Episodes

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. In today’s Ti...

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, is out now. Learn more about our Tibet Talks podcast at www.savetibet.org/pod. Watch our Tibet Talks videos ...

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 Tibetans. ICT’s Tencho Gyatso will talk with John about how these personal experiences and new trends cont...

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 involved in our efforts to promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet, plea...

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 and analysis, drawing from over 1,000 official Chinese media sources and academic studies. In this episod...

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 at www.savetibet.org/live. And subscribe to Tibet Talks on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts. T...

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 this live Tibet Talk, ICT Research Analyst Tenzin Norgay and President Tencho Gyatso will answer your...

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 President Tencho Gyatso and Director of Government Relations Franz Matzner. These ICT leaders will...

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 monitor the UPR and to help organize a side event spotlighting China’s human rights abuses against Ti...

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 Lhadon Tethong, director of Tibet Action Institute, an organization that has been raising awareness about the boarding sch...

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 Talk, we speak to Amy Yee, author of the new book, “Far from the Rooftop of the World: Travels among Tibetan Refugees on Four Co...

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. Last month, ICT was proud to co-sponsor a panel on Himalayan water security conven...

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 placed to combine ancient and modern ways of knowing. In our final episode on His Holiness’ Four Princi...

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, and he has put forward the Middle Way Approach to peacefully resolve the Tibet-China conflict. In our ...

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 tradition. In our second episode on His Holiness’ Four Principal Commitments, we’ll discuss his c...

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 their calm. He emphasizes that all human beings are the same, wanting happiness and not suffering, ...

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 Harmony with Professor Siddiq Wahid Thursday, Aug. 17: The Dalai Lama and the Preservation of Tib...

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 Tibetan exile filmmaker Tenzing Sonam, who explains how Pema Tseden captured the clash of modernity and trad...

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. In honor of this month’s 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, we speak ...

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: Sinification and Securitization of Tibetans for the Chinese Nation-State.” In this Tibet Talk, we’ll spe...

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? To find out, we’ll discuss with Namgyal Choedup, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama an...

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 Commission on International Religious Freedom. We’ll also hear from ICT staff members Tencho Gyats...

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 the Dalai Lama and illustrations from the creator of “Mutts.” “Heart to Heart: A Conversation on Love...

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 exemplify these two sides of the Tibetan story: Warren Smith, author of “Tibet’s Fate,” and Ginger Chih, ...