Tibet Talks

Tibet is the source of the headwaters of the 8 major rivers of Asia. These rivers are the lifeblood of South and Southeast Asia, providing sustenance, livelihoods, and economic opportunity to 1.8 billion people downstream. However, the Chinese government is continuing its a dam building spree that is imperiling the lives and communities of the Tibetan people, destroying homes and religious sites, degrading the natural ecosystem, destabilizing the region, and driving climate chaos. In today’s Tibet Talk, ICT staff Palmo Tenzin and Franz Matzner talk about the newest ICT report, “Chinese Hydropower: Damning Tibet’s Culture, Community, and Environment” and the first of its kind interactive GIS map showing existing, under construction, and planned hydropower dams in Tibetan lands. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Language rights expert Gerald Roche stops by Tibet Talk to discuss Chinese language oppression in Tibet, the suppression of minority languages like Manegacha, and his new book. What are the contradictions in China’s language policy? What is the status of Manegacha, Ngandehua, and other languages spoken by smaller populations? Gerald’s book, The Politics of Language Oppression in Tibet, is out now. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

This month on Tibet Talks join us as we speak with John Ackerly, an eyewitness to the Oct. 1 1987 Lhasa uprising who went on to work at the International Campaign for Tibet for two decades. John will talk about how this protest helped build a movement but also brought about intense repression. Today hopeful new trends are taking shape in Tibet as a result of the resilience and solidarity of Tibetans. ICT’s Tencho Gyatso will talk with John about how these personal experiences and new trends continue to inspire John’s lifelong advocacy for Tibet. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

This month for Tibet Talks we sat down with Jamyang Norbu, activist and author of “Echoes from Forgotten Mountains.” Join us as he discusses the people and history behind his fascinating new book. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

The Chinese government has been displacing rural Tibetans on a large scale for more than two decades. What has been the experience of Tibetans who have been displaced under the various relocation programs? Are these relocations violating international human rights standards? Human Rights Watch’s recent report on forced relocations in Tibet is the culmination of years of meticulous research and analysis, drawing from over 1,000 official Chinese media sources and academic studies. In this episode of Tibet Talk, Maya Wang, Interim China Director of Human Rights Watch, sheds light on the scale of China’s relocation programs in Tibet that displaces Tibetans from their traditional lands. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Penpa Tsering is the Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration. He is the democratically elected leader of Tibetans in exile. In this chat with ICT, Sikyong Tsering will discuss the role of the CTA, the importance of US support for Tibet and more. Join us for this special conversation! Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Last month, Chinese police reportedly arrested over 1,000 Tibetans after mass protests broke out in eastern Tibet. The Tibetans of Derge (Chinese: Dege) county were trying to stop a hydropower dam project that would force residents of two villages to abandon their homes. The dam would also reportedly destroy six Tibetan Buddhist monasteries containing religious murals that are centuries old. In this live Tibet Talk, ICT Research Analyst Tenzin Norgay and President Tencho Gyatso will answer your questions about the Derge dam protests. Together they’ll explain what the protests mean, how the international community has responded and where we go from here. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

By now, you might have heard that the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act passed the US House this month. But what will this bill do to shine a light on CCP propaganda and help resolve China’s decades-long occupation of Tibet? And how can we get it passed by the Senate and signed into law? In this Tibet Talk, your questions about the Resolve Tibet Act will be answered live by ICT President Tencho Gyatso and Director of Government Relations Franz Matzner. These ICT leaders will also discuss the upcoming Tibet Lobby Day in Washington, DC and other efforts to mark 65 years of Tibetan resilience and resistance against China’s occupation of Tibet. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

It’s not often that China is held to account for its human rights violations. But that’s exactly what will happen this month during China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where governments around the world will question and demand answers from Beijing about its abysmal human rights record. ICT Germany Executive Director Kai Mueller will be there in Geneva to monitor the UPR and to help organize a side event spotlighting China’s human rights abuses against Tibetans. In this Tibet Talk, we’ll speak to Kai about the UPR, the state of human rights in Tibet and the ability of the international community to pressure China into changing its policies. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Over 1 million Tibetan children have been separated from their families, language and culture at China’s state-run boarding schools in Tibet. These schools target the most vulnerable and impressionable minds and seek to make them loyal followers of the CCP. The goal is to sever the Tibetan way of life and cement China’s control over Tibet. In this Tibet Talk, we’ll speak to Lhadon Tethong, director of Tibet Action Institute, an organization that has been raising awareness about the boarding schools. In conversation with ICT President Tencho Gyatso, Lhadon will discuss the impact of these schools on Tibetan families, the response from the global community and what needs to happen next. Read Tibet Action Institute’s report on China’s boarding schools in Tibet » Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

