My Tweets Follower Very Happy Tibetan New Year, may Full Fill. Dalai Lama Forced To Cancel Trip To South Africa. The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, has announced that he will not be visiting South Africa for a planned trip from the 6th to the 14th of October. He made the decision after a fruitless five-week-long wait for a visa to enter the country, the South African government effectively refusing to issue him with official travel documents. The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, said that he abandoned his plans because he didn’t want to “create any inconveniences to anyone, individuals or governments.” The South African authorities are yet to furnish reasons for failing to give him a visa. He was to attend the 80th birthday celebrations of former Archbishop Desmond Tutu and was invited to deliver a lecture in honor of the staunch anti-Apartheid campaigner and Nobel Peace laureate in Cape Town.
Tutu had earlier expressed his sadness over the situation, saying “I think my birthday gift is going to be: no Dalai Lama.” Related Stories: Tibetan Monk Sets Himself on Fire in China. Dismal World | Disputes: Tibet. The History of Tibet Situated in the Himalayas, bordered by India in the south and west, Nepal and Bhutan in the south, and China in the north and east, Tibet sits on the highest plateau in the world, at an average of 12,000 feet.
Tibet has long been an independent country, dating back for centuries. It has its own unique culture, with its own spoken and written language, system of government, currency, postal system, its own style of Buddhism, costume, and architecture. Tibet wished to live peacefully by itself, so much so that it became known to the outside world as 'Shangrila' - a mystical and magnetizing country to those people fascinated by its remoteness, inaccessibility, and tales of a people living in complete harmony with themselves and nature. With the rise of the Communist Party in China and the formation of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese cast their eyes to the west and declared their intention to take Tibet for their own. Source: www.bbc.co.uk About Tibet. Tsampa Revolution: Tibet is Burning! at Rutgers University.
Tibet has resisted China’s illegal occupation since it began over 50 years ago, but the past four years have been particularly turbulent. More than 26 young Tibetans have self-immolated and numerous peaceful people rallying on the streets of Tibet are being mercilessly shot by Chinese security forces. Tibet is under undeclared martial law and access for all outsiders including foreign media is completely blocked. Jonathan Watts of the Guardian newspaper, who recently snuck into Tibet, said “Being in Ngaba (eastern Tibet) reminded him of being in the ‘conflict zones’ in Iraq and Northern Ireland at the height of their trouble.”
Each immolation calls for the same thing, freedom for Tibet, and calls for Tibet’s spiritual leader, HH the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet. A free presentation is taking place at Rutgers University this Thursday and will focus on the underlying causes of this unprecedented wave of self-immolations and provide more insight into how the Tibetan resistance is evolving. Tibetan Monk Sets Himself on Fire in China. Earlier today, a Tibetan monk set himself on fire in southwestern China in front of a local government building. He was the second monk to die of self-immolation this year, in a growing wave of protest against repressive Chinese policies toward Tibetan monasteries and culture. Witnesses said that the monk, named Tsewang Norbu, called out “We Tibetan people want freedom,” “Long live the Dalai Lama,” and “Let the Dalai Lama return to Tibet” as he died.
“I saw a monk lying on the ground and burning, he died right in front of the county government building. Before setting himself on fire, he was distributing leaflets,” an anonymous receptionist told the AFP. Many monks in the area still pledge their allegiance to the exiled Dalai Lama, who fled China in 1959. The self-immolation of another monk, Phuntsok, earlier this year, spurred intense crackdowns in the region. Related Stories: In Solidarity: Two Months of Chaos for Tibet’s Kirti Monks Crackdown on Tibetan Monks. Teenage Tibetan Monk Self-Immolates. A young Tibetan Buddhist monk set himself on fire in the Sichuan province of China on Tuesday, AFP reports.
The teenage monk quickly set himself on fire as he walked towards a central government office. He is reported to have shouted slogans that no one could understand as he walked down the street. He quickly succumbed to the flames. His name was Lobsang Luzin, and he is one of 44 other monks who have self-immolated in China over the last three years in protest to the Chinese government’s control of Tibet. Once news reached officials regarding the self-immolation, Chinese police forces started to make their way to the monastery in the area, but Tibetans successfully blocked a bridge to slow down their approach.
