FW: [WTNN] World Tibet Network News - December 13, 2010

[Alex Bunjes]

Monday, December 13, 2010
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Issue ID: 2010/12/13
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Contents
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1. Chinese-Tibetan Cultural Exchange Meet Held in Australia
2. China's Wen to visit India amid trade, land spats (AP)
3. Icy winds sweep Himachal (IANS)
4. Thousands of Tibetans evicted to make way for Lhundrub dam (Asia News)
5. Tibetan Local Justice Commissions Get New Appellation (TibetNet)
6. Exile Musicians To Raise Awareness for Artists Jailed in Tibet (TPI)
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1. Chinese-Tibetan Cultural Exchange Meet Held in Australia
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TibetNet
Monday, 13 December 2010

The Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Association and the Office of Tibet in Australia jointly organised a cultural exchange meet in Sydney on Saturday on 11 December to “foster peace and harmony between the Chinese and Tibetan communities”.

Over 70 people, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Representative to Australia, Mr Sonam Norbu Dagpo, Chinese liaison officer Ms Dadon, Chinese scholars, writers, students, democracy activists from Sydney and Adelaide, and former secretary at the Chinese embassy in Australia, attended the meeting.

The event, which includes interactive debate on the theme “peace and harmony between Chinese and Tibetans” aims to share ideas and remove biased views and misunderstandings on both sides.

The president of the Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Association, Ma Lian Qian, said: “The Chinese government not only brutally suppressed the Tibetan people's peaceful protests in 2008, but also fomented serious discord between the two communities. In order to have an interactive free exchange of ideas and way of thinking from both sides, we have organised a new way to achieve that in the form of this cultural exchange meeting.”

The participants held interactive discussion and shared ideas on wide-range of Tibet related issues, such as religion and culture, human rights and environmental issues in Tibet, democracy in China and the dialogue process on Tibet.

The question and answer session during the experts' talk has helped in promoting the Chinese people's understanding of the truth about the Tibetan culture and the real situation in Tibet. It has also helped in cultivating trust among Tibetans to learn about China's culture and strengthening co-ordination with its people, the office of Tibet said.

The next meeting is scheduled to be held in Melbourne in 2011.

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2. China's Wen to visit India amid trade, land spats
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By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

BEIJING, Monday, December 13, 2010 (AP) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao travels to India this week as part of efforts to build trust between the rival neighbors amid lingering disputes over territory, trade and telecoms.

Wen will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh and oversee celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, an opportunity to highlight a historical relationship that has evolved into a sharpening competition over resources and global markets.

The sides are expected to sign agreements in areas including energy and infrastructure development, although no major breakthroughs in ties are anticipated.

"The visit aims to improve mutual trust and development cooperation with India. People shouldn't have too high expectations for the visit," said Hu Shisheng, an expert on China's relations with South Asia at the Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

The Foreign Ministry said Monday that Wen would also visit longtime ally Pakistan on a five-day sweep through South Asia starting Wednesday.

Wen's visit to India follows one to China by Indian President Pratibha Patil in May - the first by an Indian head of state in a decade - and comes on the heels of a 14th round of discussions on their disputed border.

It marks the latest attempt to redefine relations long beset by mutual suspicion and a natural rivalry befitting the world's first and second most populous nations.

"Leaders of our two countries have agreed that there is enough space in the world for China and India to develop together and there are enough areas for China and India to cooperate with each other," Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue told a briefing Monday.

The most glaring disagreement remains the remote, mountainous China-India border, over which the two fought a brief but brutal war in 1962. The two lack even a commonly designated line of control and a resolution is not expected in the near future.

China has also aggravated Indian concerns by refusing to stamp visas in passports held by residents from Kashmir, in a move seen questioning New Delhi's sovereignty over the region also claimed by Pakistan.

Indian businesses, meanwhile, complain about a gusher of cheap Chinese exports that account for about two-thirds of bilateral trade that is expected to hit $60 billion this year. Underscoring the lopsided economic relationship, India's Reliance Power in October contracted with a Shanghai company to purchase equipment and services valued at $8.9 billion over 10 years. Indian exports to China, in contrast, remain largely limited to raw materials such as iron ore.

