KUHN: Woeser notes, though, that more militant music is marching onto
the Tibetan plateau.

WOESER: (Through translator) Now, a lot of young Tibetans living in
the West are adopting Western forms of popular music, such as rap.
These kinds of songs may gradually become a stronger voice in the
exile community.

(Soundbite of song, “No Next Time”)

Mr. NAMGYAL YESHI (Rapper): (Singing) The time is running and
running, I am getting older and older…

KUHN: Straight out of Queens, New York, Namgyal Yeshi raps about an
onslaught of beggars, thieves and migrants flooding into Tibet from
other parts of China, and of birds, fish and trees disappearing from
the land.

(Soundbite of music)

KUHN: But even before digitized music and cell phones arrived in the
Himalayan highlands, there was already a tradition of protest music.
In 1989, protesters took to the streets of the Tibetan capital,
Lhasa. Many sang this tune about the need for Tibetans to unite,
regardless of their place of birth or religious beliefs.

Woeser says the whole idea of slapping political labels on music is
absurd.

WOESER: (Through translator) Just by categorizing these songs as
reactionary, we can see that the thinking of the authorities in Tibet
is still stuck in the Cultural Revolution. And the current atmosphere
in Tibet of captivity and terror is similar to that era.

KUHN: There’s no public list of banned tunes, Woeser notes. State
media reported that police in Tibet detained two suspects last month
for reactionary ringtones, but it didn’t say which ringtones.

Ultimately, a song’s reactionary tone may be in the ear of the
listener. On the other hand, to an aggrieved singer, even a mellow
ballad can blaze like an angry anthem.

Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing.

(Soundbite of music)

Unidentified Man (Singer): (Singing foreign language)

Hi

Here is an interesting article by Woeser regarding Namgyal. Woeser does do her blogs in Chinese so the blog is in Chinese. We tried using Google to translate it into English but felt that the translation was not good to many errors. So we apologize for that.

http://woeser.middle-way.net/2008/12/rap.html

Thanks!
Namgyal

A little bird tells me that the “reactionary” music is possibly the recordings of a New York-based Rap singer Namgyal Yeshi. Here is how one of the songs No Next Time starts:

The rest of the lyric is in the Tibetan language. You can find a Chinese translation HERE. There is also a recording of the song performed at a pro-Tibetan demonstration in New York on 10 March 2008:

Hi Folks

This is Dave Namgyal’s webmaster. Going to be away until the 27th so the blog will be updated when I return as it has been since we opened the site.

Thuje che for reading!
Dave

Obama names Republican governor as envoy to China
Reuters[Monday, May 18, 2009 11:45]

WASHINGTON, May 16 - US President Barack Obama on Saturday named the Republican governor of Utah to be the next US ambassador to China, a pivotal post in relations between the United States and a major emerging economic power. Jon Huntsman Jr., 49, a Mandarin-speaking former US trade official with deep personal and family business ties to China, takes on a delicate diplomatic role with a vital trading partner and one of the biggest sources of financing for the growing pile of US government debt. ”This ambassadorship is as important as any in the world because the United States will best be able to deal effectively with the global challenges of the 21st century by working in concert with China,” Mr Obama said at a White House ceremony with Mr Huntsman at his side. But Mr Obama also used his nomination of Mr Huntsman, a former ambassador to Singapore who has been mentioned as a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2012, to send a message to China’s communist leadership. ”Improved relations with China will require candour and open discussion about those issues where we don’t always agree, such as human rights and democracy and free speech, and will require that each of our nations play by the rules in open and honest competition,” Mr Obama said.

Huntsman and Obama/ AFP/Getty Images

Mr Huntsman is the son of billionaire and philanthropist Jon Huntsman, and his family founded chemical company Huntsman Corp, which has operations in China including a factory in Shanghai. One of Huntsman’s seven children, daughter Gracie Mei, was adopted from China.

He quoted a Chinese aphorism as he accepted the nomination on Saturday, which he translated as, ”Together we work, together we progress.”

”This more than anything else, I think, captures the spirit of our journey going forward,” he said.

In a 2006 speech at Shanghai Normal University, Mr Huntsman urged bilateral cooperation to foster peace and economic prosperity on both sides of the Pacific, but also had some stern words about how environmental damage in Asia hurt wildlife in his home state of Utah.

