With the start of winter school break in Tibet, Chinese authorities have implemented new restrictions on Tibetan children, banning private Tibetan-language lessons and requiring ones that focus on Mandarin skills and Chinese political topics, two sources with knowledge of the situation said.
In some areas, they are even forbidding children from wearing religious symbols or participating in religious activities, since the winter break began on Dec. 30, said the sources who requested anonymity for safety reasons.
The restrictions are the latest moves that appear to be part of Beijing’s wider goal to suppress and even erase the Tibetan language and culture and subsume everything under Han Chinese culture and the Mandarin language.
During the two-month-long winter break, Tibetan students in the capital Lhasa and across Tibet are prohibited from receiving tutorials outside of school-planned assignments or taking private lessons in the Tibetan language, they said.
Instead, authorities have instructed students to focus on improving their Mandarin-language skills by taking lessons to further enhance their proficiency, the sources said.
Tibetan students learn Tibetan writing in a first-grade class at the Shangri-La Key Boarding School in Dabpa county, Kardze Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, Sept. 5, 2023.(Andy Wong/AP)
In Dzoge (Zoige in Chinese) and Ngaba (Aba) counties in Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, authorities have restricted children from wearing clothing with Tibetan religious symbols, one of the sources said.
This comes along with a ban on Tibetan-language tutoring and a prohibition on parents from taking their children to monasteries or letting them participate in religious activities during the vacation. Teaching any academic modules beyond the Chinese state-approved curriculum is strictly prohibited, the sources said.
Vacation assignments
The restrictions are being enforced across various Tibetan areas such as Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai province and Dzoge, Ngaba, and Kardze in Sichuan province, they added.
The Chinese government has specifically prohibited the teaching of Tibetan language during the winter break, mandating that students focus on school homework based on Chinese government political education only.
“In Golog, for example, the Qinghai Provincial Education Department has issued specific vacation assignments focusing on the improvement of the Mandarin language alongside the ban on learning Tibetan language and culture in the area,” the second source said.
Tibetan students line up at the Shangri-La Key Boarding School in Dabpa county, Kardze Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, Sept. 5, 2023.(Andy Wong/AP)
These so-called vacation assignments require both parents and students to jointly study Chinese political education, including Xi Jinping’s ideology, he added.
Additional restrictions have been imposed in Lhasa and other Tibetan regions, where Chinese authorities have issued notices mandating the strict surveillance of students and prohibiting them from joining online groups or community activities, sources said.
In 2021, Chinese authorities in various Tibetan areas began prohibiting Tibetan children from taking informal Tibetan-language classes or workshops during their winter holidays, a move that local Tibetans and parents of affected children said would negatively impact the children’s connection to their native language.
In late 2023 and in early 2024, Chinese authorities stepped up efforts to enforce the ban on children taking private lessons and participating in religious activities by going door-to-door to conduct random checks in residential areas and commercial establishments, RFA learned at the time from sources.
Translated by Dawa Dolma for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan, and by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Tibetan.
China is moving ahead with plans to build the world’s largest hydropower dam on Tibet’s longest river despite environmental, water security and displacement concerns raised by India, Bangladesh and Tibetan rights groups.
The Chinese government granted approval to build the Medog Hydropower Station on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, where it is expected to generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually, three times the power of China’s massive Three Gorges Dam, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
The river originates in the glaciers of western Tibet and flows into India and Bangladesh, where it is known as the Brahmaputra and the Jamuna rivers, respectively.
China did not disclose details about when construction was likely to start and end, or the likely impact of the new dam project, including the number of people displaced or the ecological, environmental and cultural consequences of what Tibetans consider as one of their most sacred and biodiverse regions.
(Paul Nelson/RFA)
But experts and activists say the impact will be significant Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Nyingchi city and that China could use the dam to promote its interests. It will almost certainly affect water flow patterns and native flora and fauna, and it also raises concerns about water security as China may use the dam to control the flow of water downstream.
“Any dam on a river has huge ecological consequences downstream,” India-based water conservation expert Vishwanath Srikantaiah told Radio Free Asia. “China may use it as a tool by withholding and not being transparent with data on dam operations.”
“Lessons that India can take are from the dams on the Mekong River that China has built [in Laos] and which have impacted downstream nations particularly in years of drought, and how China has operated them broadly on principles of self-interest,” Srikantaiah said.
Research has shown that China’s 11 mega-dams on the upper reaches of the Mekong River have resulted in an increase in the frequency and severity of downstream drought over the past two decades. The dams have restricted or blocked water from reaching downstream countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, as well as disrupted biodiversity and eroded river banks.
Tibetan protests
China’s dam projects have generated protests in the past.
The Yarlung Tsangpo River flows past Medog town in Tibet, Dec. 24, 2024.(Planet Labs)
Beijing’s investment to build the dam is expected to exceed 1 trillion yuan (US$137 billion) Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Nyingchi city more than four times the total investment of 250 billion yuan (US$34.5 billion) for the Three Gorges Dam project.
The hydropower station will be built in Medog county (Motuo in Chinese) in Nyingtri (Nyingchi) prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region, bordering the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
“As far as hydropower projects in the Himalaya are concerned, there is already substantial evidence of their negative impacts,” Manshi Asher, a climate activist and researcher based in North India, told Radio Free Asia.
“This project will undoubtedly alter the environmental flows of the river,” Asher said. “The larger the dam, the greater the impact on the river flows.”
It isn’t clear how many people will have to move to make way for the dam and reservoir it will create.
The Yarlung Zangbo River is shown on the Tibetan Plateau in a Feb. 25, 2004, satellite image.(NASA)
The Three Gorges dam resulted in the displacement of around 1.4 million people, but the area around the Yarlung Tsangpo River where the Medog Hydropower Station is expected to be built is less populated than the area around the Yangtze River, where the Three Gorges dam was built.
Earthquake concerns
Another major concern is the Medog hydropower dam’s location in a geologically unstable area prone to earthquakes and landslides, that could be exacerbated by the huge volume of water it would hold, said Srikantaiah.
According to a study by the advocacy group International Campaign for Tibet, China has built or plans to build at least 193 hydropower dams in Tibet since 2000, of which, almost 80% are large or mega-sized.
Of the 193 dams, over 60% are reportedly still in the proposal or preparation stages. But if completed, they could displace over 1.2 million people and destroy religious sites, the rights group said.
Dechen Palmo, climate researcher at the Dharamsala, India-based Tibet Policy Institute, noted that while the specific details of the dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river have not been disclosed, the project would likely result in the displacement of Tibetans and the destruction of ancient monasteries.
The new mega-dam also would pose environmental risks with significant impact on neighboring countries, including India, as has been the case with multiple dams that China has built on Tibet’s rivers, he said.
Additional reporting by Tenzin Norzom and Dickey Kundol. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan, and by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Tibetan.
The British Museum’s use of the term “Xizang” to label Tibetan artifacts in its Silk Roads exhibition has prompted criticism from Tibetans and rights groups who have demanded that the museum remove the Beijing-promoted term and issue a formal apology.
Instead, they demand that the London museum use “Tibet” exclusively.
Earlier this year, the French museum Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac also came under fire using the term in its exhibit. In October, the museum said it would undo the change in its exhibits, following weeks of protests and petitions by Tibetans.
‘Inaccurate and deeply offensive’
The British Museum’s Silk Roads exhibition, which explores the history of the ancient trade route during the key period from 500 to 1000, features over 300 objects from the museum’s own collection and those loaned from at least 29 other institutions.
The exhibit opened in late September and runs until Feb. 23, 2025.
People walk in front of the British Museum in London, England, Sept. 28, 2023.(Hollie Adams/REUTERS)
On its labels and in catalogue materials describing Tibetan artifacts, the British Museum has used the phrase “Tibet or Xizang Autonomous Region.”
For example, a silver vase gifted by the 7th-century Tibetan Empire ruled by King Songtsen Gampo to neighboring Tang China was labeled as “Tibet or Xizang Autonomous Region, China.”
Tsering Passang, founder and chairman of the Global Alliance for Tibet and Persecuted Minorities, said use of “Xizang” is “not only inaccurate but deeply offensive to Tibetans.”
“It mirrors the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to erase Tibet from the global map, rewrite its history, and suppress the Tibetan people’s peaceful culture,” he said.
Tibetan groups — led by advocacy group Global Alliance for Tibet and Persecuted Minorities and the Tibetan Community in Britain — wrote to the British Museum, first on Nov. 25 and later on Dec. 18, citing their grave concerns about use of the term.
The British Museum, in its response to initial complaints filed by the Tibetan groups, defended its use of the term Xizang, saying it “reflects the contemporary region,” according to a statement by the Global Alliance for Tibet and Persecuted Minorities.
Tibetan activists, however, have rejected the museum’s explanation, saying it ignores the political implications of promoting terminology perpetuated by the Chinese Communist Party that legitimizes the Chinese state narrative.
