Kalon Tripa and Chithue Election Results
Hope in Disaster
Hope in Disaster – A Tibetan documentary film from Tibet tells the truth about Kyegudo earthquake
Yushu Earthquake Anniversary Memorial -Tibetan Concert, April 14th, 2011
Yushu Earthquake Anniversary Memorial -Tibetan Concert, April 14th, 2011
Masses moved by Dalai Lama’s message of compassion
Masses moved by Dalai Lama’s message of compassion
By Barry Duggan
Friday April 15 2011
Mickey Harte said he was profoundly moved during a gathering with the Dalai Lama yesterday. Our picture by Steve Humphreys shows the Tyrone boss, who is still mourning the loss of his daughter Michaela, with his son-in-law John McAreavey. They made a 700km round trip to see the Tibetan spiritual leader, pictured
FROM well before 7am yesterday they began descending on the University of Limerick.
When it was announced earlier this year that the 14th Dalai Lama would be speaking in Limerick, all 3,100 precious passes to secure entry for yesterday’s event were snapped up.
The spiritual leader of Tibet was not due at the university arena until after 10am, but enthusiasm and smiles abounded in the hours beforehand as all eagerly awaited his arrival and wisdom.
Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte and his son-in-law John McAreavey had made the 700km round trip to be there and were among the first to be seated. Guiding them to their seats was world-renowned sports physical therapist Ger Hartmann.
Those around them remembered Michaela Harte — Mickey’s daughter and John’s wife — who was murdered while on honeymoon in Mauritius in January. The two men warmly embraced all who greeted them.
Just a few seats away was Mary Geoghegan, whose son, Shane, was murdered in Limerick in 2008. She sat patiently alongside her other son, Anthony.
Renewal
Southill parish priest Fr Pat Hogan was also in attendance along with the Moyross-based monks — the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal — and the former Bishop of Limerick, Dr Donal Murray.
And Limerick being Limerick, there were plenty of rugby players, too, including former Munster and Irish stars Gerry ‘Ginger’ McLoughlin and Keith Wood.
It was Richard Moore of ‘Children in Crossfire’ who had, through his long association with the university, made yesterday possible.
In the front row, a seat was reserved for Charles Inness — the British soldier who shot and blinded a 10-year-old Richard in Derry in 1972.
Possibly for the first time since the sports arena opened, silence fell over the spectators as a variety of religious chants, recitations and melodies were performed.
At 10.15am, a frisson of excitement rippled through the crowd and all eyes were cast toward the windows as the sound of the approaching helicopter grew louder.
The Dalai Lama landed in the university’s main sport’s field and UL president Don Barry was the first to greet him. In return, the 76-year-old placed a ‘kata’ — a white silk scarf — around his neck. Mr Barry later explained that the kata symbolises happiness, forgiveness and love — themes of the day.
Crossing the running track on the way to the arena, the Dalai Lama paused briefly to avoid stepping on an earthworm. In Buddhism, animal life is regarded as being on the same level as human life.
Tibet’s spiritual leader has been greeted with standing ovations since his arrival in Ireland, but the best was saved for the last day of his visit as he made his entrance.
Adults smiled and clapped, while children waved and jumped up and down as he walked slowly on to the stage.
His close friend Richard Moore spoke briefly, but sparked the most memorable image of the day when he welcomed Charles Innes, the former British soldier who shot and blinded him in Derry almost 40 years ago. Mr Moore had later sought him out and the two became friends.
In a powerful embrace, the Dalai Lama, Mr Moore and Mr Innes clasped their hands together to the delight of all.
To another standing ovation, the Dalai Lama encouraged all “not to give up hope”.
“We must recognise each other as human beings, yes different faces, different colours and different nationalities . . . but funda-mentally we are all the same.”
He advised that the ultimate source of peace of mind was inner peace and warned that wealth and status do not bring happiness.
Pupils from Maria King Presentation Primary School, Galvone National School and St Mary’s Boy School will never forget his visit as they sang a specially composed song entitled ‘Forgiveness is a Gift’. In appreciation, the Dalai Lama shook hands and spoke with the young singers to yet more applause.
With hands clasped and a final bow to all, the Dalai Lama was whisked to Shannon Airport by garda escort for a flight abroad.
Afterwards, all spoke of how touched and inspired they were by his words.
Mickey Harte — a man who has endured the deaths of his daughter and two brothers over the past few months — said the thoughts of the Dalai Lama were relevant to all.
“I think it showed the power of compassion can be of benefit to all of us. He is a world-renowned holy man and it is good to be in the company of such people,” he said.
