28 Comments

1. 

   soyang

   April 3, 2018 at 8:49 pm

   The Tibetan leadership is not as innocent as you would think. They are downright ungrateful. They have been using their freedom in India to irritate China and this has created tension between the two Asian countries. But now India is using the Tibetans, this time to improve ties with China instead.

   (1) Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale met with both the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay to tell them to move their ‘Thank you India’ events out of Delhi, as India gears up to please China.

   (2) Gokhale told government officials not to attend Tibetan events, but he did not have to write his instructions down. These instructions were leaked. Some think it was intentional and hints at the fact it was both a ploy to let China know that India is changing its stance towards the Tibetans, and to let Tibetans know that it was doing so.

   (3) The leak was probably to slight the Tibetan leadership, who even went ahead with their smaller-scale events without coordinating with the Indian ministry.

   (4) Samdhong Rinpoche’s secret visit to China last year really irritated the Indian government. If the Tibetan leadership were to accept that Tibet was always a part of China, this would jeopardise the McMahon Line, and call into question India’s entire border with China.

   (5) The Tibetan leadership are not shy about stoking the fire during sensitive times. Lobsang Sangay even unfurled the Tibetan flag at Pangong Lake, near India’s border with China. He did this on Indian soil, but what made matters even worse, he did so during the Doklam standoff, when India and China were on the brink of war.

   Is Trump politics inspiring Modi to change his China policy?
   There are serious issues which should be prioritised by New Delhi to avoid another Doklam-like situation.
   Politics | 5-minute read | 03-04-2018
   CLAUDE ARPI
   Are we witnessing a “Trumpisation” of the Indian foreign policy? Some signs tend to show that, like the Trump presidency, the Narendra Modi government is prone to changing its stance, principally in its relations with China, though “destabilisation” of the opponent might not be the Indian motivation, as is often the case with the American move.
   Leaked missive
   Take the programme “Thank you India”, planned by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala. On February 22, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale wrote to cabinet secretary PK Sinha, advising Indian government officials, including ministers, to skip the events organised by Dharamsala. Sinha obliged and ministries were informed to stay away from a function to celebrate the 59th anniversary of the arrival of the Dalai Lama in India.
   The Indian and foreign press abundantly commented on Sinha’s “leaked” missive. The MEA apparently said that it was not supposed to have been “leaked”, but India is an open society and such things are bound to happen. Now, despite the missive, two government representatives attended the function which had in the meantime been shifted to Dharamsala.
   Journalist Indrani Bagchi wrote: “After a stunning volte-face on its China policy that made it seem like India was suddenly kowtowing to China, India is trying to recalibrate its approach.” Union minister for culture Mahesh Sharma and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav participated in the Dalai Lama’s “Thank you India” programme. Gokhale had personally met the Dalai Lama and Lobsang Sangay, the Tibetan “president”, to ask them to move the celebrations outside Delhi.
   In order not to rock the boat with China, the government had earlier refused permission to the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), funded by the ministry of defence, to have a conference on India-China relations in its premises in Delhi. A global parliamentarians’ conference on Tibet scheduled for April, was also not permitted.
   Apart from the latest summersault, which does not give a mature image to the Indian diplomacy, a question remains: why did Gokhale and Sinha need to put their warning in writing?
   China was certainly delighted by the circular, even though it has not incited Beijing to be “nicer” to India or accept compromises on any of the contentious issues between the two nations. For the last 60 years and more, each time India has kowtowed, China has given nothing in exchange. The best example has been the Panchsheel agreement. During the four-month negotiations in 1954, India surrendered one by one all its rights in Tibet, and hardly one month after the signature of the accord, the People’s Liberation Army started intruding in Barahoti, in today’s Uttarakhand, while a road was being built on Indian territory, in the Aksai Chin area.
   Logical approach
   Has any lesson been learnt? An article in Bloomberg commented: “That the letter was leaked a day before the foreign secretary was visiting Beijing suggests that a message was also being sent to China — that India would not allow the Dalai Lama to agitate the Tibet issue in India publicly.”
   There is no doubt that the high-profile Tibetan event in Delhi would have irritated China, but why could the government not have discreetly informed the Office of the Dalai Lama and the CTA, that important visits were due in the coming months (defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and the Prime Minster will soon pay visits to China) and that Delhi did not want any provocation which could trigger a new Doklam when the snows melt. South Block has a Liaison Office, with a senior officer posted in Dharamsala to communicate with the Dalai Lama and the CTA. The logical approach was to send a message to the Tibetans explaining the situation.
   Some have suggested that the objective was to slight the CTA. This is possible and though not verified, it was rumoured that the CTA had gone ahead without coordinating with the ministry; if true, it would be a slip.
   Serious issues
   It has also been said that the November 2017 clandestine visit to China of former Tibetan Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche had irritated South Block. The Chinese government would like the Dalai Lama to accept that Tibet has always been a part of China. That would create serious problems for India as it would mean that the McMahon Line, agreed to by independent Tibet and British India on the side of the Simla Conference in 1914, would have no legal worth. It is, however, doubtful if the Dalai Lama will ever concede something which is blatantly untrue.
   It is also true that the CTA has not always been sensitive to India’s problems. When during the Doklam standoff, Lobsang Sangay unfurled the Tibetan flag on the shores of the Pangong Lake, bordering Tibet in Ladakh, it was not very helpful to cool the tempers at the trijunction.
   In the meantime, deep reforms are taking place in China. For example, the United Front Work Department, which deals amongst other things with Tibet, has been given an increased importance, taking over the State Council Overseas Office, the National Ethnic Affairs Commission and the State Administration for Religious Affairs. Observers expect that it will translate into a tighter control over religion and ethnic issues, in particular in Tibet and Xinjiang. This has implications for India.
   These are serious issues which should be taken as priority by South Block while India’s Tibet policy should discreetly be fine-tuned in coordination with Dharamsala; one party should not embarrass the other.
   As for the “Thank you India” programme, one way for the Tibetans to “thank” India would be to reassert the India-Tibet borders in places such as Demchok, Chumar or Barahoti. In the meantime, “Trumpisation” will not help anybody… except for China.
   (Courtesy of Mail Today)
   https://www.dailyo.in/politics/tibet-india-china-doklam-xi-jinping-dalai-lama-narendra-modi/story/1/23232.html

   Reply
2. 

   Sara Sha

   April 3, 2018 at 9:16 pm

   Typical of Tibetan Leadership to just throw their responsibility on someone else. Since the cannot get the support from the USA, hence no Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues haha, they try to lump it on India!

   Well, luckily the Indian government is not so dumb and even at the “Thank You India” event they mentioned that they are happy and they support the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet. WHat does that say to you? Well, it says to me very clearly they are encouraging Dalai Lama along with all His followers to please go back to your country and find your own resolution which you will need “a lot of luck” said the minister in the event!

   The CTA sure needs a lot of luck because at the rate Sangay is going, notice he was the only one slamming China down in his speech at the event. No one else said anything/mentioned the word China, they were very diplomatic, even His Holiness was diplomatic. So at the rate Sangay is going, look forward to another 6 decades of nothing! Good Luck!

   Reply
3. 

   Doreen Park

   April 4, 2018 at 9:51 am

   It’s tough going now for Tibetans and the Dalai Lama. Not only has the Indian Government shown that it is dropping its Tibet card and favouring closer ties with China (for the sake of national interest), it is even telling the Dalai Lama that it supports his (and the Tibetans’ )return to Tibet, China.

   Indeed it’s not only the Indian government but their people who are urging the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans to go home!

   It’s sad that it should come to this. However, the Tibetan leadership in particular had asked for it. This was long coming to them for all their ingratitude and for getting India into trouble with China more than once. The only group that will suffer, unfortunately, are not the Tibetan leaders. They all have citizenship and secure homes in Western countries, bought with the money that they had fleeced all those years off donors who had been beguiled by them to support their “FreeTibet” cause and their poor me stories of the cruelty of China to the Tibetans.

   The ones who will suffer are the poor Tibetans who had not been helped at all to alleviate their living standards in all the 6 decades in exile and at the same time had been prevented from securing Indian citizenship by the CTA. My heart goes out to the 152 Tibetans who had been misled into self-immolation for a cause that had already been lost.

   Reply
4. 

   untomable

   April 6, 2018 at 7:58 am

   Very Powerful Word the Indian government supports the Dalai Lama leaving India and along with him, the rest of the Tibetans.

   Reply
5. 

   Kalsang Norbu

   April 7, 2018 at 2:11 pm

   During the international security conference in Moscow, India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met with her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on the sidelines. Although no official details of the meeting are available, it is understood that the geopolitical security is one of the main concerns and border issues between the two countries were discussed.

   With the Dalai Lama’s wish for Tibet to remain in China, the topic of Tibetan independence can no longer be used to maintain India’s geopolitical security. Hence India is now taking a more proactive approach in directly negotiating practical solutions with China.

   So not only did the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) render themselves useless to the Indian government, but this was reaffirmed by the meeting between Sitharaman and Wei – China and India will now deal directly with one another, without the CTA as an interference. So once again, the CTA has proven themselves to be a failure. In publicly stating they wish to be a part of China, the CTA sent a strong message to India that they will do what it takes to become a part of China, and therefore not do anything to support their kind host of 60 years.

   At this rate, it won’t be long that the Tibetans are asked to leave India.

   Nirmala Sitharaman Meets Chinese Defence Minister In Moscow
   They are understood to have exchanged views on bilateral issues, particularly on the situation along the nearly 4,000 km-border between the two countries
   All India | Press Trust of India | Updated: April 05, 2018 09:56 IST
   The two leaders are in Moscow to attend the 7th Moscow Conference.
   NEW DELHI:  Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday met her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of an international security conference in Moscow.
   They are understood to have exchanged views on bilateral issues, particularly on the situation along the nearly 4,000 km-border between the two countries, official sources said.
   Both Nirmala Sitharaman and Wei are in Moscow to attend the 7th Moscow Conference on International Security.
   Nirmala Sitharaman herself tweeted a picture of her meeting with Wei.
   There was no official details about the meeting.
   Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam from June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. The face-off ended on August 28.
   https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/nirmala-sitharaman-meets-chinese-defence-minister-in-moscow-1833063

   Reply
6. 

   Karma

   April 8, 2018 at 12:10 pm

   I do agree that the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans should go back to their home country.

   What else is there to do in India for them?
   The Indians are building good connections with the Chinese and this is very good for both India and China.

   The Tibetans have anyway no hope for a free Tibet and should start to befriend China for the benefit of all Tibetans in China.
   

   Reply
7. 

   Rinchen Nyima

   April 11, 2018 at 10:48 am

   The news of Karmapa Ogyen Trinley being allowed by the Central government of India to enter Sikkim is not well received by everyone.

   The 3rd claimant to the Karmapa’s throne, Lama Dawa Sangpo Dorjee is challenging Karmapa Ogyen Trinley to be tested for authenticity. Karmapa Ogyen Trinley was recognised by Tai Situpa, a high lama in the Kagyu tradition while Lama Dawa Sangpo Dorjee was identified by Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, another lama in the Kagyu tradition as the incarnation of the 16th Karmapa.

   This adds to the messy affair and confusion in the Kagyu lineage as there are 3 Karmapas recognised by 3 different lamas in the Kagyu tradition. Which one is the real one?

   Karmapa claimant seeks Ogyen Trinley tests
   Statesman News Service | Gangtok | April 10, 2018 4:38 am
   One of the three claimants to the 17th Karmapa title, Lama Dawa Sangpo Dorjee, has said that Sikkim will face a “big loss” if the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje is allowed to visit the state.
   The claimant has once again challenged Ogyen Trinley to undergo tests–scientific, divine and traditional– if he considers himself the original incarnation of the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, the head of the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
   “If I fail in the said tests, then I am ready to bow down before him and accept him as the real Karmapa,” Lama Dawa Sangpo told a press conference here on Monday.
   “If Ogyen Trinley visits Sikkim, me and my supporters (Sikkim Karmapa Committee) will wear black bands in our forehead and march in a protest rally in the capital here. If I am not allowed to enter Rumtek, then I won’t allow a false claimant to enter there either,” he said.
   He also alleged that MLA from Sangha constituency Sonam Lama is doing a “very shameful deed’ by putting monks into relay hunger strike. “He is playing a game with the monks and the people of Sikkim. He is selling the dharma,” he alleged.
   He also said that if the authorities concerned do not take any step, he will serve an ultimatum of 45 days in the future and make a third attempt to enter Rumtek, the seat of the Karmapa.
   Wangdi Tshering Lama of the Sikkim Karmapa Committee said that their demand was unheard by the Centre, state and other organisations just because they are a minority Buddhist community.
   “We are being dominated by the high-profile Buddhist community, which is not only illegal but an open crime,” he said. Dawa Sangpo Dorjee was born on 30th May 1977 in Mangan in North Sikkim.
   He proclaimed himself as the Karmapa at the age of 2.5 years. In 1987-1988, after the traditional test, Dawa Sangpo Dorjee was identified by Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche as the incarnation of the 16th Karmapa.
   After the demise of the Kongtrul Rinpoche, a controversy surfaced after the Situ Rinpoche and the Dalai Lama endorsed Ogyen Trinley Dorje and Shamar Rinpoche nominated Thaye Thinaly Dorjee as the incarnation of the 16th Karmapa. It may be mentioned here that the Central government recently allowed Ogyen trinley Dorje to enter Sikkim, but barred his visit to Rumtek.
   https://www.thestatesman.com/cities/karmapa-claimant-seeks-ogyen-trinley-tests-1502619916.html

   Reply
8. 

   Jampel

   April 12, 2018 at 10:00 am

   The Tibetan leadership seems determined to sabotage the union between India and China at a time when it was made known that India is trying hard to mend its relationship with China. Despite being asked to move their Thank You India event out of Delhi and a memo sent to all Indian ministers to not attend any Tibetan event, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) insisted on organising such an unnecessary event and went ahead to put up a show. Because of this, India was forced to send representatives to Dharamsala for the event, apprehensive of the potential damage and friction with China.

   On top of that, the CTA’s Secretary for the Department of Information and International Relations tried to throw the responsibility of the Tibetan struggle onto India with the public statement that India is the foundation of the Tibetan cause. So, not only have they freeloaded off India for 60 years, they want to now dump their issues with China on India. This desperation must have arisen since the US no longer sees the value of the Dalai Lama and the Tibet card in their geopolitical negotiations with China.

   Is that how the Tibetans “thank” someone they appreciate? Well, India’s message back cannot be any clearer, if Tibetans in exile really want to thank India, then it’s time for them to go back to Tibet.