The British Museum did not immediately respond to RFA’s request for comment.
But later Beijing replaced the use of the term “Tibet” with “Xizang” in all official diplomatic documents, with Chinese official experts saying the name “Tibet” has been geographically misleading to the international community, and rectifying it “will help enhance China’s international voice on Tibet.”
A logo of the British Museum is pictured on its wall, in London, Britain, September 28, 2023.(Hollie Adams/REUTERS)
The TAR borders India, Nepal and Bhutan to the south and spans more than 1.2 million square kilometers (460,000 square miles), making it China’s second-largest province-level division after the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to the north — which Uyghurs prefer to call “East Turkistan.”
Shaping global understanding
Tibetan activists say the British Museum, which is funded by U.K. Department for Culture, Media and Sport and whose permanent collection of over 8 million items is among the largest in existence — “bears a profound responsibility to present history and heritage with integrity.”
“This is not just about labels; it’s about the museum’s role in shaping global understanding of a culture that is actively being suppressed,” said Phuntsok Norbu, chairman of the Tibetan Community in Britain.
The group has also urged the British Museum to engage in dialogue with Tibetan scholars and community leaders to ensure the accurate representation of Tibetan history and culture in future exhibitions.
Tibetans in France have also been protesting against Paris’ Musée Guimet, which has one of the largest collections of Asian art outside of Asia, saying it had kowtowed to Chinese pressure in referring to its Tibetan section as the “Himalayan World.”
Additional reported by Dickey Kundol. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan and by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Loboe Socktsang and Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan.
A disturbing video has emerged showing a teacher slapping, pushing down and pulling the ear of a Tibetan student in front of other students gathered on what appears to be a sports field.
The video, which contains no sound, was contained in a report released by the Tibet Action Institute, an advocacy group based in North America, on Dec. 16. The incident was filmed on or before Nov. 18, according to sources of the rights group.
The institute identifies the teacher as Dang Qingfu, the school principal at a boarding school for Tibetan students called Tsokhyil Township Ethnic Boarding Primary School in Tsolho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in China’s Qinghai province.
Dang is also the local Communist Party secretary, the institute said.
The video footage of the incident was shared with the school’s parents’ association and was also posted online, where it went viral. However, Tibetans were later barred from sharing the footage.
China has many such boarding schools for Tibetan students, where they are instructed only in Mandarin, not in their native Tibetan language.
Tibetan advocates see these as part of broader government efforts to eradicate the use of Tibetan language and enforce “patriotic education,” which mandates that love of China and of the ruling Communist Party be incorporated into work and study for all.
The school has claimed the principal is under investigation, but still remains in his position. The Tibet Action Institute called for Dang to be immediately removed from his position and face legal charges.
Gyal Lo, an educational sociologist at Tibet Action Institute told Radio Free Asia, that the incident was a serious violation of human rights, ethnic rights and children’s rights.
But he said that it’s difficult to hold Chinese officials accountable in Tibetan areas as local governments consistently implement policies that contradict their own constitution.
“I don’t think the Chinese government will consider this as racial discrimination against Tibetans, investigate and punish these kinds of school principals,” he said.
In recent months, reports of abuse faced by Tibetan children at these state-administered boarding schools have come to light in recent months.
In October, RFA learned from sources that hundreds of young Tibetan Buddhist monks who had been forcibly transferred from a shuttered Buddhist monastery school to government-run boarding schools in Sichuan’s Ngaba county were being held in ‘prison-like conditions’ in the schools.
Edited by Tenzin Pema and Malcolm Foster
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Tibetan.
A new 223-volume Tibetan dictionary containing definitions of over 300,000 words presented to the Library of Congress last week will play a key role in preserving the Tibetan language amid China’s assimilation policies in the region, U.S. lawmakers and advocates said.
The Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary project, which began in 2012 under the advice and guidance of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s spiritual leader, took 150 people working over nine years to complete. It is one of the largest dictionaries in the world.
The project was overseen by the Monlam Tibetan IT Research Centre in Dharamsala, India. The education software development firm founded in 2012 is funded by The Dalai Lama Trust, The Tibet Fund and the United States Agency for International Development.
The dictionary is written entirely in the Tibetan script.
US Rep. Jim McGovern addresses the ceremony where the Tibetan Grand Monlam Dictionary is presented to the Library of Congress in Washington, Dec. 12, 2024.(RFA)
All 223 volumes in hardback format were presented to the Library of Congress in Washington DC on Dec. 12 as a “gift to the U.S. government and the American people.”
A free digital version of the dictionary is accessible for all on various iOS and Android apps.
‘An incredible resource’
U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat who was at the ceremony, called it “an incredible resource that will help preserve the Tibetan language for future generations” while highlighting China’s attempts to phase out Tibetan, such as forcing Tibetan children to attend Mandarin-only boarding schools.
Geshe Lobsang Monlam, founder and chief executive officer of Monlam Tibetan IT Research Centre, said the project was a “true community effort.”
It “involved the participation of many editors, scholars and heads of different Tibetan Buddhist religious traditions, which is why I take great pride in saying that this dictionary is truly representative of Tibetan culture,” Monlam told RFA Tibetan on the sidelines of the event.
“It will benefit not just the Tibetan people in our preservation of our language but also others, including in the U.S. and China, in imparting our ancient knowledge and culture,” he said.
Geshe Lobsang Monlam, founder and CEO of Monlam Tibetan IT Research Center, addresses the gathering at the Library of Congress during the presentation of the 223-volume Tibetan Grand Monlam Dictionary to the Library, Dec. 12, 2004.(Palden Gyal
/RFA)
The dictionary was given to the Library of Congress because “Tibetans have shared a long friendship and shared values with the American people,” he said. “We have also enjoyed the support of the U.S. government in the preservation of our culture, language and religious traditions.”
“This dictionary serves as proof of the fruits of that relationship and support,” he said.
Other speakers and guests at the Dec. 12 event included Tibetan government-in-exile leader Sikyong Penpa Tsering, International Campaign for Tibet President Tencho Gyatso, and representative Namgyal Choedup of the Office of Tibet in North America.
Bridging the gap
The dictionary project began as an effort to bridge the gap between the modern and ancient by developing the vocabulary and terminologies necessary in the Tibetan language to keep pace with the changing world and technological advancements, Monlam said.
The dictionary preserves the unique lexicographical system in Tibetan while incorporating the standard principles and the practices of modern dictionaries from other countries, said Monlam, a Buddhist monk, scholar and IT innovator.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering (2nd from L), Rep. Jim McGovern (3rd from R), Geshe Lobsang Monlam (2nd from R) and others hold volumes of the Tibetan Grand Monlam Dictionary during a ceremony when the dictionary was presented to the Library of Congress in Washington, Dec. 12, 2024.(Palden Gyal
/RFA)
Work on the dictionary is expected to continue for the next decade as the team continues to update it.
The Library of Congress’s Tibetan Collection, established in 1901, is one of the largest in the West, including the entire corpus of Tibetan literature from the 8th century to the present.
These include Buddhist and Bon-po philosophical texts and their commentaries, historical biographies, musical notations, the collected works of over 200 major Tibetan authors, bibliographies, and texts on linguistics, modern science, the social sciences and modern literature.
The library’s Tibetan Collection currently holds 17,000 treatises, 3,600 rare volumes, 57 different periodicals and over 15,000 photographic prints.
Additional reporting by Palden Gyal and Yeshi Tashi. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan, and by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Chakmo Tso for RFA Tibetan.
A new 223-volume Tibetan dictionary containing definitions of over 300,000 words presented to the Library of Congress last week will play a key role in preserving the Tibetan language amid China’s assimilation policies in the region, U.S. lawmakers and advocates said.
The Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary project, which began in 2012 under the advice and guidance of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s spiritual leader, took 150 people working over nine years to complete. It is one of the largest dictionaries in the world.
The project was overseen by the Monlam Tibetan IT Research Centre in Dharamsala, India. The education software development firm founded in 2012 is funded by The Dalai Lama Trust, The Tibet Fund and the United States Agency for International Development.
The dictionary is written entirely in the Tibetan script.
US Rep. Jim McGovern addresses the ceremony where the Tibetan Grand Monlam Dictionary is presented to the Library of Congress in Washington, Dec. 12, 2024.(RFA)
All 223 volumes in hardback format were presented to the Library of Congress in Washington DC on Dec. 12 as a “gift to the U.S. government and the American people.”
A free digital version of the dictionary is accessible for all on various iOS and Android apps.
‘An incredible resource’
U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat who was at the ceremony, called it “an incredible resource that will help preserve the Tibetan language for future generations” while highlighting China’s attempts to phase out Tibetan, such as forcing Tibetan children to attend Mandarin-only boarding schools.
Geshe Lobsang Monlam, founder and chief executive officer of Monlam Tibetan IT Research Centre, said the project was a “true community effort.”
