Lobsang Wangyal proudly brandishes his Indian passport, which will allow him to vote in the upcoming Indian elections. As more Tibetans gain Indian citizenship, the Tibetan leadership’s control over their lives will begin to wane.

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

By: Jangchup Wangmo

One of the most difficult aspects of life as a refugee must surely be the uncertainty that accompanies such an existence. This uncertainty reflects a lack of control over one’s life – where do I live? How will I get money? What work can I do? Who will take me in? Where will I raise my kids? Hence in most refugee communities around the world, the predominant trait that drives the life of a refugee is the determination, willingness and desire to get out of such a state.

When the Tibetan community is analyzed, it is very difficult for any honest individual to classify the community as refugees. As a result of 60 years of publicity and awareness-raising, and thanks to the reputation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan exile community is one of the most famous and most wealthy so-called refugee communities around the world.

The Tibetan Parliament in Exile in Dharamsala, North India. The men and women who occupy this building often have more than one passport, and own properties in other countries. The Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay, for example, owns a home in the United States with a fully-paid mortgage. Is it any wonder the leadership want their people to stay as refugees in the eyes of the world, when it has been such a lucrative scheme?

A casual visit to any of the Tibetan settlements makes this plainly obvious. The homes are large, some with swimming pools, and in their well-manicured gardens sit large cars. Side by side to these large homes are huge golden temples filled with jewels and offerings, large statues and precious relics, and surrounding the settlements are bountiful farms to produce food for the world’s wealthiest refugees. This is in stark contrast to the hundreds of millions of Indians all around them, who struggle to get enough to eat every day.

Tibetans Today

But it is precisely this situation that the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) are reluctant to leave behind, and precisely why after 60 years the CTA (the Tibetan leadership based in Dharamsala) continue to falsely refer to themselves as refugees. This life of luxury and wealth, which is not seen in any other refugee community in the world, has been funded for six decades by many countries who wanted to help them preserve their religion and unique way of life. But here are some points everyone needs to seriously consider:

• After so many years of financial and moral support, how can anyone still be a refugee? How can anyone be happy to call themselves a refugee after six decades of exploiting other people’s goodwill towards them? Perhaps 30 or 40 years ago, it would have been easy to believe the CTA kept their people as refugees and refused to allow them to become citizens of other countries because they wanted to keep alive the hope of returning to their homeland. But after so many years and so little progress on the Tibetan cause, how can the CTA continue to justify enforcing the refugee mentality on their people, instead of helping them put down roots and improve their lives?
• Today, there is definitely nothing about the Tibetan community that is actually refugee-like. Of the approximately 150,000 exiled Tibetans, a large group of them have naturalized into the USA, Europe and Australia as citizens. The remainder who live in India languish in a state of limbo – not wealthy enough to go to Western countries to seek refuge, they are also not Indian enough to access all the rights and privileges afforded to Indian citizens. What’s more, if they try to, their own Tibetan leadership sabotages their efforts to improve their lives.

A home for retired staff from the Tibetan leadership. Most Indians can only dream of living in such a home. What other supposedly besieged refugee community in the world provides such comfortable living quarters for their staff?

• History has shown that the CTA keeps the Tibetans as refugees because it serves their own interests. In their corruptness, they became spoiled from the funding they received for free from many generous, well-meaning nations who believed their refugee sales pitch. The evidence of this? The fact that as of 2012, the CTA has received over US$2bil in funding but the settlements, while wealthier than many other refugee communities, certainly do not reflect US$2bil worth of investment. There have been accusations from long-term Tibet supporters of financial mismanagement and wasteful aid and spending.
• It is clear that the CTA fields the refugee card because it denotes poverty, separation, disease, insecurity, torture, hunger, sickness and human rights abuses. The refugee card is an easy way to tell the public, without requiring much explanation, exactly why they should give their hard-earned money to the Tibetan leadership. Tibetans however, do not fit into any of these categories because they do not face any of these problems, unlike other refugees. Tibetans have schools, hospitals, shops, restaurants, businesses, and can send their children to Western countries to further their education. They have huge tracts of land, own hotels, operate tour agencies, hire and rent cars and buses. Do the refugees of Syria, for example, all have that?

Playing the refugee card has been a lucrative business for the Tibetan leadership. This is Dharamsala in North India, where the Tibetan leadership is based. This is not how most people would imagine refugees to be living.

• Their actions indicate that the CTA thinks fielding the refugee card works in their favor. Once they stop being identified as refugees, and once they become citizens of any country, their Free Money Tap is switched off and the flow of easy cash into their pockets will dry up. So it is not that the CTA actually cares about their people’s welfare or the preservation of the Tibetan culture. In actuality, it would be more accurate to say that the CTA is afraid of their people naturalizing into any nation because when the number of refugees shrink, it will reduce their opportunities to exploit their people’s situation, in order to line their own pockets with more money.

Everyone Is Not Created Equal

The CTA’s reluctance for their people to take on citizenship from other countries would be easier to bear if they were reluctant towards all citizenships, but this is not the case. Shockingly, the CTA continues to have double standards towards who can naturalize as a citizen and who may not. In essence:

• The Tibetan leadership appears to be practicing race-based politics. Tibetans who wish to naturalize as American, European or Australian citizens are encouraged; Tibetans who have no way of getting to those countries and instead seek to become Indian citizens, are lambasted and accused of being traitors to Tibet. In fact, the CTA intentionally creates obstacles and difficulties for Tibetans who wish to seek Indian citizenship, but they create no such obstacles for those hoping to get to the US, Europe or Australia.

