Tibetan independence

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Self-Immolation Failing, Tibetans Turn to New Protest

Lhakar emphasizes all things Tibetan

(Newser) - Since 2009, 112 Tibetans have died by setting themselves on fire to protest for the independence of Tibet from China. But increasingly Tibetans, both those in exile and those in China, are turning away from grisly self-immolation and instead are protesting through "Lhakar," as assertion of Tibetan identity...

China Slams US Comments on Tibet
China Slams
US Comments
on Tibet

China Slams US Comments on Tibet

Says it's 'disgusting' to blame Beijing for self-immolations

(Newser) - A Chinese Foreign Ministry official responded angrily to a US diplomat's comments about human rights in Tibet, calling them "disgusting" and filing a diplomatic protest in Washington, reports Reuters . The spokesman said the problem of self-immolating protesters had nothing to do with human rights and was only "...

2 Tibet Teens Set Selves on Fire

Monk, former monk die later in the hospital

(Newser) - Two Tibetan teenagers died last night after setting themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule, rights group Free Tibet tells the AP . Eighteen-year-old monk Lobsang Kalsang and 17-year-old former monk Damchoek self-immolated outside a monastery in Sichuan province; they died later in a hospital. Free Tibet says their deaths bring...

2 Tibetans Set Selves on Fire in Capital

Anti-China protests are a first in busy Lhasa

(Newser) - Tibet has seen at least 34 self-immolations since March of last year—but two incidents yesterday were the first to occur in the region's capital. Two men set themselves on fire in a busy area of Lhasa in a protest against Chinese rule; police put out the flames within...

Tibet Nun, 18, Sets Self Ablaze
 Tibet Nun, 18, Sets Self Ablaze 

Tibet Nun, 18, Sets Self Ablaze

Free Tibet says teen died from injuries as tension escalates

(Newser) - An 18-year-old Tibetan nun has set herself on fire in western China in the latest such protest against Beijing's handling of the vast ethnic Tibetan regions it rules, an overseas activist group said today. Free Tibet said in a statement that the nun had died after setting herself ablaze...

Monk's Body Paraded After Self-Immolation

Protesters seized body from police station, then carried through streets

(Newser) - The body of a monk who killed himself yesterday morning by drinking kerosene, dousing himself, and lighting himself on fire was taken from the police in western China by hundreds of angry Tibetans and paraded through the streets, reports the AP . Police initially refused to hand over the body, but...

Challenge to China: Another Monk Sets Self on Fire

It's the 12th self-immolation in Tibet since March

(Newser) - The most salient detail in a Washington Post article about the rising number of self-immolations among Tibetan monks and nuns: Chinese troops in the region are now carrying fire extinguishers as part of their regular riot-control gear. It's become necessary because 12 men and women have set themselves on...

Another Tibetan Monk Burns Himself to Death

Tsewang Norbu dies in self-immolation protest

(Newser) - A Tibetan Buddhist monk set himself on fire today in southwest China while calling out the Dalai Lama's name, the latest in a string of self-immolation protests in that country as well as North Africa. Tsewang Norbu, 29, "drank petrol, sprayed petrol on himself, and then set himself...

New Tibetan Prime Minister Sworn In

Lobsang Sangay will follow Dalai Lama's policies

(Newser) - A Harvard-trained legal scholar was sworn in today as the new head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, taking over from the Dalai Lama as leader of his people's fight for freedom. Lobsang Sangay, who was elected in April by tens of thousands of Tibetans in exile, was surrounded by hundreds...

Dalai Lama to Tibet: You Need 2 of Me

(Newser) - The Dalai Lama has told Tibetans his successor should not bear the burden of being both spiritual and political leader to their community, the Independent reports. "When we put the whole responsibility in the person of the Dalai Lama, it is dangerous," he said in a video address...

