Statement by the International Campaign for Tibet on the passing away of Board Member Melissa Mathison
Melissa Mathison with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The Board of Directors and staff of the International Campaign for Tibet are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and fellow Board member, Melissa Mathison, on November 4, 2015. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.
Melissa Mathison, a screenwriter for over 30 years, was a friend and supporter of the Tibetan people. Through both her personal and professional life, she contributed greatly to putting the spotlight on the plight of the Tibetan people. Her movies include, “The Black Stallion,” “E.T.,” and “Kundun,” which is a biography of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Melissa and Kundun director Martin Scorsese were awarded ICT’s Light of Truth in 1998, an award that recognizes individuals and institutions who have made significant contributions to the public understanding of Tibet and the fight for human rights and democratic freedoms for the Tibetan people.
Melissa joined the Board of Directors at the International Campaign for Tibet in 1995 and continued to be an active Board member right up until her final weeks. All of us at the International Campaign for Tibet offer our heartfelt condolences to her family.
Another Tibetan detained after solo protest in Tibet
A Tibetan man named Tashi has been detained after he walked down the main street in Ngaba holding a picture of the Dalai Lama and calling for freedom in Tibet. Ngaba has seen a series of solo demonstrations over the last year, with demonstrators frequently tackled and taken away by groups of Chinese police just minutes after beginning their demonstration. Tashi, a married man with four children, is said to be held in the Ngaba detention center at the moment.
Jada Nunnery in Nagchu demolished by Chinese authorities
Jada Nunnery (Photo: Voice of Tibet and Voice of America)
Over a hundred nuns in the Driru area of Nagchu have been left homeless after the destruction of large portions of Jada Nunnery. Jada has been the target of repeated crackdowns by local authorities. According to Voice of America, there are only 60 nuns left in the nunnery now. Driru itself has been highly restive over the last few years, and Tibetans in the area have seen strict consequences for defying the Communist Party.
ICT 2016 Calendar on sale now
We are pleased to present the Special Edition 2016 ICT wall calendar titled “My Tibet” in honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday. The calendar is now available for purchase at the ICT online store.
All the photographs and text featured in the calendar are from a special book titled “My Tibet” by the late photographer and adventure mountaineer, Galen Rowell. Galen’s passion for Tibet grew after travelling on assignment to Tibet a number of times in the mid to late 1980’s. He believed that the future of Tibet’s environment and landscape, would be best guided by Tibetans themselves, whose Buddhist culture teaches a reverence for the interdependence of humans and nature.