FW: [WTNN] World Tibet Network News -- December 20, 2010
Alex Bunjes
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Issue ID: 2010/12/20Compiled by Nima Dorjee
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Contents
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1. China pays Nepal police 'to catch Tibet refugees'
3. The Chinese Dragon vs The Indian Tiger
4. Monk sentenced to three years prison term
5. US embassy cables: Tibetan frustration with the 'Middle Way'
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1. China pays Nepal police 'to catch Tibet refugees'
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(AFP) -- December 20, 2010
KATHMANDU - China pays Nepalese police to arrest Tibetan refugees as
they cross over the border to escape persecution, according to US
embassy cables released by WikiLeaks.
One cable, sent by an unnamed officer at the New Delhi embassy in
February, quoted a source saying that China "rewards (Nepali forces) by
providing financial incentives to officers who hand over Tibetans
attempting to exit China."
"Beijing has asked Kathmandu to step up patrols... and make it more
difficult for Tibetans to enter Nepal," one of the embassy's sources
said in a cable released Sunday.
A spokesman for the Nepalese police in Kathmandu denied the allegations,
calling them "baseless."
"We arrest those who enter Nepal illegally and hand them over to Nepal's
immigration authority," the spokesman told AFP.
Thousands of Tibetans used to make the difficult and dangerous journey
to Nepal every year, fleeing political and religious repression in China.
They have previously been given safe passage through Nepal under an
informal agreement between the government and the UN refugee agency put
in place in 1989, when Nepal stopped giving them refugee status.
They are then given UN assistance to travel on to India, where the
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama lives in exile.
But their numbers have fallen sharply since March 2008 riots in Tibet
led China, which is a major donor to Nepal, to strengthen border
security and increase pressure on authorities in Nepal to stem the flow
of refugees.
Lobsang Choedak, a spokesman for the Tibetan movement in exile based in
north India, confirmed that the number of refugees had declined
drastically since the Tibet unrest in 2008, but would not comment on the
bribery allegations.
Nepal reportedly forcibly repatriated three Tibetan refugees in July,
attracting condemnation from the UN refugee agency UNHCR.
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2. China considers Dalai Lama a traitor: WikiLeaks
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Monday, December 20, 2010, 13:12 [IST], OneIndia News
Berlin, Dec 20: The hidden Chinese agenda on Nepal has found new proof
thanks to Wikileaks. The latest set of secret documents reveal that
China gave monetary benefits to Nepal police personnel to apparently
arrest Tibetans.
The cables dated February 22, 2010 paints a clearer picture of the
double standards played by the Communist China and that Wen Jiabao's
recent diplomatic efforts on his visit to India does not hold any moral
ground.
An unnamed source in the US embassy in New Delhi in an explosive
revelation claims, ?Chinese government rewards Nepali forces by
providing financial incentives to officers who hand over Tibetans
attempting to exit China?.
The leaked cables say, "XXX reiterated this belief to PolOff (Political
Officer) during a XXX meeting in Delhi, stating ?the Chinese government
rewards (Nepali forces)? by providing financial incentives to officers
who hand over Tibetans attempting to exit China.?
The cables also reveal how Chinese President Hu Jintao is ?firmly in
charge? on the issues concerning Tibet. The information was revealed by
the Der Spiegel, a German Magazine and said that US diplomatic sources
in Beijing believe ?true democracy? prevails in the Politburo of the
Communist regime in China though all sorts of public view or debate is
largely discouraged. The president handles all Tibet-issues closely.
According to Hu, "the Dalai Lama is a traitor," the cables revealed.
Also, those who adopt a milder approach to the Tibetan monk, Dalai Lama
will have to forego or rather risk their careers.
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3. The Chinese Dragon Vs The Indian Tiger
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David Eshel
Defence Update, December 20, 2011
http://www.defense-update.com/analysis/2010/20122010_analysis_dragon_vs_tige
r.html
Beijing's aggressive "String of Pearls" strategy is not confronting the
U.S. alone but is already severely jittering India's complacency. And
here precisely lays the root of the next conflict flashpoint in South
East Asia. The soaring "Indian Tiger" facing the rising "Chinese Dragon"
will eventually grow into two regional giants, both competing with
rapidly dwindling strategic assets, vital for their survival,
transforming the geopolitical landscape in the Asia-Pacific region - and
challenging American hegemony as a global superpower.
