News and Views
A collection of news-items and information from various Tibet-related sources.
 Beijing's Black Jails.   100MB download, requires Flash and broadband
A shocking, firsthand report on the existence of 'black jails' in Beijing - Jails which are themselves undercover and illegal in nature. These jails typicaly contain dissidents, especially those who have protested aginst the demolition of housing to make way for the Olympic complex. The reporters took a substantial personal risk to obtain this footage,  which underlines the severity of the corruption in Communist China. We may safely assume that similar goings-on are routine events in Tibet.


Olympic Torch to be taken to Everest.

BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese mountaineers will carry the Olympic torch to the top of Mount Everest, making the final assault on the world's tallest peak from a staging camp some 500 yards from the summit, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.

Gao Zhisheng writes to the US Congress. .

A well-known Chinese lawyer and human-rights campaigner writes to the US Congress about corruption within the Chinese government.  This lengthy treatise covers a wide range of topics, and presents a revealing picture of what really goes-on behind the all the political spin and whitewashing. Tibet is only briefly mentioned, perhaps excusably as this is a view of China from a Chinese Christian's standpoint, nevertheless his findings closely echo and corroborate those of researchers into Tibetan human-rights issues.

Crackdown ahead of CCP Congress.. 

  BBC report on widespread secret-police activity in preparation for CCP Congress.  (Sept. 07)
 "Chinese President Hu Jintao is expected to tighten his grip on power, and the authorities are keen that those with other ideas are kept well away."

Yahoo sued for HR abuses...

  Wife of jailed Chinese dissident  Wang Xianoning is to sue Yahoo China for their involvement in Web-monitoring activities, which led to his arrest.

Our Uni friends put on a great show...

This month (Feb 2007) the Aberdeen Uni Amnesty Group have staged a couple of events publicising human-rights isuses in China.  The first of these centered around issues in mainland China,  with a short film on organ-harvesting, followed by a personal account from Helen Jiang,  a Chinese citizen who was arrested and tortured by the Beijing secret police for practicing Falun Gong. The second event featured a private showing of the film "Cry of the Snow Lion" - a documentary tracing the history of China's involvement in Tibet from pre-invasion times to the present day. Both events were to capacity audiences, and we were extremely pleased to see the level of interest in Chinese/Tibetan issues expressed by students.  A further event featuring a talk by Prof. Martin Milne is planned for March.

Human Rights Day was 10 December - and we ran an information-stand and filmshow in Aberdeen. See the Events page for more details. For filmshows in other areas, see www.humanrightsfilmday.org

Mountain Shooting: CCP Soldiers use Tibetan refugees for target-practice - This report by an independent mountaineering group highlights the sheer callousness of the Communist troops towards the people they have conquered.  The case also features on the UK Free Tibet site, and is the main  theme of our Human Rights Day vigil in Aberdeen. 

Beijing Olympics key issue for Tibet campaigning, says ITSN meeting.

Apple admits iPods made in Chinese sweatshops. (Aug 06)
Google is reconsidering its criticised Internet-search filtering policy within China. (Jun 06)

- Meanwhile, Google Earth manages to lose Tibet completely. (Aug 06) -This multipage Register report has some very interesting pics of the region.

Concentration Camps - Shocking evidence of organ-harvesting from live prisoners in China. (BBC report) and further investigation by WOIPFG which suggests that large numbers of prisoners may be held in special camps, specifically as organ-donors.

Gao Zhisheng, Chinese lawyer, hits out at Communist regime's atrocities. (The Guardian, 29 Jan 2006)

Internet Attacks by CCP operatives against UK secrets a major concern, says the Guardian.
Guardian Report - Spanish court has agreed to hear case against Jiang Zemin for atrocities in Tibet.

Human Rights Day 2005 Our usual stand in St Nicholas Square attracted a large number of visitors this year.

Press Coverage of Hu Jintao's recent State Visit to the UK.  (Link to FreeTibet site)

Tess Burrows Talk at Aberdeen University, on recent mountaineering expeditions, and  experiences in Tibet.

Radio Free Asia report on crackdown against references to the Dalai Lama in Tibetan monasteries.
CECC Report 2005 Website of the USA Congressional-Executive Commission on China - Annual  report 2005 now out, and contains some enlightening comments on the Tibet situation.
Yahoo Responsible for supporting  Police State activities in China. LA Times article.

HRW Letter to Tony Blair, prior to his China visit. This lettter gives a very detailed and informative account of the general human-rights situation in China. In particular see the section titled "IV: Religious Repression."