Partly in response to the imbalance, New Delhi this year blacklisted telecom equipment from Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE, citing national security concerns. The eight-month ban, which was relaxed in August, came less than a week after media reports that Chinese hackers had broken into the computer networks of India's security, defense and diplomatic establishments.

India is also deeply suspicious of China's close ties with archrival Pakistan as well as the Chinese navy's growing presence in the Indian Ocean and Beijing's close ties to the Maoist parties now governing Nepal.

China for its part resents the presence in India of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile headed by the Himalayan region's Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled across the border amid an abortive rising against Chinese rule in 1959. Beijing last year angrily protested a weeklong visit by the Dalai Lama to the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims is Chinese territory. China, meanwhile, occupies a part of Kashmir claimed by India.

"This is not a relationship that is adversarial at this point, although it could become one in future," said Jasjit Singh, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in New Delhi.

Despite such disputes, the sides have striven to find common ground on international issues of concern to the bloc of large developing nations known as the BRICs.

Both have pushed for a greater say in global finance following the global economic crisis that wreaked havoc on advanced economies while leaving their own largely unscathed. They also briefly found common cause at last year's climate change talks in Copenhagen where they united to resist a push by industrialized nations to reach a new legally binding treaty.

"We shouldn't forget that the relationship was far worse in the past," said T.C.A. Rangachari, a retired Indian diplomat.

In Pakistan, Wen is expected to focus on energy cooperation and pushing ahead China's pledge of $200 million in aid to help the country rebuild after devastating summer floods.

China has agreed to sell Pakistan two 300 megawatt nuclear reactors to join two already in place, and is believed to be in talks about adding a much larger 1 gigawatt reactor.

Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma contributed to this report from New Delhi.

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3. Icy winds sweep Himachal
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Shimla, Dec 13, 2010 (IANS) Icy winds enveloped the hills of Himachal Pradesh Monday, with the higher reaches recording sub-zero temperatures.

Shimla saw a slight decline in night temperature. The Monday morning temperature was 3.9 degrees Celsius, a marginal fall from Sunday, the weather office here said.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district and Kalpa in Kinnaur district shivered with minus 3.9 degrees and minus 0.8 degrees respectively.

The mercury in Bhuntar in Kullu district slipped to 2.8 degree Celsius and at Dharamsala, the seat of the Dalai Lama, to 4.5 degrees.

Rain or snow is likely in higher reaches of the state till early Tuesday.

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4. Thousands of Tibetans evicted to make way for Lhundrub dam
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Asia News
Sunday, December 12, 2010

The hydroelectric project will dam up 3 rivers in Lhundrub County. Thousands of peasants deprived of their homes and land to cultivate; no one knows how they will survive. No respect for the rights of the Tibetans in economic development of Tibet.

Beijing - More than 4 thousand residents in Phodo, Lhundrub County just above Lhasa, will be driven from home to build a hydroelectric project in the area. The economic development of Tibet continues to take place to the detriment of the Tibetans, who have a small share of the benefits which instead are channelled to the rest of China.

Local sources tells ,i>Radio Free Asia, that "the Chinese are building bridges and blocking the river." "The Chinese have already built houses for the Chinese soldiers who arrived to build a dam."

The rivers, Radreng, Lhaching and Pachoe, flow near Phodo and it is believed that the dam will involve them all. The project directly regards at least six villages, including Phodo.

Some families have already been removed and all will be transferred before September 2011. Meanwhile, to persuade them to go away, authorities have warned residents "that they can not cultivate or irrigate their land, nor grow crops."

The more than 500 families of Phodo do not want to leave, because in addition to the house, they would lose crops, their only means of livelihood, and fear of receiving inadequate housing, and remain without work. For this reason they have asked to remain in the area but have been refused and were housed in various centres. Some families have been sent to the capital Lhasa, where there is no arable land, the peasants had to sell their livestock.

"Every family - the source added - should receive 10 thousand yuan in compensation, but was ordered to spend it to build the new house."

