In Exile From the Land of Snows (77 page)
Read In Exile From the Land of Snows Online
Authors: John Avedon
Tags: #20th Century, #Asia, #Buddhism, #Dalai Lama, #History, #Nonfiction, #Retail, #Tibetan
2009–2013
| MAR. 10, 2009 | In his statement on the fiftieth anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day, the Dalai Lama says, “The Chinese insistence that we accept Tibet as having been a part of China since ancient times is not only inaccurate, but also unreasonable. We cannot change the past no matter whether it was good or bad. Distorting history for political purposes is incorrect.” He adds, “We Tibetans are looking for a legitimate and meaningful autonomy, an arrangement that would enable Tibetans to live within the framework of the People’s Republic of China.” |
| AUG. 27, 2009 | Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, head of the Central Tibetan Administration, explains the misperception about “Greater Tibet” during a keynote address to a roundtable discussion in Delhi. “[Since 1979] the authorities of the PRC [have used] the new term, ‘Greater Tibet’ to refer to the total areas habited by Tibetan nationality which are at divided into the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan autonomous prefectures and counties.” He adds, “There is no greater or smaller Tibet. All Tibetans belong to one minority nationality among the fifty-five minority nationalities of the PRC.” |
| JAN. 26–31, 2010 | Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, accompanied by two members of the Tibetan Task Force on Negotiations, Tenzin P. Atisha and Bhuchung K. Tsering, and Jigmey Passang of the Task Force Secretariat, visit China for the ninth round of discussions with representatives of the Chinese leadership. This follows a gap of near fourteen months. On January 26, 2010, they formally present to the Chinese side a Note on the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People that had been given during the previous eighth round in November 2008. The Note contains seven points addressing fundamental issues raised by the Chinese leadership during the previous round of talks. There have been no further rounds of discussions between the two sides. |
| FEB. 18, 2010 | U.S. President Barack Obama meets the Dalai Lama in the White House for their first meeting in defiance of Chinese wishes. In a subsequent statement, the White House says, “The President commended the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way approach, his commitment to nonviolence, and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government.” |
| MARCH 5, 2010 | Lodi Gyari gives a talk at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., titled “The Way Forward on Tibet: The Status of Discussions Between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Government of the People’s Republic of China.” He outlines the thinking behind the presentation of the Memorandum and the Note by the Tibetan side to the Chinese leadership. He mentions that the Dalai Lama has offered, and remains prepared, to formally issue a statement that would serve to allay the Chinese Government’s doubts and concerns as to his position and intentions on matters contained in the Tibetan Memorandum and the Note. |
| MAR. 10, 2011 | In his statement on the fifty-second anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day, the Dalai Lama announces his intention to devolve his political authority to an elected Tibetan leadership. |
| MAY 28, 2011 | The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile amends the Charter of Tibetans in Exile reflecting the devolution of the Dalai Lama’s political authority to the elected Tibetan leadership. The Dalai Lama assents to the amendment on May 29, 2011, making it effective. |
| AUG. 8, 2011 | Dr. Lobsang Sangay takes over the reins of the Central Tibetan Administration as the newly elected Kalon Tripa, or prime minister, at a ceremony in Dharamsala. |
| SEPT. 24, 2011 | The Dalai Lama issues a statement outlining the process for finding his reincarnation. He says, “When I am about ninety I will consult the high Lamas for the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Tibetan public, and other concerned people who follow Tibetan Buddhism, and reevaluate whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue or not.” The statement adds, “Bear in mind that, apart from the reincarnation recognized through such legitimate methods, no recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People’s Republic of China.” |
| OCT. 10, 2011 | A one-day meeting of the Tibetan Task Force on Negotiations is held in Dharamsala. This is the first meeting of the Task Force under Dr. Lobsang Sangay. |
| NOV. 3, 2011 | The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the United States Congress in Washington, D.C., hears testimony from Dr. Lobsang Sangay and Kirti Rinpoche, the spiritual head of Kirti Monastery, about the critical situation in Tibet and how the United States could respond. |