As a result of China’s invasion and occupation of Tibet, over 100,000 Tibetans now live outside “the rooftop of the world”—their homeland of Tibet. For many people, these Tibetans are merely an abstraction; they’re either mystical monks or the faceless victims of China’s oppression. But a new book shows there is a lot more to the lives of Tibetan exiles. In this Tibet Talk, we speak to Amy Yee, author of the new book, “Far from the Rooftop of the World: Travels among Tibetan Refugees on Four Continents.” We discuss the 15-year journey—and the life-changing interaction with the Dalai Lama—that led her to write the book. We also go over the lives of the Tibetan exiles she got to know and the warmth they showed her as a Chinese American. Plus, we speak to ICT President Tencho Gyatso about the visit of the Tibetan Sikyong (President) to Washington, DC. Purchase “Far from the Rooftop of the World” from The University of North Carolina Press at https://uncpress.org/book/9781469675510/far-from-the-rooftop-of-the-world/ Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Tibet’s rivers are beautiful, but they’re also life-sustaining. And not just for people in Tibet, but for nearly 2 billion people across Asia who depend on the rivers’ flow. But China’s large-scale water diversion projects and hydropower development are having a dangerous effect on these rivers, imperiling downstream countries, furthering China’s agenda of regional control and threatening the Tibetan way of life. Last month, ICT was proud to co-sponsor a panel on Himalayan water security convened by the US State Department in partnership with the International Water Management Institute. This month, ICT’s Government Relations Director Franz Matzner caught up with two of the panelists: Tsechu Dolma, founder of the Mountain Resiliency Project, and Lobsang Yangtso, senior researcher at the International Tibet Network. In this conversation, the two Tibetan experts in exile discuss Tibet’s rivers, water security in the region and the need for urgent international action. Read what happened at the Himalayan water security panel: https://savetibet.org/state-department-panel-highlights-water-security-in-tibet-himalayas/ Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

The Dalai Lama’s Four Commitments: a Tibet Talks Special Series As a self-described “son of India,” the Dalai Lama is committed to reviving awareness of the value of ancient Indian knowledge. He is convinced the ancient Indian understanding of the mind and emotions—as well as techniques of mental training like meditation—are of great relevance today. In fact, India, he believes, is specially placed to combine ancient and modern ways of knowing. In our final episode on His Holiness’ Four Principal Commitments, we’ll discuss his commitment to reviving India’s civilizational heritage and its value to today with Rajiv Mehrotra, an acclaimed Indian former TV host and the secretary and trustee of the Foundation For Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, which was started with seed money from His Holiness’ Nobel Peace Prize award. Mehrotra has been a student of the Dalai Lama for over 40 years. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

The Dalai Lama’s Four Commitments: a Tibet Talks Special Series As a Tibetan, the Dalai Lama is the focus of the Tibetan people’s hopes and aspirations both inside Tibet and in exile. He is committed to endeavoring to preserve the Tibetan language and culture while also speaking up for Tibet’s environment. His Holiness often refers to himself as an independent spokesperson for Tibetan people, and he has put forward the Middle Way Approach to peacefully resolve the Tibet-China conflict. In our third episode on His Holiness’ Four Principal Commitments, we’ll discuss his efforts to preserve Tibetan culture and strive for Tibet’s cause with Tenzin Namgyal Tethong, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Representative to North America (1973-86), former Kalon Tripa (Minister and Chair of the Cabinet) of the Central Tibetan Administration, as well as the founding President of ICT. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

The Dalai Lama’s Four Commitments: a Tibet Talks Special Series As a Buddhist monk, the Dalai Lama is committed to encouraging harmony among the world’s religious traditions. Despite their philosophical differences, he believes all major religions have the same potential to create good human beings. Therefore, it’s important for all religious traditions to respect one another and the value of each tradition. In our second episode on His Holiness’ Four Principal Commitments, we’ll discuss his commitment to religious harmony with Professor Siddiq Wahid, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research. Professor Wahid traces his family to the Tibetan Muslim community in Lhasa, Tibet, and his father was one of the last caravanners bringing the official tributes from the people of Ladakh to the Dalai Lama at a time when there was peace and harmony in the Himalayas. Professor Wahid has been involved in numerous interfaith engagements and conferences organized by the Dalai Lama, including with Muslim leaders. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

