Dalai Lama's envoys hold press conference following talks (International Campaign for Tibet, May 8th, 2008)
The Dalai Lama's envoys reported back today on talks with officials from the United Front Work Department in Shenzhen, China, on Sunday [May 4]. Special Envoy Lodi Gyari, speaking to press in Dharamsala, India, after briefing the Dalai Lama, referred to the significance of a comment by Chinese President and Party Secretary Hu Jintao yesterday that "our attitude towards contacts and consultation with the Dalai Lama is serious". Lodi Gyari said: "It is welcome that the leader of such an important nation stands in front of the world and says that China is serious about the relationship at the highest level. Not only was it a direct comment about the recent meeting that took place, but it was also in the context of a historic press conference [with Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda]." President Hu's visit to Tokyo marks the first time in 10 years that a Chinese president has visited Japan, and is widely regarded as an effort to repair strained relations between the two nations. Lodi Gyari added that it was encouraging because many Tibetans as well as many world leaders were skeptical, for good reason, about the dialogue process.

First sentences since Tibet protests began: monks to serve life, 20 years (International Campaign for Tibet, April 30th, 2008)
The Chinese authorities have announced the first sentences of Tibetans, ranging from three years to life, since the protests and unrest began on the Tibetan plateau on March 10. Thirty sentences were handed down yesterday in connection with the riots in Lhasa on March 14, according to a Xinhua report, citing the Intermediate People's Court of Lhasa. One monk was sentenced to life, and two others to 20 years.

Mass detentions of monks, suicides and despair as enforced condemnation of Dalai Lama provokes dissent (International Campaign for Tibet, April 29th, 2008)
Mass detentions of monks have continued in the past week and more monasteries have been sealed off by armed troops as a rigorous patriotic education campaign across the Tibetan plateau leads to increasing unrest. As the crackdown deepens, reports have reached ICT of the suicide of monks in different areas in protest at hardline policies or in despair due to the climate of fear and uncertainty. New images published on ICT's website show pictures of the Dalai Lama and important religious teachers that have been defaced by troops or officials, and further reports have emerged of officials or police trampling on photographs of the Tibetan religious leader.

Authorities prepare ceremony for Olympic torch in Potala Square: fear prevails in Lhasa during crackdown (International Campaign for Tibet, April 24th, 2008)
As the crackdown deepens in Tibet and people continue to 'disappear' almost every day in Lhasa, preparations are underway by the authorities for a ceremony known as 'safeguard the torch and love one's country' to be held in the Potala Square to mark the torch's ascent of Mt. Chomolungma (Everest) in early May. The ceremony, which is likely to be attended by thousands of Chinese people, is due to take place when the torch passes through Lhasa, according to a report published on a well-known and unofficial Chinese language website citing several sources. It will take place against the backdrop of the Dalai Lama's former home, the Potala Palace, the political and religious center of Tibetan government before the Chinese invasion and the Dalai Lama's escape into exile. The report stated that travel agencies in Lhasa had been informed about the ceremony.

Aggressive anti-Dalai Lama campaign in Kham; imminent food shortages feared as result of security sweep (International Campaign for Tibet, April 17th, 2008)
An aggressive anti-Dalai Lama campaign has been stepped up in the Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) area of Sichuan province (the Tibetan area of Kham) and further reports have reached ICT of the crackdown and suppression of protests there. In some rural areas of Kham, there are fears for the year's harvest as the security sweep has left farming land untended, endangering the year's crop. The authorities have threatened to destroy Tongkor monastery near Kardze town unless local monks return after protests on April 3, in which more than ten Tibetans were shot dead.

Raid on Labrang monastery: monks taken away as climate of fear prevails; (International Campaign for Tibet, April 17th, 2008)
On April 14-15, just days after a protest by monks in front of a group of Western journalists, a large number of armed police arrived at Labrang monastery in Sangchu (Chinese: Xiahe) county in Gannan, Gansu and took an unknown number of monks into custody.

Monks reveal concerns about Chinese allegations on weapons caches, views on Olympics (International Campaign for Tibet, April 16th, 2008)
A translation of the words of the monks who protested to a group of foreign media last week during a visit to Labrang monastery (Chinese: Xiahe) in Gansu province reveals concerns about religious freedom, views about the Olympics, and anger that the Chinese authorities have accused monks of possessing weapons.

