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Conversation with Tenzin Passang La
Hosted by Tenzing Dhamdul, FNVA

In a compelling and enlightening podcast episode, we delved into the world of Tenzin
Passang, a young Tibetan women who currently is the India National Director of Students
for a Free Tibet.

Tenzin Passang passionately unfolded the genesis of Students for a Free Tibet, a globally
recognized Tibet Support Group. She shed light on the driving forces that led her to become
an integral part of this organization, emphasizing the commitment to advocating for the
rights and freedom of the Tibetan people living under occupation.

A focal point of the conversation was the critical role that SFT plays in countering the
misleading narratives propagated by Beijing concerning Tibet. She highlighted the various
initiatives orchestrated by SFT to raise awareness and provide the Tibetan perspective on
the situation in Tibet. This underscores the organization’s dedication to fostering a
comprehensive understanding of the Tibetan struggle for freedom.

The conversation delved into the specific initiatives undertaken by Students for a Free Tibet.
She elucidated on the multifaceted approaches employed by the organization to challenge
the status quo, emphasizing the importance of a proactive stance in addressing the complex
circumstances faced by Tibet.

A poignant glimpse into her personal journey unfolded as she recounted her time at
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The profound impact of her experiences at JNU on her
perspective and activism became evident, underscoring the transformative power of
education and intellectual discourse in shaping individuals committed to social justice.

A particularly inspiring segment of the episode focused on her triumphant battle against
cancer. Her resilience and determination served as a testament to the strength of the
human spirit. Additionally, she shared the unwavering support she received from her family
and friends, illustrating the importance of a robust support system in overcoming adversity.

In summary, this podcast episode serves as a powerful narrative of courage, activism, and
personal triumph. It not only captures the essence of Students for a Free Tibet but also
provides a compelling insight into the life and journey of Tenzin Passang.

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Hosted by Kate Saunders, FNVA Senior Fellow

Youtube link : https://youtu.be/PbwD9h2eHJE?si=IqqZneyM35vdY5NY 

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on May 9:  “We’re concerned by reports of the spread of mass DNA collection to Tibet as an additional form of control and surveillance over the Tibetan population.”

What if the mass DNA collection in Tibet isn’t only about surveillance in a dystopian police state – but has a further disturbing purpose?  

American company Thermo Fisher Scientific is a key supplier of DNA profiling technology to Chinese police.  

Our guest today, Ethan Gutmann, makes a chilling hypothesis. What if Thermo Fisher has been involved in a process to discover if one person’s vital organs could fit into another person’s body?

Our podcast brings together horrifying research on the killing of Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs for their organs in China. The China Tribunal in London in 2019 concluded that for decades, prisoners have been killed and their organs sold across the world including to people in Western countries and the Gulf states.

In our discussion, Ethan Gutmann talks about his difficult and dangerous research talking to courageous survivors of prison camps in Xinjiang, and how he pieced together evidence of connections between disappearances from the prison camps, and hospitals and transplant centres in China. He describes how green lanes for organ transfers at airports in East Turkestan appeared at around the same time as the construction of new crematoriums in the same area.

Our discussion covers:

1. The alarming implications of Thermo Fisher selling DNA profiling kits to Chinese police. UN Rapporteurs have warned about the risk that so-called ‘health checks’ involving DNA collection in the PRC among Uyghurs, Tibetans, Christians and Falun Gong practitioners are then used to create a living organ database. Thermo Fisher said it stopped selling DNA profiling kits to police in Xinjiang in 2019. But it has provided no such assurances with regard to Tibet.
2. Why Ethan required a personal security detail to make a keynote address to the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. This elite body of surgeons has now made a statement saying they do not support their Chinese counterparts in procuring organs from executed prisoners.
3. Increasing international attention on a multi-billion dollar industry in China  has culminated in the U.S. Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023. This specifies the imposition of serious sanctions on any person determined to be funding or facilitating the forced removal of organs, with penalties including imprisonment for up to 20 years.
4. An amendment on organ tourism criminalizing the selling of organs from China has been passed in the House of Commons in the UK. The European Parliament adopted a resolution in May calling on member states to ensure that cooperation agreements with China on health and research respect EU ethical principles, and to revisit their collaborations with Chinese institutions on transplant medicine.  

Ethan talked to us while in London for the first conference of the World Uyghur Christian Union. This was set up by Dr Enver Bugda Tohti, a former cancer surgeon from Xinjiang who has testified with such courage to the practice of forced organ harvesting.

Sources and links:

Ethan Gutmann revealed chilling information about the harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners in his book The Slaughter, and updated findings published in 2016 together with David Kilgour and David Matas (https://www.youtube.com/@EndTransplantAbuse).  

WATCH Ethan Gutmann’s presentation on forced organ harvesting in Xinjiang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hJcmKMEqhY

Independent Tribunal Into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naJFMfDv3Tc  Final Judgement and Summary: https://chinatribunal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ChinaTribunal_-SummaryJudgment_17June2019.pdf 

Human Rights Watch report on how Tibetans have been subjected to so-called ‘health checks’ and the collection of DNA on a mass scale https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/09/05/china-new-evidence-mass-dna-collection-tibet.

