March 2024
News Brief
Tibet
March 10 & Tibet Lobby Day
Thousands of Tibetans worldwide protested on the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day. Two days later, 200 Tibet advocates met with elected officials to highlight key bills such as the Resolve Tibet Act.
Dege Prisoners Update
Hundreds of Dege residents who protested their forced relocation have been released, but many community leaders remain imprisoned. Released Tibetans revealed they were regularly beat and forced to eat animal feed.
Monk Arrested
Pema, a Tibetan monk from Kirti Monastery and a Tibetan language teacher at the monastery’s primary school, was forcefully arrested after holding up a portrait of the Dalai Lama in Ngaba, Tibet.
Taiwan
US Military Aid
A US$1.2 trillion spending bill signed by Biden ‘doubles security cooperation funding for Taiwan’ with US$300 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan as well as funding for Taipei-Washington cooperative projects.
US and Czech Visit by Hsiao
Taiwan’s vice president-elect and former representative to the US, Hsiao Bi-khim, took a personal trip to the United States and visited the Czech Republic. Hsiao was reportedly followed by a Chinese diplomat in Prague.
Wild Lily + Sunflower
People around the world commemorated two of Taiwan’s most significant social movements, including the 34th anniversary of the Wild Lily Student Movement and the 10th anniversary of the Sunflower Movement.
Hong Kong
Article 23 Enacted
Article 23 passed by an 89-0 vote. The stringent security law expanded authorities’ repressive powers and sparked global protests. Radio Free Asia shut down its Hong Kong bureau, citing security law concerns.
Student Publication Removed From Campus
Chinese University of Hong Kong removed copies of CUHK Student Press from campus, claiming that the student union managing the publication was “exploiting the campus for their political propaganda.”
Lai Ke Faces Deportation
Jailed since May 2023 for “forged” travel documents, transgender rights activist Lai Ke was due to be released but instead transferred to an immigration detention centre. Lai faces the risk of forcible repatriation to China.
East Turkestan
CECC Chairs Raise Whitewashing Concerns
The CECC Chairs asked three US travel agencies to stop offering tours and urged Blinken to raise the State Dept travel advisory to “Do Not Travel” to the region.
Publisher Sentenced
Erkin Emet, a prominent Uyghur publisher of books on Uyghur cultural identity and persecution, has been sentenced to prison following his 2018 arrest. His whereabouts and sentence length remain unknown.
Restrictions on Ramadan
Chinese authorities used free food, bans on gatherings, and surveillance to keep Uyghurs from fasting, praying, and observing the holy month. The top CCP official in the region called sinicization of Islam “inevitable.”
China
Cyber Nationalists Attack Nofu Springs, Tsinghua, etc.
Netizens attacked and boycotted a water company, a Nobel Prize laureate with party ties, and Tsinghua University graduates for insufficient loyalty to the CCP.
US House passes H.R. 7521
In response to security risks and concerns about election interference, the House passed a bill that would force TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company ByteDance to sell the app or have it banned in the US.
Unfollow Teacher Li
Police across China investigated social media followers of “Teacher Li,” an A4 Revolution blogger exiled in Italy. Even individuals with no history of engaging in political activities were coerced to unfollow.