China?s resurgence in recent years has jolted the leading powers of the
world out of their stupor ? and India?s case is no different. Today,
forward-looking Indian mandarins are no longer obsessed only with
Pakistan. New Delhi has started developing strategic plans for dealing
with China by 2020 or 2030. Many Indian think tanks are already working
on this mission objective.
What transpired last August was an eye opener for China-watchers in the
Indian government. On 5 August 2010, The People?s Daily reported that
two days previously ?important combat readiness materials? (read
missiles) of the Chinese Air Force were transported safely to Tibet via
the Qinghai-Tibet Railway ? the first time since such materials were
transported to Tibet by railway. It was a clear demonstration by China,
of its capability to mobilize in Tibet, in the event of a new
Sino-Indian conflict. China already has four fully operational airports
in Tibet, the last one started operations in July 2010.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Navy?s recent seafaring activities and maneuvers
have revealed Beijing?s intention to increase its control of the
maritime sea lanes in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The latter is an
obvious cause of concern for India. China?s new-found aggressive
posturing and maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea ? which
Beijing has begun to describe as an area of its ?core interest?, a term
that the Chinese have been using for Tibet, Taiwan and Xinjiang ? is of
no less concern in New Delhi.
China knows very well that it is not dealing with the India of 1962,
when the two countries fought a one-sided war. Then India had
deliberately not used its air force against the Chinese to minimize loss
of territory and restrict Chinese military gains to the far-flung border
areas. India is rapidly expanding and modernizing its military air,
land, naval and missile forces, investing in establishing a nuclear
deterrence, through a 'Triad' of land and surface launched missiles as
well as submarine launched missiles, expansion of its air bases along
the northern border, positioning of early warning radars on mountain
along the North-Eastern border with Tibet and more.
Though China retains a decisive lead, New Delhi is determined to stay on
Beijing's heals. In the economic race, India could already outpace China
in 2011, to become the fastest growing economies, according to the
latest World Bank forecast.
But Beijing has one dominant ace along its sleeve. Being a strict
authoritarian regime, it is pushing rapidly forward with aggressive
modernization of its industrial and military machine, while India's
administration inherent bureaucracy is much slower in getting things done.
But the highest point of tension in the Asian Subcontinent still remains
the decade-lasting animosity and suspicion existing between India and
Pakistan. Here remains the most potential trigger for a regional
conflict. Historically, China has been Pakistan?s strategic and military
ally for nearly five decades. It was Beijing who gave Pakistan the
designs for a nuclear bomb in 1984 and then helped them build it.
China?s has two purposes behind its strategy assisting Pakistan. First,
it takes Pakistan as a secure friend and ally in the Indian Ocean and
second, they share a common interest to contain India, which, by its
huge economic potential, demographic size and geopolitical position, is
challenging Beijing's ambition for regional hegemony.
Within this strategy, China has stepped up its military presence in
Tibet, primarily to contain India. Their aim is to capture as much
Indian territory as possible, including the town of Tawang ? the
birthplace of the Dalai Lama ? in case of renewed hostilities. A
secondary purpose for this buildup is to help Pakistan in any future
military conflict with India. Indeed the Sino-Indian border region
remains one hotly disputed area since the 1962 India-China war.
The core of territorial disputes between India and China converge at
Kashmir, which also ranks as the worlds' largest militarized zone of
contention. The Chinese army, perched on its geographical vantage
position, atop the towering peaks and glaciers of the strategic
trans-Karakoram tract and Aksai Chin, dominates the Indian positions
below. Moreover, the geopolitical ramifications of China's forceful
annexation of Tibet, which had for centuries, posed a natural barrier
for India, gave Bejing a tremendous strategic starting point for any
military operation against India. The 2006 opening of the China-Tibet
rail-link further strengthened China's potentially offensive capability.
On the other hand India's quest to enhance its military potential, with
active aid from Washington, could reignite a new Indo-China Himalayan
border war - with acute danger from its escalating into a terrifying
regional nuclear-weapons conflict.
From a strategic perspective, China is hemming India from all four
sides- Tibet, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar (Burma) - all within
Beijing's zone of interest. As the deteriorating geopolitical dynamics
between Beijing and New Delhi increase, as both are struggling for
global superpower status, the role of the United States in this region
faces sharp competition.
Although from military perspective, the US will continue to remain a key
player; its influence in the region will wane considerably as the troop
withdrawals from Afghanistan conclude. With Chinese naval presence in
the Indian Ocean on the rise and its "string of pearl" strategy
advancing towards key positions in the Persian Gulf, the strategic
importance of India will become crucial for Washington, to prevent a
most dangerous development in this part of the world.