”As leading stakeholders in the international community, the United States and China must be good examples and stewards of the Earth,” he said at the time. ”We must match economic progress with environmental stewardship. The effects of industrialization are felt worldwide.”

Eswar Prasad, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and previously head of the China division at the International Monetary Fund, said Huntsman’s diplomatic skills ”will be tested to the limit as there are many potential sources of conflict between China and the US, especially on trade, currency and environmental policies.”

”Once the world economy stabilizes and the worst of the (financial) crisis is behind us, these simmering tensions will come bubbling back to the surface,” he added.

Mr Obama’s administration has stopped short of accusing China of keeping its currency artificially low in order to boost exports, but some in Congress would like to see the United States formally accuse China of manipulating the yuan.

The US trade deficit with China hit a record $266.3bn in 2008, but both countries are feeling the pinch now because the global recession has clobbered world trade.

Mr Obama, like his predecessor George W. Bush, also has been mostly low-key in any criticism of China’s human rights record.

Washington is mindful of its need for Beijing’s cooperation in curbing the global financial crisis and in reining in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

Mr Obama’s choice of a Republican for such a key post could signal that the Democratic president has not abandoned his pledge to seek bipartisan cooperation. Since taking office in January, he has mostly relied on a Democratic majority in Congress to push through his legislation.

The ambassador post requires Senate confirmation.

Mr Huntsman served as deputy US trade representative in the Bush administration from 2001-2004, and was also US ambassador to Singapore from 1992 to 1994 when Mr Bush’s father was president.

China is among the largest buyers of US government debt, with $767.9bn as of March, according to Treasury Department data released on Friday. Washington is keen to maintain a strong relationship — particularly now as the $787bn stimulus package and $700bn financial bailout fund have strained public finances.

If China pulled back on its purchases of US bonds, it could drive up interest rates, making it more expensive for the government to finance its growing debt pile. It could also raise borrowing costs for a host of consumer and business loans, including home mortgages.

Himalayan communities better placed to preserve Buddhism: Dalai Lama
Phayul[Saturday, May 16, 2009 18:46]
By Phurbu Thinley

Dharamsala, May 16: His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Saturday said Buddhist nuns from Himalayan regions had an important responsibility in preserving Tibetan Buddhist traditions, which he said was facing an uncertain future in its homeland. The highly evolved Tibetan Buddhist tradition is facing an uncertain future in Tibet and it is time for the Buddhist nuns from Himalayan regions to also play an important role in preserving this rich and unique spiritual tradition, the Dalai Lama said. “So I always emphasize that people in the Himalayan regions now have a special responsibility to safeguard and preserve the ancient and rich Buddhist tradition that is deeply rooted in the Tibetan and Himalayan culture,” His Holiness added. The Tibetan spiritual leader was speaking at the Jamyang Choling Institute at Garoh near Dharamsala. His Holiness was attending a religious ceremonial function to consecrate and inaugurate a new Assembly Hall of the institute for Buddhist nuns, the majority of whom are from Himalayan regions of India, Nepal and Bhutan.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama leads a prayer during a ceremony to consecrate new Assembly Hall of Jamyang Choling Institute in Gharoh, Dharamsala, India, Saturday, May 16, 2009 (Photo: Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL)

Representatives from the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, including Kalon (Minister) Tsering Phuntsok, of Department of Religion and Culture, Minister for Department of Security Mr. Dhonchung Ngodup and Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile Gyari Dolma, attended the function.

Commending the works of the nunnery in imparting spiritual education for Tibetan Buddhist nuns from the Himalayan regions, His Holiness urged the centre to continue to strive for excellence in spiritual practice.

The Dalai Lama went on to insist that the primary focus of Buddhist monasteries and nunneries should be on the quality of the education and spiritual practice, and not on the number of monks and nuns in the campus.

“Quality should be the priority. Number is not important,” His Holiness said.

Jamyang Choling says one of its primary missions is to “train nuns as spiritual leaders, teachers, community workers and mentors for others in remote Himalayan regions and elsewhere when feasible.”

Prior to attending the inaugural ceremony, His Holiness paid a quick visit to Thösamling Institute for International Buddhist Women and Nyingtop Ling, a home for the physically challenged Tibetan children, both located in Sidhpur near Dharmsala, which serves as the base for Tibet’s Government in exile.