China has a long history of quickly squelching any Tibetan rebellion to Chinese rule. A rash of large uprisings occurred in Tibet’s capital city of Lhasa in 2008, which caused Chinese officials to buckle down on the large city. Related Stories: Two Tibetans Self-Immolate in Lhasa. In Solidarity: Two Months of Chaos for Tibet’s Kirti Monks. Crackdown on Tibetan Monks. Kirti Monastery in the Ngaba prefecture of Tibet has been victim to Chinese repression for many years. On March 16, 2008, the Chinese police prohibited a morning prayer session at Kirti Monastery. At least 10 Tibetans–including 16-year-old schoolgirl Lhundup Tso–were shot dead after police opened fire on unarmed Tibetans who joined the spontaneous protest.
In February 2009, at the start of the Tibetan New Year, the Chinese police banned prayer services at Kirti Monastery. A young monk, Tapey, set himself on fire in protest; he was shot by police, and removed immediately. Over two years later, his whereabouts cannot be confirmed. TAKE ACTION: Tell China to respect the rights of the Kirti monks. Article 36 of the Chinese constitution expressly states: Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. Phuntsok’s Protest and Death Over 1,000 monks and laypeople staged a protest march. Phuntsok passed away around 3 am local time on March 17. The Soldiers Arrive. From Tibet to Wall Street: Cries for Justice. The grim news from Tibet in the past month has escalated. I’ve been quietly reading each update on young monks who have set themselves on fire, hoping the world is watching, and will come to rescue them from their oppression.
As I sat to write this, I received another update from International Campaign for Tibet: Self-immolations continue in Tibet; 8th young Tibetan man sets fire to himself in Ngaba A former Kirti monk set fire to himself in a protest on the main street in Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) county town just before noon on October 15.
Norbu Damdrul, a 19-year old former monk at Kirti monastery in Ngaba, shouted “We need freedom and independence for Tibet,” and called for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet as his body was burning, according to the same sources. Norbu’s body was badly burned, but according to sources he was still alive when police stationed on the street extinguished the flames and kicked Norbu before taking him away. Related Stories: Tibet Still Waits For Its Panchen Lama - Part 2. In his summer school “Introduction to Theology” course at a large university in midtown Manhattan, my husband found that almost a third of the students on his roster were from China.
At one point the Dalai Lama was mentioned and at least one of the students from China expressed shock to hear that the exiled Tibetan leader is still alive: Apparently the student (who laughed nervously when my husband showed him that the Dalai Lama had recently visited nearby Newark) had been informed otherwise in China. The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has lived in Dharamsala in northern India in exile since 1959 after a failed Tibetan uprising. In 1995, he anointed Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a herder’s son, as the Panchen Lama, the reincarnation of one of Tibet’s highest Buddhist leaders. But Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has missing since May of 1995 when Chinese authorities placed him and his family in what is called “protective custody.” The Panchen Lama would be 22 years old now. Save Tibetan lives. China: Respect the Human Rights of the Kirti Monks. Mr. jean stuart, New Zealand Apr 05, 14:46 so they can practice dharma in peace. send a green star Name not displayed, AL Mar 06, 04:16 Name not displayed, PA Jan 29, 12:17 Name not displayed, MD Jan 27, 16:17 Mr.
Jan 17, 15:16 Everyone in the world no matter what your belief is or what you do should have respect no matter what. send a green star Name not displayed, Poland Dec 25, 06:20 Name not displayed, CA Dec 24, 20:15 Name not displayed, OH Dec 08, 13:48 Name not displayed, France Nov 22, 08:20 Name not displayed, NJ Nov 20, 21:17 Name not displayed, Australia Nov 06, 17:52 Ms. Oct 28, 22:11 Although I am a devout Christian, I believe it is imperative for all people to have the freedom to practice or not to practice any religion the see fit. Send a green star Ms. Oct 23, 23:35 The monks should be allowed to follow their tradition without interference. send a green star Oct 20, 11:41 Ms. Oct 19, 09:24 send a green star Name not displayed, SD Sep 18, 19:24 Name not displayed, IL Sep 16, 17:25 Mrs.
Sep 13, 09:48 Dr. Ms.