Lukar Jam Fiasco Reveals Nature of Tibetan Democracy

A Tibetan restaurant owner in Dharamsala recently refused service to ex-Sikyong candidate Lukar Jam Atsock because of a poetic eulogy he published to the late Tibetologist Elliot Sperling on Facebook, titled “You are the one who should have lived for 113 years!”

By: Kay Beswick

In the context of a government, democracy does not mean that the citizens of that country must share the same views and opinions. Rather, democracy is a situation whereby all citizens are entitled to their own views yet maintain a healthy level of mutual respect for each other i.e. they agree to disagree. Furthermore, the government of such a democracy should uphold this right to freedom of opinion amongst its citizens and stamp out any attempt at breaching this freedom.

Lukar Jam makes a stand for true democracy in a government ridden with power games and self-interest

The Tibetan refugee nation is one such self-proclaimed democracy. Yet, its leadership, called the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), continues to violate the core principles of democracy while claiming to be fighting to uphold human rights and individual freedoms. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the majority of the Tibetan people emulate the example of their leaders when it comes to opinions that do not conform to the popular view.

In one such recent example, ex-Sikyong candidate Lukar Jam Atsock published a poetic eulogy to the late Tibetologist Elliot Sperling on Facebook, titled “You are the one who should have lived for 113 years!” Professor Sperling had been possibly the world’s leading historian on Sino-Tibetan relations and an outspoken human rights advocate who championed causes such as that of the Uygur Professor Ilham Tohti. Being vocal against the Chinese government’s transgressions against human rights in Tibet and Mongolia was nothing new to Professor Sperling, and this is what made him so influential to the Tibetan cause.

Click to enlarge and read the full post, including the Tibetan composition and the comments. Extracted from https://www.facebook.com/lukarjam.atsock/posts/1425906127420677

Since that Facebook post, Lukar Jam Atsock has received a deluge of criticism for perceived disrespect to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Although he vehemently denies it, a section of the Tibetan people are adamant that the title of his poem is a reference to the Dalai Lama’s prediction that he will live to 113 years, and that Lukar Jam Atsock is implying that Professor Elliot Sperling should have lived to 113 instead of the Dalai Lama.

He has since become the target of a movement to ostracize him from Tibetan society, with slurs such as “Chinese agent”, “psychopath” and “traitor” hurled at him on the Internet. One restaurant owner went to the extent of refusing to serve him and physically removed him from the restaurant, all because of this perceived insult to the Dalai Lama.


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Even the current Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, the elected leader of the Tibetan people, pitched in, making a strongly worded comment against Lukar Jam Atsock’s tribute to his long-time friend in his address during the commemoration of the 10th March ‘Tibetan Uprising Day’ at the Tsuglakhang temple in McLeod Ganj.

Sangay is quoted as saying that the remarks made are

“objectionable and unfortunate. Such statements sow discord in the Tibetan community and gives reasons for adversaries to rejoice.”

“Although such statements are made on the premise of right to speech, it is unacceptable that such remarks be made to our leader who has since the age of 16 been entrusted with the Tibet’s well being…”

It is ridiculous that the Tibetan people are accusing Lukar Jam Atsock, a former political prisoner of China and a Sikyong candidate who championed Tibetan independence during his election campaign, of being a Chinese agent. Lukar Jam Atsock’s election manifesto was strongly against any form of political obeisance to China and his stance has not wavered since then. How then does one make the mental assumption that this post-occupation war hero is in actuality a traitorous Chinese spy?

Lukar Jam a few months after his release from Chinese captivity. He has arguably suffered more for his country than many of those currently in power.

Is it because the title of the poem he penned makes a vague reference to the Dalai Lama’s prediction that he will live 113 years?

Is it because one assumes that if Lukar Jam Atsock wishes Professor Elliot Sperling to live to 113 years, it means that he doesn’t want the Dalai Lama to also live to 113?

Isn’t it plausible that Lukar Jam was drawing on the Tibetan belief that 113 is a lucky number?

Isn’t Lukar Jam allowed to use poetic license in his tribute to his friend?

Isn’t it possible for the Tibetan people to express their unhappiness with Lukar Jam Atsock’s poem without calling him a Chinese spy and ostracizing him from society?

Is it because all it takes to be a Chinese spy in the eyes of the Tibetan people is a tiny hint of disrespect to their leaders?

Is this what a democracy is? To be able to express oneself peacefully is an inseparable element of democratic society. And so when a person is denied this basic freedom or is placed at risk of his well-being for exercising his rights under a democracy, then we know that the system of government that he is living under is not a fair and democratic one.

But Lukar Jam’s experience of being targeted for penning a benign poem is not an isolated case. This too is exactly the reaction that Dorje Shugden practitioners receive from the Tibetan people. Never mind that Dorje Shugden’s practice was established over 350 years ago, centuries before the Chinese ever set foot in Tibet. Never mind that Dorje Shugden was the preferred deity of the majority of Tibetans living in Tibet pre-1959. Never mind also that Dorje Shugden is practiced today by people of all nationalities, races, ages and cultures.

Sikyong Lobsang Sangay at Tsuglakhang temple in McLeod Ganj, where he made strong comments against Lukar Jam’s Facebook post

All it takes is for the Tibetan leadership to baselessly condemn Dorje Shugden’s practice as being a threat to the Tibetan cause and immediately, automatically, all Dorje Shugden practitioners become Chinese spies by default.

It is even more ridiculous that the highest authority in Tibetan governance should see fit to make a comment about an ordinary citizen’s writings that may hint at disrespect to the Dalai Lama. Is he doing it to ruin Lukar Jam Atsock’s budding political career and to eliminate his rival? Doesn’t Sikyong Lobsang Sangay realize that he demeans the stature of his position by making comments on what should be a non-issue? In fact, the Sikyong should be making a statement to calm his people down instead of aggravating the situation further. After all, it is the obligation of a democratic government to protect individuals whose views differ from popular opinion instead of condemning them.

Lukar Jam Atsock’s current predicament just highlights the methods by which the Tibetan leadership seeks to sow fear and control the opinions and actions of their citizens. They isolate those who oppose them and use the China card to make their opposition look like pariahs i.e. anyone whom the Tibetan leadership targets is labeled a traitor and Chinese spy or agent and that is the cue for loyal Tibetans to reject the person. The sad truth is that the majority of the Tibetan people do not realize that as a refugee nation, they are already small in the eyes of the world with shrinking support for the Tibetan cause. The more they divide themselves on the basis of religion, opinion or geographical origin, the weaker their cause is going to be.

The Tibetan leadership is smart enough to realize all this. Yet, they allow it. Why? Because in truth, their leaders are more interested in playing the victim-refugee card and garnering aid from the West than they are in the welfare of the Tibetan people. Amidst questions raised about the effectiveness of Free Tibet campaigns and drastic budget cuts for Tibetan-related causes, individuals within the Tibetan leadership are desperate to collect every last ounce of funding for their personal gain before it dries up completely.

And when it comes to Lukar Jam Atsock, whose election manifesto revolves around sound political thinking as opposed to the hyperbole spouted by the then leaders, the Tibetan leadership are afraid – very afraid – that if Lukar Jam Atsock’s support base grows, their own influence will dwindle considerably as the Tibetan people realize that there is a world beyond blind obedience and loyalty to the Dalai Lama and their Sikyong. They will begin to understand that in truly democratic countries around the world, people are not isolated and ostracized for disagreeing with their President/Prime Minister/King/Queen and that having a different opinion does not mean that you are against the secular/spiritual leader.

