United News of Bangladesh

While filming a historical drama about Tibetan resistance fighters in Nepal's Mustang region, actor Tenzin Rigzin Phurpatsang found himself confronting a painful part of his family's history. The 37-year-old first-time actor was shooting “Four Rivers Six Ranges,” a film about Tibetan fighters who helped the Dalai Lama flee Tibet in 1959. A year later, Phurpatsang's grandfather, Yeshi Wangyal, returned to Tibet after receiving CIA training and joined a separate guerrilla operation. He was later killed fighting Chinese forces. Phurpatsang, who was born in exile in India and now works as a model in New York, said filming the mountain battle scenes made him think about what his grandfather had experienced. “Wow, is that what my grandfather went through?” he recalled asking himself. The questions raised by the film — about Tibet's history, how it is remembered and who has the right to tell it — come at a time when international attention on Tibet has declined. The film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam last year and was released in Indian cinemas on Sept. 18 after a delay linked to Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India. The future of Tibet and its people is also being closely watched as the 91-year-old Dalai Lama's succession plans become an increasingly important issue. At the same time, China has grown more powerful, the US has reduced its international role and India and China have been working to improve relations. Chinese state media has accused the film of promoting separatism and said it distorts history. China maintains that Tibet has always been part of the country. Director Shenpenn Khymsar rejects that criticism, saying the film is based on historical events and that Tibetans should be able to tell their own history. Phurpatsang also said younger Tibetans need to understand the history of the resistance movement. “When you don't talk about it, these stories … they become lost,” he said. Film shot secretly in NepalKhymsar grew up watching films such as “Seven Years in Tibet” and Martin Scorsese's “Kundun,” both released in 1997 and focused largely on the Dalai Lama's early life. He wanted instead to tell the story of ordinary Tibetans who joined Chushi Gangdruk, meaning “the land of four rivers and six ranges.” The fighters regrouped in Mustang's rugged mountains and conducted a 13-year guerrilla campaign against Chinese forces with US support. The movement ended in 1974 as US-China relations improved. Khymsar wanted to film in the same mountains as a tribute to the fighters. But he said Chinese surveillance and pressure on Nepal's Tibetan community made obtaining filming permits difficult. He submitted what he called a fake screenplay titled “The Himalayan Robin Hood” to secure permission and reduced the planned production from more than 45 days to 19. “The entire shoot was a covert operation,” Khymsar said. The production also faced other challenges. Many cast members had never acted before, so Khymsar selected and trained them, including some of his social-media followers. Some actors had never ridden horses, while the production could not afford a dedicated action director or stunt team. “I feel like the spirits of those warriors were there, helping me,” Khymsar said. Carole McGranahan, an anthropologist and University of Colorado Boulder professor specializing in Tibet, said there have been few major Hollywood films about Tibet in recent decades as studios sought greater access to China's lucrative film market. Khymsar said he is still facing difficulties finding international distributors for the movie. McGranahan said “Four Rivers Six Ranges” is significant because it represents a Tibetan account of Tibetan history. She also pointed to the upcoming film “Tenzing,” about mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, as another production that could introduce Tibetan history to a wider audience. Norgay, a Sherpa born in Nepal to Tibetan parents, moved to Darjeeling, India, as a child. He and Edmund Hillary were the first two people confirmed to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. The new biopic stars Genden Phuntsok, Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe. It is scheduled for a limited theatrical release Oct. 9 and will premiere globally a week later on Apple TV. “It's not just a film about Everest, or about Nepal or India. It's also about Tibet,” McGranahan said. Tibet remains sensitive issue in India-China ties“Four Rivers Six Ranges” was originally scheduled to open in India on Sept. 11, one day before Xi's visit for the BRICS summit and a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The neighboring countries have been trying to improve relations following a deadly border clash six years ago. Before Xi's visit, Khymsar said India's largest multiplex operator, PVR INOX, informed him that the film's release would be delayed by a week. “They said we cannot release it (yet). They got some pressure,” he said. PVR INOX senior vice president for corporate communications Deepa Menon said she had no specific information to provide when asked whether the company had faced government pressure. The Indian government did not immediately respond to questions about the delay. India and China have economic reasons to improve relations but continue to have competing strategic interests, said Manoj Kewalramani, a geopolitics expert at the Takshashila Institution in Bengaluru. India wants Chinese manufacturing expertise while avoiding excessive dependence on China. Beijing, meanwhile, wants greater access to India's large market but is concerned about creating stronger competition. Chinese companies are also cautious about investing in India because of the risk of worsening relations, Kewalramani said. Tibet is particularly sensitive because developments there could affect India's territorial concerns involving Arunachal Pradesh, which India administers as a northeastern state. China claims the territory and calls it Zangnan, or “Southern Tibet.” India officially recognizes Tibet as part of China but hosts the world's largest Tibetan exile community, numbering about 70,000 people. The Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government-in-exile, is also based in India. The country also has strong cultural and religious ties with Tibet. The Dalai Lama formally stepped down from his political role in the Central Tibetan Administration in 2011 but remains the most prominent global figure among Tibetans. “Because of the succession period looming, it becomes a bit of a powder keg,” Kewalramani said. According to China's account of the Modi-Xi meeting, Kewalramani said Modi assured Xi that India would not allow “anti-China activities” on its soil, which he interpreted as a reference to Tibet. The statement did not appear in India's account of the meeting. The period between the Dalai Lama's death and the time his successor reaches adulthood could be particularly uncertain for Tibetans, McGranahan said. Under a centuries-old tradition, Tibet could potentially be governed by a regent during that period. The Dalai Lama has said his successor should be identified according to Buddhist tradition and has indicated that China should not control the process. China, however, says it has sole authority to approve the next Tibetan religious leader and maintains that the reincarnation must be found in areas of Tibet under Chinese control. Against this backdrop, McGranahan said a feature film could help bring Tibet's history to a much wider audience. “There is something about a story, told through a feature film, that can reach more people and touch them, in public and, hopefully, powerful ways,” she said.

