Tibetan bloggers discuss Tibetan New Year

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a Tibetan blogpost on the subject of Tibetan festivals and celebratory days. On January 16th 2009, the TAR Regional Government announced that March 28 of every year will be observed as "Serfs Emancipation Day". The institution of a new celebratory day in Tibet is clearly an attempt to alter Tibet's historical memory and enforce greater obedience and linkage to China.

A blog by Lamlak (lam lags) reports that the County government is forcing Ngaba Monastery to change the dates of new year and winter religious ceremonies to coincide with the Chinese New Year - this year, the two new years are a month apart. On Tibetan blogs, there has been much discussion about this year's Tibetan New Year, Losar (lo gsar). A blogger called A thub (a thub) confirms what Lamlak has written. A thub says that everyone is being forced to celebrate Chinese New Year, not just in the monastery but the ordinary villagers in Ngaba are also being told the same.

Another blogger named Mangbu Rukam (Mang bu rus skam) noted on his blog that there had been much discussion on the internet about whether Losar should be celebrated this year or not. Rukam also discusses if Tibetans should institute the same date for Losar amongst the Tibetans, as traditionally Losar is celebrated on different dates in different parts of Tibet.

As evidence of this ongoing debate about whether to commemorate or to celebrate, a text message is being circulated amongst Tibetans in Tibet and around China. High Peaks Pure Earth has the following blurred photo of the text message in Chinese:


The text message reads: To mourn the lives of more than 2000 Tibetan heroes and compatriots who died in 2008, for this sorrowful year for Tibetans whose blood was shed, in the Tibetan Community all over the world, new year and all festivals won't be celebrated, holding the palms of the hands together in prayer, forward [this message] to Tibetans.

Finally, for a poem by Woeser about Tibetan festivals, please go to this translation by Ragged Banner.


Blog by Lamlak (lam lags)


News from Kirti Monastery in Amdo Region

A few days ago, the People’s Government of Ngaba County declared that Kirti Monastery should celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year and all winter rituals which actually take place during the Great Prayer Festival must be performed one month earlier than its actual date. The reason is because the people of Tibet are to celebrate Chinese New Year as Tibetan New Year. All the monks in the monastery are planning to return to their homes.

As a matter of fact, this is just taking control of freedom of religion. The celebration of May 1st (Labour Day) and October 1st (the celebration of the founding of the PRC) have come about by Chinese government order.

Religious belief is something in the mind of the people. How can it be proper to force people to celebrate their religious festival that is in no accordance with the religious calendar. Now, it is really difficult for the Tibetan people to predict whether the Great Prayer Festival will take place or not this year. We are not sure whether all these notices come directly from the State Council or not. There are many people coming to Ngaba Dzong, who have no idea about Tibetan customs and are promoting activities that have no relevance to our culture.

Comments:








Friend, thanks for the news. This is really astonishing! If Tibet is being developed as planned by the government of China, then Tibet will disappear one day. Therefore, for the sake of our nationality, the only thing we can is to be more alert of our situation and take greater responsibility.








Corruption is prevailing in every corner of society and the intellectuals and politicians are becoming tools of politics, then who will taking care of the wellbeing of the ordinary people?








After reading this kind of news, what we can do?






The Red Government of China is truly a bloodsucking, brutal regime.

'Remember and Memorialise Louder Than The Gunfire!' by Woeser

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a blogpost by Woeser that was written on the first day of 2009 for Radio Free Asia and posted on her blog on 8th January 2009.

In the blogpost, Woeser reflects on the turbulence of the many events of 2008 that have deeply affected all Tibetans. As evidence of the ongoing distressing situation in Tibet, Woeser mentions the 59 Tibetans who were detained in Lhasa for 'spreading rumours', something that was reported by the BBC on Christmas Day 2008.

Perhaps in response to the turmoil of 2008, Woeser emphasises remembrance and reflection in her blogpost - themes she was to continue a week later in her blogpost 'Let Us Make Lamp Offerings and Light Candles to Commemorate the Souls of the Deceased'.

'Remember and Memorialise Louder Than The Gunfire!' by Woeser

Because we're still all so deeply bogged down by what just happened in 2008, it seems that 2009 has crashed into us without warning. I'm reminded once more of what a friend in Lhasa says only when drunk: we just don't greet each other with 'Tashi Delek' (good fortune and fulfillment of wishes) anymore, good fortune doesn’t exist and neither does fulfillment, what we should be saying to each other is "zap zap jé!" (be careful).