Authorities acknowledge 4,000 detentions: thousands 'disappear' in ongoing Lhasa crackdown; Unrest at Drepung follows new patriotic education campaign (International Campaign for Tibet, April 14th, 2008)
Raids on people's houses and 'disappearances' are continuing every day during the ongoing crackdown in Lhasa, and there are new fears for monks at Drepung monastery after more troops were deployed following unrest there over the past few days.

Labrang monks stage protest during official media tour (International Campaign for Tibet, April 9th, 2008)
Monks from Labrang Monastery (Chinese: Xiahe) in Gansu province staged a protest in front of a state-organized media tour for foreign and Chinese journalists today. A group of 15 monks burst into the courtyard where around 20 Chinese and foreign journalists were assembled and spoke about having no human rights, and about the Dalai Lama returning to Tibet. Several of the monks carried large paper Tibetan flags. One of the journalists who spoke to the monks told ICT: "The monks were very emotional, and one of them was crying. They said that they were not asking for Tibetan independence, but for human rights, and that they had no human rights now. They spoke mostly in Tibetan although then switched to Chinese and also some words of English to communicate. When some of them saw the photographers they threw their robes over their heads so we couldn't see their faces, but kept talking."

Re-opening of Tibet for tourism postponed (International Campaign for Tibet, April 9th, 2008)
As protests surround the arrival of the Olympics flame in San Francisco, the Chinese authorities have postponed the re-opening of the Tibetan Autonomous Region for tourism. This is likely to be due to concerns over bringing the torch through Tibet and in an attempt to keep the extent of the crackdown hidden from the outside world. It had previously been announced by Chinese officials that the TAR would open again for tourism on May 1, but according to reliable reports it seems that re-opening may now not be until after the Olympics.

Eight Tibetans killed in Kardze: new phase in protests in Tibet (International Campaign for Tibet, April 4th, 2008)
At least eight Tibetans were killed yesterday in eastern Tibet after armed police fired on a crowd of several hundred monks and laypeople after an incident in which monks were detained after they objected to an intensified 'patriotic education' campaign, including photographs of the Dalai Lama being thrown to the ground, according to reliable sources. State media confirmed the incident took place, characterizing it as a "riot" but did not mention any deaths (Xinhua, April 4). According to various sources, the authorities have strengthened 'patriotic education' campaigns in various monasteries following the protests in recent weeks, leading to increasing resentment. A new phase in protests across the Tibetan plateau appears to have developed in the form of responses to political campaigns requiring denunciations of the Dalai Lama.

Jokhang monks make bold protest: transcript (International Campaign for Tibet, April 3rd, 2008)

The Barkhor square in front of the Jokhang Temple during celebrations for the Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal Award in October 2007

Further protests, mass detentions, and new pressure to denounce Dalai Lama as crackdown intensifies (International Campaign for Tibet, April 3rd, 2008)
There have been further protests in the past few days in Tibet as the crackdown on the plateau deepens, with mass detentions in different areas and some monasteries encircled by troops. In some areas, including Kardze in Sichuan province (Kham) and Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), there are signs that the authorities are provoking further unrest and frustration by requiring local people to sign denunciations of the Dalai Lama. According to reliable reports received by ICT, in some rural areas of eastern Tibet many Tibetans have fled villages or nomad encampments and are hiding out elsewhere to avoid arrest.

New unrest in Lhasa despite security crackdown (International Campaign for Tibet, March 29th, 2008)
Despite the military crackdown and high levels of fear and intimidation in Lhasa, new unrest broke out today in the Barkhor area of the capital after armed police moved into the area in force.

Jokhang monks' peaceful protest changes Beijing propaganda offensive (International Campaign for Tibet, March 27th, 2008)
The International Campaign for Tibet is extremely concerned about the welfare and whereabouts of a group of monks at the Jokhang Temple in central Lhasa who spoke out to journalists on a tightly controlled media trip to Tibet today. Images of the young monks gathering around press and calling for Tibetan freedom and in support of the Dalai Lama, with one monk breaking down in tears, were broadcast all over the world today on international networks. Chinese officials assured press afterwards that they would not be punished for their 'outburst'. The monks' peaceful protest shattered the authorities' plans to convey an image that the situation in Lhasa was under control after recent demonstrations and rioting, which Beijing says was instigated by the Dalai Lama.