   How the Tibetan Management Failed the Tibetan Trigger
   By now, everyone should have heard about India’s change of policy towards the Tibetan people’s struggle to regain their country. While it is glazed with the usual dose of diplomacy, the Indian government’s message to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) is clear — it’s time to go home.
   Tibetan politicians have come out in force to put on a show of gratitude towards Mother India and at the same time, sought to put Modi’s government in a moral bind. Dhardon Sharling, the Secretary for the CTA’s Department of Information and International Relations, said in a recent interview that India is the foundation of the Tibetan cause, hinting that if the Tibetan people’s struggle were to fail, it is on India’s head. But that is not entirely correct.
   If India is the CTA’s crutch, then the United States of America (US) must be its wooden leg. The impact of India’s decision to distance itself from the Tibetan struggle is exacerbated by the fact that at the same time, the US under the Trump presidency appears to no longer view the Dalai Lama and the Tibet card as valuable assets in its geopolitical manoeuvring amid the changing global order spurred by China’s relentless rise.
   The presence of a Tibetan ‘government’ on Indian soil has strained relationships between India and China for 60 years.
   In his concluding remarks at the 5th session of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, the CTA President Dr Lobsang Sangay boasted success in the procurement of ongoing US support for the Tibetan struggle. He was alluding to a spending bill President Trump signed a day before which, among other items the US Congress passed, included a grant to the CTA and the Tibetan struggle. Sangay claimed that the US grant “sends a political message” presumably that the Tibetan struggle can expect to remain vibrant, with the US playing the offensive line to Sangay’s quarterback.
   However, the reality is not as flattering as Sangay would like the Tibetan refugees to believe. President Trump had in fact proposed zero aid to the Tibetan cause, but may have had to concede some spending as quid pro quo for certain items he wanted from Congress such as an enhanced defence budget and money for his vaunted ‘Mexican wall’. The CTA getting the money was the result of a trade-off and does not reflect Trump’s support of the Dalai Lama’s mission to regain control of Tibet. Trump is first and foremost a businessman, and any businessman worth his salt can see that there is far more to gain in making friends with the rising mighty dragon than to flog a somewhat anaemic old donkey.
   In fact, Trump was not shy about making his feelings known, and he insinuated in the post Bill-signing press conference that the CTA grant ($8M for NGO programs in Tibet, $6M for programs in Tibetan refugee settlements, $3M for the CTA) was amongst those he considered a waste of American taxpayers’ money.
   But Tibetans had begun losing US support even before that. During the December 2017 hearing on U.S. Policy towards Tibet, actor Richard Gere, as Chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, urged the Committee to deploy a number of actions needed to maintain the impetus of the Tibetan struggle.
   Hearing on “U.S. Policy towards Tibet with the Testimony by Mr. Richard Gere. The original can be downloaded here.
   He got none of what he asked for apart from what is in truth a minuscule grant which, when divided by the number of its intended beneficiaries, amounted to merely a few dollars per year per Tibetan refugee. This, under the utopian circumstances that the CTA will spend most if not every dollar on the Tibetan refugees.
   This paltry sum that Sangay was celebrating pales into insignificance when weighed against an estimated $27 billion in foreign aid that was earmarked by the US for 2018/2019. The $17M received by the Tibetans represents a mere 0.06% of this sum and even then, it had to be forced out of Trump. And so, if indeed the US was sending a political message to the CTA, then the message is simply that the Tibetan struggle has outlived its usefulness.
   What went wrong?
   The CTA and supporters of the Dalai Lama would of course blame China’s deep pockets for the relegation of the Tibetan cause. They say China flashed the yuan strapped to her lacy garter belt and the nations of the world quickly abandoned their values and ethics and left the poor Tibetans to their own devices. China’s ascendancy is without a doubt a prime factor, but to blame everything on China is far too simplistic and shallow, although rather convenient. China didn’t become an economic powerhouse overnight, and it was decades before she managed to shake off the effects of Chairman Mao who, on his death, left China an economically backward and deeply divided and damaged nation.
   There is more to the failure of the Tibetan cause than the China factor alone. The Tibetan leadership itself made its own significant contribution to the breakdown of the movement through a series of missteps that led to its loss of legitimacy, and it must accept a large share of the blame.
   Here are some of the ways the CTA precipitated its own demise:
   1. Feudal lords by any other name In a recent interview, the President of the CTA, Lobsang Sangay suggested that the CTA was a better choice than the Chinese Communist Party, and therefore deserving of global support, as though the comparison was between ‘Communism’ and ‘Buddhism’. While this grandiose assessment may sound appealing to some, it is nothing more than sophistry. Tibet pre-1959 was nothing like a Buddhist paradise for almost the entirety of its population. In fact, it was hell on earth and the majority of Tibetan people were not even regarded as citizens but as chattel, owned by their feudal lords.
   Pre-Chinese invasion, Tibet was a brutal feudal theocracy where the majority of the Tibetan people were regarded as chattels by feudal lords and masters.
   A more apt comparison would be between a historically and characteristically strict Communist regime that is making some effort to be more open and liberal, and an old and brutal feudal theocracy that, while it wears the mask of democracy deemed necessary to win the hearts and minds of Western supporters, in fact still thinks and acts like an overlord of the Tibetan people in exile.
   The Tibetan leadership is characterized by the way it treats public resources like its own property (see the way Lobsang Sangay directed $1.5 Million from the Tibet Fund to prop up his Sikyong election campaign); demands and rewards personal loyalty to the point that corrupt officials such as the now suspended emissary Tenzin Dhonden are placed in key positions not for their capability but as a reward for their fealty to one or another of the CTA’s modern overlords, (Kaydor Akutsang is another example); and imposes a hierarchical social structure reinforced by religion. These are all traits of feudalism, not Buddhism.
   Moreover, as much as one rejects or fears the CCP, it is also a fact that the Chinese government is opening up and relaxing its strict laws on matters such as religion.
   In the meantime, the Tibetan leadership has all the veneer of a democratic government but has not hesitated to undermine its own constitution by:
   Commandeering the management of Radio Free Asia (RFA), established to be the voice of democracy;
   Unilaterally changing the ultimate objective goal of the Tibetan struggle without consulting the public;
   Gerrymandering electoral rules to ouster political opponents such as Lukar Jam;
   Firing officials (Penpa Tsering) for raising questions about irregularities in the accounts of a representative office of the CTA;
   Prohibiting the practice of religions the leadership deems to be in competition for the people’s loyalty, and using parliamentary instrument to oppress the victims — see the CTA’s Dorje Shugden persecutions;
   Forcing the closure of Mangsto (“Democracy”), a Tibetan newspaper that reviewed and commented on Tibetan exile politics;
   While the above are just some of the known travesties perpetrated by the CTA, they mirror the reality of the CTA’s political intention, and the public knows this. And therefore whilst the CTA has managed to arouse enough condemnation of China, it has failed to transcend its own poor rap sheet, and ultimately failed to convince the world that it could do a better job than the CCP for the 6 million Tibetans back home.
   2. No substance beyond rhetoric
   The American politician William Clay once said of politics, “There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests,” and never has this saying resonated more than in the situation the CTA finds itself today.
   In a nutshell, the Tibetan leadership has failed to recognize that simple truth and to leverage the nigh 60 years of support it received from friendly and powerful nations in many different forms. The CTA never did bother to develop and finesse approaches and campaigns to engage with China even though it claimed not to seek rangzen (independence) but only umaylam (autonomy) which China has to some extent shown that she is capable of offering vis-à-vis Hong Kong.
   President Donald Trump proposed zero aid to the Tibetan cause. The Unites States of America acknowledges the One China policy.
   Instead, for 60 years, the Tibetan leadership was a one-trick pony. And that trick was to avail itself as a ready and willing instrument of US-led NATO members to needle China, to embarrass her in the eyes of the global public, and provoke her at every opportunity into actions that would justify NATO in further condemning her. This worked brilliantly for the CTA during the Cold War when NATO was in need of agents provocateurs, but when Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev took steps to thaw relations between the two respective blocs, and when the Berlin wall came down in 1991, the utility of the CTA began to decline. By 2018, India and the US’s interest had shifted towards China; the CTA now finds itself out in the cold.
   Today, it would be quite challenging to find just a handful of supporters of the Tibetan struggle who can define accurately, let alone comprehensively, what exactly the ‘Tibetan cause’ is. Not even the Tibetans in exile agree on what they are supposed to be fighting for. Whether this is by the CTA’s design or negligence, the Tibetan leadership has allowed three generations of Tibetan lives to be no more than propaganda pawns, and when examined closely the so-called ‘Tibetan cause’ is all form and no substance.
   Over time the global public has started to see that the CTA is quite content being a subsidized professional nuisance without much of an agenda apart from keeping the same song and dance going, an attitude very much reflected in the behaviour of the many pro-Tibet NGO’s who see the Tibetan people’s woes as an opportunity to help themselves.
   3. Splintering the force behind the Tibetan struggle The worst crime the CTA inflicted on its own people was to sow the seeds of discord amongst an estranged community that was already small and weak. But the CTA’s lack of a plan, lack of sincere effort, and complete absence of progress meant that sooner or later, the Tibetan people would demand answers, and so it became necessary to create intra-communal conflicts. This, they did extremely effectively, interfering in the succession of the Karma Kagyu’s leadership, imposing prohibitions on the Dorje Shugden practice, promulgating old regional interests and conflicts, splitting the Tibetan people in exile over rangzen versus umaylam arguments. It is far easier to divide and rule than to do the hard yards and engage with China.
   So whilst the CTA waxed lyrical about the critical importance of uniting behind a common cause, they were in fact creating causes for the opposite to happen. The Dorje Shugden prohibition was especially damaging to the Tibetan people for the simple reason it was an assault on the Gelug lineage which accounts for the largest percentage of the Tibetan populace. Ironically it also did the most harm to the CTA’s integrity because it exposed the CTA’s lack of sincere interest in upholding a democracy, the basis of its claim to be better than Communist China.
   The Shugden ban was enforced by CTA proxies globally, and in their turn adherents of the ancient and sacred ritual defended their religious rights globally, turning the world into a reluctant stage for the airing of the Tibetan government’s dirty linen.
   The CTA blames China for creating and feeding the conflict but it could never explain why China would foment unrest affecting 6 million Tibetans inside China whom it would eventually have to deal with. The Chinese government’s biggest headache is internal discord that could escalate into uprisings in its border regions and in fact, a conflict such as the Dorje Shugden turmoil does not benefit China. The CTA however, finds this ability to create problems for the CCP inside their own borders to be quite useful. History will judge whether the CTA sacrificed the ultimate Tibetan dream and mortgaged the unity of its own people so that it could continue to receive grants and subsidies simply for being a thorn in China’s side.
   4. Personal agendas weaken leadership There is no denying that the odds were against the Tibetan government in exile. All the more important, then, that the Tibetan struggle should be carried forward by a capable leader who, in the words of Napoleon Bonaparte, is a dealer in hope and can inspire the people to action.
   In 2012, the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile made changes to its by-laws which in effect placed Lobsang Sangay at the apex of the Tibetan political structure. This is the man Tibetans had empowered, who would lead them into the Promised Land or into oblivion, depending on his calibre and the strength of his resolution.
   The CTA President Lobsang Sangay under whose leadership the Central Tibetan Administration was embroiled in a string of scandals and controversies.
   It should have raised concerns that from the very beginning, Lobsang Sangay already had one foot out the door. The Tibetan people’s struggle does not mean the same to Lobsang Sangay (and indeed many CTA officials) as it does to ordinary Tibetan refugees.
   To the people, the Tibetan cause goes way beyond merely seeking to reclaim their homeland. Its failure means that they have given up their lives for nothing, that they had hoped in vain for three generations, that they will have nothing to look forward to and to build their future on.
   In the meantime, Lobsang Sangay’s home is in leafy Boston, USA, where his entire family resides. Sangay is an American citizen with a slush fund ready and therefore for him, it’s not a do-or-die mission but a question of a career move. If the Tibetan struggle eventually collapses, it would be no big affair for Sangay to resume his life as an American college lecturer and make a very good living by accepting speaking engagements and writing books reminiscing about a Tibet he has never set foot in. Hence, there was never any urgency, nor passion, nor innovation in Sagay’s lead.
   In fact, under his presidency the CTA was beset by infighting and a string of allegations of corruption and abuse of power. As a result, the Tibetan struggle lost traction and began to fade as one country after another distanced itself from the Tibetan cause.
   Sangay tells the Tibetan people to remain as poor refugees even though many qualify for Indian citizenship. Under his directive the CTA made it effectively taboo for anyone to even consider Indian citizenship, which is a key to a new life. Sangay feared that if enough people were given the opportunity to reconstruct their lives, the Tibetan cause would lose the vital element of human suffering. In order to retain his relevance, he needed the Tibetan people to remain a visible reminder of China’s oppression. In the meantime, Sangay and most of his Cabinet were quietly hanging on to their foreign passports and permanent residency.
   Aung San Suu Kyi changed the face of Myanmar politics whilst in a 14-year house arrest.
   Nelson Mandela who became the embodiment of political change in South Africa by his sacrifices.
   In the end many Tibetan refugees found that they were better off on their own as they began to strike out for distant lands such as the US, Canada and parts of Europe — as well as the more immediate Nepal — rather than wait for the leaders to get their act together. As news of Tibetans in China doing better became more common and residents of the Tibet Autonomous Region experienced increasing prosperity ), other Tibetans in exile decided to find their way home without relying on the CTA.
   The simple fact is the CTA has suffered from poor leadership whose initiatives did nothing more than arm the Dalai Lama’s charisma and send it into war with China. As the Dalai Lama grew older and weaker, so did the Tibetan cause.
   Lobsang Sangay would argue that facing tremendous disadvantage, there was little he could have done. But then again, Nelson Mandela shaped the evolution of South African politics while sitting in prison for 27 years and Aung San Suu Kyi achieved her objectives for the Burmese people during her 14 years under house arrest.
   The Tibetan Government in Exile has had almost 60 year to prove its mettle. During that time, it has enjoyed moral and financial support from around the world in its David versus Goliath struggle with China. But in its single minded focus on one-upmanship and demonization of its powerful neighbour, it has forgotten about the very people for whom it is supposed to be fighting, and even today, its plans and programmes to facilitate their homeland, or at least improve their future — or even their present — remain nebulous at best. The CTA has fast become irrelevant, and it has only itself to blame.
   https://pacific.epeak.in/2018/04/05/how-the-tibetan-management-failed-the-tibetan-trigger/

   Reply
9. 

   Samten Dhundup

   April 12, 2018 at 12:07 pm

   The Dalai Lama’s health has been a concern for many around the world, especially for the Tibetan community. It’s really sad to know that the Dalai Lama last year reported and confirmed that he has prostate cancer, and had to undergo radiation treatment for his condition. It is mentioned here on the Dalai Lama’s own website, confirming his ailment.

   It was announced at the end of last month that the Dalai Lama canceled all foreign travel for the rest of the year due to age and exhaustion. Last week, the Dalai Lama was rushed to Delhi for a check up and surprisingly declared fit upon his return. Is the Tibetan leadership trying to cover the truth about the Dalai Lama’s state of health because they want to continue to use him to attract donations and support?

   Addressing 2000 Tibetans in Boston
   June 25, 2017
   Boston, MA, USA – On a bright and breezy morning His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove across Boston today to address a gathering of 2000 Tibetans from the city and up and down the east coast. Backstage he met and comforted the elderly and infirm.
   The event began with a representative delivering a citation from the Governor of Massachusetts, another presenting a gift from the Mayor of Boston and the President of the Boston Tibetan Association making his report. His Holiness began,
   “I’m here to meet Richie Davidson, so the opportunity arose also to meet all of you. Like Tibetans everywhere, you are keeping the spirit of Tibet alive. We’ve been in exile 58 years. In India we have the CTA. Major monasteries have been re-established and are thriving. Tibetans in exile are scattered all over the world, but wherever we are we form local communities, as you have done here, to preserve our identity and traditions. Those who live in free countries outside Tibet have a responsibility to keep up our spirits to encourage our brothers and sisters in Tibet who remain impressively determined.
   “In the face of restrictions on education in Tibetan, their spirit remains strong. But they are not free to do what they want. There is discrimination when Tibetans’ loyalty to their community is regarded with suspicion and labelled splittist, while Chinese loyalty to their community is praised. There needs to be equality.
   “Historically Tibet was a free and independent country in the 7th, 8th and 9th centuries, after which it fragmented. What has since held us together is our common religion, culture and language. Today, it’s very important that Tibetans of the Three Provinces remain united. While remaining within the PRC we want genuine autonomy so we can continue to keep our culture, language and traditions alive.”
   “Historically Tibet was a free and independent country in the 7th, 8th and 9th centuries, after which it fragmented. What has since held us together is our common religion, culture and language. Today, it’s very important that Tibetans of the Three Provinces remain united. While remaining within the PRC we want genuine autonomy so we can continue to keep our culture, language and traditions alive.”
   His Holiness recalled that in 1959 nobody knew what would happen to Tibetans who had become refugees. The priority was finding ways to survive and the Government of India were generous with their help.
   “There was a time when Tibetan Buddhism was dismissed as Lamaism as if it was not a proper Buddhist tradition,” His Holiness remarked. “Since we came into exile we have been able to show that it is in fact a pure and complete form of Buddhism. The tradition handed down to us from Nalanda includes profound philosophy and logic, as well as a rich understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions. We have kept this alive for more than 1000 years and now are in a position to draw from it to make a positive contribution to the well-being of humanity.”
   “Lately in India I’ve been urging people to study, to develop a sound understanding not content to rely only on faith. In monasteries and nunneries from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh efforts are being made to study. It’s on this basis that Buddhism will last for centuries to come. China was historically a Buddhist country following the Nalanda tradition as we do. What the Chinese lacked was the command of logic and epistemology that we have maintained and a corresponding path of rigorous study.”
   “In 7th century, Thönmi Sambhota devised a Tibetan script or improved on what already existed taking the Indian alphabet as a model. In 8th century, Trisong Detsen turned not to China, but to India to invite Shantarakshita to Tibet. Right from the start, he, and following him, his student Kamalashila, established the importance of employing logic and reason. It’s because of this that over the last more than 30 years we have been able to hold fruitful conversations with modern scientists. Scepticism about the mind’s being any more than a function of the brain has given way to an acknowledgment of neuroplasticity, recognition that developing the mind can change the brain.”
   “We have a responsibility to uphold this Nalanda tradition that has been handed down to us, not out of attachment, but because it provides us an opportunity to be of service to others. Ensuring that the younger generation have a command of Tibetan ensures that they too have access to it.”
   His Holiness concluded his talk by guiding the audience in generating the awakening mind of bodhichitta as they recited the common verse for taking refuge three times:
   To the Buddha, Dharma, and the Highest Assembly
   Until enlightenment I turn for refuge.
   Through the store of wisdom and merit accrued by giving and other virtues
   May I achieve Buddhahood to benefit all wandering beings.
   After that he gave the transmission of the mantras of the Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, Arya Tara, Hayagriva and so forth and encouraged those gathered to make their lives meaningful.
   His Holiness mentioned that in 2015 his physicians found indications of prostate cancer and decided to give him focused radiation treatment instead of surgery last year. This year his recent check-up at the Mayo Clinic has revealed all traces have gone. His Holiness declared that he’s physically healthy, mentally sharp and sleeps well.
   After lunch His Holiness joined his old friend and Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, Richie Davidson and business leaders discussing human well-being. He told them that it’s basic human nature to be warm-hearted because our lives depend on having a sense of care for others. But the pressing reason for exploring well-being today is that we find ourselves facing problems that are prompted by anger, self-centredness and intolerance.
   “We are all endowed with a biological seed of compassion, but we have to nurture it with intelligence. If we don’t change direction, this century will end up like the one that went before overwhelmed by intimidation, violence and bloodshed. Nobody wants that.
   “If something is worth doing, do it. If, in fact, you fail, there’ll be no cause for regret. You can try again. To die without even having tried, will be to die disappointed. We all have opportunities to contribute making a better world; we must seize them with far-sighted vision. I’m encouraged that so many people are becoming interested in the well-being of humanity. This is surely a sign of hope.”
   Early tomorrow, His Holiness will fly from Boston to Frankfurt; the first leg of his journey back to India.
   https://www.dalailama.com/news/2017/addressing-2000-tibetans-in-boston

   Reply
10. 