Terror still hangs like a black cloud over the heads of Tibetans. A week ago, the Deputy Director of the Lhasa Municipality Public Security Bureau declared at a press conference the detention of 59 'rumour mongers' who had 'incited ethnic feelings'. The so-called rumours referred to 'illegally downloading reactionary songs from the internet'… A journalist from the foreign media asked me: "What kinds of songs are 'reactionary'?" For a moment, I really didn't know how to answer. If I said that any songs of yearning and praise for the Dalai Lama, no matter how implicit the messages are, would still be banned as 'reactionary songs', then surely this would sound incredulous to a westerner who had never experienced extreme repression.

Not only was there March, April and May when 'wanted' notices were publicly announced every night; not only was there June, July and August when armed police forces were patrolling the streets; and not only was there September, October and November when even more surveillance cameras were installed; there was also yesterday when my friends in Tibet tell me that every night they suddenly hear dogs in the vicinity barking furiously and you can't help being terrified; terrified that your door will be kicked down by state security, terrified that you will be locked away in some dark prison for some unknown crime, terrified that your loved ones or you yourself will vanish into thin air… Whenever I hear these whispering voices telling me again and again, it saddens me so deeply.

What consequences will this terror bring? Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi has said: “Within a system which denies basic human rights, fear tends to be the order of the day. Fear of imprisonment, fear of torture, fear of death, fear of losing friends, family, property or means of livelihood, fear of poverty, fear of isolation, fear of failure. A most insidious form of fear is that which masquerades as common sense or even common wisdom, condemning as foolish, reckless, insignificant or futile the small, daily acts of courage which help to preserve man’s self-respect and inherent human dignity.”

To compare this with Lhasa today, Tibetans who are unwilling to speak their minds instead spill their hearts in their blogs: "Lhasa is simply a 'stupid' city with the 'stupid' Party and government offices; politicians from home and abroad are 'stupid' and Tibetans are themselves competing for stupidity, and it seems they're getting 'stupid' ever faster." To put it another way, people are playing dumb. It is only if they play dumb that they can conceal their inner terror and escape their internal agonies. Those killed are already gone, and wounds have scabbed over. How are we supposed to live with the promises and threats of carrot and stick?

I do not blindly praise people in western society. But an American President once said some of the most incisive words in the history of humanity. He said a democratic society cannot be arbitrarily deprived of four freedoms: freedom of expression, freedom of belief, freedom from want and freedom from fear. As mortals, as ordinary people, we should be able to share in these most basic freedoms. But regrettably, these most basic freedoms are more unattainable than the stars in heaven. It is not actually much that we want; what we want is simply the right to live a meaningful existence and hope for the future, is this really too much to demand?

On the eve of 2009, I received many text messages wishing me a prosperous and happy New Year and good fortune for the New Year. At this moment I knew that people from all over the world were heaping best wishes and blessings upon each other – a wonderful creation of human nature. But I would also add: in the New Year, I hope you will be free from want. In fact, to that I would even add, I hope that everyone will be free from fear! At this point we say farewell and forget the year 2008, but we should not be reconsidering the way we live our lives, instead we should remember and memorialise louder than the gunfire!

1st January 2009, Beijing

An Address from the Tibetan "Obama"

High Peaks Pure Earth has discovered that a Tibetan has started a blog under the name of “Obama” and writes blogposts addressed to Tibetan readers (photo of the blog below). The blog is hosted on http://www.tibetcul.com, founded in 2003 by brothers Wangchuk Tseten (dBang phyug tshe brtan) and Tsewang Norbu (Tshe dbang nor bu) from Lanzhou, in Gansu Province. The website is one of the most popular Chinese language sites for Tibetans and gets nearly 300, 000 hits every month.


So, just in time for the inaugural celebrations, High Peaks Pure Earth hereby presents...

An Address from the Tibetan "Obama"

Dear friends of the “Tibet Network”,

How are you? Tashi Delek! I am very glad that today “my” blog is registered on your network, and in the future we can exchange opinions through our blogs. As for me, I am going to move into the White House soon and in the next few years “I” will be the new host of the White House. Tibetan friends should feel free to tell me if you have anything to discuss. In fact, what I really want to tell you today are the following remarks. If any friends are interested in learning more, you can read them. Tibetan friends, it is high time to remind you why you like to place all your hopes entirely on a certain country or a certain individual. Look, under the present repressive circumstances, there are still many Tibetan friends who are in the mood to visit Nangma performance clubs, bars, brothels and casinos, where they ruined their youth, wasted their money, their virtue and conscience. I can not understand why they are doing so! I can not understand at all! If you continue to do so, then there is no hope for your glorious Tibetan nationality.