Lukar Jam Atsock’s view on Shugden worshippers alone is enough to put the current Tibetan leadership to shame. He says,

“To me Shugden is a small issue, but due to the mistaken policies we have made it a big issue, basically we have blown it out of proportion. Shugden is a matter of worshipping a spirit, that too a Geluka spirit. We can’t have a monolithic view of Shugden worshippers. We have to know that there are different types of Shugden practitioners: there are those Shuden practitioners, who openly collude with our enemy, the Chinese government, as revealed by Lama Tseta. Then there are those who quietly practice the deity, while also acknowledging that they believe in the Dalai Lama. We also have to take into account that there are mischievous people harming the Tibetan cause in the name of loyalty to the Dalai Lama, in the name of fighting the Shugden worshippers. We have to have a nuanced, comprehensive policy that will tackle this issue.”

This is a relatively well-thought out stance that befits the potential leader of a refugee nation, a leader who appreciates the importance of harmony, tolerance and solidarity in a shattered and dispersed community and one who is willing to risk the ire of those who came before him in order to do the right thing. The Tibetan people sorely need a leader like Lukar Jam Atsock, not one who rides on the coattails of the Dalai Lama.

Could Lukar Jam be at the forefront of a Tibetan “revolution” of good governance, public service and transparency?

It is also interesting to note the clear divide in opinion amongst Tibetans on the current controversy surround Lukar Jam Atsock. For instance, the two comments below made by Tibetans living in India highlight the narrow-minded thinking that is endemic to the Tibetan leadership while the two comments made by Tibetans living abroad show the effect of exposure to real democracy and basic human rights.

“Here is my view: This is not a criticism at all, it’s a hatred inside, a man with the destructive emotion, mentally ill. Can’t bear the loss of the election, and going totally psychopath. I don’t think he is a poet, or knows how to engage in healthy criticism. To me he devalued the poetic community. It seems like when he can’t fight for freedom he friended with the enemy and begged their terms of freedom.”

- Paljor, from Bangalore

“I think that Lukar Jam is exactly doing what CCP has been trying hard to do for the past decades. That’s to bring down our idol and revile His Holiness. If Lukar Jam has freedom to do or say anything, then I or anyone has freedom to refuse him food at his restaurant 100 times.

We shouldn’t give much importance to someone who has been accused of stealing yak and spending time behind bar.”

- Tenzin, from Dharamshala

“I hope and pray for Lukar Jam and his family’s safety. Given the comments from this thread and other social media, the radical Tibetans may physically harm him using His Holiness name.”

- T Pema, from Toronto

“We Tibetans seem to have a hard time learning from our past mistakes. This situation with Lukar Jam reminds me of the early seventies when late professor Dawa Norbu was accused of similar critiques of HH in one of his Tibetan Review editorials. The people opposed to his views event went so far as to plan a mob attack to punish him.

Despite all that, like the late professor, I firmly believe Lukar Jam is a true patriot. I do not condone his views on His Holiness, but we do not want to lose a good Tibetan, just because he has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth once in a while.

As for politicizing the issue, it is a shame that some of our leaders can’t see beyond their sphere of influence and add to turmoil and misinformation that could cause us more harm and give leverage to our enemies.”

- Gyalpot, from Canada

More recently, a group of students and researchers in exile have written an open letter to those who criticize Lukar Jam Atsock, saying that their actions are unjustifiable and that it is wrong to criticize him in this manner for his artistic expression. The words of these educated academics will definitely carry weight in the Tibetan community. Originally published on tibetsun.com, the letter has since been removed for reasons unknown.

Click to enlarge and read the full letter. Extracted from https://www.tibetsun.com/letters-to-the-editor/2017/03/15/open-letter-regarding-movement-against-lukar-jam-by-tibetan-studentsresearchers-in-exile and also available on http://www.ezspk.co.uk/2017/03/14/open-letter-regarding-movement-against-lukar-jam-by-tibetan-studentsresearchers-in-exile/

Sonam, from USA, also published an open letter directed at Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, in which he condemns the exile government’s lack of support for free speech and requests that they guarantee the safety of Lukar Jam Atsock from vigilante attacks.

Click to enlarge and read the full letter. Extracted from https://www.tibetsun.com/letters-to-the-editor/2017/03/16/open-letter-to-sikyong-on-mr-lukar-jams-security

It is encouraging to know that there are moderate, educated Tibetans out there who are beginning to realize that it is wrong to ostracize people on the basis of their beliefs and that having a space that accommodates divergent ideas is a reflection of a democracy’s strength.

We can only hope that more and more Tibetans similarly wake up and realize that their government demonizes those who disagree with them and abuses their power and platform to turn public opinion in their favor. And by speaking up against the current Tibetan political situation, the Tibetan leadership will very soon have a serious problem on their hands if they don’t change their ways.

 

References:

  1. https://www.facebook.com/lukarjam.atsock/posts/1425906127420677
  2. http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=38771&article=Lukar%27s+reference+to+Dalai+Lama+unfortunate%3a+PM+Sangay
  3. https://www.tibetsun.com/news/2017/03/11/tibetans-condemn-lukar-jam-for-attacking-the-dalai-lama
  4. http://tchrd.org/profile-sentenced-to-17-years-for-espionage/
  5. https://www.tibetsun.com/letters-to-the-editor/2017/03/15/open-letter-regarding-movement-against-lukar-jam-by-tibetan-studentsresearchers-in-exile
  6. https://www.tibetsun.com/letters-to-the-editor/2017/03/16/open-letter-to-sikyong-on-mr-lukar-jams-security
  7. http://lukar2016.com/manifesto/
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  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGzZQ7UcDAk

    From the above video you will be able to deduce how the 2020 campaign for Sikyong has already begun.

    The political strategy of the incumbent and his gang is very simple, for the simple Tibetan mind:

    Dalai Lama is God.
    Dorje Shugden is Devil.

    Lukar Jam is for the Devil and is the devil’s servant.
    Lukar Jam stole a Yak and was jailed for 6 years by the Chinese.
    He is a thief, a no good son of the Devil.

    China and Chinese is also Devil.
    Dorje Shugden practitioners are little Devils propitiating the Devil.

    This kind of narrative will be repeated again and again until the “democracy” re-elects their God’s candidate.

    Unless of course…

  2. This is so TRUE… “It is encouraging to know that there are moderate, educated Tibetans out there who are beginning to realize that it is wrong to ostracize people on t he basis of their beliefs and that having a space that accommodates divergent ideas is a reflection of a democracy’s strength.

    We can only hope that more and more Tibetans similarly wake up and realize that their government demonizes those who disagree with them and abuses their power and platform to turn public opinion in their favor. And by speaking up against the current Tibetan political situation, the Tibetan leadership will very soon have a serious problem on their hands if they don’t change their ways.”

    The only Devil I see is people like Hillybilly with the delusion that makes them not progress and is what made them lose Tibet in the first place!

  3. During the times of Chairman Mao, much atrocities and illogical laws had been implemented to garner or force the loyalty of the people. You never know who is your friend or foe, even children turned against their parents or vice-versa to comply with the rule…Loyalty only to Chairman Mao and his policies. His laws were the red bible to be carried and recited daily. If someone does not like the looks of you, then you may just be falsely accused and jailed, confused what had happened. And the accuser who lied was commended and praised. Topsy turvy world of confusion. Now China is a powerhouse and on certain aspects, no. 1 in the world and many seek to be in partnership with her.

