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Penpa Tsering Vs Lobsang Sangay Case in Tibetan Court (Breaking News)

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31 July 2018

Wherever Lobsang Sangay has turned up for public engagements, he has been greeted with protestors who are unhappy with the corruption exhibited by the Tibetan leadership.

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

It has been a trying few months for the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Sikyong Lobsang Sangay. Since he trounced political rival Penpa Tsering in the 2016 Sikyong elections, nothing has gone right for him. Post-election tensions ran high between the former candidates so to pacify him, Penpa Tsering was given the consolation post of North America’ donjo (the Dalai Lama’s representative). This position is highly coveted amongst the upper echelons of the Tibetan leadership because it comes with wealth and privilege, thanks to plentiful opportunities to meet liberal American sponsors and donors.

However, in November 2017, after Sangay’s sudden and unexplained dismissal of Penpa Tsering from the donjo post, his ratings took a real nosedive and have not recovered since. Things continued to go from bad to worse as nearly one hundred Tibetans, calling themselves the “Truth Seeking Volunteers”, have been protesting Sangay wherever in the world he has travelled to.

Most recently, they camped outside the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile for ten days (March 14^th to 24^th), protesting against Sangay while the Parliament inside debated about the Penpa Tsering issue, although they were supposed to be discussing budgetary concerns. The protestors’ demands include greater clarification regarding Penpa Tsering’s dismissal, as well as an explanation for the US$1.5mil which went missing from the Tibet Fund and appears to have been mis-accounted for at best, and embezzled at worst.

It was not until the tenth day that 14 members of parliament met with representatives of the protestors, appearing in their personal capacity to listen to the concerns of their constituents. The fact that the target of the protests, Sangay himself, refused to meet with anyone is a clear indication that he would rather attend to more financially lucrative endeavors, and he has no interest in resolving issues that actually concern those who voted him into power. Not only did Sangay snub his constituents but he added salt to the wound when he haughtily challenged them to take him to court if they were unsatisfied with the Cabinet’s decisions.

Sangay’s behavior confirms the opposition’s claims that he does not behave like a democratically-elected leader of the people, but is more akin to an arrogant, self-serving dictator who sees no need to be answerable to the electorate. Hence, due to Sangay’s ego, he is willing to waste even more Tibetan taxpayers’ money and time in fighting his own Tibetan people in court. Has he not done enough damage already with his other divisive policies like the ban on Dorje Shugden, and his refusal to given equal parliamentary representation to the Jonangpas?

One of the nine hunger strikers of the followers of the Jonang sect. They are outside the CTA’s (Tibetan Parliament) office in Dharamsala demanding for the discrimination against their sect to end. The CTA or Central Tibetan Administration are well known for their corrupt and unjust ways of handling their people. The Jonang sect was banned in Tibet by the 5th Dalai Lama for over 400 years until recently. Now they want representatives in the Tibetan Parliament which is not allowed to them. The same discrimination and much more is also targeted against Dorje Shugden followers.

Would it not just cost less for Sangay to answer his people’s questions face-to-face, or is honesty really that difficult for him? This kind of typical behavior from the Tibetan leadership shows Sangay’s lack of foresight and care for the CTA’s image as a whole. As it is, the Tibetans in exile are facing more challenges than ever before, with their main sponsor and host country India dumping them in favor of relations with China. Yet, instead of uniting the Tibetan people, Sangay chooses to divide them further by challenging his own people to sue him. Does he not think something like this will reflect badly on the Tibetans, not to mention the Dalai Lama, when everyone sees Tibetans fighting one another so publicly, forever airing their dirty laundry?

Now we see the truth about the Tibetan leadership’s undemocratic ways. Real democracy allows the people’s voices to be heard and good leadership means facing these voices and answering them. Unfortunately, the Tibetan leadership has no experience at being held accountable for anything since no one has ever dared to speak up against the injustices they commit. But that was in the past, at a time when it was unthinkable for Tibetans to protest against their leaders.

The world nowadays is a very different place and protests have become commonplace. If the once-unthinkable protests show no signs of abating, then Sangay would do well to realize it is only a matter of time before he will be forced to make good on his fighting words. There are plenty of Tibetans who are angry with him, and who possess the resources to take him up on his challenge. And let’s not forget the ever-watchful eye of the Dalai Lama, who may just step in and oust Sangay if the protests grow too large, and the protestors grow too vocal.

It is time for Sangay to step up to the plate and start making real amends or step down as leader, because his behavior is, to put it simply, bad for business. Yes, the world and the Dalai Lama are watching so Sangay, it is your move.

Tibet Sun: What if the protesters bring Lobsang Sangay to court?

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Phayul: Protestors demand impeachment of President Sangay, MP Yarphel

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The Siasat Daily: Tibetans protests against government amidst strained relations with India

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There is trouble in paradise as Tibetan President Lobsang Sangay (center) is accused of sexual assault and Information Secretary Dhardon Sharling (right) abruptly resigns leaving Tibetan politics in tatters. Sharling was once considered Sangay’s “protégé” and touted as the main executor of his political agendas.

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: Shashi Kei

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the 14th Dalai Lama’s government-in-exile based in Dharamsala, is falling apart. The Sikyong (President) of the CTA, Lobsang Sangay has been globetrotting under the guise of reigniting interest in the Tibetan cause which has waned considerably after commanding the world’s attention for 60 years. But instead of trying to rekindle foreign support for the CTA, Sangay should have been more concerned about the state of his own administration in Dharamsala.

The cracks that have been building up in the CTA became visible when Lobsang Sangay publicly clashed with Penpa Tsering (ex-Speaker of the CTA and also Sangay’s main rival for the 2016 Sikyong elections) after the latter raised questions about financial irregularities in North America’s Tibet House whilst under the charge of its previous administrator, Kaydor Aukatsang. As an appointee of Lobsang Sangay, it was understood that Aukatsang only took instructions from Lobsang Sangay, who appears to have circumvented proper protocols. Penpa Tsering was unceremoniously sacked on what he regarded as trumped-up charges and has since filed a suit against Lobsang Sangay for defamation in the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission. The rivalry that has been building up between Lobsang Sangay and Penpa Tsering has now become acrimonious with a lot of bad blood continuing to accumulate.

As a firestorm continues to brew over the Sangay-Tsering estrangement, signs are that the fallout from their confrontation will be more severe than anticipated. We know this when ambitious politicians like Dhardon Sharling suddenly decamps the CTA like a rat fleeing a sinking ship. On 12th December 2018, Dhardon Sharling announced her resignation from her somewhat vaguely formulated designation of ‘Secretary equivalent’ of the CTA’s Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR). Dhardon Sharling is regarded as Lobsang Sangay’s lieutenant and her official title was literally created by Sangay to keep Sharling in his administration after she was voted out by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile as a Minister in the Cabinet for having misled the government on an age prerequisite. Dhardon Sharling cited an interest to further her studies in the US being the reason for her to suddenly relinquish her post. But the rumor is that she has been manoeuvring to escape being caught in the middle of Lobsang Sangay and Penpa Tsering’s looming showdown. It is a showdown that started with a fractious rivalry during the 2016 Sikyong elections, and has most recently escalated in Penpa Tsering filing legal suits against the Tibetan Cabinet and Lobsang Sangay.

Dhardon Sharling was voted out of the Tibetan parliament in-exile after lying about her age. It was only after the intervention of Lobsang Sangay that she was given the position of Information Secretary which Lobsang Sangay created specifically for her.

Dhardon Sharling rose out of obscurity in October 2016 as the de facto head of the DIIR. The CTA’s website states that the DIIR’s purpose is to “educate the Tibetans and international public opinion on the political, human rights and environmental conditions in Tibet”. However, it is well known that under Dhardon Sharling, the DIIR only served to carry out Lobsang Sangay’s personal agenda and propaganda campaigns.