Congress hails India poll victory
BBC[Saturday, May 16, 2009 22:20]

The leaders of India’s Congress party have thanked the people for returning them to power with a “massive mandate”. Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that they had made the “right choice” and PM Manmohan Singh vowed the party would “rise to the occasion”. Earlier the main opposition BJP and the Third Front conceded they had lost. State television says Congress’s alliance has won or is ahead in 263 seats, compared with the BJP’s (154), the Third Front (60) and others (66). Congress should now find it easier to form a stable government. Mr Singh said: “I express my deep sense of gratitude to the people for giving us this massive mandate, for having reposed their faith in the party.” He said that he would try to persuade Rahul Gandhi to join the cabinet. Sonia Gandhi said: “The people of India know what’s good for them and have made the right choice.” Earlier Rajnath Singh, president of the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, told reporters it had not expected this kind of result. “We will sit together later today, once all the results are out, and analyse what happened,” he said. BJP leader LK Advani has telephoned Mr Singh and Mrs Gandhi to offer his congratulations and the full support of his party to strengthen India, the BJP’s Arun Jaitley said. Prakash Karat, the leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the key mover in the Third Front, accepted Congress had won. “The CPM and the Left parties have suffered a major setback,” he said. The BBC’s Chris Morris in Delhi says that a small crowd gathered early outside Congress headquarters to celebrate, banging drums and chanting slogans. There have been celebrations in Mumbai and elsewhere. Our correspondent says several days of backroom deals still lie ahead but the prospect of a very weak and unstable government has receded. There were earlier reports that Home Minister P Chidambaram had lost his seat in Tamil Nadu, but a recount has now been ordered there. ‘People’s verdict’ Counting began at 0800 local time (0230 GMT) and with electronic voting machines being used the first trends were quickly available. Congress confounded predictions, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Left-wing parties appear to be suffering major reverses in West Bengal and Kerala and the party of Dalit leader Mayawati, also in the Third Front, has underperformed in Uttar Pradesh. Senior leftist leader Sitaram Yechury said: “It’s the people’s verdict.” One high-profile winner was former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor for Congress in Kerala’s capital, Trivandrum. Since polling ended on Wednesday, the two main parties have been involved in a series of political meetings, scrambling to gain pledges of support in a predicted hung parliament. The BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says there had been suggestions that both the Congress and BJP were losing relevance in India, ceding political space to smaller, local parties. But this defeat for the BJP’s LK Advani should certainly spell the end of his political career, he says. The main thrust of the Congress manifesto has been on economic recovery and boosting growth, while the BJP focused on easing taxation and recovering money illegally stashed abroad. Security has been tight in a number of areas ahead of the results announcement. Meetings of five or more people have been banned across Rajasthan and victory processions barred in Uttar Pradesh. Turnout for the election has been put at about 60%, compared with 58% in 2004. Security has so far generally been considered a success, although about 60 people lost their lives, mostly in Maoist violence. India’s new 543-seat parliament, with a new government in place, is supposed to sit by 2 June.

Congress party President Sonia Gandhi holds a bouquet gifted by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, unseen, at her residence in New Delhi, India, Saturday, May 16, 2009. The Congress party headed to a resounding victory Saturday in India’s monthlong national elections, defying expectations of a poor showing to secure a second term in power as the country battles an economic downturn. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi) BJP office in the Indian capital with a deserted look, Photo:BBC

Czech MPs urge their president to talk Tibet with China
Phayul[Saturday, May 16, 2009 14:55]
By Tenzin Tsering

Dharamsala, May 16 - The Czech parliamentary group for Tibet has petitioned the Czech Presidential Office to bring the issue of human rights concerns in Tibet at the EU-China summit to be held at Prague on 20 May 2009, says Greens MP Katerina Jacques.

This summit is scheduled twice after China canceling it previously to show its resentment over French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s meeting with the Dalai Lama. China regularly opposes any decision by a state to receive the Dalai Lama or make any contact with him. The summit was originally scheduled for December 2008.

Czech Republic now holds the rotating presidency of the 27-member bloc. President Vaclav Klaus will chair the summit where EU and China plan to discuss their bilateral trade and co operation.

MP Jacques said, “None of the current global challenges that the world faces can be dealt without cooperation between the EU and China. But at the same time the EU cannot keep silent to the violation of human rights in China.”