It “involved the participation of many editors, scholars and heads of different Tibetan Buddhist religious traditions, which is why I take great pride in saying that this dictionary is truly representative of Tibetan culture,” Monlam told RFA Tibetan on the sidelines of the event.
“It will benefit not just the Tibetan people in our preservation of our language but also others, including in the U.S. and China, in imparting our ancient knowledge and culture,” he said.
Geshe Lobsang Monlam, founder and CEO of Monlam Tibetan IT Research Center, addresses the gathering at the Library of Congress during the presentation of the 223-volume Tibetan Grand Monlam Dictionary to the Library, Dec. 12, 2004.(Palden Gyal
/RFA)
The dictionary was given to the Library of Congress because “Tibetans have shared a long friendship and shared values with the American people,” he said. “We have also enjoyed the support of the U.S. government in the preservation of our culture, language and religious traditions.”
“This dictionary serves as proof of the fruits of that relationship and support,” he said.
Other speakers and guests at the Dec. 12 event included Tibetan government-in-exile leader Sikyong Penpa Tsering, International Campaign for Tibet President Tencho Gyatso, and representative Namgyal Choedup of the Office of Tibet in North America.
Bridging the gap
The dictionary project began as an effort to bridge the gap between the modern and ancient by developing the vocabulary and terminologies necessary in the Tibetan language to keep pace with the changing world and technological advancements, Monlam said.
The dictionary preserves the unique lexicographical system in Tibetan while incorporating the standard principles and the practices of modern dictionaries from other countries, said Monlam, a Buddhist monk, scholar and IT innovator.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering (2nd from L), Rep. Jim McGovern (3rd from R), Geshe Lobsang Monlam (2nd from R) and others hold volumes of the Tibetan Grand Monlam Dictionary during a ceremony when the dictionary was presented to the Library of Congress in Washington, Dec. 12, 2024.(Palden Gyal
/RFA)
Work on the dictionary is expected to continue for the next decade as the team continues to update it.
The Library of Congress’s Tibetan Collection, established in 1901, is one of the largest in the West, including the entire corpus of Tibetan literature from the 8th century to the present.
These include Buddhist and Bon-po philosophical texts and their commentaries, historical biographies, musical notations, the collected works of over 200 major Tibetan authors, bibliographies, and texts on linguistics, modern science, the social sciences and modern literature.
The library’s Tibetan Collection currently holds 17,000 treatises, 3,600 rare volumes, 57 different periodicals and over 15,000 photographic prints.
Additional reporting by Palden Gyal and Yeshi Tashi. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan, and by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Chakmo Tso for RFA Tibetan.
A new 223-volume Tibetan dictionary containing definitions of over 300,000 words presented to the Library of Congress last week will play a key role in preserving the Tibetan language amid China’s assimilation policies in the region, U.S. lawmakers and advocates said.
The Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary project, which began in 2012 under the advice and guidance of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s spiritual leader, took 150 people working over nine years to complete. It is one of the largest dictionaries in the world.
The project was overseen by the Monlam Tibetan IT Research Centre in Dharamsala, India. The education software development firm founded in 2012 is funded by The Dalai Lama Trust, The Tibet Fund and the United States Agency for International Development.
The dictionary is written entirely in the Tibetan script.
US Rep. Jim McGovern addresses the ceremony where the Tibetan Grand Monlam Dictionary is presented to the Library of Congress in Washington, Dec. 12, 2024.(RFA)
All 223 volumes in hardback format were presented to the Library of Congress in Washington DC on Dec. 12 as a “gift to the U.S. government and the American people.”
A free digital version of the dictionary is accessible for all on various iOS and Android apps.
‘An incredible resource’
U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat who was at the ceremony, called it “an incredible resource that will help preserve the Tibetan language for future generations” while highlighting China’s attempts to phase out Tibetan, such as forcing Tibetan children to attend Mandarin-only boarding schools.
Geshe Lobsang Monlam, founder and chief executive officer of Monlam Tibetan IT Research Centre, said the project was a “true community effort.”
It “involved the participation of many editors, scholars and heads of different Tibetan Buddhist religious traditions, which is why I take great pride in saying that this dictionary is truly representative of Tibetan culture,” Monlam told RFA Tibetan on the sidelines of the event.
“It will benefit not just the Tibetan people in our preservation of our language but also others, including in the U.S. and China, in imparting our ancient knowledge and culture,” he said.
Geshe Lobsang Monlam, founder and CEO of Monlam Tibetan IT Research Center, addresses the gathering at the Library of Congress during the presentation of the 223-volume Tibetan Grand Monlam Dictionary to the Library, Dec. 12, 2004.(Palden Gyal
/RFA)
The dictionary was given to the Library of Congress because “Tibetans have shared a long friendship and shared values with the American people,” he said. “We have also enjoyed the support of the U.S. government in the preservation of our culture, language and religious traditions.”
“This dictionary serves as proof of the fruits of that relationship and support,” he said.
Other speakers and guests at the Dec. 12 event included Tibetan government-in-exile leader Sikyong Penpa Tsering, International Campaign for Tibet President Tencho Gyatso, and representative Namgyal Choedup of the Office of Tibet in North America.
Bridging the gap
The dictionary project began as an effort to bridge the gap between the modern and ancient by developing the vocabulary and terminologies necessary in the Tibetan language to keep pace with the changing world and technological advancements, Monlam said.
The dictionary preserves the unique lexicographical system in Tibetan while incorporating the standard principles and the practices of modern dictionaries from other countries, said Monlam, a Buddhist monk, scholar and IT innovator.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering (2nd from L), Rep. Jim McGovern (3rd from R), Geshe Lobsang Monlam (2nd from R) and others hold volumes of the Tibetan Grand Monlam Dictionary during a ceremony when the dictionary was presented to the Library of Congress in Washington, Dec. 12, 2024.(Palden Gyal
/RFA)
Work on the dictionary is expected to continue for the next decade as the team continues to update it.
The Library of Congress’s Tibetan Collection, established in 1901, is one of the largest in the West, including the entire corpus of Tibetan literature from the 8th century to the present.
These include Buddhist and Bon-po philosophical texts and their commentaries, historical biographies, musical notations, the collected works of over 200 major Tibetan authors, bibliographies, and texts on linguistics, modern science, the social sciences and modern literature.
The library’s Tibetan Collection currently holds 17,000 treatises, 3,600 rare volumes, 57 different periodicals and over 15,000 photographic prints.
Additional reporting by Palden Gyal and Yeshi Tashi. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan, and by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Chakmo Tso for RFA Tibetan.
A Tibetan rights activist, known for publicly criticizing Chinese authorities online, was detained for two weeks from Nov. 29 in Qinghai province on alleged charges of “spreading false information” and “causing trouble” on social media, two sources told Radio Free Asia.
Tsering Tso, 39, was held under “administrative detention” from Nov. 29 to Dec. 13 for her activities on social media by the Public Security Bureau in Trika county, known as Guide in Chinese, which said she fabricated facts and posted false statements online in November 2024.
Tso has been detained or harassed at least five times in the past five years, including for allegedly violating COVID-19 restrictions, spreading false information about Chinese officials, and violating internet regulations, sources told RFA.
More specifically, her most recent detention was related to a video Tso posted on social media around Nov. 20, where she filmed a police officer at the Public Security Bureau denying her application for a passport entry and exit permit, saying that she had been listed as having a criminal record.
Tso did not reveal any details about her treatment by officials during her detention and her current condition after release is unclear, the sources said.
Following her release on Dec. 13, a defiant Tso, however, posted on her personal WeChat account saying, “The laws in Qinghai province differ from those in China. Each time I report on the police force’s discriminatory practices and violations of their disciplinary rules, they exert their power to arbitrarily detain and pressure the whistleblower on false charges of creating trouble.”
Tso, who operates a travel company through which she organizes tours in various parts of the country, including Lhasa, has repeatedly advocated for equal rights for Tibetans.
She has spoken out about the abuses of power by Chinese authorities and about the hardships Tibetans face in starting and running businesses in their homeland.
In two videos obtained by the Dharamsala-based Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy advocacy group on Oct. 16 and Oct. 19, 2023, Tso can be seen highlighting the difficulties of obtaining a license to run a small business and accusing local leaders of corruption and misusing their power for personal gain.
Earlier this year, Tso was subjected to a 10-day “administrative detention” in Yushu prefecture in June and July for “endangering social stability.”
This came after she called out the discriminatory practices of Chinese authorities against two Tibetan monks who were traveling on a pilgrimage, requiring them to obtain additional permissions and subjecting them to interrogation while the Chinese tourists were not required to do the same.
Additional reporting by Dorjee Dolma. Translated and edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Tibetan.
Nepal referred to Tibet as “Xizang” in a statement issued after its new Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli completed a four-day visit to Beijing this week, his first trip outside the country after his election — not India, as is traditionally the case.
Xizang is a term promoted by Beijing, but Tibetan advocates say it is yet another attempt by China to erase their distinct cultural heritage.