Centre for Himalayan Research  to be opened at Aberdeen University. (Aug  2005)

NTDTV Update:Free-world satellite transmissions to China and Tibet have been assured for the forseeable future! Thanks to public support, NTDTV have come to an arrangement with Eutelsat which guarantees the continuation of the East Asian feed for  the forseeable future. (2 Sep 05)

Lhasa River Polluted  Reports indicate that Chinese urban and industrial development in Tibet's capital is taking its toll on the environment.  The current intensive project to build a rail link into Tibet is blamed for making the water of the Lhasa River undrinkable. (Epoch Times, Aug 05)

Radio Jamming features heavily in the Communist Party's  blocking of outside information. Radio Netherlands investigates  the issues of radio jamming within China, and reveals that the CCP are also helping and encouraging other despotic regimes to jam democratic-world radio stations. (4 Aug 2005)
Miss Tibet Banned  from Miss Tourism Pageant in Malaysia, at the request of CCP.  (Epoch Times,  Jul 05.)

Amalia Rubin of Students for a Free Tibet, speaks on atrocities in Tibet since the invasion.  (9 Jun 05)

Parliamentary Debate on the Tibet issue, 28 Jun 2005, which heavily condemns the Chinese presence.

11-Year Sentence for hoisting theTibetan Flag.  Two monks sentenced to eleven years imprisonment for displaying the Tibetan flag on a radio-jamming tower.  (Epoch Times, 24 May 05)

NTDTV Update: Free-world satellite transmissions to China and Tibet are once more under threat as Eutelsat, under immense pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, desperately tries all possible tactics to avoid continuing its East Asia broadcasting contract with NTDTV.  Support the free Press/TV by writing to Eutelsat or signing the petition! (25 May 05)

Dalai Lama's portrait taken down Aberdeen University kowtows to Communists, and removes the portrait of one of its most distinguished  honorary-degree holders. (Update: Photo is to be reinstated.)

CCP bullies Eutelsat to cease free-press satellite transmissions into China.  (April '05)

The CCP has recently used a bargaining-chip of Olympics coverage to persuade satellite-broadcaster Eutelsat  to "pull the plug" on Asian transmissions of NTDTV, which is presently the only free-press TV station to provide a Chinese-language service to that part of the world. More information on the Epoch Times site.

Nepal closes Tibetan Refugee Centre  (27 Feb 05)

Bowing to Chinese Communist Party pressure, Nepal has closed  its centre for Tibetan refugees,  along with the Dalai Lama's Office in Kathmandu.  These closures are of serious concern for Tibetan refugees seeking asylum or passage through Nepal, and are yet another example of the insidious tactics of the CCP in attempting to persuade other countries to aid them in their persecution of ethnic minorities.  More information on the FreeTibet site  (link opens in new window)

Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche

Imprisoned religious leader Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche has had his sentence commuted to Life imprisonment.  However, this news, while welcome, is not a significant result, as life imprisonment  in China is in some ways a fate worse than death. (offsite link, opens in new window)

Straw leaves for China:

On 20 January 2005, the Deputy First Minister arrives for talks in Beijing. Of concern are the issues of Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche's unlawful imprisonment, and the possibility that the arms embargo on China may be lifted in spite of ongoing refusal to comply wth human-rights Laws. More info on the Free Tibet site (opens in a new window)

Human Rights Day Publicity Event:

On December 10th, we held our annual candlelit vigil in St Nicholas Square. This year,  the theme of the event was Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche's  unlawful arrest and threat of execution.

Talk by Geshe Lobsang Tenpa:

A presentation on the issues surrounding the case of Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, with very detailed and comprehensive background information, and some revealing insights by a firsthand acquaintance. 

Tibetan Envoys depart for Beijing:

A third delegation has just departed from the Dalai Lama's residence in Dharamsala to Beijing, for talks on the future of Tibet. (Sept 11 2004)

2004 Summer Collections:

This summer, thanks to public generosity we've raised substantial amounts of cash for Good Causes in relation to Tibet and its people. This page gives details of the amounts raised, and the uses these funds will be put to.

Jiang Steps Down:

September 19: Jiang Zemin, leader of China's military during the era of worst human-rights abuses, resigns as leader of the PLA. His role will be taken over by Hu Jintao. Architect of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Jiang Zemin is barred form entering several Western states in connection with his human-rights abuses, and may be held to stand trial in several others if he should set-foot there.

Watershed Flashpoint

A fact not often recognised is that a high proportion of all of  East Asia's freshwater-resources stem from the mountains of Tibet. The Chinese Communist Party's  one-sided plans to manipulate those resources for its own use might well lead to a serious international conflict.

Phuntsog Nyidrol's release

The release of the last of the "Drapchi Fourteen" in Feb 2004 marked the end of a long campaign to secure the human rights of these brave and determined nuns, who endured all manner of hardship  and suffering simply because they would not give up their vision of  a self-detemining Tibetan society.