Letter from Tibet (International Campaign for Tibet, March 25th, 2008)

Despite the crackdown on the Tibetan plateau, many Tibetans are engaging in new protests and risking their lives and freedoms to convey information to the outside world about the unfolding situation. The following letter, from a Tibetan in Lhasa, reached ICT today and is published below in full.

Major Troop Buildup as Tibet Encircled and Crackdown Intensifies; China admits firing live ammunition as protests continue (International Campaign for Tibet, March 22nd, 2008)
More protests have occurred in eastern areas of Tibet over the past two days despite the rapid deployment of thousands of heavily armed troops throughout the region since Wednesday March 19. In Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, a heavy police presence was deployed in Tibetan neighborhoods in the immediate wake of the protests in Lhasa.

Protests continue in eastern Tibet (International Campaign for Tibet, March 20th, 2008)

The wave of Tibetan protests sweeping the plateau since Drepung monks marched from their monastery on March 10 continued yesterday with the raising of a Tibetan flag on top of a cellular phone tower in Lhagang (Chinese: Tagong) in Kham (Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province). By March 18, Tibetan protests occurred in more than 20 counties, most of them in Tibetan autonomous prefectures located in Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu provinces, and involving monks, laypeople and sometimes schoolchildren and elderly Tibetans.

Monks, nomads protest as demonstrations spread across entire Tibetan Plateau (International Campaign for Tibet, March 19th, 2008)

Please note: photos accompanying this story contain graphic content

Tibetan students hold vigil in Beijing; Curfew imposed in Xinjiang towns (International Campaign for Tibet, March 17th, 2008)
Tibetan students held a silent vigil in Beijing today to honor the courage of Tibetan protestors in Tibet. The group of around 50 students (pictured) sat silently in a circle with heads bowed outside the Central Nationalities University in the Haidian district of western Beijing this evening for around six hours. They were surrounded by an official security cordon preventing outsiders and other students from joining the protest, although some foreign reporters succeeded in gaining brief access to the protestors.

Dalai Lama fears reprisals from Chinese ultimatum to Tibetans to surrender; Eyewitness accounts from Lhasa (International Campaign for Tibet, March 17th, 2008)
The Dalai Lama has said that he feared about the reprisals that will follow from the Chinese government's ultimatum to the Tibetans who have been demonstrating in Lhasa and other areas to surrender by midnight today.

Protests spread throughout Tibet: thousands gather in towns and monasteries: Statement of Dalai Lama's Special Envoy on events in Tibet (International Campaign for Tibet, March 16th, 2008)
An unprecedented wave of protests swept monasteries and towns in eastern Tibet as violence and crackdown continued in Lhasa today.

Monasteries under lockdown after three days of protest: fears of severe reprisals in Lhasa (International Campaign for Tibet, March 13th, 2008)
Conditions are said to be increasingly tense within the three major monasteries in Lhasa, which are under lockdown and surrounded by troops following peaceful demonstrations over the last three days by hundreds of monks from Drepung, Sera and Ganden monasteries on the outskirts of the capital. Ganden monks demonstrated yesterday, marking the third day in a series of protests unprecedented in recent years that have now rippled through the Lhasa area, while others are reported in at least two remote rural monasteries and towns in areas of central and eastern Tibet.

China closes Everest on Tibet side to climbing expeditions (International Campaign for Tibet, March 11th, 2008)
The Chinese authorities have announced that the north side of Mt Chomolungma (Everest), which is in Tibet, will be closed to expeditions, and according to another reliable source, no group visas to enter will be issued until May 10, according to a news item posted on an adventure web portal, www.mounteverest.net. The decision indicates that control of the route of the Olympic torch, which will be relayed from Lhasa to Mt Chomolungma, is of the highest priority to Beijing. The adventure and expedition website described the decision as a 'serious blow' to mountaineers and related personnel. It had previously been denied that China would limit the number of expeditions in 2008, which had been reported last year by ICT.