Tibetans, please wake up. You should not place your hope on other but put the hope of changing one’s fate into one’s own hands. One should gossip less and do more actual things. During my tenure as the President, what “I” can do is to present an award to your spiritual leader, and use the “Tibet Issue” as a “bargaining chip” when we have some clashes with China.

I am not telling you all this because I am drunk but I am telling you whole-heartedly that this is the reality and there is no way out. Do not be fast asleep any more but make more efforts to learn the history of black people in the United States. “My” ancestors once also lived worse than beasts of burden under the oppression of the white American government, but it is because generations and generations of the black predecessors were not afraid of hardships, struggled for their welfare many times, worked very hard again and again, and had their children study hard over and over again. Thus, all these efforts have created a black President in the present-day American political circle, scholars, professors and scientists in the literary, scientific and technological circles as well as numerous stars in the sports and entertainment circles. Black people dominate nearly half of the present-day American high society. By the way, what I want to mention here is that once the treatment of the Han Chinese in the West was, more or less, similar to that of dogs. One would find warning signs everywhere on which the phrase “dogs and Chinese are not allowed to enter” was written. But the Chinese are also slowly entering into the high societies of the West. Why? Because the Chinese have been studying hard and are capable, so the high societies in the West have no choice but to welcome them!

I appeal to the Tibetans not to find excuses again but to go into action and start to do real things. In particular, the elders should try their best to create the best learning environment and opportunities for their children. They should do all they can to let the descendants of Tibet enter into high society in China impressively, and even welcome them to enter into high societies in the world. Unless miracles occur in China, it’s certainly impossible for any Tibetans to enter the high society of the political circle. Some Tibetans are able to enter high society but they will be nothing but avaricious officials, cowards and puppets. So we should try to enter other walks of life through our own capabilities. I am sure you’ll be great by then as it won’t be easy for them to suppress or strike against you.

Seriously perform real deeds. I sincerely hope to see a few more Tibetans and hear the voices of a few more Tibetans in various international activities of the high societies of the world in the future, not just one person alone.

I am going to stop here today. “I” still need to prepare my inauguration speech. I welcome all of you to visit my blog in the future.

Peace, take care and work hard,

“Obama”

Letter to Chakmo-la by Jamyang Kyi

Jamyang Kyi posted on her blog a letter addressed to her friend Chakmo (lCags mo). She notes that the letter was written in October 2008 but was only posted on her blog on 31 December 2008.

High Peaks Pure Earth has been monitoring Jamyang Kyi’s blog and when she didn't post for several months over the summer of 2008, we were all anxious about her safety. The letter makes it clear that during that period she was visiting her family in Jadoru (Bya dmo ru).

Although the letter is personal, High Peaks Pure Earth has posted this translation as it would be of interest to readers concerned about Jamyang Kyi’s current well being.

Dear Friend Chakmo la (lCags mo),

How are you? It has been more than half a year since we last saw each other, but I never forget the moments that we were together. Although I had thought for months of writing you a short letter, I was not able to do that. Honestly, life is not predictable and it is just like a stream forever flowing.

Today, I woke up at nearly seven o’clock as usual. I spent two hours reading and had a chance to glance at the autobiography Freedom in Exile, (bTsan byol pa’i bag phebs) and with sadness I got up from bed. After breakfast, I went to the office. It takes half an hour from my house to where I work. When I arrived in Xining, after staying half a month in my hometown Jadoru (Bya mdo ru), I had gained four to five kilos in weight, so it forces me to walk to the office everyday now.

It has been raining almost everyday the past several days and the weather is unpredictable. Today, I walked to my office in the rain. I realized when the chilly wind brushed against my face that it is already close to the end of autumn.

The yellow leaves of the trees falling in front of my steps and ta ta sounds of the leaves crushing under my feet brought feelings of sadness inside me. When my mind became clearer, the thought of my beloved compatriots living abroad and the autobiography Freedom in Exile, rushed into my mind. At that moment I suddenly had an urge to write a short letter to you.