This Tibetan man carries both his green Tibetan tax book (which allows him to vote in Tibetan elections) and his American passport. As time goes on, and as more exiled Tibetans leave the Tibetan settlements for other countries, the Tibetan leadership’s control over their people will wane as Tibetans get a taste of real freedom outside the purview of their leadership.

• What this highlights is the Tibetan leadership’s racist belief that it is good to be American, European and Australian, but it is bad to be Indian. And what is shocking about that is the fact that India, out of all the nations in the world, has been the kindest to the Tibetans, being the very first to take them in as refugees in 1959. Without India’s kindness, the Tibetan community would not have had safe haven when they fled into exile; without India’s kindness, the Tibetan community would not even exist today.
• How come Tibetan-Americans are considered Tibetan and they are not accused of abandoning the Tibetan cause, but Tibetan-Indians are insulted as traitors to Tibet? Why does the CTA consider Tibetan-Indians to be less “Tibetan” than Tibetan-Americans? The simple reason for this disparity is that the CTA considers Tibetan-Indians to be less desirable than Tibetan-Americans.

As the old adage goes, beggars cannot be choosers and if they were real refugees, would the CTA really care who their people gained citizenship from, as long as their people received refuge and a safe place to live and raise their kids?

And although the Tibetan leadership have been insulting India as a second-rate option for citizenship, the Indian government continues to be kind to the Tibetan community. After 60 years of generosity, the Indian government are still making it easier and easier for Tibetans to become Indians. Understanding that not all Tibetans can go to Western countries to improve their lives, but that Tibetans in India deserve opportunities too, India has been making it possible for more Tibetans to receive Indian citizenship, and therefore improving their access to greater employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.

What It All Boils Down To

It is therefore a good thing that Tibetans will be participating in the upcoming Himachal Pradesh elections, and getting more involved in Indian affairs. The fact is that India has been very kind to the Tibetans and it is time for Tibetans to contribute to India through their votes. Of course the Tibetan leadership will not be happy with this and would prefer to keep their people in an insular state of blissful ignorance, focused only on Tibetan affairs. To allow their people to become aware of the workings of the wider world, is to broaden their people’s opportunities beyond the control of the leadership.

At the end of the day, it is not whether someone is Tibetan-American or Tibetan-European or Tibetan-Indian. What it really boils down to is that the Tibetan leadership are motivated by money and power, and by keeping their people as refugees, they have access to an easy income stream from the donations people funnel to Tibetan refugees. When Tibetans start becoming Indians, when they start participating in local elections and when they identify with the laws and activities of their host nations, the CTA loses control because now, their people have options. And what these options really translate to is the option not to listen to the CTA because if the Tibetan leadership is too oppressive in the future, the Tibetans now have another citizenship to fall back on.

Hence losing their refugee status which they use to get money basically means the CTA falling flat on their faces; without their refugee status, they have no money and without their refugee status, they have no Tibetans to control. What we are witnessing is, in effect, the beginning of the end of the CTA as more and more Tibetans wake up to the abuse and exploitation they have suffered under their leadership for the last 60 years.

Tibetans excited about voting in
Himachal Pradesh polls but exiles voice worries

Click to read the full report

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

By: Tsering Bruckman

In an unprecedented move back in 2005, the Nepali authorities shut down two key offices associated with the Dalai Lama in the country’s capital city, Kathmandu. It was a decision that the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA; Tibetan leadership) did not expect and it came as a shock to them. When both the Office of the Dalai Lama’s Representative and the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office were closed, it caused a huge setback for Tibetans trying to cross over to India. Both offices had been informally used as reception centers for Tibetan refugees arriving from Tibet, but neither had been sanctioned to operate. For many years, Nepali authorities had closed one eye to their activities, allowing them to continue until finally, they received some impetus to shut down the operations. It was a decision that presented a hindrance for the CTA, who had already been making futile attempts to maintain a presence in a country that does not recognize their authority.

Ex-Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba, reiterated Nepal’s pro-China stance in November 2016. It is clear that Nepal has not changed its stance towards the Tibetans over the years.

Although the reason cited was that both offices had not registered their activities under Nepali law, it was obvious to everyone that Nepal’s real reason for their closure was a desire for a closer relationship with China. To many people in Nepal, the decision was a no-brainer. For a country of Nepal’s size and limited economic prospects, it was logical for them to align with their gigantic neighbor, who would be able to offer them opportunities and the potential to better their country. China would be able to invest in infrastructure, creating jobs for local Nepalis, and a closer relationship would invariably encourage Chinese tourists to visit Nepal, thus creating an influx of much-needed foreign currency. By comparison, a better relationship with the CTA would not result in anything anywhere near as beneficial or attractive for the Nepalis.

