Given the critical human rights situation inside Tibet, it is our goal to see a huge pan-European Rally where our supporters from across the continent join us to urge the European Union to make Tibet the top priority in their bilateral relations with China and help to resolve the Tibetan issue peacefully.

We are also pleased to announce that prior to the Solidarity Rally, Tibet Lobby Days will be organized from 6-8 March, 2013. The details of the participation and the program will be available soon.

Please save the date and we look forward to seeing you all at the heart of the European Union to show our solidarity with our Tibetan people.

Chungdak Koren
European Chitue

Initial reports have identified the Tibetan self-immolator as Tsering Phuntsok. According to a Swiss based Tibetan, Sonam, the protest occurred at around 3:15 pm (local time).

“Tsering Phuntsok set himself on fire in front of the local Chinese police station in Drachen village of Khyungchu region,” Sonam told Phayul. “He passed away at the site of his protest.”

Chinese security personnel arrived at the scene and bundled away Tsering Phuntsok’s body to Barkham, the same source said.

Tsering Phuntsok is survived by his wife and two children.

Photos of today’s self-immolation protests show the charred body of Tsering Phuntsok, still on fire, lying on the ground. A number of people could be seen surrounding the body.

Reports suggest that monks of the Amchok Monastery are currently carrying out a prayer service for the deceased.

This is the second self-immolation protest in Tibet since the beginning of the new year. In 2012 alone, as many as 82 Tibetans set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.

Chinese authorities in the region have intensified their repressive policies by criminalising the self-immolation protests, arresting family members and friends of protesters and off late, confiscating thousands of satellite TV dishes aimed at creating an information black hole in the region.

“Tibet is getting into the global evening news because of self-immolations and so there’s this anxiety to bring it under control,” Michael Davis, a law professor and Tibet expert at the University of Hong Kong told AP. He warned that the new leadership “will be particularly anxious not to have any of these problems blow up in their face.”

“I think self-immolations and all of this suggest that they are not winning the hearts and minds of the Tibetan people and in fact the more repressive they are, the more resistance they encounter, so it’s a kind of vicious circle,” Davis said.

In the latest incidence of arrest, four Tibetans were detained by Chinese security personnel for storing images of Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama in their mobile phones.

According to exile sources, Tamding Gyal, Dhundup, Chakdha Gyal, and Yarkho were arrested during a routine search for having stored pictures of the Dalai Lama in their cell phones.

Following the series of self-immolation protests in the area, Chinese authorities have been inspecting electronic devices of local Tibetans to check whether they have tried to make any contacts outside the region. Local authorities have regularly used tactics such as communication blackouts and inspections of electronic devices in an attempt to contain the spread of information.

In the month of November, as many as ten Tibetans set themselves on fire in the Rebkong region, demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. Thousands of Tibetans, including school students reacted with widespread protests in the region against the occupying Chinese forces.

Earlier on November 16, two Tibetan monks were arrested in the same region for reportedly being friends with Tibetan self-immolator Kalsang Jinpa.

Tsundue Choeden, 18 and Kunchok Sonam, 21, both monks of the Rongwo Monastery, were arrested by Chinese security forces on their way to the Monastery from the nearby Dowa town.

Local Tibetans have told exile sources that the arrests of the monks were connected with the self-immolation protest by Kalsang Jinpa. The two monks reportedly shared a friendly relation with the self-immolator.

Kalsang Jinpa passed away in his fiery protest against the Chinese government in front of the Rongwo Monastery on November 8. He raised a white banner with slogans calling for the Dalai Lama’s return and the rights of the Tibetan people before setting himself ablaze.

The current condition and whereabouts of the arrested monks remain unknown.

The Dharamshala based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in a release today said that an unknown number of detentions related to self-immolations are being reported from Tibet.

The group noted that many of those detained in the aftermath of a self-immolation protest are family members and relatives of the self-immolators, who find it difficult to report fearing further official retribution.