Both moves highlight China’s growing influence in Nepal — and its hopes to reap the economic benefits of closer ties to Beijing, experts and Tibetan advocates said.
“The joint declaration between Nepal and China in which the word ‘Xizang’ is used instead of Tibet shows the lengths to which Nepal is willing to go to appease China,” said Sriparna Pathak, an associate professor of China studies at the O.P. Jindal Global University in Haryana, India, and a former consultant at India’s foreign ministry.
“This is a complete disregard of the Tibetan cause, the struggle and the history,” she told Radio Free Asia.
“This does not augur well at all for Tibetans living in Nepal.”
China experts cite the promises of millions of dollars of Chinese investment as a reason for the Nepalese government restricting Tibetan activities in the country.
Oli’s extended visit, which ended Thursday, also included an agreement related to China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, a grand plan to boost global trade through infrastructure development.
In other signs of China’s influence, Nepali police regularly detain Tibetans in Kathmandu for “questioning” during high profile visits by Chinese officials.
Authorities also increase surveillance on Tibetan refugee settlements during cultural celebrations like the Tibetan New Year or the birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama.
Stalled BRI projects
In the joint statement issued this week by Nepal and China, the two sides emphasized the importance of “law enforcement cooperation.”
China said it is “willing to provide support for Nepal to the best of its capacity through capacity building, including trainings in the field of combating cyber crimes, and assistance of police supplies.”
Nepal signed an initial agreement to join the BRI in 2017, but highway construction and other projects have stalled since then.
Oli’s visit included the signing of a framework agreement to get those projects off the ground with feasibility studies.
China has previously promised to transform Nepal from a “landlocked nation into a land-linked hub.”
Nepal, in turn, has reaffirmed its allegiance to China, particularly on issues related to Taiwan and Tibet, with the use of Xizang in official documents as the latest example.
In this week’s joint statement, Nepal “reiterated that Xizang affairs are internal affairs of China, and that it will never allow any separatist activities against China on Nepal’s soil.”
That was another example of China “using its power to make a smaller country serve its political agenda,” said Tencho Gyatso, president of Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet.
“Whatever name is used does not alter the fact that the Tibetan people are suffering under China’s misrule,” she told RFA.
Economic diplomacy
The previous prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, visited Beijing in September 2023.
The joint statement issued afterward only referred to Tibet – not Xizang – but it did state that Nepal would “never allow any separatist activities against China on Nepal’s soil.”
“Over the years, the space for Tibetans in Nepal has continued to remain constrained,” said Manoj Kewalramani, a China Studies fellow at Bengaluru, India-based Takshashila Institution.
“I think this trend is likely to continue. Beijing has always used economic diplomacy to serve such political ends,” he said. “These are among the strings that come with Chinese money.”
The BRI framework cooperation agreement highlighted Nepal’s preference for grants instead of loans to fund the projects. That issue delayed the signing of the deal for a day, but both countries eventually agreed on Wednesday to a combination of grants and loans in the framework.
Critics have accused China of “debt diplomacy” – trapping nations with financial liabilities for major infrastructure projects they can ill-afford and which then could might be leveraged for Beijing’s political benefit.
Additional reporting by Dorjee Damdul, Abby Seiff, Tsering Namgyal and Dickey Kundol. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Tenzin Pema and Tenzin Norzom for RFA Tibetan.
A Tibetan environmental activist from China’s Sichuan province has been sentenced to eight months in prison, after he made a rare public appeal to authorities over a company he accused of illegally extracting sand and gravel from a river, two Tibetan sources told RFA.
Tsogon Tsering, 29, from Tsaruma village in Ngaba prefecture, called Aba in Chinese, openly posted a 5-minute video in which he held up his government ID card and accused Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering Co. of the illegal activity along the Tsaruma River since May 2023.
On Oct. 27, the Kyungchu County People’s Court charged Tsering with “disturbing social order” and “provoking trouble and picking quarrels” for raising concerns about the environmental impact of the sand and gravel extraction, including reduced water levels, soil erosion and risk to homes located near the river, the sources said.
Until the news of his sentencing last week, Tsering’s whereabouts and condition had remained unknown since “a day or two after” Oct. 20, when authorities had summoned him a second time on the pretext of investigating the matter and detained him.
Authorities initially summoned Tsering and other villagers for questioning on Oct. 18, just two days after Tsering made the online public appeal — a rare move in Tibet, where speaking out against authorities or state-approved projects often leads to reprisals. At the time, they were all released back to their homes, but Tsering was detained.
A view of an area where sand and gravel are being illegally extracted from the Tsaruma River in Kyungchu county, southwestern China’s Sichuan province, in an image posted on WeChat by Tibetan resident Tsongon Tsering, Oct. 15, 2024.
Tsering is currently being held in Kyungchu County Prison and faces continued investigation and threats of extended sentencing, the sources told RFA.
“Authorities have also indicated to the family that the eight-month-long prison sentence is not final, emphasizing that they will continue to investigate the matter completely before making a conclusive ruling,” one of the sources said.
Speaking out
Tsering’s detention is an example of the risks Tibetans face for speaking out and the swift action authorities take to silence those who raise concerns about environmental degradation in their communities, especially when linked to Chinese companies.
Other Tibetan environmental defenders, such as Anya Sengdra, have faced persecution for their activism. In 2019, Chinese authorities sentenced Sengdra to a seven-year prison term on charges of disturbing social order after he complained online about corrupt officials, illegal mining and the hunting of protected wildlife.
“Authorities are treating Tsering’s environmental advocacy as criminal activity and accusing him of stirring up social unrest for personal vendettas,” said the second source. “His family and locals are under heavy surveillance and restrictions on sharing information about his case.”
A view of the results of illegal sand and gravel extraction along the Tsaruma River in Kyungchu county, southwestern China’s Sichuan province, in an image posted on WeChat by Tibetan resident Tsongon Tsering, Oct. 15, 2024.
Authorities acted quickly after Tsering’s video became popular on Chinese social media, shutting down his WeChat account and censoring all search terms related to his name on the platform.
The video, which gained significant attention online, had been widely shared by other platform users, but those posts were taken down as well, so that all related content had been censored by Oct. 17.
In the video, Tsering describes Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering’s extensive mining operations and repeated appeals made by Tibetans to local authorities to take action against the company for causing environmental harm.
Additional reporting by Dickey Kundol. Translated by Dawa Dolma for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan, and by Roseanne Gerin and Joshua Lipes.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Tibetan.
The top awards for the 2024 International Contest for Minority Artists were presented to five award winners — Bianca Broxton, Joel Pérez Hernández, Francis Estrada, Laowu Kuang and youth laureate Jayatu Chakma — during a special ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland.
UN Human Rights partnered with civil society organizations, Freemuse, Minority Rights Group International, the City of Geneva, the Centre des Arts of the International School of Geneva, and with the support of the Loterie Romande. The theme, Memory in the Present, celebrates the creativity and cultural expression of minority artists whose artwork explores themes relating to memory and memorialization around the globe.
“Naturally, such collective identities will largely be grounded in a collective memory of events, generating or perpetuating values or traditions that shape the way persons belonging to a minority feel bound together by common experiences,” said Nicolas Levrat, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues. “Such memories often define how and why these past experiences shared by persons belonging to a given minority (or by previous generations) make them singular, different from other groups.”
The contest serves as a platform for minority artists human rights defenders who play a key role worldwide to build bridges of understanding, dialogue and empathy through creative and artistic means. It celebrates minority artists who have made significant contributions to raise awareness, inspire action, and foster deeper understanding of human rights across diverse communities.
Bianca Broxton is an American interdisciplinary artist who focuses on raising awareness of health inequalities among minority women in the United States. She frames historical narratives and memories around the marginalized voices using sculptures and collages to portray minorities with dignity and a focus on restorative justice.
“My experience as a Black woman drives me to tell the histories of those who have faced systemic oppression and to portray them positively. I refuse to have my subjects seen only as victims of systemic injustice,” she said.
Laowu Kuang is a visual artist belonging to the Tibetan minority in China. Through a vivid interplay of colors and textures displayed on large canvases, his artwork navigates themes of memory and memorialization in contemporary China, through traditional Tibetan symbols and motifs.
“In contrast to Western painting, with its excessive color scale, and Han Chinese painting, with its muted and elegant concept of applying colors, Tibetan painting has a strong and intense contrast of colors,” he said. “The stone carvings of Tibetan folk art are a perfect combination of religion and nature, which is a communication and dialogue between human beings and gods, between heaven and earth.”
Joel Pérez Hernández is a visual and plastic artist from the Maya Tseltal people, born in the Lacandón jungle of Chiapas, Mexico. Hernández has dedicated years to studying traditional techniques and motifs with elder artisans and creators of his community.