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4. Monk sentenced to three years prison term
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TCHRD Press Release
20 December 2010, Dharamshala
Contact: Ms. Tenzin Norkyi (English) / Mr. Jampel Monlam (Tibetan, Chinese)
Tel: +91 1892 223363, 229225, 225874
Kanlho Intermediate People?s Court sentenced Sungrab Gyatso, a monk of
Mu-ra Monastery to three years prison term on 16 December 2010;
according to information received at Tibetan Center for Human Rights and
Democracy (TCHRD).
Sungrab Gyatso was first arrested on 17 March 2008 from Machu County and
was released after few days. On 18 May 2008 he was arrested again from
Machu County but released. The last arrest was done on 25 March 2010
from Machu County and has been in prison till now.
The authorities accused him to be the leader of the peaceful protest by
the students in Machu County in March 2010.
Sungrab Gyatso, age 34, born in Mu-ra region, is a monk of Mu-ra
Monastery in Machu County, Kanlho Prefecture ?Tibetan Autonomous
Prefecture? ?(TAP)? Kansu. He is the editor of Rewa-kang-lam (Tib
translation: March of Hope) magazine, also a member of the
Bod-amae-rangke-larso-tsokpa (tib trans: mother-tongue restoration)
association. He is also a teacher at the Tsa-thang bod yig yig-mo
sel-wae lobdae (tib trans: Eliminating the ignorance of Tibetan language
in Tsathang) school.
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5. US embassy cables: Tibetan frustration with the 'Middle Way'
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* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 16 December 2010 21.30 GMT
Thursday, 11 February 2010, 15:57
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 000290
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 09/05/2016
TAGS PGOV, KDEM, PREF, PHUM, CH, IN, PINR, PREL
SUBJECT: TIBET: GROWING FRUSTRATION AFTER LATEST ROUND OF
TALKS BETWEEN BEIJING AND THE DALAI LAMA'S ENVOYS
Classified By: MIN/COUNS ZEYA for reasons 1.4 (b,d)
1. (C) SUMMARY: PolOff visited Dharamsala February 3-7 to meet a cross
section of the Tibetan community upon the conclusion of the ninth round
of dialogue in Beijing between the Tibetan government-in-exile, known as
the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), and Chinese officials. During
meetings with members of CTA's Parliament, the NGO community,
journalists and activists, Poloff detected growing Tibetan frustrations
over the lack of progress through the dialogue and with the Middle Way
approach. Many interlocutors pointed to the widely-anticipated meeting
between the Dalai Lama and President Barack Obama with excitement but
also expected few, if any, tangible outcomes. They argued that the
international community, particularly the United States and India, needs
to engage more on the Tibetan movement to curb rising frustration after
over 50 years in exile. END SUMMARY.
TIBET TALKS: POSITIVE SIGNS, OR EXERCISES IN FUTILITY?
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2. (SBU) PolOff visited Dharamsala to gauge the Tibetan community's
reaction to outcomes from the ninth round of dialogue between the Dalai
Lama's special emissaries and the Chinese government, held Jan 26-31 in
Beijing. Interlocutors expressed mild hope mixed with intense concern
for the future of the Tibetan movement. The emergence of this dialogue
in 2002 was taken as a positive sign by NGOs, such as the Tibetan
Women,s Association (TWA), which works with the CTA government. Most
interlocutors argued that the talks, though producing no substantive
change in relations between Chinese and Tibetan officials, convey to
those residing in Tibet that ''something is happening.''
3. (SBU) Tibetan envoy Lodi Gyari's February 2 statement pointed out
that the Chinese delegation provided a detailed briefing on results of
the January 18-20 Fifth Tibet Work Forum, an internal Chinese
government-run discussion ofChina,s Tibet policy. Gyari noted that many
of the issues the Forum prioritized (such as the focus on rural
livelihood development projects and China,s shift in verbiage from the
''Tibet Autonomous Region'' to the geographically-larger ''greater
Tibet'') are also mentioned in the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for
All Tibetans, a document submitted by the envoys during the eighth round
of the dialogue in 2008 and resubmitted during the latest round.
4. (SBU) Yet prominent members of the CTA, including Speaker of
Parliament Penpa Tsering and Minister of the Department of Information
and International Relations Kesang Takla, expressed frustration to
PolOff with what they termed as the ''arrogant'' display by the Chinese
officials who listed the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet as the sole issue
on the dialogue's agenda. Tibetan envoys attempted, but were
unsuccessful, in pushing substantive discussion on guidelines within
Tibet that would precipitate the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, namely a
guarantee of the autonomy of the rights and welfare needs of the Tibetan
people, as stated in the Memorandum. Takla argued that China's recent
economic boom has negatively impacted the international community's
ability to pressure the regime on its human rights record.
