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Dalai Lama meets McCain
Republican presidential candidate John McCain planned to meet with the Dalai Lama today in a show of solidarity with the Tibetan spiritual leader and as a rebuke to China's treatment of the people he represents.
"I've been a great admirer of the Dalai Lama," McCain told reporters Thursday while campaigning in Ohio, calling the Dalai Lama "a transcendent international role model and hero."
McCain's remarks come two weeks before the start of the Beijing Olympics.
China in recent months has imprisoned hundreds of Tibetans who held marches for greater autonomy and freedoms. China took Tibet by force in 1951, burning hundreds of Buddhist temples and killing many priests.
The Dalai Lama, the head of the faith in Tibet, went into exile in 1959 and has waged a campaign for decades in the West to have China loosen its grip on his country. He remains an immensely popular figure among the Tibetan people.
The Dalai Lama is attending a symposium in Aspen, Colo., on his homeland's culture. His planned meeting there with McCain comes four months after the Dalai Lama sent him a letter thanking him for his "concern" over the Chinese military crackdown in Tibet.
Support for Tibet and opposition to China's stifling of dissent are two points of agreement on foreign policy between McCain and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Both have said if they were president they would boycott the Aug. 8 opening ceremonies in Beijing.
The White House announced July 3 that President Bush would attend the opening ceremonies. He said on July 6 that he has often talked about religious freedom and human rights with the Chinese, and "I don't need the Olympics to express my concerns."
Bush said a boycott would have been an "affront" that may have made it harder to "speak frankly with the Chinese leadership."
The Dalai Lama was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in October in a ceremony attended by the president. China issued a statement lashing out at Bush for taking part in the honor.
Regarding America's policy with China, McCain has said he supports cooperation on "a wide variety of strategic, economic and diplomatic fronts," but that Chinese leaders need to understand that "in our modern world, how a nation treats its citizens is a legitimate subject of international concern."
Michael Green, former top Asia adviser in the Bush administration, said he doubted that McCain would use the meeting with the Dalai Lama to bash China.
Green, now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the McCain meeting and Obama's comments should send a message to China that Tibet will be an important issue to the next president.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain planned to meet with the Dalai Lama today in a show of solidarity with the Tibetan spiri... more -
Buddhist Monks protest the Dalai Lama in Philadelphia
On Wedndesday July 16th, 2008, the Dalai Lama visited the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts to give a public talk. While many people were thrilled to see him speak, Shugden monks spoke out against the Dalai Lama, claming that he is a lying hyprocrite. On Wedndesday July 16th, 2008, the Dalai Lama visited the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts to give a public talk. While many peop... more
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Alanis, Sting and Moby together in a good cause
The International Campaign for Tibet announced today a release of a CD "Songs for Tibet".
Michael Whol, one of the projects creator, said that this CD is to communicate the importance of Tibet, its rich culture and the crisis that affects its people now.
The album is going to be available in the internet for download on August 5th, three days before the Olympics Game open ceremony and is going to be for sale on the following week.
Wohl also said that the date is not a coincidence, they want to show support to the Tibetans on a time that all attention is turned to China. The International Campaign for Tibet announced today a release of a CD "Songs for Tibet". ... more -
TV networks fight shorter Olympic leash
For several years now NBC has meticulously planned all the details for its coverage of the many sports events at the Summer Olympics in China.
But with the Games only 19 days away, many at the network are concerned about how they will permitted to cover any unscheduled events, like political protests or government crackdowns — or whether the Chinese government will allow them to cover such things at all.
One of the most common hypothetical questions NBC officials have bandied about involves the opening ceremonies on Aug. 8.
Hundreds of athletes will parade into a stadium in front of world leaders, including President George W. Bush, and a huge global television audience. If an athlete holds a protest sign or waves a Tibetan flag, how will the Chinese hosts react? Will the television networks show the scene? How will the Chinese handle the media for the rest of the Games?