| MAR. 10, 2012 | In his statement on the fifty-third anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day, Dr. Lobsang Sangay refers to the ongoing crisis in Tibet and says,” To address the tragedy in Tibet, I call on Beijing to accept our Middle Way Policy, which seeks genuine autonomy for Tibetans within the framework of the Chinese constitution and as proposed in the Memorandum and Note of 2008 and 2010 respectively.” |
| JUNE 3, 2012 | Dr. Lobsang Sangay accepts the resignations of Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama Lodi G. Gyari and Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen. |
| SEPT. 2012 | The second Special General Meeting of Tibetans is held in Dharamsala September 25–28, 2012. Over 432 delegates from twenty-six countries participate. The meeting makes thirty-one recommendations to deal with the critical situation in Tibet and find a lasting solution to the Tibetan issue. It resolves to pursue the Middle Way Approach to find a meaningful solution through dialogue with the Chinese government. |
| NOV. 2, 2012 | The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, releases a statement that urges “the Chinese authorities to promptly address the longstanding grievances that have led to an alarming escalation in desperate forms of protest, including self-immolations, in Tibetan areas.” |
| DEC. 15, 2012 | EU’s High Representative Catherine Ashton issues a declaration concerning the Tibetan self-immolations and supports the statement of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay of November 2, 2012. The EU statement says, “Finally, the EU encourages all concerned parties to resume a meaningful dialogue.” |
| JAN. 2013 | A two-day meeting of the Task Force on Negotiations is held in Dharamsala from December 31, 2012–January 1, 2013, chaired by Dr. Lobsang Sangay. The meeting reviews the deepening political crisis in Tibet, specifically the tragic spate of self-immolations, and discusses the urgent need for peaceful resolution of the issue of Tibet. The meeting also discusses the changes in the Chinese leadership and their implications for the Tibetan issue. |
| MAR. 10, 2013 | The Tibetan Government-in-Exile, in a statement on the occasion of the fifty-fourth anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, asks China to “Accept that the Sino-Tibetan dispute deserves to be, needs to be, and can be solved and begin at once peaceful negotiations on the basis of the mutually beneficial middle way approach.” |
| MAR. 18, 2013 | Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee releases a statement on the situation in Tibet, “to express my concerns about the continuing unrest in Tibet and the tragic trend of Tibetan self-immolations.” |
| APRIL 9, 2013 | Members of Parliament from three major political parties of Canada—the New Democratic Party, Liberal Party, and Conservative Party—urge Prime Minister Stephen Harper to make Tibet a priority for Canadian foreign policy in light of the recent rise in self-immolations there. |
| APRIL 11, 2013 | To coincide with a visit to China in April 2013 by U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, twenty-one U.S. Senators urge to him to “make Tibet an integral issue in your engagement with your Chinese counterparts.” July 1, 2013 - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, responding to questions on BBC’s World Have Your Say program, underline that the situation in Tibet requires a political solution, and that the suffering of the Tibetan people has to be examined by China and addressed. |
| AUG. 2, 2013 | U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State Uzra Zeya, who led the U.S. side in the annual human rights dialogue with China on 30–31 July, says, “We also expressed deep concern about China’s stepped-up attempts to silence dissent and tighten controls over Tibetans and Uighurs, emphasizing that policies ostensibly designed to maintain stability are counterproductive when they deny Chinese citizens their universal human rights and fundamental freedoms.” |
| AUG. 8, 2013 | On the the second anniversary of his administration, Dr. Lobsang Sangay announces his team’s three-phase approach of consolidation, action, and dialogue has completed its first two phases. He says he will now direct his efforts on the dialogue phase and pledges to make continued efforts to resume contact with the Chinese government. |
| SEPT. 7, 2013 | The Tibetan Task Force on Sino–Tibetan negotiations constituted to recommend policy matters and strategies, concludes its twenty-sixth session after reviewing the developments in Tibet and China. In a statement, the Central Tibetan Administration says, “Clear strategies were discussed on the way forward for the peaceful resolution of the Tibetan issue through dialogue between envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and representatives of the new Chinese leadership.” |
