Tibet

16 June 2008 -- Chinese officials have confirmed that the controversial Tibet leg of the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay has been postponed. Beijing Olympic officials previously announced a delay in the torch relay through Sichuan province after the area was hit by a powerful earthquake May 12.

Olympic torch rally, London: Free Tibet Protest: Photo by Kaustav Bhattacharya (CC)

But now officials confirm additional changes in the route. No official reason has been given.    » read more »

May 9, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Joseph Biden (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and John Kerry (D-MA) sent a letter to President Bush today calling for the administration to take specific actions to help resolve the crisis in Tibet, including making a presidential visit to Tibet during the Olympics, establishing a consulate in Lhasa and calling for expanded access to the region for international humanitarian officials and journalists.

The full text of the letter follows:

May 9, 2008

The President

The White House

Washington, DC

Dear President Bush:    » read more »

13 April 2008 -- The Dalai Lama has threatened to resign as leader of Tibet's exiled government if violence in his homeland spirals out of control.

The Nobel Peace laureate made the comment Sunday at a news conference in Seattle, Washington, where he has been attending a five-day "Seeds of Compassion" conference.

Dalai Lama: Photo by kermitlab (CC)

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader denied Chinese claims that he has called for Tibet to split from China and that he is behind the recent turmoil. The Dalai Lama said the whole world knows that he is seeking autonomy for the region.    » read more »

11 April 2008 -- The Olympic torch has arrived in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, after a flight from San Francisco.

Argentine police whisked the flame away to a secret location on Thursday. The torch will reappear on Friday morning, when football legend Diego Maradona carries it at the opening of the relay through Buenos Aires.

Protesters during the Olympic torch relay in Paris: Photo by Greg Daly (CC)    » read more »

April 8, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor tonight to urge the passage of her resolution in support of Tibet, H.R. 1077. Below are the Speaker’s remarks, as prepared:

“Thank you Chairman Howard Berman and Ranking Member Ileana Ros Lehtinen for your bipartisan support in bringing this resolution to the floor this evening.

Mountains in Tibet: Photo by all-i-oli (CC)    » read more »

April 8, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today regarding the Olympic torch relay’s planned route tomorrow through the City of San Francisco, the only city in North America to host the torch:

“The Olympic Charter states that the goal of the Olympic games should be to promote ‘a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.’

Tibet protesters during Olympic torch relay, Paris: Photo by Siobhán Silke (CC)    » read more »

Call for Talks between China and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

April 7, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) today led a bipartisan group of Senators that introduced a resolution condemning the violence in Tibet. The resolution also calls on China to open substantive dialogue with His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet.

The Dalai Lama: Photo by Ferne Millen (CC)    » read more »

April 2, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, together with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), today led a bipartisan group of 27 Senators in sending a letter calling on Chinese President Hu Jintao to bring about a timely, peaceful resolution to the current crisis in Tibet and to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people.

Tibetan monk: Photo by Jerrold Bennett (CC)    » read more »

March 28, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today sent the following letter to President Bush, calling on him to employ every diplomatic tool to persuade Chinese President Hu Jintao to make significant progress in resolving the Tibet issue. Given the recent events in Tibet and the upcoming Beijing Olympics,    » read more »

March 19, 2008 -- Washington, DC – In a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), His Holiness the Dalai Lama today commented on the current crisis in Tibet and indicated that he believes the best way forward to resolve the issue is through dialogue.

This letter comes in response to a statement by Senator Feinstein which called for an end to the Chinese crackdown and for personal talks between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Leadership.

Dalai Lama Receiving the Congressional Gold Medal, October 2007

Feinstein’s statement follows:

“A wave of protests has swept across Tibet, and these protests have been met with violence and a crackdown by the Chinese.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. -- March 18, 2008 -- Freedom House today expressed serious concern about the Chinese government’s violent suppression of protests in Tibet and the subsequent closing of information channels in the region, and urged President Bush to speak out forcefully against the repression.    » read more »

March 14, 2008 -- Chicago, IL -- "I am deeply disturbed by reports of a crackdown and arrests ordered by Chinese authorities in the wake of peaceful protests by Tibetan Buddhist monks. I condemn the use of violence to put down peaceful protests, and call on the Chinese government to respect the basic human rights of the people of Tibet, and to account for the whereabouts of detained Buddhist monks.    » read more »

New York, 10 March 2008 (By Mona Ghuneim) -- Tibetan refugees, activist groups and other supporters in New York City marked the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule by demanding independence and protesting the upcoming Beijing Olympics. From VOA's New York Bureau, Mona Ghuneim reports.

Waving Tibetan and American flags, hundreds of demonstrators marched from the U.S. Federal Court House in downtown New York up to the United Nations building. At the same time, hundreds of other protesters rallied outside the city's Chinese Consulate.    » read more »

20 November 2007 -- Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, says he may name his successor before he dies, rather than rely on the centuries-old selection process involving reincarnation, to avoid interference from China.

In an interview with a Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun published Tuesday, the Dalai Lama said the Tibetan people would not support a Chinese-appointed successor.

The 72-year-old Nobel prize laureate says he may have a group of high ranking Buddhist monks democratically select his replacement.    » read more »

29 August 2007 -- As of September 1, China is tightening control over Tibetan Buddhism with a new law requiring government permission for the reincarnation of lamas. Tibetan activists say this is another attempt by communist Chinese leaders to undermine Tibetan culture and even absurdly to control the religious afterlife. VOA's Heda Bayron has more on the story from our Asia News Center in Hong Kong.

The new law bans Tibetan lamas, or monks, from reincarnating without Chinese government approval.    » read more »