New PM asks China to review 'hard-line' Tibet policy

Newly-elected Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, Lobsang Sangay has said his top priority is to restore freedom in Tibet and asked China to review its "hard-line" Tibet policy.

Sangay said that the 76-year-old Dalai Lama would return during his lifetime to the Potala Palace he fled nearly 50 years ago.

The 43-year-old Havard law researcher won 55 per cent votes in the March 20 election held around the world, defeating two candidates, Tenzin Namgyal Tethong and Trash Waged.

"We are already facing immense challenges including a critical situation in Nags and Andi with Tibetans being killed and arrested by the Chinese government. I urge every Tibetan and friends of Tibet to join me in our common cause to alleviate the suffering of Tibetans in occupied Tibet and to return His Holiness to his rightful place in the Potable Palace," Sana said in a statement after the election results were announced.

Q+A: China's human rights record and the China-U.S. dialogue

(Reuters) - Human rights is one of the most contentious issues in U.S.-China ties and the two powers are holding a two-day dialogue in Beijing about the issue, where Washington has said it will speak strongly about Beijing's crackdown on dissent.

Here are some questions and answers about Chinese human rights, the dialogue and U.S. policy.

WHY IS HUMAN RIGHTS SUCH A CONTENTIOUS ISSUE?

The United States has a tradition of pressing other states, especially communist states, about their restrictions on citizens' political, legal and religious rights.

Communist Party-ruled China has been a focus of such criticism from the White House, Congress and U.S. groups, especially since 1989, when the Chinese army crushed student-led protests for democracy centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

In the United States, China's rights record can galvanize conservatives and liberals, religious groups, lawyers, and trade unionists, making for potent coalitions.

China has long rejected U.S. criticism as meddling and Cold War-style subversion. It has also honed counter-arguments: that the United States is hypocritical, that China is committed to its own version of human rights, and that providing basic subsistence and economic development takes priority over individual political rights.

The resulting friction can be volatile as U.S. criticisms overlap with worries about Chinese trade policies, mutual distrust over military intentions, and Chinese fears Washington is bent on overturning Communist Party rule.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CRITICISMS THAT CHINA FACES?

The United States, other Western governments, and human rights advocates in China and abroad have repeatedly criticized Beijing for a range of restrictions on citizens:

-- China's detention and jailing of dissidents and human rights advocates, often using sweeping state security laws and secretive Communist Party-run courts to punish critics.

Dozens of rights lawyers and activists have been arrested, detained or placed in secretive informal custody since February, when party fears of contagion from anti-authoritarian uprisings across the Arab world triggered a crackdown by China's domestic security apparatus.

-- Re-education-through-labor camps. This imprisonment system is used to hold people for up to three years, or four years on extension, without trial or easy means to appeal.

Labor-reeducation allows police to sidestep courts and critics say the system violates international rules and China's own laws. The camps hold tens of thousands of people accused of prostitution, illegal drug use, theft and other offences, and also dissidents and protesters.

-- Tibet and Xinjiang. Beijing faces international criticism that it is repressing religion and legitimate political demands in these two western regions with large ethnic minority populations who feel little affinity with the rest of China.

-- The United States has urged China to lift restrictions on Christian, Muslim and other religious groups. China says it respects citizens' right to worship, but it also demands that they accept party oversight and limits.

Groups, such as a Protestant "house" church in Beijing that has recently challenged those limits and sought a permanent place of worship, risk detention or arrest.

WHAT IS THE HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUE?

The United States, like a number of other Western governments, holds annual talks with China over human rights issues and it hopes the annual dialogue can be a way to influence Beijing.

But the U.S.-China talks have been stop-start. China and the United States resumed the dialogue in 2010 after Beijing refused to attend in 2009, reflecting anger over Washington's policies.

The talks were frozen from 2004 to 2008 over Chinese fury at the United States for sponsoring a resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Commission criticizing Beijing.

WHAT APPROACH HAS THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TAKEN?

Human rights have long jostled with other issues for attention when U.S. presidents meet their Chinese counterparts.

With China's growing economic and diplomatic clout, the agenda has even become more crowded and some critics have said the rights issue has been neglected under Obama.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became a target for such criticism in 2009, after she said discussing China's human rights should not interfere with cooperation over the financial crisis, climate change and security threats.

The Obama administration has since openly criticized China for detentions of dissidents, policies in Tibet and other contentious issues, and officials have also argued that sometimes quiet diplomacy can be more effective than public condemnation.