According to Tsangyang Gyatso, an exiled Tibetan with contacts in the region, Lobsang Gendun called a friend of his, moments before burning himself to death, and left a message of unity to all Tibetans.

“I am right now preparing to self-immolate,” Lobsang Gendun told his friend (name not revealed). “I have already doused my body with petrol. I am only left with the battery water to drink before I burn myself.”

“Although I wanted to leave a note, but for my poor handwriting, I could not. So, I am calling you,” Lobsang Gendun told his friend. “My hope is for Tibetans from all the three provinces of Tibet to be united, have solidarity with each other, and not to indulge in internal quarrels. Our aspirations will be fulfilled if we all do this.”

Lobsang Gendun, 29, a monk, at the Penag Monastery, self-immolated in Golog Pema region of eastern Tibet at around 7:45 pm (local time) Monday, December 3. He succumbed to his injuries at the site of his protest.

According to eyewitnesses, Lobsang Gendun’s hands were clasped in prayers as he raised slogans urging Tibetan to be united and avoid in fighting, while engulfed in flames.

His charred body was later carried to the Penag Monastery by local Tibetans following a minor scuffle with Chinese security personnel.

Gyatso told Phayul that following the self-immolation protest, a respected Tibetan from the region, Washul Dodrub was detained by Chinese authorities in connection with the protest.

Dodrub was earlier arrested in 2008, during the pan-Tibet uprising, on suspicion of leading protests in the region. His current wellbeing and whereabouts are not known.

According to the same source, a large number of monks and local Tibetans visited Penag Monastery today to pay their last respects and prayers and offer their condolences and solidarity with the deceased’s family members.

“Around one thousand of those visitors also pledged to fulfill Lobsang Gendun’s last wishes of harbouring unity and solidarity,” Gyatso said.

Preparations have been made to carry out Lobsang Gendun’s final rites on December 5.

Reportedly, many Tibetans from the nearby areas have been barred from travelling to Penag, by Chinese authorities, fearing further protests.

“A large number of additional armed forces have been deployed in Pema region,” Gyatso added citing sources in the region. “Heavy restrictions have been placed in the entire region, especially around the Penag Monastery.”

Lobsang Gendun is survived by his parents, Golog Lokho and Sago Dewang, and his 11 siblings.

An alarming total of 92 Tibetans have self-immolated inside Tibet since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009, demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.

Sangdag Tsering, 24, set himself on fire in front of a local Chinese government office in Dokar Mo town in the Rebkong region of eastern Tibet at around 7 pm (local time). Tsering, father of a three-year-old son, passed away at the site of his protest.

His self-immolation came just hours after a Tibetan woman, Chagmo Kyi passed away after setting herself on fire outside a Chinese office in Rongwo town.

Sources tell Phayul that earlier in the day, Chinese authorities summoned a large meeting of local Tibetans and gave out clear orders, barring them from visiting families of self-immolators to pay their respect and condolences.

Further orders warned that monasteries, which didn’t follow the decree, would be shut down.

“Martyr Sangdag Tsering set himself on fire later in the evening at the very place where the meeting was called,” Dorjee Wangchuk, an exile Tibetan said citing sources in the region.

Chinese security personnel arrived at the scene and tried to douse the flames but Sangdag Tsering succumbed to his injuries.

“Monks from two nearby monasteries and thousands of local Tibetans gathered at the protest site and carried his body to the Gonshul Sangag Mindrol Dhargeyling for his cremation,” Wangchuk said.

The same source added that Sangdag Tsering had off late repeatedly expressed his frustration over the lack of freedom in Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s absence, and the continuing wave of self-immolations in Tibet.

About a week back, he had written a short poem espousing loyalty to Tibet and emailed it to a friend.

The last two lines of the poem written in Tibetan reads: “The brave men of the snow mountains, Don’t forget your loyalty to Tibet.”

Sangdag Tsering is survived by his parents, his wife Phagmo Tso, 24, and their son.