The testimony of Dr Enver Bugda Tohti, Uyghur cancer surgeon, on being compelled to carry out a transplant on an executed prisoner in 1998: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABaLZHIjks8 

How Dr Enver exposed increasing cancer rates in Xinjiang linked to Chinese nuclear testing – documentary, ‘Death on the Silk Road’, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PRb8Xcdxp8 

Dr. Jacob Lavee and Matthew Robertson published findings in a peer-reviewed US medical journal mentioned during the interview with Ethan including the following: “71 papers gave explicit descriptions of surgeons appearing to violate the dead donor rule while procuring hearts from prisoners. In plain language, the papers appear to show that the donors, who were prisoners, were alive at the time of surgery, and were killed by the transplant surgeons in the process of heart extraction.” (‘Execution by organ procurement: Breaching the dead donor rule in China’ by Matthew P Robertson, Jacob Lavee, 4 April 2022, American Journal of Transplantation, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajt.16969).

The response from the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) :  https://endtransplantabuse.org/international-society-for-heart-and-lung-transplantation-issues-policy-regarding-transplant-abuse-in-china/

Doctors against Forced Organ Harvesting, https://dafoh.org/

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Conversation with Tenzin Tsangpa La
Hosted by Tenzing Dhamdul, FNVA

The Unsilenced: Voices of Young Tibetans podcast session saw FNVA engage with Tenzin Tsangpa, a Tibetan who on 21st May, 2023 while attending the Counter Strike: Global Offensive Finals at Paris proudly displayed the Tibetan National Flag. However this simple act of displaying one’s identity and nationality was not taken kindly by misinformed Chinese Mainlanders. As he was subsequently harassed, confronted and assaulted by them and eventually led to the Tibetan National Flag being stolen from him and which was later burned by them and shared on Weibo (Popular Chinese Social media App) by these unruly, radicalised and misinformed Chinese.

The podcast session with Tenzin Tsangpa engages upon this very incident as he shares with us all in detail what he really experienced during this whole unwarranted incident. With the displayal of the Tibetan National Flag even leading to the Live Stream of this popular gaming event being disrupted in Mainland China. Furthermore, we also engaged on his experience as a Tibetan who had grown up in India and is currently residing in France, with a sizeable number of Tibetans also living there nowadays.

Tenzin Tsangpa tells us “Not all Chinese are like that especially those who are settled in the west” making it clear to us how it is those very Chinese who have been misinformed and brainwashed through the systematic propaganda and censorship by the Communist Party of China (CCP). Further reiterating that the Chinese people living in the western world has more exposure and would not conduct themselves in such barbaric ways.

His concluded by stating that “I have accomplished my goal of spreading awareness about our cause, especially among the Chinese youths who are oblivious to it due to CCP propaganda and censorship”. With his message to us, especially to his own Tibetan sisters and brothers being “More Tibetans especially those like us, in our age group. I think they should take the initiative however small it may be as every step counts to solve the Tibet-China conflict”.

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https://youtu.be/7nBVBGELH4g 

The Unsilenced: Voices of Young Tibetans podcast session saw FNVA engage with Sonam Tsering, a known blogger who writes on Tibet, an activist and is also the current General Secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress, the largest Tibetan NGO in exile. Sonam Tsering in this episode tells us about his journey from Tibet to India, his writings, the Tibetan Youth Congress and his message for Tibetans and Tibet supporters worldwide.

Sonam Tsering expounds in detail his arduous journey from Tibet, how it was brought up to him by his family and his eventual meeting with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He further narrates his upbringing in India, going to a TCV school and eventually pursing further studies at Hindu College and O.P. Jindal University. Even though he was studying in a space where Tibetans were the minority, he continued to hold Tibet close to his heart and took part in several activities and initiatives for the resolution of the Tibet-China Conflict.

When discussing on his recent tour in the frontier regions of Northern India, Sonam was both encouraged and sad at the same time. He was encouraged by the fact that Tibetans continue to come together to talk about Tibet and its future, especially the school children who raised pertinent questions when discussing on Tibetan independence and its freedom movement. He however felt a deep sense of concern and sadness when he noticed the drawings of small Tibetan Children. Here unlike the drawings of his time in school which were around the theme of Tibet and its way of life, the current drawings depicted a modern world very far from the Tibet, our homeland, which stands illegally occupied to this day by the People’s Republic of China.

Being the General Secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress, he explained its structure, its genesis and even their prospective plans; especially of this year, when India our host country has the role of presidentship of G20. 

When dwelling upon his initial years as a Tibetan Youth Congress member, he shared with us a poem titled as “The Yellow Guard” and this poem captured his feelings when providing volunteer service to pilgrims during the 2017 Kalachakra Initiation at Bodh Gaya. The Poem is as follows and can be accessed along with more writings of his at https://sonsnow.in/ 

In the mid of cough and cold
I am the Yellow Guard
Guarding ten and thousands of tents
Listening the hateful songs of innocence
Snoring here and snoring there
Killing the youthfulness of the silent night

I am the Yellow Guard
Guarding the gods men
In the mid of evils and devils

He concluded by giving his sincere thanks to all those who have been and continue to support Tibet.

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

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.

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