In January, President Barack Obama held a summit with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and raised rights issues.

Obama not commented extensively in public on China's crackdown, however, perhaps calculating that turning the volume of public criticism up would simply harden Beijing's unyielding position.

Tibetans Elect Dr Lobsang Sangay as Kalon Tripa

DHARAMSHALA: Dr Lobsang Sangay, a Harvard Scholar is elected Kalon Tripa(Prime Minister). He won 27,051 votes (55 percent) in the final round of polling held on 20 March. Out of 83,990 registered voters, 49,184 cast their ballots.

The other two candidates – Kalon Trisur Tenzin Namgyal Tethong and Kasur Tashi Wangdi – got 18,405 (37.42 percent) and 3173 (6.44 percent) votes, respectively.
In a thank you message, Dr Sangay said: "With profound humility I accept the Tibetan people's support and the post of Kalon Tripa. It is sobering to realize that nearly 50,000 people in over 30 countries voted in the recent Kalon Tripa and Chitue elections. Your overwhelming support is humbling and I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations."

"I view my election as an affirmation of the far-sighted policies of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and another important step towards the realization of his vision of a truly democratic Tibetan society. I believe the success of the recent Kalon Tripa and Chitue elections and the active participation of the Tibetans in the elections is a significant moral victory," he said.

"I want to express my sincere appreciation and extend my deepest support to the people in Tibet who continue to show tremendous courage even in the most difficult of situations. Our hearts and minds are steadfastly with them," he said.

"I urge every Tibetan and friends of Tibet to join me in our common cause to alleviate the suffering of Tibetans in occupied Tibet and to return His Holiness to his rightful place in the Potala Palace," he added.

Dr Lobsang Sangay grew up in Lama Hatta Tibetan settlement and attended the Central School for Tibetans in Sonada and Darjeeling. He completed his B.A. (Honors) and LLB from St Joseph's College and Delhi University respectively. In 1992, he was elected as the executive member of the Tibetan Youth Congress. He regularly visits Dharamsala and interacts with officials of the Central Tibetan Administration.

In 1996, as a Fulbright Scholar, he obtained Masters degree and in 2004, Doctorate in Law from Harvard Law School, the first Tibetan to receive this degree and his dissertation, Democracy and History of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile from 1959-2004 was awarded the Yong K. Kim' 95 Prize for Excellence.

As expert on international law, democratic constitution, and contemporary China, Dr Sangay he has spoken at various international conferences. He became a key figure for the well-known media organisations such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The BBC, Time Magazine, Newsweek etc. Moreover, he organised seven major conferences among Chinese, Tibetan, Indian and Western scholars including two historic meeting between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Chinese scholars in 2003, and in 2009 at Harvard University.

In 2007, he was selected as one of the twenty-four Young Leaders of Asia by the Asia Society and a delegate to the World Justice Forum in Vienna, Austria, where top legal experts and judges from around the world congregate.

In 2008, he testified as an expert before the US Senate Foreign Relations Sub-committee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs, along with the United States Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte.

As a gesture of his gratitude to the Central Tibetan Administration under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, he supports over 2,000 Tibetan children in CTSA schools through Tibetan Nutritional Project. 

Amnesty International to Honor Dalai Lama at CSULB

Source Credit: LPPOST.com
Global human rights advocacy group Amnesty International USA is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and to mark the occasion it plans to honor His Holiness the Dalai Lama during a ceremony next month at Cal State Long Beach.

Human rights will capture the spotlight May 4, when Amnesty International will host a ceremony at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center to celebrate the anniversary

 of its founding by presenting His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, with the organization's inaugural "Shine a Light on Human Rights" award.

The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied, according to information found on its website.

“We are privileged to celebrate Amnesty International’s 50th anniversary by honoring one of the most influential figures today,” said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA. “His Holiness the Dali Lama is the quintessential embodiment of human rights and a testament to the power of the individual spirit.”

Cox and three AIUSA student activists will present the award to His Holiness in honor of his lifelong commitment to human rights.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, will deliver a keynote address during the ceremony and field questions from Amnesty International USA student activists and leaders.

Then, in commemoration of  Amnesty International's 50th anniversary, a short film highlighting the Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization’s work on human rights around the world will be screened.

The event will conclude with a human rights fair on the outdoor patio of the Carpenter Center, where Amnesty International members and other activists can gain information and take action on a variety of human rights issues and challenges.

Tickets for the ceremony $45 for general admission and $30 for students. For more information, click here.