For the most part, Dhardon Sharling’s time in the DIIR was utilized in driving the CTA’s persecution of Dorje Shugden worshippers. Dorje Shugden is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist practice observed by virtually all followers of the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism which accounts for the largest percentage of Tibetans inside China and in diaspora. While the Shugden practice is apolitical, the oath of spiritual allegiance sworn by Dorje Shugden practitioners to their lineage masters, as is common for any tantric practice, represents a hindrance to the CTA’s desire to dominate that space. So Lobsang Sangay criminalized the religion, another painful milestone in an already 20-year campaign that infringes on the basic human rights of Tibetans and Dorje Shugden adherents worldwide. It was Dhardon Sharling’s job to launch one disinformation campaign after another against Dorje Shugden Buddhists causing a complete disintegration of the Gelugpa lineage. That, in turn, fractured the Tibetan community in general, a prime factor in the disempowering of the Tibetan struggle when the Tibetan people became distracted in sectarian conflicts and lost sight of the Tibetan struggle to regain their homeland.

Lobsang Sangay (center) and Dhardon Sharling (right) launching another anti-Dorje Shugden propaganda book. The pair have concentrated their efforts on denying the Tibetan people their religious rights instead of fighting for the Tibetan cause and improving the lives of Tibetan refugees in their charge.

As for Dhardon Sharling’s real job, her brief two years in office did not yield much result with some of her programs ending in disaster, for example the ‘2018 Thank You’ campaigns which was supposed to be a series of events for the CTA to thank countries that have supported the Tibetan cause. In reality, the project was an effort by the CTA to curb fading alliances with world nations against the trajectory of China’s rise. Dhardon Sharling’s ‘Thank You India’ campaign fizzled with the Indian government instructing top officials to avoid participating in any CTA-organized functions. In the meantime, for the ‘Thank You Taiwan’ campaign, Dhardon Sharling arranged for the placement of billboards with the Dalai Lama’s image all over major cities of Taiwan, the release of books in Chinese containing the Dalai Lama’s talks and also various paraphernalia purporting to support the Tibetan struggle. A few months later, these steps resulted in a major swing against Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that had gone along with Dhardon Sharling’s campaign. In the recent local elections, the DPP suffered a crushing defeat, losing 15 out of the available 22 cities they contested for. Under Sharling, CTA events became the kiss of death.

Thank You Taiwan posters with the Dalai Lama was placed all over major cities in Taiwan. The CTA’s often fights its anti-China campaigns on foreign soil to the detriment of welfare of countries sympathetic to the CTA.

Dhardon Sharling’s ignoble legacy will be that she gained notoriety by trickery and colluding with Lobsang Sangay; that instead of using her time in office to advance the welfare of the Tibetan people, she injected enmity into Tibetan communities worldwide and denied many Tibetans their most basic freedom; that she irreparably damaged Tibetan unity; and that when the Tibetan struggle was on its knees, she abandoned the cause and fled for the United States on her Indian passport which she procured at the same time the CTA was telling common Tibetans that to do so would undermine the Tibetan struggle.

Dhardon Sharling’s resignation is not an isolated case. A few months before, Tenzin Palkyi of the Office of Tibet in Washington similarly resigned suddenly. Even before that, in 2016, seasoned CTA politician Dicki Chhoyang resigned from Sangay’s Cabinet. In a press conference, Chhoyang alluded to being gagged by Sangay from addressing matters that should be of concern to the Tibetan people. In the same year, another Tibetan official in Sangay’s Cabinet, Dongchung Ngodup joined the list of people exiting from Sangay’s administration. Even the State Oracles of Tibet in trance of the deities Pehar and Tseringma have expressed disapproval of Sangay’s administration for lacking in integrity.

Allegations of Lobsang Sangay’s sexual abuses will discredit the Tibetan cause further.

Coincidentally Dhardon Sharling’s resignation came one day after a #MeToo movement was launched against her boss Lobsang Sangay, claiming that he sexually assaulted a number of women. It began with a news article in the Tibet Star reporting that allegations of sexual assault by Lobsang Sangay can be traced back to as early as 2011 when he sexually violated a young American intern at the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT). It is alleged that Sangay has in fact sexually assaulted even more women, mainly Tibetan nationals, exploiting his position as Sikyong of the CTA. The Tibet Star is a Tibetan-focused news site operated by Mila Rangzen known to be an outspoken commentator on Tibetan issues, and who has reliable contacts within the Tibetan leadership. It remains to be seen whether the “MeToo” movement on Sangay will uncover more incidents of abuse. However, Sangay who came to power in 2011 is not without scandals and controversies of his own making. These include:

Due to Lobsang Sangay and the CTA’s ongoing glorification of self-immolation as a viable form of protest against China, Tibetan suicides continue to rise.

1. Launching a book that glorifies self-immolation in 2012 and supporting a member of his government in publishing a four-step guide for Tibetans to self-immolate effectively. That resulted in the highest number of Tibetan self-immolations that year with 86 Tibetan people burning themselves to death. Lobsang Sangay proved his preparedness to sink to barbarity in order to serve his political objective.
2. Travelling into China using an Overseas Chinese Visa, an act which raised many eyebrows. When queried, Sangay initially lied but subsequently recanted while insisting that travelling on an Overseas Chinese visa does not make one a Chinese national. In his rebuttal, the renowned Tibetan author and activist Jamyang Norbu responded, “But although the Overseas Chinese visa does not make you a citizen of the PRC (People’s Republic of China), it clearly makes you of Chinese birth or descent (or partial Chinese ancestry) living outside the PRC, and resident or citizen of another country…but to travel to China, to Beijing, on an OC visa for something as unimportant as meeting some run-of-the mill Chinese academics (not “great scholars” khelwang) clearly demonstrates that the person has no problem being regarded as Chinese.”
3. Attempting to damage Sino-Indian relations during politically uncertain times. In July 2017, when Sino-Indian relations were extremely volatile due to the Doklam conflict, Lobsang Sangay unfurled the Tibetan flag at the border of India and China. Sangay hoisted the Tibetan flag as a taunt, knowing full well that it would enrage China. Ex-Indian diplomat R.S. Kalha noted that Sangay’s act at Pangong Tso was an overtly political move that took advantage of the fact India was at its weakest point in the standoff with China. Therefore it was a calculated and self-serving move from Lobsang Sangay, designed to drive India deeper into conflict with China, thereby making the ‘Tibetan card’ ever more significant to India. Lobsang Sangay’s mistake would cost the Tibetan struggle dearly as a few months later India began to shift its stance on the Tibetan cause, deciding that in the final analysis, it is not worth a war with its mighty neighbor. The Dalai Lama’s efforts to return to China lost considerable traction due to Sangay’s frivolous provocations.
4. Undermining the Dalai Lama’s efforts to improve Sino-Tibetan relations. It has not escaped observation that Lobsang Sangay’s has been quietly undermining of the Dalai Lama’s efforts, including leaking news of Samdhong Rinpoche’s secret mission to China, made on behalf of the Dalai Lama to resurrect dialogue for the return of the Tibetan people to Tibet. It is worthwhile to note that on such a vital mission, the Dalai Lama chose to send the ex-Prime Minister of the CTA, Samdhong Rinpoche and not the current President Lobsang Sangay. And earlier this year, the Dalai Lama’s attempt to build a bridge with the Beijing authorities by recognizing the China-enthroned Panchen Lama was duly undone by Sangay. It is no secret that the relationship between Lobsang Sangay and the Dalai Lama is at its lowest since the Dalai Lama started taking active measures to regain Beijing’s trust, something the aging Dalai Lama has had to resume doing because of Sangay’s negligence of his duty as the Sikyong. It has been reported that in recent times, an ongoing war of words between Lobsang Sangay and the Dalai Lama has struck up behind closed doors.

An aging Dalai Lama who is said to be at odds with Lobsang Sangay now.