Second day of protests in Lhasa: monks dispersed by tear-gas (International Campaign for Tibet, March 11th, 2008)

The tourists who witnessed the activity in the Jokhang Square on March 10 posted this image with the following caption: 'This bunch of harmless looking policemen were just a distraction. The undercovers were the hard men, who were also watching us closely, so taking pictures of them was no option.' (Photo: http://steve.ulrike.stivi.be/english/list.php?LijstNr=2&Item=55)

Monks arrested as police quash protests in Tibet: report (AFP, March 10th, 2008)
BEIJING (AFP) - Up to 60 Buddhist monks were arrested in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa as authorities quashed protests marking an uprising that led to the exile of the Dalai Lama, Radio Free Asia said Tuesday.

Tracking the Steel Dragon: How China's economic policies and the railroad are transforming Tibet (International Campaign for Tibet, February 28th, 2008)
The first major report on the impact of the world's highest altitude railway across the Tibetan plateau reveals how it is changing Tibet, to the detriment of the Tibetan people and land, and details the dramatic implications for the whole of Asia.

Nepal hands over Tibetan after late night raid on Tibetan refugee center in Kathmandu (International Campaign for Tibet, February 25th, 2008)
Nepal handed over a Tibetan man in his twenties to Chinese authorities today after he was taken into custody during a February 23 late-night raid by 50 to 60 armed police on the Tibetan Refugee Reception Center. The center is administered by the Lutheran World Federation and funded by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The excessive show of police force was unprecedented at the Kathmandu center, a place where emergency humanitarian assistance is provided to Tibetan refugees transiting to India after escaping from Tibet. Twenty-seven year old Tsering Dhundup from Qinghai Province was held in a cell by the Nepalese immigration department before being handed back to the Chinese authorities at the Tibet-Nepal border at 4:15 pm local time today (5:30 am EST).

Long sentences for spying and splittism follow Tibetan nomad's call for Dalai Lama to return to Tibet (International Campaign for Tibet, November 20th, 2007)

Tibetan art teacher and musician, Kunkhyen, sentenced to nine years for espionage linked to Runggye Adak's call for the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet.

New images confirm security buildup at Drepung on day Dalai Lama awarded the Congressional Gold Medal (International Campaign for Tibet, November 14th, 2007)

Armed troops gather at Drepung on October 17, the day the Dalai Lama received the Congressional Gold Medal. Picture obtained by the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy, India, www.tchrd.org

Rare protest as Tibetans attempt to save Buddhist statue from demolition (International Campaign for Tibet, November 1st, 2007)

Photo of the remaining statue base (center, in the rock face) after the destruction of a Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) statue at Darchen, Tibet. Photo provided by a group of tourists visiting the area at the time.

Tibetans crossing Nangpa Pass fired upon by border police, one year on from death of Tibetan nun (International Campaign for Tibet, October 30th, 2007)
A group of Tibetans - mainly monks, nuns and including two children - were fired upon by People's Armed Police (PAP) as they attempted to cross the border into Nepal and exile on October 18, according to several members of the group who have now reached Kathmandu. No Tibetans in the group were killed or injured but several of them, including three monks in their twenties from eastern Tibet, were taken into Chinese custody.

Crackdown on celebrations in Tibet as Dalai Lama receives Gold Medal award in week of Party Congress (International Campaign for Tibet, October 23rd, 2007)

Celebrations at the Barkor in Lhasa after the Dalai Lama was awarded the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. A tense atmosphere in Lhasa has been described as similar to ‘martial law’, with increased numbers of troops on the streets and Tibetans prevented from organizing celebrations or in some cases even attending monasteries to make offerings.

Crackdown worsens in eastern Tibet: execution of Tibetan prisoner, more detentions and intensified anti-Dalai Lama campaign (International Campaign for Tibet, October 8th, 2007)
Tensions have increased in the Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) area of eastern Tibet, present-day Sichuan province, with the execution of a Tibetan prisoner that may be linked to the political crackdown following a protest in support of the Dalai Lama by nomad Runggye Adak in August.