5. (SBU) Deputy Speaker of Parliament Gyari Dolma highlighted to PolOff
four key human rights issues that CTA would like resolved in Tibet.
First, Chinese accusations that the Dalai Lama is engaging in separatism
must stop. Dolma contended such accusations cause Tibetans to lose
confidence in the Chinese delegation, which ought to bring ''real''
issues to the talk. Second, China must allow Tibetans living in China to
freely meet the Dalai Lama, so that he understands their thinking (NOTE:
Dolma mentioned that CTA currently has little access to the opinions of
those living in Tibet due to Chinese controls on telecommunications and
the media censorship; most of their information comes from refugees. END
NOTE); China should also allow a delegation from Parliament to visit
Tibet with neutral observers (i.e., from the UN, US Embassy in Beijing,
the media, or other impartial organizations) and guarantee the safety of
those who speak with observers as
NEW DELHI 00000290 002 OF 004
they examine the internal situation and make recommendations for solving
the Tibetan issue. Third, China should allow Amnesty International or
another credible human rights organization access to the
Tibetan-recognized Panchen Lama, who has been missing from the public
eye since shortly after being named the Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama
in 1995. Finally, on the issue of both political prisoners and prisoners
in general, China should allow greater transparency of its judicial
processes (NOTE: Dolma contends that Tibetans receive no legal
representation and have no clear trial dates, making it very difficult
to monitor trial outcomes. She noted a recent positive change on this
issue stemming from international pressure on China's ''punishment to
death'' sentence, stating that now the Chinese government follows clear
procedures to officially record trials in the law book, with only the
High Court, upon review of the Supreme Court, holding the power to
deliver a death sentence, which has reduced the number of executions
imposed. END NOTE).
6. (SBU) XXXXXXXXXXXX suggested to PolOff that Tibetans have little hope
for the dialogue as it currently exists, stating that talks are ''still
at the zero point.'' He suggested two reforms to the dialogue process.
First, Tibetans with Mandarin language skills should be included in the
delegation along with neutral observers to record the discussion between
both sides. Second, the location for talks should alternate within and
outside China (NOTE: Even when discussions were held in Geneva, both
sides met at the Chinese Embassy. END NOTE). Both XXXXXXXXXXXX and
XXXXXXXXXXXX noted that ''hope is always there'' amongst the Tibetan
exile community. XXXXXXXXXXXX stated that as Tibetans become more adept
in using the Internet, they must use their own hopes to inspire activism
over the Tibetan movement within Tibet and the international community
at large.
A MILITANT SHANGRILA?
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7. (C) Although Western journalists often ask who the face of the
Tibetan movement would be after the Dalai Lama passes away, Tibetans
seemed remarkably unconcerned because they see a clear succession path.
Speaker Tsering noted to PolOff that the democratically-elected Kalon
Tripa (Prime Minister) of CTA's Parliament would serve as a figurehead
for the movement while officials search for the reincarnated 15th Dalai
Lama. CTA,s Charter also provides for the election of a three-person
regency to be chosen by members of Parliament in the event of the Dalai
Lama's death or inability to take political charge of Parliament. (Note:
The Dalai Lama continues to sit in Parliament meetings, despite
statements that he is a spiritual, not political, leader of the
Tibetans. END NOTE). Tsering contends that, depending on the strength of
the three members of the regency, this body could also serve as the
voice of the Tibetan movement. The issue that interlocutors disagreed on
was the future actions of Tibetans when faced with a movement no longer
headed by the Dalai Lama.
8. (SBU) PolOff's discussions with most interlocutors gravitated towards
mention of the March 2008 uprising in Tibet, noting, as representatives
from TWA did, that it projected a united Tibetan front against Chinese
rule to the world. All remarked that conditions inside Tibet have gone
from bad to worse in recent years. Deputy Speaker Dolma noted that faith
in the Dalai Lama's leadership had led many Tibetans to believe in the
Middle Way, yet there is a growing skepticism of this approach. Dolma
said that many view the Dalai Lama's and CTA,s demand for autonomy
within, and not total independence from, China as too great a compromise.
