NEWSLETTERS
Tibet Update – May 2025
INSIDE:
Exclusive video from Sikyong Penpa Tsering
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In this video recorded specifically for ICT supporters, Sikyong Penpa Tsering, President of the Central Tibetan Administration, shares updates about plans to celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, and more.
New European Parliament resolution opposes China’s interferences in Dalai Lama’s successio
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In a resolution adopted in Brussels, the European Parliament has once again condemned China’s ongoing assimilationist policies and abuses of religious freedom in Tibet and called for an immediate end to Chinese interference in Tibetan Buddhism.
Dalai Lama extends warm greetings to new Pope
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The Dalai Lama has written to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV extending his warmest greetings to him on his election to leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.
“In a period when the world is witnessing so many challenges,” he wrote, “your election brings new hope not just to the Catholic community, but to people everywhere who are seeking a happier life in a more compassionate, peaceful world.”
The International Campaign for Tibet has released “Crisis of credibility: China’s leaders in Tibet selected for loyalty to CCP over welfare of Tibetan people”, its newest report on the absence of any effective Tibetan leadership in Tibet, which includes the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Tibetan areas incorporated in Sichuan, Yunnan, Qinghai and Gansu.
China foists standardized place names on “southern Tibet” to challenge India
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For more than a century the border between Tibet and India, and now between the People’s Republic of China and India, has followed lines set by the 1913-1914 Simla Convention. The Chinese government has maintained a claim to Tibetan areas that fell on the Indian side of the border, however, and in recent years China has repeatedly sought to elevate this claim by issuing documents purporting to “standardize” the names of places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
CCP regime dominance at the core of China’s national security
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China released its first-ever White Paper on national security on May 12, 2025, in which it outlined Xi Jinping thought on national security unhesitatingly asserting that the survival of “the leadership and ruling status of the Communist Party of China” is the “fundamental” framework of national security.
ICT alerts European Parliamentarians on the devastating impacts of China’s hydropower dams in Tibet
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At a conference held at the European Parliament in Brussels on 14 May, EU policymakers, scientists, and human rights experts came together to examine China’s hydropower dams-building spree on the Tibetan Plateau and its serious and far-reaching consequences after being alerted to the issue by the International Campaign for Tibet.
- Exclusive video from Sikyong Penpa Tsering
- New European Parliament resolution opposes China’s interferences in Dalai Lama’s succession
- Dalai Lama extends warm greetings to new Pope
- ICT’s report “Crisis of credibility” shines light on current state of ethnic Tibetans in China’s leadership
- China foists standardized place names on “southern Tibet” to challenge India
- CCP regime dominance at the core of China’s national security
- ICT alerts European Parliamentarians on the devastating impacts of China’s hydropower dams in Tibet
- BLOG: The intricacies of the reincarnation system in Tibetan Buddhism and their transnational ramifications
- Smart Giving: A savvy choice to make a big impact during periods of financial unpredictability
- ICT’s 2025 Wall Calendar … It’s Not Too Late
BLOG
The intricacies of the reincarnation system in Tibetan Buddhism and their transnational ramifications
By: Bhuchung K. Tsering
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The first week of May 2025 saw an important spiritual process, namely the selection of the new Pope. Leo XIV, by the eligible members of the College of Cardinals. Despite the political interest many countries have in the papacy, the spiritual process was followed according to the Roman Catholic tradition, without governmental interference, particularly from the Italian Government even though he also holds the title of Bishop of Rome.
SUPPORT TIBET
Smart Giving: A savvy choice to make a big impact during periods of financial unpredictability
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From climate change to the survival of democracy, Tibet is at the heart of the biggest challenges facing our world. That’s why we’re thrilled to share financially smart ways to give that will promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet:
- Stock: When you donate appreciated stock, you can save on two types of taxes by avoiding capital gains tax and often getting a full deduction for the value of your gift.
- IRA gifts: If you’re 70.5 or older, donations from your IRA reduce your taxable income and can help meet a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) if you must take one.
- Donor-Advised Funds: With a grant recommendation from your Donor-Advised Fund, you can give from the money you’ve already set aside without spending an additional cent!
- Crypto: A donation of appreciated cryptocurrency can help you avoid capital gains taxes and get a big tax deduction.
We hope you consider the donation option(s) best for you, and together, we can shift the balance toward compassion and kindness.
When you give these types of gifts, please use the tools linked above so we can track your gift, send you the right receipt and ensure you get the tax savings you deserve.
ICT’s 2025 Wall Calendar … It’s Not Too Late
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As we share ICT’s 2025 calendar, The Heart of Compassion | Honoring the 90th Year of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, it is with immense gratitude and reverence that we prepare to celebrate the 90th birth year of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. This extraordinary milestone is not only a moment to honor the life of a remarkable leader, but also an opportunity to reflect on his wisdom and the impact His Holiness has had on the world. We are overjoyed to be working in collaboration with Tenzin Geyche Tethong and his book, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: An Illustrated Biography.