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,...

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,...

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 Tibeta...

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 inv...

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 a...

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...

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 th...

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...

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 mo...

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 Lhado...

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...

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 Tibe...

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 place...

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...

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...

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...

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 H...

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 Ti...

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 th...

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: Sini...

At ICT, we just wrapped up our 2023 Tibet Lobby Day. It was a record-setting event that brought over 150 Tibetan Americans and Tibet supporters to Washington, DC to build Congressional support for the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act. Also known as the Resolve Tibet Act, this bill is a major goal for Tibet supporters. But what does it actually do, and how can we get it passed...

Losar Tashi Delek! That’s the greeting Tibetans will use next week when they celebrate Losar, the Tibetan New Year. And on this episode of Tibet Talks, you can celebrate this beautiful holiday with ICT. Join us for an exploration of Losar’s history, traditions and significance with Professor Tenzin Dorjee of California State University, Fullerton, who was the first Tibetan American chair of the US...

At the Dalai Lama’s residence in India, an unusual visitor has arrived: a troubled Giant Panda who has traveled from many miles away. Welcoming him as a friend, His Holiness invites the Panda on a walk through a cedar forest. There, in the shadow of the Himalayas, surrounded by beauty, they discuss matters great and small.  This is the warm, whimsical, wise story of a new book featuring words by t...

Tibet’s fate is one of tragedy and hope. Because of China’s illegal occupation, the people of Tibet have lost the right to determine their own destiny. But forced into exile, the Dalai Lama has become a compassionate leader for the world and a source of endless inspiration to resolve the Tibet-China conflict. In this final Tibet Talk of 2022, we’ll speak to the authors of two new books that exempl...

In the history of Tibetans in exile, Lodi Gyari holds a special place. As the late President and Executive Chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, Mr. Gyari helped build lasting support for Tibet from governments around the world. And as the Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, he was assigned to be the lead interlocutor in the dialogue process with the Chinese leadership to fin...