It would be difficult to find news of Lobsang Sangay initiating projects to improve the lives of the Tibetan refugees, or taking concrete steps to foster Tibetan harmony or undertaking tangible measures that could lead to the realization of the Dalai Lama’s dreams for the Tibetan people to return to their homeland. Sangay’s Presidency is characterized by his various breaches of the Tibetan democratic Constitution, his denial of the Tibetan people’s human rights to practice the religion of their choice and to exercise their freedom of opinion, his manipulation of election rules to ouster rivals, his appointment of cronies to key positions, his misuse of funds meant for the Tibetan refugees, his empty and grandiloquent speeches to foreign officials, his vicious fights with political rivals like Penpa Tsering and now, his sex scandals. The lives and future of 150,000 Tibetan refugees depend on the CTA, as does the survival of the Tibetan heritage and the continuance of the Tibetan people to regain their freedom. Lobsang Sangay was entrusted by the Tibetan people to perform an important task and by right, his time in power should have been invested to support the Dalai Lama’s initiatives and to prepare for the next phase of the Tibetan struggle, one that will take place in the absence of the Dalai Lama. But with such serious improprieties, a focus on his personal agendas and culture of deceit and dishonesty that Sangay has sowed with his internal politicking, how can the Tibetan cause ever hope to survive? Only time will tell.

Tibetan investigative journalist Mila Rangzen
launches “Me Too” campaign

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Dhardon Sharling submits resignation letter

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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 Shashi Kei

On 17^th May 2017, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA; Tibetan leadership based in Dharamsala, North India), the exile government of the 14^th Dalai Lama, released a video with the title ‘Ten Facts About the Missing Panchen Lama’. It was on the occasion of the “22^nd anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima”, the boy that the Dalai Lama had declared to be the reincarnation of the 10^th Panchen Lama.

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The Department of Information and International Relations (meaning the CTA’s propaganda department) had enlisted the help of a member of the Indian Parliament, Dr Abishek Singhvi to declare the alleged 1995 abduction of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima by the Chinese government as, amongst other things, a “major invasion of the fundamental, spiritual and religious rights of the Tibetan people”. The said video also ascribed a number of adjectives to the Chinese government – harsh, cruel, dictatorial, unrepentant, and unrelenting; it accused the Chinese government of having applied “brute force” in appointing a puppet 11^th Panchen Lama who, Dr Abishek declared, will be met with repulsion and rejection.

The elasticity of truth

The 2017 video was then the latest in an ongoing series of CTA-sponsored agitprop with two specific and conjoined purposes — (i) to continue to conjure up whatever controversies were possible such as the Panchen Lama issue in order to undermine the credibility and reputation of China; and (ii) to keep existing fault lines such as the Panchen Lama controversy created in 1995, from repairing.

In its confrontation with China, smear campaigns and the promotion of highly inflammatory issues that could incite social unrest within China were the Dalai Lama and Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) weapons of choice, which they wielded with incredible skill. The Dalai Lama, an astute politician who has wielded unfettered power for far longer than any government or dictator in history, knew well what the Chinese feared most, which is expressed in an old Mao dictum – “a single spark can start a prairie fire”. Therefore, creating sparks became an art form of the Tibetan government in exile.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the Dalai Lama’s candidate for the 11th Panchen Lama, who disappeared shortly after he was recognized. A few months later, the Chinese government recognized their own candidate and since 1995, the Dalai Lama has persisted in his claim that the Chinese candidate is a fake and merely a puppet of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Then suddenly in April 2018, the Dalai Lama changed his mind and endorsed the Chinese Panchen Lama.

But there are other aspects to the Dalai Lama’s range of armaments in the Tibetan people’s conflict with China — an uncanny ability to find and use knowing and unknowing proxies such as Dr Abishek to broaden the frontage of attack on China, and knowing when to take up and when to let down such allies which were often used as mere collateral.

And so, one year later, on 25^th April 2018, the Dalai Lama made a complete mockery out of not only Dr Abishek Singhvi, the Indian Member of Parliament, but also the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) chaired by Richard Gere, the United Nations, a list of US-based lobbyists and politicians, and even the CTA itself; indeed, everyone who since 1995 had been led by the Dalai Lama to believe that Gyaincain Norbu, whom the Chinese government had recognized and enthroned as the 11^th Panchen Lama, to be a fake and merely a political puppet.

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In speaking to members of the media on his arrival at Gaggal Airport in Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama said that in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, it is not unusual for enlightened beings to have as many as five reincarnations, citing the example of a famous Tibetan Buddhist personage. Taken in context, what the Dalai Lama meant was that both the Chinese-enthroned 11^th Panchen Lama (Gyaincain Norbu) and his 1995 candidate, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima are equally rightful heirs to the throne of the Panchen Lama and, in fact, the Dalai Lama acknowledges the Chinese Panchen Lama to be the official 11^th Panchen Lama. In essence, what the Dalai Lama said is tantamount to an endorsement of the Chinese-enthroned 11^th Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu (Panchen Gyaincain Norbu) and a recognition of his legitimacy as the highest-ranking Tibetan Buddhist lama in Tibet, in the Dalai Lama’s absence.

His Holiness the 11th Panchen Lama with his teacher, Kachen Jamyang Gyatso and the Panchen Lama’s parents. Kachen Jamyang Gyatso has tutored the Panchen Lama since he was a young child, and the two share a very close relationship.

The mystery is how a ‘fake’ could have morphed into an authentic 11^th Panchen Lama, worthy of the Dalai Lama’s approval and commendation. Clearly, the candidate the Chinese government chose and enthroned has not changed and neither has the Chinese government, the Dalai Lama or the enmity between them. But those who are more familiar with Tibetan Buddhist history would know that this is not the only time the Dalai Lama has made a sudden about-turn on issues which logically cannot alter in its substance in such a casual way. The Dorje Shugden controversy is another whereby the Dalai Lama had personally worshipped this Tibetan Buddhist deity for close to 40 years, even composing one of the most popular praises to him, before suddenly declaring the same deity, Dorje Shugden, to be a malignant force to be shunned.

Effectively, the Dalai Lama was admitting that he had erred on the Panchen Lama issue, a controversy that he had fanned for over 20 years. In 1995, the Dalai Lama had insisted that he could not accept Gyaincain Norbu as having any possibility of being the right Panchen Lama. This was because the Dalai Lama had “conducted all the necessary religious procedures with great care” before naming his own candidate as the reincarnation of the 10^th Panchen Lama and that the Dalai Lama’s recognition could not be wrong and “cannot be changed”. His recent remarks however concede that the Chinese government has chosen the correct reincarnation of the 10^th Panchen Lama and the methods the Chinese government employ in the recognition process of high tulkus is in fact proper. The Chinese government definitely consulted very high lamas who are in Tibet to use their ancient methods, to recognize the 11^th Panchen Lama.

Ironically, the Dalai Lama has himself said on a number of occasions that the tulkus of high lamas guide their own reincarnations and there is no way for any man or force to manipulate or hijack the reincarnation of a highly realized being. That is to say, if the 10^th Panchen Lama wanted to take rebirth in a situation whereby he is recognized by the Chinese leadership, then that is exactly what he did. The Dalai Lama also cited the historical example of Khyentse Wangpo of the Sakya tradition as proof that high lamas can take up to five reincarnations – Body incarnation, Speech incarnation, Mind incarnation, Activity incarnation and Qualities incarnation. In fact, the 10^th Panchen Lama himself was one of two qualified incarnations, the other being Panchen Otrul Rinpoche who continues to turn the wheel of Dharma in Europe, America and the Far East. This is no secret and the Dalai Lama is fully aware of all this.

So, it cannot be new information that suddenly changed the Dalai Lama’s mind about the Chinese Panchen Lama. But that narrative would not have suited the Dalai Lama’s intended agenda at the time nor would it have been useful to the Tibetan cause for the past 20 years. But it suits the Dalai Lama’s scheme now. And so, we see in this situation a very powerful weapon the Dalai Lama exerts — the ability to bend facts and reality without being questioned. And as the Dalai Lama demonstrates on this occasion, in a mere two minutes, he has created a seismic shift in the Tibetan people’s engagement with China, one that will seal their fate forever.

Whether intended or not, the Dalai Lama has also effectively given his seal of approval to China’s claim as to its capability and sovereign right to be involved in spiritual matters. He has cleared the way of old obstacles for China to get a firm handle on Tibetan Buddhism as an instrument of control, the same power the Dalai Lama has himself wielded for over 60 years with unprecedented deftness.

Sign at the entrance of the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamsala, India.