9. (SBU) XXXXXXXXXXXX pointed out that protestors in both the 1997 and
2008 uprisings within Tibet were typically young, had never lived in
exile, and - most importantly - had never met the Dalai Lama. (NOTE:
Interestingly, according to statistics obtained from the Dharamsala
Refugee Reception Center, of the 87,096 refugees that were taken in by
Center from 1980 to November 2009, over half -
NEW DELHI 00000290 003 OF 004
46,620 people - returned to Tibet after a short pilgrimage in India and
audience with the Dalai Lama. END NOTE). XXXXXXXXXXXX affirmed to PolOff
that the presence of the Dalai Lama has provided the Tibetan community
at large with peace while soothing unrest among the Tibetan youth. TYC
is the Tibetan community-in-exile's largest NGO, comprising members
whose primary aim is achieving an independent, not merely an autonomous,
Tibet. ''Tibetans would rise up if the time comes,'' stated
XXXXXXXXXXXX, while noting that the large assemblies of Tibetan youth,
outside of audiences with the Dalai Lama, gather together when the TYC
discusses independence. Minister Takla also bluntly informed PolOff that
if the international community fails to adequately support the Tibetan
people in their struggle against China, people residing inside Tibet
could become desperate enough to desert the Tibetan movement,s
historically non-violent path. Takia said that ''we in the free world
would be responsible for the resulting violence'' and all would fail as
human rights authorities should Tibetans become militant.
10. (C) In this context, XXXXXXXXXXXX noted approximately 6,000 Tibetans
now serve, and over 30,000 Tibetans have been trained, in Establishment
22, a joint Tibetan-Nepali border force within the Indian Army that
reportedly emerged in 1962 following a failed Tibetan uprising in China.
Membership in Establishment 22 was compulsory for Tibetan students
graduating from Tibetan Children,s Village (TCV) schools until the late
1980s, according to XXXXXXXXXXXX. XXXXXXXXXXXX noted that Tibetans have
never been given an opportunity to fight the Chinese, despite begging
for the opportunity; they fought in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 that
created Bangladesh and in Operation Meghdoot during the 1999
Indo-Pakistan fighting in Kargil.
THE AUDACITY OF HOPE
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11. (C) The widely-anticipated meeting between the Dalai Lama and
President Obama in Washington was a frequent topic of conversation among
Dharamsala residents. There appeared to be reasonable consensus that the
Dalai Lama is not traveling to the US with a specific agenda for this
meeting. Dolma noted that this will be a meeting between fellow Nobel
Laureates who believe in non-violence, stating that the ''U.S.
government already knows our need,'' and the Dalai Lama understands that
there is no need to pressure or embarrass the President into action.
Minister Takla, noting President Obama's recent stronger statements
about China's trade practices, articulated that there is already
international awareness about Tibet - ''everyone knows that Tibetans and
the Dalai Lama want genuine autonomy for Tibetans in Tibet'' - but the
question now is how do we put this desire into action and pressure China
to act on the dialogue? Takla believed that failing to hold a meeting
between President Obama and the Dalai Lama would ''increase China,s
arrogance,'' while XXXXXXXXXXXX noted China's pressures on the United
States and the Dalai Lama, stressing that the latter faced possible
threats of executions of political prisoners in Tibet should the meeting
proceed.
12. (SBU) Dolma and Takla both argued that other members of the
international community, particularly India, must take a more proactive
role on the Tibet issue. Takla stated that Tibet has historically served
as a peaceful buffer zone between China and India, noting that India now
has to spend large amount of money on defense and be wary of Chinese
activities that may adversely affect rivers flowing downstream into
India. Dolma commented that India and CTA are natural allies, noting
that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has a clear understanding of the
Tibetan problem, and now appreciates the Middle Way approach, versus the
opinion intimated through many of the government's earlier statements to
''go back or get independence already.''
COMMENT: FRUSTRATION LIKELY TO GROW ABSENT ANY REAL PROGRESS IN DIALOGUE
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NEW DELHI 00000290 004 OF 004
13. (C) Growing frustration among Tibetans, displayed during the March
2008 uprising, is likely to lead to future outbursts so long as the
dialogue fails to progress. The Chinese government,s international
credibility on human rights will continue to decline as Tibetans gain
further access to media tools to disseminate this growing frustration.
Their frustration's effect on the Tibetan movement could be exacerbated
by the passage of time, as the Dalai Lama's increasing age inevitably
slows down his grueling travel schedule and his potential ability to
continue to capture the world's attention on his people's plight. END
COMMENT. ROEMER
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