Schoolboys blamed for Tibet graffiti still held incommunicado after beatings (International Campaign for Tibet, October 2nd, 2007)

A Chinese slogan visible outside the Bora Middle School reads: "The Hundred Year Plan's Foundation is Education"

New images confirm dispersal of Tibetans by armed police after Lithang protest: Runggye Adak's relatives taken into custody (International Campaign for Tibet, August 24th, 2007)

Armed soldiers in riot gear march towards the informal Tibetan encampment south of the town.

New measures on reincarnation reveal Party's objectives of political control (International Campaign for Tibet, August 15th, 2007)
The Chinese government has announced new measures, translated below into English by ICT, stating that all reincarnated lamas (tulkus) must have government approval. The measures, which are deliberately targeted at one of the core belief systems of Tibetan Buddhism, reveal the Party's agenda to undermine and supplant the Tibetan religious hierarchy and weaken the authority of legitimate Tibetan religious leaders including the Dalai Lama.

Official petition on Dalai Lama may have provoked Lithang action (International Campaign for Tibet, August 10th, 2007)
The situation in Lithang, eastern Tibet, remains tense after a local Tibetan nomad, Runggye Adak, was detained after speaking about the importance of the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet to a sympathetic Tibetan crowd gathered for the horse-racing festival in Lithang, present-day Sichuan, last week (August 1). A group of Tibetans in the area have led a process of dialogue with officials in the county in an attempt to secure the release of Runggye Adak, although according to reports, officials have indicated to local people that he has committed a 'serious' offence by speaking about his hopes for the Dalai Lama's return.

New refoulement case in Nepal: Tibetan exile returned to Tibet (International Campaign for Tibet, August 3rd, 2007)
In apparent contravention of international refugee law, a young Tibetan man who had been living in exile in India after escaping from Tibet has been handed over to the Chinese authorities by the Nepalese government after being held in custody of the immigration department in Kathmandu. It is the first documented case of a government-sanctioned refoulement (the forcible return of a person to a country where they fear persecution) from Kathmandu since a well-known May 2003 case, when 18 Tibetans (including ten minors) were removed from jail in the Nepalese capital and delivered to Chinese authorities in Tibet, where they were tortured and held in detention for some months.

Security crackdown feared following public appeal by Tibetan for return of Dalai Lama (International Campaign for Tibet, August 2nd, 2007)
The atmosphere in Lithang, eastern Tibet, is tense and there are fears of a further security crackdown after a local Tibetan nomad, Runggye Adak, was detained after speaking about the Dalai Lama and his concern about social issues in the area to a crowd of hundreds of people gathered for the horse racing festival in Lithang, present-day Sichuan, yesterday (August 1).

Dalai Lama's envoys embark on sixth round of dialogue with Chinese leaders (ICT, June 28th, 2007)
Envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama leave for China tomorrow (June 29) in order to begin a sixth round of dialogue with the Chinese authorities, according to a statement issued today by the Tibetan government in exile based in Dharamsala, India.

Display of Tibetan flag leads to death of detainee: An account of imprisonment after rare 1990s rural protest (ICT, June 27th, 2007)
A Tibetan who served 11 years in prison following a rare rural protest by lay Tibetans during an official meeting has given new details on harsh conditions in Tibet’s newest prison, Chushur (Qushui), a high-security institution in the Lhasa area, and the plight of Tibetans imprisoned with him.

Demolition of giant Buddha statue at Tibetan monastery confirmed by China (International Campaign for Tibet, June 14th, 2007)
The Chinese authorities have issued a rare statement acknowledging the 'removal' of a giant gold and copper plated statue of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) donated by Chinese Buddhists to Samye monastery in Tibet and demolished by Chinese People's Armed Police in mid-May. There has been a trend towards the tightening of control over religion in Tibet, and this demolition is an example of the aggressive enforcement of wide-ranging new regulatory measures introduced in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in January 2007, and in China in 2005.

Panchen Lama marks coming of age in Chinese custody: China's strategies of religious control in Tibet revealed in new report (ICT, April 26th, 2007)
The boy recognised by the Dalai Lama as the Panchen Lama, one of Tibet's most important religious leaders, marks his 18th birthday and coming of age Wednesday (April 25) after more than a decade in Chinese custody.