    LobNam

    April 12, 2018 at 4:13 pm

    In 1992, Tai Situ, a regent of the Karma Kagyu lineage recognized a boy as the 17th Karmapa, endorsed by the Tibetan leadership in Dharamsala. This move went against tradition as the Tibetan leadership has NEVER been involved in the recognition of the Karmapas AND it has been the Shamarpa who is traditionally responsible for recognizing the incarnations of the Karmapa.

    As a result of the Tibetan leadership’s involvement, a feud arose between the two candidates’ supporters and split the Karma Kagyu lineage into two factions. One group supported the Sharmapa’s candidate; the other group supported Tai Situ’s candidate because he got the endorsement of the Tibetan leadership.

    Tai Situ was subsequently banned from entering India from 1994 to 1998 for his alleged pro-China and anti-India activities, after he travelled frequently to Tibet to enthrone his Karmapa candidate at Tsurphu Monastery, which is the traditional seat of the Karmapas in Tibet.

    Because of the Tibetan leadership’s validation of one of the candidates, the two Karmapas situation continues to be unresolved today, with many disputes and scandals. This unprecedented strife destroys the harmony and sanctity of the Karma Kagyu school of Buddhism, all because the Tibetan leadership had to get involved and exert its power, even in matters where it has no authority over.

    Today, Rumtek Monastery, the main seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage outside Tibet is not known for its sacred relics, but as a focal point for the sectarian tensions and violence because of the Karmapa rivalry, thanks to the Tibetan leadership.

    Situ Rinpoche Returns to India
    Sanjeev Miglani
    A letter from His Holiness the Dalai Lama (September 11, 1998) states:
    “Tai Situ Rinpoche is known to me since many years and I can vouch (for him). I have full confidence in him and I believe that Rinpoche has much to offer through his spiritual leadership in the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. I am therefore happy that Rinpoche has returned to India since recently.”
    The following report has been compiled by Norma Levine from an article which appeared in the Himalayan Voice Aug/Sept 1998.
    On August 25, 1998, a huge and colourful crowd of monks, nuns and Lamas as well as representatives of the different Tibetan Buddhist sects, and Buddhist organizations gathered at Indira Gandhi International airport to accord a warm and affectionate welcome to HE Tai Situ Rinpoche (who had been banned “due to the persuasion of Sharmapa Lama and his dissident followers”).
    Many of the crowd wore traditional dress and were carrying banners and burning incense (List of various delegations below) The Lamas and Rinpoches formed a long line on both sides of the departure lounge of the airport and waited expectantly for over an hour while the flight was delayed, to receive Rinpoche’s blessing. Finally, Rinpoche came out from the airport amidst a round of warm applause. There were tears in the eyes of many Lamas; some even sobbed.
    The next day, the Himalayan Buddhist Cultural Association organized a traditional reception and long life prayers for Rinpoche at the impressive Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Chief guest was the Hon. Minister for Urban Affairs, Mr Ram Jethmalani. After lighting lamps and chanting long life prayers, there were speeches from the Chairman of the Himalayan Buddhist Cultural Association, Mr Karma Tobdan, member of the Rajya Sabha from Sikkim, and Dr Ananda Kumar, Professor at Nehru University and Secretary of the Bharat-Tibet Friendship Association. All speakers commented on Rinpoche’s contribution to world peace, specifically his ceaseless battle for the underprivileged, and of the deep faith of the Himalayan people towards him. Guest speaker, Mr Jethmalani apologised on behalf of the Indian Government and claimed it had been a mistake on their part that Rinpoche had been exiled from India.In an emotionally charged speech, he said, “The Buddha is the beacon light and that light will become the shining light of the world” .
    At the end of the reception, Tai Situpa was presented with offering scarves and flowers by representatives and Rinpoches from Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Delhi etc.
    List of Nepalese Buddhist delegations: Dhilyak Monastery, Thrangu Tashi Choling, Nenang Pawo Monastery, Benchen Gompa, Kyodrak Tenyi Gompa, Karma Thinley Gompa, Shechen Tenyi Thargeyling, Karmapa Sewa Sangh Samiti, Him Khar Gompa, Jamgon Labrang, Dege Welfare Ass’n, Yolmo Ass’n, Nangchen Welfare Ass’n, Lingtsang Welfare Ass’n, Deling Dungdrub Society, Ngedon Osel Ling, Swyandbud.
    Areas represented: Ladakh, Lahul, Spiti, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Dharmsala and Bhutan.
    The following speech was given by Tai Situ Rinpoche during the reception ceremony held in his honour on the occasion of his return to Sherabling. (published in the Himalayan Voice (II) 3, Aug/Sept 1998 pp. 39-41)
    “I am so happy that you have come today, all of you here lead by our chief guest, the minister for religious affairs, all you incarnate Lamas who have willingly taken rebirth for the sake of sentient beings, you abbots adorned with the nine qualities of noble scholars, the sangha who possess the seven qualities of knowledge and liberation, officials of the government of the Tibetan people in Dharamsala, heads of local settlements, the general public, teachers of the schools, heads of the local Indian regions, local public, and people from Sikkim, Ladakh, Kunnu and other Himalayan regions, and private individuals who have made their own way here from Bhutan, Nepal and so on.
    If I explain why I am so happy: In brief, if you think of me, I am very low in having the intelligence of a wise person and the experiential realisations of an established saint. However, because of the pure lineage of gurus and the kindness of the unique specialisations of the pure lineage of great minds, I have received the blessings of pratimoksa, bodhisattva and vajrayana vows. In the same way that I have received the blessings of these three traditions of vows, I will strive to maintain their purity, without defect in my practice. In addition to that also, I have a name or title, and in accordance with that title, I must strive to maintain the teachings of the Buddha because of my title as a Buddhist elder. Therefore I strive to serve the welfare of sentient beings as much as I can.
    To this purpose, therefore, dusing the past few years, I have been continuously making prayers with a pure heart for the sake of all sentient beings. I pray that there may be no obstructions to the increase of the Buddha’s teachings in the holy land of the noble ones. With regard to my body, however, I didn’t have the chance to be here and fulfill my purpose in India. But now, at this moment, the opportunity has arisen for me to return and serve the purpose of the Buddha’s teachings in India once more. I feel that this is highly meritorious. So I am very happy that you have all come here today on such an occasion and have given me your best wishes, for which I thank you very much.
    All of us here are followers of the Buddha. The blessed Buddha first cultivated the thought of enlightenment and then, through his period of training, he accumulated meritorious virtue for three countless aeons. Finally, at the end of this time, he attained pure and perfect enlightenment, and then he taught the immeasurable and unfathomable lower and higher vehicles of the methods to salvation. To his ordinary followers he gave numberless teachings, and to his rare and gifted disciples he gave profound teachings on the secret path of vajrayana. Whoever follows these teachings is a Buddhist. For all of us who have had the chance to enter the vajrayana, it is as if the flower had fallen upon our own deity and this arises as a result of a vast accumulation of virtue from previous lives. This is highly fortunate. However, having attained this opportunity, we should not waste it. Nor should we allow the dharma to decline. We should cause the Dharma to flourish and increase, and whatever Dharma has declined should be restored. This is the duty and responsibility of all those who practise the Dharma. That duty rests on our own shoulders. Therefore I on my part have continuously striven in this matter. Even now I am striving and will continue to strive for this.
    As for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the sole deity of us Tibetans, he upon whom our flower has fallen and the great object of refuge for all Buddhists in the world, for him too, these are his intentions. The dharma teachings that can help all sentient beings are in our hands. But we did not receive this because we are capable of uplifting all beings, nor did we attain these teachings on our own merits alone, nor because we won them in debate. We hold these teachings due to the blessings of Avalokitesvara, whom we have honoured and worshipped for many lifetimes with body, speech and mind, and our flower has fallen upon him. The spread of Dharma is his intention. In the popular oral tradition there is a saying: ‘One says MANI and mummy at the same time’ (ie Tibetans learn the 6 syllable mantra at their mother’s knee as one of the first things they can say). This is clear proof of our connection with him.
    For all these reasons, we should practise these teachings for the sake of peace in the world as the noble Avalokitesvara intends, not merely with our lips but sincerely from the heart. Lay people, also, should have their own appropriate way of acting. If we do all these things distinctly without mistakes, outwardly, inwardly and secretly, we may serve the Buddha well and accomplish much for the sake of all sentient beings and accomplish the intentions of Avalokitesvara, the father of all the Buddhas.
    When I speak from that viewpoint, it is highly fortunate for me to be back in India serving the cause of sentient beings and the Buddha-Dharma once more. Here, in the holy land of India, we have the opportunity to accomplish the goals of this and future lives. Speaking for myself, I was born in Tibet but brought up here in India. And the same is true for many of the people here. This is because we have some karmic connection with the holy land of India which has been blessed by the feet of the glorious Buddha. It is a matter of great merit and joy that we have this opportunity to practise Dharma and accomplish our own and others’ welfare throughout this and future lives. Thus we may be able to accomplish the intentions of the noble Avalokitesvara by being in India, a land also blessed by the appearance of Avalokitesvara himself, a land that lies under the shadow of his great compassion.
    People of India and the government of India continue to be so kind to us and we think of them with that affection normally reserved for our own parents. They have been so kind as if we were relatives in the same family… (text corruption here)
    I am aware of this from the depths of my heart. I am so fortunate to meet you all here today. I am not able to say many vast and profound things to you all just now, because all I can tell you is as much as I know, as far as I can reach with my mind. I have nothing more to say beyond this. In brief, the teachings of the Buddha are to be good at heart. If someone harms you, you should think of him with pity. He is under the sway of harmful emotions and, not observing the law of karma, he is oppressed by strong emotions. ‘May he not suffer as a result. May he become free of the tyranny of the five poisonous afflictions.’ This is what Buddhists should think. So in whatever circumstances you should find yourself in trouble, with family, friends or neighbours, one should cherish bodhicitta and practise it from the heart, not merely mutter it with the mouth. When the noble Avalokitesvara speaks of the path of non-violence and peace, he refers to bodhicitta. These teachings of good heart are the most important teachings of the Buddha. This is the gist of all the holy ones in the lineage, from the primordial Buddha to one’s own root guru. Therefore we should keep all of this within our minds.
    I am so happy that we could all meet here today. To all of you I wish good fortune. TASHI DELEGS. I pray that the incarnation of the lord Avalokitesvara may live long. May his life be stable and firm and may his activities increase and spread wide. May the victorious Vajradhara Karmapa live long and may his activities prosper. With regard to him also, I pray that the victorious Karmapa may come to India as soon as possible so that he may be established at Rumtek monastery and his many followers may be able to receive his blessings and advice. This is for the benefit of all sentient beings. I also pray fervently that all of you here may turn your minds towards the Dharma, and that the Dharma may be a proper path, and that this path dispels illusion so that illusion gives rise to transcendental wisdom.”
    English translation by Martin Boord and Karma Phunsho, Oxford, November 27, 1998.
    http://www.quietmountain.org/links/situ_rinpoche/situ_return.htm

    Reply
11. 

    Nakchukha

    April 13, 2018 at 10:26 am

    The West has finally recognized that the Dalai Lama, the icon of universal peace, love, and tolerance, is undoubtedly the driving force behind the discrimination and ostracization of Dorje Shugden practitioners around the world. His ‘government’ in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) led by Lobsang Sangay, advocates the ‘Tibetan way’ of democracy that is ‘unique’ – they give the order, and the Tibetans are to follow without question. The undemocratic way of firing people from their jobs, expelling monks from the monasteries and prohibiting Dorje Shugden practitioners from attending the Dalai Lama’s talks are just some of the ways used to intimidate the Tibetans to do what the CTA wants.

    Clearly, the CTA’s democracy and their ‘noble’ Tibetan cause are just a veil that conceals the underlying hypocrisy and abuse of human rights, which is ironic as they are asking China for the same rights. The religious apartheid, segregation, and discrimination continue to be enforced internationally after two decades, just because the Dalai Lama said so.

    Dalai Lama preached message of religious tolerance abroad, while ruthlessly persecuting his people at home
    April 11, 2018 | Artvoice
    In 1996 the Tibetan Government in Exile, under the direct control of the Dalai Lama, issued an official ban on the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist practice of Dorje Shugden.
    Prior to this point Dorje Shugden was widely practised amongst the largest school of Tibetan Buddhism and according to Thupten Wangchen of the Central Tibetan Administration approximately 30% of all Tibetans used to practice this protector Deity.
    The Dalai Lama told his government to release an official decree to all Tibetans stating that, “Propitiating Dolgyal [Dorje Shugden] does great harm to the cause of Tibet. It also imperils the life of the Dalai Lama.”
    A few days later the Dalai Lama then instructed his government to tell all of its employees, “not to indulge in the propitiation of Shugden.”
    This was the beginning of the Dalai Lama’s great purge of Shugden Buddhists from all aspects of mainstream Tibetan society. People were forced to either give up their faith or lose their job.
    In 2008 the Dalai Lama forced all monasteries in South India to expel any monks who still refused to give up their practice of Dorje Shugden.
    As Rebecca Novick (author and editor of 6 books on Tibetan Buddhism and culture) stated in an article for the Huffington Post, “Shugden practitioners gradually became social pariahs. Shopkeepers refused to sell to them, and landlords refused to rent to them. In 2008 the Tibetan leadership ordered the monasteries in South India to purge their populations of Shugden devotees. Monks who had formerly lived like brothers were now forbidden to talk to one another.”
    During this time the Dalai Lama was travelling throughout the West preaching a message of inter-religious tolerance and love, while at home he was ruthlessly persecuting and suppressing his own people.
    Rather than speaking out against religious discrimination the vast majority of Western Buddhist organisations actually spoke out in support of such actions. One such group, the German Buddhist Monastic Association (DBO) issued a press release stating, “In any society it is necessary for the protection of freedom of the majority…to exclude [Dorje Shugden] advocates from public institutions.”
    The unquestioned acceptance of the Dalai Lama as some kind of perfect being by the media, coupled with the support for his own discrimination and prejudice by groups such as the DBO further emboldened him.
    On March 17th 2014 the President of the Dalai Lama’s government, Lobsang Sangay passed a resolution in their Parliament which criminalized all Shugden Buddhists. In the resolution it stated that it, “recognises also the Dolgyal [Dorje Shugden] followers…as criminals in history.”
    Just this week Lobsang Sangay delivered the Berman lecture at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. In it he explained the way that democracy works in the Tibetan exile community, “when the Tibetan cabinet makes a decision, they send the notice to Tibetans around the world and it is followed by all, irrespective of the size of the Tibetan community in the place.”
    It is clear therefore that since 1996 the Dalai Lama has effectively banned the practice of Dorje Shugden within the Tibetan community. He has expelled people from jobs, monasteries, and even told people directly to leave his teachings if they practice Dorje Shugden.
    Can you imagine the headlines if the Dalai Lama banned Jews, Muslims, or Christians from attending any of his public teachings? Why is it acceptable therefore for him to ban Shugden Buddhists?
    The Dalai Lama’s persecution of Shugden Buddhists is also evident to prominent Buddhist scholars such as Dr Robert Barnett at Columbia University who said, “As you know, the exile authorities do not accept that there is a ban on Dorje Shugden practice…and does not accept that there is discrimination towards Dorje Shugden practitioners within the exile community…my view is the opposite on both these questions.”
    Dr Barnett also stated to the BBC World Service that Dorje Shugden practitioners in the Tibetan exile community have faced persecution as a result of the Dalai Lama’s actions towards them.
    Dr Nathan Hill of the SOAS University in London, England also confirmed that discrimination towards Shugden Buddhists has arisen as a result of the Dalai Lama’s actions, “There is absolutely no doubt at all that individuals are discriminated against: they have lost their jobs, they have been told they must not enter restaurants, shops and businesses.”
    Even one of the Dalai Lama’s two personal emissaries, Samdhong Rinpoche, tasked with representing him on foreign trips stated, “It seems that there are some who feel we should make some concessions to the Dholgyal [Dorje Shugden] worshipers who are unable to stop the worship so that they could return to the mainstream society.”, adding, “On our part, it is an easy job to come up with a clear demand. That is to ask them to stop the worship of Dholgyal [Dorje Shugden]. On the very day that they stopped the worship, they could readily enter into the old community. If one asks if there is any way by which they could receive acceptance without having to stop the Dholgyal [Dorje Shugden] worship, then, decidedly, the answer is that there is none.”
    As recently as March 2017 the Dalai Lama held a prayer session in which he had 170 members of his security department make a pledge to never associate with any Dorje Shugden practitioners which he, “joyfully accepted”.
    Clearly the Dalai Lama is the driving force behind the segregation and discrimination of Shugden Buddhists within the Tibetan community. He is acutely aware of the impact of his actions and the suffering they cause within the society he is supposed to cherish and protect. Yet he still expects people to pledge to continue this discrimination. Both of his emissaries, Lobsang Sangay and Samdhong Rinpoche support the criminalization and marginalization of Shugden Buddhists, and yet the Dalai Lama continues to be praised as an icon of peace, love and tolerance.
    How much longer can the west turn a blind eye to the suffering of religious apartheid that the Dalai Lama is inflicting on his own people?
    https://artvoice.com/2018/04/11/dalai-lama-preached-message-religious-tolerance-abroad-ruthlessly-persecuting-people-home/#.Ws_ujdNuaqB

    Reply
12. 