“Much knowledge is asleep in our mountains, voices are trapped in the rivers, colors sleep under the stones, and in our collective memory, as well,” he said. “My people nourish me and motivate me to awaken all that; that is what I include in my works. I find no need to sign my pieces, because my people, my family, my friends make up the essence of each one of them.”
Born in the Philippines, Francis Estrada is a visual artist and educator, currently residing in the United States. Estrada’s artwork focuses on culture, history, and perception, and questions the influence of historical photographs, mass media, political propaganda, and personal archives on social narratives and collective memory.
“My art is a tool through which I confront how our understandings of culture are mediated, and the methods through which history and memory are created and perpetuated,” he said. “I think of my work as partial narratives for the viewers to complete based on their own experiences and associations.”
Youth laureate Jayatu Chakma is an artist belonging to the Chakma Indigenous community of the Chittagong Hill Tracts region in Bangladesh. His artwork features ink, acrylic, watercolor, and natural elements like mud and colors from leaves, as a way to reflect on the life of his community in relation with forced displacement and the loss of their lands.
“Chittagong Hill Tracts is a part of Bangladesh which represents a culture of variation in terms of people and landscape,” he said. “But there are stories hidden behind the decorated valleys of Chittagong Hill Tracts: my artworks are influenced by the stories of being displaced, losing belongings and relatives. I want to create artworks that show a different side of Chittagong Hill Tracts, besides its natural beauty and cultural diversity that we see on TV.”
A prominent Tibetan art collector and environmental activist who was sentenced to prison in 2010 has been released after serving nearly 15 years amid deteriorating health and is expected to remain under strict surveillance, three sources told Radio Free Asia.
Karma Samdrub, 56, was arrested by Chinese authorities in January 2010 and sentenced by the Yangi County Court in Xinjiang later that year on trumped up charges of excavating ancient tombs and robbing cultural artifacts, despite having been cleared of all charges in a 1998 investigation.
He was released from prison in Xinjiang’s Shaya County on Monday, according to the three sources, who spoke to RFA on the condition of anonymity for security reasons.
In photos taken just after his release, the once well-built Tibetan businessman is seen needing the support of at least two to aid in his walking.
“He is now suffering from spinal and back-related health issues and needs assistance to even walk due to prolonged mistreatment, torture and prison labor in the past 15 years,” one of the sources told RFA.
Karma Samdrub, center, is supported by two men to aid in his walking on Nov. 18, 2024. (Citizen Photo)
Samdrub comes from a family of prominent Tibetans. He was the founder of the award-winning Three Rivers Environmental Protection Group and was profiled by a Chinese state media organization as its Philanthropist of the Year in 2006.
He and his brothers also won international awards for their conservation activities, including one from Ford Motors and a grant from the Jet Li One Foundation.
Brothers also arrested
At the time of his detention, Karma Samdrup was in the process of setting up a museum of Tibetan culture, and was judged by other Tibetans to own the largest private collection in the world of Tibetan art and artifacts.
His 2010 arrest is widely believed to have been in retaliation to his efforts to secure the release of his two environmentalist brothers, Rinchen Samdrup and Chime Namgyal, both of whom were detained in August 2009.
Rinchen Samdrup was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of subversion and “splitting the motherland” after posting an article about the Dalai Lama on a website. Family members, however, said he was detained after he accused local officials of hunting endangered animals.
Karma Samdrub, center, reunites with family and friends following his release from prison on Nov. 18, 2024. (Citizen Photo)
Chime Namgyal received a two-year sentence on charges related to his conservationist work with Rinchen Samdrup.
One of the three sources who spoke to RFA said that the two brothers were among the family members, friends and acquaintances who welcomed Karma Samdrup home this week.
As part of his 2010 sentence, Samdrub will be deprived of all political rights for the next five years. This means that his civil and political freedoms will be restricted, including the right to the freedom of assembly and speech, as well as the right to hold a position in various organizations.
Additional reporting by Tsering Namgyal. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Edited by Tenzin Pema, Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Choegyi and Yangdon for RFA Tibetan.
Prominent Tibetan language rights advocate Tashi Wangchuk was detained for 15 days on charges of ‘disrupting social order’ and allegedly spreading false information on social media and is now under strict surveillance, RFA Tibetan has learned.
Wangchuk’s detention comes as China intensifies its policies to suppress — or even eradicate — Tibetan and other ethnic languages and cultures and replace them with Mandarin and Han Chinese customs.
According to a release notice issued by the Yulshul (in Chinese, Yushu) City Detention Center obtained by RFA, Wangchuk, 39, was arrested by the Internet Police Unit in China’s Qinghai province on Oct. 20. After an investigation, he was detained for 15 days in the Yulshul Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture until his release on Nov. 4.
The document, dated Nov. 4, said Wangchuk — a former political prisoner — was accused of posting “false information” on social media platforms since June, for “repeatedly insulting and ridiculing government departments” and “negatively impacting the online environment and public order in society” by allegedly distorting and rejecting government policies.
Despite his release, Wangchuk remains under strict surveillance and is being subjected to ongoing interrogation, said a source familiar with his situation, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
A shopkeeper from the Yulshul township of Jyekundo, also called Gyegu, said Wangchuk was released from prison in January 2021 after he completed a five-year term for discussing language restrictions with Western media, but rights groups had continued to express concerns about his health and safety amid ongoing controls on his freedom.
‘Forced assimilation’
Maya Wang, associate China director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said Wangchuk’s case reflects the Chinese government’s broader efforts toward assimilation.
“Tibetans who have pushed back for Tibetan language rights – notably Tashi Wangchuk – and for their rights to express themselves, practice religion and culture in the way they prefer, have been imprisoned and harassed for doing so,” Wang told RFA.
“This is all part of the Chinese government‘s efforts to forcibly assimilate what they consider to be ’ethnic minorities’ and subsume them into what [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping] considers to be a rising Han Chinese nation,” she said.
Wang noted that the Chinese government has systematically replaced the Tibetan language with Mandarin as the medium of instruction in primary, middle and secondary schools, except for classes studying Tibetan as a language – treating it akin to a foreign language.
A man walks past a banner in Dharmsala, India, Jan. 27, 2017, demanding the release of Tibetan rights activist Tashi Wangchuk after his arrest in 2016.
While China claims to uphold the rights of all minorities to access a “bilingual education,” Tibetan-language schools have been forced to shut down and kindergarten-aged children regularly only receive instruction in Mandarin Chinese.
Observers say such policies are aimed at eliminating the next generation of Tibetan speakers and part of a broader effort by the government to destroy Tibetans’ cultural identity. Similar policies are deployed against Mongolians in Inner Mongolia and Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Earlier prison term
Since 2015, Wangchuk has been advocating against China‘s policies undermining the Tibetan language, calling for language protection as guaranteed in laws governing the country’s autonomous regions.
Wangchuk rose to prominence that same year through an interview with The New York Times about his efforts to sue local authorities in eastern Tibet after Tibetan language classes were canceled.
After the release of The New York Times documentary featuring his interview, Wangchuk was arrested in 2016 and tortured by Chinese authorities.
Since his release in from prison in 2021 Wangchuk has traveled throughout Tibet raising awareness of Chinese authorities’ suppression of the Tibetan language in schools, as well as petitioning government officials to defend and preserve Tibetan language and culture.
Activists and his lawyer say that Wangchuk has been under continued surveillance since his release.
In July 2023, human rights lawyer Lin Qilei said in a post to the social media platform X that he had met Wangchuk in Yushu, but their meeting and time together was cut short due to restrictions on their communication and local police pressure.
“Tashi Wangchuk’s case makes the harassment and scrutiny that former political prisoners face even more evident,” said Tenzin Khunkhen, researcher at the Central Tibetan Administration’s Human Rights desk.
Khunkhen also raised concerns about Wangchuk’s well-being, stating that his arrest and detention reflects the Chinese government’s ongoing crackdown on political prisoners in Tibet.
Translated by Dawa Dolma and Tenzin Pema. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Tenzin Dickyi and Dickey Kundol for RFA Tibetan.
Chinese authorities in Tibet have denied to retry an envirnomental activist who is serving a seven-year sentence for campaigning against government corruption, his lawyer said on social media.
Anya Sengdra, 53, a resident of Kyangchu township in Gade (in Chinese, Gande) county in the Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has already served six years of his sentence for “disturbing social order” after he complained online about corrupt officials, illegal mining and the hunting of protected wildlife.
He was convicted and sentenced in 2019, and has attempted to appeal the decision twice before, his lawyer Lin Qilei said in a post on X on Tuesday.
“This marks the third appeal for a retrial submitted to the Sixth Circuit Court of the Supreme People’s Court in Xi’an,” Lin said on X.
“As usual, I filled out the necessary forms and waited in line. After some time, a judge came out and informed me that they had decided not to review Sengdra’s case,” Lin said. “He advised me not to return to the court regarding this matter in the future.”
Residents in Kamala Harris’s ancestral village expressed disappointment at her defeat in the U.S. presidential election but said there is still hope in the future for her and that they feel pride in her participation in the hotly contested presidential race against Donald Trump.