    Instead we see the very conditions of rule being implemented amongst the Tibetans In Exile by their government, CTA. Any whimsical implication towards dishonour of the Dalai Lama will have the society bearing down on you, with the full possibility of physical harm. Just as in the case of the practice of Dorje Shugden, an authentic religious practice of almost 400 years in the times of the 5th Dalai Lama who even built Trode Khangsar Chapel in honour of Dorje Shugden. He handmade the statue of Dorje Shugden that is within the Chapel and wrote the Praise…all signs of his approval and authenticating Dorje Shugden as a rightful protector practice. Yet now for convenience, an illogical ban is placed on this practice to distract attention away the failures by CTA to bring those in exile their return to Tibet. I also see it as a suppression of the Shugden Lamas whom were gaining prominence and influence due to their relocation to teach overseas and their growing numbers of students and followers. As China is the enemy, CTA falsely accused Shugden practitioners and Lamas to being supporters of China and Ta-Da…an instant enemy of Tibetans. And CTA gains more political mileage with their foreign sponsors.

    So it is with no surprise that Lukar Jam could stand accused of being a spy of the enemy. After all this had worked with their people previously and why not just use the same?? Lukar Jam is exactly what Tibetans in Exile need to propel the people into the future of democracy. His ideals are equality for all and focus on the “Big Picture”, not the trivia. Definitely a strong potential political foe of the current CTA members. As mentioned in the article, CTA should have quelled the misunderstanding rather than add voice to something that they have no business in. Sikyong Lobsang Sangay being a Harvard Alumni should understand Lukar Jam’s emotional eulogy for a very close friend. I would have read his eulogy as a reverence to the Dalai Lama in using “lived to 113 years’. Its ironic that the 113 years, which the Dalai Lama said he will lived to, should be a lucky number and something everyone would try to emulate, has now become a curse and not to be used. Aren’t we taught to emulate the Buddha and to become a Buddha? So who is insulting the Dalai Lama?

  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGzZQ7UcDAk

    tibetan MP encourages banning lukar from society with english subtitles

  5. To me it is very apparent, the many years CTA demonizing Dorje Shudgen and others who do not conform to their version of the truth, could have led to a moment of utmost clarity in the face of the Lukar Jam’s reference to the number 113.

    As more Tibetans start to see that dissenting voices is not something that is welcomed in the so called CTA. In fact one cannot even be sure if CTA is practicing democracy, with it election fixing moves and a tendency to silence dissenting voices.

    As more Tibetans, mature into the internet age, they will have greater access to a variety of thoughts and thinking, although there is a lot of junk on the internet, it is if used correctly is a place to check out one’s theories and make comparison to one’s understanding of reality.

    This is a good sign that Tibetans are coming into their own. That Tibetans in exile can think independently, draw conclusions and do not just swallow everything thrown to them from the mouthpiece of CTA.

  6. It doesn’t make sense that the Tibetan people can have such big reaction and fuss over one Facebook post that Lukar Jam Atsock wrote about Professor Elliot Sperling saying that he should have lived till 113. Why do the Tibetans have to think that Lukar Jam’s post is indirectly hinting the Dalai Lama? Does that means that whatever the people post in the social media they have to be very alert that any time, any wrong phrase or word being use then they will be criticise and isolated by the public? Everyone has their own rights to write whatever they want as long as it is not directly talking bad about another person.
    This incident is exactly the same with the one that the Dorje Shugden practitioners are facing. When are the Tibetans going to think and contemplate on their own rather than listening to others who might be feeding them with the wrong info and they are following it blindly?

  7. Frankly speak it’s nothing new to me looking at how the Tibetan leadership react in such situation. The CTA always aggravate the situation using the Tibetan sentiment. Personally this is the main reason why Tibet fallen and until today they couldn’t get it back. To make the situation worst they use religious as a scapegoat such Dorje Shugden practice to cover their failure to bring back their country. Separation after separation and CTA never learn how to unite their people but just blindly react over the matters just to look good which in actuality is from bad to worst.

    In this context I don’t see CTA is supporting His Holiness in fact is jeopardising His Holiness reputation. As mentioned in the open letter by the students and researchers in exile His Holiness is the symbolism of Democracy and what CTA is doing is totally tearing apart of what His Holiness preaching around the world. The younger generation are more educated and looking much further in term of the freedom for the exile and with the letter it’s heart warming to see how they learn and see things in a wider scope and the important one is they speak up to counter CTA not in a negative way but democratically voice up for real freedom that to uphold the unity of Tibetan.

    Tibetan leadership will not go any further with such attitude and very soon the Tibetan themselves will give up with them.

  8. Unbelievable! One ‘poem’ that was written for a friend who has passed on can be twisted and damaged to such a point! Such madness and it shows how narrow minded the Tibetans can be!
    To me personally, whether or not, Elliot Sperling or HHDL is suppose to live till 113 does not matter. We all know that HHDL is Chenrezig so whether He lives till when does not matter as He will reincarnate and benefit again. So why the big fuss? Its just a poem for a friend. Isn’t it suppose to be a democratic society? Then shouldn’t people be allowed to express what they want, freely?
    And the scary part is how the narrow minded Tibetans make it worse by threatening an innocent man for saying what he wants to say. If the CTA can say what they want, then why can’t their own people? All CTA want is to control, control and control. Just so you know, there will be nothing to left to control with your current narrow mindedness.

  9. It doesn’t matter what good and sacrifice one has done for the country but one wrong word, statement, action, and that person is branded a dissident, a traitor, a Chinese spy, a demon worshipper. This man just composed a prayer and a eulogy for a dearly departed friend and all hell broke loose. And the CTA say there’s no ban on Dorje Shugden practice and there’s religious freedom. CTA called themselves a democratic government in exile yet when one person said or wrote something that they think was directed at the Dalai Lama and them, immediately they reacted and branded that person as what I mentioned above. Ridiculous.

  10. I don’t like Politicians ( CTA and etc.. ), the ways “they” did, it is all about Power and Money and it never end. Is that a human nature? Power and Money only?

    In this article i like Lukar Jam Atsock’s view on Shugden worshippers :

    “To me Shugden is a small issue, but due to the mistaken policies we have made it a big issue, basically we have blown it out of proportion. Shugden is a matter of worshipping a spirit, that too a Geluka spirit. We can’t have a monolithic view of Shugden worshippers. We have to know that there are different types of Shugden practitioners: there are those Shuden practitioners, who openly collude with our enemy, the Chinese government, as revealed by Lama Tseta. Then there are those who quietly practice the deity, while also acknowledging that they believe in the Dalai Lama. We also have to take into account that there are mischievous people harming the Tibetan cause in the name of loyalty to the Dalai Lama, in the name of fighting the Shugden worshippers. We have to have a nuanced, comprehensive policy that will tackle this issue.”

  11. It is amazing how the CTA can attack Lukar Jam because of a poem! Is there any law that you cannot write a poem to a friend on Facebook? How can a government attack a person based on that?

    No serious person will take this government for real! But unfortunately this is what the CTA did with their people for so long and the Tibetans are so scared of what will happen to them, that they obey to such a nonsense!

    I pity the Tibetans as their government does nothing for their wellbeing, for their return to their homeland and for building up the Tibetan society within China. All they do is creating problems where there are none.

    The Tibetan Cause should be to rebuild their homes, culture and religion, and make peace with the Chinese. But instead they look for trouble and how to control their people. Such a behaviour has nothing to do with democracy and they should tell their supporters that in fact their CTA leadership is only a show and they are not looking to benefit the Tibetans!

