FW: [WTNN] World Tibet Network News - December 8, 2010
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Alex Bunjes
Dec 8, 2010, 7:49:41 AM12/8/10
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Wednesday, December 8, 2010
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Issue ID: 2010/12/08
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Contents
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1. H.H the Dalai Lama Inaugurates a New College for Tibetan Nuns (TibetNet)
2. Release 2010 Nobel Peace Laureate (HRW)
3. China to award prize to rival Nobel (AP)
4. Liu Xiaobo action in London on Thursday 9 December (CUTS)
5. Free Audiobook: “How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life” (ACN)
6. Karmapa Lineage readies for 900th Anniversary celebration (Phayul)
7. New FTCI CEO aims to make Tibetan co-ops more viable (Phayul)
8. Kathmandu-Lhasa bus likely to resume (Republica)
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1. H.H the Dalai Lama Inaugurates a New College for Tibetan Nuns
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Dharamshala: Tuesday, 07 December 2010 (Tibet Net) Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama today inaugurated and consecrated the new complex of Shugseb Ogyen Dzong Nunnery and College near Dharamsala, where about 100 nuns undertake nine years of study in Buddhist philosophy. It is located at Garoh village, some 15 km from Dharamshala.
The ceremony began with the lighting of ceremonial lamp and consecration of the temple by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, following which Tibetan Nuns Project co-director Ven Lobsang Dechen offered Mendel Tensum (three auspicious offerings) to His Holiness. Senior officials of the Central Tibetan Administration, including Chief Justice Commissioner, Deputy Speaker and Kalons were present.
Kasur Rinchen Khando, the director of the Tibetan Nuns Project, under whose aegis the nunnery was built, briefed the gathering about how the nunnery came into being in exile.
The director said over 100 nuns from Tibet and Nepal are undertaking Buddhist studies in the nunnery. The duration of study is nine years and the syllabus for the first four years is philosophy of middle-way, paramita or teachings of perfection in the fifth and sixth year, and the two classes of tantric teachings for the last three years. Till date thirty-one nuns have graduated after completing studies from this nunnery.
She expressed deep gratitude to the donor organisations, which include Norwegian Committee for Women, for their valuable financial contribution towards the nunnery. The total cost for the construction of the new nunnery cum college is about Rs 72 million.
The Tibetan Nuns Project established in 1985 also looks after the education and welfare of 710 Buddhist nuns in eight nunneries and retreat centers in India, including those in Spiti and Ladakh's Zanskar region and in Nepal, she said.
In his address, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: "Shugseb nunnery is doing a commendable work in the academic study and practice of Buddhist text and commentaries as Buddhism passes through a critical period in Tibet."
Praising the donor organisations for their support and financial contribution towards the building the nunnery, His Holiness said the great merit earned by them would bear fruit.
His Holiness encouraged the nuns to become 21st century Buddhists by developing inner values through study and practice. He emphasised the need to undertake study and practice of key Buddhist text and treatises rather than merely carrying out religious rituals. One can offer genuine service to Buddhism only through studying it, he added.
7december20104Referring to his health condition, His Holiness said he has fully recuperated from the indisposition.
The Shugseb nunnery in exile was first established two years after twenty nuns from the original nunnery based near Tibet's capital Lhasa escaped to India in 1990 following persecution by the Chinese government. As instructed by Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan Nuns Project and the Tibetan Women's Association helped in the establishment of the nunnery in Dharamsala after it shifted from Amora.
The construction of the new nunnery complex was started in 2004 and it is now completed with a prayer hall, library, office, staff quarters, hostel for one hundred and eight nuns.
Shugseb Nunnery follows the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism and its origin dates back to 1181. Following the invasion of Tibet by the People's Republic of China, the nunnery faced complete destruction during 1966-76 Cultural Revolution and persecution of nuns in 1989.
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2. Release 2010 Nobel Peace Laureate
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Liu Xiaobo and Wife Should Be Allowed to Attend Nobel Ceremony
Human Rights Watch
For Immediate Release
(New York, December 7, 2010) – The Chinese Government should immediately release Liu Xiaobo, the 2010 Nobel Peace Laureate, and allow him to travel to Oslo to attend the Nobel ceremony held in his honor on December 10, 2010, Human Rights Watch said today.
Liu has served one year of an eleven-year prison term for co-authoring Charter 08, a document calling for gradual political reforms in China. His wife Liu Xia was placed under effective house arrest since the announcement of the prize on October 8, and ordered by the police to stop issuing public statements on penalty of being permanently denied permission to visit her husband in prison.
“Liu Xiaobo’s arrest was illegitimate, his trial unfair, and his sentencing unjust,” said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “He should be freed and allowed to travel to receive this historic award along with his wife.”
The Chinese government has tried to justify Liu’s imprisonment by saying that he is a “criminal,” and that his conviction was the fair result of Chinese judicial proceedings. Chinese officials have insisted that other governments should respect the integrity of China’s legal system. Yet the lack of integrity and numerous violations of due process have characterized both Liu’s persecution and that of China’s small but vibrant human rights defender community since the announcement of the prize.
After his arrest on December 8, 2008, Beijing police held Liu incommunicado and in violation of Chinese law, without access to legal counsel under a form of detention called “residential surveillance” at an undisclosed location in Beijing until June 23, 2009. Since the announcement of the prize on October 8, 2010, Beijing police have also clamped down on Liu’s family, friends, and supporters. In addition to Liu Xia’s house arrest, all the principal signatories and co-drafters of Charter 08 have been under tight police surveillance, prevented from meeting one another or giving interviews to the media, and denied the right to travel abroad.
Countless other rights activists across the country have been harassed, summoned for questioning, or detained by the Public Security Bureau or state security officers. In addition, several prominent figures, such as the world-renowned artist Ai Weiwei, leading legal scholar He Weifang, China’s famous criminal lawyer Mo Shaoping, and the 80-year-old economist Mao Yushi, have been banned from traveling ahead of the ceremony on account that such trips would “jeopardize national security.” One internet user, Mou Yanxi, has been sentenced to two years in a labor camp for sending a message of support to Liu Xiaobo on Twitter. Another, Dai Dongping, has been charged with state security crimes for posting a picture of the Tiananmen demonstration in 1989 on QQ, a popular Chinese Internet messaging service.
Human Rights Watch, along with Chinese rights advocates and legal experts, have long called for the abolition of the crime of “inciting subversion” (article 105 of the Criminal Law) under which Liu was sentenced, which criminalizes criticism of the Communist Party and has been indiscriminately used to punish peaceful dissenters.
