Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 24: Tibetan communities worldwide, along with the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), have united in protest against a video circulating on social media that contains defamatory statements and death threat against His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The CTA’s Crisis Management Committee led by Secretary of the Department of Information and International relations, Karma Choeying, held a press conference addressing the issue on Tuesday. He stated, “Recently on social media platforms, a Tibetan named Senge, residing in Australia, has been spreading various disruptive rumors in the Tibetan community. Moreover, he has made extremely serious statements concerning the personal safety of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is the refuge and symbol for this life and the next for all Tibetans in Tibet and exile.” They emphasized that the video has caused great distress among both Tibetans in exile and those in Tibet, many of whom look to the Dalai Lama for guidance.
The statement identified the individual as “Senge,” who uses the online alias “Gangseng” and the religious name “Lobsang Gyatso.” The CTA official explained, “After arriving in India in 2000, he received the opportunity to go to Australia in 2007 as part of the Central Tibetan Administration’s Australian resettlement program. He has been defaming His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration for several years.” Despite attempts by his relatives and close associates to intervene and provide guidance, the administration noted that Senge has remained unresponsive.
In their remarks, the CTA condemned the content of the video, saying, “Such statements and actions, regardless of any political viewpoint they may be associated with, are a clear indication of having gone astray. Moreover, they incite and threaten criminal offenses.” The CTA further stated that they would take necessary action in response to the video and urged the public to remain vigilant. “We urge the general public not to listen to or spread such baseless rumors, whether on social media groups or individually, to prevent such individuals from achieving their goal of creating unrest in society.”
In response to the controversy, eight Tibetan NGOs held a press conference at the Tibetan Settlement Office Hall in McLeod Ganj on Monday, condemning the individual in the video. The Auckland Tibetan Community in New Zealand also released a statement, calling for legal action against the video’s creator. They urged the Representative of the Central Tibetan Administration for Australasia that legal action be taken promptly against such “evil oath-breakers,” warning that if left unchecked, “such bad elements may increase in the future.”
Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), a global activist network based in New York, issued a statement on September 20, calling the video a “promotion of political violence and hate speech.” The organization reaffirmed its commitment to non-violence and its continued pursuit of Tibetan independence through peaceful means.
The issue was also raised during its eighth session of 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on September 17, with parliamentarians discussing potential legal measures to address the situation. The Security Minister of the CTA Gyari Dolma in her address in the parliament stated that “We have requested the representative from the region where this person resides to monitor his actions and explore possible legal measures, and we are currently awaiting their response.”
One Response
Disgusting. Ungrateful individual. Spit in the bowl that fed him and sent him to a well-developed country.
Why does CTA keep sending people like this? When a younger generation of highly educated Tibetans in India and Nepal would be far better candidates but don’t get the oppertunity.
There are a lot of idiots like this in the US and Canada that have recently send by CTA, taking the real opportunity away from the younger educated Tibetans.
CTA??? There should be a vetting process.