His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Nick Clegg & david Cameron

China vented it's fury today at the meeting of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with British Priminister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Stating in it's usual exremely boring communist manner that the meeting had somehow offended the Chinese people, the communists went on to say that no one should interfere in the internal politics of China.

However since the Dalai Lama is the un disputed spiritual head of at least 6 million "Chinese " citizens in the form of the opressed Tibetan minority the communists sound as stupid as ever.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was today awarded the Templeton Prize in St Pauls Cathederal London, most of the 1.1 Million Pound prize is to go to save the Children in India, The rest will go to the Mind Life institute and also a fund to educate Buddhist Monks as Scientists.

The Templeton Prize was set up forty years ago by the American born British stock investor Sir John Templeton who felt that the Nobel awards honoured the contribution of science to humanity but failed to recognise religion.

He created the annual award to be given to someone who made and “exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension”, stipulating that the cash should always be more than the Nobel prizes. It has been criticised by some scientists with the campaigning atheist and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins once dismissing it as an award “usually [given] to a scientist who is prepared to say something nice about religion.”

Tibet’s spiritual leader had much to say yesterday about economic greed and the need for religions to embrace scientific study.

He called on nations to tackle the ongoing global econimuic crisis with “optimism and hard work” stating that “any problem which is created [by man], we must have the ability to solve.”

Buddhist spiritual leader whose long-standing engagement with multiple dimensions of science and with people far beyond his own religious traditions has made him an incomparable global voice for universal ethics, nonviolence, and harmony among world religions, has won the 2012 Templeton Prize.

For decades, Tenzin Gyatso, 76, the 14th Dalai Lama - a lineage believed by followers to be the reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist leader who epitomized compassion – has vigorously focused on the connections between the investigative traditions of science and Buddhism as a way to better understand and advance what both disciplines might offer the world.

[8 May 2012, London] On Thursday 10 May, days before the Dalai Lama receives the Templeton Prize at St Paul's Cathedral on 14 May, Bianca Jagger will join Tibet Groups to present a new report by the Society for Threatened People on the deepening crisis inside Tibet and launch a campaign that will build up to a European Tibet Solidarity rally in Vienna on 26 May 2012, where His Holiness the Dalai Lama will speak.
 
To show her solidarity with the Tibetan people, Bianca Jagger will join a small group of Tibetans whose families are from the areas of Tibet where over 35 self-immolations have taken place since 2009, to deliver a new report on the current situation in Tibet to 10 Downing Street.
 
Bianca Jagger, Goodwill Ambassador for the Council of Europe, will be calling on David Cameron and other European governments to follow up on the report's recommendations to take urgent action towards easing the tension in Chinese-occupied Tibet.
 
To emphasise the critical need for action to the Prime Minister, a banner will be unfurled saying, “David Cameron, Tibet Needs You Now”.
 
Before delivering the report to 10 Downing Street, Mrs Jagger, who is Founder and Chair of Human Rights Foundation, a Member of the Executive Director's Leadership Council, Amnesty International, USA and Trustee of the Amazon Charitable Trust, will speak to the media in Westminster.

Thursday, 10 May 2012, Schedule of events

11.00am: Press conference, Room W1, off Westminster Hall, House of Commons, London SW1A 2TT
11.35am: Unfurling of banner, “David Cameron, Tibet Needs You Now" outside Houses of Parliament

11.45am: Delivery of report to 10 Downing Street

submitted via email

DHARAMSHALA: Reports coming out of Tibet say, an internal notice sent to all the prisons and detention centers of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in March 2012, has barred all prisoners from meeting their friends and family.

The notice has also clearly outlined a need for stricter vigilance in the prisons and has directed all the prison officials to closely monitor the movements of the Tibetan prisoners.

Lawyers and legal advisers of the prisoners were asked to get the permission only from the chief warden and were allowed only a limited amount of time for case discussion.

The reason for stricter rules in the prison was cited as public security and the welfare of Lhasa residents.

Most of the detention centres and prisons of the Tibet Autonomous Region are situated on the north west of Lhasa. These prisons were built rapidly in 1983 and was used ever since for secret detention of political prisoners and dissidents.