    Dawa Sangpo

    April 13, 2018 at 3:58 pm

    Amongst all those who vehemently attack Dorje Shugden practitioners online, one person seems to stand out like a sore thumb – Tenzin Peljor. He is even said to be operating several websites registered under various aliases to negatively influence online discussion regarding the Shugden controversy and sway opinion in his favour. These websites claim to be the premier sources for “authoritative and independent information” on the subject.

    It is more than disturbing that a so-called ‘simple’ Buddhist monk is so engrossed in promoting hatred against Dorje Shugden practitioners. Such behaviour is not becoming of a Buddhist monk. His actions caught the attention of arebuddhistsracist.com to investigate further and what they found was appalling. Hidden behind a monk’s robes, the East German Tenzin Peljor has a complex background including involvement with the Stasi; a huge interest in the dynamics of Nazism, dictatorship, totalitarian systems; and Buddhist cults.

    The investigation uncovered the hidden agenda behind his websites and his connections with the leadership of the Tibetans in-exile. Apparently, he was hired to ensure that propaganda ostracizing and persecuting Shugden practitioners continues unabated, even to the level of inciting violence on innocent people.

    Tenzin Peljor – Disgruntled Monk or CTA Puppet?
    Updated, & there is now a further article connected to this subject here.
    In researching the issues around the Dalai Lama controversy I was surprised to see the same group of names kept cropping up. There appeared to be a small Dalai Lama fan club that was aggressively promoting its “anti-protest” stance and within that group there was one name that seemed to dominate all their activities – Tenzin Peljor.
    I stumbled across Mr Peljor early in my research, or to be more precise I had been directed to several of his websites for “authoritative and independent information” on the subject. It would appear that he has become an “unbiased expert” according to his friends in the group, but what they don’t mention are his close ties to the Dalai Lama and the exile leadership.
    They also fail to mention that he has been aggressively campaigning against the protests for over 8 years and that he runs numerous websites registered under different aliases and tries to influence online discussions using several false identities. On further inspection Mr Peljor’s activities are anything but “unbiased and independent”, and more closely resemble those of an activist promoting a specific and clearly defined agenda.
    His “independent websites” are listed as resources for journalists by the Tibetan exile leadership, he is promoted to journalists by Tibetan NGOs, he is the media spokesperson for the German Buddhist organisation DBO, and he targets any journalist and publication that portrays the protests in a positive light. For a monk whose main activities are teaching at a Buddhist centre in Berlin he is remarkably active and engaged in this controversy, almost as if it was his full-time job.
    As with all the sources I come across in my research I did some background checks to see if he was as independent as he claims and to what degree his presentation of information could be influenced by those it benefits. Scratching the surface of his ‘independent monk’ facade revealed quite a bit more than I had initially suspected.
    An ex-NKT Member
    Tenzin Peljor is often very up front about his prior involvement with the NKT, after all he uses this as a basis for his credibility when it comes to the protests. He joined the NKT in 1995/96 according to his biography, becoming ordained in 1998 and later disrobing and leaving the group in 2000.
    Both Tenzin and the teacher he had in the NKT decided to leave at the same time, after which he continued to be her student. He took ordination again in 2002 in Nepal, but disrobed after only 2 months and began studying with a new teacher from the Rime tradition.
    In March 2006 after 4 years in Rime he then took ordination from the Dalai Lama in India, who gave him the name Tenzin Peljor.
    It was soon after his ordination, that Mr Peljor began to take an interest in countering the protests. His approach followed much the same modus operandi as the Tibetan government, namely to try and undermine the credibility of the protests by attacking the NKT.
    It’s worth noting at this point that prior to the protests the Dalai Lama had no problem with Geshe Kelsang Gyatso or the NKT. He had written the foreword to Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s book, “Buddhism in the Tibetan Tradition”, and a note of praise in another of his books, “Meaningful to Behold”. It was only after the protests began that the Tibetan exile leadership started to attack Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and smear the NKT, attempting to label it as a cult.
    Following his ordination by the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Peljor remained in India and began to assist the Tibetan government (CTA) with their disinformation campaign. He began by editing pages on Wikipedia, rapidly becoming the main editor for the page about the NKT.
    His attempts to redefine the NKT on Wikipedia however seem to have been so clumsy that it aroused the suspicion of other editors. In describing Tenzin’s approach one of the Wikipedia editors stated:
    “I’m very concerned that the opinions and viewpoints of a relatively small number of individuals is drawn upon as the source material for a large portion of the article, which is representative of the point of view of a single editor who, in his determination to ensure that the article fully describes his own perspective, has dominated the editing process.” (ClockworkSoul, 23rd October 2006)
    The Birth of the Survivors
    As Tenzin’s campaign to discredit the NKT on Wikipedia was starting to lose ground he then switched tack and focussed his attention towards online Buddhist chat groups, in particular he became very active on a group called e-Sangha. It was on this group that he struck up a friendship with David Cutshaw, a disillusioned ex-NKT member and encouraged him to start a new discussion group.
    The group that Tenzin wanted Mr Cutshaw to set up was to be focussed only on the negative aspects of the NKT, it was to be named the “NKT Survivors” group and any pro-NKT messages were to be strictly forbidden. The idea was that the group would encourage people to leave the NKT and only post their negative experiences and opinions of them. Their rules state:
    “No NKT members/followers/students are allowed.
    If you are happy with the NKT, and have no desire to leave, this group is not for you. If you join anyway trying to post and try to get Yahoo to delete this group, we can only assume you are a troll trying to cause disharmony. Such people will be banned and removed at once from the group.”
    Tenzin offered to support David in the creation of the group, but wanted to avoid being directly linked to it as its creator. In this way Tenzin had found the perfect surrogate to continue his online activities against the NKT.
    The group was created on May 22nd 2007 and Tenzin was the first person other than David to post on it. He assisted with moderating the group, approving new members, editing its settings, and profile.
    At the time of the groups creation Tenzin was still residing within the Tibetan exile community in India, however a few weeks later he was promoted to the position of Resident Monk at Bodhicharya Centre in Berlin. From his new base in Berlin he continued to be central to its development, shaping the “survivors” group and focussing its narrative portraying the NKT as a cult.
    After a few months the group appeared to be achieving the goal Tenzin had failed to accomplish the previous year with Wikipedia.
    On 31st Dec 2007 he posted to the group stating, “At the New Years Day I will move to Italy, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, and pick up a qualified study there for the next 6 years.”, adding, “I will leave the forum at the New Years Day…If there is anybody who feel he can support David’s moderator activities, please let him know privately.”
    Instituto Lama Tzong Khapa is a centre of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) a Tibetan group that follows the Dalai Lama. Clearly the FPMT centre approved of Tenzin’s activities because within 2 months of his arrival there he resumed his activities on the “survivors” group.
    Weaving Websites and Alliances
    In April 2008 another series of protests began as the Dalai Lama visited the US. In response to these Tenzin created two websites registered under an alias which according to him offered, “fair, neutral, and balanced information regarding NKT and Buddhist cults in general.”
    The websites were registered under the false name of Losang Tashi, to an address in Gotha, the town in East Germany where Tenzin was born. In a post on May 21st 2008 to the “survivors” group he said, “maybe we use the power of the many people here and the motivation to protect others (giving fearlesness) by setting up 1-2 websites.”
    Rather than offering fair or neutral information both websites were a continuation of his online campaign to undermine the protests by attempting to discredit the NKT. Had his intention been wholesome you would need to ask why a Buddhist monk with vows against lying was using a false name when registering websites?
    Then in July 2008 Jamyang Khedrup posted a comment promoting one of Tenzin’s websites under a New York Times article about the protests. What I found interesting was that as I dug deeper into Tenzin’s background I found the same people who have been involved with his campaigning for a long time.
    By this point in my research I had already encountered Jamyang Khedrup whilst investigating his involvement with the LamaGate hacking scandal, but I had no idea his involvement with Tenzin stretched as far back as 2008.
    The reason I didn’t know Khedrup’s involvement went so far back is because he was posting to the ‘survivors’ group using a false identity. For 6 months in 2008 Khedrup used the name Lobsang Jangchub in numerous posts to the group. Many people responded to his comments addressing him by the name Lobsang. At no time did he ever try to correct them or explain that wasn’t his name.
    The fact that both Tenzin and Khedrup were using false identities whilst posting comments to the ‘survivors’ group raises significant questions about the accuracy of other users identities and claims.
    Significant discrepancies have already been uncovered with Khedrup’s accounts of his involvement with LamaGate, and here is yet another occasion where his credibility is called into question.
    The Hidden Hand
    Seeking to expand his sphere of influence beyond his own websites and the “survivors” group Tenzin began to strike up a relationship with Dialogue Ireland, a website which focuses on religious movements. Prior to Tenzin’s involvement his friend, Joanne Clark had also been in touch with them to offer her services as a self-proclaimed”expert” on Tibetan Buddhism.
    Tenzin and Joanne’s approach in the Dialogue Ireland forums seemed to follow a pattern of promoting both Tenzin’s websites and the “survivors” group. In his attempt to form a stronger bond with Dialogue Ireland, Tenzin wrote to them explaining his position:
    “I am much interested into the dynamics of Nazi, Stasi, dictatorship, totalitarian systems, and I am an admirer of Jay Lifton and Margaret Thaler Singer. I run also a website about the dynamics of Buddhist cults in German language. So we share quite a lot.”
    Yet when they tried to ask him questions about his background he became very defensive, refusing to answer them. Tenzin said, “I don’t see any use to answer. My experience recently at DI [Dialogue Ireland] was that whatever I say will be misunderstood or misinterpreted and finally twisted.” adding, “Also I am not interested in any online discussion about me. East German biographies can be complex.”
    A common theme in Tenzin’s response to critics is that they are “twisting” the facts, especially when someone is trying to pin him down on a specific point. It’s interesting that Tenzin used to be in the National People’s Army (NPA) in East Germany, which was strongly influenced by the Soviet Armed Forces, working as a radio operator.
    His comments about the protests often accuse them of using ‘agitprop’, which is a Soviet style of propaganda, a methodology he would have been all too familiar with from his previous training. Unfortunately he didn’t expand on his “complex” biography, so we don’t know what type of activities he was employed to perform by the NPA, or what areas his training encompassed.
    In 2013 Dialogue Ireland started to use Chris Chandler as their expert on Tibetan Buddhism and approached the issue as a problem with Lamaism, rather than just one or two specific traditions. Chris, who had been involved with Tibetan Buddhism for 30 years, raised the issue that Lamaism is a form of Tantric Hinduism. So it was not a question of focussing on the NKT as a cultish form of Buddhism, but was a case of finding the exact same tendencies and attitudes in all forms of Tibetan Buddhism, including those following the Dalai Lama.
    Their new outlook limited the degree to which Tenzin could manipulate their website to promote his own agenda and when they began to look into Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, one of Tenzin’s teachers, he disengaged from them completely. (You can read Dialogue Ireland’s article about Tenzin Peljor in full here https://dialogueireland.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/tenzin-peljor-ordained-by-the-dalai-lama-and-connected-to-ringu-tulku/)
    By this point Joanne had already left the Dialogue Ireland site, but when she heard that Chris was their new expert she returned with a vengence. As one person said, “She was like someone high on drink, totally under the influence.”
    Dialogue Ireland stated:
    “However since Chris has been the catalyst for our understanding of Lamaism as the cultist form of Buddhism Joanne has been like a Banshee on our site morning, noon and night. She disagrees with Chris’s analysis but can’t just get up and go. She is now camping on the site.”
    A Sudden Increase
    Following his failed attempt at using Dialogue Ireland to undermine the NKT, Tenzin Peljor spent the following years expanding the number of his own websites that he could control and direct, rather than having to rely upon others. During this period his group of websites grew from two to eight, and everything was proceeding as normal for him until 2014.
    Prior to 2014 the protests generally garnered a relatively small degree of media coverage. Whilst they were mentioned on several newscasts in the mainstream media it was often along the lines of the Tibetan government’s media briefing notes, so the issues behind the protests were rarely covered.
    That all changed in Oslo when the Dalai Lama returned to celebrate his Nobel Peace Prize and the media took a greater interest in the protests. This attention seemed to gradually build from one protest to another which prompted a corresponding increase in activity from Tenzin Peljor and his compatriots.
    In the 8 months prior to May 2014 there were on average 16 messages a month posted on the “survivors” discussion board, however in May this figure jumped up to 144 messages. The vast majority of them were posted over the days when the protests were taking place in Oslo.
    At the same time the “survivors” were asking what they could do to counter the protests the exile leadership were asking the exact same question, and before long the two groups were working hand in hand. The “NKT Survivors” became the “NKT Survivor Activists”, and at the request of people associated with the exile leadership they began a new phase in their campaign to try and discredit the protesters.
    One of their first actions involved the creation of a declaration against the protests by ex-members of the NKT. Originally this was presented as coming from Carol McQuire and Tenzin as a spontaneous idea of their own.
    On 5th November however Carol admitted that it wasn’t their idea saying, “we were asked to do the declaration, it didn’t come from us, but we thought it was a great idea and agreed to do this as it would help the situation.”, adding, “Once we were asked to join in, we haven’t looked back – it’s been so inspiring working with a load of amazing people”
    There was a slight problem with the first version of the declaration though, it included the following text, “We acknowledge there may be some problems within the Tibetan community that need to be addressed”. This had to be removed from subsequent versions of the declaration before the exile leadership would allow it to be put on the CTA’s official website.
    In explaining this on his own website Tenzin let slip, “One of the initiators of the declaration wished for a change”, then he presented both the old version and the changed version.
    The declaration was then added to the Tibetan government’s official website (Tibet.net) at the very top of the page dedicated to the Dorje Shugden controversy. The significance of its placement should not be underestimated. It appears before any statements from the CTA and the Dalai Lama, which is somewhat unusual for a declaration signed by only 24 ex-NKT members who are supposedly unconnected to the exile leadership.
    A New Website
    Despite all the best efforts of Tenzin and the CTA the media was undeterred. They continued to take an interest in the protests and the Dalai Lama found himself facing questions about them during every press conference. The coverage in Hamburg seemed pivotal in that it was both widespread and also became the top news story on Google about the Dalai Lama.
    Following Hamburg a new website was created specifically for the media to counteract the protests. It was a website that was designed to be both anonymous, yet have the support of Tibet House in the US. No name was associated with it, no contact details, and it was registered through a domain proxy service, designed to keep the registrant’s details hidden.
    At the bottom of the website the disclaimer stated:
    “Official Tibet Houses are cultural centers of HH the Dalai Lama, non-profit organizations devoted to the preservation of Tibetan culture. This site appears with their approval since, while not responsible for producing the site or its content, the misrepresentations of Tibetan culture generated by this controversy distort and negatively affect the public perception of Tibetan culture.”
    It was all very mysterious and Tenzin Peljor made no mention of the website until someone posted a comment on his website drawing his attention to it. He pretended to know nothing about the website until this comment on October 19th, however he had set one of his own websites to redirect to this new website two days previously, on October 17th.
    The mystery deepened when I was discussing some of the controversy with Professor Robert Thurman on the fateful night of the LamaGate incident. It seemed that Professor Thurman was confused about who I am and was convinced that I had suggested to him that he should create the website.
    On 30th October Prof. Thurman stated to me that, “we prepared shugdeninfo.com for you @IndyHack”, adding, “We produced this site on your suggestion @IndyHack”
    I was a little baffled to say the least. Prof. Thurman was saying quite clearly that he was involved with the creation of the new website (shugdeninfo.com) and yet Tenzin Peljor had redirected his own domain name (shugden.info) to Thurman’s new site. It was too much of a coincidence for me to drop and I was encouraged that there was now a direct link between Thurman and Peljor, albeit a slightly difficult one to prove categorically.
    Fortunately Tenzin helped out with that a few weeks later.
    When is a Coincidence not a Coincidence?
    When you’re dealing with investigations it’s tricky to pin down exact evidence to prove your case – people sometimes lie and when you catch them out they usually refuse to admit it. Often times you also have to deal with associations of probabilities, you look for groupings of supposedly unconnected events that push the boundaries of coincidence.
    The fact Prof. Thurman had admitted direct involvement with the shugdeninfo.com website was a welcome and unexpected gift. It went beyond the mere approval of the site by Tibet House US and indicated that he had been directly involved in its creation with one or more other people. The fact that Tenzin was redirecting his domain to the site before anyone had told him about it on his blog was also helpful, as was his pretense not to know about it until that point, but it still wasn’t enough.
    Then there was another unexpected gift, Tenzin updated the registration of his domain (shugden.info) through the same anonymous service as shugdeninfo.com and hosted it on the same servers as shugdeninfo.com. Now both domain names had exactly the same settings.
    Conclusions
    When delving beyond the facade of a ‘simple monk’ or ‘independent expert’ we find that Tenzin Peljor’s background is far from simple or independent.
    Here we have someone who in their youth was a Radio Operator in the National People’s Army, and who is familiar with the Soviet style of government propaganda. By his own admission he is, “interested into the dynamics of Nazi, Stasi, dictatorship, totalitarian systems” and has a complex East German biography (including his own Stasi file).
    He’s an ex-NKT member, so that would account for his interest in speaking out against them, but there’s a huge gap of 6 years between him leaving the NKT and beginning his online campaign against them, which doesn’t tally. The timing of his campaign seems more closely related to his ordination by the Dalai Lama than his experiences within the NKT.
    Moreover his approach to attacking the NKT seems to be in response to their involvement with the protests, rather than being a “survivor”. He began to develop his own websites only in response to the protests in 2008.
    Tenzin claims the purpose of his websites are, “to counter the misinformation campaign of the NKT”, yet his own approach appears to be promoting the disinformation campaign of the Tibetan exile leadership. He also created a declaration and canvassed for signatures on it because he was instructed to by people who objected to even the slightest criticism of the Tibetan community.
    His new website in response to the media coverage of the protests in 2014 appears to have been created in collaboration with Professor Thurman, who is alleged to have tried to solicit anonymous to hack protesters Twitter accounts (more here). His domain which redirects to the new website is also now hidden behind the same anonymous registration service that Thurman used.
    Overall Tenzin Peljor’s campaign against the NKT seems more related to the protests than any negative experiences he had whilst being a member of the group. The level and depth of his involvement over such an extensive time period goes beyond the expected response of a disgruntled “survivor”.
    Mr Peljor appears to be an activist who is promoting a clearly defined and well structured campaign. The fact that his campaign started whilst he was living within the Tibetan exile community in India seems to indicate the main influencing factor behind it.
    He is well funded and has significant resources and time to invest in this issue that don’t fit with his role as a resident monk at Bodhicharya Centre. For instance at one point he offered to fly to Ireland to discuss his Stasi background when issues about it arose.
    The logical conclusion is that Tenzin Peljor is acting in accordance with the wishes of the CTA as one of their de facto agents. The persona he projects as being an ex-NKT “survivor” simply trying to right the wrongs he experienced is nothing other than a smokescreen.
    The problem he has with this facade is that it is poorly crafted and badly executed. When exposed to a sustained investigation it crumbles to reveal his close involvement with, and oversight from, the Tibetan exile leadership.
    Update – 30th Dec 2014
    Today Carol McQuire has publicly accused me of lying and taking advantage of Tenzin’s current ‘absent’ status. In a recent post on social media she said that Tenzin is currently on retreat at Drepung Monastery until April, so she has sprung valiantly to his defense.
    Amongst the various inaccuracies in Carol’s post she has likened the timing of this article to, “someone in a boxing ring deliberately hitting a last strike after the whistle has been blown”, claiming it is published at a time when Tenzin is unable to respond to it. This is untrue.
    Carol posted her comments a few hours after Tenzin had posted a new article on his blog. Tenzin had also posted a comment on social media about his new article 2 hours prior to Carol’s post. So her claim that Tenzin is somehow absent from this situation is incorrect.
    If he is on retreat at Drepung Monastery as claimed then it is a retreat which allows him to continue to work on his blog and social media. As usual with Tenzin and his friends their accounts often crumble when a small degree of scrutiny is applied to them.
    She is also incorrect in stating that the initial version of the ex-NKT declaration was posted on the CTA website – Tibet.net. It is only the version which contains no reference to any criticism of the Tibetan community that was ever posted on Tibet.net.
    Carol said, “the first version of the declaration was already published on the CTA’s website before the second had even been thought of. How sad that such an enormous theory of political intrigue that IndyHack has developed has quite differing origins.”
    Unfortunately for Carol her desperate attempt to try and refute the claims made in my article only destroys her own credibility.
    http://www.arebuddhistsracist.com/tenzin_peljor.html