“Nobody could come out of here and not feel enrichened from the experience because, in many ways, the message is simple but often we miss the most simple of messages.
“The message that he talked about was smile, be compassionate, reach out to others, respect every individual, respect all religions, be the best that you can be as a person and work on yourself and things around you get better.
“If 3,100 of us go away and do something a little bit better than we did yesterday, then it has been a very worthwhile task by the Dalai Lama.
“I have got a realisation of what it takes to have inner peace — take a look at yourself and not at things outside.”
Those are precious words we can all heed.
- Barry Duggan
Irish Independent
Remarks on the Issue of Retirement from Political Responsibilities
Remarks on the Issue of Retirement from Political Responsibilities, March 19th,2011, Dharamsala
China sends its Tibetan specialist to drum up trade opportunities
China sends its Tibetan specialist to drum up trade opportunities
John Garnaut
April 4, 2011
Jia Qinglin … will meet Julia Gillard. Photo: Reuters
CHINA’S fourth-ranked leader, Jia Qinglin, will arrive in Perth tonight in the midst of the Communist Party’s toughest crackdown on civil society in more than a decade.
Mr Jia will work his way across Australia in a six-day trip, including having meetings with the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, to deepen ties and consolidate the booming trade relationship at a time when the Communist Party is going to new and more forceful lengths to protect its rule.
Last night there was still no official information about the artist and activist Ai Weiwei, who – with nine of his colleagues – was detained on Sunday.
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Mr Jia will be introduced to Ms Gillard as chairman of a parliamentary-style organisation, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, but his real power derives from overseeing the Communist Party’s ”united front” operations.
The United Front Department began as an institution for temporarily uniting communist with nationalist forces against a bigger enemy, Japan, before and during World War II.
Its functions evolved into other fields, including academia, private enterprise, religion and ethnic affairs, but its underlying modus operandi has remained. For half a century the department’s foremost concern has been Tibet, where it privileges some leaders while identifying and ostracising those loyal to the Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama’s special envoy, Lodi Gyari, who has been directly negotiating with the department for 27 years, said: ”In past decades they have done more work in trying to destabilise, trying to create division among us, than to do what is constructive.
”I have not once, but many times, particularly in the last few rounds of negotiations, strongly protested their behaviour, said they do a disservice to the name they have – ‘united front’,” he told the Herald.
Mr Gyari is particularly concerned with United Front efforts to split Tibetan communities outside China’s borders, including in Australia.
”It is a well-known fact that any time they find an individual or certain organisation that has some reason to be disgruntled with the mainstream Tibetan community or leadership they lose no opportunity in immediately reaching out and supporting them, financing them,” he said.
Liu Bin, a scholar at the China Tibetology Research Centre, which is registered under the United Front Department, has recently argued that subversive activities should be deepened.
”Make contact with organisations and senior individuals who may be biased against us and yet who have contradictions with the Dalai clique … and strive to put them to our use,” Mr Liu wrote in a journal published by the centre. Mr Liu’s article has alarmed Tibet watchers because it clearly goes beyond attracting overseas ethnic Tibetans with ”carrots” such as business opportunities and visas to visit family.
”With regard to those Tibetan compatriots who are loyal followers of the Dalai and who stubbornly support Dalai’s splittist standpoint, we must promptly track them and be appraised of their actions, and at the appropriate time, resolutely attack them.”
Mr Jia’s United Front activities are just one concern that human rights groups will urge Ms Gillard to raise in her trip to China.
She is due to make her first visit as prime minister after Anzac Day ceremonies on April 25. Ms Gillard has been to China only once before, more than a decade ago.
In the past six weeks more than 30 lawyers, writers and activists have been detained in China, including several charged with offences related to subversion, while another dozen have simply vanished and remain unaccounted for.
”There were some nasty crackdowns in the ’90s,” said Nicholas Bequelin, at Human Rights Watch. ”But what’s distinctive this time is the wide recourse to extra-judicial methods.”
On Sunday as many as 70 people were detained at a new gay nightclub in Shanghai.
Mr Jia’s visit to Australia is routine, as China sends one of the nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee to Australia each year.
The Australian Government has released no details of the visit, although a spokeswoman for Mr Rudd said he and Mr Jia would meet in Brisbane on Saturday.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Mr Jia was visiting from April 5 to 11 as a guest of the Australian government.
The artist Ai Weiwei is best known outside China for having helped design the Bird’s Nest stadium for the Olympic Games last year.
