to solve the problem. The impetus for change is coming from within China, among the 3 million to 6 million Tibetans who live there. But change will only come via a political solution that has the backing of the US (Congress and the administration) as we’ll as other international actors. Fortunately there are many Indians who are prepared to work towards, and even prepared to take pains in, solving the Tibet problem.
The TLHRC should again urge President Trump to name a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, but also to support any registered organisation in India (political or otherwise) – preferably through the National Rights Commission of India – which will work for the solution of the Tibet problem. Such organisations should also be able to spur the government of India into taking a proactive role.
Hem Raj Jain (Author of “Betrayal of Americanism”) Bengaluru, India
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/your_say/30342319

Chewang Ngokhang

April 3, 2018

The formation of a new Asian golden triangle is taking place between China, India and Nepal. These three countries, strategically placed with access to ports, land and natural resources may become a central hub of trade in Asia in the future. Keen to make this golden triangle a reality is India who is shunning the Tibetans. They started with a directive from their Foreign Secretary instructing ministers and officials to avoid Tibetan events.

India is clearly serious about strengthening ties with China in this post-Doklam period but there is a stumbling block in this new relationship – the Tibetans. Instead of always being an obstacle, and since they are hosted by India, Tibetans should actually follow India’s political direction and not get in the way like they have been for decades. It is time for the Tibetans to take responsibility for their own 95,000 people in exile and not just wait for the Dalai Lama to beg for foreign aid on his international trips.

China says ties with India developing with ‘sound momentum’
China said both sides have seen new achievements in political cooperation and various other fields, and that it wants to work with New Delhi to sort out their disputes to keep bilateral ties on the right track.
INDIA Updated: Mar 29, 2018 17:56 Ist
Indo Asian News Service, Beijing
The remarks from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang comes almost a year after Indian and Chinese armies came to blows over the disputed area of Doklam.(AFP)
China on Thursday said its ties with India have been on an upswing recently and both sides have seen new achievements in political cooperation and various other fields.
Beijing said it wants to work with New Delhi to sort out their disputes to keep bilateral ties on the right track.
“Recently, thanks to concerted efforts from the two sides, China-India relations have been developing with a sound momentum. We have seen new achievements in political cooperation and various fields,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.
Kang was responding to questions about India’s attempt to improve ties with China, including shifting the event of Dalai Lama, who Beijing calls a “splitist”, from New Delhi.
“We attach importance to developing ties with India. We would like to work with India under the guidance of our two leaders, to maintain our exchanges at all levels, enhance trust and properly manage our differences and ensure that bilateral relations could move forward along the right track,” Kang said.
A sort of bonhomie seems to have returned between the two countries whose armies almost came to blows along the disputed border area of Doklam last year.
Both sides have stepped up bilateral talks, with a host of high profile visits lined up between them.
Chinese Commerce Minister Zhong Shan was in India to discuss the yawning trade deficit between the two countries.
Defence and External Affairs Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Sushma Swaraj are due to visit China in April.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in June in China.
China on Thursday also said it supports friendly ties between India and Nepal and that New Delhi, Kathmandu and Beijing are important neighbours to each other and can work together for common development.
Beijing also praised Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli remarks about the Himalayan nation maintaining an independent foreign policy.
“We commend the Nepali government’s commitment towards independent foreign policy. We also support Nepal developing friendly and positive relations with its neighbours,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.
“China, Nepal and India are important neighbours to each other. We hope these three could work together, have some sound interactions and achieve common development,” Lu added.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/china-says-ties-with-india-developing-with-sound-momentum/story-XxMaG88oo2I4deultsquFK.html

soyang

April 4, 2018

The Tibetan leadership is not as innocent as you would think. They are downright ungrateful. They have been using their freedom in India to irritate China and this has created tension between the two Asian countries. But now India is using the Tibetans, this time to improve ties with China instead.

(1) Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale met with both the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay to tell them to move their ‘Thank you India’ events out of Delhi, as India gears up to please China.