Estimates for the number of political and religious prisoners in China are difficult to come by, but range in the thousands. Official statistics from the Ministry of Justice show that several hundred people each year are sentenced under “state security crimes” and there are at least 18 other known political prisoners currently serving a sentence for the crime of “inciting subversion.” The Chinese government has also consistently used the administrative system of “reeducation-through-labor” that allows the police to impose sentences of up to three years’ detention without a trial or a defense lawyer, and to punish protesters, religious and political dissenters, and rights activists.
“The government’s argument that Liu is a criminal simply shows that Chinese laws themselves infringe on freedom of expression and are out of step with international standards and the aspirations of Chinese citizens,” said Richardson. “Beijing’s repressive escalation in response to the Peace Prize vindicates the Nobel Committee’s decision to highlight China’s human rights reality.”
Human Rights Watch said that in recent weeks the Chinese government has also attempted to intimidate other governments from sending representatives to the Nobel ceremony on December 10 and from expressing support for Liu Xiaobo’s Nobel award. On November 5, Cui Tiankai, China’s deputy foreign minister, said that if countries made “the wrong choice, they [would] have to bear the consequences.” Such threats echo the attempt by another deputy foreign minister, Fu Ying, to intimidate the Nobel Committee in August 2010, when she travelled to Oslo to warn the committee of diplomatic retaliation by Beijing against Norway.
“Governments attending the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony will demonstrate their support for universal human rights, and for the Nobel Committee’s crucial reminder about the strong relation between peace and respect for human rights in international affairs,” said Richardson. “As important, the participants will by their presence in Oslo reject arbitrary interference by the Chinese government, and bolster expectations that the Chinese government will uphold international norms and legal obligations as its influence in the world becomes more important.”
To read the November 2010 commentary by Phelim Kine, “China's Growing Intolerance of Peaceful Dissent Must Be Challenged,” please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/11/27/chinas-growing-intolerance-peaceful-dissent-must-be-challenged
To download an audio podcast about China’s reaction to the Nobel prize, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/en/audio/2010/12/06/china-lashes-out-over-noble-prize
For more information and to schedule interviews, please contact:
In Oslo from December 8, Reed Brody (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese): +32-498-625786 (mobile)
In Oslo from December 9, Sophie Richardson (English, Mandarin): +1-917-721-7473 (mobile)
In New York, Phelim Kine (English, Mandarin): +1-212-810-0469 (mobile)
In Hong Kong, Nicholas Bequelin (English, French, Mandarin): +852-8198-1040 (mobile)
In Brussels, Lotte Leicht (English, French, German, Danish): +32-2-737-1482; +32-47-568-1708
In London, Tom Porteous (English): +44-20-7713-2766; +44-79-8398-4982 (mobile)
In Paris, Jean-Marie Fardeau (English, French, Portuguese): +33-1-43-59-55-31; +33-6-45-85-24-87 (mobile)
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3. China to award prize to rival Nobel
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TINI TRAN
Associated Press
December 07, 2010
BEIJING (AP) — Only three weeks after the idea was first publicly floated, China has cobbled together its own peace prize and plans to award it Thursday — the day before the Nobel Committee honors an imprisoned Chinese dissident in a move that has enraged Beijing.
Since Liu Xiaobo's selection, China has vilified the 54-year-old democracy advocate, called the choice an effort by the West to contain its rise, disparaged his supporters as "clowns," and launched a campaign to persuade countries not to attend Friday's ceremony in Oslo. The government is also preventing Liu — who is serving an 11-year sentence for co-authoring a bold appeal for political reforms in the Communist country — and his family members from attending.
Amid the flurry of action came a commentary published on Nov. 17 in a Communist Party-approved tabloid that suggested China create its own award — the "Confucius Peace Prize" — to counter the choice of Liu.
Three weeks later, The Associated Press has learned, China is doing just that.
Named after the famed philosopher, the new prize was created to "interpret the viewpoints of peace of (the) Chinese (people)," the awards committee said in a statement it released to the AP on Tuesday.
Awards committee chairman Tan Changliu said his group was not an official government body, but acknowledged that it worked closely with the Ministry of Culture. He declined to give specifics about the committee, when it was created and how the five judges were chosen, saying it would be disclosed later.
The first honoree is Lien Chan, Taiwan's former vice president and the honorary chairman of its Nationalist Party, for having "built a bridge of peace between the mainland and Taiwan." A staffer in his Taipei office said she could not comment Tuesday because she knew nothing about the prize.
Lien was chosen from among eight nominees — some of whom are regularly mentioned for, or have already won, that other peace prize: including billionaire Bill Gates, former South African President Nelson Mandela, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and the Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism.
While China regularly disparages the Dalai Lama, the religion's spiritual leader, the current Panchen Lama is a 20-year-old who was hand-picked by Beijing. The original boy named by the Dalai Lama has disappeared.
"We should not compete, we should not confront the Nobel Prize, but we should try to set up another standard," said Liu Zhiqin, the Beijing businessman who suggested the prize in The Global Times. "The Nobel prize is not a holy thing that we cannot doubt or question. Everyone has a right to dispute whether it's right or wrong." Liu said in the phone interview that he was not involved in setting up the new awards.
Tan, who leads the awards committee, acknowledged that the new prize, which comes with a purse of 100,000 yuan ($15,000), doesn't have international recognition: "It needs to grow gradually, and we hope people will believe the award is of global significance."
China is not the first nation to be rankled by a Nobel Peace Prize. During Nazi Germany era, Adolf Hitler created the German National Prize for Art and Science in 1937 as a replacement for the Nobel. He had forbidden German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky from accepting his Nobel awarded in 1935.
This year, China's clampdown against Liu and his supporters means the Nobel medal and money won't be handed out for the first time since that period. Nobel officials say the prestigious $1.4 million award can be collected only by the laureate or close family members.
In the meantime, China is chipping away at the Nobel: It succeeded in persuading 18 other countries to boycott the upcoming ceremony, including longtime allies like Pakistan, Venezuela and Cuba as well as business partners Saudi Arabia and Iran, Nobel officials said Tuesday.
Beijing sharpened its denunciations, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu accusing the Nobel committee of "orchestrating an anti-China farce by themselves."
"We are not changing because of interference by a few clowns and we will not change our path," she said.
But Beijing's hastily arranged efforts to provide a distraction to the Nobel ceremony are counterproductive, said Oxford University China scholar Steve Tsang.
"The whole thing is too obviously being rushed to counter the Nobel Prize to Liu Xiaobo. People will see it for what it is. That being the case, it's not going to be very credible," he said.
If anything, China's heavy-handed reactions in the wake of the announcement, which include putting Liu's wife and other supporters under house arrest and barring dozens of activists from traveling to Oslo, "simply give the rest of the world the impression that human rights is really in trouble in China," he said.
