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Tibetan monks prepare Tormas, a Buddhism, offering, during the official opening of the Taiwan-Tibet Exchange Foundation in Hsintien, Taipei County yesterday. (Rick Yi , Taiwan News)

The Taiwan-Tibet Exchange Foundation, which was inaugurated in January, started formal operations yesterday at its office in Hsintien City, Taipei County.

The European Union on Tuesday expressed concern at China's "extensive use" of the deathpenalty and said that torture, arbitrary arrests and religiousrepression were widespread.

Ngawang Sangdrol, the Tibetan political prisoner who obtained a Chinese exit visa last week to seek medical treament abroad, told RFA that Chinese authorities didn't officially inform her that she was to leave for the United States until just before she boarded a Chicago-bound airliner.

The United States accused China of a broad array of human rights violations on Monday including summary executions, torture, forced confessions, suppressing political dissent and denying religious freedom.

The U.S. State Department released its annual report on human rights situation in Tibet on March 31, 2003. This report is part of the overall Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002 Released by its Bureau of Democracy

The Tibetan lamas of the Drepung Loseling Monastery will do several regional performances that include mandala sand painting at the University of Wyoming Union in April. In 1999, Ben Jennings founded a chapter of Students For A Free Tibet at the University of Wyoming.

The Sangh Parivar’s expansion plan has a new target — the Buddhists. The RSS has launched a campaign to ‘‘reach out to four crore Buddhists inhabiting the length and breadth of Himalayas, 1.25 crore of them in India — from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.’’

TIBET, TIBET—A PERSONAL HISTORY OF A LOST LAND by Patrick French HARPERCOLLINS PAGES: 333

Tibet is a cause for Patrick French and that makes it all the more remarkable that this book is not part of what he describes as "the white noise of foreign sympathy". The book is based on French’s latest trip to Tibet and in preparing