Conversation with Tenzyn Zochbauer

The podcast session with Tenzyn Zöchbauer saw her sharing the engagements, initiatives and
activities towards and for Tibet in Germany. She further expresses how her Tibetan mother
has been the source of inspiration and along with the Vienna Restaurant (where individuals
supporting Tibet would gather), were the major push and set the foundation for her working
towards the resolution of the Tibet-China Conflict.

The session began with opinions on the recent mass uprising occurring in China. She stated
how initially she was surprised and taken aback that such a thing had occurred because since
the Tiananmen massacre in 1989, there has never been such a large demonstration led by
Chinese in China. The Tibet Initiative – Deutschland, the organization where she is the
Executive Director also took to the streets to support the Chinese uprising by demonstrating
and showing solidarity by continuing the A4 revolution in Germany.

Moving on Tenzyn Zöchbauer shared her experience living as a Tibetan in Europe. She was
thankful of her privileges and stated how this made her respect and value human rights and
duties. She stressed upon the important role of her mother and revealed to us how the letter
from her maternal grandparents to her foster grandparents (which she only got wind of
recently) where the letter highlighted how their daughter would serve and fulfil the wished of
His Holiness the 14 th Dalai Lama has further inspired her further.

She shared valuable insights on the organization that she heads, the Tibet Initiative –
Deutschland. Here she highlighted how thousands of Germans are members, with many of
them even visiting Tibet and witnessing the cruelties occurring to Tibetans which was and
continues to be instigated and further proliferated by the Chinese communist government.

Tenzyn told us about the Tibet Flag Hoisting initiative and the Pah-Lak theatre play, with the
latter being their major project which showcases Tibetan activism and way of life in its
artistic form.

On Tibet she asserted we Tibetans must follow the news and events occurring in Tibet and
share them with the world as the Chinese Communist Regime completely tries to suppress its
release to the world. She called upon the Tibetan youths to now take the mantle of leadership
in the Tibet-China conflict, as through the initiative and work done by the elder Tibetans,
Tibet is still talked and engaged about in the global world/community. Tenzyn also thanked
the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) also known as the Tibetan Government in Exile
(TGiE) whose engagements with Germany remains strong and commends them for the V-Tag
initiative which brings Tibetan youths together and the forefront. She met CTA officials
including Sikyong (president) Penpa Tsering during their engagements in Europe this year
and told us how vital it is for Tibetan officials to meet with German officials.

She concluded by affirming that China never expected Tibet and Tibetans would continue
their struggle of truth after more than 60 years of occupation. She and her organization are
preparing for any scenario in light of the recent mass uprising in China. And hopes that
Germans and people worldwide will continue supporting Tibet and Tibetans.

The post Unsilenced: Voices of Young Tibetans – a podcast series presented by the Foundation for Non-Violent Alternatives (FNVA) appeared first on fnvaworld.org.

Chinese authorities in a Tibetan populated region of Qinghai province arrested three men on Sunday for sharing photos on social media amid tightened security measures put in place for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, according to a Tibetan source.

Identified as Rinchen Dorje and Kelsang Nyima, from Domda village in Yushu, also called Kyegudo, and Lhundup from Dza Sershul, the men were detained by police conducting random inspections in the area, a source in Yushu told RFA’s Tibetan Service.

The men were charged with sharing photos of local events on the WeChat social media platform with Tibetans living in exile, RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

“They were part of a WeChat group called the United Association, which has members both inside and outside of Tibet,” the source said. “We don’t know where the men are being held at the moment.”

“Three days had been set aside to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Kyegudo, but because of the coronavirus pandemic and for several other reasons, the Chinese authorities decided to hold the celebration only for two days.”

“However, lots of restrictions were put in place forbidding people from discussing these events or sharing information about them with the outside world,” the source said.

Police deployed to Kyegudo town’s market square conducted inspections during anniversary events, and streets and playgrounds were also put under surveillance, the source said.

“During these random checks, these three men were taken away by the police after being handcuffed and put into a police vehicle without explanation,” he said.

China has imposed strict communication clampdowns in Tibet and Tibetan areas of western Chinese provinces aimed at stopping the flow of news about protests or other politically sensitive information to Tibetans living exile and other outside contacts, sources say.

Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force 70 years ago.

Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.

The post Three Tibetans Arrested in Qinghai For Sharing Photos Outside the Region appeared first on fnvaworld.org.