News on children detained during Nangpa Pass shooting: earlier incident of Tibetans facing gunfire in escape attempt (International Campaign for Tibet, January 30th, 2007)
Tibetans detained at the time of a fatal shooting of a Tibetan nun on the Tibet-Nepal border last September were beaten and held in detention for periods ranging from several days to several months, according to new information that has reached ICT. At least 25 Tibetans were taken into custody by Chinese police on September 30, including at least ten young children aged between eight and 15. According to one of the Tibetans in the group, now in exile, the older teenagers and adults were severely beaten,and some children who were not immediately collected by their parents were detained for more than three months.

Tibetans banned from marking traditional Buddhist anniversary (International Campaign for Tibet, January 9th, 2007)
Tibetan government workers, retired staff and cadres, students and Party members were banned from commemorating an important Buddhist anniversary in December, according to an official notice published in a Lhasa newspaper. The announcement, published on December 12, 2006 in the Lhasa Evening News (La sa wan bao), stated that it had become necessary for the government and Party to "strengthen and tighten up the education, guidance and management of the broad masses of cadres and staff", and as a result it was not permitted to "participate in or observe celebrations of the Gaden Ngachoe Festival", which marks the passing of the important 14th century Buddhist teacher Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism.¹

Fears for welfare of Tibetan prisoner following meeting with UN Rapporteur (International Campaign for Tibet, December 1st, 2006)
There are fears for the safety of Tibetan political prisoner and former monk Jigme Gyatso following reports that he has been maltreated and held in isolation since his meeting with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Dr Manfred Nowak, in November 2005. Jigme Gyatso, who is serving 18 years in prison for 'counter-revolution' and 'inciting splittism', was apparently hospitalized earlier this year for a period of several weeks and is now unable to walk properly due to a leg injury. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, who met him during an official visit to Chushur (Chinese: Qushui) Prison near Lhasa on November 27, 2005 and called for his release, has been informed by ICT about the concerns for Jigme Gyatso's welfare.

Monks imprisoned for discussing lack of freedom in Tibet (International Campaign for Tibet, November 8th, 2006)
A Tibetan monk who told a gathering of students that Tibetans have no freedom of expression has been sentenced to four years in prison and accused of "doing great harm to society". The Tibetan, Gedun, who is also a teacher of traditional monastic dance (Cham), was charged together with another monk, Jamphel Gyatso, with "the crime of incitement to split the state", according to official Chinese information about the case obtained by ICT. Jamphel Gyatso (Chinese name: Jiahua Jiancuo) was sentenced to three years for speaking with Gedun on issues such as the Tibetan national flag and loyalty to the Dalai Lama - described as "a poisonous speech" in the sentencing document - to Tibetan students in Tsolho (Chinese: Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province (Amdo).

Confirmation of Olympic Flame preparations on Everest next spring: climbers' access to be restricted (International Campaign for Tibet, October 30th, 2006)
An official Chinese mountaineering association has stated that the number of climbing expeditions on Mount Everest (Chomolungma) will be limited next spring in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Flame ceremony in China.

New images of aftermath of Nangpa pass shooting (International Campaign for Tibet, October 17th, 2006)
A new set of images received by ICT depicts a group of Chinese police at the scene of the shooting of the young Tibetan nun on the Nangpa Pass near the border of Nepal on September 30. The images depict police and possibly officials gathered around the body the day after the nun, 17-year old Kelsang Namtso, was shot dead by People's Armed Police while she was crossing the pass into exile in Nepal with a large group of Tibetans including children, other nuns and monks. Her death was witnessed by a large number of international climbers, Sherpas and porters at advance base camp on Mount Cho Oyu, west of Mt Everest.

Video footage of Nangpa Pass shooting refutes official Chinese statement (International Campaign for Tibet, October 13th, 2006)
Video footage of Tibetans who were crossing into Nepal being shot by Chinese border police on September 30 refutes official claims that the troops fired "in self-defence".