In the very same interview at Gaggal Airport on 25^th April 2018, the Dalai Lama also reported that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, whom the Dalai Lama had claimed was kidnapped and has been held prisoner by the Chinese government since 1995, was in fact doing well and is receiving a good education. Since 1995, the Dalai Lama and his supporters have roused the world’s ire against China for allegedly abducting and illegally detaining Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the world’s youngest political prisoner, and this case has been regularly cited as being a prime example of China’s abuse of human rights. But now, the Dalai Lama’s statement seems to indicate that, far from being abused and denied his human rights, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has been treated well and even provided with a good education.

This statement is incongruous with the portrayal of the Chinese government by the Tibetan leadership over the decades, i.e. that of an oppressive and brutal regime that ruthlessly disposes of its enemies and those it sees as a threat. However, this incongruity does expose a characteristic of the same Tibetan leadership, that which treats facts and realities as putty to be shaped and moulded to fit shifting agendas.

The characteristic flip-flop of the Dalai Lama

Whilst the latest statement by the Dalai Lama on the Panchen Lama issue seems off-the-cuff, it should be disturbing that the Dalai Lama can be so flippant over something of this magnitude. The reincarnation of such a key figure in the Gelug lineage goes to the heart of Tibetan Buddhism and should never be taken lightly. And yet, this glibness offers a tremendously valuable opportunity to examine the character of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan leadership by exploring possible reasons for the Dalai Lama’s very sudden change of tune regarding a highly-charged issue.

1. The Dalai Lama was genuinely mistaken

The power and prestige of the Dalai Lama comes from his image (be it real or carefully manicured) as a simple Buddhist monk who is the embodiment of all that is good in the world, and who also happens to be a Buddha, and therefore can do no wrong due to his spiritual invincibility. On this premise alone, millions heralded the Dalai Lama’s views and became blind propagators of his ideologies and agendas. The Dalai Lama’s narrative and, by extension that of the CTA, were embraced by fans all over the world and upheld as dogma.

The Dalai Lama’s change of tune now regarding the ‘Chinese Panchen Lama’ sits very uncomfortably with the presumption of his spiritual invincibility but this is not immediately obvious to those who have been trained to merely follow instead of think and rationalize for themselves. If one were to apply logical thought to the issue, then either the Dalai Lama was wrong in 1995 to have proclaimed the Chinese Panchen Lama to be counterfeit, or he is wrong now to declare the Chinese Panchen Lama to be authentic and worthy to be regarded as the “official Panchen Lama” (in the Dalai Lama’s own words).

The Dalai Lama cannot be right on both contradictory counts but is it a question of his spiritual competence or a question of his integrity? From the perspective of spiritual examination, the Dalai Lama is said to be none other than the Buddha of Compassion, the great and all-knowing Avalokiteshvara or Chenresig. The Panchen Lama in turn is the Buddha Amitabha. Both are Buddhas and if this is true, how can one Buddha (Dalai Lama) be mistaken in recognizing another Buddha (Amitabha) when both are supposed to be of the same awakened essence? To suggest so would be to assail the very foundations of Buddhism. In short, it can only be a question of human integrity and not a question of spiritual efficacy.

Either the entire corpus of Buddhism is formulated on false assumptions or the Dalai Lama is a mere human being and subject to faults, mistakes and vices. Either way, it should be clear now that it would be a grievous error to blindly follow a leader on the presumption of soundness and trustworthiness in everything he does and proclaims. And if there is a case to be made for the human fallibility of the Dalai Lama, then one should also call into question the Dalai Lama’s endorsement of Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the 17^th Karmapa; he was one of three claimants but the Dalai Lama proclaimed him to be the only correct and rightful throne holder of the Karma Kagyu lineage. It would also mean that the Dalai Lama very likely erred when he declared the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden to be a demonic force after he himself worshipped the deity for close to 40 years.

History will judge how the Dalai Lama, the supposed personification of compassion, could have allowed so many innocent and unknowing people to attack and denounce the Panchen Lama, the living Amitabha Buddha; the Karmapa, the living Bodhisattva Chenresig Simhanada; and Dorje Shugden, an enlightened being with a lineage that is over 300 years old, at a karmic cost that would be frightening if it could be calculated.

Kachen Jamyang Gyatso is no ordinary teacher. Renown for his scholarship and deep practice, Kachen Jamyang Gyatso’s reputation extends even beyond the borders of Tibet – he is well-known to be an erudite master and seasoned tantric practitioner, so there is little surprise that the Chinese leadership would have selected such a lama to educate His Holiness the 11th Panchen Lama. In this image, the humble teacher greets the humble disciple. You can see from Kachen Jamyang Gyatso’s face that he is very happy to meet his student.

2. Political expediency overrides spiritual truth

It is common knowledge that the Dalai Lama and the CTA have increasingly been given the cold shoulder by world leaders as the Tibetan issue becomes a dangerous liability and burden. India is the latest to keep the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan exile government at arm’s length, after almost 60 years of unprecedented support for the Tibetan cause. It was only with the blessings of the Indian government that the Tibetan leadership was able to form and function as a government without a country and without any accountability whatsoever. No other ‘government’ in the world enjoys such a privilege and with India’s permission, the Dalai Lama and the CTA have been emboldened to traverse the world and spread enmity against China.

In the meantime, countless NGOs and charitable organizations have sprouted globally, all collecting funds in the name of the Tibetan struggle. On top of this is funding from the United States of America which came as aid for the Democratic David in his struggle with a Communist Goliath. Little is known of how much or how little of these funds actually reach the poor Tibetan refugees but clearly, the CTA very quickly realized that it is very lucrative to be a thorn in China’s side, and that being in exile offers financial rewards they could not have received as a legitimate government. All they really had to do was remind the world of China’s oppression and Tibet’s ‘victimization’ by a vicious Chinese monster.

But now, with India changing its stance on China and preferring to formulate a new friendship with her mighty neighbor, the Dalai Lama and CTA may soon find themselves without their main sponsor. Left with little choice, the Dalai Lama now feels the need to appease China instead of irking her as he and the CTA have done for the past 60 years, all the while blaming the failure of the Tibetan people to return home on China’s refusal to come to the negotiating table.

Large turnout at the 11th Panchen Lama’s Kalachakra initiation in 2016, marking the revival of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet.

The Dalai Lama’s endorsement of the Chinese Panchen Lama comes only days before an all-important closed door meeting between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping. It is expected that the Tibetan issue is on the agenda along with other border issues affecting Sino-Indian relationships.

In this context, the Dalai Lama’s change of tune is consistent with his other dramatic shifts including open declarations that “Tibet can remain in China”; that Tibet needs more development, which itself is a clear acknowledgment that the Chinese government have created benefits for the Tibetan people; and expressing his wish to return to Tibet as an individual as opposed to being a key person in the Tibetan people’s political struggle against China. In proclaiming that highly realized beings like the 10^th Panchen Lama could have taken more than one reincarnation, the Dalai Lama provides an avenue that legitimizes the Chinese Panchen Lama and, in effect, signals an end to Tibetan aggression towards China and perhaps the beginning of a new era of engagement. In this way, the Dalai Lama shows himself to be an astute politician to give away as a bargain, something that would soon be lost to him anyway.

In any case, this new approach of appeasing China seems to be the Dalai Lama’s chosen method at this time to solve the Sino-Tibetan conflict and to pave the way for himself and the Tibetan people to finally return to their homeland. This is the wish the Dalai Lama has harbored for 60 years and which has become more pronounced recently.

However, the Dalai Lama’s conciliatory overtures alone will not work, if it does not translate into official CTA policy. This will not be an easy sell as the likes of Sikyong Lobsang Sangay and Dhardon Sharling will have to face recalcitrant Rangzen warriors and those intoxicated with fumes of hatred for China, fed to them over decades, ironically, by the Tibetan leadership themselves.

No one can predict how well the Tibetan people will take to what is clearly the Dalai Lama’s new strategy. But it is clear that those who refuse to toe the Dalai Lama’s new line with regards to the Chinese Panchen Lama and all that the Panchen Lama stands for, are in fact working against the Dalai Lama and the weakening Tibetan cause. It remains to be seen whether the Tibetan cause will be finally lost because of the external enemies of the Tibetan people or the internal enemies who have sought to derail the Tibetan struggle through a myriad of distractions such as the Dorje Shugden conflict.