(2) Gokhale told government officials not to attend Tibetan events, but he did not have to write his instructions down. These instructions were leaked. Some think it was intentional and hints at the fact it was both a ploy to let China know that India is changing its stance towards the Tibetans, and to let Tibetans know that it was doing so.

(3) The leak was probably to slight the Tibetan leadership, who even went ahead with their smaller-scale events without coordinating with the Indian ministry.

(4) Samdhong Rinpoche’s secret visit to China last year really irritated the Indian government. If the Tibetan leadership were to accept that Tibet was always a part of China, this would jeopardise the McMahon Line, and call into question India’s entire border with China.

(5) The Tibetan leadership are not shy about stoking the fire during sensitive times. Lobsang Sangay even unfurled the Tibetan flag at Pangong Lake, near India’s border with China. He did this on Indian soil, but what made matters even worse, he did so during the Doklam standoff, when India and China were on the brink of war.

Is Trump politics inspiring Modi to change his China policy?
There are serious issues which should be prioritised by New Delhi to avoid another Doklam-like situation.
Politics | 5-minute read | 03-04-2018
CLAUDE ARPI
Are we witnessing a “Trumpisation” of the Indian foreign policy? Some signs tend to show that, like the Trump presidency, the Narendra Modi government is prone to changing its stance, principally in its relations with China, though “destabilisation” of the opponent might not be the Indian motivation, as is often the case with the American move.
Leaked missive
Take the programme “Thank you India”, planned by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala. On February 22, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale wrote to cabinet secretary PK Sinha, advising Indian government officials, including ministers, to skip the events organised by Dharamsala. Sinha obliged and ministries were informed to stay away from a function to celebrate the 59th anniversary of the arrival of the Dalai Lama in India.
The Indian and foreign press abundantly commented on Sinha’s “leaked” missive. The MEA apparently said that it was not supposed to have been “leaked”, but India is an open society and such things are bound to happen. Now, despite the missive, two government representatives attended the function which had in the meantime been shifted to Dharamsala.
Journalist Indrani Bagchi wrote: “After a stunning volte-face on its China policy that made it seem like India was suddenly kowtowing to China, India is trying to recalibrate its approach.” Union minister for culture Mahesh Sharma and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav participated in the Dalai Lama’s “Thank you India” programme. Gokhale had personally met the Dalai Lama and Lobsang Sangay, the Tibetan “president”, to ask them to move the celebrations outside Delhi.
In order not to rock the boat with China, the government had earlier refused permission to the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), funded by the ministry of defence, to have a conference on India-China relations in its premises in Delhi. A global parliamentarians’ conference on Tibet scheduled for April, was also not permitted.
Apart from the latest summersault, which does not give a mature image to the Indian diplomacy, a question remains: why did Gokhale and Sinha need to put their warning in writing?
China was certainly delighted by the circular, even though it has not incited Beijing to be “nicer” to India or accept compromises on any of the contentious issues between the two nations. For the last 60 years and more, each time India has kowtowed, China has given nothing in exchange. The best example has been the Panchsheel agreement. During the four-month negotiations in 1954, India surrendered one by one all its rights in Tibet, and hardly one month after the signature of the accord, the People’s Liberation Army started intruding in Barahoti, in today’s Uttarakhand, while a road was being built on Indian territory, in the Aksai Chin area.
Logical approach
Has any lesson been learnt? An article in Bloomberg commented: “That the letter was leaked a day before the foreign secretary was visiting Beijing suggests that a message was also being sent to China — that India would not allow the Dalai Lama to agitate the Tibet issue in India publicly.”
There is no doubt that the high-profile Tibetan event in Delhi would have irritated China, but why could the government not have discreetly informed the Office of the Dalai Lama and the CTA, that important visits were due in the coming months (defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and the Prime Minster will soon pay visits to China) and that Delhi did not want any provocation which could trigger a new Doklam when the snows melt. South Block has a Liaison Office, with a senior officer posted in Dharamsala to communicate with the Dalai Lama and the CTA. The logical approach was to send a message to the Tibetans explaining the situation.
Some have suggested that the objective was to slight the CTA. This is possible and though not verified, it was rumoured that the CTA had gone ahead without coordinating with the ministry; if true, it would be a slip.
Serious issues
It has also been said that the November 2017 clandestine visit to China of former Tibetan Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche had irritated South Block. The Chinese government would like the Dalai Lama to accept that Tibet has always been a part of China. That would create serious problems for India as it would mean that the McMahon Line, agreed to by independent Tibet and British India on the side of the Simla Conference in 1914, would have no legal worth. It is, however, doubtful if the Dalai Lama will ever concede something which is blatantly untrue.
It is also true that the CTA has not always been sensitive to India’s problems. When during the Doklam standoff, Lobsang Sangay unfurled the Tibetan flag on the shores of the Pangong Lake, bordering Tibet in Ladakh, it was not very helpful to cool the tempers at the trijunction.
In the meantime, deep reforms are taking place in China. For example, the United Front Work Department, which deals amongst other things with Tibet, has been given an increased importance, taking over the State Council Overseas Office, the National Ethnic Affairs Commission and the State Administration for Religious Affairs. Observers expect that it will translate into a tighter control over religion and ethnic issues, in particular in Tibet and Xinjiang. This has implications for India.
These are serious issues which should be taken as priority by South Block while India’s Tibet policy should discreetly be fine-tuned in coordination with Dharamsala; one party should not embarrass the other.
As for the “Thank you India” programme, one way for the Tibetans to “thank” India would be to reassert the India-Tibet borders in places such as Demchok, Chumar or Barahoti. In the meantime, “Trumpisation” will not help anybody… except for China.
(Courtesy of Mail Today)
https://www.dailyo.in/politics/tibet-india-china-doklam-xi-jinping-dalai-lama-narendra-modi/story/1/23232.html

