Tibetan protesters lie down on the street near Chinese consular office in Kathmandu September 9, 2008. Tibetans living in Nepal were protesting against Chinese actions in Tibet.
REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar (NEPAL)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Tibet Protests - Kathmandu September 9, 2008
Tibetan protesters lie down on the street near Chinese consular office in Kathmandu September 9, 2008. Tibetans living in Nepal were protesting against Chinese actions in Tibet.
REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar (NEPAL)
Tibet Protests - New Delhi September 8, 2008
A Tibetan exile shouts slogans during a protest in New Delhi September 8, 2008. Dozens of exiles protested against Chinese External Affairs Minister Yang Jiechi's visit to India.
REUTERS/Adnan Abidi (INDIA)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Kashag's Statement on the 48th Anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day
Kashag's Statement on the 48th Anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day
Phayul[Tuesday, September 02, 2008 12:24]
The Statement of the Kashag on the Forty-eighth Anniversary of the Tibetan Democracy Day
2 September 2008
On this special occasion of the 48th anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's extraordinary efforts to transform the Tibetan polity into a genuine democracy, the Kashag - as a way of expressing its immense gratitude to His Holiness - makes obeisance to him. The Kashag also extends its affectionate greetings and Tashi Deleg to all Tibetans living in and outside Tibet, as well as to the governments, parliaments, governmental and non-governmental organisations, Tibet support groups and the people of the international community who are supportive of Tibet and the Tibetans.
In our previous statements, the Kashag has dwelled - among other things - on the status of the Tibetan democratic polity and its weaknesses; the responsibilities that Tibetans in general and particularly the Tibetan exiles must shoulder; and the role of the Tibetan civil society, which is inclusive of the Tibetan NGOs. While reiterating all these points, the Kashag would like to emphatically state that all Tibetans should - at this very critical and crucial period - give more importance to their democratic duties than rights; that they should give more importance to the national and community's benefits than individual's and organisation's; and that they should, in order to challenge the forces of division, strive towards combining their collective energies.
The principal reason why the Tibetans inside Tibet have had to endure continuous sufferings for the last almost 60 years - and as a result of it the very survival of the Tibetan people is at stake today - is due to the Chinese autocratic government's ultra-leftist policies. Under these policies, the basic rights of the Tibetan people, including their political, social, religious and cultural rights are trampled upon by the Chinese government. Therefore, until and unless the nature of the People's Republic of China's polity does not become more open, free and transparent, it is difficult for China to be able to resolve the problem of Tibet. Taking cue from this fact, the Tibetan people living in the free world should also work towards cultivating a culture of openness, freedom and transparency.
In order to establish a true democratic society, it is very important to have gender equality in general, and particularly women should equally partake in the administrative and political work of a country. Since ancient times until now, no gender discriminations of any kind have taken place in our society. However, going by the ratio of the Tibetan men and women taking part in administration and politics, there is a difference with women lagging far behind men. It is very important to bridge this difference in the future. The Kashag will soon come out with a policy to strengthen women's power in our society, and we request all of you to co-operate with us in this regard.
One of the difficulties of a democratic system when it comes to implementation - and particularly a problem often faced by the Asian countries - is the inability to make a choice when differences emerge between one's political ideology and the policies adopted by the government of the day, as well as the difficulty in evolving a consensus among the contesting parties when it comes to the fundamental interest of the country and people. All these occur due to an inadequate level of education, or intellectual disposition, among the citizens. The Tibetan community is also undergoing the same kind of problems. Therefore, it is indispensable for the individuals and organisations to heed that in addition to upholding their respective ideological leanings, they should - as and when required - ensure the unity and cohesive force of the Tibetan people without letting it diminish the slightest.
For nearly 60 years, we have endured the oppression of a foreign country. Over these years, many heroic Tibetan men and women have sacrificed their every possession, including their precious lives, for the sake of Tibetan religion, culture, national identity and freedom. Paying homage to all these brave souls, the Kashag would like to request all Tibetans to learn from their sacrifices and continue the rightful and non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people until the issue of Tibet is resolved once and for all.
Finally, the Kashag prays for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the spontaneous fulfilment of all his wishes. May the truth of the issue of Tibet prevail soon!
The Kashag
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?c=2&t=1&id=22721&article=Kashag's+Statement+on+the+48th+Anniversary+of+Tibetan+Democracy+Day
Phayul[Tuesday, September 02, 2008 12:24]
The Statement of the Kashag on the Forty-eighth Anniversary of the Tibetan Democracy Day
2 September 2008
On this special occasion of the 48th anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's extraordinary efforts to transform the Tibetan polity into a genuine democracy, the Kashag - as a way of expressing its immense gratitude to His Holiness - makes obeisance to him. The Kashag also extends its affectionate greetings and Tashi Deleg to all Tibetans living in and outside Tibet, as well as to the governments, parliaments, governmental and non-governmental organisations, Tibet support groups and the people of the international community who are supportive of Tibet and the Tibetans.