The stakes are high for both the network, which paid $900 million for broadcast rights for the Olympics, and the reputation of NBC News. If it covers any controversies aggressively, it risks drawing the ire of the Chinese and interfering with coverage of sports events. But if it shies from coverage of any protests, NBC risks being criticized in the West for kowtowing to China — particularly since its corporate parent, General Electric, is aggressively expanding its investments in China. For several years now NBC has meticulously planned all the details for its coverage of the many sports events at the Summer Olympics i... more -
The Dalai Lama's Buddhist Foes
It was not an object lesson in Buddhist dispassion. On Thursday afternoon, following a teaching by the Dalai Lama at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, a group of 500 or more audience members screamed at and spat at a mixed group of about 100 people, both Tibetan and Western, who had been protesting the teaching. There were no arrests, but the police felt it prudent to move in fast and herded the smaller group into buses for their own protection. The pro-Dalai Lama crowd had also flung money at their foes, an insult indicating that they had been bought (presumably by the high lama's enemies in Beijing). Said one of the anti-Dalai Lama protesters, Kelsan Norden, who is British, has a Tibetan name and is the spokeswoman for the Western Shugden Society, "If this is what the Dalai Lama's people do to us in America, can you imagine what they would have done somewhere else?" The combination of adrenaline, relief and the prospect of coverage left her sounding almost elated.
What had prompted the unnerving Buddhist-on-Buddhist confrontation was an intra- Tibetan problem that seems poised to go international. The protesters, devotees of a fierce "protector deity" called Dorje Shugden, claim that the spiritual leader of Tibet has curtailed their civil rights as part of a religious vendetta. For now, the allegations of the Shugdenpas (as they are known) are hard to prove or disprove. But even a brief investigation provides a vivid look into what experts call "the shadow side" of Tibetan Buddhism, contrasting the tolerance and rationalism that the Dalai Lama represents globally and the theological hardball over mystical principles that he seems to play on his home turf.
Dorje Shugden is one one of hundreds of "protector deities" that distinguish Tibetan Buddhism from more purely philosophical varieties. Historically, the god is associated with the maintaining, sometimes violently, the purity of Dalai Lama's own lineage of teachers and gurus, called the Gelugpa. Indeed the high Lama himself prayed to Shugden for years; but the sect's purist and exclusionary emphases contradicted his own outreach to other Tibetan lineages, and in 1996 he began demanding that monastic abbots renounce the deity. It was not an object lesson in Buddhist dispassion. On Thursday afternoon, following a teaching by the Dalai Lama at New York City's ... more -
Olimpiadi: uomo ucciso davanti a Sarkozy; è solo un video di protesta
Il presidente francese, Nicolas Sarkozy, parteciperà alla cerimonia di apertura delle Olimpiadi che si svolgeranno in Cina. Da molte parti è giunta la richiesta di non andare per protestare contro i diritti negati al popolo tibetano. Adesso, per sensibilizzare l’opinione pubblica francese sui soprusi che la Cina opera ai danni del Tibet e per convincere Monsieur le President a non andare, il Théâtre du Soleil (storica compagnia teatrale francese), in collaborazione con dissidenti cinesi, rifugiati tibetani e l’organizzazione Reporters sans Frontières, ha realizzato alcuni video choc.
Uno di questi (il video ad inizio post) vede come protagonisti proprio il presidente francese insieme a Carla Bruni. La coppia presidenziale sta guardando una gara. Lui appare nervoso: tenta una chiamata al cellulare, poi gioca con l’orologio. In quel momento appare un manifestante che urla “Tibet libero!“, con una bandiera in mano. Subito parte la macchina di repressione messa in atto dal Governo cinese: l’uomo che protesta viene ucciso da un colpo di pistola. Uno schizzo di sangue macchia il braccio della Bruni. Il presidente francese, Nicolas Sarkozy, parteciperà alla cerimonia di apertura delle Olimpiadi che si svolgeranno in Cina. Da molte p... more -
China says it is 'sincere' in Tibet talks
"BEIJING (AFP) — China Thursday rejected accusations by a representative of the Dalai Lama that it was not serious about talks over the status of Tibet.