Kalsang Norbu

April 7, 2018

During the international security conference in Moscow, India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met with her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on the sidelines. Although no official details of the meeting are available, it is understood that the geopolitical security is one of the main concerns and border issues between the two countries were discussed.

With the Dalai Lama’s wish for Tibet to remain in China, the topic of Tibetan independence can no longer be used to maintain India’s geopolitical security. Hence India is now taking a more proactive approach in directly negotiating practical solutions with China.

So not only did the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) render themselves useless to the Indian government, but this was reaffirmed by the meeting between Sitharaman and Wei – China and India will now deal directly with one another, without the CTA as an interference. So once again, the CTA has proven themselves to be a failure. In publicly stating they wish to be a part of China, the CTA sent a strong message to India that they will do what it takes to become a part of China, and therefore not do anything to support their kind host of 60 years.

At this rate, it won’t be long that the Tibetans are asked to leave India.

Nirmala Sitharaman Meets Chinese Defence Minister In Moscow
They are understood to have exchanged views on bilateral issues, particularly on the situation along the nearly 4,000 km-border between the two countries
All India | Press Trust of India | Updated: April 05, 2018 09:56 IST
The two leaders are in Moscow to attend the 7th Moscow Conference.
NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday met her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of an international security conference in Moscow.
They are understood to have exchanged views on bilateral issues, particularly on the situation along the nearly 4,000 km-border between the two countries, official sources said.
Both Nirmala Sitharaman and Wei are in Moscow to attend the 7th Moscow Conference on International Security.
Nirmala Sitharaman herself tweeted a picture of her meeting with Wei.
There was no official details about the meeting.
Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam from June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. The face-off ended on August 28.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/nirmala-sitharaman-meets-chinese-defence-minister-in-moscow-1833063

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CTA Website Was Down

By: Kay Beswick

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CTA Website Was Down

By: Kay Beswick

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Latest from this Category

Kensur Rinpoche Lobsang Phende to Give Chakrasamvara Initiation and Commentary in April 2023

Grand Prayer Festival to celebrate 25 years of the Dorje Shugden Society

Der Dalai Lama Gibt Zu Dass Er Sich In Bezug Auf Dorje Shugden Geirrt Hat

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