Significance of the Dalai Lama’s new proclamation

The Panchen Lama issue is one that has significant spiritual bearing. The Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama are regarded as the Sun and the Moon in the Tibetan Buddhist cosmos. In the absence of the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama becomes the highest authority in Tibet, as both a political and spiritual leader. In addition, the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas have interchangeable roles as teachers and students, and are instrumental in finding and recognizing each other’s reincarnations. The office of the Panchen Lama is therefore a highly significant role that the CTA would be highly vested in keeping within their control. It is in fact the gateway to controlling the reincarnation of the 15^th Dalai Lama and all future Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas.

The Central Tibetan Administration (Tibetan exile leadership based in Dharamsala) has been agitating conflict between China and India and Sino-Indian friendship spells doom for the CTA’s game plan.

If the Dalai Lama’s endorsement of the Chinese Panchen Lama is a politically motivated move, then we see clearly that the politician in the Dalai Lama triumphs over his role as a spiritual guardian – the integrity of the so-called Tibetan cause, and the future of the Tibetan nation can be offered up as a sacrifice on the political altar of the Chinese government, so long as the Dalai Lama’s personal wishes are met. If there is any credence in this view, then there should equally be credence in the suggestion that both the Karmapa controversy and Dorje Shugden issue are politically charged contagions introduced into the Tibetan community by the Tibetan leadership, to divide and conquer.

For over 20 years, the Karmapa and Dorje Shugden controversies created intractable schisms within Tibetan communities worldwide. Add into this mix, the Rangzen (total independence) versus Umaylam (meaningful autonomy) debate and pre-existing regional rivalries, and very quickly one sees why the Tibetan freedom movement never really gained traction. These divisive issues were all creations of the Dalai Lama. And now that the Dalai Lama has done a volte-face on the topic of the Chinese Panchen Lama, is it possible that he might one day do the same for the Dorje Shugden ban, as well as his endorsement of the Karmapa Ogyen Trinley? It remains a highly plausible scenario given recent events.

To be very sure, the Tibetan leadership has taken every opportunity in the last six decades to insult China and accuse her of all manner of crimes against humanity. It is left to the imagination what might have happened if the Dalai Lama had used his CTA to bolster the unity of the Tibetan people and instituted conciliatory moves towards China as a matter of policy instead of a desperate and nervous reaction.

Checkmate on the Tibetan struggle

Whether the Tibetan people realize it or not, the Dalai Lama’s endorsement of the Chinese Panchen Lama is the tolling of the bells signaling the death of the integrity of the Tibetan leadership and with that, the Tibetan fight for freedom. The Dalai Lama cannot claim to be a victim of China’s vicious oppression, forced to seek asylum and at the same time openly express his willingness to return to Tibet and come under the sovereignty of this so-called oppressor.

Neither can the Dalai Lama claim that China is committing cultural genocide on the Tibetan people but Tibet should remain in China anyway because of the benefits and development it receives under the Chinese government.

The Golden Urn is traditionally used for confirming the identity of reincarnated lamas, mandated by the Qianlong Emperor in 1792 in the wake of the Nepali invasion of Tibet.

Neither can the Dalai Lama or any Tibetan now argue that China has no right to recognize the next and 15^th Dalai Lama when he has openly affirmed the authority of the Panchen Lama who is empowered by tradition and now consent, to do precisely that on behalf of China. Now, not only is China in possession of the Golden Urn, traditionally used in the confirmation of high incarnate lamas, but China also has the 11^th Panchen Lama. And as we have already seen, it is the Panchen Lamas who recognize and enthrone the reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas.

Neither can the Dalai Lama say that the Chinese Panchen Lama is a rightful incarnation of the holy 10^th Panchen Lama and is an emanation of Buddha Amitabha, but that the same Buddha is also a demon worshipper, because the 11^th Panchen Lama is known to be a practitioner of Dorje Shugden.

Finally, neither can the Dalai Lama deny that all his statements are inconsistent with one another and are taken to new heights of absurdity when framed within the ongoing policies and activities of the CTA. The Dalai Lama’s latest stance on the Chinese Panchen lama signals his decision to ‘work with China’ and to cease heaping vitriol upon her via issues such as commenting on China’s human rights record and also the Dorje Shugden controversy which the CTA have falsely claimed to be a ploy by the Chinese government to undermine the Dalai Lama’s reign and destabilize the Tibetan community. This about-turn by the Dalai Lama may be disturbing to those who have held on to his every word as sacred, but it may be the only avenue left for the Tibetans to achieve their fast fading hopes of returning home.

[The Tribune] Panchen Lama alive, having
normal education: Dalai Lama

Click to enlarge. (Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/panchen-lama-alive-having-normal-education-dalai-lama/579684.html)

[The Tibet Post] Panchen Lama alive and receiving normal education: Spiritual leader of Tibet

Click to enlarge. (Source: http://www.thetibetpost.com/news/international/6141-panchen-lama-alive-and-receiving-normal-education-spiritual-leader-of-tibet)

[Phayul] “Panchen Lama still alive according to reliable information”, says Dalai Lama

Click to enlarge. (Source: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=40387)

[Himachal Abhi Abhi] बड़ा खुलासा : Dalai Lama बोले जिंदा है 11 वें Panchen Lama, सामान्य जीवन जी रहे हैं

Click to enlarge. (Source: http://himachalabhiabhi.com/dalai-lama-said-according-to-reliable-source-panchen-lama-alive-and-receiving-normal-education.html)

Panchen Lama Qoigyijabu Part 1

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Panchen Lama Qoigyijabu Part 2

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Panchen Lama Qoigyijabu Part 3

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Panchen Lama Qoigyijabu’s 20th Enthronement Anniversary

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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: Toby Lee

China has recently launched a new service, making it easier than ever for whistle-blowers to report activities which may endanger state security. The new platform allows law-abiding citizens to alert authorities to the activities of corrupt bureaucrats, spies and other individuals engaged in actions that go against the criminal laws of the country. To this end, it has also been reported that the Beijing City National Security Bureau is offering $1,500 to $73,000 for information on spies, the official Beijing Daily said last April.

The new reporting system is a simple online platform in English and Chinese, for anyone to lodge anonymous reports of people infringing upon China’s various legal codes such as the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China; State Security Law of the People’s Republic of China; and the Counterespionage Law of the People’s Republic of China.

The legal codes include laws governing the use of religion in activities which endanger state security. Specific behaviours which can be reported include:

• 1.16 Making use of religion to engage in activities endangering state security.

• 1.18 Committing conducts endangering state security by fomenting disputes among ethnic groups or inciting ethnic separatism.

• 1.19 Any person outside the territory who, in violation of relevant regulations and without paying heed to dissuasion, wilfully meets with any person within the territory who has conducted activities endangering state security or being strongly suspected of doing so.

The implications are immense. With the new platform, it has become easier than ever to report and investigate people who are prone to creating religious problems and schism. It means that Tibetans who live outside of Tibet, and who use the Dorje Shugden issue to create schism inside Tibet, will also get their relatives and friends under investigation if they are found sharing chat messages, songs, or photos designed to create religious schism and instability in Tibet.

During one of the recent riots in Lhasa, a tourist took this photo of  goods being burned. China wants to avoid this type of social disharmony that costs millions for the citizens to recover from. 

This newly-launched system is not to be misunderstood. China is acting like any other responsible leadership which wants harmony, and has to consider the interests and wellbeing of everyone in this large and vibrant nation. With 1.4 billion people from 56 ethnic groups, all of whom have different interests to consider, the Chinese government needs to find efficient ways to govern and ensure the law is followed. It cannot tolerate anyone who is out to make trouble which will affect the livelihood of potentially millions of people. For example, there have been reports that the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA; Tibetan leadership in Dharamsala, North India) have been using the Dorje Shugden issue to split the Tibetan community inside Tibet, and pit them against one another. The Chinese leadership certainly cannot tolerate these types of external interferences who are looking for means to divide their population or are looking for methods of demonizing the Chinese.