In our previous statements, the Kashag has dwelled - among other things - on the status of the Tibetan democratic polity and its weaknesses; the responsibilities that Tibetans in general and particularly the Tibetan exiles must shoulder; and the role of the Tibetan civil society, which is inclusive of the Tibetan NGOs. While reiterating all these points, the Kashag would like to emphatically state that all Tibetans should - at this very critical and crucial period - give more importance to their democratic duties than rights; that they should give more importance to the national and community's benefits than individual's and organisation's; and that they should, in order to challenge the forces of division, strive towards combining their collective energies.
The principal reason why the Tibetans inside Tibet have had to endure continuous sufferings for the last almost 60 years - and as a result of it the very survival of the Tibetan people is at stake today - is due to the Chinese autocratic government's ultra-leftist policies. Under these policies, the basic rights of the Tibetan people, including their political, social, religious and cultural rights are trampled upon by the Chinese government. Therefore, until and unless the nature of the People's Republic of China's polity does not become more open, free and transparent, it is difficult for China to be able to resolve the problem of Tibet. Taking cue from this fact, the Tibetan people living in the free world should also work towards cultivating a culture of openness, freedom and transparency.
In order to establish a true democratic society, it is very important to have gender equality in general, and particularly women should equally partake in the administrative and political work of a country. Since ancient times until now, no gender discriminations of any kind have taken place in our society. However, going by the ratio of the Tibetan men and women taking part in administration and politics, there is a difference with women lagging far behind men. It is very important to bridge this difference in the future. The Kashag will soon come out with a policy to strengthen women's power in our society, and we request all of you to co-operate with us in this regard.
One of the difficulties of a democratic system when it comes to implementation - and particularly a problem often faced by the Asian countries - is the inability to make a choice when differences emerge between one's political ideology and the policies adopted by the government of the day, as well as the difficulty in evolving a consensus among the contesting parties when it comes to the fundamental interest of the country and people. All these occur due to an inadequate level of education, or intellectual disposition, among the citizens. The Tibetan community is also undergoing the same kind of problems. Therefore, it is indispensable for the individuals and organisations to heed that in addition to upholding their respective ideological leanings, they should - as and when required - ensure the unity and cohesive force of the Tibetan people without letting it diminish the slightest.
For nearly 60 years, we have endured the oppression of a foreign country. Over these years, many heroic Tibetan men and women have sacrificed their every possession, including their precious lives, for the sake of Tibetan religion, culture, national identity and freedom. Paying homage to all these brave souls, the Kashag would like to request all Tibetans to learn from their sacrifices and continue the rightful and non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people until the issue of Tibet is resolved once and for all.
Finally, the Kashag prays for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the spontaneous fulfilment of all his wishes. May the truth of the issue of Tibet prevail soon!
The Kashag
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?c=2&t=1&id=22721&article=Kashag's+Statement+on+the+48th+Anniversary+of+Tibetan+Democracy+Day
Democracy Day: Exile Government asks Tibetans to give more importance to “duties than rights”
Democracy Day: Exile Government asks Tibetans to give more importance to “duties than rights”
Phayul[Tuesday, September 02, 2008 15:13]
By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, September 2: Marking the 48th anniversary of the Tibetan Democracy Day, Tibet’s Government-in-exile today asked all Tibetans to give more importance to their “democratic duties than rights” in the Kashag’s statement read out by Ven. Tsering Phuntsok, the minister for Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration, here today.
Kalon (minister) Tsering Phuntsok was acting on behalf of Kalon Tripa (prime minister) Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, who is currently away in Mumbai, where the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has decided to take rest sometime since Monday after undergoing medical tests for abdominal discomfort and exhaustion.
“The Kashag would like to emphatically state that all Tibetans should - at this very critical and crucial period - give more importance to their democratic duties than rights,” the Kashag’s statement said.
The statement went on to add that Tibetans “should give more importance to the national and community's benefits than individual's and organisation's; and that they should, in order to challenge the forces of division, strive towards combining their collective energies”.
Stating that Tibetan people have endured the oppression of a foreign country for nearly 60 years, Kashag statement urged Tibetan people to learn from the sacrifices made by many heroic Tibetan men and women in defending Tibetan religion, culture, national identity and freedom, and to continue the rightful and non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people until the issue of Tibet is resolved once and for all.