For over 60 years now, Tibetan refugees have streamed into Nepal as they leave the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Some go on to India and the many Tibetan settlements there, but many remain in Nepal. For those who stayed in Nepal, the majority of them made use of the country’s thriving tourist industry to create a livelihood for themselves but being undocumented and refugees, they never paid taxes. Instead, they retained every penny they earned and channeled these towards their own personal projects and large Buddhist monasteries where even more financial assistance could be received from faithful pilgrims making copious offerings. This was something that many local Nepalis were very upset about and in fact, 11 years later, their complaints would be proven valid when a close associate of the Dalai Lama was caught up in a money laundering scandal. Phakchok Rinpoche was accused of using the 2015 Nepal earthquake to raise funds for victims, but never actually transferring the funds to them. It resulted in the Nepali authorities seizing NPR15 crores (approx. US$1.4mil) from his bank accounts.

So the government had to do something to address rising tensions between the Tibetans and Nepalis, with local Nepalis accusing the Tibetans of taking advantage and not giving anything back to the country. The decision they made was to close the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office in Kathmandu, which previously furnished new refugees with paperwork to stay in Nepal or go to India. Since then, Nepal has also tightened its borders and as a result, without Nepal as a way-station, there has been a dramatic decline in the number of new arrivals from Tibet. Tibetans wishing to enter into exile have been forced to leave Tibet via another country.

Because the Nepali government recognizes that Tibet is a part of China, the country has in general taken an increasingly hardline approach towards Tibetan refugees. The authorities have clamped down on Tibetans protesting against China, or any other form of anti-China activity on its sovereign soil; annual March 10 independence protests for example, have had to take place without permits and have been met with a heavy police presence. In short, because Nepal (like many other countries) wants to be friends with China, it does not bode well for the Tibetan leadership. And Nepal is not alone in their desire to form a closer relationship with China. Theirs is part of a growing trend, mirrored by countries all over the world, who now consider it bad to be seen with the Tibetan leadership in light of China’s growing economic and political power.

It is clear that the Tibetan leadership are being rejected on political and economic grounds, and at the same time many ordinary Tibetans are now also rejecting the leadership for taking advantage of their people for financial gain and nothing more. From anger over the leadership blocking Tibetans from becoming Indian citizens, double standards, allegations of murder, corruption and financial mismanagement, forced conversions with the Kagyu tradition or the divisive and at times violent ban on Dorje Shugden, the Tibetan leadership are now being rejected by their own people. As their influence wanes due to their ineffectiveness, how long will it be before the Tibetan leadership falls into irrelevance?

Nepal closes Dalai Lama’s office in Kathmandu

Click to read the full report. (Source: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=8923)

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• It’s Bad to Be Seen With Tibetan Leaders
• Tibetans rejected by Bhutan
• Tibetans rejected by Sweden
• Tibetans rejected by Italy
• Switzerland is on China’s side
• Mongolia Bans the Dalai Lama
• Give up the Tibetan cause, get an Indian passport
• Pope Francis snubs the Dalai Lama – 2014
• Switzerland insists Tibetans are Chinese
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• Tibetans rejected by Pakistan

Pakistan has expressed their outright support for China on all matters, including Tibet, and there is very little chance of them changing their minds.

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

By: Kay Beswick

There is more disappointing news for the Sikyong Lobsang Sangye as he embarks on yet another tour of America to curry favor with the West and raise funds supposedly for the Tibetan community, but in actuality for his own financial gain. In recent times, there has been a growing body of criticism about the Sikyong’s frequent travels, and how little time he spends in Dharamsala dealing with the issues of his people.

A comment left by a former Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) employee explaining that Sikyong Lobsang Sangye’s reasons for traveling are not benign and altruistic, but self-serving and nefarious. Click to enlarge.

One also cannot help but wonder if this trip is some form of damage control as the Tibetan leadership’s reputation is increasingly left in tatters. As the Sikyong departs for the United States, he leaves behind an exiled community in India who are more isolated than ever as yet another country with a potential border claim to Tibet has rejected the Tibetans.

Pakistan, whose disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir borders with historical Tibet, recently announced that China has their full support on many critical issues, including the Tibetan one. President Mamnoon Hussain, the leader of the Pakistan nation, was full of praise for the Chinese leadership for their role in peacekeeping and stability efforts in countries like Afghanistan.

Thus it would seem that in the region, the number of allies that Tibet can count on is rapidly declining, as the people and governments who support them dwindle both in number and in financial contributions. There is in all likelihood no hope for the Tibetans on Pakistan reversing their decision since they are a staunchly Muslim state who are not going to be charmed by an association with the Dalai Lama or swayed by the romanticized concept of Shangri-la.

The salient points to consider are these:

• People are clearer in their rejection of the Tibetans, than they are in support of. A nuclear power has openly declared that they will have nothing to do with the Tibetan issue, and they will support China in it. What other country of such power has so clearly voiced their support for Tibet? In the last 60 years, even Tibet’s biggest supporter, the US (another nuclear power), has not been as clear about their support for Tibet as compared to Pakistan’s outright rejection.
• Within the region, Pakistan’s role in anti-terror activities is crucial. What country will risk Pakistan’s lack of cooperation on anti-terrorism, a topic that creates universal concern, by pressing for the Tibetan agenda which is minor in comparison? For the rest of the world, China is their economic darling, for their potential as a trading partner and cash cow. And for Pakistan, governments are far more invested in keeping peace and stability in Pakistan than in pushing for them to support the Tibetan cause.
• For Pakistan, having China on their side helps strengthen their claims against a common objective i.e. India who themselves are fast realizing that they have very little to gain from Tibetan presence in their country. It has even reached a stage where Tibetan citizens hoping to becoming India are being told to give up their Tibetan refugee papers. To compound this, a recent article penned by an Indian Member of Parliament questioned why the Dalai Lama does nothing to help with the many domestic conflicts and upheavals that are troubling the country.
• And for Pakistan, they are not making this decision based on religion or human rights, but purely based on politics and economics. For that reason, there is very little the Tibetans will be able to do to persuade Pakistan not to support an emboldened China on the Tibetan issue, because talk of Buddhism and the Dalai Lama as an international man of peace will not appeal to them. For Pakistan, it is purely about maximizing their economic and political gain in the region, to provide for their population, and there is nothing the Tibetans can offer to replace whatever benefits Pakistan might experience from a positive relationship with China.