Knowing this, the Tibetan leadership and its supporters will naturally accuse China of being a police state, a dictatorship, etc. It suits their agenda to paint the Chinese leadership in a bad light, and to paint themselves as the victims so that they appear deserving of even more financial and moral support than the millions of dollars they have already received.

However, we have to remember that China is a sovereign nation with its own laws and regulations and which has thus far become the fastest developing country and now largest economy in the world, amidst a backdrop of political stability and a relatively low crime rate. The nation’s bright future lies in the hands of both its leadership and the people. On the one hand, Chinese citizens including those in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) have an obligation to follow the nation’s laws. On the other hand, the Chinese leadership have an obligation to ensure that their people follow the laws, for the greater good of the country. And it is precisely what they are doing with the new reporting platform that they have just launched.

Is the new system really so shocking in light of how other ‘democratic’ nations behave? The United States’ has its Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative (NSI) that encourages anonymous reporting of suspected terrorist activity, run under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Justice in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and local law enforcement partners. The U.S. government also champions national awareness campaigns that educate its citizens on the signs of terrorism and terrorism-related crime, as well as the importance of reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement bodies.

And as of 12 July 2017, it is the ‘democratic’ United States that has the second highest incarceration rate in the world. At 693 prisoners for every 100,000 of the national population, the U.S. incarceration rate comes just behind Seychelles and just ahead of El Salvador. The U.S. is also home to the largest total number of prisoners with about 2.3 million people currently incarcerated and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Due to prison overcrowding, many criminals in America who are supposed to be incarcerated are allowed probation and monitored. If you include these individuals, the U.S. justice system actually controls almost 7 million people!

Is this the picture of a healthy democracy when such a large percentage of the population are incarcerated or subjected to some form of monitoring?

Every nation has their own approach to governing their people and while its application may differ, each leadership is just as serious about ensuring stability for the wider community. This applies to China as equally as it does the United States. The writing is on the wall – China has their sights set on a future that benefits 1.4 billion citizens and they will do whatever it takes to get there. This vision of the future will, by the way, also benefit the Tibetans in TAR so if the Tibetan leadership in exile really care about ethnic Tibetans, it will behoove them to stop interfering with events in TAR. And if the Tibetan leadership in exile will not desist from disseminating information that encourages the TAR community to divide and fight, then the Chinese leadership have just shown that they are serious about making them stop with the introduction of this new reporting system.

Phayul: China launches website for citizens
to report spies, corrupt bureaucrats

Click to enlarge. (Source: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=40359)

By: Tyr Beswick

Since they entered the country over 60 years ago, the Tibetans have had free reign to carry out their activities, whether religious, social or political. Led by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA; the Tibetan leadership based in Dharamsala, North India), they have taken full advantage of this kindness granted to them by the Indian government. However, instead of using this platform to benefit India, the CTA has exploited India as a platform to carry out their political agendas. Thus, the last 60 years have seen Tibetans using India as a base from which they can repeatedly provoke China on the issue of a Free Tibet.

The CTA has always shown a total absence of care for their host country’s political relations with other nation states although it is India who has been kindest to them. In 1959, when no other nation came to their aid, and no one else was open to hosting 95,000 exiled Tibetans, it was India who opened up her borders. However, the CTA has not shown India the gratitude she deserves.

Hence given the CTA’s behavior, it is unsurprising to learn that they have damaged their host country’s relationship with China on many occasions. But now India is pushing back against this Tibetan exploitation, and using the CTA and the Tibetans in-exile as a tool to improve ties with China instead. Most recently:

1. Vijay Gokhale, India’s Foreign Secretary met with both the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Prime Minister, Lobsang Sangay to tell them to move the “Thank You India” events out of Delhi, as India gears up to appease China. The instruction was a surprising one, as the events were supposed to be a way for the Tibetans to show their gratitude to India. But it does not seem like the Indians were interested, preferring instead to find ways of reaching out to China. Perhaps this show of Tibetan gratitude was too little, too late. Regardless, the CTA went ahead with their event anyway but had to hold it on a much smaller scale at their local temple in Dharamsala.
2. Gokhale went so far as to inform government officials not to attend any Tibetan events, even issuing a memo to this effect. The memo was leaked, an act which some think was intentional. This hints at two possibilities. First, it was a ploy to unofficially let China know that India is changing its stance towards the Tibetans, so India can get into China’s good books. Second, it was India’s way of letting ordinary Tibetans know she is serious about reaching out to China.
3. Some have also speculated that the upper echelons of power in Delhi were displeased by the CTA’s insensitivity towards the current state of bilateral relations between India and China. Having lived in India for the past 60 years, the CTA is fully aware of the necessity of maintaining the delicate balance of Sino-Indian ties. Yet, they went ahead with their “Thank You India’ celebrations without coordinating with the relevant Indian ministries and without any due consideration of how it could impact India’s foreign policy.

So just why is India changing its stance after 60 years of supporting the Tibetans in every manner possible? A brief look at recent global events makes the reasons behind India’s turnabout very clear — this is not the first time that the CTA have pulled a stunt like this with potentially huge negative repercussions for India.

1. It has been said that Samdhong Rinpoche’s secret visit to China last year contributed to India’s renewed sense of urgency in improving their relationship with China. Although no details have emerged about Samdhong Rinpoche’s visit, it is widely assumed he visited China to strike a deal about the Dalai Lama returning to Tibet. In the past, China has made it clear that any deal of this nature will only be approved if the CTA acknowledges that Tibet has always been a part of China. India sees this acknowledgement as problematic because it would call into question the legality of the McMahon Line. This is the border that Tibet and British India agreed upon during the 1914 Simla Conference; if the CTA admits Tibet was never independent, the Simla agreement becomes null and void, thus throwing into question the India-China border and opening up all kinds of territorial disputes. These are border territories that India is not willing to accede so building positive bilateral relations with China now, is a method for India to reduce the risk of potential territorial disputes in the future.
2. Staving off potential border disputes with China is just one of many incentives for India to improve relations with their giant neighbor. At home, the Indian leadership are finding that the CTA themselves are creating incentives for India to rescind her support of the Tibetans. In the last 60 years, the CTA have done very little to assist India with her many domestic and foreign challenges. Oftentimes, the CTA has even added to them, especially in stirring up trouble between China and India during sensitive times. We saw this most recently during the 2017 Doklam standoff, when Bhutan and China were locked in a territorial dispute over the Doklam area. India, claiming to act on Bhutan’s behalf, sought to intervene since Doklam is in their northeastern border and any instability there could spill over into Indian territory. As a result, China became upset at India’s presumed interference and the two nations nearly came to blows.
3. Despite the tense situation, the CTA President Lobsang Sangay decided to take a trip up to North India anyway. There, he unfurled the Tibetan flag at Pangong Lake, which is on India’s border with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). China saw this as a deliberate act of provocation since the flag symbolizes Tibetan independence and, by extension, the CTA’s dangerous ‘separatist’ activities to destabilize the TAR. And of course, they blamed India for allowing Lobsang Sangay to travel there, thus worsening India’s relationship with China.

With the relationship between India and China already so bad, any leader worth their salt would have been respectful and stayed away. Yet Lobsang Sangay deliberately sought to make matters worse, an indication that the Tibetans are definitely not innocent. Their need for one-upmanship over China has always overridden Indian welfare, and their actions reflect their ingratitude for India’s past kindnesses and disdain for her brighter future. It is this disdain that has caused India to react skillfully, outmaneuvering the Tibetans as they advance their aim of creating closer ties with China. The CTA thought it was safe, thought they could continue using India without apprise. However, the Indian government can only be taken advantage of so many times before this powerful, sophisticated democracy tires of their manipulation and games. The Tibetan leadership should realize one thing – while India may talk about a “sensitive time” with China, the same can be said of their relationship with the CTA, who should tread very, very carefully lest they lose Indian support altogether.

Is Trump Politics Inspiring Modi to Change His China Policy?