    May Dorje Shugden help the Tibetans as the CTA does not see it as their duty!

  12. “In the context of a government, democracy does not mean that the citizens of that country must share the same views and opinions. Rather, democracy is a situation whereby all citizens are entitled to their own views yet maintain a healthy level of mutual respect for each other i.e. they agree to disagree. Furthermore, the government of such a democracy should uphold this right to freedom of opinion amongst its citizens and stamp out any attempt at breaching this freedom.”

    People seem to have misunderstand the real meaning of democracy and claim that they are part of it but in fact they are not even close to it. In this case, even though we are the supporters of H.H Dalai Lama, we should respect others who are not, everyone has their own thoughts and we have to power to control, force them by threatening them. It’s an act of coward and will never gain faith from more.

    There was an interview with H.H Dalai Lama, H.H said that he do not wants to give advise or ask his supporters to stop doing things that are not right because he worries that people will feel guilty or sad once they know they are not doing the right things that H.H would like.

    The link of the full interview is as following:
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bLY45o6rHm0

    I think it’s a selfish act because H.H do not wants to hurt his supporters’ feeling by telling them they are wrong when doing things that have been hurting themselves and others, at the same time, people who are innocent are getting the side effects of it.

  13. This is one of the ways to bring one person down especially he is supposed to be the previous contender of the Sikyong post. It’s normal to see this I supposed in Dharamsala, when one wrong move against the Dalai Lama or CTA will bring you down. There will be all sorts of rumours and public condemnation against you for your going against the authority of CTA. You can say Lobsang Sangay seized this opportunity to turn it against Lukar Jam who honestly speaking did not wished anything bad to happen to HHDL as per claimed by CTA. When will CTA start to concentrate to fight for Tibetans cause of regaining Tibet instead of finding faults in people not following CTA’s vendetta.

  14. We are leaving in the democratic world where every citizen had their own rights and freedom to voice out their opinion. A grieving man’s reputation disrupted because of only sending a poem to closed friend who has passed away. What sort of leadership is this? To me, is shameful, shallow and senseless.

  15. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard on earth! I thought the government of my country is ridiculous, this is 100x more ridiculous than my government! This is the joke of the world! It seems CTA has no will to unite their own people, but to keep breaking their people into groups, give names to the people they “think” is against them, make the loyal people turn away from Tibet. And this, they accuse Lukar Jam, who had done so much and so loyal to Tibet, and made him turn away from Tibet! It looks like what CTA does is not for the cause of Tibet, not for Tibetan, but for themselves! I never see a government instead of uniting their people, but to break their own people into pieces and groups. In that case, I can tell them, CTA, they will never get independent! And Tibetan will never unite. CTA will never concentrate to fight for Tibetans cause, is the people who’s running it, only think of their own benefit. The Tibetan in exile will always be exiled. I always believe in this, things happen for a reason. Don’t they know this simple logic? Just like my government. Then I want to ask this question, will this kind of government ever improve? Will this kind of leadership ever get support? I hope they, the CTA, will wake up one day, and look into this.

  16. Nothing new, again this is about the Tibetan leaders tendency to use His Holiness Dalai Lama’s name to put down political opponents and using religion and His Holiness’ name to win political arguments.
    In democracy system, Lukar Jam has the right to say whatever he wants and we have the right to reject him. The issue here is not choosing between Lukar or the HH Dalai Lama but is encouraging of freedom of speech, encourage the public to express their views.

    The same go to the issue of Dorje Shugden, in democracy system, Tibetan has freedom of choosing their religion practice. Why ban Dorje Shugden which has been practice for more than 400 years?

    It’s time for Tibetan to show the world that they have space for different opinions and tolerance. This will win them more support from the world.

  17. Attack Lukar Jam by CTA is another clear example said to the world ,tibetan people no have democracy and no freedom speaking up what they concern about living in Tibetan society. Tibetan people always get abuse by CTA, which I am not surprise how CTA humiliating Dorje Shugden practitioner. If CTA want supporting from the world must stop humiliation, hurting their own Tibetan people, giving space for them what they believe for human right. This is another concern message from another part of world seeing people are suffering to get punished. Please stop all this !

  18. This is such a sad story of Lukar Jam, just a poem, just because of 1 harmless poem, he was being attacked, labelled as a Chinese spy, traitor, psychopath, etc.

    This is really what amazed me the most, being a country leader, they failed to see the talent of Lukar Jam, instead of developing him to contribute to the growth of Tibet, to the growth of the society, they attacked him and call him traitor, Seriously? CTA always wanted to claim back their country from China, but with their such narrowed minded attitude, and a childish action, how can they take care of the country?

    One thing I find it very funny, CTA is a very interesting beings, whenever they dislike someone, whenever they felt ‘threatened’, whenever they feel uncomfortable with a person, no question ask, no investigation, and they will label these people as a Chinese Spy, and they can simply attack these people as much as they like, it’s simple as that. psychopath? Traitor? I think these words are best describing CTA, because they are the ones that is betraying Tibet and their own people, they are the one who is destroying their own country, not anyone else.

    I really wish CTA can realize their such destructive action that will destroy their own country and stop it, they should turn the whole thing around and work full heartedly to work for the benefit of their citizen.

    Om Benza Wiki Bitana Soha

  19. It should be manifestly clear to the Tibetans in exile that they will never have freedom under their own leadership embodied within the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). In fact they may have a better chance of enjoying a system of government closer to a democracy under China (see Hong Kong) than under their own “government”. The Tibetan-in-exile’s pursuit of democracy has had almost as much time to be firmly established as the Tibetans have been in exile. And yet, 60 years later we see Lukar Jam being nailed to the proverbial cross just for daring to have his own thoughts which he expressed.

    Whilst the Tibetan people kid themselves into thinking that they are defending HHDL’s honor (as if a poem that diminish the Dalai Lama’s life), they are in fact driving yet another nail into democracy’s coffin. All this suits Lobsang Sangay just fine because for him, ‘governing’ is merely a business, being a ‘Tibetan Refugee’ a trademark and ‘Democracy’ no more than a slogan. (Come to think of it, a slogan is all the CTA has). As far as Sangay is concerned this is all just an early start to the 2020 Sikyong elections. Lukar Jam came close the last time so Sangay is not taking any chances. Demonising Lukar for something so benign seems the easiest way. After all, this is what the CTA has practiced on Dorje Shugden people since 1996.

    So much for the Dalai Lama’s vision for the future of the Tibetan people.

  20. The actions of the fanatics who proclaimed they are followers and defenders of Dalai Lama are showing the world how backwater their mentalities are. It is rather shameful given that His Holiness is the infamous King of Tibetan Buddhism, Nobel Award winner and who had toured the world and greeted by world leaders many times over.

    Yet the loyalists of HIs Holiness behave as if freedom of expression does not exist, religious freedom does not exist, human rights does not exist! Are they crouching Dalai Lama’s teaching and turning His Holiness into a symbol of abuse and discrimination. Or are they really so ignorant of their behavior? Which if they are, then why His Holiness does not say anything?

    Or there is fear that once the voice of freedom rise, people will sway? I believe those who are familiar to Buddhism will understand that holding on to something forcefully, be it an object of material or an object of reputation / power etc, will likely bring negative karma. Dear Advisor to His Holiness, please take heed.

  21. I guess, everybody has to take a step back and take a deep,breath. The Tibetan government and generally the people themselves have not moved very far into the 21st century yet. We can’t forget that not too long ago, the monasteries practiced politics along with Buddhism. Serfs were not uncommon in Tibet.