Amnesty International boasts more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide.

Communist China Cracks Down on Tibetan Monks

Source Credit: NewAmerican

The communist Chinese regime is cracking down on Tibetan monks at a major Buddhist monastery as well as the surrounding community, murdering and arresting protesters while prompting worldwide condemnation and warnings of more atrocities to come.

The most recent flare-up at the Kirti monastery began on March 16 after a monk set himself on fire to protest the communist dictatorship and its efforts to eradicate Tibetan culture. It was his way of commemorating the third anniversary of mass peaceful protests across Tibet in 2008 that resulted in a brutal crackdown by the Chinese government.

Instead of putting out the flames, Chinese police savagely beat the young monk, contributing to his death and causing resentment among fellow monks. The communist regime responded by blockading the Kirti compound and its 2,500 monks, ordering many of them to submit to "patriotic re-education."

Because the monastery is located in the illegally annexed Ngaba region of Tibet, considered by the communist Chinese regime to be part of China’s Sichuan province, the local population is very supportiveof the Buddhist monks. The people tried to defend the monastery, so they are being targeted as well.

Police reportedly unleashed trained attack dogs on residents of the community who stood up for the monks, brutally beating anyone who opposed them. Reports also indicate that Chinese authorities surrounded the monastery with barbed wire and placed it under siege to prevent the entry of essential goods including food.

“More than 2,500 monks at Kirti monastery are detained inside the premises, with their movements blocked … They are facing shortages of food,” Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy deputy director Jampel Monlam told Radio Free Asia from India. “We are extremely concerned for the fate of the monks.”

On top of the brutality, monks between 18 and 40 years of age are being forced to endure what the communist regime calls “patriotic re-education.” Several hundred at least have already been abducted and imprisoned for the brainwashing operation, according to news accounts.

The Tibet Post also reported that about 100 monks at the Kirti monastery have disappeared since mid-March, when the most recent conflict erupted. There is no publicly known information on their whereabouts so far.

“As a former political prisoner, I have personally experienced the kind of torture inflicted on Tibetans in Chinese prison,” said Lukar Jam, the vice-president of a Tibetan organization of former political prisoners. “The Kirti monks are innocent and are under attack for simply expressing their internationally recognized right to freedom of religion.” He called for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners.

Communist “security” forces were reportedly conducting house-to-house inspections in the surrounding community in an effort to round up dissidents — especially those directly aiding the monks. Dozens of heavy military vehicles and swarms of police have occupied the region since unrest began. And at least two elderly women were killed on April 12 in clashes with communist armed forces, according toreports.

The exiled leader of Tibet, known as the Dalai Lama, made a rare public statement over the weekend urging the international community, governments around the world, and human-rights groups to put pressure on the Chinese regime. He also appealed to the communist leadership to stop using force and address the genuine grievances of the Tibetan people.

“For the past six decades, using force as the principle [sic] means in dealing with the problems in Tibet has only deepened the grievances and resentment of the Tibetan people,” the Dalai Lama said on his official website. Calling the situation “extremely grim,” he also asked his followers to exercise restraint to avoid further atrocities. 

"I urge both the monks and the lay Tibetans of the area not to do anything that might be used as a pretext by the local authorities to massively crack down on them," the Buddhist spiritual leader noted in the statement. "I am very concerned that this situation, if allowed to go on, may become explosive with catastrophic consequences."

The U.S. State Department spoke out about the crackdown too. Spokesman Mark Toner said last week that the Chinese government’s armed intervention at the monastery was "inconsistent with internationally recognized principles of religious freedom and human rights."

Exiled Tibetan groups have also been very vocal about China’s latest round of suppression. The Tibetan Youth Congress, for example, is engaged in a hunger strike while appealing to the world for help.

International human-rights organizations have also pleaded for an end to the communist campaign. "The Chinese government has an obligation to protect its citizens' rights of public expression, assembly, and religious belief," said Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch Sophie Richardson in a press release. "The use of violence against peaceful, unarmed demonstrators including those surrounding the Kirti monastery would be both unjustifiable and completely unlawful."

The group also said its concern was “heightened” because the Chinese regime has recently arrested and "disappeared" dozens of the nation’s most prominent lawyers and human-rights activists. Numerous incidents of “brutality and ill-treatment during arrests” have been documented by the organization since 2008.

