Tibet Insight No.10/14
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‘TIBET INSIGHT’
Leadership Activities/Political News Tenth TAR People’s Congress meeting Tibet Daily, May 22, 2014 The 33rd meeting of the Tenth TAR People’s Congress was held in Lhasa on 21st May. TAR People’s Congress Chairman Pema Choling presided. The meeting was attended by TAR People’s Congress Vice-chairmen Zhaozheng Xiu, Dekyi Phakmo, Woeser, Karma, Tenzin Namgyal and Secretary General Xiang Zheng. The meeting reviewed the procedures of appointment and removal of officials and produced a draft of the TAR National Defense Education Ordinance. The draft outlined National Defense regulations and elaborated how to build and consolidate National Defence. It clarified the responsibilities, objectives and content of National Defense education. Chen Quanguo’s meeting with representatives of Monasteries and Nunneries Tibet Daily, May 23, 2014 TAR Party Secretary Chen Quanguo held a special meeting with representatives of monks and nuns in Lhasa on 22nd May after the bomb blasts in Xinjiang. The meeting was presided over by the Vice-Chairman of United Work Front Department and CPPCC TAR Committee member, Gonpo Tashi and attended by regional leaders like Qinzha La (Secretary of the TAR Party Committee), Rui Liun (Secretary General of TAR Party Committee and Deputy Secretary of Politics and Law Committee), Kalsang Tsering (Vice-President of TAR People’s Government) and Sonam Rigzin (Vice-Chairman of the CPPCC TAR Committee). More than sixty representatives from nineteen Monasteries and nunneries in Lhasa participated in the discussions. Chen Quanguo greeted each representative with white scarves and urged representatives to study and implement President Xi Jinping’s speech given during the inspection tour of Xinjiang in the wake of the bomb blast which killed 31 people and wounded more than 90 people. He stressed the need to follow the Party’s religious policies, strengthen and stabilize temple management Committees, promote religious harmony and to stay away from the sabotage activities of “Dalai Group” in exile. Meeting between Heads of TAR United Front Work Department and Central United Front Work Department China Tibet news, May 23, 2014 TAR United Front Work Department Vice-Chairman Dorjee Khedup met Quan Zhezhu Vice-Minister of the CCP CC’s United Front Work Department and Deputy Chairman of the National Federation Party in Beijing on 22nd May and discussed how to implement and strengthen communication between the two departments and also to promote industrial development and stability in Tibet. Dorjee Khedup conveyed greetings on behalf of TAR Party Secretary Chen Quanguo and TAR People’s Government Chairman Lobsang Gyaltsen to Quan Zhezhu. He also thanked Quan Zhezhu for the economic and social development of Tibet. He outlined the various projects in TAR and asked him to visit Tibet to see their progress. Quan Zhezhu assured that the National Federation will continue to extend support for Tibet’s economic and social development. Anti-Terrorism Drill in Lhasa Tibet Daily, ABC news, May 26, 2014 An anti-terrorism drill was held in Lhasa on 24th May under the leadership of TAR Party Secretary Chen Quanguo. The drill was held at Lhasa Railway Station to counter terrorist activities in and around Lhasa. TAR Party Committee’s Deputy Chairman and Party Secretary of the Politics and Law Committee Deng Xiaogang and TAR Party Committee Deputy Secretary Qizha La were given the responsibility to observe the drill exercises. Ganzi County in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China’s Sichuan Province also held anti-terror police drills. The drills were aimed at testing police response to emergencies and the skills of officers in using anti-terrorism weapons. The drills simulated emergency situations, self-immolation, violent attacks, illegal gatherings and sit-in protests. The ability of police officers to wrestle, fight, release hostages, and defuse bombs were tested. Weapons and equipment used during anti-terrorism combat were displayed to the public. Similar anti-terror exercises were held in Chamdo, Ngari/Ali, Nyingtri areas of Tibet. Deputy Secretary of TAR Party Committee meet Deputy Director of CCP CC’s Organization Department Lhasa Evening News, May 28, 2014 Deputy Secretary of TAR Party Committee Wu Yingjie and the Head of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee’s Organization Department, Liang Tiangeng, met Dr. Wang Xintang, Deputy Director General of the CCP CC’s Organization Department on the afternoon of May 25th. Wu Yingjie welcomed Wang Xintang and greeted him on behalf of TAR Party Secretary Chen Quanguo. He thanked the Central Organization Department for educating and training the cadres of Tibet. Wu Yingjie said that the TAR Party Committee has always attached immense importance to the training and education of Party members and cadres especially after the decision of the Eighth TAR Party Congress to implement a series of new procedures for deployments and dismissals as well as holding large- scale grass-root cadres training. He further said that the TAR Party Committee’s emphasis on strengthening the ideological, theoretical and political system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, educates