China says that they are only fighting secessionist forces in Tibet and have brought economic development and wealth. But Tibetans say they are deprived of basic rights such as freedom of speech, and that a cultural genocide is taking place that affects the monks, intellectuals, anyone who refers to the Dalai Lama, religious leader and Nobel Peace Laureate forced into exile. Economic development is in the hands of ethnic Han Chinese migrants who have leadership positions in the area. Among other things, this development is taking place without any respect for the fragile environment of Tibet, with the construction of dams and other large works without any previous study on their possible environmental impact.

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5. Tibetan Local Justice Commissions Get New Appellation
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TibetNet
Monday, 13 December 2010

DHARAMSHALA: The office of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission has changed the appellation of two local justice commissions located in the northern and southern region in India.

The 'Tibetan Local Justice Commission, Northern Dehradun Region' has been replaced with 'Tibetan Local Justice Commission (Northern Region)'. While the 'Tibetan Local Justice Commission, Southern Bylakuppe Region' has been changed to 'Tibetan Local Justice Commission (Southern Region)'.

The new appellation were issued under the provision for local justice commissions established on the basis of their location and scope of jurisdiction as enshrined in article 28 of the code of judiciary.

The Local Justice Commission (Southern Region) established on 1 May 2001, covers 11 places (Tibetan settlements in Southern India) under its jurisdiction; and the one in Northern Region which was established on 9 November 2001, covers 21 places (Tibetan settlements in Northern India) under its jurisdiction, with one Local Justice Commissioners each.

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6. Exile Musicians To Raise Awareness for Artists Jailed in Tibet
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YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post International
Monday, 13 December 2010

13december20102New York: Tibetan classical musician Techung and the non-profit Built On Respect are working with other musicians and NGOs to raise awareness for two Tibetan artists illegally imprisoned in Tibet. Well-known Tibetan musician Techung and other local Tibetan musicians in each city; all bands will be performing in various places in US and India, December 2010-January 2011.

Heidi Minx from Built on Respect travels between NYC and Dharamshala, India -- concentrating on positive youth action, she works to fight cultural genocide, ageism, discrimination and raise social and political awareness, working predominantly with musicians to share her messages. Tashi Dhondup was sentenced and jailed for releasing a CD of songs that called for Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, and talking about the torture and disappearance of so many Tibetans in the last 50 years.

Dhondup Wangchen was also arrested and sentenced for exercising a right under the PRC's constitution, his opinion - and those of other Tibetans, in his film, Leaving Fear Behind.

In the wake of the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the announcement that Liu Xiaobo was made a Nobel Laureate, pressure has mounted against the oppressive regimes in Asia. "My hope is that with a careful coordination with the human rights organizations, we can pressure the Chinese government to release Tashi Dhondup as soon as possible," said Techung.

Techung has planned a tour to rally both the Tibetan and Western communities and is also releasing a song about Tashi Dhondup. Built on Respect is working with Care2.com, an online community of citizen activists, and the two organizations have garnered over 30,000 signatures calling for the release of Tashi Dhondup.Built on Respect's founder, Minx, has also been promoting a PSA created with US-based musicians, the Street Dogs, to raise awareness with Western youth and musicians.

There is a second initiative planned for mid-December to appeal to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama before the US-China summit, tentatively scheduled for January 2011, calling for the release of Dhondup and Wangchen.

Tibetan musician Techung grew up in Dharamshala, India, where his family and tens of thousands of other Tibetans resettled from their native Tibet. He toured with TIPA in its first international tour as a leading child actor in 1975-76 and for many years afterward. After emigrating to the U.S., he co-founded the San Francisco-based Chaksampa Tibetan Dance and Opera Company in 1989. From 1995-97 Techung worked for the Milarepa Fund in San Francisco who organized the Tibetan Freedom Concerts worldwide. www.techung.com <http://www.techung.com>

Built on Respect has been a mantra for alt-culture personality Heidi for years. It continues to be her driving mission, "Treating people with respect, and sewing the seeds of fairness creates solidarity." Minx has started Built On Respect to help Tibetan refugees in exile.

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