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4. Liu Xiaobo action in London on Thursday 9 December
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London, Tuesday 7 December 2010
Photo opportunity for Liu Xiaobo action in London on eve of Human Rights Day
On Thursday 9 December at 1.00pm, representatives of Chinese, Uighur Tibetan Solidarity UK (CUTS UK) will be delivering a large replica Nobel Peace Prize medal to the Chinese Embassy in London. This action is taking place to highlight the continued imprisonment of 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Liu Xiaobo, and thousands of other prisoners of conscience across China.
There will be a photo opportunity and representatives of CUTS UK will be available for interview. The accompanying letter to the Chinese Ambassador will also be made available.
Note: On Human Rights Day, 10 December, CUTS UK is holding a solidarity candle-lit vigil outside the Chinese Embassy, from 6.00pm til 8.00pm.
For further details please contact:
Paul Golding: 020 7272 1414 or 07984 799 958, st...@tibetsociety.com
Available for interview:
Shao Jiang (Chinese): 07961 948 852
Karma Chura-Tsang (Tibetan): 07725 501 995
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5. Free Audiobook: “How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life”
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American Consumer News
December 7th, 2010
How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life is now available as an audiobook from Audible.com. The book, published by Simon & Schuster Audio and written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Translated and Edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D., has also made Audible.com’s Best Sellers List for the week of November, 22 2010.
The audiobook version of How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life, narrated by Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D., has received an average rating of 3.66. The title has a run length of 5 hours and 20 min. The book was first released in January 2002 and a sample of the audiobook is available for download.
The written description of the book is “As human beings, we possess one common desire: the need for happiness and a meaningful life. According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the ability to find true fulfillment lies within each of us. Now, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, Nobel Prize winner, and best selling author helps listeners begin the path to enlightenment in a very special audiobook – an easy-access reference for daily practice as well as a stunning new illumination of the timeless wisdom of His Holiness. How to Practice will guide you toward nurturing compassion, refraining from doing harm, maintaining mental tranquility, and how to develop wisdom. Divided into a series of distinct steps that will lead spiritual seekers of all faiths toward enlightenment, this accessible audiobook is a constant and daily companion in the quest to practice morality, meditation, and wisdom. The Dalai Lama shows us how to overcome our everyday obstacles, from feelings of anger and mistrust to jealousy, insecurity, and counterproductive thinking. Imbued with His Holiness’ vivacious spirit and sense of playfulness, How to Practice offers the Dalai Lama’s own sage and practical insight into the human psyche and what binds us all together.”
The book retails for $25.00 and is normally sold by Audible.com for $21.27, but if you’re not already a member of Audible.com, you can take advantage a deal in which you can get How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life or any other audiobook for free and fourteen days of free service. If you are currently a member of Audible.com, the book is available for 1 credit(s).
If you’re not yet familiar with Audible.com, it’s an online service that provides audiobooks as digital downloads that can be played on Macs, PCs, Android devices, iPods, iPhones, iPads, Kindles, Zunes, MP3 players, Garmin GPS devices and a number of other devices. The service now has more than 85,000 titles to choose from. You can find non-fiction, fiction and periodicals on Audible, as well as books featured on Oprah’s Book Club and the New York Times Best Sellers List.
Audible.com currently has two subscription plans. The platinum membership ($22.95 per month) entitles members to two audiobooks per month. The gold membership ($14.95 per month) entitles listeners to one audiobook per month. Having either membership will entitle you to great discounts on additional books that purchase through the service. Fortunately, getting started with Audible.com is free when you take advantage Audible.com’s current deal which will provide you with one free audiobook and 14 days of service.
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6. Karmapa Lineage readies for 900th Anniversary celebration
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Phayul
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Dharamsala: The stage is all set and the guests have all arrived in Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar, where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, to celebrate the 900 years of the Karmapa lineage.
This year marks the 900th year since the birth of the first Karmapa Düsum Khyenpa (1110-1193). The unique tradition of reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism started with the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. He was said to be born in the year 1110 CE in Dreshö, a part of Dreho in Kham province of Tibet.
Karma Kagyu, or Kamtsang, is the largest lineage within the Kagyu School, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 17th Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje, is currently the holder of this oldest reincarnate lineage in Tibetan Buddhism and he has been living in India since 2000 following a dramatic escape from the Chinese-occupied Tibet.
A two-day celebration to mark the 900th anniversary of the Karmapa lineage will be held at Tergar Monastery here in Bodh Gaya.
The opening ceremony on the 8th will have three hours of pageantry, music and dramatic performances to express gratitude to Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa.
In a message for the event, the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has offered his prayers and greetings for a successful conclusion of the event.
Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, Prof Samdhong Rinpoche will be the Chief Guest at the occasion.
Leading Kagyu Lamas, including Goshir Gyaltsap Rinpoche, who will be the special guest, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche, Tenga Rinpoche, a few thousand monks and devotees from various countries have arrived in Bodh Gaya for the event.
Artistes of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) and a four-member group of classical Indian musicians from Mysore in South India will present specially choreographed performances for the occasion.
A website - www.karmapa900.org <http://www.karmapa900.org> - dedicated to the celebratory event was also officially launched today. The site will publish news and updates about Karmapa 900, which will be a year-long commemoration of the 900th birth anniversary of the Karmapa lineage.
Born in 1985, the current Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje fled from Tsurphu Monastery, the official seat of the Karmapas in central Tibet, and after an overland winter trek across the Himalayas, he reached India where he has been living in exile at Gyuto Monastery in Dharamsala, the seat of Tibet’s government in exile.
The Karmapa Lama, who arrived in Bodh Gaya two weeks before, will remain there to lead the 28th Karma Kagyu Monlam Chenmo which will be held from 15 to 22 December.
During his nearly six-week stay in Bodh Gaya, the Karmapa is scheduled to participate in special peace prayers, deliver sermons and meditate near the seat of Buddha's enlightenment, media reports said.
The opening ceremony of the “Karmapa 900” will be shown live at www.kagyumonlam.tv <http://www.kagyumonlam.tv> .
Based on a report filed for phayul by Lobsang Wangyal in Bodh Gaya,
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7. New FTCI CEO aims to make Tibetan co-ops more viable
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Phayul
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
By Tenzin Pema
BANGALORE, Dec 7: Tibetan co-operative societies – which serve as the basic means for sustenance of Tibetan settlements in India – should be made more viable for future generations through the implementation of innovative management strategies, the new chief executive officer (CEO) of the Federation of Tibetan Co-operatives in India (FTCI) said.