Representatives of the communist dictatorship, however, insisted that everything was fine. "According to our knowledge, the monks in the Kirti monastery enjoy a normal life and normal Buddhist activities, and the local social order is also normal," claimed foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei at a press conference. He said communist “security” forces were in the area just to “prevent unidentified people from entering” the monastery.

Lei also took the opportunity to blast the American State Department’s comments. "We ask the U.S. side to respect facts and stop making irresponsible remarks," he said.

Of course, news accounts of the situation rely largely on sources on the ground, since the communist occupation severely restricts access to the region. Chinese officials responsible for the area refused to comment or denied the atrocities when reached by Radio Free Asia.

A monk at the monastery contacted by AFP over the telephone said it was “inconvenient” to talk, suggesting he was being monitored. But he encouraged journalists to visit the area to see “the truth.” The communist regime, however, strictly prohibits it.

Tibet was a sovereign, independent nation before communist Chinese forces invaded it in 1949 and 1950. The tiny country was eventually forced to sign an agreement with the dictatorship to prevent further atrocities.

After a failed uprising against the communist regime, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India in 1959. Since then, the Chinese government has continued to rule Tibet with an iron fist.

In March of 2008, for example, a mass uprising of Tibetans throughout the region resulted in yet another brutal crackdown. Even the communist regime acknowledges that its armed forces shot and killed protesters. Countless more were arrested, brainwashed, and brutally tortured.

China’s communist dictatorship is known worldwide for its brutality and gross violations of human rights. It regularly forces women to undergo abortions in its zeal to enforce the so-called “one-child policy,” for example. Religious groups and political opponents are also persecuted, tortured, and often murdered.

The U.S. government passed a law in 1991 stating that Tibet, including areas incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, and Qinghai, is “an occupied country under the established principal [sic] of international law.” It also stated that the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile were the true representatives of Tibet.

But, in its eagerness to please its largest foreign creditor, the U.S. government continues to officially acknowledge the communist dictatorship’s supposed authority to rule over Tibet. And despite some tepid criticism here and there, China still enjoys “Most Favored Nation” trading status with America — even as it steps up its massive espionage campaign.  

Dalai Lama urges restraint in Tibet monastery standoff

Source Credit: Reuters

The Dalai Lama has urged restraint in a stand-off between security forces and Tibetans at a Buddhist monastery in southwestChina, said to have been sparked by the self-immolation of a monk last month.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader warned of potentially "catastrophic consequences" of the clashes, which he said could prompt a huge crackdown by Beijing on the local population.

Hundreds of ethnic Tibetan people had gathered at the Kirti monastery Tuesday trying to stop authorities moving out monks for government-mandated "re-education," according to exiled Tibetans and activists. That prompted armed police to lockdown the monastery with as many as 2,500 monks inside.

"I am very concerned that this situation if allowed to go on may become explosive with catastrophic consequences for the Tibetans in Ngaba," the Dalai Lama said in a statement late on Friday.

"In view of this I urge both the monks and the lay Tibetans of the area not to do anything that might be used as a pretext by the local authorities to massively crack down on them."

A 21-year-old Tibetan monk burned himself to death on March 16 in Aba, an overwhelmingly ethnic Tibetan part of Sichuan province that erupted in defiance against Chinese Communist Party control three years ago.

His act echoed protests that gripped Tibetan areas of China in March 2008, when Buddhist monks and other Tibetan people loyal to the Dalai Lama confronted police and troops across the region.

Instead of putting out the flames, Chinese police beat the young monk, creating huge resentment in the monastery, the Dalai Lama said in his statement.

The Dalai Lama in March stated his intention to hand over political power to the exiled Tibetan parliament in northern India, though he remains the global face of the Tibetan exiled movement. Beijing brands him a dangerous trouble maker.

Chinese security forces have reportedly used excessive force to end the protest at the monastery, including beating up locals and deploying attack dogs against them, Human Rights Watch said Friday.

"Human Rights Watch's concern for the safety of the local residents around the Kirti monastery has been heightened by the fact that Chinese security forces are increasingly disregarding the rule of law as part of a campaign involving the arrests and disappearances of dozens of the country's most prominent lawyers, human rights defenders, and internet activists in recent months," it added in a statement.

Dalai Lama raises concern about monastery crisis

Source Credit: Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — The Dalai Lama on Friday asked the international community to persuade the Chinese leadership to exercise restraint in handling the latest troubles at a blockaded Tibetan monastery in western China.

The Kirti monastery, housing nearly 2,500 monks, has been completely surrounded since March 16 by Chinese armed forces, who at one point prevented food and other vital supplies from entering the monastic compound, the Tibetan spiritual leader said in a statement.