    Reply
13. 

    Ngawang Tsering

    April 15, 2018 at 4:24 pm

    Professor Robert Thurman’s involvement in #LamaGate is very unbecoming. He even solicited members of Anonymous to hack into legitimate Twitter accounts that he referred to as “Shugden group(s) targeting the Dalai Lama.”

    It is amazing that Thurman would risk disgracing the Dalai Lama by committing cybercrime. Hacking is after all a federal crime. His disrespect for the First Amendment of the United States Constitution is dumbfounding. This Amendment is what protects the rights of citizens, including freedom of speech. On top of this, the act of soliciting hackers showcases his malicious intent to cause harm towards the operators of those Twitter accounts.

    Why would a professor at Columbia University in New York, the co-founder and president of Tibetan House US, go to the extent of wanting to hire hackers, unless he himself has something to hide?

    What is #LamaGate?
    #LamaGate refers to the hacking scandal that surrounds the Dalai Lama’s trip to the US in fall 2014. It centres around the Dalai Lama’s most trusted US friend and confidant, Professor Robert Thurman, who allegedly tried to solicit members of Anonymous to engage in computer hacking on his behalf.
    On 29th October 2014 Professor Thurman published a tweet (shown below) asking how to get the help of the Anonymous group to “get info out” about certain individuals he wished to target.
    In and of itself this may seem like nothing more than a foolish and careless over-reaction on the part of Professor Thurman to the widespread media coverage the Shugden protests had been receiving. Yet when it was pointed out to him that such an action could be considered illegal in the US this didn’t dissuade him from continuing down his chosen path of action.
    In the following hours Thurman published a series of tweets identifying specific Twitter accounts to target. He identified each of them as, “key Anti HHDL Shugden Twitter Spam Accounts”, and followed the account name with the tags #anon and #OpShugden.
    #OpShugden was devised by another Twitter user (@OpTsampa) who appeared to be working alongside Thurman in his campaign. @OpTsampa also tweeted an offer of 50 BitCoins ($16,967) to anyone who could link the most accounts together that had been identified by Thurman.
    Exactly what information Thurman wanted Anonymous members to “get out” of each of the identified accounts is uncertain, although it appears that he was trying to reveal the identities of the owners of the accounts. The only way to get this information would be to gain access to the users accounts without their consent, as such it appears that Thurman was soliciting computer hacking against each of the individually named Twitter accounts.
    Why would Professor Thurman solicit hacking?
    Throughout his fall tour of the US the Dalai Lama has faced an unprecedented level of media attention about allegations of human rights violations and religious discrimination, as anyone familiar with this site will know. Professor Thurman plays a key role in the dissemination of information against the protesters because of his academic standing and his close friendship with the Dalai Lama. They are so close in fact that the NY Times magazine referred to Thurman as, “the Dalai Lama’s man in America”.
    Prior to 29th October, all of the Dalai Lama’s attempts to avoid addressing the issues raised by the protesters had been unsuccessful with the US media. Everywhere the Dalai Lama spoke, protesters gathered and news agencies covered not just the protests, but the issues behind them (see here).
    As the time drew closer for the Dalai Lama to appear in New York City, where Thurman is based, the pressure had been increasing on Thurman to do something to counteract the effect of the protests. Under such increasing pressure it appears that he may have taken the highly unusual step of soliciting computer hacking in an attempt to reduce some of the exposure they were getting on Twitter.
    It seems that Thurman believed several Twitter accounts were run by one or two individuals, and that by hacking those accounts he would be able to silence them.
    What happens now?
    Presently the #Lamagate scandal is continuing to increase on a daily basis. On 30th October this website published a guide on how to indict Robert Thurman and on 31st October it ran an Indict-Storm on Twitter, calling for any users who felt violated by Professor Thurman’s actions to report them to the authorities.
    During 30th/31st October multiple reports were filed with the NYPD and the FBI asking for them to investigate the allegations against Thurman. Specifically they stated:
    “It is alleged that Professor Robert A. Thurman (@BobThurman) did knowingly solicit others to commit computer hacking and provided information to direct said computer hacking against several users of Twitter in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1030 (a) (2).
    On October 29th 2014 it is alleged Professor Robert A. Thurman directed computer hackers associated with the ‘Anonymous’ group to hack Twitter’s computer servers and extract information about the following users: @tompotter1945, @TalkingTibet, @wisdomdakini2, and @Vajralight.
    I am making a formal complaint about alleged criminal activity by Professor Robert A. Thurman and asking you to investigate whether any criminal activity has taken place.”
    Despite this Professor Thurman continues to maintain a public list of Twitter users which he refers to as, “Known Spammers”. Members of this list continue to report suspicious activity on their Twitter accounts.
    Who is involved?
    Given Professor Thurman’s close relationship with the Dalai Lama it is highly likely that he may have known about this course of action. As the management of the Dalai Lama’s visit is also conducted with the US Office of Tibet, now based in Washington DC, it is also highly likely that they were aware of Thurman’s decision to try and recruit Anonymous.
    Despite the high profile of this scandal both the US Office of Tibet and the Dalai Lama have so far remained silent, refusing to comment or even acknowledge its existence.
    Likewise Columbia University, Professor Thurman’s employers, have refused to acknowledge or comment on the scandal.
    Fortunately the Anonymous group are less afraid of speaking publicly on this issue. On 2nd November they issued the following public statement about the scandal addressed principally to Professor Thurman:
    “.@BobThurman we have no position on this currently but can tell you one of Anon’s only central principles is NYPA: Not Your Personal Army”
    http://www.arebuddhistsracist.com/lamagate.html

    Reply
14. 

    Thubten Palden

    April 15, 2018 at 6:31 pm

    It is due to the kindness of the Indian Government that the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans have been living safely in exile. They do not even have to pay a single cent in tax. Some may say it is only fair because the Dalai Lama is not only a refugee but a spiritual leader who speaks about peace and compassion.

    If you have followed the Dalai Lama closely, you would have heard of the Dalai Lama’s Charitable Trust. All funds collected during the Dalai Lama’s events and tours go to this single trust. However, recently, questions and doubts were raised by a trustee and it was revealed that the funds were being used like the Dalai Lama’s ‘personal bank account’ even though it was declared a public trust. Severe concerns were raised as to how much of the funds were used to sustain the Dalai Lama’s lifestyle, something that does not conform to the trust’s charitable aims.

    This article highlights a very dodgy system that lacks transparency. It is not even clear where the millions of dollars donated to the trust actually go. With the Dalai Lama’s ‘personal emissary’ suspended over allegations of corruption, and a US$1.5 million loan that went ‘missing’ under Sikyong Lobsang Sangay’s administration, will an investigation into the Dalai Lama’s Charitable Trust reveal more dirt on the Tibetan leadership?

    Questions Raised on Dalai Lama Charitable Trust
    April 14, 2018 Artvoice
    By Indy Mack
    Throughout his time in exile the Indian Government has allowed the Dalai Lama to live tax-free and turned a blind eye to his audacious international tax avoidance scheme. Many of the profits from his overseas tours are funneled back to India into a fund called, “His Holiness the Dalai Lama Charitable Trust”, and people are told that profits from his events are used for charitable purposes that the Dalai Lama deems appropriate. However many believe that this is not a charitable trust, but opine that is instead the Dalai Lama’s own private trust fund, that according to at least one trustee he treats as “his personal bank account”.
    Although its name implies that it is a charitable trust, “His Holiness the Dalai Lama Charitable Trust”, was registered under the Indian Trusts Act in Calcutta in 1964, which could allow a private trust to manage the Dalai Lama’s personal investments, not as a charitable trust. In its opinion Allied Legal, beloveds that “Despite popular belief a Charitable Trust will be registered under the Indian Registration Act not under the Indian Trusts Act.”
    Being a charitable trust allows for Millions of dollars of tax avoidance preventing any levy for his public appearances being paid the host the nationt. Furthermore the trust fund is also believed to pay for the Dalai Lama’s own activities and entertainment. Whilst it does make many charitable donations the Dahli Lama seems to also use this fund to indulge his lavish lifestyle such as his 15 Rolex watches, his pastry chef, and his entourage of servants.
    Since this mechanism was first discovered the Dalai Lama published a website claiming the trust, “was established…as an irrevocable public trust”, which is untrue. According to R&A Associates, a specialist Indian law firm, “The provisions of the Indian Trusts Act do not apply to Public Trusts”. As the fund was established under the Indian Trusts Act it was created as a private trust, not a public one.
    The Dalai Lama also started to publish limited financial records of its activities. However these records don’t reveal the amounts that are used for the Dalai Lama’s own personal activities, they only cover 4 years of expenditures, and are highly condensed.
    From the limited records released it’s impossible for the public to tell exactly what the money is being spent on, or to what degree the Dalai Lama personally benefits from the fund. In addition, all of the funds trustees are close subordinates to the Dalai Lama and they follow his exact instructions on how the money is used.
    One current trustee of “His Holiness the Dalai Lama Charitable Trust” admitted privately that the Dalai Lama uses the fund as “his personal bank account”. They explained that in Tibet there was a government treasury that belonged to the Dalai Lama and that he sees this as “the same thing”.
    They admitted it was common knowledge among all the trustees that after each event overseas the Dalai Lama would be “paid his share of the profits” through the trust. They also stated the Dalai Lama would often demand “a minimum donation” before he would agree to a visit.
    The key difference between whether a fund is private or charitable lies in where the money goes. A charitable trust can only use its funds to fulfill its defined charitable aims. Although it can reimburse people who work for it, it cannot use its assets to fund someone’s personal lifestyle. Since “His Holiness the Dalai Lama Charitable Trust” uses some of its funds to pay for the Dalai Lama’s personal living expenses it functions as a private fund. The fact that all of its trustees are under the direct control of the Dalai Lama also raises doubts over its authenticity.
    https://artvoice.com/2018/04/14/questions-raised-dalai-lama-charitable-trust/#.WtPG4y5uaM-

    Reply
15. 

    Jigme Norbu

    April 15, 2018 at 10:59 pm

    The supposedly well-known Buddhist scholar and author Robert Thurman of Columbia University and President of Tibet House US actively engages in hate campaigns online. These are meant to ostracize and discriminate against Dorje Shugden practitioners. He is also known to publically solicit hackers to hack into Twitter accounts that belong to people who do not agree with his views. This is something that is a criminal offense according to US law.

    Why would someone like Thurman go to the extent of breaking the law over this? What is he hiding? Could his actions be evidence of a deeper plot to keep Tibetans and Tibetan Buddhists divided, perpetrated by the Tibetan leadership that he works for?

    Robert Thurman & Anonymous
    (updated)
    On October 28th 2014 respected scholar and author Robert Thurman decided to mention me on Twitter and make false and unsupported claims about me. He also tried to add me to a list which he promotes to followers of the Dalai Lama so they can send threatening and offensive tweets to its members. I responded by publishing an open letter to him on 29th October, but what I wasn’t expecting was his vehement and extreme reaction.
    Throughout the day there was no response from Professor Thurman, yet things suddenly changed as the evening arrived and he issued a tweet publicly asking for the help of Anonymous.
    I was one of the people that Professor Thurman was wanting to target and unearth information about, including my identity. Whilst I have the greatest respect for the ethos of Anonymous, I have never been their focus, nor have I ever considered my work to warrant their focus.
    I raised the issue of the legality of publishing such a tweet and the hasty reply from an account that Professor Thurman was working with in his new Anonymous campaign replied that it was just about re-tweets and whois searches.
    Of course re-tweets and whois searches are standard practices and certainly not in any way illegal. However the Anonymous group is not renowned for its use of whois, or its social media re-tweeting campaigns.
    As @OpTsampa says, “Anyone can backtrace an IP”. So why would they be asking for the help of Anonymous if they only wanted to back-trace IPs and conduct whois searches?
    Anonymous is well known as a collective of hackers who engage in electronic civil disobedience (ECD). You don’t ask for the help of Anonymous for re-tweets, you ask for their help for one thing – hacking, which is a federal crime in the US.
    Asking for the help of Anonymous is fairly easy on Twitter, you just publish a tweet and insert the call sign “#anon”. Both @OpTsampa and Professor Thurman then engaged in a campaign of publishing tweets identifying Twitter users and encouraging Anonymous members to target them.
    If you thought this was maybe a bit of harmless fun from Professor Thurman and his accomplice the next tweet may surprise you.
    For those unfamiliar with the Bit Coin currency it’s a virtual currency which enables transactions to be carried out completely anonymously. It is often used when paying for services which are illegal, such as hacking. The value of 50 Bit Coins at the time this tweet was published was $16,967.00.
    Offering hackers just under $17,000 to target people on Twitter is not harmless fun. It is a very serious financial offer, and a US federal crime. As this statement from the US Attorneys Office in April 2014 makes clear in the case of Fidel Salinas.
    Whilst Salinas was accused of engaging in hacking, it is a criminal offence to solicit federal criminal acts and you can be an accessory to the crimes if you are found to have encouraged or instigated them.
    On October 29th 2014 it would appear quite clearly that @OpTsampa and Professor Robert Thurman were not only accomplices in cyber crime, but that they actively engaged in soliciting cyber crime, as defined by the FBI.
    The question is why would a Professor at Columbia University in New York, the co-founder and president of Tibet House US, and father of Hollywood star Uma Thurman, be so desperate as to break federal law?
    Maybe it was never intended as an attempt to solicit hacking? If so then why did Anonymous themselves issue a formal response through their official Twitter account? 
    If there is nothing to hide, if the allegations of religious discrimination and human rights violations by the Dalai Lama are unfounded, then why would an eminent professor ask for Anonymous to help?
    Why not simply debate the issue and show evidence that refutes or counters the claims?
    At the present moment I am taking legal advice regarding filing a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Centre (IC3) of the FBI so that they can further investigate Professor Thurman’s role in soliciting cyber crime.
    I will keep you posted with updates as this case develops.
    *****UPDATE*****
    14:30 – 30th October 2014
    After having taken legal advice I am in the process of drafting a formal complaint for investigation by the FBI. I am awaiting the FBI’s decision whether it is best to submit the formal complaint through their New York field office, or through IC3.
    As the alleged offenses occurred over the Twitter platform it is likely to be an inter-state matter placing it within federal jurisdiction.
    I am advised that Professor Thurman is currently aware that he is one of the subjects named in my formal complaint.
    More to follow.
    ***Further Update***
    As this is now an ongoing criminal investigation I am unable to add further comments.
    http://www.arebuddhistsracist.com/robert_thurman_anonymous.html

    Reply
16. 