"The central government is sincere about holding contact with the Dalai side," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters.
"Both sides have expressed their will to continue the contact."
Kelsang Gyaltsen, an envoy of the Dalai Lama -- Tibet's exiled spiritual leader -- said on Tuesday that Tibetans saw little point in the dialogue with Beijing, the last round of which ended at the beginning of the month.
"We do not see any useful purpose in continuing the dialogue since there is obviously a lack of political will from the Chinese leadership to seriously address the issue of Tibet," he said at the European Parliament in Brussels.
"However (our) Chinese counterparts felt the dialogue we had begun in 2002 has been useful for both sides to understand each other better."
The two sides are due to meet again in October after Beijing hosts the Olympic Games in August.
China has ruled Tibet since 1951, a year after sending troops in to "liberate" the remote Himalayan region.
The Dalai Lama fled his homeland in 1959 following a failed uprising and has since lived in exile in India.
China accuses him of being a separatist, but the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner insists he does not want independence for Tibet.
However he has repeatedly said he wants greater autonomy for Tibet under Chinese rule as well as an end to religious and cultural repression.
The issue was thrown into the global spotlight in March, when China cracked down on protests against Chinese rule that began in the region's capital, Lhasa, and spread to other parts of the country with Tibetan populations.
The Tibetan government-in-exile says 203 Tibetans were killed and about 1,000 hurt in China's crackdown.
Beijing insists that only one Tibetan was killed, and has in turn accused the "rioters" of killing 21 people.
The formal talks between the two sides broke off last year, but started again this month after an informal round of discussions was held on May 4 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen." "BEIJING (AFP) — China Thursday rejected accusations by a representative of the Dalai Lama that it was not serious about talks over th... more -
Dalai Lama: Bush has lack of understanding of reality
The Dalai Lama, in a lecture in Philadelphia yesterday, told a group of about 2,000,
Things are not black and white. Things are relative. Things are interdependent. When we look at a situation we have to consider all the factors.
Many world disasters, including war, including the Iraq war, are due to lack of this holistic nature (looking at all the factors). Like Saddam Hussein -- ending things for him. Reality is not that simple.
Of course, I have great respect for, in fact, I love President Bush, because he is very frank, very straightforward. His intentions are good, but some of his policy in spite of his sincere motivation and right goal, and some of his method becomes unrealistic because of lack of understanding about reality.
He went on to explain,
"You cannot look in one direction. In order to see reality, (you) have to see in three or four or seven dimensions" and that this applies in the economical field, political field and international relations."
The Philadelphia talk was sponsored by the Mongolian Kalmyk Buddhist order, which his holiness, the Dalai Lama, said was very close, teachings-wise, to Tibetan Buddhism and to the challenge of maintaining its culture, having left its homeland.
The main message the Dalai Lama presented was the idea of aiming for world peace through inner and outer disarmament. He explained that to reach a point where nations would outwardly disarm, people must first inwardly disarm, by becoming compassionate, not just with friends, but with all people, including those perceived as enemies.
About 2000 people attended the event at the Kimmel center. Upon finishing his talk, he was presented with a large birthday cake which was shared with all the attendees-- a Dalai Lama cake. The Dalai Lama, in a lecture in Philadelphia yesterday, told a group of about 2,000, ... more -
China urges Dalai Lama to back Olympics
"China urged the Dalai Lama again on Monday to show support for the Beijing Olympics, in an apparent effort to link the demand more closely with continued talks.
The statement from a Chinese spokesman to the official Xinhua News Agency included other previously issued conditions for talks: that the spiritual leader renounce support for Tibetan independence and that he curb the "violent terrorist" activities of the Tibetan Youth Congress and other "criminal" groups.
Though the basic demands are old, Chinese media have recently been portraying them as a new, concessionary approach. Xinhua's report, which appeared aimed at stating China's position more clearly and publicly, also gave the list of demands a new label, calling them the "four not-supports" ..."
