Opinions

Tenzin Wangmo was born in 1991 and joined Dechen Choekhorling nunnery in childhood. On October 17, 2011, she walked to Sumdo Bridge in Ngaba in northeastern Tibet and set herself on fire. With this she became the first female Tibetan self-immolator and as the flames engulfed her body, Wangmo called out for an end to religious repression, and the Dalai Lama’s return. She was 20. Ninety-eight people have set themselves on fire since 2009. Their average age is 25.

Beneath the wave of self-immolations that has understandably come to dominate the current discourse on Tibet, a less dramatic undercurrent of resistance is transforming the landscape of Tibetan activism. This new force is the pan-Tibetan, self-reliance grassroots movement known as Lhakar.

Watching the Radio Free Asia (RFA) controversy unfold has been a painful process, not the least because it threatens to overshadow the tragedy inside Tibet and complicate support for Tibet in the US Congress. Given that this unwelcome controversy cannot be wished away, however,

The recent wave of self-immolations has marked a radical and tragic turn in Tibet‘s freedom struggle, with 95 Tibetans setting themselves on fire since February 2009, 81 of them confirmed dead. The Tibetan diaspora across more than ten countries marked this year’s International Human Rights Day on December 10th with large rallies calling for immediate international action to address the crisis.

2013, the Water-Snake year, marks a century since I made the proclamation of Tibet’s independence on the eighth day of the first month of the Water-Ox year. In the declaration I wrote, ‘Now the Chinese intention of colonizing Tibet under the patron-pri

I am deeply saddened by the news of my old friend Sonam Topgyal la passing away. In my 40-year long association with Tibet and Tibetan people, Topgyal la belongs to that small group of Tibetans who have deeply influenced my impressions, feelings, and my association with Tibet.

Early 2012 I had the opportunity to visit Singapore (population 5.1 million). It was fascinating to note that the country’s economic rise really started after their independence in 1965.

Firstly the increasing frequency of the self-immolations – 97 cases in Tibet (excluding 5 outside Tibet) so far (till December 11, 2012), out of which 1 in 2009; 12 in 2011 and 84 in 2012, 28 Tibetans self-immolated in November alone. Calls to stop self-immolations have not worked, nobody knows what to do

Commenting on my last few posts, some readers took me to task for raising the issue of Jigme Ngabo’s dismissal from RFA, thereby (according to them) diverting public attention away from the self-immolations in Tibet, especially when “… our nation is on fire” as one put it so graphically.

The brand new, upmarket Hotel Kempinsky in East Delhi has suddenly morphed into a Buddhist monastery -- though temporarily for four days this week. Its lobbies and convention halls are reverberating with Buddhist mantras,