    Rinchen Wangmo

    April 15, 2018 at 11:18 pm

    While the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA; the Tibetan leadership based in Dharamsala) are not capable at all of making a positive difference in the lives of Tibetans in-exile, they are more than capable of blaming others for their failures. They like to call critics and those who challenge their authority “Chinese spies”.

    The inept CTA hurls this derogatory blame against virtually everyone to distract from the truth that they have turned the Tibetan cause into a hopeless one; scapegoated Dorje Shugden practitioners; persecuted Lukar Jam and his supporters, as well as Mila Rangzen and others. However, even the Tibetans have grown tired of the CTA’s lame excuses. An increasing number of dissatisfied Tibetans have left the exile communities for greener pastures, some have even returned to China. This is a clear indication of how much the CTA has failed their people and how badly managed it is, despite an overwhelming amount of resources, aid, and goodwill from foreign supporters at their disposal.

    The CTA has no intention to fight for the welfare and future of the Tibetan people. All the CTA does is lie, manipulate, abuse its power, discriminate, ostracize, embezzle funds and squander Chatrel money (contributions from Tibetans) to persecute those who do not follow or agree with them. Welcome to the CTA’s version of ‘democracy’.

    How the Tibetan government in exile embraced “post-truth” and fake news
    Communists, fake news and Chinese spies: the authoritarian’s propaganda playbook of the Dalai Lama runs out of steam…
    Tenzin Jigme
    Tibetan writer and voice of the absent Tibetan democracy
    Apr 14 | 10 min read
    The Tibetan government in exile appears to have embraced a simple yet effective tactic when dealing with critics who question its ineffectiveness, alleged suppression of even minor opposition or seeming tolerance of corruption within its ranks: simply accusing them of being spies in the pay of China has to date proved an effective way of forcing those critics to shut up and slink off quietly.
    The Central Tibetan Authority (CTA), the government in exile, is responsible for looking after Buddhist communities across India who initially fled their homeland when fleeing from Chinese repression following a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Ever since their flight, the common CTA mantra has been to “blame China”, whenever things went wrong.
    Those in command at the CTA have levelled the “Chinese spies” charge against virtually everyone who has opposed the body, which has faced numerous accusations of vested interests, corruption and ineptitude in its perceived role of taking care of the 95,000 Tibetan exiles under its authority.
    They have even taken issue with the Dorje Shugden devotion, a centuries-old tradition of worship, claiming its practitioners are in league with China to undermine the authority of the Dalai Lama, widely recognised as the spiritual leader of the Tibetan exiles, who has spoken forcefully against the practice. His position on the matter has widely been seen as a de facto ban.
    By branding all Dorje Shugden practitioners as “Chinese spies”, the CTA sidesteps some important questions, most strikingly how ostracising those who follow the 350-year-old tradition sits with the Tibetan constitution, and with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which embodies the concept of religious freedom. It has also left Shugden groups open to the blandishments of the Chinese, who have not been averse to exploiting the rift.
    By accusing any and all opponents of being Chinese spies, the CTA has sought to keep alive concerns that were initially justifiable in the aftermath of the community’s flight from Tibet, when the Chinese threat to its very existence was all too real. By doing so, it has sought to mask its own lack of progress in improving the lot of the exiles in its care. Many of these exiles continue to live in precarious conditions and remain virtually stateless, almost 60 years after their displacement and despite international support from several governments and a large number of non-governmental organisations.
    China probably does keep a close watch on CTA activities and on sentiment both within Tibet and in the communities in exile, given that Tibet accounts for just over a quarter of China’s total land mass and it is in the country’s interest to ensure stability in the region. But if all the CTA’s accusations were indeed correct, “Chinese spies” would likely outnumber the rest of the population in the Tibetan exile communities.
    Cato’s lesson
    Already in the 2nd century BC, the Roman senator Cato the Elder had understood that if one repeats an idea often enough, it can eventually gain a foothold in the public conscious. He was to use this understanding to great effect.
    Cato had been worried. He saw Carthage, Rome’s powerful Phoenician rival, as a continuing threat to the Roman Empire. Even after the Roman army had defeated Carthage, located in modern-day Tunisia, in the first and second Punic Wars, the city continued to flourish, something Cato found intolerable. Whether relevant to his speeches before the senate or not, Cato would, for a period, end each one with a phrase very roughly translated as “and by the way, I’d just like to add that Carthage must be destroyed”.
    In the end, either convinced by Cato’s repetitiveness or just to get him to shut up, the Roman Senate agreed to send its forces under Scipio Aemilianus to wipe Carthage from the face of the earth. The focus on the “Carthage problem” certainly helped divert attention from problems at home — there was plenty of dissatisfaction to go round among Ancient Rome’s slaves and lower classes, who formed the bulk of the empire’s population. This dissatisfaction flared up less than fifteen years later in a slave revolt which shook Rome to her foundations, and which would be followed by two more rebellions, the last led by the fabled slave Spartacus.
    Numerous historians point to the sack of Carthage, when Rome destroyed her last great competitor, as the beginning of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
    Even so, Cato’s lesson was not lost on future generations. Unscrupulous would-be autocrats soon learned that if they could focus the attention of the ruled on a common enemy, real or imagined, they might be prepared to forgive their rulers a multitude of sins rather than risk being tarred with the “enemy” brush themselves.
    “Post-truth” on the march
    Jason Stanley, a professor of philosophy at Yale and the author of How Propaganda Works, published in 2015, says that authoritarian propaganda is a form of communication in which a leader creates a narrative explaining why the problems afflicting certain groups of people have a simple origin and an even simpler solution. Much of the time, the “problems” are of the would-be autocrat’s own invention, he said, a simple expedient to drag the disaffected into his or her camp.
    Oxford Dictionaries flagged “post-truth” as 2016’s international word of the year, a concept it defines as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” It was a nod to the Trump presidential campaign and to Brexit, the UK vote to exit the European Union. Both campaigns owed much of their success to their ability in stoking the fears of certain voters, seeking to identify the “danger” posed by immigrants, people of colour or the “dishonest press”, and to completely ignoring any real-world details that might not fit in with their world view.
    One example is U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump’s identification of “inner city carnage” as one of the major problems facing Americans today, a demonstrably false claim but one that served to rally his base. Despite the fact that the U.S. murder rate had been in overall decline for some two decades or more, Trump focused on a handful of cities where there had been a spike in violent crime, attributing it to immigrant gangs, convincing his base that the phenomenon was out of control and that only he could solve the problem.
    He also alleged the 2016 election would be rigged by millions of illegal votes marshalled by the perfidious Democrats, despite minimal empirical evidence of voter fraud, which had identified fewer than 10 cases of voter impersonation in the previous election. Among other ludicrous claims, Trump’s boast that his election would ensure people would be allowed to say “Happy Christmas” again belied the fact that the conveying of Christmas wishes had never actually been banned.
    Prior to his election, Trump had adopted the tactic of accusing any and all of his critics of being purveyors of “fake new” — at least he would have done had he known the word “purveyors”. Since then, he has ably used the occasional factual error in unfavourable press articles as “proof” that every media critic is out to get him, while giving a pass to friendly press such as Fox News, even on the numerous occasions that their purported news stories have been thoroughly debunked.
    Since his election, Trump has attacked friend or foe when the mood takes him. He has a well-known tendency of threatening to visit “fire and fury” on anyone who attempts to hold him to account, and of levelling accusations of “fake news” at any news article that dares to imply he isn’t actually the greatest human being in history. Steve Coll wrote in the New Yorker, “fake news” is credible reporting that he (Trump) doesn’t like.”
    Incredibly, the mainstream press has generally failed to hold Trump to account for his numerous lies, like those concerning his tax returns which, during the elections, he promised to release as soon as his audit was over; or regarding the press conference he said he would hold to explain how his wife Melania was awarded a green card, usually reserved for people with “special talents” like nuclear physicists or sporting prodigies. He has rarely been asked to explain, on the record, why he failed to deliver on his promises in either case, or numerous others.
    For over a year he has continued to say he was willing, nay anxious, to testify to the Mueller investigation into whether he or the Republican party under whose banner he swept to power in the 2016 U.S. elections colluded with the Russians in order to achieve the electoral victory. In the meantime, on the back of legal advice, he has strenuously resisted providing any such testimony, and referred to the growing body of evidence linking numerous close associates and other Republicans to high level Russian operators as… fake news.
    Elsewhere, Philippines autocrat Rodrigo Duterte, famous for his machismo and misogyny, deflects by accusing his critics of being gay, paedophiles or drug addicts. In March, he asked the head of the country’s Commission on Human Rights (CHR) if the latter was a paedophile because he had protested the killing of teenagers in the government’s bloody war on drugs, which has already left thousands dead. In the meantime, his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses all his critics, be they politicians, members of the military or journalists, of plotting a coup to take control of Turkey, and throws them all in jail.
    Not the internet
    Many analysts have blamed the internet, Facebook and Twitter for facilitating the spread of spurious news stories — such as Infowars’ story that Trump’s presidential opponent, Hillary Clinton, was involved in a paedophile ring headquartered in a Washington pizza parlour, the so-called “Pizzagate” affair, or the so-called Uranium One scandal. The latter was thoroughly debunked by Sam Shephard on Fox News, leading several viewers to call for his resignation because they preferred their pro-Trump, anti-everyone-else stories to pass without question, whether true or not.
    But Trump, Duterte and others probably learned much about deception, deflection and self-serving propaganda from a past-master at these arts, four times Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi. For twenty years, the Mediaset and Fininvest kingpin, who had made much of his fortune by “convincing” politicians to grease the wheels of his many projects, dodged accusations of corruption, conflicts of interests, tax evasion, and mafia associations by simply denying all the evidence and berating his accusers. His supporters lapped it all up, even when his lies were, on occasion, laid bare.
    The great British author George Orwell saw it all coming, of course. In his splendid 1984, written almost seventy years ago, “the Party” (for, like Highlander, there can be only one) maintains its control over the “proles” by reducing all opposition to a simple concept — so-called “thoughtcrime”, or ideas which run contrary to the desired orthodoxy. Anyone guilty of gainsaying this orthodoxy is an enemy, and must be destroyed.
    In much the same way Berlusconi’s opponents were “communists” and Trump’s promote “fake news”. The CTA has berated its enemies as “Chinese spies” in much the same way, and with much the same aim — to shut down debate.
    For example “Chinese spy” accusation were levelled against the following people the CTA regarded as opponents or threats: all Dorje Shugden monks and lay people for opposing the Dalai Lama’s anti-Constitutional religious ban; against Milla Rangzen, the owner and editor of Tibetan magazine, who is critical of Lobsang Sangay; against Lukar Jam, who was a candidate for the post of CTA’s president in most recent past CTA elections; against Sharchock Cookta who was critical of the CTA and was targeted by the headline: “shocking news: MP Sharchock Cookta Chinese spy suspicion in Tibetan Parliament”; against the head of the Karma Kagyu when they wanted to bring the Buddhist leader under CTA’s excessive control; against Dudjom Rinpoche who was head of the Nyingma sect when he was extremely popular in the 1960’s and was regarded as a threat to the political line of the CTA; against Serkong Tritul Rinpoche who is a successful lama — when he visited Taiwan, the CTA accused him to be a Chinese spy, forgetting the Dalai Lama also visited Taiwan; against all Tibetans who are advocating full independence from China (rangzen) in opposition to the Dalai Lama’s ‘Middle Way’ approach, as was expressed by Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche who was the CTA President before Lobsang Sangay…
    But the CTA is fast losing the faith of many Tibetans in exile. In recent years, several have left the exile communities in search of a better life elsewhere — an increasing number of them even choosing to return to China-controlled Tibet when possible — and the numbers are accelerating. Commitment to the Tibetan struggle is weakening as exiles begin to focus on their more mundane needs which the CTA has singularly failed to address despite the time, resources and goodwill at its disposal.
    Simplistic accusations tend to lose their power over time. Like the boy who cried wolf, authoritarian propagandists may convince a less critical section of society for a period, but eventually even their most staunch enthusiasts begin to waver when they understand they are being toyed with, and that the autocrat whose pretexts they have so devoutly supported never had any intention of working to satisfy their needs. This is as true for the CTA as for other autocrats and their cohorts.
    Even so, for the moment, “post-truth” remains in the ascendant. There is a shorter word for the concept, of course: lies.
    https://medium.com/@TenzinJigme59/how-the-tibetan-government-in-exile-embraced-post-truth-and-fake-news-236885b7bcc8

    Reply
17. 

    Jamyang Dolma

    April 16, 2018 at 3:06 pm

    In most parliaments, ministers discuss policies, budgets and legislation that can make a positive impact for their nation. However, in the Tibetan Parliament in-Exile, they talk about a bunch of postcards critical of their poor leadership. Astounding! That is how they plan to ‘save the world’ and lead the Tibetan people back to Tibet? Their intelligence is simply out of this world. It looks like the postcards were right after all, they are extremely ineffective.

    http://video.dorjeshugden.com/comment-videos/comment-1523892203.mp4

    Reply
18. 

    celia

    April 17, 2018 at 2:28 pm

    It is only reasonable for any government to prioritise the welfare of its citizens and do what is best for their country’s economic growth. Thus, it is not unforeseeable that India would change its policies regarding the Tibetans considering the actions of the Tibetan leadership to date that clearly show;
    (i) the Tibetan leadership never contributed or intended to really co back to Indian society
    (ii) the Tibetan leadership is not interested in Indian domestic affairs and
    (iii) the Tibetan leadership only cares about playing politics to try and accomplish some of their political goals. In fact, the Tibetan leadership doesn’t even think about whether India (who has graciously hosted Tibetans) when the Tibetan leadership sets out to antagonise China.

    Hence, the subtle but clear message of India’s changing stance in respect of Tibetans. Yet even when it is clear that the Tibetans are slowly losing their welcome, the Tibetan leadership is too busy milking the situation for their benefit instead of doing their jobs properly.

    Reply
19. 

    Bhuti Kelsang

    April 18, 2018 at 6:05 am

    After almost 60 years of living in political limbo, the Dalai Lama is now paving the way for his future and that of his fellow Tibetans in-exile. During a recent Thank You India event in Dharamsala, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President Lobsang Sangay presented the Dalai Lama’s wish to return to Tibet as his “last unfulfilled dream.” Some of the important Indian officials in attendance welcomed this dream and noted their support for the wish to be realized.

    However, India has a precarious role to play in pushing for the Dalai Lama’s return to China. India can use the Tibetans to negotiate favourable terms to protect her interests, including the settlement of the Sino-Indian border issues. China’s acknowledgement of Arunachal Pradesh as part of India can be one of those conditions India imposes on the Dalai Lama’s return to the Tibetan Autonomous Region. But the move could back fire, if the Dalai Lama accepts China’s stance that Tibet was never an independent state, but an integral part of China, India may need to concede sections of her northern territory to China. The current border was drawn up between British India and the Tibetan leadership before 1959. If the Dalai Lama was to state that Tibet was never independent, the demarcated border would be moot. The Tibetan leadership would never have had the authority to sign any agreement, nullifying the one that created the border in the first place. Either way, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans in-exile continue to be a thorn in the relationship between India and China.

    The fact that the Tibetan cause was downgraded from one that sought complete independence to one that seeks autonomy is a clear sign that the prospect for a free Tibet is bleak. The CTA has failed. Once the Dalai Lama steps foot on Chinese soil, he would no longer be a ‘refugee’ and Tibet’s fate as a part of China would be completely sealed.