Mr. Tashi Wangdu -- former diplomat and senior civil servant of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) – took over as the new CEO of FTCI earlier this month, bringing with him a clear vision for the federation through an impressively long list of initiatives he plans to execute in his new role.
Speaking about the Board’s unanimous decision to appoint Mr. Tashi as the new CEO, Mr. Pema Delek, Chairman of the FTCI, said “I am sure that Mr. Tashi, with his vast knowledge and experience, will strengthen the co-operative societies and take it to the next level.”
Armed with a wealth of knowledge and experience from working at the grass-root level, Mr. Tashi’s take over as CEO comes at a crucial time in FTCI’s history as the federation looks to turnaround many of its operations, which includes the Tibetan co-operative socities, hotels in Gangtok and Dharamsala, an export unit in Delhi and Tibetan organic products division.
The FTCI, the first federal body of the Tibetan co-operative societies, serves as the apex body of 15 Tibetan co-operatives societies in nine India states, ranging from Karnataka, which houses the biggest Tibetan settlement, in the South, to Orissa in the east, to Jammu and Kashmir in the north, and Maharashtra in the centre. Two thirds of the Tibetan populace in India are members of the co-operative societies.
“Tibetan co-operative societies, which are registered bodies in India, act as the foundation for financial sustainability of Tibetan settlements, and ensure the preservation of Tibetan identity and culture. As such, it is very important that they are managed properly and made viable,” said Mr. Tashi, who served as the Representative of Dekyi Larsoe and Lugsam Tibetan settlements in Bylakuppe and as Chief Representative of South Zone, Bangalore.
From among his many plans, Mr. Tashi lays particular emphasis on reviving some of the co-operative societies in smaller Tibetan settlements that have been running under losses for many years. In addition, Mr. Tashi aims to raise funds to develop infrastructure in the existing units like the handicraft centres, tractor sections, and incense-making centres.
“New projects that we are looking to undertake include starting dairy farming and food processing units, introducing banking system in co-operative societies and setting up new hotels in Delhi and Bangalore on the lines of Hotel Tibet in Delhi and Gangtok,” said Mr. Tashi, who was most recently Secretary at the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Delhi.
“I am also keen in introducing Brand Tibet goods through strengthening the export unit in Delhi and entering the global corporate world,” he added.
Along with providing regular training to the staff of the co-operative societies to update their knowledge and skill, Mr. Tashi seeks to create awareness about the importance of co-operative society to its members and about the development of entrepreneurial skills to start self employment units.
He intends to make the FTCI’s vision of generating employment opportunities within the Tibetan community a bigger reality, through exploring possibilities of setting up business process outsourcing (BPO) centres in major Tibetan settlements, and helping young entrepreneurs by providing training, guidance and funding.
Mr. Tashi also intends to promote Tibetan Organic – the brand name through which FTCI markets organic products from Tibetan settlements that do organic farming as envisioned by the 12th Cabinet of Tibetan government in exile.
In order to strengthen the CTA’s organic farming policy, Mr. Tashi intend to explore the market for Tibetan organic products, and get premium pricing for these products.
“Although majority of our members are into agriculture, they have been growing mainly maize and rice, which are mainly monsoon-based farming. As such, the introduction of irrigation and more cash crops is important, just as it is necessary to locate markets for them,” Mr. Tashi said.
Mr. Tashi will be based in Bangalore city, where the corporate office of FTCI is located.
FTCI, which helps the Tibetan community by creating employment and supporting farmers and entrepreneurs, was established in 2005 and has an annual turnover of more than Rs. 5 crores.
(For more details on FTCI and its operations, please see www.ftci.co.in <http://www.ftci.co.in> )
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8. Kathmandu-Lhasa bus likely to resume
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Republica
OM ASTHA RAI
KATHMANDU, Dec 8, 2010: With Nepal Tourism Year-2011 just around the corner, the Kathmandu-Lhasa bus service, which was suspended more than three years ago, is very likely to resume within a month.
Once this service comes into operation, Chinese tourists are expected to start arriving easily in Kathmandu from Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, by surface transport.
"We are very hopeful of restarting the Kathmandu-Lhasa bus service by the very first month of 2011, keeping the tourism year in mind," Anil Gurung, acting director general of the Department of Transport Management (DoTM), told Republica. According to Gurung, work is going on steadfastly to repair the partly-damaged road that links Kathmandu to Zangmhu, or Khasa as it is popularly known in Nepal.
However, Hong Mei, a Chinese national who won the contract to operate the bus service from Kathmandu to Lhasa, said: "We are trying to operate our service within this very month." Initially, two buses from Kathmandu and two from Lhasa will be ferrying Chinese tourists. But Nepali tourists wanting to visit Lhasa by bus will be few compared to the Chinese visiting Kathmandu.
Lhasa is only around 14 hours by bus from Kathmandu. If a bus leaves Kathmandu early morning, the tourists will normally reach Lhasa by evening. However, the buses take a little longer. "It is mandatory for every bus to spend a night in Shigatse for security reasons," Mei said. "So, tourists traveling by bus will get to Lhasa only by afternoon next day."
According to Mei, tourists will be charged $70 per person for going to Lhasa by bus. Lhasa, which attracts thousands of tourists from across the world with its scenic landscape and magnificent monuments, is just 985 km north-east of Kathmandu. Khasa, a Tibetan town bordering Nepal, is just 105 km away.
Discouraging
A bus service between Kathmandu and Lhasa had started in May of 2005. However, this over-hyped service came to an abrupt halt in 2006 as it was not sustainable. "Chinese authorities were very strict in issuing visas to Americans, Indians or other foreigners," Mukunda Satyal, then director of the now almost-defunct public transport company Sajha Yatayat chosen for operating the Kathmandu-Lhasa service, told Republica. "We could not sustain it for long with just Chinese tourists and a few Nepalis."
On May 1, 1994, Nepal and China had signed an agreement on trade and transit, paving the way for the bus service between the two cities. But no serious attempt was made from either side to operate a bus service until 2004. As the agreement was to expire after 10 years, Satyal and some other officials initiated moves to renew it. "We were of the view that the agreement would help Nepal´s tourism flourish," he said.
Satyal says in retrospect that the bilateral agreement failed to boost tourism as expected. "That would be possible only if China was ready to issue visas to Indian and Western tourists wanting to visit Lhasa via Nepal," he said. "We asked the Chinese to ease the visa process for foreign tourists. But, they requested us to understand Lhasa´s sensitivity."
Satyal says China´s security concerns regarding Tibet have not changed. This means the bus service between Kathmandu and Lhasa will not function smoothly in the days ahead. "They (Chinese authorities) assume that Chinese tourists alone are enough for sustaining the service. They believe all Chinese tourists visiting Kathmandu by bus will return the same way. But, most of them fly back from Kathmandu."