Click to enlarge. (Source: https://www.dailyo.in/politics/tibet-india-china-doklam-xi-jinping-dalai-lama-narendra-modi/story/1/23232.html)

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: Tyr Beswick

March 2018 will probably be a month that the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) cannot wait to forget. It was a terrible month for the CTA, who are the Tibetan leadership based in Dharamsala, North India, as they received bad news after bad news.

It began with the leak of Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale’s memo directing all Indian ministers and government officials to avoid any events related to the CTA’s much-hyped “Thank You India” campaign. This was swiftly followed by an instruction from the Indian government to relocate the “Thank You India” opening event from New Delhi’s Thyagaraja Stadium to their temple in Dharamsala, a much smaller venue that the Tibetans ordinarily use for all of their other events. They were also forced to move their annual public rally after they were banned from commemorating the March 10^th Tibetan Uprising Day in Delhi. This was particularly disheartening as March 10^th is one of the most significant events in the annual Tibetan calendar, as it marks the 1959 uprising in Lhasa by the Tibetans resisting the Chinese incursions.

Things did not improve with the cancellation of yet another important gathering. Lawmakers and parliamentarians from all over the democratic world were due to congregate in Delhi to discuss strategies to support the so-called Tibetan cause. Billed as a high-profile event, the meeting was going to be held in India for the first time in 24 years. However, the Indian leadership once again demonstrated that they are more interested in good relations with China, and Delhi moved swiftly to cancel the upcoming conference which had not been held since Canada hosted the last meeting in 2012.

All of this negative news that the Tibetans have received in the last month alone have come from just one source, and it just happens to be their biggest and most powerful sponsor — India. It is the CTA’s worst nightmare come true and it is apparent to everyone that Dharamsala’s hastily and badly-organized “Thank You India” campaign was nothing more than a half-hearted public relations stunt to try and stave off the inevitable conclusion of waning Indian support. There is nothing more telling than the image of Tibetans finally waving the Indian flag for the first time in 60 years. It is sad that after six decades of living on Indian soil, it was waning Indian support that finally forced the Tibetans to pick up the Indian flag in a grand show of gratitude. There is no doubt that the “Thank You India” campaign has fallen flat on its face, and the fact the CTA ever thought that a public relations stunt could woo India back into supporting them is a reflection of their immature politics.

Unfortunately, India’s politics far exceeds theirs and are more sophisticated than what the CTA assumes; it is going to take a whole lot more than some poorly-attended parade marches and lackluster flag-waving to bring them back into India’s good graces. During the downsized “Thank You India” event, the Dalai Lama himself said that Tibetans do not wish to inconvenience India but what the Tibetan leadership have failed to realize is that this understanding is not going to be enough, nor will it ever be enough, to win back India’s support, certainly not against the billion-dollar economic opportunities and geopolitical realities with China. All of this news, when put together, certainly does not augur a pleasant future for the Tibetans who are fast running out of options and friends.

The fact is that every time the Tibetan leadership meddles in Indian affairs, they inconvenience India. And so for the Tibetan leadership to respect and not inconvenience India, they must stop first protesting against China and creating diplomatic issues for the Indian leadership. Second, they have to stop all political activities in India and either become Indian citizens, go back to China or migrate somewhere else. And if they are really serious about not inconveniencing India, ultimately they must stop criticizing China and start making friends with them, and settle on something after 60 years. Stop telling Indian politicians what they should do for India in relations to Tibet because at the end of the day, the Indians do not need advice from a leadership without a country. India, with its vast resources, strong culture and seasoned politicians, will be fine without the Tibetans and without Tibetan advice, and that is the reality the CTA are now being forced to face. It is high time for everyone, Tibetans and Indians included, to move on and leave the CTA far, far behind.

Tibetans Understand and Respect
India’s Inconvenience

Click to enlarge. (Source: http://www.tibetanjournal.com/tibetans-understand-respect-indias-inconvenience/)

Union Minister Mahesh Sharma

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: Ame Nielsen

In early March, the world learned that India was serious about repairing her relationship with China. The Tibetans themselves only learned of this when they were unceremoniously informed, by way of a leaked memo, that no Indian officials would be allowed to attend events hosted by the Tibetan leadership, which included the grand opening event of the ‘Thank You India‘ campaign which was originally to be hosted in New Delhi.

So when this opening event finally took place on March 31^st, having been forcibly relocated to Dharamsala where the Tibetan leadership is based, not even live updates could save the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) from the embarrassment of being forced to host their event in low key Dharamsala instead of glamorous New Delhi.

The ‘Thank You India’ event has been shifted to Dharamsala instead of New Delhi

The Indian leadership did face a little criticism for their sudden about-face regarding their stance on Tibetan refugees. Seeking to allay these criticisms, they finally allowed for one of their minor ministers, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma, to grace the celebrations in Dharamsala.

In his speech as the guest of honor, Mr Sharma referred to India’s support for the Dalai Lama’s return to his country. This is a neutral statement that can be interpreted in many ways but, given the nature of the event, the current political climate, and the state of bilateral relations between India and China, Mr Sharma’s message is very clear — the Indian government supports the Dalai Lama leaving India and along with him, the rest of the Tibetans.

Since India decided that they would strike out in search of a better relationship with China, bilateral relations between the two nations have gone from strength to strength. There was even a marked improvement around the time India showed signs of rescinding their support for the Tibetans. And so far, the CTA has not come up with a single, clear strategy about how to win back Indian support. Their lack of ideas and creativity, and unwillingness to show tangible gratitude towards India could not come at a worse time for the Tibetans who already have nothing to show for 60 years of petitions, protests and self-immolations. Now it seems the Indian elephant has begun to dance with the Chinese dragon and, in the process, is showing that India is more than willing to leave the Tibetans far, far behind.

Tibetans’ ‘Thank You India’ event Highlights:
India supports Dalai Lama’s struggle to
return to Tibet, says Mahesh Sharma

Click to enlarge. (Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/dalai-lama-tibet-thank-you-india-event-live-updates-cta-china-bjp-5118008/)

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By: Steve Lee

It has always been assumed by most that India has been playing the so-called ‘Tibet card’ against China, by using the presence of Tibetan refugees in their country to provoke the Chinese leadership. Recently however, a new perspective has been presented by none other than Phunchok Stobdan, a former Indian ambassador who previously authored critical pieces of the Tibetan leadership, formally known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA, headquartered in Dharamsala, North India).

Stobdan’s conclusions bear remembering and repeating, because his are not those of the average man or woman on the street. Highly educated, Stobdan is an accomplished academician, a career diplomat and a former Indian ambassador to Kyrgyzstan. It is this distinguished gentleman’s analysis that there was never a ‘Tibet card’ to begin with, since Tibet relinquished its independence in 1951. He argues that it left India with little room for political maneuvering, since India herself accepted Tibet as an inherent part of China just a few years later in 1954. That is from a historical basis — in more modern times, Stobdan argues there is no ‘Tibet card’ because the Dalai Lama himself does not want independence. Hence using the Tibetans to provoke the Chinese leadership is a foolhardy exercise that should be relegated to its origins in the Cold War era. The ‘Tibet card’, if it even exists, will not accomplish anything but greater suspicion and mutual distrust between China and India, and only lead to the continued deterioration of the Sino-Indian relationship.

He even highlights examples in recent history to demonstrate his point, including the deterioration of bilateral relations after the Doklam standoff, the Dalai Lama’s Tawang visit and the unfurling of the Tibetan flag at Pangong Lake. Stobdan’s points are not without merit since everyone witnessed the subsequent improvement of relations after Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale’s directive for all Indian officials to avoid events related to the CTA’s “Thank You India” campaign.

In Stobdan’s view, the ‘Tibet card’ was in fact played at the “behest of Western powers”, undoubtedly implying that it is time for India to prioritize the welfare of her 1.2 billion citizens and keep it in her own hands, instead of subjecting herself to external influences.

For Stobdan, the approach for India is very simple – India and Indians first. Will the Tibetan leadership ever be able to recover from the recent downturn in domestic and international support for their so-called Tibetan cause? If politicians like Stobdan have anything to say about it, the answer will be most definitely and categorically ‘no’.