First of all, I would like to say congratulations to your translation of learned Tsering Woeser’s book ‘Poetry Named Tibet’. Some days ago you interviewed Paldan Gyal on his experiences in his homeland. I་ thought your frank and honest conversation was good.

Dear friend, I am sure you and your family are well as usual. Are you busy these days? Although I am completely occupied by the endless housework as well as occupied by a massive amount of office work, I am well and my family and relatives are also doing well. Do you remember once I told you that the happiness given to parents by their children is immeasurable? Naturally, this happiness comes with difficulties and suffering. When I was writing down my thoughts from the other day, my daughter was pushing and pulling from the back of my chair and trying to talk to me with nonsense words, and sometimes she held my hand so that I could not write properly. In the meantime I had to answer her questions constantly so I could hardly get a moment in which I could concentrate my mind on what I was doing. I clearly know that my child is wasting a lot of my time, but she is the only source of happiness of mine, so as a mother I cannot complain about her. I think a mother’s love to a child is why a mother risks her life to save her child and the final hope of a mother is her children. Countless mothers break their won dream for their children's well being. This is hard to avoid.

Yes, since I was deeply overwhelmed by the past memories of our meetings, as I walked half an hour to my office, even the Chinese street became more silence and I arrived in front of my office without hearing the noise from the street. I locked the door of my thoughts then and put the key in my pocket. My mind and body was completely seized by a lonely wind.

'Let Us Make Lamp Offerings and Light Candles to Commemorate the Souls of the Deceased' by Woeser

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a blogpost by Woeser originally written for Radio Free Asia on 8th January 2009 and posted on her blog on 14th January 2009.

'Let Us Make Lamp Offerings and Light Candles to Commemorate the Souls of the Deceased' by Woeser

At the beginning of the New Year, the various festivals with best wishes have arrived one after another. These festivals include those of the East, the West, Tibet and China etc. If it is really a peaceful and flourishing age, a true reunion of the entire family, and if it is indeed a period in which the old can grow old, people in the prime of their life can put their talents to use and the young can grow up and mature peacefully, then we will naturally have our own unique customs to celebrate these festivals which have lasted for centuries.

However, this year’s celebration will be different. This year’s differences are due to the fact that so many people have been plunged into the abyss of misery. In the land of Tibet, in the villages, pastures and towns of Amdo, central Tibet and Kham, many white-haired grandparents and parents had to endure the suffering of attending the funeral of young blacked-hair people. What is even more tragic is that some of these white-haired ones have not been able to attend the funeral services since the black-haired ones have disappeared without their corpses being able to be found. The family members do not know the day they died, thus, it is not even possible to hold the religious ceremony to release the soul of the deceased from purgatory suffering. The monasteries have already been closed, and monks expelled. There are countless vultures circling around over the desolate sky burial grounds.

Then, let us light butter lamps to make offerings in memory of the deceased, whose exact number we still do not know, in the corners where the video surveillance can not reach. Furthermore, those of us who live in alien lands and do not have butter lamps to offer, let us light candles for those deceased whose exact number we still do not know. Like March 16 last year, several hundred Tibetan students from the Northwestern University for Nationalities in Lanzhou spread out banners with the slogan “share weal and woe with Tibetans” on the ground, and staged a sit-in under candlelight throughout the night. On March 17, over a hundred Tibetan students from the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing also lit candles and staged a sit-in on the campus, thus, the fire of protests extended to the capital of the “empire”.

In our culture and tradition, we attach great importance to the commemoration of the deceased. Many rites are the ones to offer sacrifices, and all the sacrifices have to make offerings to deities for the souls of resentful relatives and creditors. The forty-nine days, from the first week to the seventh week, are the forty-nine phases the soul of the deceased has to pass through the intermediate stage between death and rebirth, so the family not only need to invite the monks to perform Buddhist rites to release the soul of the deceased from purgatory suffering, but also have to give alms on a large scale to the poor. The coming year is similarly important, in fact the entire coming year should be the year to make sacrifices! At such a moment, we should pay tribute to the monks who are qualified to be called lamas. It is because only the practice of the monks can help the souls of the deceased to head for the truth, the light and a good rebirth. This is not superstition, on the contrary, it is the cherished memory of the deceased, which is the deepest and most beautiful feeling of mankind. Even Lenin said that “forgetting the past means betrayal”. For those of us who believe in religion, forgetting about the deceased means betrayal and signifies that we walk around without any feelings. If one does not commemorate one’s deceased relatives, then one is worse than a beast. If members of an ethnic group do not commemorate their deceased compatriots, then they are also worse than beasts.