The alarming escalation in self-immolation protests has already witnessed 14 Tibetans set themselves on fire in this month alone, with nine of them occurring in the Rebkong region. A total of 76 Tibetans inside Tibet have now self-immolated since 2009, demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.

Speaking to a special gathering of Tibet supporters in Dharamshala, the Dalai Lama yesterday said that the situation in Tibet is “serious.”

“Whether Chinese government agrees or not, there are problems and these problems are neither good for Tibetans or for the people of China. So, therefore we have to find a solution based on mutual understanding and mutual respect,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said.

He further cautioned: “The use force will never get satisfactory results.”

Exile sources say that a Tibetan man, Sangay Gyatso, 27, set himself on fire in Tsoe region of Kanlho, Amdo eastern Tibet at around 12 pm (local time).

He carried out his protest near the Dokar Monastery.

Sangay Gyatso, a father of two, is believed to have passed away in his self-immolation protest. In the photos of his fiery protest that have reached exile, Sangay Gyatso’s body is seen completely charred.

Since 2009, a known number of 54 Tibetans have now set themselves on fire demanding freedom in Tibet and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.

Sangay Gyatso’s protest comes only two days after a Tibetan writer, Gudrup passed away in his self-immolation protest on October 4 in Nagchu.

The recently concluded meeting of exile Tibetans to discuss the ongoing crisis in Tibet had sent a strong message of unity and solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet and a call for greater activism in exile.

The special meeting, while expressing concern over the loss of Tibetan lives, declared that the Chinese government will be held solely responsible in the event of the situation inside Tibet escalating further.

In light of the critical situation inside Tibet, the meeting had also recommended the revival of the ‘Tibetan Solidarity Committee’ to head the global Tibet activities and also pushed for the creation of a ‘voluntary emergency fund’ to finance the campaigns.

His Holiness is scheduled to begin his visit with his highly anticipated participation in the two-day ‘Common Ground for Peace’ at the Syracuse University, NY from October 8-9.

In the morning of October 8, the Tibetan spiritual leader, along with fellow Noble Peace Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, will participate in a panel discussion on ‘The Arab Spring.’

In the afternoon, the Dalai Lama will participate in a panel discussion on ‘Shifting the Global Consciousness’ along with fellow Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi and human rights advocate Martin Luther King III.

The panel discussions with be broadcast on the web at oneworld.syr.edu/webcast. SU is also inviting the public to submit questions for the discussion with the Dalai Lama through e-mail (oneworldinfo@syr.edu) or via Twitter using the hashtag #CGPDemocracy for the morning discussion and #CGPGlobal for the afternoon discussion.

On October 9, His Holiness will give a public talk on ‘Resolving Conflict in One World Community Through Global Consciousness’ at the start of the ‘One World Concert.’ The event, produced by World Harmony Productions, will feature world-renowned artists, including Dave Matthews, Counting Crows, Nelly Furtado, and India’s AR Rehman among others.

On the second leg of his tour, the Dalai Lama will visit Virginia State and give public talks on compassion and ethics in Williamsburg and Charlottesville from October 10-11.

After a one-day public event in Middlebury, Vermont on October 13, His Holiness will then spend the next three days in Cambridge, Massachusetts, giving a public talk on ethics on October 14 and teachings on Kamalashila’s The Middling Stages of Meditation (gomrim barpa) on October 16.

On October 15, the 77-year-old Tibetan leader will participate in a day-long multi-disciplinary forum on ‘Global Systems 2.0’ as part of programmes at The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

His Holiness will then give a public talk on ‘A Global Challenge: Creating a Culture of Peace’ at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island on October 17, followed by public talks at the Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut, on October 18-19 on ‘The Art of Compassion’ and ‘Advice for Daily Life.’

Returning to New York, the Dalai Lama will hold a one-day discussion on ‘Contemplative Practice and Health: Laboratory Findings and Real World Challenges’ at the Rockefeller University on October 20.