As the Tibetan leadership’s pool of international supporters dwindles, internally they continue to perpetuate schism and divisions amongst their own people, for example by interfering in the recognition process of the Karmapas or by directing violence and vulgarities towards Dorje Shugden practitioners. Other leaderships who are logical and facing so much external opposition would ordinarily regroup, and discuss how to encourage harmony and unity amongst their people since there is strength in numbers. But it seems Lobsang Sangye has a bigger preoccupation with raising funds than with the welfare of his people, starting with the senseless loss of lives through self-immolations.

So is there any surprise that the Tibetan leadership is finding less support for themselves, when they do not even support their own people?

This article is not to comment on Indo-Pakistani politics but to highlight that yet another country, regardless of their political leanings, has rejected the Tibetans. As predicted, more and more nations are making plain their lack of support for the Tibetans. If things continue on its current downward spiral, it looks like Sikyong Lobsang Sangye will have to travel more often to placate and charm new sponsors, since fewer people and nations are willing to open their wallets and borders to the Tibetan exiled community. And upon analysis of the greater picture, maybe it is about time too, because 60 years of exploiting their sponsors as well as their host India is really 60 years too much.

Pakistan supports China’s stance on Tibet: President Mamnoon

Click to enlarge. Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1351540

Related articles:

• Australian PM has no plans to meet Dalai Lama 2017
• Switzerland rejects the Tibetans again
• It’s Bad to Be Seen With Tibetan Leaders
• Tibetans rejected by Bhutan
• Tibetans rejected by Nepal
• Tibetans rejected by Sweden
• Tibetans rejected by Italy
• Switzerland is on China’s side
• Mongolia Bans the Dalai Lama
• Give up the Tibetan cause, get an Indian passport
• Pope Francis snubs the Dalai Lama – 2014
• Switzerland insists Tibetans are Chinese
• Dalai Lama Rejected from Taiwan
• No South African visa for the Dalai Lama

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

By: Solaray Kusco

Below are two articles received reviewing the Tibetan leadership’s stance towards applying for Indian citizenship.

In a scathing review of the Tibetan leadership’s latest actions, Mila Rangzen has recounted the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) recent policies towards the news that Tibetans born between 1959 to 1987 will be able to gain Indian citizenship. Of particular concern for him were the struggles ordinary Tibetans will face to get citizenship, and the double standards that exist.

For many people who do not have intimate knowledge of life in the Tibetan settlements under the Tibetan leadership, Mila Rangzen’s account will indeed be an eye-opener. His writings come from the point-of-view of a Tibetan who does not appear to have any allegiances to any religion that he can be accused of bias, who does not have any associations that risk him being accused of being Chinese, and who appears only to be interested in the welfare of his people.

In addition to the points that Mila Rangzen has raised, it is important for people to remember this:

1. When ordinary Tibetans have gained Indian citizenship, they will no longer rely on the CTA for anything, just like Tibetan-Americans, Tibetan-Canadians, etc.

• So if the Tibetan-Indians have legal disputes, they will deal with the Indian authorities. If they need to renew their passports, they can liaise directly with the Indian leadership. If they need to buy land, it will be done under Indian law. Everything will be done according to Indian law. Tibetan-Indians will deal with Indian authorities, not with the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA, based in Dharamsala).
• It is the same as Tibetans who become Americans, Canadians, Swiss, etc. who no longer rely on the CTA for anything, and are thus no longer beholden to any of their diktats and policies.
• Thus when Tibetans gain Indian citizenship, there will be an end to the current procedure of Tibetans going to their leadership first to get approvals for anything they wish to do. As a result, the Tibetan leadership will no longer function as the gatekeeper between ordinary Tibetans and the Indian authorities. And because Dharamsala no longer functions as a gatekeeper, the major reason for their existence will be gone.
• Obviously this is an eventuality that frightens the Tibetan leadership because their method of governance has been one based on control. Controlling their people’s access to services and their movements has been a financially lucrative operation for a corrupt leadership occupied by people open to bribes and embezzling. Once the CTA no longer controls these Tibetans, it will be a loss of revenue because Tibetans do not have to bribe them to get anything done anymore. The Tibetans will not have to pay their Tibetan taxes, or for fast-tracking their visa applications to travel to the West.