Cherishing the memory of the deceased is not a virtue unique to any ethnic group. Similarly, the Han Chinese also deeply cherish the memory of their compatriots who have died. I read an article written by a Chinese who suffered in the “Incident of June 4” in 1989. After having been silent for as long as twenty years, he made a series of short films entitled “1989: The Calling of Memory”. He wrote, “ …the gun shots smashed all our dreams, how is it possible what’s smashed are just dreams of individuals? Our entire ethnic group has a common pain, but because of fear, we even dare not think about the pain, or dare not touch the pain. In this way, this pain has been buried in the heart of each one of us for year after year…When all our world desires have been satisfied, we ourselves are feeling more and more lost. We have material wealth, but we have lost our soul.”

To respect life is to respect oneself, and to cherish the memory of the deceased is to rescue and redeem oneself. The brutality and valiance of a materialist lies in the fact that he believes in guns and money. However, they also acknowledge the law of birth, death, illness and death as well as the law of rise and fall. Even Mao Zedong, who claimed that he himself was an outstanding person compared with others in history, was not able to avoid death. What is absurd is that after Mao’s death, a memorial hall was built for his corpse. Is this different from the countless terracotta warriors buried underground by the First Emperor of Qin? Certainly, if materialists also have the right to cherish the memory of the deceased, Tibetans who have religious belief should also have the right to cherish the memory of the deceased!

Therefore, 2009 is the year for us to cherish the memory of the deceased. And we have our own way to do so: make lamp offerings and light candles to commemorate the souls of the deceased, and recite the mantra of Avalokiteshvara: Om mani padme hum!

8th January 2009, Beijing

The Very Last Note from Tsawa Danyuk

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a note from Tsawa Danyuk that Jamyang Kyi posted on her blog on 2nd January 2009 (photo of the blogpost below). It appears that this writer is either missing or has fled abroad. We are not certain if Tsawa Danyuk is another blogger or whether the note was sent to Jamyang Kyi. It is apparent from the note that he had been accused of unknown crimes for writing or saying some words.


What is interesting is that since March 2008, a number of Tibetan writers and bloggers have been accused of political crimes by the authorities and have disappeared or gone underground. Another point to note is the growing admiration for Jamyang Kyi amongst her readers and followers. The comments on her blog are filled with words of admiration and affection to her.


The Very Last Note from Tsawa Danyuk (Tsha ba mda’ smyug)
By a tormented soul

Because of a few words I had said three years ago, I had to leave my beloved parents, teachers and friends. I even had to depart the land, where my umbilical cord is buried and be tossed away like sacrificial cake (gtor ma) from my native land.

Now I endure pain and suffering beyond worldly imagination inflicted by an army equipped with modern technology. What do I have to sacrifice? Where do I escape? Am I not allowed to remain on this earth? What crime have I committed? I begin to the think that even the gods are not being fair. I cannot comprehend! I am confused! I am laughing!

Notice: The above short note was written by Tsawa Danyuk on 29th April 2008

Comments:







Are you the writer of this blog?






Compatriot. Indeed, yes, I am the writer of this blog whose name begins with Jam. Thank you from the depth of my heart for visiting my blog all the time.

Whether the first six Tibetan primordial beings are monkeys or not is not our topic of debate.
Whether Nyatri Tsanpo descended from sky or not is not our (debate) to be won and lost.
Whether Songtsen lived into his eighties or not is not about victory or defeat.
Whether we are living up to the legacy of Tibetan kings is the question for the six million Tibetans.

Embrace the courage of our ancestors to our hearts and hold our hands together.
The agile horse running east and west, yet what is the use of a single horse?
Like the elegant saying, that united hands are gold, this is the path we should stride.

This was written in the Wood Bird Year, on the 23rd of the 1st Tibetan month. Tsawa Danyuk wrote this in Rebkong. I offer this to Jamyang Kyi.







The descendants of red-faced Tibetans call out the name of Tsawa Danyuk.








You are the flower of my life
You are my heart’s choice,
Forever my affection and love to you.










In the past I only thought of you as a singer. Yet, this year when the tide of time turned against us, I have scaled the strength of all the known Tibetans. And you are one of the most courageous Tibetans in the face of this difficult time and undeniably you have become a historical person. For being the voice of many educated Tibetans and raising the voice of truth through your writings, I would like to thank you from the depth of my heart.