As per the website of the Dalai Lama’s office, the Tibetan leader’s final public event for the visit will be a teaching on The Essence of Buddhism in the at the request of the Tibetan and Kalmyk Communities at the Lincoln Center on October 21.

De Flame of Truth reist van 6 juli tot 10 december over heel de wereld om aandacht te vragen voor de ernstige schending van mensenrechten door China in Tibet.

Dit is een initiatief van het Tibetaanse parlement in ballingschap, ondersteund door Tibet organisaties wereldwijd.

De Flame of Truth komt in Nederland aan op 25 september vanuit Duitsland en daarom organiseren International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), de Tibet Support Groep (TSG) en de Tibetaanse gemeenschap in Nederland (TGNL) verschillende activiteiten in Nederland.

Bij de grensovergang wordt de Flame of Truth officieel verwelkomd met een traditionele Tibetaanse ceremonie en zullen prominente sprekers en de media aanwezig zijn.

Op 26 september fietsen Tibetanen en supporters door het centrum van Amsterdam en eindigen op de Dam waar een manifestatie zal plaatsvinden van 17.00-18.00 uur. De fietstocht start om 15.30 uur vanaf de Dam.

Het doel van deze wereldwijde fakkel estafette is om de VN op te roepen om onmiddellijk in actie te komen voor door de eerder aangenomen resoluties over Tibet uit te voeren en een onafhankelijk onderzoeksdelegatie naar Tibet te sturen om de huidige crisis te onderzoeken.

Tijdens de wereldwijde estafette van de Flame of Truth zullen er honderdduizend handtekeningen worden opgehaald om op 10 december, de internationale dag van de mensenrechten te overhandigen aan de Verenigde Naties in New York, Geneve en New Delhi.

ICT, TSG en de TGNL roepen alle Nederlanders op de petitie aan de VN te ondersteunen en deel te nemen aan de activiteiten in Nederland. Wereldwijde massale steun moet China ertoe bewegen de mensenrechten in Tibet te respecteren!

In an interview with Foreign Policy, Ai remarked that the Tibetan people are burning themselves to death and nobody was taking notice.

“Already over 40 of them (Tibetans) in the past two years (have self-immolated), and nobody’s talking about it,” Ai said.

The 54-year-old, who was last year hailed by ArtReview as the world’s most powerful artist, said that he would feel ashamed to visit Lhasa in response to a query on whether he has visited Tibet’s ancient capital city on earlier occasions.

“No. I would feel ashamed to go,” Ai said. “I think to respect [the Tibetans] is not to touch them, to leave them alone.”

The artist gained international prominence in 2008 as one of the designers of the Birds Nest stadium for the Beijing Summer Olympics, but later refused to attend the opening of the games, declaring them “a tool for propaganda.”

Following the massive pan-Tibet uprisings in 2008 against Chinese rule, Ai had told reporters that simply blaming the Tibetans for the protests would deepen “hatred” among the Han and the Tibetan people.

“The Tibetan are now simplistically being blamed and scolded for infringing the law,” Ai had said. “I do not think this can solve the problem, because this will only deepen the hatred amongst the Han people and the ethnic minorities, thus further deepen their gap.”

He proposed that the Han people must stop looking upon the minorities as the slaves whom they freed and admit to mistakes committed by them in the past.

“They (Tibetans) have their own religion, their own cultural heritage and their own way of thinking. We have never fully understood their religion and their lifestyle,” the artist had said. “Historically, we destroyed their temples and statues, this is a basic fact.”

“These problems should be solved. If not, then this would be failure of policy. Must seek dialogue. It is not feasible to simply accuse them of just being separatists.”

In April 2011, Chinese police imprisoned Ai on politically motivated charges of tax evasion; when he was finally released after 81 days in custody, he was forbidden from leaving Beijing for a year. (He has since been given permission to travel domestically.)

The artist has continued to speak out against Chinese government censorship and repression, often through social media and through his art.