    The politicians have kept the populace mildly ignorant so that they are easier to manipulate. The politicians have their own agenda. They all do regardless of where they are or where they come from. Unfortunately, in this case, the populace are refugees and are being exploited both by their government and the west for political reasons, not to help them.

    People like Lukar Jam sees the situation clearly and without prejudice. But, unfortunately, at the moment, he is the lone voice in the “cowboy town” and a giant uphill battle awaits him if he is to fight for Tibetans in exile.

    The powers that be are using the Dalai Lama’s name and violence to instill fear into people and make them submissive. If Lukar Jam can overcome even a bit of that hurdle, he would have made a giant leap for the Tibetans.

  22. You have to see this clear video showing His Holiness the Dalai Lama instructing the monasteries to expel monks that practice Dorje Shugden. Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTgYWidYw3U

  23. Nechung is ZUMA 👎 before I m think he is one of d best when I m watch dis video By Geshe Dorjee la but now I m think is not d truth n he is lie to Tibet people we r not back to Tibet yt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIDZLzXIgW8 Chithue Tenpa Yarphel la tq for talk about truth of Nechung . I m watch to this video many time la https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if2dFMKIr_8 n after I hear you talk I m not belief to Nechung

  24. What will the all the people around the world and in Tibet do now? Dalai Lama says he is happy that Tibet is a part of China and should remain a part of China. So many Tibetans self-immolated for Tibet to be independent and now Dalai Lama did a 360 degree turn and says he wants to go back to Tibet and China and Tibet should be a part of China. So unbelievable. So many are angry and disappointed.

    Tibetans ready to be part of China: Dalai Lama
    Organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the event was a part of “Thank You India – 2018″ held by the Tibetan community across India to mark 60 years of its exile in the country.
    Indo-Asian News Service
    Bengaluru
    Tibetans are ready to be a part of China if guaranteed full rights to preserve their culture, the Dalai Lama said on Friday.
    “Tibetans are not asking for independence. We are okay with remaining with the People’s Republic of China, provided we have full rights to preserve our culture,” the 83-year-old spiritual leader said at “Thank You Karnataka” event here in the city.
    Organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the event was a part of “Thank You India – 2018″ held by the Tibetan community across India to mark 60 years of its exile in the country.
    “Several of Chinese citizens practicing Buddhism are keen on Tibetan Buddhism as it is considered scientific,” the Nobel laureate said.
    Born in Taktser hamlet in northeastern Tibet, the Dalai Lama was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso. He fled to India from Tibet after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule in 1959.
    China annexed Tibet in 1950, forcing thousands of Tibetans, including monks, to flee the mountain country and settle in India as refugees.
    Since then, India has been home to over 100,000 Tibetans majorly settled in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh among other states.
    https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/india/tibetans-ready-to-be-part-of-china-dalai-lama/293109.html

    d

  25. Dear Dalai Lama,

    Since you started the cruel ban against the 350 year Dorje Shugden practice, how has it benefit your Tibetan society and Buddhism in the world? Things have become worse and most educated Tibetans can see this. They don’t speak out not because they don’t see your ban as wrong, but you instill fear in them and not respect. It is like fear of a dictator. I am sorry to say so. Everyone is divided. There is no harmony. Before your ban there was more harmony and unity.

    By enacting the ban, you split the monasteries, split so many families, split regions in Tibet apart, split your disciples from you, split your own gurus from you, split Tibetan Buddhism apart. You have created so much disharmony.

    It is not democratic what you have done to ban a religion within your community. You always talk of tolerance and acceptance and democracy and yet you do not accept and tolerate something different from your beliefs. When people practice Dorje Shugden you ostracize them, ban them from seeing you, ban them from using Tibetan facilities. You know you have done that. There are videos that capture your speech and prove this point. You even had people expelled from monasteries just because they practice Dorje Shugden. Some of the monks you expelled have been in the monastery for over 40 years. Many older monks shed tears because of this.

    Many young educated Tibetans lost confidence in you as they saw the damage the Dorje Shugden ban created and they lose hope. Many have become free thinkers. They reject what you have done. So many people in the west left Buddhism because of the confusion you created with this ban against Dorje Shugden which is immoral.

    You could of had millions of people who practice Dorje Shugden to support, love and follow you, but you scared them away. They are hurt and very disappointed. They loved you and respected you deeply before the ban. It has been 60 years and you have failed to get Tibet back. Your biggest failure is not getting Tibet back after 57 years in exile. Now you are begging China to allow you to return to Tibet to the disappointment of thousands of people who fought for a free Tibet believing in you. So many self-immolated for a free Tibet and now you want Tibet to be a part of China with no referendum from Tibetans. Just like a dictator, you decide on your own. It was your government and you that lost Tibet in the first place. Your policies and style of doing things do not benefit Tibet and Buddhism. You have been the sole ruler of Tibet your whole life and you still have not gotten our country of Tibet back for us. Our families and us are separated. Yet you create more pain by creating a ban to further divide people. Please have compassion.

    No other Buddhist leader has banned or condemned any religion except for you. It looks very bad. You are a Nobel laureate and this is not fitting of a laureate. You should unite people and not separate them by religious differences.

    You said Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi did not do right to the Rohingya people in Myanmar due to religious differences, but you are doing the same thing to the Shugden Buddhists within your own society. There is a parallel in this. You separate the Shugden Buddhists from the others in Tibetan society.

    You have lost so many people who would have loved and supported you. You have lost so much support around the world. The Shugden Buddhists who love you number in the millions. When you are fast losing support from governments and private people, it will not do you well to lose more.

    After you are passed away in the future, the rift you created between the Dorje Shugden and non-Dorje Shugden people will remain for a while and that will be your legacy. Disharmony. You will be remembered for this. Not as a hero but a disharmony creator.

    Dorje Shugden will spread and further grow, but you will be no more as you are a human. No one wishes you bad and in fact we hope you have a long and healthy life, but we have lost so much hope and have so much despair because of you. All the hundreds of Dorje Shugden lamas, tulkus and geshes are maturing and there are hundreds of Dorje Shugden monasteries in Tibet who will not give up Dorje Shugden. You have made a mistake. These hundreds of teachers and teachers to be will spread Dorje Shugden further in the future.

    The gurus that gave us Dorje Shugden as a spiritual practice and you have called these holy gurus wrong and they are mistaken in giving us Dorje Shugden. How can you insult our gurus whom we respect so much? If they can be wrong, then you can be wrong. Then all gurus can be wrong. So no one needs to listen to any guru? You have created this trend. It is not healthy. Your own gurus practiced Dorje Shugden their whole lives. Your own gurus were exemplary and highly learned.

    Dalai Lama you have created so much pain with this ban against so many people due to religion. You are ageing fast. Are you going to do anything about it or stay stubborn, hard and un-moving. You show a smile and preach peace and harmony wherever you go. But will you do the same to your own people? Please rectify the wrong you have done. Please before it is too late. You can create harmony again or you can pass away in the future with this legacy of peace. May you live long and think carefully and admit what was a mistake in having this unethical ban against Dorje Shugden religion.

  26. Why doesn’t the United States and its allies end Refugee Status for the useless Tibetans? They have been refugees for 60 years now and don’t tell me they still cannot get their lives back in order?

    Tibetans really know how to put on a good show and use people, take their money and do nothing in return.