Because of this oppression, I wouldn’t be able to close my eyes even if I were dying.









Tsawa Danyuk, Tsawa Danyuk!
Where are you? Have you been blown away by the storm?
A symbol of intelligent mind and brave heart
Forever present in (our) conversation,
Will never be forgotten.

‘Ethnic cleansing’ in Lhasa by Woeser

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a blogpost by Woeser originally written for Radio Free Asia on 17th November 2008 and posted on her blog on 17th December 2008. The rise in discrimination towards Tibetans within the PRC has been documented before on High Peaks Pure Earth but in this post Woeser goes into the minutiae of the bureaucracy behind daily life in Lhasa. It's in the details that we can build up a picture of the state apparatus at work.

Zhu Weiqun's comments that Woeser refers to can be read in this Guardian article of 11th November 2008.

Photos of Lhasa last winter…

‘Ethnic cleansing’ in Lhasa by Woeser

Not so long ago, Zhu Weiqun, a vice-minister of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department, declared: " The Dalai Lama wants to drive away millions of people of the various ethnic groups who are living in this land, and this reveals a message: If one day, [the Dalai Lama] really seizes power, he will without any compunction or sympathy carry out ethnic discrimination, apartheid and ethnic cleansing."

However, it is very regrettable that Lhasa is currently experiencing ethnic discrimination, apartheid and ethnic cleansing. And those who are responsible are not outsiders but the Communist Tibetan authorities themselves. The complaints of the Tibetans in Lhasa have already been heard everywhere. The reason I have to emphasize the complaints of Tibetans is that this only affects Tibetans and it does not involve any people from Han, Hui or other ethnic groups. Among all Tibetans, all those who do not hold a household registration certificate in Lhasa, or do not hold a temporary residence permit, particularly Tibetans from Amdo and Kham (which have been separated into parts of Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces as well as the Chamdo prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region), whether they have come to worship at the temple or to do business in Lhasa, they are without exception detained and then expelled from the city.

It all started at the beginning of April when authorities at Lhasa’s three main monasteries – Drepung, Sera, Ganden – arrested up to a thousand monks from Amdo and Kham who had come to Lhasa to study Buddhism. They used the train link between Tibet and Qinghai to send them to a military prison in Golmud. The monks remained in detention there for three or four months, depending on the situation, before being sent back by various officials or policemen to their native region. This is a form of apartheid and ethnic cleansing towards monks coming from outside Lhasa to study. Later, such operations have been carried out on a larger scale.

Since April 23, the various offices and the neighborhood committees under the local government of Lhasa city proper started to carry out checks on people under their jurisdiction. All the people holding a household registration had to be checked, and had to photocopy their ID and household registration certificate as well as hand in their photograph. Outsiders who did not hold a Lhasa household registration had to register. During this registration process, both the landlord and the tenant had to produce the relevant certificate, ID and temporary residence permit. Besides, the landlord must vouch for his tenant with the "Three Knows": that he knows the tenant's full name, that he knows the tenant's birthplace and that he knows the tenant’s profession. Stricter checks were carried out on people who did not hold the three crucial certificates - ID, temporary residence permit and birth certificate. It was reported in Tibet Business Daily that at least two hours were needed to obtain a temporary residence permit, but in reality it is very difficult for Tibetans from outside Lhasa to secure this certificate, which is very simple for Han and Hui people who have come to Lhasa to work temporarily to obtain. And even for Tibetan people who do hold a temporary residence permit, there still is a possibility that they will be expelled.

Every work unit in Lhasa also required all their employees to produce a copy of their ID and household registration as well as a photograph. All people listed on household registration of each employee also had to produce copies of ID and a one-inch photograph for each person – including infants. Each police station also repeatedly sent policemen to carry out checks at workplaces.

