16. Jan 2010
Crackdown on illegal surveying and mapping
(Xinhua) The authorities in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) will intensify their efforts to crack down on illegal surveying and mapping in 2010, according to the regional Bureau of Surveying and Mapping. It will also "tighten supervision over the illegal collection of geographic information related to military affairs under the signboard of travels, exploration and scientific surveys". An official from the bureau noted that similar cases in other parts of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in recent years have "sounded the alarm for Tibet". In 2007, He claimed, a "foreigner" collected 54 sets of GPS data in a PRC province without government approval "in violation of the Chinese surveying and mapping law".
16. Jan 2010
Ngaba man sentenced to six years for 'separatist' link
(Phayul) A Tibetan man arrested in 2008 for alleged links with "separatist forces of the Dalai clique" has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment. Dolma Namgyal's family had no information about his whereabouts until 14 January 2010, the day his sentence was passed. Phayul reports that the Emergency Coordination Committee, an internal body set up by Kirti monastery to disseminate information during the 2008 protests in Tibet, said that Namgyal is currently being held in a prison in Binjiang in Chengdu, Sichuan province. He was arrested in Chengdu in April 2008.
19. Jan 2010
Nepal hands over detained Tibetans to UN; two more arrested
(AFP) Nepalese police arrested two Tibetans in Dolakha, on the TAR-Nepal border for crossing without visas. According to a district police office, the two men entered Nepal from the TAR. Ten Tibetans arrested in similar circumstances earlier in January 2010 have been handed over to the UN. Nepali authorities initially saying that they could be handed over to the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu for deportation. The eight men and two women were also arrested in Dolakha district. Nepalese immigration authorities said they were questioned about possible involvement in "anti-China activities" before being handed over to the UN's refugee agency in Kathmandu. The Tibetans were reportedly on their way to India.
23. Jan 2010
President Obama is committed to meeting Dalai Lama
(Tibet Post) A White House spokesperson has confirmed that President Obama "most certainly" will meet the Dalai Lama in 2010, and that this has been conveyed to Beijing. White House spokesman Mike Hammer told foreign journalists: "The President has made clear to the Chinese government that we intend to meet with the Dalai Lama, it has been his every intention".
26. Jan 2010
Airlines urged to open flights to Tibet region
(China Daily) The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is encouraging domestic and foreign airlines to open flight routes to the TAR to boost the region's economy and bring in more tourism. The CAAC said measures would be adopted to enhance civil aviation infrastructure and services in Tibet. Domestic and foreign airlines are to be encouraged to open international flights to or via Tibet, under bilateral civil aviation frameworks. Currently, only the airport in Lhasa handles international flights to and from Kathmandu. The TAR tourist bureau expects tourism to reach 6 million in 2010, up from 5.5 million in 2009.
28. Jan 2010
Four Tibetans sentenced in Sog county
(Phayul) A court in Sog (Chin: Suo) county, Nagchu (Chin: Nagqu) prefecture, TAR, has sentenced four Tibetans to prison terms of up to three years, a Tibetan from Nagchu living in Dharamsala has told Phayul. Yeshi Jinpa, a monk from Sog Tsenden monastery has been sentenced to two years' imprisonment; Tenzin Dhargay received three years. Both men were arrested at the Jhokhang Temple, Lhasa's central temple, on 02 December 2009. Norbu Sangpo and a 48 year-old nun Choedon, who were taking food to Jinpa and Dhargay at the temple have been sentenced to a year in prison. All four were arrested on the same day.
29. Jan 2010
Tibet China talks resume
(Tibet.net) Talks between the Dalai Lama's special envoys, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, and representatives of the Chinese leadership have resumed in Beijing. This is the ninth round of dialogue. The envoys are visiting China after a gap of 15 months in a process that began in 2002. A statement published on Tibet.net, the website of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), said that before the envoys left Dharamsala, a two-day meeting of the 'Tibetan Task Force', chaired by the Kalon Tripa, Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, was held and the delegation finalised their preparations for the talks. The Kalon Tripa and the two envoys then briefed the Dalai Lama and sought his guidance.