cadres about Party unity and the mechanisms to fight against separatist activities. Wu Yingjie also informed the Head of the Central Organization Department that they had carried out the second batch of the Party’s ‘mass-line’ campaigns to thoroughly study and implement CCP CC General Secretary and President Xi Jinping’s series of important speeches on reform, development and stability. Wang Xintang said the TAR Party Committee and TAR People’s Government should work closely and follow the Central Organization Department’s instructions on education, training and deployment of party cadres and personnel. He said Tibet occupies an important position and is, therefore, a central focus of the CCP CC Organization Department. He concluded by promising that the Organization Department will further innovate and improve its working methods and strategies to create a ‘new socialist Tibet’. Nepal Consulate General in Lhasa celebrates National Day Tibet Daily, Vtibet.cn May 29, 2014 Hari Prasad Rao Bashyal, Consul General of Nepal in Lhasa, held a reception on 28th May to celebrate the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal’s seventh National Day. TAR Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, TAR People’s Congress Chairman Pema Choling, TAR People’s Government Chairman Lobsang Gyaltsen and other regional leaders like Rui Lian, Karma, Lobsang Dorjee, were invited by the Consulate General. Chen Quanguo congratulated Nepal on the occasion and said that China and Nepal share “a father-son” kind of close bilateral relationship. He wished that the relationship between the two nations will continue to improve in the years to come. Hari Prasad Bashyal expressed heart-felt gratitude to China on behalf of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal for supporting Nepal’s economic and development projects and congratulated China for the remarkable social and economic achievements made in TAR. He said that maintaining stability, peace and tranquility in Nepal’s border areas is a matter of common interest for both the nations. He added that Nepal firmly believes in the ‘one-China’ policy and will never allow any anti-China activities by Tibetans in Nepalese territory. TAR Party Deputy Secretary Deng Xiaogang gave a speech on behalf of the TAR Party Committee and the region’s three hundred million people and extended greetings on the occasion. He said that China and Nepal not only share geographical proximity, but also share close cultural and historical ties. He said that Nepal always considered Tibet an inalienable part of China ever since its liberation and supported China in preventing and prohibiting ‘anti-China’ activities by the Tibetans. Infrastructure Development Over 97 percent of villages in 'Tibet' paved with asphalt road Tibetan Review, May 23, 2014 China’s on-line Tibet news service, quoting the official Xinhua news agency, reported that all but 136 villages throughout the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), the western half of ethnographic Tibet, were paved with asphalt road by the end of 2013. The report quoted Tashi Gyatso, head of the Regional Bureau of Transportation, as saying more investments will be made in highway construction in the near future. The report said that 5,125 of the 5,261 villages in TAR had been paved with asphalt by end 2013, accounting for 97.4 percent of the total. It cited Tashi Gyatso as saying that construction of a dozen key projects will be implemented in 2014, although it was not clear whether this would include connecting all 5,261 villages of TAR by asphalt roads. The TAR government plans to invest 21.3 billion Yuan in extending highway mileage by more than 5,000 kilometers to eliminate the traffic bottleneck that hampers social and economic progress. The report said TAR’s total highway mileage exceeded 70,000 km, with 58,000 km being in rural areas. It added that road building had helped improve the living conditions of the people in rural areas, enabled China to exercise more effective control over the Tibetan population, a large portion of whom oppose the Chinese occupation and policies, and had greatly enhanced China’s strategic position in the ‘disputed border areas’. To accelerate preparatory work for special highway construction connecting Gongga Airport to Zedang Xizang.gov.cn 18th May On 15th May , a group of delegates led by Ding Yinxian, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of TAR, headed to Gongga airport (Gongga county located in the Shannan region, south of Lhasa) to examine the Zedang highway project in the region. After listening to the reports of the relevant department heads, Ding Yinxian said that the Regional Party Committee and government give utmost importance to this highway construction project. The project connecting Gongga airport to Shannan’s Zedang city is one of the key highways serving special defense and economic needs and the people’s livelihood. This project enhances transportation and helps land, environment and forestry protection and water conservancy. He stressed that all relevant departments should fully cooperate to accelerate construction of the Lhasa Gonggar Airport special highway. He reminded them that strengthening the quality of construction is important.