    WILL DALAI LAMA RETURN TO CHINA?
    APRIL 16, 2018 2:49 AM
    Dr. Sangay’s statement has only further confirmed fears among many observers that an influential section among the Tibetan exile leadership is desperate about cobbling up a deal with China on whatever terms. The very first negotiation point in this deal, as already declared by Dr. Sangay, is bound to be the return of Dalai Lama. Leaving Dalai Lama to the mercy of such lobbies will be a national hara-kiri.
    Vijay Kranti is a senior journalist, Tibetologist and Chairman, Centre for Himalayan Asia Studies & Engagement (CHASE)
    A question which is currently confronting most of Tibet-China watchers and Tibet supporters is, “is Dalai Lama seriously planning to visit or return to Tibet or China?” Three years ago the same question had created ripples when the idea of him visiting China’s famous holy Buddhist shrine of Wutai Shan was discussed loudly both in Beijing as well as in Dharamsala. On Sunday (1st April) again, Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the elected ‘Sikyong’ (the ‘President’ of Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala) stunned Tibet and China observers by announcing that time had arrived to fulfill Dalai Lama’s dream of returning to Tibet to ‘reunite with Tibetans’ and to live in Potala, the traditional palace residence of Dalai Lamas in the Tibetan capital Lhasa.
    Dr. Sangay was speaking in Dharamshala at the opening function of ‘Thank You India’, the year-long celebrations organized by CTA to commemorate the 60th year of Dalai Lama’s arrival in India and to express Tibetans’ gratitude toward the people and government of India. It was on 3rd April, 1959 when Dalai Lama, the exiled ruler and supreme Buddhist leader of Tibet, arrived in India at the end of a 17-day long daring and grueling escape on foot through snow and mountains to save himself from arrest or killing by the occupying Chinese army in Tibet.
    Interestingly these celebrations had already become focus of world attention following New Delhi government’s instructions to its senior bureaucrats and leaders to keep off public events involving Dalai Lama’s personal presence. This sudden toughening of New Delhi’s stand forced the CTA to cancel the main mega event of Dalai Lama in capital’s spacious Thyagraja Stadium. But it is not first time that New Delhi rulers have taken a stand of this kind which appears to be aimed at pleasing Beijing in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to China. In October 2007 too, the erstwhile UPA government had issued an identical diktat to its senior leaders and bureaucrats when Dalai Lama was given a civic reception at New Delhi’s India Habitat Centre for being honoured by the US Parliament with America’s highest civic honour — the Congressional Gold Medal (equivalent to Bharat Ratna of India).
    According to Dr. Sangay the first dream of Dalai Lama was about seeing blood which, according to Dr. Sangay, turned true when Tibetans faced widespread killings of Tibetan protesters during uprising against the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959 and also in later years. The International Commission of Jurists, an affiliate body of erstwhile UNO, claimed that Chinese army killed more than 80 thousand Tibetans to crush the uprising in 1959. As per Dharamsala claims this number of unnatural deaths of Tibetans in Chinese occupied Tibet has crossed 12 lakhs (1.2 million) over past seven decades.
    The second dream refers to Dalai Lama meeting ‘people in white’ which, Sangay says, again turned out to be true when Dalai Lama fled Tibet and met Indian leaders like Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and President Dr. Rajendra Prasad who were known for wearing dazzling white Khadi.
    EXPLOITING RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS?
    Citing these two ‘dreams’ of Dalai Lama turning out to be true, Dr. Sangay enthusiastically claimed about a third dream of Dalai Lama which gives an extraordinary political dimension to this statement, especially for coming out of the mouth of the Tibetan leader whom the Dalai Lama has transferred all his political powers through a constitutional amendment. Quoting Dr. Sangay Jyoti Malhotra of the Indian Express reported , “The Dalai Lama’s third dream, Lobsang Sangay said, was of him returning to the Potala palace filled with light and ‘reunited with Tibetan people’… This third dream will also come true by karmic design. We must all make efforts for His Holiness’ dream to return to the Potala palace come true, Sangay added.”
    Referring to dreams of an individual may not hold much meaning for outsider observers and analysts. But in a deeply religious society like Tibet where no rule is above the words of Dalai Lama, Dr. Lobsang Sangay’s attempt to present Dalai Lama’s return to Chinese ruled Tibet as the religious leader’s “last unfulfilled dream” and his call to Tibetan people for making this ‘dream’ of Dalai Lama a reality, deserves a closer scrutiny by the Tibetan society, supporters of the Tibetan cause and, above all, the Indian government who have stakes in future of Tibet and its relations with China. This statement becomes extremely meaningful in the light of the fact that it is first time in past six decades that a senior(most) official of Tibetan government in exile has publicly endorsed Beijing’s agenda which is seriously focused at bringing back Dalai Lama to Chinese ruled Tibet before he is dead and the search for his next (15th) reincarnation starts.
    PUSHING CHINESE AGENDA
    It is noteworthy that in two major contacts between Dharamsala and Beijing, first held during late 1970s and early 1980s and second between 2002-2010 period, Tibetan side branded these meetings as ‘Tibet-China talks’ and ‘dialogue’ but Chinese side made it known public more than once that the visits of Tibetan delegations were ‘private’ in nature and the only subject of discussion was how to pave way for return of Dalai Lama to the ‘great motherland’. If followed in letter or spirit, Dr. Sangay’s plans about Dalai Lama’s return to ‘China’s Tibet’ is simple implementation of Chinese agenda which would mean a permanent closure of the dispute between Tibet and its colonial masters in Beijing.
    Knowledgeable sources in MEA as well as India’s intelligence agencies who are keenly watching Dharamsala-Beijing contacts, believe that this announcement of Dr. Sangay has further strained the relations between New Delhi and Dharamshala. These relations have been already undergoing stress caused by a series of developments related to Dharamshala’s secret hobnobbing with Chinese government in recent past. A couple of years ago MEA had a serious brush with CTA, including the private office of the Dalai Lama when it was discovered that a meeting between Dalai Lama and a Chinese leader, holding rank of a minister, was secretly organized in Dharamsala without taking into confidence the MEA or security agencies that are responsible for Dalai Lama’s personal security. Similarly, recent China visit of Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, the former ‘Prime Minister’ of CTA also did not go down well with MEA.
    BOTH SIDES RESPONSIBLE
    But it will be too naïve and unkind to Dharamsala if all the blame for such developments is heaped exclusively on CTA or Dalai Lama. It is no secret that over past six decades of Dalai Lama’s presence in India, the MEA has been perpetually as a loss and confused in evolving or adopting a well defined policy on Tibet — not even about the status of Dalai Lama, his activities and the scope of cooperation between him and the Indian government.
    India abstained from and refused to support the first two resolutions in 1959 and 1961 in the UNO which condemned China for serious abrogation of human rights in Tibet. Rather, India stopped the rest of world from raising the issue of Tibet in the UNO. But following India-China war of 1962 India voted in favour of the same resolution when it was pressed third time in 1965. Indian representative Rafiq Zakaria’s strong statement against Chinese conduct inside occupied Tibet came as a pleasant surprise to the anti-China lobbies across the world. In later years also there have been many occasions when New Delhi allowed, rather facilitated, Dalai Lama’s visits to Arunachal Pradesh despite strong threats and reactions from China.
    INDIRA GANDHI’S INITIATIVE
    In the aftermath of 1962 war the Indian government went to the extent of raising an exclusive ‘Special Frontier Force’ (SFF) in the Indian Army which worked directly under the Cabinet Secretariat and has been popularly known as ‘Establishment-22’. In the Bangladesh liberation war during 1970-71 period a sizeable contingent of Tibetan ‘22’ guerrilla soldiers was secretly assigned the job of liberating the Tripura-Chittagong sector. Interestingly, the field operations of this secret contingent were personally supervised by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi herself.
    On the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath in Rashrapati Bhawan in the presence of all heads of state from South Asia except China, the presence of Tibetan Sikyong Dr. Sangay in the VVIP enclosure gave indication that a brand new and different Tibet policy was in the offing. But later developments, especially the latest instructions of the NDA government to ignore ‘Thank You India’ have only confused the observers, and Dalai Lama too.
    This sudden announcement by Dr. Sangay calling for Dalai Lama’s return to Chinese controlled Tibet has surprised many observers and institutions who have been keenly watching the Tibet-China-India triangle over past few decades. The uncommon attention that these remarks of the Sekyong has received, has prompted some other seniors in Dharamsala to suggest that it is nothing more than an off the cuff retort to New Delhi’s latest humiliating decision. Responding to my pointed question about Dalai Lama’s personal position on this issue, two prominent Tibetans who sit on two extreme ends of the ongoing political debate among the community disagreed with Dr. Sangay’s agenda.
    FAITH IN DALAI LAMA’S WISDOM
    Tenzin Tsundue (43) is the most visible and vocal signature of Tibetan ‘Rangzen’ movement, which stands for complete independence for Tibet as opposed to Dalai Lama’s ‘Middle Path’ for ‘genuine autonomy’. He says, “HH (Dalai Lama) is still the boss, not Sikyong. Lobsang Sangay’s showing the face in the media, on stage, being the head of CTA is still nominal and has little meaning. HH calls the shots.” Emphasizing his faith Dalai Lama’s wisdom he says, “please don’t underestimate HH’s political wisdom.”
    Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche (81) a senior monk statesman out rightly rejected the idea of any plans to send back Dalai Lama to China or Tibet. Both of them remind that during his countless world tours the Dalai Lama has been always presenting India in a very positive light in his public speeches and one to one discussions with heads of state. Both of them regret that India could have used the international goodwill of Dalai Lama in enhancing its own interests in the world politics. The Dalai Lama has recently nominated Prof. Rinpoche and Dr. Sangay as his personal envoys to take ahead Dharamsala-Beijing ‘dialogue’.
    DELHI OR DHARAMSALA — NEITHER CAN AFFORD IT
    Whatever be the reality behind the prevailing confusion but one thing is clear. Neither Dalai Lama nor India can afford his slipping into Chinese lap at this delicate moment of Tibetan history. A dramatic decision like this will leave Dalai Lama, Tibet and Tibetan people completely at the mercy of Chinese whose previous record on their promises to Tibet is only too well known. By returning either permanently or even as a ‘pilgrim guest’ of a country (China) whose atrocities made him flee to exile, Dalai Lama will lose his legal and moral qualification as a ‘refugee’.
    DALAI LAMA’S LOSS
    Tibetan people may be happy to see their ‘Yeshi Norbu’ (meaning Precious-Gem and a common name for Dalai Lama) with their own eyes in their current life time. But this privilege will come at the cost of losing the momentum and courage of standing up against the tyranny for their colonial masters once they see their leader patching up with China. More than 150 Tibetans have committed self immolation inside Tibet against Chinese rule in recent years. The international Tibet support movement which has taken roots across the world over past six decades will die instantly and it cannot be revived in future if China ever goes back on its promises to Dalai Lama. His visit or return will permanently seal the fate of Tibet as an integral part of China and Beijing will get the license of nominating the future Dalai Lamas too.
    By segregating the political and religious titles of the institution of Dalai Lama and handing over all his political powers to the elected representatives of Tibetans, the Dalai Lama had already given an endless shelf life to the Tibetan struggle and the institution of Dalai Lama itself. Sadly, his return to China will kill this achievement in its infancy.
    INDIA STANDS TO LOSE
    For India also, too big things are at stake to sit idle and allow the influential lobbies of Dharamsala to hand over a living Dalai Lama on a platter to China. With the return of Dalai Lama to Tibet or China all chances, whatever remote, of rehabilitating Tibet as a buffer between India and a quarrelsome China would be lost forever. But worst fall out of this Dharamsala-Beijing marriage will be the sudden transformation of the Himalayan states of India from India’s ‘first defence post’ to the Chinese front post of aggression because the local Buddhist populations have deeper religious bonds and relations with the Tibetan Buddhist system and monasteries inside Tibet than with the Indian plains.
    INDIAN HARAKIRI ?
    Dr. Sangay’s statement has only further confirmed fears among many observers that an influential section among the Tibetan exile leadership is desperate about cobbling up a deal with China on whatever terms. The very first negotiation point in this deal, as already declared by Dr. Sangay, is bound to be the return of Dalai Lama. Leaving Dalai Lama to the mercy of such lobbies will be a national hara-kiri on the part of Indian government. Rather, it would be much wiser for New Delhi to become pro-active on this front. By taking reasonable interest in the Dharamsala-Beijing dialogue New Delhi will not only strengthen Dalai Lama’s hands, but it will also give India enough elbow room to ensure its own interests in any prospective deal remain safe.
    For New Delhi to start with, one not-so difficult move can be to publicly acknowledge Dalai Lama’s personal and institutional contributions to the Indian cultural and philosophic though process and to bestow upon him the ‘Bharat Ratna.’ After all, if India can honour friendly foreigners like Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teressa with this Bharat-Ratna, then Dalai Lama’s name sound equally, if not more befitting. On the diplomatic front too, such a step will not only enhance the shelf life of Tibetan issue and value of Dalai Lama for India, it will be a very Gandhian and befitting response to China’s aggressive postures against India.
    Mr Vijay Kranti can be contacted at v.kranti@gmail.com
    Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Tibetan Review.
    http://www.tibetanreview.net/will-dalai-lama-return-to-china/

    Reply
20. 

    Dawa Tsering

    April 19, 2018 at 9:22 pm

    More evidence has surfaced regarding His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Charitable Trust’s dubious activities in India.

    The Buddhist Community Centre UK (BCCUK) paid “donations” of £50,000 to the trust for the Dalai Lama’s talk in Aldershot in the UK 3 years ago. This is yet another example against the claim that the Dalai Lama does not charge or receive money for his highly priced and ticketed talks around the world. The other highly infamous case was the US$1 million received for the Dalai Lama’s appearance in Albany in 2009. This actually let to the Dalai Lama’s Trust endorsing the sex-cult leader, Raniere. In addition, a trustee also revealed that the trust is used to transfer profits made from events like this in order to evade tax.

    It seems that charities set up in the Dalai Lama’s name show poor levels of accountability, lack transparency in the use of the money raised, and are involved in criminal activity. Millions of dollars are poured into these charities through various Tibetan advocacy groups and foreign NGO’s in an effort to support the ‘Tibetan cause’. It is extremely unethical for these charities to take advantage of the sentiments for Tibetan victims of self-immolations against China, to get money. On top of that they squander the hard-earned cash of donors and treat it like one’s ‘personal bank account’.

    Dalai Lama Being Investigated for Possible Tax Fraud
    April 16, 2018
    by Indy Hack
    Much is made of the Dalai Lama’s noble claim to travel the world teaching Buddhism for free. Each overseas event states explicitly that the Dalai Lama never charges a fee or receives any money, yet the ticket prices don’t match that noble sentiment.
    One such event took place in a small town in the UK in 2015. The Dalai Lama visited a Buddhist Community Centre in Aldershot and gave a talk at the local soccer ground with tickets ranging in price from £20-£50, which is quite cheap compared to his US prices. The event was organised by a UK charity, Buddhist Community Centre UK (BCCUK) who claimed they would be, “charging a minimum entrance fee in order to cover the costs of venue and necessary administrations. Any surplus funds raised from the event will be donated to charities.”
    Following the event BCCUK made two payments to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Charitable Trust in India totaling approximately £50,000.As explained in a previous article, according to trustees of this fund the Dalai Lama uses it as a mechanism to make sure that he is “paid his share of the profits” from overseas events whilst avoiding any tax on them.According to BCCUK’s filings they made donations of £11,149 and £46,365. The filings don’t explain where these donations went and these are the only sums the charity has ever paid out as donations in its entire filing history.
    Trustees of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Charitable Trust confirmed that around the same time they received donations from BCCUK. Although they didn’t receive those exact amounts they did receive approximately £50,000 in total from them.
    One trustee who spoke on condition of anonymity explained that the Dalai Lama treats this Trust as “his personal bank account”. It is used to transfer profits from events such as the Dalai Lama’s talk in Aldershot back to India where he can spend them tax-free.
    Had BCCUK been aware of this they would have been required to deduct at least £10,000 from this amount and pay it to the UK tax authorities on behalf of the Dalai Lama.
    This matter along with all relevant documentation has now been referred to Her Majaesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the UK tax authority, to assist with their investigation into the Dalai Lama’s possible tax fraud.
    HMRC whilst being unable to comment on the specifics of any particular case have confirmed that they are currently looking into a report of tax evasion by the Dalai Lama.
    https://artvoice.com/2018/04/16/dalai-lama-investigated-possible-tax-fraud/#.WteL-IhuZPZ

    Reply
21. 

    Kunchok Gyaltsen

    April 20, 2018 at 6:52 pm

    China is serious about matters of security. A new website in both Mandarin and English allows members of the public to report incidents which could endanger China’s national security. Nagchu County in the Tibetan Autonomous Region even offers promises of cash rewards for leads on “criminal” activity, including the reporting of organizations or persons advocating “separatism”, and the “abuse of religion, power, and family connections to illegally encroach on property”.

    Not only is China stepping up its curbing of national security threats, the legal system is also being improved, providing stronger guarantees for the lawful rights and interests of the public. Earlier this month, China issued a white paper noting that the country adheres to policies on religious freedom, and that China forbids discriminatory behaviour against religion and even ethnicity.

    On one hand the Central Tibetan Administration baselessly persecutes Dorje Shugden practitioners as “criminals in history” simple due to their religious beliefs and even blames Shugden practice for the failure of the Tibetan cause. On the other hand, China seems to be sensible when dealing with issues threatening national interests, and does not blame religious practitioners for their woes. Perhaps the Dalai Lama has realised that the Tibetan leadership is useless and that’s the reason why he wants to return to Tibet. China is much better at leadership than the Central Tibetan Administration.

