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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Join us every Thursday in August for a special series celebrating the four principal commitments of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

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.

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.

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.