By Henry Sanderson, Associated Press
"China urged the Dalai Lama again on Monday to show support for the Beijing Olympics, in an apparent effort to link the demand more cl... more -
David Marriott's Blog SEX AND SHANGHAI, much more than sexual adventures
I've been reading fragment from Mr David Marriott's Blog SEX AND SHANGHAI / 欲望上海 and I don't have words enough to recommend to everyone visit and read it carefully.
David Marriott gives a very accurate impression of the chinese social and political situation from the point of view of somebody who sees the problem from the inside without blinds of any kind or the brain wash of which the chinese population is victim after year and years of misleading education, political propaganda, threats and repressions from the leaders in Beijing.
Aside of the sexual adventures told in his writings, which in appearance are the most advertised contents of this blog, he explain with accurate details how really works the monster of the Chinese Communist Party to control the minds of the population until transform them in a mass of social zombies incapable of a political opinion, either because they have no resources or references to do so or because they are so afraid of the consequences that they prefer to shut and keep living in the very well sold concept of harmony.
If you ever wandered if the events in the movie "The Matrix" could really happen, then you have to take a deep look to the real situation in this country from the inside and you will be amazed of how powerful is the manipulation of the collective consciousness in a society. I've been reading fragment from Mr David Marriott's Blog SEX AND SHANGHAI / 欲望上海 and I don't have words enough to recommend to everyon... more -
Tibetan flags banned at Olympic equestrian event
Tibetan flags will be banned from all Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong under rules aimed at heading off political propaganda and protests inside competition venues, organizers said Friday.
The crackdown guidelines apply to flags representing countries and regions without athletes in the events. Demonstrations, as well as any "propaganda" appearing on banners, clothing or other accessories, won't be allowed either.
Organizers said violators will be kicked out.
"I think most people who come to these events would hope nobody is allowed to spoil the fun and the purpose of the games," John Breen, security coordinator for the equestrian events, said at a news conference in Hong Kong.
The territory, which is hosting the equestrian event for the Beijing Olympics, has become a possible magnet for demonstrators as mainland China has tightened visa restrictions ahead of the games.
A former British colony now ruled by China, Hong Kong is supposed to enjoy Western-style civil liberties and grants visa-free access to citizens of many Western countries.
However, Hong Kong has acted to restrict demonstrators in some cases. In May, immigration officials turned back pro-Tibet activists who flew into Hong Kong before its leg of the Olympic torch relay.
Tibetan flags will be banned from all Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong under rules aimed at heading off political propaganda and... more -
China urges restrictions on performers
The government warned foreign performers and entertainers against harming China's sovereignty or ethnic unity, a sign of increasing nervousness over live performances weeks before the Olympic Games.
China is ratcheting up security ahead of the Aug. 8-24 games in an all-out attempt to shield the event from disruptions that could tarnish China's carefully cultivated image of order and control.
Also on Friday, The Shanghai Daily reported that Beijing's airport will close for about four hours during the opening ceremony on Aug. 8. The newspaper did not give a reason for the closure, which will affect dozens of flights.
China should strengthen its rules about foreign performers and performers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, a notice on the Ministry of Culture's Web site said, including checks on their background.
"The content of the performance should not violate the country's law, including situations that harm the sovereignty of the country," the notice said.
Chinese authorities were alarmed in March after Icelandic singer Bjork shouted "Tibet! Tibet!" at the end of her concert in Shanghai in March.
Authorities said Bjork's outburst "broke Chinese law and hurt Chinese people's feelings," and vowed to be stricter on foreign performers.
The notice said performances should also not harm China's "national security, or incite racial hatred and ruin ethnic unity."
Performers should also not promote pornography and superstition, it said.
The rules were first introduced in 2005, but the notice acts as warning and reinforcement during a sensitive time weeks from the opening of the Olympic Games. Agencies that bring foreign performers to China will be banned for two years if they violate the rules, it said.