"I am very concerned that this situation if allowed to go on may become explosive with catastrophic consequences for the Tibetans in Ngaba," the Dalai Lama said.

He described the situation as extremely grim because of the stand off between the Chinese military forces and the local Tibetans.

The tensions are the latest troubles at Kirti monastery, which has seen recurring unrest against Chinese rule for the last three years. A 20-year-old monk at Kirti set himself on fire last month in protest against Beijing, making his death a focal point for local anger and setting up the latest round of tensions.

"Instead of putting out the flames, the police beat the young monk, which was one of the causes of his tragic death," the Dalai Lama said Friday.

This act, he said, created huge resentment among the monks, which resulted in the blockade of Kirti monastery.

Local Tibetans, fearing that the siege at Kirti Monastery was a prelude to large-scale detention of the monks, have surrounded the soldiers blockading the monastery and have occupied the roads to prevent Chinese trucks and vehicles from entering or leaving Kirti, the Dalai Lama said.

"In view of this I urge both the monks and the lay Tibetans of the area not to do anything that might be used as a pretext by the local authorities to massively crackdown on them," he said.

"I also strongly urge the international community, the governments around the world, and the international non-governmental organizations, to persuade the Chinese leadership to exercise restraint in handling this situation," he said.

The Dalai Lama has been living in the northern Indian town of Dharmsala, the seat of his government-in-exile, since he fled Tibet amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1958.

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

China security puts Tibetan monastery on lockdown

Source:AP

BEIJING -- An exiled Tibetan monk says Chinese security forces have placed a restive Tibetan monastery in western China under lockdown amid tensions after a monk recently set himself on fire in an anti-government protest.

Losang Tsering says armed Chinese soldiers in Sichuan province's Aba town have surrounded the Kirti monastery and are refusing to let the monks leave freely.

Losang Tsering was formerly based at the monastery but now lives in exile in Dharmsala, India.He says local residents blocking the soldiers and armed police from taking monks away have been beaten.

A woman surnamed Jia from Aba county's Communist Party news office rejected the account. Jia said Wednesday that police were not stationed outside the monastery and no one has been beaten.

Craze for Tibetan mastiffs leads to bizarre market

BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Zhang Pohu was puzzled when he used a brush to groom his newly bought Tibetan mastiff from Yushu, Qinghai province, because the brush got stuck in the dog's long hair.On closer look he found several knots in the hair, caused by artificial extensions engineered using hair from other dogs.As breeding and buying Tibetan mastiffs has become a lucrative industry, it has also attracted cheats who try to pass off crossbred dogs as pedigree ones."Purchasing a Tibetan mastiff is a big gamble. I'd rather go to a reputable breeder. At least it reduces the risk of losing money," says the second-generation rich Zhang, 25, who has raised mastiffs since childhood and opened his Baishi Tibetan mastiff kennel in Hebei province, in 2007.Instead of visiting the Himalayan plateau where the dogs are originally from, Zhang spends much of his time with mastiff experts who own large breeding farms."Because we know each other well, we carefully match our mastiffs and their bloodlines to guarantee their pedigree, so there is little chance of being deceived," Zhang says.Keeping a Tibetan mastiff has become all the rage among the affluent in China.In March and April last year, for example, there were more than 10 expos held around the country featuring Tibetan mastiffs.At the expos, mature mastiffs that are supposed to cost millions were in fact sold for about 100,000 yuan ($15,240) in under-the-table deals."One mastiff can fetch millions of yuan. But if you looked at the many stands around the expo halls, you could find mastiff puppies priced at just 800 yuan ($122)," says Hou Gaoliang, marketing manager of Petdog, a nationwide chain store selling pets and pet goods. According to China National Kennel Club (CNKC), there are around 4,000 registered Tibetan mastiff kennels in the nation, 700 of which are large-scale ones, with more than 30 dogs and good facilities.

