The Tibet Update enewsletter is a bimonthly summary of news and governmental actions related to Tibet. Past issues in PDF format are located at http://www.savetibet.org/media-center/tibet-weekly-updates. U.S. GOVERNMENT: President Obama and the Dalai Lama: There has been much recent media coverage of the September 13-14 visit of President’s Obama’s senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett and Under Secretary of State Maria Otero (Read ICT's report: President Obama sends delegation to meet Dalai Lama in Dharamsala) including Beijing reaction, analysis/opinion pieces and news reports, some of which include the following: Beijing Reaction: People’s Daily Online (9/24/09): Meetings with the Dalai Lama should be deterred, not deferred: “The news that Obama has quietly postponed an audience with the Dalai Lama until after his first official visit to China in November seemed to have proved yet another flip-flap on its China policy, and sent the bilateral relations on the mend plummeting again... On the surface of it, this was a wise tactic, avoiding an awkward situation vis-a-vas China. In essence, however, the wishful thinking of White House would backfire, as China takes meetings with the political monk at any time for any reason as a blatant interference in China's internal affairs.” Learn more >> Analysis/Opinion Pieces: The Washington Post (9/23/09): A cold shoulder to Liberty: By Michael Gerson: “This October, on a scheduled visit to the United States, the Dalai Lama will not be welcomed at the White House... Yet between the gold medal and the cold shoulder, a large diplomatic signal is being sent. It is not that Obama is completely unwilling to anger the Chinese. This month he imposed a 35 percent tariff on tire imports from China, leading to talk of a trade war. The head of the United Steelworkers said the president was willing to "put himself in the line of fire for the jobs of U.S. workers." But Obama is clearly less willing to put himself in the diplomatic line of fire for other, less tangibly political reasons.” Learn more >> Wall Street Journal (9/16/09): Shunning Tibet (Editorial): “By delaying his meeting with the Dalai Lama, Mr. Obama is only rewarding that choleric behavior and giving Beijing more leeway to protest whenever he does work up the nerve to meet the Dalai Lama. It also sends a message to other democracies that it's acceptable to cave to Chinese pressure. Also missing from this picture is any understanding of why the Dalai Lama's cause is so important to both Chinese and U.S. interests. The Dalai Lama advocates the same human freedoms on which the U.S. was founded: Democracy and the right to exercise basic civil liberties, including freedom of worship. China won't be a stable and prosperous country until it respects these freedoms. And a peaceful China is in everyone's interests.” Learn more >> New Straits Times (9/24/09): Keeping China appeased, but at a cost to Tibet: By Frank Ching: “…he (Obama) will have to show that his desire not to provoke China before his Beijing visit is worthwhile. That means he will not only have to raise the Tibet issue during his talks in China but also have to show that he made progress, especially on the Tibet issue, during his visit. Otherwise, he will be widely condemned for sacrificing the interests of Tibetans for other gains. Of course, future events may show that this was a wise tactic. But, on the face of it, Obama stands to lose more than he may gain. He has made a pre-emptive concession to China and it remains to be seen whether he will have anything to show for it. Learn more >> DALAI LAMA: Dalai Lama begins U.S. and Canada visit: The Dalai Lama left Dharamsala, his exile hometown on September 21 for a visit to the United States and Canada for an almost three-week tour. He will give a series of Buddhist teachings, public talks, and will take part in dialogues on peace and education. The visit begins in Memphis, Tennessee, where he will receive the International Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum. He travels to Canada from Sept 27 to Oct 3 before returning to the US, where he will take part in events in New York and Washington, DC. The Dalai Lama’s upcoming schedule can be viewed at http://www.dalailama.com/page.60.htm. The Dalai Lama's Washington, DC, schedule can be viewed here: http://www.savetibet.org/dalai-lama-washington-dc-visit-october-2009. UNITED NATIONS: Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (9/16/09): UN Human Rights Chief says China fails to protect minority rights: On September 15, while delivering an ‘update report’ to the 12th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), Ms. Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern at the recent events in Eastern Turkestan and Tibet declaring that the underlying causes include “discrimination and the failure to protect minority rights.” Learn more >> INSIDE TIBET: AP (9/22/09): China bans foreigners from Tibet ahead of Oct 1 celebrations: China has banned foreigners from travelling to Tibet ahead of the October 1st celebrations marking 60 years of Communist rule in China. Security has been stepped up across the country to ensure nothing mars the celebrations. Tan Lin, an official with the Tourism Bureau of Tibet said that foreign tourists would be banned from Tuesday (September 29), but those who have already arrived would be allowed to stay. China requires foreigners to obtain special permission to visit Tibet and routinely bars them from all Tibetan minority areas of the country during sensitive periods. Learn more >> ICT Report (9/17/09): Dhondup Wangchen faces trial: new information on charges: Dhondup Wangchen, who was detained last year soon after completing filming of a documentary, may be facing charges of "inciting separatism" and espionage, according to information from an official source passed onto Western governments. Charges were brought against Dhondup Wangchen, who was denied access to a Chinese lawyer of his family's choice, in June 2009. Learn more >> UNITED KINGDOM: Guardian (9/29/09): British Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis comments on China and Tibet: The British Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis who visited China and Tibet earlier in September says that the summits in New York and Pittsburg have shown that China is pivotal to the biggest foreign policy challenges faced today, and that is why the UK has launched a strategy for engaging with China. While China’s development is remarkable, he said, “economic progress alone cannot transform a country. Respect for human rights is essential if development is to be sustainable and fair... This human rights deficit features prominently in our dialogue with China.” Learn more >> ICT BLOG The Dalai Lama on Martin Luther King Jr. (9/29/09) Obama and Hu: from the UN to Beijing (9/23/09) Obama's Tibet Plan: Risks and Opportunities (9/18/09) Talking About the American Presidential Emissary's Visit to the Dalai Lama (9/15/09)