Image of nun's body in snow at Nangpa Pass (International Campaign for Tibet, October 11th, 2006)
A photograph of the Tibetan nun who was shot by Chinese military on September 30 has been obtained from one of the mountaineers who witnessed the incident from Mount Cho Oyu. The image depicts a body lying in the snow, which has been confirmed to be the 17-year old nun, Kelsang Namtso, from Nagchu (Chinese: Naqu) prefecture in central Tibet. Kelsang Namtso was shot while attempting to cross the pass into Nepal and exile in India. The image depicts two shapes in the snow towards the ridge, which appear to confirm eyewitness reports of a backpack near the body that was viewed by at least one mountaineer through a telescope. A snow trail near the body could indicate that other people had been walking with her and before her.

Tibetan children in Chinese custody after shooting at Nangpa Pass (International Campaign for Tibet, October 9th, 2006)
At least ten young children from the group of Tibetans who came under fire near the Tibetan border with Nepal on September 30 have been taken into Chinese custody, according to new eyewitness accounts from climbers on Mount Cho Oyu at the time. About half an hour after one of the Tibetan group, a 25-year old nun, was shot dead by Chinese security forces, a group of children apparently traveling with her was marched in single file through advance base camp at Mount Cho Oyu, according to witnesses.

Tibetan nun shot dead; other Tibetans feared killed on way to Nepal (International Campaign for Tibet, October 5th, 2006)
A Tibetan nun in her mid twenties was shot dead by Chinese border patrols and at least one other Tibetan may have been killed while on their way into exile in Nepal on the Nangpa pass five days ago, according to eyewitness reports. Tibetans traveling with the nun were unable to bring her body, with evident wounds from several rounds of bullets, with them because they feared arrest before entering Nepalese territory. There are reports that up to seven more Tibetans may have been killed after the group was fired upon by Chinese armed personnel, but these could not be confirmed. The incident took place on the glaciated Nangpa Pass at 18,753 ft, just a few kilometres west of Mount Cho Oyu, and was witnessed by a number of international mountaineers at advance base camp, who saw Chinese military personnel kneel down, take aim and open fire on the Tibetans, some of whom were children as young as ten.

Tibetan scholar sentenced to ten years in prison after writing book on history and culture (International Campaign for Tibet, August 8th, 2006)
A young Tibetan writer and teacher has smuggled out a letter from prison saying he is serving a ten-year sentence linked to his unpublished book. Twenty-nine year old Dolma Kyab, who is known among his friends for his passionate concern for Tibet's environment, was detained in March 2005 and is being held in Chushur (Chinese: Qushui) prison south-west of Lhasa on charges that appear to be of 'endangering state security'. In his letter from prison, Dolma Kyab appeals for help from United Nations committees on human rights, and says that he was imprisoned because of the ideas expressed on Tibet in his unpublished manuscript. A group of well-known Tibetan and Chinese writers have written a letter calling for his release.

Thousands of Tibetans wait for Dalai Lama in Amdo after rumors spread (International Campaign for Tibet, July 17th, 2006)
Thousands of Tibetans have traveled to Kumbum monastery in Amdo (Qinghai province) in the past few days after rumors swept through the area that the Dalai Lama was going to be there, according to reports from Tibet. Security was stepped up at Kumbum with a check-post set up near the monastery and by the weekend (July 15-16) most of these Tibetans had been required to leave. The rumors were false - the Dalai Lama is in India - but according to reports received by ICT, Tibetans in the area were not able to check whether the rumors were true because of their lack of access to reliable information.

Gyatso school teacher Nyima Choedron released from prison a year early (International Campaign for Tibet, July 14th, 2006)
Nyima Choedron, the former teacher at a Lhasa school serving ten years in prison for 'splittism', has been released from prison a year before the end of her sentence, according to official confirmation given to the Dui Hua Foundation. Nyima's partner, 40-year old Bangri Rinpoche (Jigme Tenzin Nyima), who was the head-teacher at the Gyatso school they co-founded, is serving 18 years, also for 'splittism'. The couple have a seven-year old daughter, who had just been born when the couple were imprisoned.

Security stepped up for opening of railway: elite armed corps travels on inaugural journey (International Campaign for Tibet, July 12th, 2006)
China's Ministry of Public Security has congratulated the People's Armed Police and security personnel for guaranteeing that celebrations for the opening of the new railway to Lhasa in the first week of July took place without disturbance. The 'patriotism' of a highly-trained elite corps of armed guards from Beijing, Chengdu and Xining, who accompanied the train on its first journey from Golmud in Qinghai, was also praised by the Ministry of Public Security.