    Trump and Allies Seek End to Refugee Status for Millions of Palestinians
    In internal emails, Jared Kushner advocated a “sincere effort to disrupt” the U.N.’s relief agency for Palestinians.
    BY COLUM LYNCH, ROBBIE GRAMER | AUGUST 3, 2018, 2:12 PM
    Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, has quietly been trying to do away with the U.N. relief agency that has provided food and essential services to millions of Palestinian refugees for decades, according to internal emails obtained by Foreign Policy.
    His initiative is part of a broader push by the Trump administration and its allies in Congress to strip these Palestinians of their refugee status in the region and take their issue off the table in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, according to both American and Palestinian officials. At least two bills now making their way through Congress address the issue.
    Kushner, whom Trump has charged with solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has been reluctant to speak publicly about any aspect of his Middle East diplomacy. A peace plan he’s been working on with other U.S. officials for some 18 months has been one of Washington’s most closely held documents.
    But his position on the refugee issue and his animus toward the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is evident in internal emails written by Kushner and others earlier this year.
    “It is important to have an honest and sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA,” Kushner wrote about the agency in one of those emails, dated Jan. 11 and addressed to several other senior officials, including Trump’s Middle East peace envoy, Jason Greenblatt.
    “This [agency] perpetuates a status quo, is corrupt, inefficient and doesn’t help peace,” he wrote.
    The United States has helped fund UNRWA since it was formed in 1949 to provide relief for Palestinians displaced from their homes following the establishment of the State of Israel and ensuing international war. Previous administrations have viewed the agency as a critical contributor to stability in the region.
    But many Israel supporters in the United States today see UNRWA as part of an international infrastructure that has artificially kept the refugee issue alive and kindled hopes among the exiled Palestinians that they might someday return home—a possibility Israel flatly rules out.
    Critics of the agency point in particular to its policy of granting refugee status not just to those who fled Mandatory Palestine 70 years ago but to their descendants as well—accounting that puts the refugee population at around 5 million, nearly one-third of whom live in camps across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and Gaza.
    By trying to unwind UNRWA, the Trump administration appears ready to reset the terms of the Palestinian refugee issue in Israel’s favor—as it did on another key issue in December, when Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
    In the same January email, Kushner wrote: “Our goal can’t be to keep things stable and as they are. … Sometimes you have to strategically risk breaking things in order to get there.”
    Kushner raised the refugee issue with officials in Jordan during a visit to the region in June, along with Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt. According to Palestinian officials, he pressed the Jordan to strip its more than 2 million registered Palestinians of their refugee status so that UNRWA would no longer need to operate there.
    “[Kushner said] the resettlement has to take place in the host countries and these governments can do the job that UNRWA was doing,” said Hanan Ashrawi, a member of Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
    She said the Trump administration wanted rich Arab Gulf states to cover the costs Jordan might incur in the process.
    “They want to take a really irresponsible, dangerous decision and the whole region will suffer,” Ashrawi said.
    Saeb Erekat, the Palestinians’ chief negotiator, told reporters in June that Kushner’s delegation had said it was ready to stop funding UNRWA altogether and instead direct the money—$300 million annually—to Jordan and other countries that host Palestinian refugees.
    “All this is actually aimed at liquidating the issue of the Palestinian refugees,” hesaid.
    The White House declined to comment on the record for this story. A senior executive branch official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said U.S. policy regarding the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee program “has been under frequent evaluation and internal discussion. The administration will announce its policy in due course.”
    Jordanian officials in New York and Washington did not respond to queries about the initiative.
    Kushner and Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, both proposed ending funding for UNRWA back in January. But the State Department, the Pentagon, and the U.S. intelligence community all opposed the idea, fearing in part that it could fuel violence in the region.
    The following week, the State Department announced that that United States would cut the first $125 million installment of its annual payment to UNRWA by more than half, to $60 million.
    “UNRWA has been threatening us for six months that if they don’t get a check they will close schools. Nothing has happened,” Kushner wrote in the same email.
    State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said at the time that the U.S. had no intention of eliminating funding for Palestinian refugees, and that it was taking time to explore ways to reform UNRWA and to convince other countries to help Washington shoulder the financial burden of aiding the Palestinians.
    But the following day, Victoria Coates, a senior advisor to Greenblatt, sent an email to the White House’s national security staff indicating that the White House was mulling a way to eliminate the U.N.’s agency for Palestinian refugees.
    “UNRWA should come up with a plan to unwind itself and become part of the UNHCR by the time its charter comes up again in 2019,” Coates wrote.
    She noted that the proposal was one of a number of “spitball ideas that I’ve had that are also informed by some thoughts I’ve picked up from Jared, Jason and Nikki.”
    Other ideas included a suggestion that the U.N. relief agency be asked to operate on a month-to-month budget and devise “a plan to remove all anti-Semitism from educational materials.”
    The ideas seemed to track closely with proposals Israel has been making for some time.
    “We believe that UNRWA needs to pass from the world as it is an organization that advocates politically against Israel and perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem,” said Elad Strohmayer, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
    Strohmayer said that Palestinians are the only population that is able to transfer its refugee status down through generations.
    The claim, though long advanced by Israel, is not entirely true.
    In an internal report from 2015, the State Department noted that the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees “recognizes descendants of refugees as refugees for purposes of their operations.” The report, which was recently declassified, said the descendants of Afghan, Bhutanese, Burmese, Somali, and Tibetan refugees are all recognized by the U.N. as refugees themselves.
    Of the roughly 700,000 original Palestinian refugees, only a few tens of thousands are still alive, according to estimates.
    The push to deny the status to most Palestinians refugees is also gaining traction in Congress.
    Last week, Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado, introduced a bill that would limit the United States to assisting only the original refugees. Most savings in U.N. contributions would be directed to the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United States’ principal international development agency. But USAID is currently constrained by the Taylor Force Act, which restricts the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian Authority until it ends a policy of providing aid to families of fallen terrorists.
    “Instead of resettling Palestinian refugees displaced as a result of the Arab-Israeli Conflict of 1948, UNRWA provides aid to those they define as Palestinian refugees until there is a solution they deem acceptable to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Lamborn’s bill states.
    “This policy does not help resettle the refugees from 1948 but instead maintains a refugee population in perpetuity.”
    A congressional aide familiar with the legislation said its intent isn’t to gut UNRWA funding, but redirect assistance to descendants through USAID.
    “The people that are suffering should still get assistance, but through appropriately defined humanitarian channels and aid programs,” the aide said.
    Similarly, Sen. James Lankford, (R-Okla.), has drafted legislation that would redirect U.S. funding away from UNRWA and to other local and international agencies.
    The bill, which has not yet officially been introduced, would require the U.S. secretary of state certify by 2020 that the United Nations has ended its recognition of Palestinian descendants as refugees.
    “The United Nations should provide assistance to the Palestinians in a way that makes clear that the United Nations does not recognize the vast majority of Palestinians currently registered by UNRWA as refugees deserving refugee status,” reads a draft obtained by Foreign Policy.
    Previous U.S. administrations have maintained that the vast majority of Palestinian refugees will ultimately have to be absorbed in a new Palestinian state or naturalized in the countries that have hosted them for generations.
    But the fate of the refugee issue was expected to be agreed to as part of a comprehensive peace pact that resulted in the establishment of a Palestinian state.
    “It’s very clear that the overarching goal here is to eliminate the Palestinian refugees as an issue by defining them out of existence,” said Lara Friedman, the president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.
    “This isn’t going to make peace any easier. It’s going to make it harder.”
    https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/03/trump-palestinians-israel-refugees-unrwaand-allies-seek-end-to-refugee-status-for-millions-of-palestinians-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-unrwa-israel-palestine-peace-plan-jared-kushner-greenb/

    DS.com Trump and Allies Seek End to Refugee Status for Millions of Palestinians (1)

  27. Supreme Court of India JUSTICE Mr. MARKANDEY KATJU (RETD) writes that Tibet is much better under the Chinese than it was under the lamas who only wanted to make the populace slaves. It was feudal and it will never return to the backwardness again.