Former President Trump, who previously won the November 2016 election, emerged as the victor on Wednesday morning.
In Harris’ maternal ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in Tamil Nadu, India, the frustration among residents, who were saying daily prayers at a temple for her victory, was clear as a Trump win became apparent.
“Many people gathered at our temple yesterday to pray for her victory,” Anbarasu, a retired oil company employee, told Radio Free Asia. “Though we’re disappointed by her defeat, she is still young and has future opportunities to run for president.”
“On behalf of myself and our villagers, we congratulate Trump and pray that his work benefits the people,” he added.
Young businessman Sundar said he was sad about Harris’ loss, though it was still admirable that she competed for the leadership of one of the world’s superpower nations.
Assistant village leader J.A. Sudhagar also expressed disappointment over Harris’ loss, despite residents’ many prayers at the local Dharmasastha Hindu temple. He extended congratulations to Trump on his victory “as per our tradition.”
Residents of Thulasendrapuram held special prayers and ceremonies at the temple on Nov. 5-6 to support Harris’ candidacy.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his win.
“Heartiest congratulations my friend Donald Trump on your historic election victory,” Modi wrote on X. “As you build on the success of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability, and prosperity.”
Several Indians interviewed by RFA said they were pleased with the result and optimistic that Trump’s victory would mean a continuation of his past relationship with Modi when he served as the 45th U.S. president.
Their relationship was marked by strong diplomatic engagement, strategic cooperation and personal warmth, despite sporadic spats over tariffs and trade imbalances.
“I am happy about Trump winning,” said New Delhi resident Sohan Lal. “I think he is good for India, and he is a friend of Modi.”
“If the American president is someone strong, then it is good for the world,” he said, adding that he believed Harris would not be as capable of governing the U.S. as Trump.
Manish, who works in the IT industry in New Delhi but only gave his first name, said Trump’s second term as president would be beneficial for the U.S. economy, given his experience as a businessman.
Manish also expressed hope that Trump’s good relationship with Modi would continue in the future.
Prashant, who also works in the IT industry in India’s capital but gave only his first name, agreed, expressing optimism that U.S.-India relations would reach a new high during Trump’s second presidential term.
“I think regardless of Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, whoever is better for India is what matters to us,” he said.
Additional reporting by Tenzin Dickyi and Dickey Kundol for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Tenzin Pema, Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Pema Ngodup and Tenzin Thardoe for RFA Tibetan.
Chinese authorities have detained a Tibetan environmental activist from Sichuan province after he made a rare public appeal on social media for action against a company he accused of illegally extracting sand and gravel from a river, two Tibetan sources said.
Two days after his public appeal — a rare action in Tibet, where speaking out against authorities or state-approved projects often leads to reprisals — officials summoned Tsering, 29, and other villagers for questioning.
They were all initially released back to their homes, but Tsering was summoned again and detained “a day or two after” Oct. 20, said the sources, who live in Tibet and in exile, respectively.
Tsering has remained in custody since then, added the sources, who declined to be named out of fear of reprisals by Chinese authorities.
“His family and fellow villagers are concerned about him and are hoping for his release, as they say he has committed no crime,” said the Tibetan inside the region.
The results of illegal sand mining are seen along the Tsaruma River in Kyungchu county in southwestern China’s Sichuan province in this image posted Oct. 15, 2024, by Tibetan resident Tsongon Tsering.
Tsering’s detention is an example of the risks Tibetans face for speaking out and the swift action authorities take to silence those who raise concerns about environmental degradation in their communities, especially when linked to Chinese companies.
International Campaign for Tibet, a rights group based in Washington, raised concerns about the well-being of the whistleblower, noting that other Tibetan environmental defenders have faced persecution for their activism.
Environmental activist Anya Sengdra is one of them. In 2019, Chinese authorities sentenced him to a seven-year prison term on charges of disturbing social order after he complained online about corrupt officials, illegal mining and the hunting of protected wildlife.
Quick action
Authorities acted quickly after Tsering’s video became popular on Chinese social media, shutting down his WeChat account and censoring all search terms related to his name on the platform.
The video, which gained significant attention online, had been widely shared by other users on the platform, but even those were taken down, and all related content had been censored by Oct. 17, Radio Free Asia learned.
“The video statement, which went viral on Chinese social media, reveals a troubling situation of environmental neglect, corporate irresponsibility, and apparent governmental inaction in protecting a critical water source for Asia,” said the International Campaign for Tibet.
“The young Tibetan man is at risk of persecution for expressing his frustration at the environmental damage in his hometown and seeking redress publicly,” the advocacy group said in a statement.
In the video, Tsering says Tibetan residents had repeatedly appealed to local authorities to take action against the company for causing environmental harm, but to no avail.
He adds that the county’s Ecological Environment Bureau responded to his complaint in April, confirming that the construction company had extracted sand and stones from the Kyungchu River, which feeds into China’s Yangtze and Yellow rivers, and that the company had been fined.
But Tsering said the response merely sought to cover up for the enterprise, with no action taken.
“The pollution of these river sources and the protection of local ecosystems and biodiversity are deeply interconnected issues,” he said.
“Moreover, this directly affects the water resources of Asia and the conditions of the high-altitude frozen soil.”
Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering, registered in China in June 2012, is involved in various construction projects, including road construction, urban development, hydropower projects and environmental protection works.
Additional reporting by Dickey Kundol. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan, and by Roseanne Gerin and Joshua Lipes.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Tibetan.
Is anyone surprised or disappointed that English Minister of Foreign Affairs, David Lammy (seen above with Israeli President, Herzog) has offered up not a word of concern about Tibet, or the plight of Tibetans, during his visit to China?
The man who defended and excused the denial of food, water, and medical supplies to Palestinians in Gaza, while Israel carpet-bombed civilians. Lammy’s tolerance (like that of the US Administration’s) of war crimes and mass slaughter was an inevitable indicator that his dealings with the Chinese dictatorship was always going to be as the nauseating diplomatic phrases has it, ‘pragmatic’. Commercial interests, as ever, are at the heart of foreign relations.
But his appalling silence on the oppression of Tibetans, and cultural genocide they suffer, was predictable. It’s also reflective, of what’s was recognized and exposed in 2021 by Anonymous Tibet, as a deterioration of interest within the English political establishment on the matter Tibet.
Video courtesy of @AnonymousTibet
Digging into the UK’s Parliamentary record ‘Hansard’ it’s noticeable how, over the past few years, references to Tibet by politicians has plummeted, unlike mention of the case of Uyghurs. Which has received increasing attention and concern.It is our view that this is no accident, or changing fad but a worrying indication of a significant shift of position. Such a development would be informed by, and directed from, the same foreign affairs department, now headed by Lammy.
Tibet it appears has been designated a ‘lost cause’ by the British ‘Foreign Office’. Although it (like the State Department) has never been genuinely interested in supporting Tibetan freedom.
We are in an age where genocidal slaughter is presented as ‘a right to defense’. When women and children are incinerated and torn apart by missiles, sourced from the USA. As political spokes-persons endorse military attacks upon innocent civilian populations, for the purpose of killing claimed terrorists. Aided by signals intelligence and surveillance flights from the UK!
Clearly human rights, and the plight of Tibet’s people, are of no value to those governments who happily collaborate with, enable and supply war crimes. Isn’t that right Mr Lammy?
Yannick Lintz President of Museum Guimet Image: CGTN
We have today issued a direct appeal to Madame Yannick Lintz, the President of the Museum Guimet, Paris.
This concerns the museum’s consideration to remove ‘Tibet’ from the description of Tibetan artifacts it holds. If enacted all items from Tibet would be displayed as coming from so-called ‘Xizang’ – a Chinese description.
We invite you to express your opposition to the censorship of Tibet’s name by contacting Ms Lintz and/or the museum via their ‘X’ accounts – @LintzYannick @MuseeGuimet
Read RFA coverage of this topic in Tibetan here, here and here.
A French museum that replaced “Tibet”’ with “Xizang” — a term promoted by the Chinese government but opposed by Tibetan advocates — said it would undo the change in its exhibits, following protests and petitions by Tibetans.
The Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris, which displays indigenous art from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas had renamed an exhibit with Tibetan artifacts as “Xizang.”
Tibetan representatives attend a meeting with Clément Tougeron, international affairs advisor to the president of the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, in Paris, France, Sept. 25, 2024. (Thupten Gyatso/Paris)
The museum acknowledged “inaccurateness” and told Radio Free Asia it would soon remove “Xizang” from displays and labels.
Tibetan activists and scholars accused the institution of acquiescing to the Chinese government’s attempts to rewrite history and enabling Beijing’s Sinicization of Tibetans into Chinese culture. They said the name change was contrary to the museum’s principle of preserving “historical aspects.”