Tents and other essential supplies are being distributed to survivors of a deadly earthquake in Tibet, which killed 126 people and rendered thousands homeless in freezing high-altitude conditions, reports AP. Rescue workers continued searching on Wednesday for victims and survivors near the holy Tibetan Buddhist city of Xigaze, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, following the quake that struck a day earlier. Strong earthquake kills at least 95 people in western China near Mount Everest The confirmed death toll stands at 126, with 188 injured, as of Tuesday evening. Temperatures in the region, averaging an altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet), dropped well below freezing overnight. Over 3,600 houses collapsed, forcing 30,000 residents to relocate, according to a preliminary survey cited by the city government. The epicenter of the earthquake, measuring a magnitude of 7.1 according to the U.S. Geological Survey, was approximately 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Xigaze and about 75 kilometers (50 miles) from Mount Everest and Nepal's border. Chinese authorities recorded the magnitude at 6.8. The quake also caused widespread panic in Nepal, where people fled their homes in the capital, it said. Earthquake kills 126 people in China near Mount Everest Gurum village, with a population of 222, reported 22 deaths, including the mother of its Communist Party chief, Tsering Phuntsog, who noted that even young residents struggled to escape collapsing buildings. Several of his relatives remain buried under debris. The region’s historical and political significance has added complexity to the disaster response. Xigaze is home to the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, associated with the Panchen Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s second-highest figure. A decades-long dispute exists between the Chinese government and followers of the Dalai Lama regarding the Panchen Lama’s legitimacy, following the disappearance of a Dalai Lama-appointed boy in the mid-1990s, added the report. The Chinese government claims Tibet as part of its territory, while many Tibetans argue they were largely independent before China’s 1950 invasion. This tension, coupled with Tibet’s restrictions on foreign journalists, often limits external reporting on the region. Rescue operations are ongoing, with 1,850 rescuers, including firefighters and emergency personnel, deployed, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV. Communications in the area have been restored, facilitating the delivery of relief items such as tents and quilts. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out rescue efforts to save lives and minimize casualties,” Xinhua reported. Despite this, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun criticized the Dalai Lama's plans to lead a prayer ceremony in Dharamsala, India, for the earthquake victims, reaffirming the government's stance against him. Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama and a significant Tibetan exile community, also plans to hold a candlelight vigil on Wednesday night. Strong earthquake kills at least 95 people in western China near Mount Everest More than 500 aftershocks have been recorded, underscoring the earthquake’s intensity. Chinese officials remain confident in their ability to rebuild under the Communist Party’s leadership.