Tibet Under Martial Law as Revolt Anniversary Nears

Protests are simmering under curfew and heavy police presence

(Newser) - China is quietly clamping down on Tibet ahead of twin anniversaries this month—the 50th of the Dalai Lama's failed revolt and the first of the violent riots that shook the region last year. Sandbag outposts, army convoys, and high police presence in Lhasa, Tibet's capital, indicate Beijing is readying...

As Crisis Bites, UK Changes Stance on Tibet
As Crisis Bites, UK Changes Stance on Tibet
OPINION

As Crisis Bites, UK Changes Stance on Tibet

After a century of hedging, Britain says region is part of China

(Newser) - Last month Gordon Brown called on China to pump more money into the International Monetary Fund, whose coffers are nearly bare as more nations succumb to the global financial crisis. Only a few days later, writes Robert Barnett in the New York Times, the British government quietly announced a change...

Tibet Strategy 'Failed': Lama
Tibet Strategy 'Failed': Lama

Tibet Strategy 'Failed': Lama

Leader to meet 600 exiles on Monday; he may relinquish power or take harder stance

(Newser) - Nearly five decades since the Dalai Lama fled Tibet, he and his followers are growing restless. Last month, the Lama announced that the “middle way” strategy he pursued for 30 years—an attempt to negotiate autonomy for Tibet rather than pure independence—had failed. “As far as I’...

China Offers to Restart Talks With Dalai Lama

Tibetan leader should 'treasure this opportunity': Beijing

(Newser) - China has offered a fresh round of negotiations with the Dalai Lama on Tibet’s political status, the BBC reports. The religious leader should “treasure this opportunity,” according to an announcement in Chinese state media, which added that Beijing was willing to overlook the violent Tibetan protests that...

50 Years On, Tibet's Secret War Simmers

Dalai Lama's brother was key to CIA-backed anti-China insurgency

(Newser) - The little-known Tibetan resistance struggle after China's 1950 invasion still affects its politics today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dalai Lama's brother played a vital role in the CIA-backed armed movement, largely made up of Buddhist monks, and Chinese suspicion still lingers over how much the spiritual leader himself...

Stomach Pain Lands Dalai Lama in Hospital

Trip comes a day after canceling overseas visit due to exhaustion

(Newser) - The Dalai Lama was hospitalized today in India after complaining of stomach pains, BBC says. The Tibetan spiritual leader, who recently received a clean bill of health, canceled two international trips yesterday due to exhaustion. “There is nothing major to feel concerned about,” said his spokesman. The Dalai...

China Releases, Deports US Tibet Protesters

American officials 'disappointed' by China's 'intolerance'

(Newser) - Eight Americans arrested in China last week after staging a pro-Tibet protests have been freed from jail and deported following US pressure for their release, reports the BBC. The protesters faced up to 10 days in detention for unfurling a “Free Tibet” banner near an Olympic site and staging...

US Urges China to Free 8 Yanks
 US Urges China to Free 8 Yanks

US Urges China to Free 8 Yanks

Pro-Tibetan demonstrators to be released next weekend

(Newser) - Washington is seeking the release of eight US protesters held by China during the Olympics, Reuters reports. Two were collared Thursday for posting a "Free Tibet" banner near an Olympic event; six others were members of Free Tibet Reporters detained the day before. Beijing vows to release all eight...

China Arrests Free Tibet Demonstrators

Authorities take away American protesters in Beijing park

(Newser) - Chinese police arrested five American protesters who blocked the entrance to a park in Beijing while shouting "Free Tibet!", Reuters reports. The demonstrators were associated with Students for a Free Tibet, who said there were eight in total. It remains unknown where the protesters have been taken.

It's Time for China, Tibet to Cut a Deal
It's Time for China, Tibet
to Cut a Deal
OPINION

It's Time for China, Tibet to Cut a Deal

Dalai Lama backs off demand for autonomy, opening window

(Newser) - The Dalai Lama is willing to accept Chinese rule in Tibet, providing Beijing with a major concession in an attempt to preserve the cultural character of the region, writes columnist Nicolas D. Kristof in the New York Times. The Chinese government must recognize the Dalai Lama's willingness to compromise and...

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