2. Mila Rangzen raised the issue of the CTA being invested in keeping their people poor

• This aspect of control and subjugation is important, because with the settlements full of poor people, the Tibetan leadership can parade their situation to the West to garner sympathy and money for the ‘poor’ and ‘suffering’ Tibetans. But actually, it is for the CTA to keep the money and use as they like.
• So instead of encouraging their citizens’ upward mobility, they find it in their interests to keep them suppressed.
• This explains why the millions of dollars that has been pumped into the Tibetan settlements over the last 60 years has not borne much results. In fact, it was only recently they opened their first public library, and even then it was through the efforts of a private citizen to establish it. And the betterment, big buildings, golden temples, schools, halls and restaurants in the Tibetan settlements were not built with the help of the CTA but from overseas Tibetans and foreign friends donating privately. The CTA did not contribute to those.

3. The CTA has a “divide and conquer” mentality even with their own people

• It should be illegal that the CTA are kicking people out of Tibetan settlements just because they want to better their lives by becoming Indian citizens.
• That is saying “if you want to be Indian, there will be consequences” but what is so bad about becoming Indian that you need to be punished for it?
• What they are enforcing on Tibetans who wish to become Indian citizens is the same as what they did to Dorje Shugden people, by forcing them to split apart. If they are separated, they will have less ability and resources to assemble and protest (it takes more effort to gather people).
• The real question is, are Tibetans who just want to make a better life for themselves the real enemy here? Do they deserve to be vilified?

4. Another issue that Mila Rangzen’s article raised was that of double standards.

• Why did Lobsang Wangyal have to fight for citizenship, while others like Gyari Dolma were able to buy 20 years ago? Because they have money and Lobsang Wangyal does not.
• Why did Tibetan leadership stay silent when one of their citizens went to court to fight for his rights? It is because the leaders do not want to draw attention to themselves as having another citizenship / being in a privileged position. They have to appear humble and in service to the Tibetan people, although this is not the case. Another leadership that does this is in North Korea where leaders present an image of humble living to their people so the community does not suspect inequality, hypocrisy and double standards, and rally to rise up against them.
• Why did Lobsang Wangyal have to use his own personal funds for fight for the rights of the whole community, when the Tibetan leadership should have stepped in and said or done something to help him? One private citizen fought to set a precedence for his whole community, but it should have been the leadership’s responsibility to do this.

5. Racism and double standards. Anything Western and European is acceptable because of money, and the Tibetan leadership are deathly afraid of doing anything to upset the West because they are a source of money. Simultaneously, anything Indian is trampled upon.

• That is why US, Australian, Canadian, Swiss citizenships are coveted. There are no consequences to getting passports from the West. You will not get kicked out of the settlements if you have a Western passport, but you will be if you have an Indian one. You will not be stigmatized if you have a Western passport, but you will be if you have an Indian one.
• That is why Tibetan leaders continue to reap CTA benefits despite being Canadians, Australians, Americans, etc. And Tibetan-Americans, Tibetan Canadians, etc. will never have anything said against them because:
  • They can complain to their respective Western governments who will question the CTA about what is going on, and possibly withhold funding
  • If they push these Tibetan-American, Tibetan-Australian, etc. people too far, they will just throw up their hands and devolve themselves of all connections with the CTA (and the CTA thus has even less control)
• But the only reason you can get those types of coveted citizenships is because you have money to get there. If you do not, you will have to “settle” for an Indian citizenship.
• Even still, the Tibetans will face problems getting an Indian citizenship, thanks to their own Tibetan exile government setting up so many obstacles.
• So the question is – why is it Tibetan leaders can have it easy, but the common Tibetan has to suffer?
• On top of that, Tibetans are rude to class/treat their hosts as a second rate option in terms of citizenship and even marriage.

Conclusion

1. Ultimately, the CTA’s motivation is very clear: money, control and power. When will they ever learn their lesson to put their citizens first, and self-interests second? Their self-serving ways have not brought them much success over the last 60 years, so is it not time to try a new and different method?
2. Despite being elected officials, their behaviour is clearly motivated by spite, both for their own people and their host country. They wish to spite their people by ensuring they remain poor, defenceless and stateless refugees, and they wish to spite India for being kind to their people by blocking any Indian government attempts to help the Tibetans in India. So in reality, the Tibetan people should be upset about the CTA using their people, keeping them down to get free money that they then use to hurt their own community.
3. The CTA are also creating many obstacles to the high lamas and good lamas who suffer as a result of the Tibetan leadership creating obstacles for them to disseminate the Dharma. The Tibetan leadership will be the death of the Dharma every time they stop Tibetan lamas from getting out of the country to teach and turn the wheel of Dharma.

Is Indian citizenship for Tibetans a threat to the Tibetan cause?

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Source: https://www.tibetsun.com/opinions/2017/08/07/is-indian-citizenship-for-tibetans-a-threat-to-the-tibetan-cause

Tibetan leadership refuses to allow Tibetans to get Indian passport

In a bold and daring move, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) also known as the Kashag, have effectively blocked Tibetans in exile from becoming Indian citizens. A memo issued on July 5, 2017, which was circulated to CTA offices in Tibetan settlements in India, saw the Kashag ordering that Tibetans seeking Indian citizenship are not to be issued No Objection Certificates (NOC), a document necessary in the naturalization process. This move however creates two huge political fall-outs:

1. The Kashag violated its own charter, which states a Tibetan can seek the citizenship of any other country while at the same time retaining their Tibetan nationality.
2. It is a slap in the face of India’s hospitality, host country to the Tibetans, who made it legal for Tibetans in India to become Indian citizens if they wish.