A CNKC spokesman says there are more than 100,000 Tibetan mastiffs in the country, but not many of them are purebred."About 90 percent of quality Tibetan mastiffs are traded among professional mastiff kennels while the rest go to wealthy dog lovers, like coal mine owners, who buy a mastiff and treat it like a family member," Hou says.Baishi, a 57-kg dog, with dark orange hair and a fierce disposition is Zhang's favorite dog. He's worth 6 million yuan ($912,660) and Zhang charges 26,000 yuan as kennel fee.Hou, however, deems the whopping prices a publicity stunt to artificially inflate the market."Kennel owners are trying to get rich quick and overlook the fact that supply exceeds demand," Hou says.Unscrupulous breeders are churning out litters as quickly as possible and this leads to small kennels being left with packs of unsold mastiffs.A dog breeder, surnamed Pan, from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, dipped his toes in the Tibetan mastiff market in 2006.He bought 10 1-3 month-old mastiffs from Tibet at a cost of over 500,000 yuan, according to hanghzou.com.cn.In the first two years, the 53-year-old had 39 mastiffs at his 3,000-square-meter kennel, only eight of which were sold."My customers were mainly businessmen. They needed a watch dog, not a pet, so they forced down the price to a mere 10,000 yuan for each dog," Pan says.Pan found it difficult to take care of so many dogs and pay rising rent. He tried to sell the kennel for 800,000 yuan but failed and had to move it to another village.To make things worse, some breeders deliberately produce mix-breed dogs and sell them as purebred Tibetan mastiffs.They crossbreed Tibetan mastiffs with Saint Bernards or Pyrenean Mountain dogs to make a hybrid that looks stronger and larger than the purebred Tibetan mastiff."But over time, only those kennels that persist in breeding quality mastiffs will survive," Petdog marketing manager Hou insists.

Tibetan monk dies after severe torture: activists

Source: AFP

BEIJING — A Tibetan monk who in 2008 joined a protest in front of foreign journalists in China has died after allegedly suffering "severe torture" while in detention, an activist group said Tuesday.

Jamyang Jinpa, a monk in the northwestern province of Gansu, died on April 3, three years after taking part in the demonstration at his Labrang monastery, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said.

The group of foreign reporters were visiting Labrang in Xiahe county in April 2008 as part of a tour organised by Chinese authorities to show the situation was back to normal after widespread unrest in Tibetan areas.

Violent demonstrations against Chinese rule erupted in Tibet's capital Lhasa in March 2008, and these subsequently spread to neighbouring areas and monasteries, including Labrang.

Jamyang Jinpa had been acting as the journalists' guide when a group of 14 monks began protesting. He joined in and condemned the lack of human rights in Tibetan areas, ICT said in a statement.

He was subsequently detained for more than a month, after which authorities told his family to come and fetch him, it added.

"When they came to collect Jamyang Jinpa, he could not walk or stand, and had no feeling in his legs," the activist group quoted a Tibetan source in touch with monks from Labrang as saying.

"He could not recognise his family, his eyesight was completely gone, and he seemed to have no memory of what had happened to him."

The monk's overall condition deteriorated over the next few years until his death, ICT said.

The group said it was impossible to determine the exact cause of his death, but added Jamyang Jinpa had been in good health before his detention.

Police in Xiahe and the wider Gannan prefecture were not available for comment when contacted by AFP.

Resentment against Chinese rule runs deep in Tibetan regions of China.

Many Tibetans are angry about what they view as increasing domination by China's majority Han ethnicity, and accuse the government of trying to dilute their culture.

China, however, says Tibetan living standards have improved markedly in recent decades, pointing to the billions of dollars in spending on infrastructure and development projects

TashiDelekAmerica.com Poll Result

According  to a poll conducted by TashiDelekAmerica.com, 80% support The Dalai Lama's decision to end his political role as head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, while 17%   do not support and 5% says they have no opinion.

Dalai Lama Warns About Impact Of Melting Glaciers In Tibet

Source: RedOrbit

India should seriously consider the melting glaciers in the Tibetan plateau, as millions of Indians rely on the water that comes from this region, says the Dalai Lama.

Chinese experts are quoted by the spiritual leader as saying that the Tibetan glaciers were receding faster than anywhere else in the world.

“India, a free country, I think should express more serious concern, that’s I think important. This is nothing to do with politics, just everybody’s interest, including Chinese people also,” says Dalai Lama.

Once the glaciers disappear, the water supplies in the Asian rivers, which include the Indus and the Ganges, will be threatened. The glaciers are considered vital lifelines for these regions.glaciers are considered vital lifelines for these regions.

The Dalai Lama spoke to 400 Indians at the centenary celebrations of India’s former President R. Venkataraman in New Delhi. He says “since millions of Indians use water coming from the Himalayan glacier, so you have a certain right to show your concern about ecology of that [Tibetan] plateau.”

A third of the world’s population is in India and China. As demand increases for fresh water in these regions, tensions exist regarding access to it.