The Dalai Lama’s Four Commitments: a Tibet Talks Special Series As a human being, the Dalai Lama is concerned about finding ways to promote human values like compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline. He wants people to know that if their minds are upset, mere physical comfort will not bring them peace. But if their minds are at peace, even physical pain will not disturb their calm. He emphasizes that all human beings are the same, wanting happiness and not suffering, and all can benefit by incorporating such human values into their lives. He refers to these values as secular ethics or universal values. In our first episode on His Holiness’ Four Principal Commitments, we’ll discuss his commitment to human values with Dr. Richie Davidson, a neuro-scientist known for his groundbreaking work in the study of emotion and the brain. Dr. Davidson is a University of Wisconsin–Madison professor and the founder of the Center for Healthy Minds. After meeting His Holiness in 1992, Dr. Davidson started focusing his research and work toward studying kindness and compassion. Learn more about Center for Healthy Minds early childhood Kindness Curriculum: https://centerhealthyminds.org/join-the-movement/sign-up-to-receive-the-kindness-curriculum Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Human values. Religious harmony. The preservation of Tibet’s culture. And the revival of India’s ancient wisdom. Join us every Thursday in August for a special series celebrating the four principal commitments of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Thursday, Aug. 3: The Dalai Lama and the Promotion of Human Values with Dr. Richie Davidson Thursday, Aug. 10: The Dalai Lama and the Promotion of Religious Harmony with Professor Siddiq Wahid Thursday, Aug. 17: The Dalai Lama and the Preservation of Tibetan Culture with Mr. Tenzin Namgyal Tethong Thursday, Aug. 24: The Dalai Lama and The Revival of India’s Civilizational Heritage, Its Value to Today with Mr. Rajiv Mehrotra Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Tibet’s premier filmmaker has died. By writing and directing movies that won acclaim across the globe, Pema Tseden put Tibetan cinema on the map. And through showing modern-day Tibet on the big screen, he allowed audiences around the world to see the tragic evisceration of Tibetan culture under Chinese rule. Following Pema Tseden’s death last month at age 53, we reflect on his legacy with Tibetan exile filmmaker Tenzing Sonam, who explains how Pema Tseden captured the clash of modernity and tradition in Tibet, crafted a distinct directorial style and empowered other Tibetans to find their own voice as film artists. Read Tenzing Sonam’s reflections on the films of Pema Tseden: whitecranefilms.com/writing/quiet-storm-pema-tseden-and-the-emergence-of-tibetan-cinema Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

The media have a vital role to play in telling the world Tibet’s story. But the Chinese government makes it nearly impossible for foreign journalists to enter Tibet and report on China’s human rights abuses against the Tibetan people. In fact, a Washington Post reporter said in 2016 that the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region, which spans roughly half of Tibet, is harder to visit as a journalist than even North Korea. In honor of this month’s 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, we speak to Sarah Cook, Senior Advisor for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan at Freedom House, about China’s restrictions on press freedom in Tibet. We also discuss how journalists at Radio Free Asia, Voice of America and other outlets still find information about what’s happening in Tibet, as well as what governments, civil society groups and ordinary citizens can do to push back on China’s policies. In 2018, the US government passed the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, which pressured the Chinese government to give American journalists, diplomats and tourists access to Tibet. Find out more about the law at www.savetibet.org/reciprocity. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

When Xi Jinping took over as China’s top leader in 2012, there were hopes that his reputation as a moderate and his father’s relationship with the Dalai Lama would lead to a softening of policies. Instead, Xi has proven to be a hardliner whose indefinite rule began this past month, unforeseen a decade ago. To mark Xi’s decade in charge, ICT is publishing a new report, “10 Years of Xi Jinping: Sinification and Securitization of Tibetans for the Chinese Nation-State.” In this Tibet Talk, we’ll speak to the report’s author, ICT Research Analyst Tenzin Norgay, about Xi’s impact on Tibet and what the future holds. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. To get involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, please visit www.savetibet.org/support. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com