After the authorities had gathered information about all Tibetans, they started to implement in Lhasa what was described by Tibetans as a ‘major ethnic cleansing’. If we think about the history of the old city of Lhasa, Lhasa has always been a holy place where Tibetans from all regions head to and has been the homeland with traditional culture built by Tibetans from all regions for a thousand years. And the ‘major ethnic cleansing’ carried out by the authorities, which is much greater than that occurred in the “Cultural Revolution”, demonstrates that the Communist regime has damaged and even destroyed the Tibetan people’s way of life and traditional culture. Another aspect is that this ‘major ethnic cleansing’, which only targeted at Tibetans, is being carried out as a result of the Chinese authority’s effort to prevent any future outburst of Tibetan protests in Lhasa. However, the result is that in the future Lhasa will only be inhabited by a few remaining Tibetans from Lhasa; the rest of the people living in Lhasa will be people from other ethnic groups such as Hans or Huis who evolved from playing the role of guests to the role of owners. And in the course of this large-scale assimilation by ethnic groups from outside, Lhasa will completely lose its identity.

To put it in a nutshell, Lhasa is currently being silenced and experiencing ethnic discrimination, ethnic segregation and ethnic cleansing. And under such a tight control, the outside world experiences difficulties in getting to know the terrible truth of human rights violations. May the outside world support the ideals of justice and fairness and more people understand the intricacies of these events, and speak out for Tibetan people living in fear!

17th November, 2008

"To Go Sherab Gyatso la" by Jamyang Kyi

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a letter to Go Sherab Gyatso that Jamyang Kyi wrote on 25th July 2008 and posted on her blog on 31st July 2008. In an earlier posting, a letter to her friend Norzin Wangmo, Jamyang Kyi had said "Go Sherab Gyatso (sGo she rab rgya tsho), the one you were enquiring about, was arrested a few months earlier. His phone has been cut off and we have no idea about his whereabouts." From this blogpost, we know that Go Sherab Gyatso has been imprisoned but we do not know more than this.

Go Sherab Gyatso is the author of the book "We Need To Wake Up" (Nga Tsho sad ran), published in 2007 by Gansu Nationalities Press. Follow this link to see the index of the book in Tibetan.

We Need To Wake Up
by Go Sherab Gyatso

Jamyang Kyi mentions other intellectuals such as Arig Dolma Kyab, Golog Palchen Gyal, Norzin Wangmo and Woeser. For our European friends, here is a translation of the blogpost, in French, by the team at www.tibet-doc.org.

*Update 6th January 2009*
Many thanks to a High Peaks Pure Earth reader in China who informed us that Go Sherab Gyatso has since been released and is back at Kirti Monastery.


'To Go Sherab Gyatso la' by Jamyang Kyi

At that time, no one expected the possibility for sudden events to occur and I never thought that I would be taken away and denied the right to utter three words or take three steps forward. At that time you said that you had been accused of horrendous political crimes and had been sentenced to 3 years in prison. I་ deeply regretted that three prime years of your life would be wasted in prison. I had hoped these three years would turn into a beneficial experience.

At the time when I was kept in 'Ping An' detention centre for two days, this thought came to my mind again and again. I was regretful and ashamed for feeling it was hard to pass even two days in detention. In my mind I wondered how you would endure three years. Whatever the reasons may be, if one hasn't experienced detention, then it is not easy to make assumptions.

I respected those brave men and women who sacrificed their life and those who are within the walls of prison fighting for our nationality, especially talented Arig Dolma Kyab (a rig sgrol ma skyab). I deeply admire and respect this brave young man. And I realized that as for myself I am small-minded and not brave. In your case, you were imprisoned not once but twice. Your late father was labelled with political crimes and had to leave his own beloved place of birth. Your father died thinking of his beloved home in a foreign country. Thinking of it sometimes, the feeling of deep sadness falls to the ground.

The saying that behind every brave man there is an intelligent woman is true. Even when the situation was hopeless and desperate, your father had to leave and become a refugee. Your mother stood strong and encouraged and emboldened you. Like the saying goes, a half of the clothing is the shoe and half of a couple is the wife. She took the responsibility of both parents and raised you healthy and strong, mentally and physically. You are truly the son of a brave father and an intelligent mother. I would not be able to compare between your parents who is the more important or who is more courageous.

Among us, the diamond-like precious brave men and women are beaten against the rock and ground into the soil one by one. In these dark times how many of the brave and capable young men and brave mothers will be destroyed. Thinking carefully, how could all this be happening? Our men slept and the enemy took over, and women slept and the work overwhelmed us. And you uttered the unblemished truth, "We Need To Wake Up".

As for the men who haven't woken up yet, it is enough to respect and remember those who stand at the forefront. Doing so will affect future generations and inspire them. Otherwise, without respect and admiration for the brave people, there is no forward path for our nationality.

