News

A Railway Bridge is seen under construction over Lhasa River Monday, Aug. 25, 2003 in Lhasa, Tibet, far west of China. The bridge will be completed in 2005. Photo by Eugene Hoshiko

The Tibetan Youth Congress is holding a crucial meeting in the north-eastern Indian town of Shillong from August 27 to review developments on the Tibet front, including the Tibet-China contact, and to decide on a one-year action plan.

Young monk guards a temple at Tashilhunpo Monastery Saturday Aug. 23, 2003 in Shigatse, about 200 kilometers from Lhasa, Tibet, far west of China. (Associated press)

Monks at one of Tibetan Buddhism's most revered monasteries are studying the political theories of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin, which has appeared as a criteria on whether or not they can remain in the monastery.

China's governor of Tibet said on Monday recent visits by envoys of the banished Dalai Lama were key to improving the chances of his return but warned his coming trip to meet U.S. leaders could be a setback.

Chinese President Hu Jintao is largely responsible for a multi-billion dollar plan to modernize China's Himalayan hinterlands, a leading Tibetan official said. Jampa Phutsok, chairman of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR)

A Las Vegas wannabe in a sequined suit is shaking his hips on stage. In the audience, Chinese businessmen crack open cans of Budweiser and half-drunk Tibetan truck drivers look for dance partners.

A Committee monitoring the implementation of the UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage has urged the Chinese authorities to review its urban development plan for Lhasa, the Tibetan capital.

China has allowed 18 Tibetans deported from Nepal in May to return to their everyday lives of farming and herding, a top Chinese official in the restive region said on Monday.

The two envoys at a press conference in June 2003, file photo