Similarly, Tibetans in France also protested against Paris’ Musée Guimet, which has one of the largest collections of Asian art outside of Asia, saying it had kowtowed to Chinese pressure in referring to its Tibetan section as the “Himalayan World.”
On Aug. 31, about 20 experts in Asian studies wrote an open letter published in Le Monde expressing concern over the decision of the two French museums to use language that “reflects Beijing’s wishes,” calling it a threat to the academic integrity of Tibetan history.
More than 700 Tibetans and Tibet supporters in France protest outside the Musée Guimet in Paris, Sept. 21, 2024. (Dawa Tsering via Facebook)
Clément Tougeron, international affairs advisor to the president of the Musée du Quai Branly, met with representatives from six Tibetan organizations on Sept. 25 and apologized for being insensitive.
He said all artifacts from Tibet in the museum’s catalog would be identified as “Tibet” instead of Xizang within three weeks.
Sikyong’s letter
Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the democratically elected president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, also voiced his disappointment in a letter sent to several key leaders in France earlier this month, including the French minister of culture and the mayor of Paris, as well as to the directors of the two museums, calling for their intervention.
“Such action of pandering to the wishes of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government is deeply regrettable and that needs course correction,” he wrote.
He said it was disheartening that the cultural institutions in France — “a nation that cherishes liberty, equality, and fraternity — are acting in complicity with Beijing in its design to erase the identity of Tibet.”
“This utter disregard for linguistic norms and aspirations of the people of Tibet sets a dangerous precedent for democratic nations worldwide.”
Tibetans and Tibet supporters in France protest in front of the Musée Guimet in Paris, Sept. 21, 2024. (Tibet Tenzin/Paris)
The Tibet Museum of the Central Tibetan Administration, as the government-in-exile is formally known, also denounced the French museums’ decisions as a troubling distortion of history and a threat to Tibet’s cultural identity.
It noted that the renaming was part of a wider effort at the 7th International Seminar on Tibetan Studies in Beijing in August 2023, where scholars, including Wang Linping, pushed for the adoption of “Xizang” as a way to reframe Tibet’s identity on the global stage.
“This is not merely a linguistic preference but a political tactic, part of China’s long-standing campaign to reshape the world’s understanding of Tibet, just as it has done with other occupied regions like East Turkestan, rebranded as Xinjiang,” said Tenzin Topdhen, director of the Dharamsala, India-based Tibet Museum.
Additional reporting by Dickey Kundol and Lobe Socktsang for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Tenzin Pema, Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Tenzin Dickyi, Tashi Wangchuk, Rigdhen Dolma for RFA Tibetan.
Original Image China Daily – Info Additions @tibettruth
The Chinese regime invests a lot of effort and resources on its propaganda and disinformation campaigns, especially in regard to Tibet!It wants you to believe that Tibetans are happy and prosperous; that as a consequence of China, life in Tibet is a marvel of economic growth, its people contented and culture flourishing.
However the world is very aware of China’s record in Tibet, the denial of basic freedoms, human rights violations, mass-surveillance and eradication of Tibetan culture. As a consequence there’s understandable cynicism regarding claims made by the Chinese authorities.
This is why China places vital importance on the concept of the ‘independent’ observer, a non-Chinese visitor to endorse, affirm and bear witness that all is well in Tibet and its people. In its latest deception a number of Gen Z guests were invited by various Chinese Embassies to take part in a visit to Lhasa and Nyingtri, in U-Tsang and Kongpo regions respectively.
The four day trip, which took place September 24 to 27, was a staged and cynical illusion which involved a visit to an empty Potala Palace, attendance at an opera; the story of which is a Chinese political re-write of Tibetan history and a trip to a local school. No doubt the children were all super happy to inform their guests what a splendid ‘education’ they were receiving!
Among those who took part in this clear disinformation exercise was Ms Mimi Templar-Gay an English television producer and director. She is reported, by no less than the China Daily, as regarding the trip as ‘amazing’.
What ‘s truly is extraordinary however is that people can be so gullible, or wish to actively collaborate in a clear propaganda exercise, designed to conceal the oppression and suffering of Tibetans!
China has built a new heliport in Tibet near the Indian border, satellite photos show, a move that experts say would allow Beijing to rapidly deploy troops to remote areas during an armed clash with India.
According to satellite imagery and geospatial intelligence experts, China has quickly constructed a heliport that features a 600-meter runway and multiple hangars in Nyingchi, just 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the disputed border with India.
It is in Tibet’s Zayul county near the strategically sensitive “fishtail sector” of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The heliport is the latest addition to China’s extensive network of military installations in the southern part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, underscoring Beijing’s concerns over security along the border area. It follows Beijing’s practice of building model villages near contested areas, which then double as surveillance outposts.
Heliports in Tibet. (Takshashila Geospatial Bulletin)
China and India have competing claims on territory along the disputed 1,130-kilometer (700-mile) border between Tibet and India’s Arunachal Pradesh state. They still observe the McMahon Line, a colonial boundary between Tibet and British India dating back to 1914, with China claiming areas south of the McMahon Line.
2021 clash
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Nyingchi in 2021, a year after thousands of Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the western Himalayas after Beijing’s forces intruded into Indian territory. Deaths were reported by both sides in the fighting.
“The key importance of this newly built heliport is its proximity to the Indian border,” said Tenzin Younten, a strategic and open source intelligence analyst. “China has been steadily strengthening its military presence in the region, with a particular focus on helicopters.”
The heliport, near the banks of the Khangri Kabu Chu river, was cleared of thick vegetation for construction in early October 2023, said Dr. Y. Nithiyanandam, professor and the head of the Geospatial Program at the Bengaluru, India-based Takshashila Institution.
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives at the airport in Nyingchi in western China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, July 21, 2021. (Li Xueren/Xinhua via AP)
Helicopters enhance the Chinese military’s high-altitude operational capability, and heliports like the one in Nyinchi could serve as logistics hubs and allow for rapid troop and equipment movement, he added.
‘Accelerating its efforts’
Younten, an associate fellow at the India-based Centre for Contemporary Studies in Security and Technology, noted that India has significantly more heliports along the India-China border than the Chinese military.
“China is aware of this and may be accelerating its efforts to expand its air force infrastructure, including heliports, in the area,” he said. “Heliports built near the Indian border are primarily for military use rather than tourism.”
By 2035, China plans to construct around 59 general aviation airports and approximately 200 helipads in Tibet, Younten said.
It’s likely that India will soon counter-develop in the area of the new heliport, said Dr. Atul Kumar, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation.
Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force nearly 70 years ago, after which Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and thousands of his followers fled into exile in India and other countries around the world following a failed 1959 uprising against China.
Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment and extrajudicial killings.
Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Tashi Wangchuk and Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan.
We were outraged to read the report on Phayul (https://www.phayul.com/2024/09/08/50839/) about two highly respected French museums considering complying with the Chinese regime’s obliteration of the name ‘Tibet’.
If those museums go ahead with such a troubling collaboration it would mean they would censor any mention/description of Tibet from their displays, artifacts and presumably online and archive documents. Replacing it with ‘Xizang’ so-called ‘Autonomous Region’. That would be an appalling censorship.
We have today issued an appeal directly to the Presidents of the Musée du quai Branly and Musée Guimet, Ms Yannick Lintz and Mr Emmanuel Kasarhérou. With a copy to Ms Ms Rachida Dati France’s Minister of Culture. That document, in French, maybe seen here: https://tibettruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/museumappeal.pdf
If like us you are deeply concerned at this latest effort to eradicate the name of Tibet it would be a real help and positive solidarity for the Tibetan cause to express your concerns to the individuals named above at the following ‘X’ accounts: @LintzYannick @MinistereCC @quaibranly @MuseeGuimet
Chinese and Tibetan cadres, blind followers of China’s totalitarian ideology, gathered in Lhasa September 2 – 4 to discuss and agree a range of measures designed to tighten the grip of Xi Jinping’s regime and further eradicate Tibetan national and cultural identity.
Presided over by Wang Junzheng (above) Communist Party Secretary the delegates, when not offering up robotic applause, were ordered to intensify efforts to: “..implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on the work of Tibet and the Party’s strategy for governing Tibet in the new era, to further deepen reforms..”. The phrase ‘reform’ is a widely used euphemism by the Chinese Regime to mask coercive measures, human rights violations and denial of basic freedoms.
There was also an exhortation to: “Firmly establish the overall concept of national security, take the maintenance of stability as the first task, adhere to the casting of a firm sense of community of the Chinese nation as the main line, adhere to the promotion of the Chineseization (sic) of Tibetan Buddhism, to lay a solid foundation for long-term peace and stability.”.
Lhasa’s Dystopian Grid System – Image: earthstar geographics – click for more detail
The Tibetan people are controlled through a number of layers of ‘security’ imposed by the occupying Chinese regime. These include bio-metric identity cards, housing registration, facial-recognition CCTV systems, and 24/7 monitoring across the internet and social-media platforms.
