Dechen Pemba

UK born Tibetan monitoring Tibetan websites and blogs in Tibetan, Chinese and English. Dechen is the editor of translations website High Peaks Pure Earth.

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Latest posts by Dechen Pemba

China: Tibetan Netizen Responses to the Self-Immolations in Tibet

  3 May 2012

The April 2012 special “Hot Spots” online issue of the academic journal Cultural Anthropology focuses on the recent self-immolations in Tibet with a comprehensive background page. It features an impressive collection of scholarly responses to the self-immolations by well-known Tibet scholars such as Tsering Shakya, Janet Gyatso and Elliot Sperling....

China: Several Tibetan Language Blog Sites Shut Down

  1 February 2012

Against the backdrop of a stream of self-immolations in Tibet in protest against Chinese rule, unrest in eastern Tibet and a severely increased military presence, several of the most popular Tibetan language blog sites have gone offline as of today. Dechen Pembar reports.

Citizen Journalism from Tibet

  25 April 2011

“The Story Behind the Story” on Radio Free Asia looks at recent video footage that was taken by a Tibetan citizen journalist. The footage, smuggled out of Tibet, appears to have been taken using an iPhone and was received by RFA in QuickTime format. It refutes China's state media pronouncements...

China, Tibet: The End of TibetCul.com?

  19 March 2011

The most popular Chinese-language Tibetan website TibetCul.com has been forced offline since March 16 2011. Two other websites, Cometibet.com (Tibet Travel site) and Tibet Encyclopedia website were also affected as a result of the sudden shutdown of their server.

China: Tibetan Writer Shogdung Released on Bail

  15 October 2010

Woeser reports on her blog that Tibetan writer Tagyal (pen name: Shogdung) has been released from detention on “bail pending trial”. The news comes from the family appointed lawyer Li Fangping. The short blogpost has been translated into English by High Peaks Pure Earth.

Update on Detained Tibetan Writer Shogdung

  1 October 2010

Professional translator Bruce Humes gives a summary on his blog of a new article on detained Tibetan writer Tragyal (aka Shogdung) who has been held since April 2010 and yet to face trial.

Information Bridging on the Case of Tibetan Environmentalist Karma Samdrup

  21 July 2010

The case of Tibetan environmentalist, businessman and philanthropist Karma Samdrup, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison on June 24, 2010 by a court in Xinjiang, has been highly unusual in that those monitoring the case were able to see events unfolding almost in real time thanks to constant blog and Twitter updates by his wife and lawyer.

Music With A Message – New Music Videos from Tibet

  3 April 2010

The blog translation project High Peaks Pure Earth has recently focused on “music with a message” by translating the lyrics of Tibetan songs from music videos that have been uploaded onto the internet. On March 10 this year, the blog presented a hip hop video titled “New Generation” by the...

What the Tibetan Language Needs is Space

  27 January 2010

A young Tibetan blogger based in the US, who goes by the name of “Jhutok” (one of those untranslatable Tibetan words that describes someone who is nosy and likes to interfere, gossip and busybody all in one), has written a blogpost about written Tibetan, arguing for language reform to written...

China: Are Tibetan Bloggers Being Silenced?

  28 August 2009

Quite alarming to report that all of the most popular Tibetan language blog hosting sites (except one) have been inaccessible for almost three weeks now. Although it is fairly common practice for Tibetan language blog hosting sites to be taken down (sometimes for “maintenance”) at times deemed sensitive by the...

Tibetan Language Bloggers Breaking New Ground

  4 August 2009

Tibetan bloggers have been breaking the news about the arrest of Tibetan writer Tashi Rabten who writes under the name “Therang”. So far the only news about this arrest has come from Tibetan bloggers, for a translation of one blogpost into English, see this post on High Peaks Pure Earth...

China: Introducing Tibetan writer Jamyang Kyi

  23 July 2009

Jamyang Kyi is a Tibetan broadcaster, writer and blogger based in Xining. Her blog is very popular amongst Tibetans. High Peaks Pure Earth has translated third letter to her friend Norzin Wangmo who was imprisoned in the wake of the unrest in Tibet in 2008 from Tibetan to English.