Who said the Chinese have got no sense of humour? They were obviously right.

Another Tibetan cultural figure was arrested last month. Authorities in Lithang county, Kardze TAP have detained 33 year-old comedian and satirist Athar. He reportedly planned to release a video criticising Chinese rule, according to exile sources.  Read the story in full here.  

Tibetan poet Tsering Woeser is another artist who has suffered recently from the Chinese government’s media restrictions. 

On Thursday Chinese authorities prevented her from receiving a cultural award at the Dutch ambassador’s residence because she is under surveillance and cannot travel abroad. She has been in exile in Beijing since 2003 when her collection of essays, Notes on Tibet wasofficially banned on account of “political errors.”  

Woeser says: 

‘when Notes on Tibet was banned, I was a little shocked. I’m actually very slow in certain aspects, thinking that others would understand the stories I wrote, and in other words, they would not be banned since they are true stories. This shows that I’m really rather foolish.’ 

The complete interview with Woser plus examples of her poetry can be read at Cerise Press literature and arts journal here.

Meanwhile Reporters Without Borders have claimed that restrictions on the media in Tibet are even worse than North Korea.

The organisation said:

“Out of sight of the world, a major crisis is unfolding. Even Pyongyang has an international media presence, which is not the case in Lhasa.

“Chinese authorities aim to control the Tibetan people behind closed doors, excluding journalists, foreign ones in particular, who might be troublesome witnesses of what is happening.”