In the statement, the Tibetan Government blamed “Chinese autocratic government's ultra-leftist policies” responsible to the continuous sufferings endured by the Tibetans inside Tibet since China sent military troops to rule Tibet in 1949.
As a result of China’s oppressive policies, the statement said “the very survival of the Tibetan people is at stake today”.
“Under these policies, the basic rights of the Tibetan people, including their political, social, religious and cultural rights are trampled upon by the Chinese government. Therefore, until and unless the nature of the People's Republic of China's polity does not become more open, free and transparent, it is difficult for China to be able to resolve the problem of Tibet,” the statement underlined.
Accordingly, the statement also urged that the Tibetan people “living in the free world should also work towards cultivating a culture of openness, freedom and transparency”.
The statement emphasizes that in order to establish a true democratic society, there is a need to maintain gender equality and that women should equally partake in the administrative and political work of a country.
Noting that Tibetan women were lagging behind men in their ratio of taking part in the administrative and political works, the statement announced that the Kashag would soon come out with a policy to strengthen women's power in the Tibetan society to bridge the existing difference in the future.
September 2 is a special day and an official holiday for Tibetans around world as they celebrate their democracy day.
This year completes 48 years since the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama declared democracy for Tibetans in 1960 and promulgated a constitution for a future Tibet, based on the principles of modern democracy.
To support his declaration of democracy, the Dalai Lama established a Tibetan Government-in-exile, with a parliament directly elected by the people, although he initially had had the sole constitutional power to appoint cabinet ministers and department heads.
As part of democratic reforms, the Dalai Lama, in 1991, announced the “Charter for Tibetans in exile”, whereby, amongst other things, expanded the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies, (now changed to Tibetan Parliament) and were empowered to appoint the Cabinet (Tib: Kashag).
Speaking in 1991, after announcing this landmark decision, the Dalai Lama said: “Change is coming to the Tibetan political system. It is unfortunate that it happens in exile, but this does not stop us learning the art of democracy….This democratization has reached out to Tibetans all over the world…. I believe that future generations of Tibetans will consider these changes among the most important achievements of our experience in exile.”
As part of further democratization, in 2000, the Tibetan supreme leader instituted another reform, requiring exile Tibetans to directly elect their Prime Minister with full administrative power. In 2001, for the very first time, Tibetans from 27 countries voted on a single day, with more than 80 percent electing Professor Samdhong Rinpoche as the first Kalon Tripa.
Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche is currently running his second consecutive term after being re-elected in 2006, securing a landslide majority of over 90 percent of the total votes cast.
Since the introduction of democracy, Tibetan community in exile experienced a constantly evolving vibrant democratic system, founded on “harmonious blend of spiritual and political values” as they call it. Much of the credit goes to the benevolent leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
In Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-exile and exile home of the Dalai Lama, large number of Tibetan refugees today gathered at the Tsuglag-Khang (Main Tibetan Temple), the venue for official functions, to honour the Dalai Lama’s declaration of democracy.
In commemorating the 48th anniversary of the Tibetan Democracy, the Kashag’s statement, expressed “immense gratitude” and paid “obeisance” to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his “extraordinary efforts to transform the Tibetan polity into a genuine democracy”.
The official function, kept short without any elaborate celebrations, sensibly due to current depressing situation inside Tibet, included award presentation to students who achieved outstanding performance in their Class XII Board exams and, official speeches from the Kashag and the Tibetan Parliament.
The function, which lasted not more than an hour, was attended by Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament Mr Karma Choephel, other members of the parliament, cabinet ministers, and senior government officials.
In his address to the crowds assembled at the Tsuglag-Khang, Mr Karma expressed sympathy and solidarity to those Tibetans who have been killed, arrested, injured or tortured for taking part in peaceful demonstrations across Tibet since March 10 this year. The Tibetans speaker said those brave Tibetans brothers and sister have shown extreme courage and faith to selflessly sacrifice their lives and belongings for the greater cause of Tibet.
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22723
Phayul[Tuesday, September 02, 2008 15:13]
By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, September 2: Marking the 48th anniversary of the Tibetan Democracy Day, Tibet’s Government-in-exile today asked all Tibetans to give more importance to their “democratic duties than rights” in the Kashag’s statement read out by Ven. Tsering Phuntsok, the minister for Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration, here today.
Kalon (minister) Tsering Phuntsok was acting on behalf of Kalon Tripa (prime minister) Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, who is currently away in Mumbai, where the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has decided to take rest sometime since Monday after undergoing medical tests for abdominal discomfort and exhaustion.
“The Kashag would like to emphatically state that all Tibetans should - at this very critical and crucial period - give more importance to their democratic duties than rights,” the Kashag’s statement said.