In addition to such asphyxiating measures residential areas are also laid out in a grid system which enables in-situ surveillance of Tibetans. With communist party cadres and so-called residents’ committees to ensure compliance with the dictates of Xi Jinping. Informants populate each designated component of these grids, and any sign of dissent or ‘wrong thinking’ is reported to the authorities.
Below is an extract we researched and translated from a document, issued August 2024, by the so-called ‘Lhasa Municipal Party Committee’. Like all Chinese official documents its saturated with euphemisms, we’ve emphasized those for easier reference.
“Grass-roots governance work, Wiba village uses “grid + police grid” the dual-grid linkage mechanism to achieve party building led by the “multi-network fusion”, weaving firm pluralistic common governance “a net”. Wiba village sound grid work mechanism, a reasonable division of five integrated grid, each grid is equipped with a grid leader, a full-time grid, a community worker, part-time grid several, co-ordination of public security police and other grass-roots forces, to optimize grid services. In order to further promote the grid management work, and constantly improve the “three understandings” rate of knowledge, participation, give full play to the function of the grid, to provide quality and efficient service to the masses. Wiba village grid is covered by, the village task force, and the grid of the police’s name, contact information, such as contact information of the convenience of the people’s contact card, to ensure that the masses have something to find Grid members, to promote the integration of resources and power to the front line, service to the masses in-depth to the front line, urgent problems in the front line, so that the people have a call, must be responded to..”
Image: researched, obtained and verified by @tibettruth
Have you noticed increasing mentions of China’s so-called green credentials? Across social media we see various environmentalists and organizations praising Chinese investments in renewable energy projects. Talk about being one-eyed! Seems the cult of reducing man-made CO2 emissions is tolerant of anything that realizes such an objective. Including the degradation and ecocide which China has inflicted upon the once pristine lands of Tibet!
We know how well the team @tibettruth are doing over on ‘X’. That the account is being targeted by Chinese political bots and trolls is a welcome indication that our message on Tibet is strong and un-welcomed by the China’s regime. Keep up the great job folks!
What’s disappointing though is the censorship and restrictions placed @elonmusk and his @X colleagues. Limiting our follower count, preventing the massive interest and support in our online work on Tibet’s cause translating into increased followers.
Today we noticed again that our posts (see image above) are being interfered with by @X a cynical and sly measure to obscure and reduce the reach of our content by labeling it as ‘sensitive’. So discouraging viewing counts, since people regard such a warning as indicating unsuitable, disturbing, or abusive content. This is the second occasion we’ve suffered such censorship, which is curious given Mr Musk postures as a champion of free speech!
TikTok algorithms promote the Chinese government’s narratives on hot-button issues such as Tibet, Taiwan and the Uyghurs — while suppressing content critical of Beijing, a new study has found.
When users search for terms on TikTok — owned by Chinese company ByteDance — that are sensitive to the ruling Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, such as “Tibet” and “Taiwan,” the results show much more content that is pro-China than content that is critical of China, researchers found.
Compared to similar searches on Instagram and YouTube, the results showed a pronounced pro-Beijing bias, according to the study, titled “The CCP’s Digital Charm Offensive,” by the Network Contagion Research Institute, or NCRI, at Rutgers University.
The findings, “while not definitive proof of state orchestration, present compelling and strong circumstantial evidence of TikTok’s covert content manipulation,” wrote NCRI co-founder Joel Finkelstein in the report.
Swaying youth
The study mimicked the user journeys of American 16-year-olds based on the newly created accounts that were used to test the three platforms’ search algorithm results, the report said.
The findings point to attempts by the Chinese government to shape public opinion — particularly among youth — on human rights and political issues, experts said.
Tibetan and Uyghur activists say that such bias obfuscates China’s oppression of Tibetans and Uyghurs and its attempts to undermine or wipe out their languages and cultures.
Constant exposure to TikTok’s pro-Beijing content is “a significant threat and concern,” said Lobsang Gyatso Sither, a member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile and directorof technology at theTibet Action Institute.
Rushan Abbas, executive director of the Campaign for Uyghurs, said that the research shows a “strong possibility” of content suppression or amplification to align with Beijing’s interests.
“The CCP is responsible for the Uyghur genocide and the oppression of the people of Hong Kong and Tibet,” she said.
Beijing is using social media “in their campaign of transnational repression, harassing human rights defenders living outside of China,” she said.
TikTok users also say that the short-form mobile video app has censored comments deemed critical of Beijing.
A visitor to an Apple store wears a T-shirt promoting the short-form mobile video app TikTok in Beijing, July 17, 2020. (Ng Han Guan/AP)
One young Uyghur user who wanted to remain nameless said that last November, after the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Chinese officials said on social media that a genocide was happening in Gaza but not in Xinjiang, home to some 11 million Uyghurs.
“I posted a comment in Arabic saying China was actually committing genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang,” he said. “My comment was soon removed by TikTok. I was quite shocked. Apparently, TikTok didn’t want the Muslim world to know about the Uyghur genocide.”
Rejecting criticism
A TikTok spokesperson rejected the study, saying it was a “non-peer reviewed, flawed experiment … clearly engineered to reach a false, predetermined conclusion.”
“Previous research by NCRI has been debunked by outside analysts, and this latest paper is equally flawed,” the spokesperson, who asked that his name not be published, told RFA in an email.
“Creating fake accounts that interact with the app in a prescribed manner does not reflect real users’ experience, just as this so-called study does not reflect facts or reality.”
“One would hope media outlets would apply journalistic standards and rigor to fact check this type of fiction before rushing to publication,” he wrote.
Concerns about Beijing’s influence over TikTok are not new.
Since 2020, the Indian government has imposed a ban on more than 232 Chinese apps, including TikTok.
As of 2023, some 34 U.S. states enacted policies prohibiting government agencies and officials, including contract employees, from using TikTok. This year, the U.S. Congress passed legislation banning TikTok unless it is sold to a government-approved buyer. There are ongoing hearings about the potential for a ban of the app across the U.S.
The NCRI research found that when using TikTok to search for terms such as “Tibet,” “Tibet,” “Uyghurs” or “1989 Tiananmen Massacre,” between 61% and 93% of the results were either pro-China or irrelevant, while anti-China content constituted only 5%.
By comparison, pro-China content made up 13.7% of content on YouTube and 27.7% on Instagram, the study showed.
In December 2023, the NCRI published its first report on TikTok which showed a strong possibility that content on the video-sharing app was being either amplified or suppressed based on the alignment with Chinese government narratives.
Influence tool
The Chinese government uses TikTok as a strategic tool to influence other countries, particularly young people, in an effort to shift their perceptions of China, said Vinayak Bhatt, an Indian defense analyst and former army general.
“This includes promoting the idea that China’s economic growth is due not only to hard work but also to strategic government planning,” he said.
Many Gen Z users of TikTok say they are aware of the Chinese government’s biases and potential for content manipulation on the app, but choose to use it for recreational purposes.
“My page doesn’t have any political content, so when I think of TikTok, I view it as more recreational, but I also have a subconscious awareness that when I see anything pro-China or political, that it may be influenced,” said Tenzin Khando, a 20-year-old Tibetan student from New York, who has had a TikTok account since 2019.
A man walks past a TikTok booth during the Appliance & Electronics World Expo in Shanghai, China, March 14, 2024. (AFP)
Dolma Lhamo, a 25-year-old Tibetan resident of Orissa, India, recalled an issue with TikTok in 2019 when she posted a picture of the Dalai Lama and a note of appreciation on the platform on his birthday, but the post was blocked and did not appear.
Lhamo, who created her TikTok account about 10 years ago, expressed concern about the incident and said she stopped posting anything related to Tibet.
Most TikTok Gen Z users say they are subconsciously aware of the Chinese government’s biases and potential for content manipulation on the app, but choose to use it for recreational purposes.
But Chemi Lhamo, a Tibetan-Canadian human rights activist and campaign director at Students for a Free Tibet, said she avoids apps and digital platforms created by the Chinese government because she doesn’t trust them.
“I also advise others against using such platforms due to concerns about bias,” she said.
Language restrictions
Dawa Tsering, director of the Tibetan Policy Institute in Dharamsala, India, told RFA that the prohibition of Tibetan language on ByteDance’s Douyin, the Chinese version of the TikTok app available to Tibetans inside Tibet and others in China, is indicative of a broader policy to eradicate the Tibetan language.
He said these restrictions are in line with Chinese government orders to suppress Tibetan culture and language, with social media platforms like TikTok actively supporting this policy of cultural eradication.
Douyin has become a key platform for the Chinese authorities to distribute information and propaganda. Like other social media services in China, Douyin adheres to the censorship regulations set by the CCP.
Additional reporting by Lobe Socktsang, Dickey Kundol, Yangdon Demo, Khando Yangzom, and Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan, and by RFA Uyghur. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi and edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Tibetan and RFA Uyghur.
(Paul Nelson/RFA)
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