Many respected monks from the three main monasteries of Tibet were also reportedly arrested and detained in these prisons and tortured.

tibet.net

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement at the 6th World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet, in Ottawa, Canada from April 26-28.  The statement was read on Leader Pelosi’s behalf at the conference on Friday, April 27th.:

“Thank you for your invitation to be with you today for the 6th World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet.  And thank you for your work in bringing together such a distinguished group of parliamentarians and advocates for the cause of Tibet.

“This multilateral approach is an essential mechanism for advocating for the Tibetan people and ensuring that world parliamentarians speak with one voice.

“For all of us here today, it is an extraordinary privilege to be in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  His Holiness is one of the greatest voices for democracy and human rights across the globe.  His clarion call for the freedom of Tibet is a challenge to the conscience of the world.

DHARAMSHALA: Reports coming out of Tibet say, an internal notice sent to all the prisons and detention centers of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in March 2012, has barred all prisoners from meeting their friends and family.

The notice has also clearly outlined a need for stricter vigilance in the prisons and has directed all the prison officials to closely monitor the movements of the Tibetan prisoners.

Lawyers and legal advisers of the prisoners were asked to get the permission only from the chief warden and were allowed only a limited amount of time for case discussion.

The reason for stricter rules in the prison was cited as public security and the welfare of Lhasa residents.

Most of the detention centres and prisons of the Tibet Autonomous Region were situated on the north west of Lhasa. These prisons were built rapidly in 1983 and was used ever since for secret detention of political prisoners and dissidents.

Many respected monks from the three main monasteries of Tibet were also reportedly arrested and detained in these prisons and tortured.

tibet.net

The Chinese authorities in Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province have issued a notification aimed at restricting the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Kardze Prefecture.

The notification issued on 26 April 2012 requires all non-governmental 'social organizations' to register with the prefectural-level Bureau of Civil Affairs failing which these organizations will be declared illegal, reported the Chinese government-owned Ganzi Daily News on 27 April 2012.

The NGOs in Kardze Prefecture will get registration only when they meet the registration criteria listed by the government, the report added quoting the notification issued by the prefectural Bureau of Civil Affairs.

The notification further announced that relevant government authorities will investigate the nature and activities of the NGOs and if found ineligible for registration, these NGOs will be closed.

DHRAMSHALA: Reports coming out of Tibet say, four Tibetan monks from Kham Dragko Gochen monastery are arrested by the Chinese police and have gone missing ever since.

Tulku Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche, Tsewang Namgyal, Thinley and Dalha were arrested by the Chinese police four days after the peaceful protest against the Chinese government on 23 January, 2012 in Dragko.

Tulku Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche, 40, was a revered reincarnated lama while the other three were respectable monks of the monastery. All four of them were not tried in any court and were not given any sentence. Their well being and current whereabouts is unavailable.

According to a reliable source inside Tibet, one of them is reported to have been killed by Chinese police.

tibet.net

A court in Sichuan Province has sentenced 16 Tibetans after their arrest in the aftermath of the 23 January protests in Drango (Chinese: Luhuo) County, Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province.

On 26 April 2012, a court (name not known at this time) in Sichuan province sentenced 16 Tibetans, including both monks and laymen, for their involvement in the 23 January protest.

Sonam Lhundup, a Tibetan in his 30’s, was sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 others to varying terms.

Kuntho (in 20’s) was sentenced to 13 years prison term. Jebay and Wangchen Tsering (in their 30’s), from Gyephen Likhokma village, were handed prison terms of 12 years and 9 years, respectively. Kundup (in 30’s) was sentenced to 11 years jail terms while 25-yrs-old Choenam and 50-yrs-old Azi Shopo were sentenced to 3 years each. Nyendak (in 30’s) was sentenced to 1 year and 8 months term, Phurwa Tsering (in 30’s) to 2 years and, Wangtse (in 20’s) to a year and 9 months term.

The details of the charges made against them are not known immediately.

In another incident, seven more Tibetans were sentenced, said sources.They were Tibetans who were arrested after the protests in Drango County earlier this year.

Sonam Dhargyal, son of Sonam Dadhul and Kyalu of Gukteng village, was sentenced to 10 years term. Pema Woesel, son of Gyepa, from Gunang village was sentenced to 5 years term. The other five Tibetans were sentenced from 10 to 13 years terms. The identities of these five Tibetans are not known at this time of reporting.

The exact date and the court which handed the sentences to these seven Tibetans are unclear.

tchrd