Musicians in Beijing have gone into hibernation this summer as live performances have been stopped in bars, a music festival canceled, and clubs suddenly told they need a live performance license.
The government warned foreign performers and entertainers against harming China's sovereignty or ethnic unity, a sign of increasing ne... more -
China's secret plot to tame Tibet
Beijing is putting on a show of moderation but internal party papers reveal a sinister crackdown on Tibet, the Times reports today.
Internal Communist party documents have revealed that China is planning a programme of harsh political repression in Tibet despite a public show of moderation to win over world opinion before the Olympic Games next month.
A campaign of “re-education” has been outlined in confidential speeches to meetings of Communist party members by Zhang Qingli, the hardline party secretary of Tibet.
Verbatim texts of the speeches have been kept out of the Chinese media but were printed in the April and May editions of the Xigang Tongxun (Tibet Communications) — a classified publication restricted to party officials. Translations were handed to The Sunday Times in Hong Kong.
Zhang has admitted behind closed doors that the Chinese authorities in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, face “a tide of encirclement” and that anti-Chinese violence in March “destroyed social stability”. He has warned that “final victory” is far off.
Zhang has now outlined a Mao-era system of “administrative committees” to control the monasteries, revived officious “street committees” to watch over the city and co-ordinated an intensive military operation.
Beijing is putting on a show of moderation but internal party papers reveal a sinister crackdown on Tibet, the Times reports today. ... more -
The Karmapa Controversy, Who is the real Karmapa?
The Karmapa lineage is the most ancient tulku lineage in Tibetan Buddhism, pre-dating the Dalai Lama lineage by more than two centuries. The lineage is an important one as the Karmapa is traditionally the head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Unfortunately the recognition of the 17th Karmapa has become mired in controversy. Since the death of the 16th Karmapa in 1981 two different candidates have come forward, neither of which has gained universal recognition as the true Karmapa.
From: wikipedia.org
In 1981, the 16th Karmapa—leading lama of the Karma Kagyu branch of Tibetan Buddhism—died. In a highly biased but fascinating account, first-time author Curren describes the controversy over the Karmapa's succession that still rages today. After the 16th Karmapa's death, two different factions arose, each naming a different boy the 17th Karmapa: Ogyen Trinley, supported by several Karma Kagyu leaders and the Dalai Lama, and Trinley Thaye, whom the second-ranking Kama Kagyu lama, Shamar Rinpoche, believes to be the true Karmapa. While most previous accounts of the controversy have favored Ogyen Trinley, Curren—who acknowledges early on that he is a student of Shamar Rinpoche—believes Ogyen Trinley to be a fraud. The Karmapa lineage is the most ancient tulku lineage in Tibetan Buddhism, pre-dating the Dalai Lama lineage by more than two centurie... more -
He was taken into Chinese custody in 1995
He was called the world's youngest political prisoner when, as a six-year-old, he was taken into Chinese custody in 1995. He has not been seen or heard of since. He was called the world's youngest political prisoner when, as a six-year-old, he was taken into Chinese custody in 1995. He has not b... more
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He was called the world's youngest political prisoner
He was called the world's youngest political prisoner when, as a six-year-old, he was taken into Chinese custody in 1995. He has not been seen or heard of since.
Indeed, the only image the world has of the Tibetan-anointed Panchen Lama, who turns 19 this month, is of a ruddy-cheeked infant staring apprehensively ahead. And apprehensive he may well have been. He was called the world's youngest political prisoner when, as a six-year-old, he was taken into Chinese custody in 1995. He has not b... more -
China Jails 12 more Tibetans; March Riots
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese courts jailed 12 more rioters for their roles in unrest in Tibet, state media said, weeks before the Beijing Olympics and after Beijing deported a Tibetan British woman it accused of anti-government activism.
China's official Xinhua news agency said late on Thursday that to date China has convicted 42 people for their role in the riots while another 116 await trial. Some 953 people were detained by the police, Xinhua said, quoting Palma Trily, the No. 1 vice-chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region government.