For those willing to listen, I always repeat the story of brave men and women. Even to my five-year-old daughter, I told her the story of brave Tsering Woeser (tshe ring ‘od zer) and Arig Dolma Kyab (a rig sgrol ma skyab).

Brothers and Sisters! You are always in the depth of our heart. You, brave Norzin Wangmo (nor ‘dzin dbang mo), Golog Palchen Gyal (mgo log dpal chen rgyal). And many more whom I don't know by name, I have been waiting with great hope that you will be released someday. This is not just my hope, it is the hope and prayer of six million Tibetans.

Comments:







Congratulations and admiration to Woeser and Dolma Kyab, even a mountain cannot obstruct your path.







My respect to the heroes and heroines of our nationality!







Respect to them from the depth of my heart.









Jamyang Kyi. Sometimes you made me laugh and sometimes you made me shed tears.








We are like an insect under the feet of a power that is reckless and lawless. Even if we raise our voices about our suffering for three hundred and sixty days, it will not be heard. I express my respect to you from the depth of my heart.










Sister Jamyang Kyi. I read your blog. There is no end to the tears, there is no limit to the space, everyone is thinking of them. From my depth of my flesh, I remember them, and from the crown of my head, I respect the brave Tibetans.









I would like to request more essays like Go Sherab Gyatso's "We Need To Wake Up" to readers. Even though I would like to read it, I have yet to get hold of it.









Sister, this is the truth. We should really appreciate and respect the brave Tibetan men and women. Like Uncle's advice "We Need To Wake Up" , I pray and hope that we will wake up and walk on our own feet soon.







You are inflicted with so much hardship.







You have suffered immensely and I cherish you in my heart.








Sister. It is our pride that we shower you with admiration of flowers for your courage and sacrifice. Yet, one thing that is sad is that our writers stick to their crooked thinking and look for someone's mistake.







Sister. Thank you.











First, I would like to welcome Jamyang Kyi for her safe return. I and all our brothers and sisters share the pain and suffering you and Go Sherab have undergone.

Like you mentioned, you and the rest of the brave brothers and sisters who were taken away, shackled and denied the right speak to three words and walk three steps, such a thing is unimaginable in free countries in the western world.

My brothers and sisters, this is not an unchangeable precept. You have, for the sake of the happiness and freedom of (our) nationality, sacrificed your own interests. And to me that is a true hero. Hearing that Sherab, one of the exemplary monks of the 21st century has been taken away in secret brings inexpressible pain.








Greetings!! Even though, this is somewhat late, it is coming from the depth of my heart. Ping An Detentions centre. Ha ha!! (Ping An, 平安 in Chinese, translates into English as 'safe')










How are you Jamyang Kyi la? I am an ordinary boy who likes listening to your songs. Your song commemorating the 10th Panchen Lama is very special for me and has left an inexpressible impression. This is the first time I am looking at your blog and even though I wasn't able to comprehend everything in-depth, I can sense your composition expresses the fate of a nationality, thank you for this. (I hope) in the future that we can get to know each other, Tashi Delek.








After the incident, I bought your book on my way home. I hadn't paid much attention to these ideas before. But this year gave me a lot of ideas and changes in my way of thinking. I made myself examine my way of thinking. I would like to thank you and pray for your success.










Amidst the torture and blood, if we can win our truth.
And if we can materialize our hope by our lives’ effort,
Their heart will be warmed, as life is wrapped with hot blood,
Even if their heart is wrapped in the darkness, they will see the rays of light.

I would like to congratulate you on your release.








In our case, "if a man lays still for too long, he is defeated by his enemies and, if a woman lays still for too long, she is overwhelmed by household tasks". It is naked truth expressed elegantly. Thank you. I am extremely happy that you have been released.










After leaving Xining Hospital, I have shared Go Sherab's advice with my collegues and students. It was like medicine to their mind. According to your advice, I have also completed putting together the book on new vocabulary in Tibetan. Like you said, if you cannot speak Tibetan, you are not a true Tibetan and you have lost the pride of being a Tibetan. I would like to request your continued advice and thank you for bringing your book to our attention.







I have no means to help you. Yet we share the same fate. Whenever we are weeping helplessly, it remind us of our karma.








Go Sherab is a person who doesn't know how to think according to the 21st century. He is a convict who disrespects the grateful Buddha, parents, lamas and monastery. It is difficult to establish that he is a Buddhist. The reasons are evident if you look at his book "We Need To Wake Up".