    China launches website for citizens to report spies, corrupt bureaucrats
    [Tuesday, April 17, 2018 20:59]
    By Tenzin Dharpo
    DHARAMSHALA, April 16: The Chinese government has launched a website which encourages its citizens to report information on potential threat from foreign agents and their designs to its “sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security” on Sunday.
    The newly launched website in Mandarin and English lists 21 reportable activities, including activities “to subvert the state power”, a charge commonly pinned on Tibetans in occupied Tibet. Number of Tibetans have also been charged with colluding with so called separatists in exile, which under the heading of “to dismember the state,” also makes the list of activities deemed reportable.
    In what is being referred to as China’s campaign against espionage, users of the website are also encouraged to tip-off foreigners meeting any people within China “who have conducted activities endangering state security or being strongly suspected of doing so.”
    Corrupt officials who are known or suspected to be taking bribes have also been encouraged to be reported. President Xi Jinping has launched an aggressive drive against graft since taking office although critics have said that it was also a tool to eliminate political rivals such as Bo Xilai.
    Anyone suspected or known to be selling or buying state secrets can be reported in both Chinese and English and may qualify for cash rewards depending upon the level of information reported. While there is no mention of the amount of rewards, the Beijing City National Security Bureau was offering $1,500 to $73,000 for information on spies, the official Beijing Daily reported last April.
    The Beijing government has also sought to include its people in the drive against spies and people who are colluding with foreign states. On Sunday, which marked the National Security Education Day, a cartoon with the illustrations, “a friend with a mask”, for questionable behaviour among people, was released.
    http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=40359&t=1

    Reply
22. 

    Dalai Lama can't speak against Shugden

    April 21, 2018 at 7:17 pm

    His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been openly saying he wants to return to Tibet. He has dreams he is in his potala palace with many butterlamps lit and meeting Tibetan people meeting him. Lobsang Sangye says Tibetans should make the Dalai Lama’s dream come true. Members of the Indian govt also says they hope he can go back.The interesting thing is if Dalai Lama goes back to Tibet, he will not be able to speak against Dorje Shugden anymore. Speaking against Dorje Shugden forces people to take sides and segregate. So much disharmony and pain created. The Tibetan leadership have divided their exiled Tibetan communities into two factions due to their illegal ban against Dorje Shugden. Dorje Shugden people are not allowed into Tibetan hospitals, clinics and events since the ban started in 1996. Their children are asked to leave Tibetan schools which was damaging. Dorje Shugden people have suffered tremendous discrimination due to the ban from the Tibetan leadership.

    China does not want social disharmony especially in Tibet for whatever reasons. So China does not ban Dorje Shugden but ironically gives religious freedom. Therefore the ban against Dorje Shugden by the Tibetan leadership in exile will not be allowed if Dalai Lama returns to Tibet. In fact, if Dalai Lama and his people want to get on the good side of China to even be considered to visit or return to Tibet, they better stop speaking about Dorje Shugden negatively. The tables have turned. The oppression against Dorje Shugden people have to end now.

    Video of His Holiness Dalai Lama expelling monks from monasteries solely because they practice Dorje Shugden. Remember, Dorje Shugden has been practiced in major monasteries for the last 400 years. Dalai Lama in the video says he is happy they are kicked out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTgYWidYw3U

    Reply
23. 

    Tenzin Tsundue

    April 25, 2018 at 12:50 am

    USA doesn’t accept Tibetan refugees any more
    Since Trump took office, the Tibetan yellow book has not been accepted by the American embassy in Delhi. No matter how strong a Tibetan’s accompanying documents are, the second they present their yellow book to the visa officer, their application is rejected. A friend of mine went to the American embassy himself to confirm this.
    He said it’s because the US government knows what the Tibetans have been doing i.e. go to the US and throw away their passports, and apply for asylum / young Tibetan girls overstay and get married to American men / young Tibetan guys overstay and work in restaurants, etc.
    As a result, more Tibetans are aiming for Europe which is easier to get into compared to America, but it is not as easy as before. Nowadays, to get to Europe, it costs Rs24 lakh (approximately USD36,255.51). On top of that, they can’t fly directly into Europe anymore and have to go a long, roundabout way.
    First, Tibetans get a fake Indian passport and travel to Bangkok. They remain there for 15 days, where they throw away their Indian passport and another agent gets them a Thai passport. They use this to travel to Turkey where they remain for another few days, before traveling to Greece. After spending a few days in Greece, they travel to Spain. Once they’re in Western Europe, it’s easy for them to go anywhere else. Many of them end up in France.
    The entire journey takes about one month (whereas in the past they could have flown from India directly to France). Some Tibetans who don’t have enough money to complete the journey, find themselves stuck in Turkey or Greece until they can raise the funds.
    Many Tibetans, especially the older ones, are selling their homes in the settlements to fund this journey. If they have enough money, the whole family goes. If they don’t have enough money, they send just their kids. Basically, they have lost hope and confidence in the CTA, and are worried about what will happen when His Holiness the Dalai Lama passes. They feel that Indian government might kick them out, force them to become Indian citizens, etc.
    If they can’t get to Europe, then they try Canada, Australia, etc. They will keep trying anywhere until they find a place that will accept them. In the worst case scenario, they go to Nepal because Nepal has more freedom. This is not because the Nepali government gives them more freedom; the Tibetans feel that Nepal has more freedom because it is out of the control of the CTA. Worse comes to worst, if all else fails, then they will apply for Indian citizenship.

    Reply
24. 

    Samten Lhamo

    April 25, 2018 at 2:42 am

    It sure looks like both China and India are determined to achieve successful reconciliation, something that will mark a new milestone in the history of India-China relations. This will continue to impede the Tibetan leadership’s attempts to spew anti-China rhetoric and propaganda. India already began its clampdown on the Tibetans in March, when they banned key Tibetan events, including cancelling celebrations marking the Tibetans’ 60 years in exile, which were going to be held in Delhi.

    India changed her strategy after recognising that a hard-line approach with China did not work. Rather, there is much more to gain if Asia’s two giants come together for the common goal of mutual benefit. If all goes well, India may even be the one cutting a deal with China to allow the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet. After all, the Tibetan leadership in-exile have failed miserably in making progress in this regard. Nonetheless, we know for sure that India will no longer tolerate nonsense from Tibetans in-exile that would jeopardize their relations with China any further.

    India’s Modi to visit China this week as rapprochement gathers pace
    Ben Blanchard
    BEIJING (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China this week for an informal meeting with President Xi Jinping, as efforts at rapprochement gather pace following a testing year in ties between the two giant neighbors.
    The Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said the two would meet on Friday and Saturday in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
    “Our common interests far outweigh our differences. The two countries have no choice other than pursuing everlasting friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development,” Wang told reporters after meeting Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj in Beijing.
    “The summit will go a long way towards deepening the mutual trust between the two great neighbors,” he added. “We will make sure that the informal summit will be a complete success and a new milestone in the history of China-India relations.”
    Modi has sought to re-set ties after disputes over issues including their disputed border with Tibet and other issues.
    The discussion with Wang was to prepare for the informal summit, Swaraj said.
    “It will be an important occasion for them (Modi and Xi) to exchange views on bilateral and international matters, from an overarching and long-term perspective with the objective of enhancing mutual communication,” Swaraj said.
    The Asian giants were locked in a 73-day military stand-off in a remote, high-altitude stretch of that boundary last year. At one point, soldiers from the two sides threw stones and punches.
    The confrontation between the nuclear-armed powers in the Himalayas underscored Indian alarm at China’s expanding security and economic links in South Asia.
    China’s ambitious Belt and Road initiative of transport and energy links bypasses India, apart from a corner of the disputed Kashmir region, also claimed by Pakistan, but involves India’s neighbors Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives.Modi’s previously unannounced Wuhan trip is even more unusual in that he will visit China again in June for a summit in Qingdao of the China and Russia-led security grouping, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which India joined last year.
    It is almost unheard of for foreign leaders to visit China twice in such close succession. Xi is also extending Modi the rare honor of a meeting outside of Beijing, which almost never happens unless there is a multilateral summit taking place.
    Modi’s nationalist government has reversed course on its relationship with Beijing apparently after realizing its hard line on China was not working.
    Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who lives in India and who China considers a dangerous separatist, is also facing the cold shoulder.
    In March, India issued an unprecedented ban on Tibetans holding a rally with the Dalai Lama in New Delhi to mark the 60th anniversary of the start of the failed uprising against Chinese rule.
    Other areas of disagreement remain however between Beijing and New Delhi.
    China has blocked India’s membership of a nuclear cartel and it has also been blocking U.N. sanctions against a Pakistan-based militant leader blamed for attacks on India.
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-india-xi/indias-modi-to-visit-china-this-week-as-rapprochement-gathers-pace-idUSKBN1HT0G2

    Reply
25. 

    Karma bhu

    April 27, 2018 at 9:21 am

    Did His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognize the wrong Karmapa?

    The Karmapas and Sharmapas are spiritually inseparable. Both are fellow holders of the 900-year-old Karma Kagyu lineage, a spiritual tradition that predates the lineage of the Dalai Lamas by over 200 years. They are also responsible for the recognition of each other’s reincarnations. However, in 1992, Tai Situ recognized a Karmapa candidate different from the candidate chosen by the Sharmapa. He effectively overrode centuries of tradition amongst the four Karma Kagyu regents. Tai Situ went ahead and enthroned his own candidate without the Sharmapa’s approval, and received the Dalai Lama’s approval. Therefore, the Dalai Lama may have endorsed the wrong Karmapa.

    Due to the Dalai Lama’s endorsement, the Tibetan leadership in Dharamsala acknowledged Tai Situ’s candidate, Ogyen Trinley, as the 17th Karmapa, hosting him at the Gelug lineage’s Gyuto Tantric monastery. They even side-lined the Sharmapa’s candidate, Thaye Dorje. The world’s media were also misled to believe that “the Dalai Lama’s Karmapa” is the sole and legitimate candidate for the position. Until today, thanks to the Tibetan leadership, there is no end in sight to the rift that the Karmapa issue caused within the Karma Kagyu tradition. This long-standing feud occurred because of the Tibetan leadership’s political interference in spiritual matters.

    http://video.dorjeshugden.com/comment-videos/comment-1524833812.mp4

    Reply
26. 

    Tsering Wangyal

    April 27, 2018 at 9:29 am

    The beginning of the end for Tibetan leadership in India.

    The Dalai Lama and Tibetan govt in-exile better be on the alert now. For years they have met politicians, organizations and private individuals while talking negatively about China and painted an ugly picture of China wherever they went to get sympathetic votes and more free aid in dollars. It didn’t work, as the whole world wants to be China’s friend now, even the Indians. Tibet was no Shangrila and the reason they even lost their country back in 1959 was due to their own ineffective and corrupt leadership. It’s their own fault. For the last 60 years living Tax free in India they have still not secured their country back. It shows their lack of abilities and ineptness. Now Prime Minister Modi has landed in China to meet the powerful President Xi. One of the agendas to be discussed is the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans in India. Definitely China will work something out with Modi against the freeloading Tibetan refugees. High time too. Many Indians on social media have called for the Dalai Lama and Tibetans to return home as they have overstayed their welcome in India. Why should India stick their necks out any further for the useless Tibetans? That is how the Indians have rightly complained.

    Now with Modi getting closer to China and President Xi, this spells doomsday for the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans. For years the Tibetans have been meddling in Indian politics and insulting China and now the day of reckoning is near. The Tibetan govt in-exile are corrupt, useless, self-serving, schismatic and hateful. For years they have spoken against Dorje Shugden practitioners, segregating them and inciting violence against them in India. Now their karma has returned. The Tibetan govt in-exile likes to call Dorje Shugden pracitioners ‘Chinese spies’ and the funny thing is now the Dalai Lama is nearly begging China to return to Tibet/China. Who is the Chinese spy now?

    Now the Dalai Lama and his exiled govt better keep quiet about China and be humble. They better remain silent on the unjust treatment of Dorje Shugden people and ‘allow’ religious freedom. They are losing power and losing support fast. Now the time has come they will have to swallow their own bitter pills they so happily doled out to others previously. Tibetan govt leaders better keep quiet and be humble now. The Tibetan govt in-exile should not have segregated Dorje Shugden people. Now Dorje Shugden people should go and become friends with China and return to Tibet to live also. The Dalai Lama wants to return to Tibet so bad but China does not want him. Too bad. India does not want him either. Too bad. Should have been friends with Dorje Shugden people in order to have more support in the hundreds of thousands. They should not have made trouble. Too bad the Tibetan leadership is so corrupt. So narrow minded, they trampled on their own people’s religious rights. Now we will see who wins. The Tibetan leadership or Dorje Shugden. I have a feeling Dorje Shugden will win.

    PM Narendra Modi arrives in China, his goal clear: Bridge the trust deficit
    The Chinese President has not hosted any leader in an “informal summit”, which is how the Xi-Modi meeting has been described. In fact, Xi is travelling out of Beijing to central China to spend over two days with the Indian PM, the first time he is extending such a gesture to a visiting foreign leader.
    Written by Shubhajit Roy | Wuhan (china) | Updated: April 27, 2018 8:07:29 am
    Past midnight Thursday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in this picturesque city of lakes, parks and gardens along the Yangtze river, the big question that followed him was this: Can he bridge the trust deficit with China, and its powerful President Xi Jinping?
    The answer, The Indian Express has learnt, could possibly lie in a new “modus vivendi”, an arrangement for two conflicting sides to co-exist in peace, that the two leaders will work on over the next two days.
    “The modus vivendi, which was reaffirmed and arrived at during (then PM) Rajiv Gandhi’s 1988 visit, has frayed considerably. It has been felt on both sides that it needs to be reframed,” sources told The Indian Express.
    Officials feel the 1988 framework to develop bilateral relations in all spheres, while carrying out border negotiations without any use of force, has outlived its utility.
    “China has now emerged as a hegemonic power and has been stepping on our toes repeatedly. We are competing with each other everywhere, from South Asia to Africa, from Southeast Asia to Indo-Pacific. There is a realisation that both sides have reached a tipping point,” sources said.
    The Chinese President has not hosted any leader in an “informal summit”, which is how the Xi-Modi meeting has been described. In fact, Xi is travelling out of Beijing to central China to spend over two days with the Indian PM, the first time he is extending such a gesture to a visiting foreign leader.
    The two leaders have met at least 10 times over the last four years, but this will be their first meeting since Xi has been re-elected, with the Constitutional limit for a presidential term done away with.
    “There has been a lack of strategic trust between the two countries, and this summit will be looking at repairing that damage and how to move forward,” sources said.
    “Wuhan was recently named China’s happiest city…we hope to give some happy news about the summit,” a Chinese official told The Indian Express.
    Modi will meet Xi at about 3 pm Friday at the Hubei provincial museum. The two leaders will head for a one-on-one meeting at the premises and also tour the museum together.
    Later, a structured meeting between Modi and Xi, with six officials on each side, will be held at the museum premises. The two sides will then move to the State Guest House, a palatial complex in the heart of the city along the East lake, where the leaders will meet once again accompanied by the officials. Modi and Xi will again meet for dinner at the guest house Friday evening.
    This structured delegation-level talks is the first indication that the “informal summit” is being crafted in a calibrated and choreographed manner.
    Some of Friday’s meetings will be attended by senior officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. But Saturday will see the two leaders meeting mostly in a one-on-one format, including a “lakeside walk” and a “boat-ride”. The leaders will also travel on a ferry, where they will “discuss issues over a cup of tea”.
    Ahead of his departure for Wuhan, Modi said, “President Xi and I will exchange views on a range of issues of bilateral and global importance. We will discuss our respective visions and priorities for national development, particularly in the context of the current and future international situation. We will also review developments in India-China relations from a strategic and long-term perspective.”
    Sources said the talks will not be on “specific issues” but “the future direction of the relationship”, including concerns and sensitivities such as the China-Pakistan-Economic Corridor, Belt and Road Initiative, listing of Masood Azhar and India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group. From the Chinese perspective, the Tibetan issue and how India handles the refugees are key questions.
    Preparatory work on the new arrangement has been taking place since last September, when the two leaders met in Xiamen on the sidelines of the BRICS summit and wanted to talk “in detail”, but could not due to paucity of time.
    In Wuhan, Modi was received by Chinese Vice Foreign minister Kong Xuanyou at the airport.
    Indicating the mood within the Chinese leadership, a commentary published in China Daily, a media outlet run by the ruling Communist Party of China, carried the headline: “Summit may herald Century of Asia”.
    In the piece, Fu Xiaoqiang, research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, wrote: “Of course, Xi and Modi will also address each other’s concerns, but they are not likely to indulge in strategic distrust and geopolitical competition by ignoring the necessity of strengthening win-win cooperation.”
    Incidentally, a part of the Wuhan State Guest House complex houses Mao Zedong’s summer villa by the lake side, which is now open to visitors. Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, has also hosted Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore during his tour of China 94 years ago to engage with writers, poets and intellectuals.
    http://indianexpress.com/article/india/narendra-modi-xi-jinping-meeting-pm-china-visit-india-relations-5153506/

    Reply
27. 

    Palden

    April 27, 2018 at 6:47 pm

    His Holiness on Why a Woman Should Be Very Attractive to Be a Candidate for the 15th Dalai Lama

    How come a spiritual leader is commenting on the value of women based on their looks? This is not funny, not intelligent and not politically correct. It is wrong. It is debasing and makes people lose respect for a monk such as Dalai Lama for talking about human beings in this manner.

    http://video.dorjeshugden.com/comment-videos/comment-1524861358.mp4

    Reply
28. 

    nava thakuria

    June 20, 2019 at 9:18 am

    Mounting calls for conferring Bharat Ratna on Dalai Lama
    https://www.tibetsun.com/opinions/2019/06/18/mounting-calls-for-conferring-bharat-ratna-on-dalai-lama

    Reply

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