 A strong earthquake shook a high-altitude region of western China and areas of Nepal on Tuesday, damaging hundreds of houses, littering streets with rubble and killing at least 126 people in Tibet. Many others were trapped as dozens of aftershocks shook the remote region. Rescue workers climbed mounds of broken bricks, some using ladders in heavily damaged villages, as they searched for survivors. Videos posted by China's Ministry of Emergency Management showed two people being carried on stretchers by workers treading over the debris from collapsed homes. At least 188 people were injured in Tibet on the Chinese side of the border, the official Xinhua News Agency said. More than 1,000 homes were damaged in the barren and sparsely populated region, state broadcaster CCTV reported. In video posted by the broadcaster, building debris littered streets and crushed cars. People in northeastern Nepal strongly felt the earthquake, but there were no initial reports of injuries or damage, according to the country's National Emergency Operation Center. The area around Mount Everest, about 75 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of the epicenter, was empty in the depth of winter when even some residents move away to escape the cold. The quake woke up residents in Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu — about 230 kilometers (140 miles) from the epicenter — and sent them running into the streets. Read: Bangladesh on edge as earthquake threats escalating The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 7.1 and was relatively shallow at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). China's Earthquake Networks Center recorded the magnitude as 6.8. Shallow earthquakes often cause more damage. The epicenter was in Tibet's Tingri county, where the India and Eurasia plates grind against each other and can cause earthquakes strong enough to change the heights of some of the world’s tallest peaks in the Himalayan mountains. Tibet is part of China, but many Tibetans’ loyalties lie with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader who has lived in exile in India since a failed anti-Chinese uprising in 1959. Western governments and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Chinese government of abuses in Tibet, where it has cracked down on dissent while investing heavily in economic development. There have been 10 earthquakes of at least magnitude 6 in the area where Tuesday’s quake hit over the past century, the USGS said. About 150 aftershocks were recorded in the nine hours after the earthquake, and the Mount Everest scenic area on the Chinese side was closed. Read more: Earthquake activity near Alaskan Volcano sparks concerns Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to rescue people, minimize casualties and resettle those whose homes were damaged. More than 3,000 rescuers were deployed, CCTV said. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing was dispatched to the area to guide the work, and the government announced the allocation of 100 million yuan ($13.6 million) for disaster relief. About 6,900 people live in three townships and 27 villages within 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) of the epicenter on the Chinese side, state media said. The average altitude in the area is about 4,200 meters (13,800 feet), the Chinese earthquake center said in a social media post. On the southwest edge of Kathmandu, a video showed water spilling out into the street from a pond in a courtyard with a small temple. “It is a big earthquake," a woman can be heard saying. "People are all shaking.”

More bodies were found Friday following an avalanche that buried vehicles outside a highway tunnel in Tibet, raising the death toll to 28, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. Images from the scene at the exit of the tunnel connecting the city of Nyingchi in Tibet’s southwest with an outlying county showed about half a dozen backhoes digging through deep snow. Reports said around 1,000 rescuers had joined the effort. Tons of snow and ice collapsed onto the mouth of the tunnel on Tuesday evening, trapping drivers in their vehicles. Read more: More bodies found in Tibet avalanche, death toll rises to 20 Many of the people were headed home for China’s Lunar New Year holiday, which starts Sunday. Nyingchi lies at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), about a five-hour drive from the regional capital, Lhasa, along a highway that opened in 2018.  

More bodies were found Friday following an avalanche that buried vehicles outside a highway tunnel in Tibet, raising the death toll to 20 with eight people still missing. Images from the scene at the exit of the tunnel connecting the city of Nyingchi in Tibet’s southwest with an outlying county showed about half a dozen backhoes digging through deep snow. Reports said around 1,000 rescuers had joined the effort. Tons of snow and ice collapsed onto the mouth of the tunnel on Tuesday evening, trapping drivers in their vehicles. Read more: Search ends in Chinese hotel collapse that killed 17 people Many of the people were headed home for China’s Lunar New Year holiday that starts Sunday. Nyingchi lies at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet, about five hours drive from the regional capital Lhasa along a highway that opened in 2018.