    Time has come to acknowledge that Tibet has vastly improved under Chinese rule
    JUSTICE MARKANDEY KATJU (RETD) | 12 August, 2018
    From a terribly poor state hinged on a feudal system, Tibet has modernised and grows faster than the rest of China
    This article has been prompted by Jyoti Malhotra’s article in ThePrint ‘Tibetan government quietly changed its PM’s designation. India won’t be unhappy about it‘.
    China’s annexation of Tibet in 1959, ousting the Dalai Lama, had attracted it worldwide criticism. The Dalai Lama fled and was granted asylum in India, where he set up a government-in-exile with its headquarters in Dharamshala.
    The Chinese claim Tibet on the grounds that it has been part of the country since the Yuan dynasty of the 13th century, which is disputed by the government-in-exile. But let us leave this that matter aside.
    The more important question is whether Chinese rule has benefited Tibet.
    The answer is that it undoubtedly has. As the Reuters’ Ben Blanchard writes: “Today Tibet is richer and more developed than it has ever been, its people healthier, more literate, better dressed and fed”.
    Although Ben goes on to argue that this development masks “a deep sense of unhappiness among many Tibetans”, I will disagree. How can anyone be unhappy if s/he is healthier, better fed and better clothed?
    Under the rule of the Dalai Lamas (Buddhist priests), the people of Tibet were terribly poor, almost entirely illiterate, and lived like feudal serfs.
    Today, Tibet presents a totally different picture. The illiteracy rate in Tibet has gone down from 95 per cent in the 1950s to 42 per cent in 2000. It has modern schools, universities, engineering and medical colleges, modern hospitals, freeways, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, mobile stores and apartment buildings. The capital Lhasa is like any other modern city.
    While the economic growth in the rest of China has slowed down to about 7 per cent, Tibet has had a 10 per cent growth rate in the last two decades.
    Tibet has huge mineral wealth, which was only awaiting Chinese technology to be tapped. Nowadays, it has numerous hydro and solar power plants and industries running with Chinese help.
    Tibetan literature is flourishing, contrary to claims that the Chinese want to crush Tibetan culture.
    Of course, now the lamas cannot treat their people as slaves.
    The so-called ‘government-in-exile’, of which Lobsang Sangay claims to be the President, is a fake organisation, funded by foreign countries. They only want to restore the feudal Tibet, ruled by the reactionary lamas, something which will never happen.
    The writer is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India
    https://theprint.in/opinion/time-has-come-to-acknowledge-that-tibet-has-vastly-improved-under-chinese-rule/97172/

  28. While the government of Nepal has framed a policy to tighten the noose around non-governmental organisations, they have welcomed 30 Chinese NGOs to enter the country. These NGOs will penetrate the country’s social sector at the grassroots level. This is the first time such a large number of Chinese NGOs have entered Nepal at one time. Nepal is increasingly open to Chinese influence, a sign that ties between both countries are strengthening, while India’s influence is being reduced. The time has passed for India’s monopoly to remain uninterrupted in Nepal as opportunities to engage with China are being welcomed.

    30 Chinese NGOs all set to work in Nepal
    REWATI SAPKOTA
    Kathmandu, July 30
    At a time when the government has framed a policy to tighten the noose around non-governmental organisations, 30 Chinese NGOs have entered Nepal to penetrate the country’s social sector and the grassroots.
    The Social Welfare Council Nepal and China NGO Network for International Exchanges, an umbrella body of Chinese NGOs, have signed a memorandum of understanding to enable Chinese NGOs to work in Nepal. The agreement was signed yesterday between SWCN Member Secretary Dilli Prasad Bhatt and CNIE General Secretary Zhu Rui in the presence of Minister of Women, Children and Senior Citizen Tham Maya Thapa and Chinese Deputy Minister of External Affairs Wang Yajun.
    The agreement has paved the way for the first batch of 30 Chinese NGOs to work in Nepal for a period of three years. Their contract will be extended based on the consent of SWCN and CNIE. Representatives of these 30 Chinese NGOs were also present during yesterday’s signing ceremony. They have agreed to work in partnership with local NGOs to implement their programmes and projects.
    The Chinese NGOs are eyeing areas such as livelihood, healthcare, education, skill-based training, community development and disaster management. This is the first time such a large number of Chinese NGOs has entered Nepal at one time. The Chinese assistance so far in Nepal has largely been limited to development of infrastructure projects. But the entry of these NGOs indicates China is keen on making its presence felt in Nepal’s social sector and the grassroots, which, till date, have remained domains of the West and countries such as Japan and India.
    The MoU signed between SWCN and CNIE states that Chinese NGOs will be mobilised for ‘the benefit of needy Nepalis and to enhance ties between China and Nepal through people-to-people support programmes’.
    “The Chinese NGOs will abide by the law of Nepal in its entirety while carrying out development cooperation in Nepal,” says the MoU, adding, “Chinese NGOs will submit programmes to the SWCN to carry out development activities in partnership with Nepali NGOs and SWCN in line with plans and policies of the government of Nepal.”
    The MoU was signed at a time when the government has drafted the National Integrity Policy to limit activities of NGOs and INGOs, as some of them were found ‘trying to break communal harmony and proselytising Nepalis’. There were also concerns that high administrative cost of many NGOs and INGOs was preventing money from reaching the real beneficiaries. The policy clearly states that NGOs and INGOs cannot spend more than specified amount under administrative and consultant headings. They will also be barred from working against Nepal’s interests, culture and communal harmony and conducting activities to promote their religious, social or other agenda, adds the policy.
    Around 48,000 NGOs are currently registered in Nepal, of which only 1,600 have been receiving funds from INGOs, as per SWCN. The SWCN has directed INGOs and NGOs to spend 60 per cent of the budget to generate tangible results, while the remaining can be used to cover administrative costs and organise training, meetings and seminars.
    https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/30-chinese-ngos-all-set-to-work-in-nepal/