The statement went on to add that Tibetans “should give more importance to the national and community's benefits than individual's and organisation's; and that they should, in order to challenge the forces of division, strive towards combining their collective energies”.
Stating that Tibetan people have endured the oppression of a foreign country for nearly 60 years, Kashag statement urged Tibetan people to learn from the sacrifices made by many heroic Tibetan men and women in defending Tibetan religion, culture, national identity and freedom, and to continue the rightful and non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people until the issue of Tibet is resolved once and for all.
In the statement, the Tibetan Government blamed “Chinese autocratic government's ultra-leftist policies” responsible to the continuous sufferings endured by the Tibetans inside Tibet since China sent military troops to rule Tibet in 1949.
As a result of China’s oppressive policies, the statement said “the very survival of the Tibetan people is at stake today”.
“Under these policies, the basic rights of the Tibetan people, including their political, social, religious and cultural rights are trampled upon by the Chinese government. Therefore, until and unless the nature of the People's Republic of China's polity does not become more open, free and transparent, it is difficult for China to be able to resolve the problem of Tibet,” the statement underlined.
Accordingly, the statement also urged that the Tibetan people “living in the free world should also work towards cultivating a culture of openness, freedom and transparency”.
The statement emphasizes that in order to establish a true democratic society, there is a need to maintain gender equality and that women should equally partake in the administrative and political work of a country.
Noting that Tibetan women were lagging behind men in their ratio of taking part in the administrative and political works, the statement announced that the Kashag would soon come out with a policy to strengthen women's power in the Tibetan society to bridge the existing difference in the future.
September 2 is a special day and an official holiday for Tibetans around world as they celebrate their democracy day.
This year completes 48 years since the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama declared democracy for Tibetans in 1960 and promulgated a constitution for a future Tibet, based on the principles of modern democracy.
To support his declaration of democracy, the Dalai Lama established a Tibetan Government-in-exile, with a parliament directly elected by the people, although he initially had had the sole constitutional power to appoint cabinet ministers and department heads.
As part of democratic reforms, the Dalai Lama, in 1991, announced the “Charter for Tibetans in exile”, whereby, amongst other things, expanded the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies, (now changed to Tibetan Parliament) and were empowered to appoint the Cabinet (Tib: Kashag).
Speaking in 1991, after announcing this landmark decision, the Dalai Lama said: “Change is coming to the Tibetan political system. It is unfortunate that it happens in exile, but this does not stop us learning the art of democracy….This democratization has reached out to Tibetans all over the world…. I believe that future generations of Tibetans will consider these changes among the most important achievements of our experience in exile.”
As part of further democratization, in 2000, the Tibetan supreme leader instituted another reform, requiring exile Tibetans to directly elect their Prime Minister with full administrative power. In 2001, for the very first time, Tibetans from 27 countries voted on a single day, with more than 80 percent electing Professor Samdhong Rinpoche as the first Kalon Tripa.
Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche is currently running his second consecutive term after being re-elected in 2006, securing a landslide majority of over 90 percent of the total votes cast.
Since the introduction of democracy, Tibetan community in exile experienced a constantly evolving vibrant democratic system, founded on “harmonious blend of spiritual and political values” as they call it. Much of the credit goes to the benevolent leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
In Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-exile and exile home of the Dalai Lama, large number of Tibetan refugees today gathered at the Tsuglag-Khang (Main Tibetan Temple), the venue for official functions, to honour the Dalai Lama’s declaration of democracy.
In commemorating the 48th anniversary of the Tibetan Democracy, the Kashag’s statement, expressed “immense gratitude” and paid “obeisance” to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his “extraordinary efforts to transform the Tibetan polity into a genuine democracy”.
The official function, kept short without any elaborate celebrations, sensibly due to current depressing situation inside Tibet, included award presentation to students who achieved outstanding performance in their Class XII Board exams and, official speeches from the Kashag and the Tibetan Parliament.
The function, which lasted not more than an hour, was attended by Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament Mr Karma Choephel, other members of the parliament, cabinet ministers, and senior government officials.
In his address to the crowds assembled at the Tsuglag-Khang, Mr Karma expressed sympathy and solidarity to those Tibetans who have been killed, arrested, injured or tortured for taking part in peaceful demonstrations across Tibet since March 10 this year. The Tibetans speaker said those brave Tibetans brothers and sister have shown extreme courage and faith to selflessly sacrifice their lives and belongings for the greater cause of Tibet.
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22723
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The 48th Tibetan Democracy Day in Kathmandu September 2, 2008
Tibetan students toss offerings towards a portrait of Dalai Lama as they celebrate the 48th Tibetan Democracy Day in Kathmandu September 2, 2008.
REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar
Wed Sep 3, 4:56 AM ET
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