At this point, one could ask who actually gives the Tibetan leadership the authority to impose these rules on Tibetans living in India? It is quite simple, it is the Indian government. Without the Indian government, the Identity Certification (Yellow Book) issued to all Tibetan refugees has no power. So it is especially galling that when the Indian leadership says it is okay to give Tibetans citizenship, the Tibetan leadership steps in to say it is not even though they have no power to do so. Why does the mouse try and tell the lion what is acceptable and not acceptable?

So it is important to realize that the CTA’s authority is dependent on the Indian government and on their own, they have no power or influence, just like how paper money is worthless without gold reserves to back it up. It is this same Indian government who is now offering Tibetans citizenship and are in effect threatening the CTA’s hold on their people. As people begin recognizing the benefits of being Indian, they will want to take up citizenship, come under Indian governance (instead of Tibetan) and thus effectively end the CTA who will no longer have anyone to govern.

And of course, as per Tibetan government modus operandi, there has been no further response from the leadership about this when questioned. Instead they have blamed the media for creating problems and refused to be interviewed to clarify matters for the public. And while the media are asking questions in their pursuit of the truth, if they are not careful, they will be shut down just like the Mangtso newspaper was for publishing views that contradicted the Tibetan leadership’s.

What the Kashag have said is that that Tibetan youth should not just think of the short-term benefits of becoming Indian citizens, but of their Tibetan identity. It is their way of discouraging the Tibetan youth from becoming Indian citizens, by emotionally blackmailing them from not taking up an Indian passport. For the most part, the Kashag have been successful and some young Tibetans are insisting that you cannot be Tibetan if you hold an Indian passport. But this is extremely hypocritical since top CTA officials like Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, Dhardon Sharling, and Gyari Dolma are themselves citizens of other countries. What is more, they have lived at least 20-30 years this way; the Tibetan youth have lived as Tibetan refugees THEIR WHOLE LIVES so who is more Tibetan now? So if Tibetanness is measured by the passport one carries, and Tibetanness is the basis of someone being qualified to have an opinion or to lead the community, then by that logic the Tibetan leadership are the least qualified to do anything. Why are they not forced to think about their Tibetan identity and give up their foreign citizenship, unlike other people who want to get an Indian citizenship? These questions raise some interesting and noteworthy points to remember:

• India gives Tibetans the opportunity to become Indian citizens because they have realized giving Tibetans refugee status is worthless. As refugees, they do not help India but as citizens, they will be forced to contribute as members of Indian society. At the same time India needs to retain her humanitarian image and will not be able to revoke their refugee status or kick them out of the country without some kind of public relations nightmare.
• If India allows Tibetans to become Indians, the CTA are silenced because they cannot be seen denying their people the citizenship and rights accorded to Indian nationals.
• The Tibetans will no longer be an issue of contention between China and India if they become Indian nationals. When Tibetans become Indians, they are no longer ruled by the CTA but by the Indian government. This means China cannot criticize them because they are now Indian citizens. India can simply inform China not to interfere in the affairs of another country. Previously China would have felt they had basis to comment because China classed the Tibetans as Chinese citizens.
• Western powers will no longer give the Tibetans money and funding as they will no longer be refugees but citizens of a democratic country. Why do citizens need financial support from external parties, when they have a legitimate government to petition for assistance? As a result, the CTA will lose their source of funding from sympathetic Western governments and private donors.
• India cannot expel the Tibetans from their country because the Dalai Lama is extremely respected both in India and around the world. But the Indian government can encourage Tibetans to become Indian citizens instead, thereby removing their basis to complain about their refugee status or use their status as an excuse to cause trouble. This will mean that when His Holiness the Dalai Lama passes away and Tibetans want to riot, they can be easily controlled because they are Indians now and not Tibetans, and thus beholden to Indian law. India granting Tibetans this opportunity to become its citizens can therefore be seen as preparation for the passing of the Dalai Lama and for preventing any ensuing violence that may arise as a result of his passing.

All in all, India has been extremely benevolent and patient towards Tibetans for 60 years. Still, it is no surprise that they are doing this because they need to look out for their own country as well, and it is simply not pragmatic to risk the welfare of over 1 billion people for the complaints of 150,000 exiled Tibetans. So if the CTA keeps moving to block the Tibetans from gaining what is rightfully theirs, the Tibetan leadership might just very well find themselves under more pressure. Growing frustration on India’s part may mean that when it comes to the Tibetans, if the leadership complains too much or make things too difficult, the Indian leadership may just respond by making it even easier for Tibetans to become Indians, and thus drastically speeding up the inevitable – the demise of the CTA.

In violation of Charter, Kashag impedes issuing of passports to Tibetans

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Source: https://www.tibetsun.com/news/2017/08/03/in-violation-of-charter-kashag-impedes-issuing-of-passports-to-tibetans

Sweden no longer accepts the Tibetan Identity Certificate, also known as the Yellow Book, as a valid travel document.

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

By: Ashok Rao

In a move that is beginning to be mirrored by many others, Sweden announced in June 2016 that it no longer accepts the Tibetan Yellow Book as a valid travel document. This document, officially known as an Identity Certificate (IC), issued by the government of India, classifies its holder as both a Tibetan refugee and a protectorate of India. It is this document that Tibetans travelling abroad use to entreat foreign countries to allow them to enter. This move by Sweden has sent reverberations throughout the Tibetan community in exile and indicates a global shift within international politics.