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------ Einde van doorgestuurd bericht
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Issue ID: 2010/12/08
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Contents
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1. H.H the Dalai Lama Inaugurates a New College for Tibetan Nuns (TibetNet)
2. Release 2010 Nobel Peace Laureate (HRW)
3. China to award prize to rival Nobel (AP)
4. Liu Xiaobo action in London on Thursday 9 December (CUTS)
5. Free Audiobook: “How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life” (ACN)
6. Karmapa Lineage readies for 900th Anniversary celebration (Phayul)
7. New FTCI CEO aims to make Tibetan co-ops more viable (Phayul)
8. Kathmandu-Lhasa bus likely to resume (Republica)
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1. H.H the Dalai Lama Inaugurates a New College for Tibetan Nuns
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Dharamshala: Tuesday, 07 December 2010 (Tibet Net) Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama today inaugurated and consecrated the new complex of Shugseb Ogyen Dzong Nunnery and College near Dharamsala, where about 100 nuns undertake nine years of study in Buddhist philosophy. It is located at Garoh village, some 15 km from Dharamshala.
The ceremony began with the lighting of ceremonial lamp and consecration of the temple by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, following which Tibetan Nuns Project co-director Ven Lobsang Dechen offered Mendel Tensum (three auspicious offerings) to His Holiness. Senior officials of the Central Tibetan Administration, including Chief Justice Commissioner, Deputy Speaker and Kalons were present.
Kasur Rinchen Khando, the director of the Tibetan Nuns Project, under whose aegis the nunnery was built, briefed the gathering about how the nunnery came into being in exile.
The director said over 100 nuns from Tibet and Nepal are undertaking Buddhist studies in the nunnery. The duration of study is nine years and the syllabus for the first four years is philosophy of middle-way, paramita or teachings of perfection in the fifth and sixth year, and the two classes of tantric teachings for the last three years. Till date thirty-one nuns have graduated after completing studies from this nunnery.
She expressed deep gratitude to the donor organisations, which include Norwegian Committee for Women, for their valuable financial contribution towards the nunnery. The total cost for the construction of the new nunnery cum college is about Rs 72 million.
The Tibetan Nuns Project established in 1985 also looks after the education and welfare of 710 Buddhist nuns in eight nunneries and retreat centers in India, including those in Spiti and Ladakh's Zanskar region and in Nepal, she said.
In his address, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: "Shugseb nunnery is doing a commendable work in the academic study and practice of Buddhist text and commentaries as Buddhism passes through a critical period in Tibet."
Praising the donor organisations for their support and financial contribution towards the building the nunnery, His Holiness said the great merit earned by them would bear fruit.
His Holiness encouraged the nuns to become 21st century Buddhists by developing inner values through study and practice. He emphasised the need to undertake study and practice of key Buddhist text and treatises rather than merely carrying out religious rituals. One can offer genuine service to Buddhism only through studying it, he added.
7december20104Referring to his health condition, His Holiness said he has fully recuperated from the indisposition.
The Shugseb nunnery in exile was first established two years after twenty nuns from the original nunnery based near Tibet's capital Lhasa escaped to India in 1990 following persecution by the Chinese government. As instructed by Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan Nuns Project and the Tibetan Women's Association helped in the establishment of the nunnery in Dharamsala after it shifted from Amora.
The construction of the new nunnery complex was started in 2004 and it is now completed with a prayer hall, library, office, staff quarters, hostel for one hundred and eight nuns.
Shugseb Nunnery follows the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism and its origin dates back to 1181. Following the invasion of Tibet by the People's Republic of China, the nunnery faced complete destruction during 1966-76 Cultural Revolution and persecution of nuns in 1989.
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2. Release 2010 Nobel Peace Laureate
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Liu Xiaobo and Wife Should Be Allowed to Attend Nobel Ceremony
Human Rights Watch
For Immediate Release
(New York, December 7, 2010) – The Chinese Government should immediately release Liu Xiaobo, the 2010 Nobel Peace Laureate, and allow him to travel to Oslo to attend the Nobel ceremony held in his honor on December 10, 2010, Human Rights Watch said today.
Liu has served one year of an eleven-year prison term for co-authoring Charter 08, a document calling for gradual political reforms in China. His wife Liu Xia was placed under effective house arrest since the announcement of the prize on October 8, and ordered by the police to stop issuing public statements on penalty of being permanently denied permission to visit her husband in prison.
“Liu Xiaobo’s arrest was illegitimate, his trial unfair, and his sentencing unjust,” said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “He should be freed and allowed to travel to receive this historic award along with his wife.”
The Chinese government has tried to justify Liu’s imprisonment by saying that he is a “criminal,” and that his conviction was the fair result of Chinese judicial proceedings. Chinese officials have insisted that other governments should respect the integrity of China’s legal system. Yet the lack of integrity and numerous violations of due process have characterized both Liu’s persecution and that of China’s small but vibrant human rights defender community since the announcement of the prize.
After his arrest on December 8, 2008, Beijing police held Liu incommunicado and in violation of Chinese law, without access to legal counsel under a form of detention called “residential surveillance” at an undisclosed location in Beijing until June 23, 2009. Since the announcement of the prize on October 8, 2010, Beijing police have also clamped down on Liu’s family, friends, and supporters. In addition to Liu Xia’s house arrest, all the principal signatories and co-drafters of Charter 08 have been under tight police surveillance, prevented from meeting one another or giving interviews to the media, and denied the right to travel abroad.
Countless other rights activists across the country have been harassed, summoned for questioning, or detained by the Public Security Bureau or state security officers. In addition, several prominent figures, such as the world-renowned artist Ai Weiwei, leading legal scholar He Weifang, China’s famous criminal lawyer Mo Shaoping, and the 80-year-old economist Mao Yushi, have been banned from traveling ahead of the ceremony on account that such trips would “jeopardize national security.” One internet user, Mou Yanxi, has been sentenced to two years in a labor camp for sending a message of support to Liu Xiaobo on Twitter. Another, Dai Dongping, has been charged with state security crimes for posting a picture of the Tiananmen demonstration in 1989 on QQ, a popular Chinese Internet messaging service.
Human Rights Watch, along with Chinese rights advocates and legal experts, have long called for the abolition of the crime of “inciting subversion” (article 105 of the Criminal Law) under which Liu was sentenced, which criminalizes criticism of the Communist Party and has been indiscriminately used to punish peaceful dissenters.