He did not give details on the length of the latest 12 sentences handed down on June 19 and 20 but said neither these rioters nor 30 people convicted earlier had received death sentences. BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese courts jailed 12 more rioters for their roles in unrest in Tibet, state media said, weeks before the Beiji... more -
French Prez warned not to meet with Dalai Lama
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is expected to announce he will attend the opening ceremony of Beijing's summer Olympic Games, was warned by China Tuesday not to meet with the Dalai Lama in France in August, reported The New York Times.
China's ambassador to France, Kong Quan, told reporters there would be "serious consequences" for Sino-French bilateral relations if Sarkozy meets the Dalai Lama, saying that it "would be contrary to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs."
Sarkozy has been vague on whether he will meet personally with the Dalai Lama, regarded by Beijing and many Chinese as a separatist who has advocated resistance to China's sovereignty. Dalai Lama and his subordinates have been engaging in instigating violent anti-China riots in Lhasa three months ago and encouraging a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is expected to announce he will attend the opening ceremony of Beijing's summer Olympic Games, w... more -
Happy Bday Dalai Lama!
DHARAMSHALA, India (AFP) — Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama marked his 73rd birthday Sunday with a small function, but with the mood dampened by a lack of progress in talks with China.
Officials said the usual cultural performances were not held this year in Dharamshala, a northern Indian hill town and home to the exiled Tibetan government, due to the unrest in Tibet earlier this year.
There was a small temple gathering attended by the prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche, while the Dalai Lama held a low-key function for relatives and Tibetan officials at his home, aides said.
Rinpoche said the Tibetan exile community was disappointed by the lack of any progress during talks between the Dalai Lama's envoys and China earlier in the week.
"The seventh round of talks has not produced any tangible results. The Chinese selfish attitude is only adding to the existing doubts about their insincerity for future talks," Rinpoche said.
He also voiced regret that China had repeated allegations that the Dalai Lama incited the riots in Tibet in March in order to sabotage the Beijing Olympics.
"The Dalai Lama is a messenger of peace and non-violence. He follows a middle path policy, which does not seek separation of Tibet from China and does support the Beijing Olympics," Rinpoche said.
He also used the function to call for China to stop the alleged arrests and torture of Tibetans and the "re-education and getting forced confessions" from Buddhist monks.
The Dalai Lama, who has said he opposes Tibetan independence, has called for "real and meaningful autonomy" for the region and an end to what he has said are widespread human rights violations against his people.
Rinpoche said the next talks with Beijing were scheduled for October.
Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting unrest in the Tibetan region that erupted on March 14 after four days of peaceful protests against Chinese rule.
The Tibetan government-in-exile says 203 Tibetans were killed and about 1,000 hurt in China's crackdown.
Beijing insists that only one Tibetan was killed, and has in turn accused the "rioters" of killing 21 people.
China has ruled Tibet since 1951, a year after sending troops in to "liberate" the region.
- AFP DHARAMSHALA, India (AFP) — Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama marked his 73rd birthday Sunday with a small function, but w... more -
Tibet on the way to prosperity
Nepali daily reports:
"Great changes have taken place in Tibet since the abolition of feudal serfdom in the 1950s, and China's sovereignty over Tibet is indisputable, according to an article published by Nepal's official English language daily The Rising Nepal on Sunday.
"After the fleeing of the Dalai Lama and his groups from Tibet in 1959, great changes have taken place in the city of Lhasa. Tibet, with no highway at all in the past, now has a highway network of thousands of kilometers with Lhasa at its center," said the article entitled "Tibet on the way to prosperity."
However, some people have long looked at Tibetans' development through tainted glasses, commented the article. "They intentionally distorted facts and denied that Tibet is experiencing its best era of development and stability and Tibetans are enjoying the broadest human rights ever."
This is mainly talking abot the history of Tibet an how much it has prospered over many years. Nepali daily reports: ... more
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