  29. The cracks in Tibetan society are starting to show, and it is now coming to the attention of local Indians who have all but identified the Tibetan leadership as the source of the divisions. According to this author, disunity amongst the Tibetans is now creating problems for Indian law enforcement agencies, and this disunity may culminate in young Tibetans holding silent grudges against their host country. It is incredible that after six decades of generosity from India, Indians are now facing the very real possibility Tibetans can be ungrateful towards India. The Tibetan leadership totally failed to impart positive values upon their exiled community, like gratitude for those kindest to them and the need to repay these kindnesses with real, tangible results. It’s also very unlikely that the Tibetan leadership will now start to do this, after six decades of failing to do so. Indians need to realise this, and see that there is no benefit for their nation to align themselves with the Tibetan leadership, and there never will be.
    Tibetan disunity not in India’s interest
    John S. Shilshi
    Updated: August 7, 2018, 11:00 AM
    India is home to the Dalai Lama and an estimated 120,000 Tibetan refugees. Though this humanitarian gesture on India’s part comes at the cost of risking New Delhi’s relations with China, India has never wavered in ensuring that Tibetans live with dignity and respect. Notified settlements across the country were made available so that they can live as independently as possible and practice Tibetan religion and culture. They are also allowed to establish centres of higher learning in Tibetan Buddhism. As a result, several reputed Buddhist institutes came up in Karnataka, and in the Indian Himalayan belt. In what may be termed as a gesture well reciprocated, and because of the respect and influence His Holiness the Dalai Lama commands, the Tibetan diaspora also lived as a peaceful community, rarely creating problems for India’s law enforcement agencies.
    The situation, however, changed from 2000 onwards when unity amongst Tibetans suffered some setback due to developments like the Karmapa succession controversy and the controversy over worshiping of Dorje Shugden. In a unique case of politics getting the better of religion, two senior monks of the Karma kargyue sect of Tibetan Buddhism, Tai Situ Rinpoche and late Shamar Rinpoche, developed serious differences after the demise of Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16th Karmapa, in 1981. This animosity ultimately led to emergence of two 17th Karmapa candidates in the early nineties. While Tai Situ Rinpoche identified and recognised UghyanThinley Dorje, late Shamar Rinpoche anointed Thinley Thaye Dorje as his Karmapa candidate. Enthronement of their respective protégés at the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, the supreme seat of the Karma Kargue linage, being their primary objective, both started indulging in activities monks normally are expected to, and bitterness spewed against each other.
    The bitter rivalry assumed a new dimension when UghyenThinley Dorje suddenly appeared in India in January 2000. The competition became fiercer and hectic political lobbying, never known in the history of Tibetan Buddhism on Indian soil, became common place. Apart from pulling strings at their disposal in Sikkim as well as in the power corridors of New Delhi, these senior monks spat against each other with allegations and counter allegations, widening the gaps between their supporters. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, choosing to favour one of the candidates—a decision many Tibet watchers felt was ill-timed—had also limited possible scope of rapprochement. Hence, the Karma Kargyue followers are now vertically divided, while the camps are dragged into a long drawn legal battle.
    Another development that unfortunately split the Tibetans is the controversy over Shugden worshipping, which again is an internal matter of the Gelugpa sect, to which the Dalai Lama belongs. It erupted as a result of the Dalai Lama urging Tibetans to refrain from worshiping Dorje Shugden, a deity believed to be a protector, according to Tibetan legend. Shugden practitioners, who felt offended by the call, describe it as an attack on freedom of religion, a right, which Dalai Lama himself tirelessly fought for. On the other hand, die hard Dalai Lama followers perceived the questioning of the decision as one challenging the wisdom of the Dalai Lama and mounted massive pressure on Dorje Shugden practitioners to relent, with some even demolishing the statues of the deity. The rivalry ultimately led to split in two Gelug monasteries in Karnataka, and Serpom and Shar Garden monasteries in Bylakupe and Mundgod respectively came under the control of Shugden followers. The bitterness associated with the split is exemplified by the fact that till today, members of these monasteries are treated as some sort of outcasts by the others. Thus, for the first time, the Tibetan diaspora in India gave birth to sections opposed to the Dalai Lama, with spillover effects in Tibet and elsewhere.
    For India, with a fragile internal security profile, a divided Tibetan population on its soil is not good news. It has several long-term implications. It is common knowledge that China considers Dalai Lama as a secessionist, one plotting to divide their country. The latter’s claim of “all that Tibetans were asking for, was a status of genuine autonomy within the Constitution of the Peoples’ Republic of China”, had fallen into deaf ears. China also considers him as someone who plays to the Indian tune to tickle China. Therefore, at a time when China has successfully shrunk the Dalai Lama’s space internationally, India continuing to extend the usual space for him is viewed as complicity. Sharp reaction from China when he was allowed to visit Arunachal Pradesh in April 2017, is a recent example. Such being the delicate nature of India-China relations on matters and issues concerning Tibetans, India can hardly afford to ignore the division within the diaspora. Past experience of dubious elements from Tibet having succeeded in infiltrating the Central Tibetan Administration, including the security wing, should be a warning.
    It is also time India understands the reason behind Tibetans seeking Indian passports, despite an existing arrangement for issue of Identity Certificates, which is passport equivalent. Some had even successfully taken recourse to legal remedy on the issue, and left the government of India red-faced. These changing moods should not be viewed as desires by Tibetans to become Indian citizens. They are triggered by the pathetic state of affairs associated with issuing of Identity Certificates, where delays in most cases are anything between six months to one year. Early streamlining of the process will drastically reduce their desire to hold Indian passport. It will also remove the wrongly perceived notion among some educated Tibetan youth, that the cumbersome process was a ploy by India to confine them in this country. While India should not shy from requesting the Dalai Lama to use his good offices to end all differences within the community in the interest of India’s internal security, it will also be necessary to ensure that young Tibetans do not nurse a silent grudge against the very country they called their second home.
    https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/opinion/tibetan-disunity-not-indias-interest

  30. Although the Dalai Lama has offered an apology, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) still expressed their disappointment over his controversial comment on Nehru, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC). Dalai Lama called Nehru self-centred.

    The Congress said Dalai Lama being a foreigner should shun and refrain from interfering in the internal as well as external affairs of India.

    Dalai Lama should abstain from imparting controversial information to students: Arunachal Congress
    Dalai Lama should know that a spiritual leader like him is shouldering great expectation: APCC
    | DAMIEN LEPCHA | ITANAGAR | August 12, 2018 9:58 pm
    disappointment over the recent statement made by Tibetan Spiritual Leader the 14th Dalai Lama in which he called Jawaharlal Nehru, the former Prime Minister of India as “self-centered” and the one responsible for parting India and Pakistan.
    “Although Dalai Lama expressed regret over his controversial comment, the APCC is extremely thwarted by it. A Tibetan spiritual leader calling names to an Indian leader who sweated most to keep him and his followers safe from Chinese aggression is simply not acceptable. Today, India is home to lakhs of Tibetan refugees who are living in 37 settlements and 70 scattered communities across different states of India,” APCC vice-president Minkir Lollen said in a statement on Sunday.
    “Dalai Lama may have forgotten that India provided a beam of light and hope to Tibetans remaining in Chinese-dominated Tibet and in the neighbouring Chinese provinces politically cut off from the Tibetan heart land. All these happened only because India has great leaders like Gandhi and Nehru who took the responsibility of social burden to shelter thousands of persecuted Tibetans then in 1959,” Lollen added.
    Minkir said Dalai Lama should know that a spiritual leader like him is shouldering great expectation, hope and trust of millions on record and the same are watching his contribution towards the mankind.
    “In such circumstances, Dalai Lama should abstain from imparting partial and controversial information to the students who are the torch bearer of the nation,” the Congress said.
    Further stating that the statement of the spiritual leader could be a politically motivated one and made with an effort to approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi for survival of his continuation in the country, the Congress said Dalai Lama being a foreigner should shun and refrain from interfering in the internal as well as external affairs of India.
    https://nenow.in/north-east-news/dalai-lama-should-abstain-from-imparting-controversial-information.html

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.…Instead of turning away people who practise Dorje Shugden, we should be kind to them. Give them logic and wisdom without fear, then in time they give up the ‘wrong’ practice. Actually Shugden practitioners are not doing anything wrong. But hypothetically, if they are, wouldn’t it be more Buddhistic to be accepting? So those who have views against Dorje Shugden should contemplate this. Those practicing Dorje Shugden should forbear with extreme patience, fortitude and keep your commitments. The time will come as predicted that Dorje Shugden’s practice and it’s terrific quick benefits will be embraced by the world and it will be a practice of many beings.

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