RELIGION Chinese Officials Force Management Change at Tibetan Monastery Radio Free Asia, May 15, 2014 Following a meeting on May 10, 2014, Chinese authorities removed officials from the Nyatso Zilkar monastery in Yulshul (in Chinese, Yushu) prefecture’s restive Tridu (Chenduo) county of Qinghai province. This is reported to be the first management change of an important monastery in Tibetan-populated areas affected by Beijing in recent years. Radio Free Asia (RFA) quoted sources as claiming that “this action has completely broken the tradition of the [monastery] managing its own discipline and activities. With this appointment of a new management committee for Zilkar monastery, the monks are worried about their future.” Separately, in a document released to coincide with the launch of a campaign on May 13, 2014, Chinese authorities demanded that monasteries and residents located in Golog (in Chinese, Guoluo) prefecture’s Pema (Baima) county in north-west Qinghai province, pledge loyalty to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Monks are being forced either to sign or, if they cannot write, to put their finger print on the page. Additional controls have been introduced on the flow of information out of the region. Major provisions of the document include that “Tibetans should demonstrate their support for China’s Communist Party and should abide by all laws and regulations.” It prohibits participation in protests challenging Chinese rule and self-immolations. “The document also states that monks should not be registered as members of their families’ households and that residency permits [for their home villages] should be withdrawn.” Dalai Lama begins third annual teaching to Indian Buddhists Tibetan Review, June 1, 2014 The Dalai Lama on May 30 began four days of religious teaching to a gathering of Indian Buddhists from across the country in India’s commercial capital Mumbai. It was organized by Nalanda Shiksha, an association of Indian Buddhist groups and followed previous teachings he gave them at Dharamshala in 2012 and 2013. The venue was the Somaiya Vidyavihar (KJ Somaiya College), an eclectic education institution set up in 1959 by the Somaiya Trust which the Dalai Lama had visited on two previous occasions. The teachings included ‘An Invocation of the Seventeen Great Sagacious Adepts of Glorious Nalanda,’ composed by the Dalai Lama and recited simultaneously in Tibetan, Hindi and English. The Dalai Lama emphasized that the teachings should be investigated without bias and a degree of skepticism, which he said was the approach of the great masters of the ancient Nalanda University. Tibetan Monk Escapes after Criticizing Beijing Associated Press, May 28, 2014 A Tibetan monk, who worked on a documentary film critical of China's rule in the Himalayan region, said he escaped in 2012 after 4 years in Chinese police custody and fled to India last week after hiding for 20 months. Golog Jigme, 44, who had been arrested in China a few times since the documentary alleged that he was beaten severely during detention and was most recently detained in the Labrang monastery area in China's Gansu province in 2012. He was charged with distributing pamphlets about the Dalai Lama. He was arrested a few days after the riots in Tibet in 2008 and accused of passing sensitive information to foreign journalists. Filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen, who worked with Golog on the film, was arrested in March 2008 and charged with trying to split the country and sentenced to six years in prison in late 2009. New Appointments 10th TAR People’s Congress’s -- appointments and dismissals Tibet Daily, May 29, 2014 The 10th TAR People’s Congress met for its tenth meeting on 28th of May, 2014 and announced the following appointments and removals of Party members. Appointments: Standing Committee members for Nakchu (Ch: Naqu) Autonomous Region People's Congress. Ø Tsering Dorjee Ø Yang Dongsheng Ø Sonam Yangphel Ø Wang Xuan Zhong Ø Li Hongwei Ø Wangdak Sonam lobyang: Member of the Regional People’s Working Committee, Nagqu. Chime: Branch Inspector for the Autonomous Region People's Procuratorate of Nagqu; Yang Hong-Yan: Branch Inspector for the Autonomous Region People's Procuratorate Nagqu Zhou Meibin: Branch Inspector for Autonomous Region People's Procuratorate of Nagqu; Yong Li: Branch Inspector for the Autonomous Region People's Procuratorate of Nagqu; Yu Chang: Prosecutor for the Autonomous Branch of the People's Procuratorate Nagqu Sonam Yangchen: Judge and Second President of Shannan Prefecture Intermediate People's Court and criminal trial court. Pasang Dolma: Vice President of Shannan Prefecture Intermediate People's Court and the Criminal Trial court. Kelsang Paldon : Vice President of Shannan Second Intermediate People's Court and Criminal Trial Court Chonying: Vice President of Shannan Intermediate People’s Filing Court; Lobsang Dhondup: First Vice-President of Shannan Prefecture Intermediate People's Court and civil trial court Tsetan Dolkar: Vice President of Shannan Second Intermediate People's Court and Civil Trial Court Removed: Sonam Yangchen Vice President of Shannan First Intermediate Civil Trial Court Pasang Dolma : Vice President of Shannan Criminal Trial Court Karma Thinlay: Vice President and Judge of Nyingchi Prefecture Intermediate People's Judicial Committee. Pema Gyalpo : Judge of Nyingchi Prefecture Intermediate People’s Judicial Committee. Wangdue : Judicial Committee member of Intermediate People's Court of the Nyingchi Guohua : Judge of Nyingchi Intermediate People's Court Chophel: Vice President and Judge of Nyingchi Second Intermediate People's Court and Civil Trial Court Tashi Dolkar : Judge of Nyingchi Prefecture Intermediate People's Court. www.people.com and Xining Evening News, May 16, 2014 The Qinghai Provincial Standing Committee on 16th May elected Wang Jianjun, Deputy Secretary of the CCP Party Committee as well as Secretary of the Xining Municipal Committee and member of the Standing Committee, to the post of Xining Party Secretary. The previous Secretary of the Xining Party committee, Mao Xiaobing, was removed on 24th April 2014 for violation of party discipline. After being elected, Wang Jianjun said he had come back to the familiar collective working environment and would like to work hard to arrange things in the order of priority. He described Xining asthe most civilized and safest of provinces due to its wonderful composition of ethnic groups. Wang Jianjun was Xining Party Secretary earlier from January 2007 to December 2011.
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