Estimates for the number of political and religious prisoners in China are difficult to come by, but range in the thousands. Official statistics from the Ministry of Justice show that several hundred people each year are sentenced under “state security crimes” and there are at least 18 other known political prisoners currently serving a sentence for the crime of “inciting subversion.” The Chinese government has also consistently used the administrative system of “reeducation-through-labor” that allows the police to impose sentences of up to three years’ detention without a trial or a defense lawyer, and to punish protesters, religious and political dissenters, and rights activists.
“The government’s argument that Liu is a criminal simply shows that Chinese laws themselves infringe on freedom of expression and are out of step with international standards and the aspirations of Chinese citizens,” said Richardson. “Beijing’s repressive escalation in response to the Peace Prize vindicates the Nobel Committee’s decision to highlight China’s human rights reality.”
Human Rights Watch said that in recent weeks the Chinese government has also attempted to intimidate other governments from sending representatives to the Nobel ceremony on December 10 and from expressing support for Liu Xiaobo’s Nobel award. On November 5, Cui Tiankai, China’s deputy foreign minister, said that if countries made “the wrong choice, they [would] have to bear the consequences.” Such threats echo the attempt by another deputy foreign minister, Fu Ying, to intimidate the Nobel Committee in August 2010, when she travelled to Oslo to warn the committee of diplomatic retaliation by Beijing against Norway.
“Governments attending the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony will demonstrate their support for universal human rights, and for the Nobel Committee’s crucial reminder about the strong relation between peace and respect for human rights in international affairs,” said Richardson. “As important, the participants will by their presence in Oslo reject arbitrary interference by the Chinese government, and bolster expectations that the Chinese government will uphold international norms and legal obligations as its influence in the world becomes more important.”
To read the November 2010 commentary by Phelim Kine, “China's Growing Intolerance of Peaceful Dissent Must Be Challenged,” please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/11/27/chinas-growing-intolerance-peaceful-dissent-must-be-challenged
To download an audio podcast about China’s reaction to the Nobel prize, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/en/audio/2010/12/06/china-lashes-out-over-noble-prize
For more information and to schedule interviews, please contact:
In Oslo from December 8, Reed Brody (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese): +32-498-625786 (mobile)
In Oslo from December 9, Sophie Richardson (English, Mandarin): +1-917-721-7473 (mobile)
In New York, Phelim Kine (English, Mandarin): +1-212-810-0469 (mobile)
In Hong Kong, Nicholas Bequelin (English, French, Mandarin): +852-8198-1040 (mobile)
In Brussels, Lotte Leicht (English, French, German, Danish): +32-2-737-1482; +32-47-568-1708
In London, Tom Porteous (English): +44-20-7713-2766; +44-79-8398-4982 (mobile)
In Paris, Jean-Marie Fardeau (English, French, Portuguese): +33-1-43-59-55-31; +33-6-45-85-24-87 (mobile)
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3. China to award prize to rival Nobel
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TINI TRAN
Associated Press
December 07, 2010
BEIJING (AP) — Only three weeks after the idea was first publicly floated, China has cobbled together its own peace prize and plans to award it Thursday — the day before the Nobel Committee honors an imprisoned Chinese dissident in a move that has enraged Beijing.
Since Liu Xiaobo's selection, China has vilified the 54-year-old democracy advocate, called the choice an effort by the West to contain its rise, disparaged his supporters as "clowns," and launched a campaign to persuade countries not to attend Friday's ceremony in Oslo. The government is also preventing Liu — who is serving an 11-year sentence for co-authoring a bold appeal for political reforms in the Communist country — and his family members from attending.
Amid the flurry of action came a commentary published on Nov. 17 in a Communist Party-approved tabloid that suggested China create its own award — the "Confucius Peace Prize" — to counter the choice of Liu.
Three weeks later, The Associated Press has learned, China is doing just that.
Named after the famed philosopher, the new prize was created to "interpret the viewpoints of peace of (the) Chinese (people)," the awards committee said in a statement it released to the AP on Tuesday.
Awards committee chairman Tan Changliu said his group was not an official government body, but acknowledged that it worked closely with the Ministry of Culture. He declined to give specifics about the committee, when it was created and how the five judges were chosen, saying it would be disclosed later.
The first honoree is Lien Chan, Taiwan's former vice president and the honorary chairman of its Nationalist Party, for having "built a bridge of peace between the mainland and Taiwan." A staffer in his Taipei office said she could not comment Tuesday because she knew nothing about the prize.
Lien was chosen from among eight nominees — some of whom are regularly mentioned for, or have already won, that other peace prize: including billionaire Bill Gates, former South African President Nelson Mandela, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and the Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism.
While China regularly disparages the Dalai Lama, the religion's spiritual leader, the current Panchen Lama is a 20-year-old who was hand-picked by Beijing. The original boy named by the Dalai Lama has disappeared.
"We should not compete, we should not confront the Nobel Prize, but we should try to set up another standard," said Liu Zhiqin, the Beijing businessman who suggested the prize in The Global Times. "The Nobel prize is not a holy thing that we cannot doubt or question. Everyone has a right to dispute whether it's right or wrong." Liu said in the phone interview that he was not involved in setting up the new awards.
Tan, who leads the awards committee, acknowledged that the new prize, which comes with a purse of 100,000 yuan ($15,000), doesn't have international recognition: "It needs to grow gradually, and we hope people will believe the award is of global significance."
China is not the first nation to be rankled by a Nobel Peace Prize. During Nazi Germany era, Adolf Hitler created the German National Prize for Art and Science in 1937 as a replacement for the Nobel. He had forbidden German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky from accepting his Nobel awarded in 1935.
This year, China's clampdown against Liu and his supporters means the Nobel medal and money won't be handed out for the first time since that period. Nobel officials say the prestigious $1.4 million award can be collected only by the laureate or close family members.
In the meantime, China is chipping away at the Nobel: It succeeded in persuading 18 other countries to boycott the upcoming ceremony, including longtime allies like Pakistan, Venezuela and Cuba as well as business partners Saudi Arabia and Iran, Nobel officials said Tuesday.
Beijing sharpened its denunciations, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu accusing the Nobel committee of "orchestrating an anti-China farce by themselves."
"We are not changing because of interference by a few clowns and we will not change our path," she said.
But Beijing's hastily arranged efforts to provide a distraction to the Nobel ceremony are counterproductive, said Oxford University China scholar Steve Tsang.
"The whole thing is too obviously being rushed to counter the Nobel Prize to Liu Xiaobo. People will see it for what it is. That being the case, it's not going to be very credible," he said.
If anything, China's heavy-handed reactions in the wake of the announcement, which include putting Liu's wife and other supporters under house arrest and barring dozens of activists from traveling to Oslo, "simply give the rest of the world the impression that human rights is really in trouble in China," he said.