| SEPT. 18, 2013 | The Tibetan Government-in-Exile unanimously passed three resolutions to express solidarity with the Tibetans self-immolators, saying that the new Chinese leadership must take a realistic approach on the issue of Tibet. |
| NOV. 20, 2013 | The Dalai Lama, in an address to the All Party Parliamentary Group in Tokyo, Japan, speaks about his view of President Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership, calling them “more pratical and realistic.” |
| DEC. 5, 2013 | Kalon Dicki Chhoyang, Minister of the Tibetan Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration, testifies before the Italian Senate’s Extraordinary Commission for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, urging for Italian support. |
| DEC. 10, 2013 | In his 2013 International Human Rights Day statement, U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke says, “The United States calls on the Chinese government to protect the fundamental freedoms of all its citizens without discrimination. We also urge China’s leaders to engage in constructive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, as a means to reduce the tensions.” |
| JAN. 28, 2014 | U.S. Senator Max Baucus, nominated as Washington’s next ambassador to China, announces he will counsel the Chinese leadership to restart dialogue with the Dalai Lama without any preconditions in order to reduce the growing instability in Tibet. |
| FEB. 21, 2014 | U.S. President Barack Obama, after meeting with the Dalai Lama, reiterates his support for the Middle Way Approach and encourages direct dialogue on Tibet to resolve the longstanding differences. |
| FEB. 21, 2014 | U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry designates the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Dr. Sarah Sewall, to serve concurrently as United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. |
| MAR. 10, 2014 | The President of the EU’s European Economic and Social Committee, Henri Malosse, reiterates support for Middle Way Approach to resolve the Tibet issue through dialogue between the Chinese government and the Tibetan leadership. |
| MAR. 13, 2014 | A resolution adopted by the Italian Senate’s Human Rights Committee urges the Chinese government to bring an “immediate halt to the oppression of Tibetan people, and resume dialogue with the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for the implementation of a genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people.” |
The oral sources for this book are roughly a hundred people met with during a four-year period in the United States and India. Though principal informants were interviewed repeatedly over a period of weeks and months and others on only one occasion, their firsthand accounts together provide the basis of the book The key contributors are mentioned in the Acknowledgments. Among the written sources, certain authors and periodicals, listed in the bibliography, were invaluable. For a portrait of Tibetan society at its apogee, the classics of Tibetan studies, written by Bell, Richardson, Shakabpa and Stein were fundamental, including a small but unique text on the discovery of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama by Sonam Wangdu, a member of the search party. For their firsthand accounts of Tibet in its declining days, the works of Heinrich Harrer and Robert Ford were indispensable as, for the Tibetans’ own view of their nation’s invasion and fall, were those of Rinchen Dolma Taring, Thubten Jigme Norbu and the Dalai Lama’s own autobiography,
My Land and My People
. Much of the Tibetan revolt was revealed in the history of Chushi Gangdruk, written by Gompo Tashi Andrugtsang, as well as by Noel Barber’s account of the fighting in Lhasa in March 1959. For information on the Tibetan refugees’ quarter century in exile I am beholden to the various reporters of India’s chief newspapers and above all to the
Tibetan Review
, which, published in New Delhi, is essential reading for any student of Tibetan affairs. Main sources for the period covering China’s unabridged occupation of Tibet include the Union Research Institute’s Tibetan documentation,
Tibet 1950–1967
, and the personal accounts of Kunsang Paljor, Tsering Dorje Gashi and Dhondub Choedon, all of whom, as Tibetan cadres working in the region’s administration, had access to its interior functions. Peking’s numerous publications issued to present its achievements in Tibet have been of value, including the English-language staples, the
Beijing Review
and
China Reconstructs
. For an overview of the PRC’s Minority Policy since its inception I am indebted to June Teufel Dreyer’s definitive study,
China’s Forty Millions
. Special thanks to John Ackerley of the International Campaign for Tibet, and to the International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet for the Chronology of Major Events from 1984–1994.
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