With a population of over 100 Tibetan refugees living in the country, Sweden has become weary of refugees, especially due to the situation in Europe and the Middle East which has seen a marked increase in the number of those seeking refuge in more developed countries. For this reason Sweden issued an official announcement that it would no longer accept the IC travel document in its processes allowing Tibetans to enter its borders. Tibetans wishing to enter Sweden will have to bear the identity documentation of an actual nation, like India or China. This means that Sweden no longer wants Tibetans to enter their country as Tibetans and as refugees; in effect, Sweden no longer recognizes the existence of a status such as “Tibetan refugee”.

An infographic used to announce that Sweden no longer accepts the Yellow Book as a valid form of identification that can be used during the visa application process.

One would assume that Sweden somehow would not have the right to turn down the Tibetan IC as a valid travel document, but in actuality this is not the case. Legally speaking, the Yellow Book has little weight outside of India’s borders and it is the discretion of any country whether they wish to accept it as a valid form of identification. The fact that Sweden can reject the Yellow Book harks back to the fact that India itself does not have a clear policy when it comes to refugees. India is not a signatory of the Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, or the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, all of which are international programmes that protect the rights of refugees, including their freedom to travel.

Since India does not belong to any of the above, the IC granted to Tibetans in exile does not have weight outside of its own borders, and legally does not need to be recognized as refugee travel documents. In this case, Sweden has simply exercised its legal rights to stop accepting the Tibetan IC as a valid travel document. Hence, no other nation state has challenged Sweden over its actions because they have no legal basis to do so. Certainly, aside from protesting Sweden’s actions, the Tibetan leadership can do very little to protect their people’s ability to visit Sweden.

The fact is that Sweden and other countries that have so far allowed Tibetans to enter their borders have done so out of kindness, and not legal obligation. Now, however, it seems the tide is turning, and many countries no longer want someone who identifies as ‘Tibetan’ within their borders. Tibetans can still enter their countries, just not as Tibetan ‘citizens’ or refugees. But this begs the question, why is it that they have implemented this change now?

One could argue that Sweden is simply reacting to events in Europe, with an increased number of those seeking refuge coming from all over the world. The number of refugees means resources allocated to the refugees are being stretched thin, and there is a strain on relationships between the host countries’ citizens and their newly-arrived guests. When Sweden’s actions are examined on a global scale however, it is quite clear that there is a political shift away from supporting Tibetans. This is evident by the number of countries who are surely but steadily distancing themselves from the Tibetans and their leadership, in favor of aligning themselves with China. It is a global trend that looks bleak for the Tibetan leadership indeed.

On the one hand there is this political distancing from the Tibetans and their leadership and on the other hand, many ordinary Tibetans, Tibetan Buddhists or Tibet enthusiasts from all around the world are waking up to the fact that the Tibetan leadership have done nothing but take advantage of their position and mismanaged their people. From the ban on Dorje Shugden, the unequal treatment of the Jonangpas, or their silence over forced conversions in the Kagyu school, the leadership have magnificently displayed their inability to govern and their blunderous mistakes. As their true colours are laid bare, they can do nothing but hide behind the skirts of their previous saviour, India.

However, India as the government who issues the Tibetan IC remains strangely silent on these issues. They have also done nothing to strengthen or legitimize the status of the Tibetans as legal refugees in the eyes of other nation states. Instead, India has offered them the choice to become full citizens of India if they give up their Tibetan identity. With so much apathy towards the Tibetans’ ability to travel, and even growing hostility towards their presence, one can only wonder as to the fate Tibetans will face in the years to come.

Sweden Does Not Accept India’s Tibetan Travel Document ‘IC’

Article describing Sweden no longer accepting the Tibetan IC on Tibetan Journal. Click to enlarge.

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Both Italy (top flag) and Switzerland (bottom flag) have rejected the Tibetans, as well as Sweden in a much earlier ruling in June 2016. Which country will the Tibetans next face rejection from? As the years pass by, it becomes increasingly harder for the Tibetans to travel, with fewer and fewer countries willing to risk their economic relationships with China for the sake of the Tibetan community.

By: Kay Beswick

One by one, the world’s nations are dissociating with the Tibetan leadership. On June 28, 2016 Swedish authorities announced a change in regulations, saying that they no longer accepted the Tibetan Identity Certificate as a valid identification document. The Identity Certificate, popularly known as the Yellow Book thanks to its cover, is issued by the Indian government. It identifies the bearer as a Tibetan refugee and protectorate of India, and requests immigration at the traveler’s destination to allow the bearer to enter the country.

This news came as a shock to the Tibetan community because without the Identity Certificate, and without any other identification documentation, they would not be allowed to apply for a visa to enter Sweden. This was swiftly followed by Switzerland’s announcement in July 2016 that they had revised their immigration policy, and that Switzerland no longer recognized “Tibetan” as a valid nationality. The ruling specifically concerned the Yellow Book, which Switzerland also announced would no longer be accepted as a valid identification document. Tibetans in Switzerland were also asked to change their nationality to “Chinese”. With more than 4,000 Tibetans living in Switzerland, they are the largest exile community in Europe so Switzerland’s change in policy was a real blow.