Political repression intensifies as Tibet railway opens (International Campaign for Tibet, June 30th, 2006)
The world's highest railway across the Tibetan plateau opens Saturday (1 July) in Lhasa in an increasingly repressive political climate. Security is tight in Lhasa this week as the government steps up its patriotic education and "strike hard" campaigns, and Tibet's Party chief emphasizes a "fight to the death struggle" against the Dalai Lama and his supporters.

Two 'singing nuns' arrive in exile after escape from Tibet (International Campaign for Tibet, May 26th, 2006)
Two of the group of Tibetan former political prisoners known as the 'Drapchi singing nuns' have just arrived safely in exile after escaping from Tibet across the Himalayas. The two nuns are Rigzin Choekyi, who served 12 years in prison, and Lhundrub Zangmo, who served nine years. Both women were among a group of nuns, together with Phuntsog Nyidron and Ngawang Sangdrol, whose sentences were extended after they secretly recorded songs about the Dalai Lama and Tibet's future on a tape cassette that was smuggled out of prison and reached the West.

Long sentences for Tibetan political prisoners for 'splittist' offences (International Campaign for Tibet, May 12th, 2006)
New official confirmation has been obtained of a life sentence imposed on a senior monk whose case has been scarcely publicised, Choeying Khedrub, who was imprisoned in 2001 for 'splittism'. Choeying Khedrub, who is in his early thirties, was sentenced on January 29, 2001 to life imprisonment by the Tibet Autonomous Region Higher People's Court for the 'crime of inciting splittism'¹, according to official information passed onto the Dui Hua Foundation². He was one of a group of three other monks and two laypeople accused of the printing and distribution of pro-independence leaflets.

The Panchen Lama's 17th birthday: more control of religion in Tibet, ban on prayer-flags in one Tibetan area (April 25th, 2006)
Religion in Tibet is subject to increasing control and intense political campaigns as the Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima, marks his 17th birthday today (April 25), more than a decade after he was taken into custody by Beijing as a child. Following his recognition by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995, Gendun Choekyi Nyima's whereabouts has not been known to the outside world. At the same time, Beijing is also raising the profile of the teenager they installed as Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, who is not accepted as a legitimate religious figure by Tibetans.

Mixed messages from Beijing on Tibet railroad - Permafrost may endanger its safety within a decade: pomp and ceremony promised for opening (April 21st, 2006)
Beijing has reported that the railroad linking the Tibetan plateau to central China has opened for freight, and will start unmanned test runs next month, following an unusual official admission that thawing permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau could threaten the safe operation of the railroad in as little as ten years. Despite these warnings of the possible limited timeline for the railway project, the Chinese press has reported major commemorations of the opening of the railway in July. The railway is described as the 'centerpiece' of China's Western development campaign.

Tibetan monk imprisoned after talking about Tibetan culture (April 7th, 2006)
A Tibetan monk and teacher of traditional monastic dance (Cham) from the Tibetan area of Amdo has been sentenced to four years in prison after he gave talks about Tibetan culture and history. Gedun, who is in his thirties, was detained in February 2005, with more than 20 monks, students and teachers also detained in connection with his case. While the other Tibetans detained at the same time appear to have been released soon afterwards, Gedun was tried and sentenced in January (2006). The formal charges are not yet known, but according to reports from the area, Gedun's imprisonment appears to be linked to his popularity and influence in the local community as a speaker on issues relating to the importance of Tibetan culture.

'Song of Sadness' from Drapchi prison: the official Chinese verdict on the Drapchi 'singing nuns' (March 30th, 2006)
The release of 34-year old Tibetan nun Phuntsog Nyidron into exile in the United States on March 15 marks the end of the imprisonment in Tibet for a courageous and determined group of women who became known as the "singing nuns" of Drapchi prison (Tibet Autonomous Region Prison). They were known as the "singing nuns" after they secretly recorded songs about the Dalai Lama and Tibet's future on a tape cassette that was smuggled out of prison and reached the West.