The Modi Government Must Realise the Folly of India Playing the ‘Tibet Card’

Click to enlarge. (Source: https://thewire.in/diplomacy/modi-government-folly-of-india-playing-the-tibet-card)

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By: Ashok Rao

For the past few decades, Nepal has graciously accepted Tibetan refugees into their country, allowing thousands of them to pass through to India for almost 50 years, and giving thousands of Tibetans a home in Nepal for nearly 60. To this day for example, the atmosphere in tourist sites like Boudhanath Stupa is predominantly Tibetan and not Nepali. It is Tibetan stores that abound in the popular tourist areas where millions of dollars are traded every year.

Despite so much kindness being extended to them, ungrateful Tibetans still make trouble for Nepal by protesting against China, resulting in a deterioration in China-Nepal relations each time they do so. However, what the Tibetans are forgetting, to their own detriment, is that Nepal is a country that is serious about its international relations and they are not afraid to show it.

Instead of being grateful for Nepal’s generosity, the Tibetans often create trouble for Nepal by holding riots and protests, jeopardizing Nepal’s relationship with China.

So it made perfect sense when in 2005, the Nepali authorities closed down two offices related to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans — the Office of the Dalai Lama’s Representative and the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office — which were being used as halfway houses for Tibetans crossing over to India.

Nepal has also taken the unusual step of banning Tibetan activists from protesting within its borders, to ensure cordial relations between Nepal and China, who considers Tibetans in-exile to be dangerous separatists intent on destabilizing the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Nepali government’s decision matches their adherence and agreement to the One China policy, which asserts that Tibet is an inherent part of China.

Adak, a Tibetan activist, was taken into custody by Nepali policemen after he posted a picture of himself with a Tibetan flag on Facebook.

More recently, Nepal showed just how serious they are about this policy when they took Adak, a Tibetan activist, into custody after he posted a picture of himself holding a Tibetan flag in front of Kathmandu’s Boudhanath Stupa.

The truth is, Tibetans living in Nepal have enjoyed a whole host of kindnesses and freedoms — they have been granted Nepali citizenship, own swathes of land, run million-dollar businesses, own large homes and properties, have the freedom to travel in and out of Nepal as they wish, and have religious freedom. Yet, they just do not seem to care about the country that has given them so much; instead of holding the Nepali flag, Tibetans continue to fly the Tibetan flag, a symbol of Tibetan independence, in order to provoke the Chinese leadership and harm their host country Nepal’s relationship with China. By right, having been in Nepal for nearly 60 years already, Tibetans should not only salute, respect and hold up the Nepali flag, but it is time that they pay tribute to the country which gave them freedom. Tibetans not holding up the Nepali flag is a clear indication of the lack of respect and appreciation that they have for their host country. The same may be said for Tibetans wherever else they are flying their flag. It is well known in the world that all refugees from countries that have been lost, that are struggling, that are in a crisis – when the people migrate, they take on the flag of their new country and display it with pride. So why are the Tibetans exceptions?

A few Tibetans protesting in Nepal, carrying the Tibetan flag has achieved nothing in 60 years. The only thing they have done is break Nepali law because they carry these flags and hold their protests without a permit. In countries where these protests are held, the protestors need to carry a permit but again, Tibetans have somehow given themselves the exception to the rule by not applying for permits and breaking the law. It is also very well known that the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), who are the Tibetan leadership based in Dharamsala, encourages their people to protest and as a reward, they receive incentives such as speedier visa application processes to migrate to Western countries. So hundreds of Tibetans have protested not because they believe in what they are doing, but because they have been bribed by the CTA. There are other times when Tibetans have not joined the protests and they have been fined for their absence. This is a fact that Tibetans themselves speak about.

It is also widely known that Tibetans in India and Nepal, except for a small minority, have lost hope for gaining independence for Tibet due to the abject failures of their Tibetan leadership in Dharamsala. According to the CTA’s own census, there are approximately 95,000 Tibetans in India and Nepal combined. So why is it that when there are protests, only 50 to 100 people show up? This dismal number proves what has been said about the loss of hope and interest amongst the Tibetans themselves.

So why are Tibetans so ungrateful? If they really want to continue living peacefully in Nepal and enjoying all the benefits that they receive, they had better respect and follow the law as any citizen of any country should. It is the law in Nepal that Tibet protests are banned. It is the law in Nepal that Tibet belongs to China, under the One China Policy. Right or wrong, that is the law in Nepal.

So the Nepali government are well within their authority to detain Adak for breaking the law by flying the Tibetan flag as a symbol of protest. Clearly, overzealous activism for the so-called Tibetan cause will no longer be tolerated as Nepal continues to grow increasingly closer to China for the sake of its people. It is time for the Tibetans to wake up and realize the futility of fighting against China, especially within Nepal’s sovereign borders.

Tibetan Activist Detained for Nine Days in Nepal After Tibetan Flag Facebook Photo

Click to enlarge. (Source: http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/exile/6092-tibetan-activist-detained-for-nine-days-in-nepal-after-tibetan-flag-facebook-photo)

Shigatse-born Tashi Phuntsok was the winner of the 2017 “Sing! China” singing competition. He is just one of the examples that Tibetans in China are given opportunities to realise their dreams.

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: Ame Nielsen

India and China share a 2,521 mile-long border which almost doubles if you include the sandwiched countries of Nepal and Bhutan. In comparison, the border between Mexico and the United States is 1,954 miles long and we all know of US President Donald Trump’s proposal to construct a wall there because Mexicans have and continue to move to the Unites States in the hundreds of thousands to seek better economic and other opportunities.

Both these geographical examples highlight the universal truth that, given the chance, human beings will always migrate from a location with poorer relative opportunity to one of higher relative opportunity to better their lives.

In a market-driven economy, the meaning of a better life certainly includes access to jobs, health, education, goods and services. The underlying factors to this are transport infrastructure, communications, utilities, access to markets, law and order, and more.

So today, if one were to place oneself in any of the Indian border states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh or Sikkim for example, it would be clear where the proverbial greener grass grows — on China’s side. According to Claude Arpi, a China-India relations expert, this is because,

China is fast developing its frontiers, trying to woo the Tibetan locals, often akin to the Indian populations on the other side of the border.

Mr. Arpi was commenting on current China-India relations in his article “China’s inroads near the Indian borders”, published in The Pioneer on Thursday, 29 March 2018. According to Mr. Arpi, during the recently concluded China’s National People’s Congress, it was decided that the richer Chinese provinces would help less prosperous locations. For example, Hunan, Hubei and Anhui will help prefecture-level cities like Lhoka in the southeastern Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) “make the dramatic transition from poor border villages to prosperous ones with electricity, first rate access roads, irrigation systems and potable water.”

Mr. Arpi also cites a March 4, 2018 Xinhua announcement that,

“Tibet will strive to make highways reach all townships and administrative villages by 2020 in a bid to boost rural development. …By 2020, all townships which meet necessary conditions and 80% of administrative villages would have access to bus service.”

He also cites a senior TAR transport official saying, “road construction will help the region reduce poverty and increase the income of farmers and herders.”

Contrast all this development and higher relative economic opportunity to the Indian side of things where development is very poor and access to markets is limited. Foreign tourists are not even permitted to visit many of these border states without a “Protected Area Permit”, thereby limiting economic opportunities in the tourism sector. In addition, there is also the “Inner line” permit system for Indian nationals which again limits mobility in and out of these areas.

Mr. Arpi’s article and evidence clearly contrasts the relative development and economic opportunities on both sides of the India-China border and he hastens India to do something about this huge gap.

However, for the Tibetans living in these border areas, perhaps it is too little too late for their lives in India. It is these Tibetans who are generally forced to seek a living using less-than-legitimate means, and for whom such a restrictive existence will grow tiresome after 60 years. And so it is clear where the push and pull factors come from. China, where family members are still living; China, where well-paying jobs are aplenty; China, where the infrastructure is improving with the government’s assistance; China, where religion is now easily accessible and people can practice openly; China, where the grass is greener, and there is no doubt about this.

China’s Inroads Near the Indian Borders

Click to enlarge. (Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/chinas-inroads-near-the-indian-borders.html)