The European Union can play an important role in bringing forth a constructive dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama, given the interdependency of the member nations and around the globe in general, analysts say.

However, China accuses the Dalai Lama and his proposal of “genuine autonomy” as seeking independence in disguise and the dialogue so far has resulted in a stalemate.

Tibetans and their supporters say that the condition inside Tibet is still worsening, where a slightest dissent against the Chinese repressive doctrine and human rights violation is met with ‘brutal suppression and violation of human rights’. Absence of international organizations, aid or free media has strengthened and encouraged the Chinese hardliners in Tibet, according to Tibetan right groups.

Kelsang Gyatsen, the Dalai Lama’s envoy, said that the EU must impress on China that the issue of Tibet continues to remain an important agenda in their bilateral relationship and the pressing need to properly address and resolve the issue through dialogue to provide the solution. “Failure to address the issue of Tibet will greatly undermine the credibility of the EU position on the issue of Tibet in particular and on human rights in China in general.”

The Green MP’s petition also included release of Aung San Suu Kyi from prison and the initiation of a dialogue among Suu Kyi, representatives of the ethnic groups and the Junta.

Dalai Lama to meet Danish PM: Sources
Phayul[Saturday, May 16, 2009 13:13]
By Tenzin Phende

Dharamsala, May 16 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama will meet the Prime Minister of Denmark during his two day visit to the country at the end of this month, Voice of Tibet radio service reported yesterday, citing a ‘reliable’ source who did not want to be named. Lakha Rinpoche of Tibet Charity, which is one of the organizers of His Holiness’ visit, told the radio service that he received an email from a journalist indicating that the Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen will meet the Tibetan leader at the former’s residence on May 29 but the exact time for the meeting is not known at the moment. During his two day visit to the Scandinavian country, the 1989 Nobel peace laureate will give teachings on Nagarjuna’s Commentary on Bodhicitta (jangchup semdrel) & Kamalashila’s The Middling Stages of Meditation (gomrim barpa). His Holiness will also give a public talk on Peace Through Inner Peace.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Lakha Rinpoche will lead a long life prayer offering to His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Tenshug) by the Tibetans residing in Denmark. His Holiness will also preside over a press conference and meet with members of the Danish parliamentary group for Tibet.

His Holiness will also visit Netherlands where he was invited to visit the Dutch parliament. China earlier warned Dutch MPs not to invite the Dalai Lama to visit parliament but Dutch MPs went ahead with the invitation despite the warning from China that the visit would harm relations between the two nations.

After Netherlands, His Holiness will visit Paris, France, where he is likely to receive the Paris citizen of honour. He will give a public talk on Ethics and Society

EU-China summit must address the issue of Tibet : Envoy Kelsang G
tibet-envoy.eu[Friday, May 15, 2009 21:44]
By Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen

The European Union-China Summit will take place on May 20, 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic. His Holiness the Dalai Lama welcomes the summit. He has always spoken out against any idea of isolating or containing China. Instead he has consistently called for the need to bring China into the mainstream of the world community and in particular into the mainstream of the world democracy. The forthcoming summit offers a timely opportunity for the European Union to address the issue of Tibet with their Chinese counterparts. The situation inside Tibet is compelling and urgent. Presently, the Tibetans in Tibet are undergoing the harshest wave of repression since the days of the Cultural Revolution. The increasing number of death sentences passed on Tibetans in recent months is a clear indication of the grave and tense situation in Tibet.

Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen

On October 31, 2008 the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama presented a Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People to the Government of the People’s Republic of China. This memorandum puts forth the Tibetan position on genuine autonomy and how the specific needs of the Tibetan people for autonomy and self-government can be met through application of the principle on autonomy of the Constitution of the PRC.

Unfortunately, the Chinese government rejected the Tibetan proposal without presenting their own views on a way forward.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has steadfastly followed the Middle Way approach, which means the pursuit of a mutually acceptable and mutually beneficial solution through negotiations in the spirit of reconciliation and compromise. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s thinking on the issue has evolved in the course of time since presenting his “Five Point Peace Plan” in 1987 and “the Strasbourg Proposal” in 1988. He has adjusted and refined his position on a number of issues in light of changing realities on the ground and in consideration of the Chinese government’s legitimate concerns, needs and interests. This reflects His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s flexibility, openness and pragmatism.

The Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People and not earlier proposals and other statements, authoritatively represents His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s position today with respect to an acceptable solution to the Tibetan issue. Although it differs in significant aspects from earlier proposals, it remains true to the fundamental approach known as the Middle Way of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Despite the categorical rejection of the memorandum by the Chinese side, the Special Meeting of the Tibetans in Diaspora held in November 2008 in Dharamsala, India, reconfirmed the mandate for the dialogue process with the PRC on the basis of the Middle Way approach of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As a result the Tibetan leadership in exile reiterated its commitment to the dialogue process. Today, the Tibetan side stands ready to engage in honest and earnest discussions on autonomy for the Tibetan people anytime and anywhere. It is now for the Chinese governments to show sincerity and seriousness in addressing the real problems and issues of the Tibetan people in Tibet.

Against the background of a current policy of merciless repression of the slightest dissent by the Chinese authorities, which is resulting in grave and wide-spread violations of human rights throughout the Tibetan plateau, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s consistent and unwavering commitment to non-violence and to dialogue in the spirit of reconciliation and compromise, it would be befitting the European Union to take the lead in promoting a peaceful resolution of the issue of Tibet. In today’s heavily interdependent world no country and no government is immune to world opinion and to outside influence. There is no doubt that the European Union could play a much more proactive and constructive role in bringing about a honest dialogue and negotiations on the issue of Tibet between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese leadership

We Tibetans are in dire need of international help. First and foremost in opening up Tibet to the rest of the world so that the Chinese authorities and security forces no longer have a free hand in Tibet. International presence will have a restraining influence on the authorities and the security forces and will thus provide some measures of protection to the captive Tibetans inside Tibet. Sending government and parliamentarian delegations to Tibet is a way to ensure this. Moreover, the Chinese government must be encouraged to open up Tibet to international press, aid organisations, other non-governmental organisations and to tourism. Immediate interventions for the suspension of the death sentences passed on to Tibetans recently are a matter of great urgency.

Moreover, it is important to leave no doubt that the current aggressive pressure politic of the Chinese government in attempting to isolate His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to silence the issue of Tibet, has no chance of succeeding. The message of the European Union to the Chinese leadership must be that the issue of Tibet will continue to be an important agenda in the EU-China bilateral relationship unless it is properly addressed and resolved through dialogue in a mutually acceptable way for the parties concerned. Evading the issue of Tibet during the EU-China Summit will only increase the suspicion and distrust in the minds of the Chinese counterpart in the light of the wide-spread sympathy and support for the cause of Tibet and for His Holiness the Dalai Lama by the people and the public across Europe.

Above all, such a consideration of the political sensitivity of the issue of Tibet for the Chinese government would only encourage and strengthen the hardliners within the Chinese leadership. Consequently, it is the Tibetan position and appeal that the issue of Tibet be judged by the universally recognized principles and norms and dealt with accordingly. It is unacceptable and can only undermine the international system based on agreed upon principles and international legal covenants, when the political sensitivity of the Chinese government is made the primary criteria in dealing with the cause of the Tibetan people instead of judging it in terms of the gravity of the violations of human rights, injustice and oppression taken place in Tibet. It is a fact that Tibet today belongs to the most restricted and least free places and the Tibetans to the most repressed and threatened peoples in the world.

Ultimately, we Tibetans need on the other side of the negotiating table a sincere partner for an honest dialogue. Last year after the wide-spread demonstrations throughout the Tibetan plateau, the EU Foreign Ministers called on March 29, 2008 “for substantive and constructive dialogue which addresses core issues like preservation of the Tibetan language, culture, religion and traditions”. The Tibetan side has answered the call of the EU Foreign Ministers and presented the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People. On account of the Chinese rejection of the Tibetan memorandum, the Sino-Tibetan dialogue process has now reached an impasse. Consequently, failing to address the issue of Tibet at the forthcoming EU-China Summit would greatly undermine the credibility of the EU position on the issue of Tibet in particular and on human rights in China in general.

This is a very critical and crucial time for the Tibetan people and the issue of Tibet. The EU-China Summit will be watched closely by millions of Tibetan and Chinese peoples. The Tibetan people need a message of hope, sympathy and solidarity - not only not to give in to despair and bitterness but also to strengthen their faith in the path of non-violence, dialogue and reconciliation as advocated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.