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4. Liu Xiaobo action in London on Thursday 9 December
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London, Tuesday 7 December 2010
Photo opportunity for Liu Xiaobo action in London on eve of Human Rights Day
On Thursday 9 December at 1.00pm, representatives of Chinese, Uighur Tibetan Solidarity UK (CUTS UK) will be delivering a large replica Nobel Peace Prize medal to the Chinese Embassy in London. This action is taking place to highlight the continued imprisonment of 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Liu Xiaobo, and thousands of other prisoners of conscience across China.
There will be a photo opportunity and representatives of CUTS UK will be available for interview. The accompanying letter to the Chinese Ambassador will also be made available.
Note: On Human Rights Day, 10 December, CUTS UK is holding a solidarity candle-lit vigil outside the Chinese Embassy, from 6.00pm til 8.00pm.
For further details please contact:
Paul Golding: 020 7272 1414 or 07984 799 958, st...@tibetsociety.com
Available for interview:
Shao Jiang (Chinese): 07961 948 852
Karma Chura-Tsang (Tibetan): 07725 501 995
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5. Free Audiobook: “How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life”
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American Consumer News
December 7th, 2010
How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life is now available as an audiobook from Audible.com. The book, published by Simon & Schuster Audio and written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Translated and Edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D., has also made Audible.com’s Best Sellers List for the week of November, 22 2010.
The audiobook version of How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life, narrated by Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D., has received an average rating of 3.66. The title has a run length of 5 hours and 20 min. The book was first released in January 2002 and a sample of the audiobook is available for download.
The written description of the book is “As human beings, we possess one common desire: the need for happiness and a meaningful life. According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the ability to find true fulfillment lies within each of us. Now, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, Nobel Prize winner, and best selling author helps listeners begin the path to enlightenment in a very special audiobook – an easy-access reference for daily practice as well as a stunning new illumination of the timeless wisdom of His Holiness. How to Practice will guide you toward nurturing compassion, refraining from doing harm, maintaining mental tranquility, and how to develop wisdom. Divided into a series of distinct steps that will lead spiritual seekers of all faiths toward enlightenment, this accessible audiobook is a constant and daily companion in the quest to practice morality, meditation, and wisdom. The Dalai Lama shows us how to overcome our everyday obstacles, from feelings of anger and mistrust to jealousy, insecurity, and counterproductive thinking. Imbued with His Holiness’ vivacious spirit and sense of playfulness, How to Practice offers the Dalai Lama’s own sage and practical insight into the human psyche and what binds us all together.”
The book retails for $25.00 and is normally sold by Audible.com for $21.27, but if you’re not already a member of Audible.com, you can take advantage a deal in which you can get How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life or any other audiobook for free and fourteen days of free service. If you are currently a member of Audible.com, the book is available for 1 credit(s).
If you’re not yet familiar with Audible.com, it’s an online service that provides audiobooks as digital downloads that can be played on Macs, PCs, Android devices, iPods, iPhones, iPads, Kindles, Zunes, MP3 players, Garmin GPS devices and a number of other devices. The service now has more than 85,000 titles to choose from. You can find non-fiction, fiction and periodicals on Audible, as well as books featured on Oprah’s Book Club and the New York Times Best Sellers List.
Audible.com currently has two subscription plans. The platinum membership ($22.95 per month) entitles members to two audiobooks per month. The gold membership ($14.95 per month) entitles listeners to one audiobook per month. Having either membership will entitle you to great discounts on additional books that purchase through the service. Fortunately, getting started with Audible.com is free when you take advantage Audible.com’s current deal which will provide you with one free audiobook and 14 days of service.
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6. Karmapa Lineage readies for 900th Anniversary celebration
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Phayul
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Dharamsala: The stage is all set and the guests have all arrived in Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar, where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, to celebrate the 900 years of the Karmapa lineage.
This year marks the 900th year since the birth of the first Karmapa Düsum Khyenpa (1110-1193). The unique tradition of reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism started with the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. He was said to be born in the year 1110 CE in Dreshö, a part of Dreho in Kham province of Tibet.
Karma Kagyu, or Kamtsang, is the largest lineage within the Kagyu School, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 17th Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje, is currently the holder of this oldest reincarnate lineage in Tibetan Buddhism and he has been living in India since 2000 following a dramatic escape from the Chinese-occupied Tibet.
A two-day celebration to mark the 900th anniversary of the Karmapa lineage will be held at Tergar Monastery here in Bodh Gaya.
The opening ceremony on the 8th will have three hours of pageantry, music and dramatic performances to express gratitude to Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa.
In a message for the event, the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has offered his prayers and greetings for a successful conclusion of the event.
Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, Prof Samdhong Rinpoche will be the Chief Guest at the occasion.
Leading Kagyu Lamas, including Goshir Gyaltsap Rinpoche, who will be the special guest, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche, Tenga Rinpoche, a few thousand monks and devotees from various countries have arrived in Bodh Gaya for the event.
Artistes of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) and a four-member group of classical Indian musicians from Mysore in South India will present specially choreographed performances for the occasion.
A website - www.karmapa900.org <http://www.karmapa900.org> - dedicated to the celebratory event was also officially launched today. The site will publish news and updates about Karmapa 900, which will be a year-long commemoration of the 900th birth anniversary of the Karmapa lineage.
Born in 1985, the current Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje fled from Tsurphu Monastery, the official seat of the Karmapas in central Tibet, and after an overland winter trek across the Himalayas, he reached India where he has been living in exile at Gyuto Monastery in Dharamsala, the seat of Tibet’s government in exile.
The Karmapa Lama, who arrived in Bodh Gaya two weeks before, will remain there to lead the 28th Karma Kagyu Monlam Chenmo which will be held from 15 to 22 December.
During his nearly six-week stay in Bodh Gaya, the Karmapa is scheduled to participate in special peace prayers, deliver sermons and meditate near the seat of Buddha's enlightenment, media reports said.
The opening ceremony of the “Karmapa 900” will be shown live at www.kagyumonlam.tv <http://www.kagyumonlam.tv> .
Based on a report filed for phayul by Lobsang Wangyal in Bodh Gaya,
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7. New FTCI CEO aims to make Tibetan co-ops more viable
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Phayul
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
By Tenzin Pema
BANGALORE, Dec 7: Tibetan co-operative societies – which serve as the basic means for sustenance of Tibetan settlements in India – should be made more viable for future generations through the implementation of innovative management strategies, the new chief executive officer (CEO) of the Federation of Tibetan Co-operatives in India (FTCI) said.
Mr. Tashi Wangdu -- former diplomat and senior civil servant of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) – took over as the new CEO of FTCI earlier this month, bringing with him a clear vision for the federation through an impressively long list of initiatives he plans to execute in his new role.