The infographic used by the Voice of America to announce that Sweden no longer accepted the Yellow Book as a valid form of identification that can be used during the visa application process.

Later in the same year, in December 2016, news came that Mongolia had banned the Dalai Lama, after a highly publicized but unpopular visit to the Buddhist nation. And now the latest news is that on May 18, 2017, Italy has followed in Sweden and Switzerland’s footsteps. After the Italian Consulate in Mumbai, India stopped accepting applications from Tibetans for an Italian visa, it was swiftly followed by the consulate in Delhi stopping too. Both consulates had done so upon orders from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome, Italy. Just like Sweden and Switzerland, Italy has stopped accepting the Yellow Book as a valid identity document.

Even India themselves, do not appear to be interested in applying effort to maintain the refugee privileges of carrying a Yellow Book. This is hardly surprising considering India does not benefit in any way for sticking up for the Tibetan Yellow Book. Given the current climate, it seems logical that in order for Tibetans to have unrestricted freedom to travel, the best would be for them to get an Indian passport. Yet, a recent court ruling decreed that any Tibetan who wants an Indian passport, must give up their Yellow Book (i.e. their Tibetan citizenship) because it is illegal in Indian law to have dual citizenship. Tibetans wishing to get an Indian passport must also move out of the Tibetan settlements since they will no longer be considered a refugee.

Lobsang Wangyal, a Tibetan journalist and social entrepreneur, was the first Tibetan to get an Indian passport, having met the requirements set by the Indian government.

If the Yellow Book were that precious, and if the Indian government was that interested in maintaining the Yellow Book, they could have made some sort of exception for the Tibetan refugees to carry both. Yet the Indian government have created a situation whereby, over time and frustrated by their lack of ability to travel, Tibetans will be forced to give up their Tibetan citizenship, carry an Indian passport and assimilate into the general population in India.

And so now we come to this point on the road – Sweden, Switzerland and Italy have stopped recognizing the Yellow Book as valid identification, and India is pressing for Tibetans to give it up.

It is indeed strange that after 30 years, Switzerland and Italy have both suddenly stopped recognizing the Yellow Book’s validity. Both countries have traditionally had a good relationship with Tibetan refugees; as noted, Switzerland has the largest exile community in Europe, while Italy is home to many lamas and masters who have their Buddhist organizations and centres headquartered there. So what changed in the last 30 years that led to this outcome?

The only logical answer is the rise of China, and its ongoing dominance as a global economic and political powerhouse. As an increasing number of countries come to this realization, only time will tell what Tibetans will decide to do. History has shown that nations have not erred on the side of Tibet, preferring instead to work with China for the benefit of their own economies. Indeed the news of Italy rejecting the Yellow Book could not come at a worse time for the Tibetan leadership who now not only have to deal with a fallout with the US, but now with Europe too.

Over in the US, President Donald Trump has slashed the amount of financial aid to the Tibetan leadership to zero. While Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and various other media personalities campaign to reverse this, over in Europe the European Central Bank (ECB) has converted a part of their US dollar reserves to the Chinese yuan. It is a move that economic analysts have said indicates the ECB’s faith in the Chinese economy as well as their dependency on it.

Then at a grassroots level, Chinese citizens continue to gain visa-free travel to an increasing list of countries. Visa-free travel suggests that these nations are very keen to attract Chinese tourists and foreign currency, and they want to make it as easy as possible for the Chinese to visit their countries. In the meantime, Tibetans find that their freedom to travel on the Yellow Book is slowly being eroded, even by India herself. Unlike the Chinese passport which is gaining in value, the Tibetan passport (a.k.a. the Yellow Book) is rapidly declining in value.

After years and years of corruption, money laundering, visa-for-money schemes, double standards, embezzlement, financial mismanagement, wasted foreign aid, suppression of free speech, prejudice against the Jonangpas, silence over the troubles faced by the Kagyus (like the Karmapa issue and the associated violence), abuse of donors’ funds, unethical elections, intimidation of political opponents, as well as rejecting Dorje Shugden practitioners, ostracizing them and violently discriminating against them, it unfortunately appears that the Tibetan leadership’s karma is swiftly catching up. Which country is next? Who will next step up and say they no longer accept “Tibetan” as a valid nationality, and the Yellow Book as a valid identification document? If this trend continues, and if the Tibetan leadership do not wake up soon, it will not be long before they find that they are banging on closed doors which will never open for them ever again.

The Petition Calling for the Italian Government to Accept Tibetan Applicants for Italian Visas

The petition that has been started to pressure the Italian Embassy in Mumbai to reverse their decision. Click to enlarge.

Related articles:

• Australian PM has no plans to meet Dalai Lama 2017
• Switzerland rejects the Tibetans again
• It’s Bad to Be Seen With Tibetan Leaders
• Tibetans rejected by Bhutan
• Tibetans rejected by Nepal
• Tibetans rejected by Pakistan
• Switzerland is on China’s side
• Mongolia Bans the Dalai Lama
• Give up the Tibetan cause, get an Indian passport
• Pope Francis snubs the Dalai Lama – 2014
• Switzerland insists Tibetans are Chinese
• Dalai Lama Rejected from Taiwan
• Tibetans rejected by Sweden
• No South African visa for the Dalai Lama