Speaking about the Board’s unanimous decision to appoint Mr. Tashi as the new CEO, Mr. Pema Delek, Chairman of the FTCI, said “I am sure that Mr. Tashi, with his vast knowledge and experience, will strengthen the co-operative societies and take it to the next level.”
Armed with a wealth of knowledge and experience from working at the grass-root level, Mr. Tashi’s take over as CEO comes at a crucial time in FTCI’s history as the federation looks to turnaround many of its operations, which includes the Tibetan co-operative socities, hotels in Gangtok and Dharamsala, an export unit in Delhi and Tibetan organic products division.
The FTCI, the first federal body of the Tibetan co-operative societies, serves as the apex body of 15 Tibetan co-operatives societies in nine India states, ranging from Karnataka, which houses the biggest Tibetan settlement, in the South, to Orissa in the east, to Jammu and Kashmir in the north, and Maharashtra in the centre. Two thirds of the Tibetan populace in India are members of the co-operative societies.
“Tibetan co-operative societies, which are registered bodies in India, act as the foundation for financial sustainability of Tibetan settlements, and ensure the preservation of Tibetan identity and culture. As such, it is very important that they are managed properly and made viable,” said Mr. Tashi, who served as the Representative of Dekyi Larsoe and Lugsam Tibetan settlements in Bylakuppe and as Chief Representative of South Zone, Bangalore.
From among his many plans, Mr. Tashi lays particular emphasis on reviving some of the co-operative societies in smaller Tibetan settlements that have been running under losses for many years. In addition, Mr. Tashi aims to raise funds to develop infrastructure in the existing units like the handicraft centres, tractor sections, and incense-making centres.
“New projects that we are looking to undertake include starting dairy farming and food processing units, introducing banking system in co-operative societies and setting up new hotels in Delhi and Bangalore on the lines of Hotel Tibet in Delhi and Gangtok,” said Mr. Tashi, who was most recently Secretary at the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Delhi.
“I am also keen in introducing Brand Tibet goods through strengthening the export unit in Delhi and entering the global corporate world,” he added.
Along with providing regular training to the staff of the co-operative societies to update their knowledge and skill, Mr. Tashi seeks to create awareness about the importance of co-operative society to its members and about the development of entrepreneurial skills to start self employment units.
He intends to make the FTCI’s vision of generating employment opportunities within the Tibetan community a bigger reality, through exploring possibilities of setting up business process outsourcing (BPO) centres in major Tibetan settlements, and helping young entrepreneurs by providing training, guidance and funding.
Mr. Tashi also intends to promote Tibetan Organic – the brand name through which FTCI markets organic products from Tibetan settlements that do organic farming as envisioned by the 12th Cabinet of Tibetan government in exile.
In order to strengthen the CTA’s organic farming policy, Mr. Tashi intend to explore the market for Tibetan organic products, and get premium pricing for these products.
“Although majority of our members are into agriculture, they have been growing mainly maize and rice, which are mainly monsoon-based farming. As such, the introduction of irrigation and more cash crops is important, just as it is necessary to locate markets for them,” Mr. Tashi said.
Mr. Tashi will be based in Bangalore city, where the corporate office of FTCI is located.
FTCI, which helps the Tibetan community by creating employment and supporting farmers and entrepreneurs, was established in 2005 and has an annual turnover of more than Rs. 5 crores.
(For more details on FTCI and its operations, please see www.ftci.co.in <http://www.ftci.co.in> )
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8. Kathmandu-Lhasa bus likely to resume
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Republica
OM ASTHA RAI
KATHMANDU, Dec 8, 2010: With Nepal Tourism Year-2011 just around the corner, the Kathmandu-Lhasa bus service, which was suspended more than three years ago, is very likely to resume within a month.
Once this service comes into operation, Chinese tourists are expected to start arriving easily in Kathmandu from Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, by surface transport.
"We are very hopeful of restarting the Kathmandu-Lhasa bus service by the very first month of 2011, keeping the tourism year in mind," Anil Gurung, acting director general of the Department of Transport Management (DoTM), told Republica. According to Gurung, work is going on steadfastly to repair the partly-damaged road that links Kathmandu to Zangmhu, or Khasa as it is popularly known in Nepal.
However, Hong Mei, a Chinese national who won the contract to operate the bus service from Kathmandu to Lhasa, said: "We are trying to operate our service within this very month." Initially, two buses from Kathmandu and two from Lhasa will be ferrying Chinese tourists. But Nepali tourists wanting to visit Lhasa by bus will be few compared to the Chinese visiting Kathmandu.
Lhasa is only around 14 hours by bus from Kathmandu. If a bus leaves Kathmandu early morning, the tourists will normally reach Lhasa by evening. However, the buses take a little longer. "It is mandatory for every bus to spend a night in Shigatse for security reasons," Mei said. "So, tourists traveling by bus will get to Lhasa only by afternoon next day."
According to Mei, tourists will be charged $70 per person for going to Lhasa by bus. Lhasa, which attracts thousands of tourists from across the world with its scenic landscape and magnificent monuments, is just 985 km north-east of Kathmandu. Khasa, a Tibetan town bordering Nepal, is just 105 km away.
Discouraging
A bus service between Kathmandu and Lhasa had started in May of 2005. However, this over-hyped service came to an abrupt halt in 2006 as it was not sustainable. "Chinese authorities were very strict in issuing visas to Americans, Indians or other foreigners," Mukunda Satyal, then director of the now almost-defunct public transport company Sajha Yatayat chosen for operating the Kathmandu-Lhasa service, told Republica. "We could not sustain it for long with just Chinese tourists and a few Nepalis."
On May 1, 1994, Nepal and China had signed an agreement on trade and transit, paving the way for the bus service between the two cities. But no serious attempt was made from either side to operate a bus service until 2004. As the agreement was to expire after 10 years, Satyal and some other officials initiated moves to renew it. "We were of the view that the agreement would help Nepal´s tourism flourish," he said.
Satyal says in retrospect that the bilateral agreement failed to boost tourism as expected. "That would be possible only if China was ready to issue visas to Indian and Western tourists wanting to visit Lhasa via Nepal," he said. "We asked the Chinese to ease the visa process for foreign tourists. But, they requested us to understand Lhasa´s sensitivity."
Satyal says China´s security concerns regarding Tibet have not changed. This means the bus service between Kathmandu and Lhasa will not function smoothly in the days ahead. "They (Chinese authorities) assume that Chinese tourists alone are enough for sustaining the service. They believe all Chinese tourists visiting Kathmandu by bus will return the same way. But, most of them fly back from Kathmandu."
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