Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
Barkhor The old
Tibetan quarter and market area around the Jokhang temple in Lhasa. In Tibetan it literally means the “middle
circuit” or central circumambulation
BPFA Beijing Platform for Action
Cadre (Tib: le che pa; Ch: gan bu))
Technically applies to staff of the Chinese government administration; also
referred to those working on official projects or in state enterprises.
CAT United Nations Convention
Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
CCP (Ch: Zhong Guo Gong Chan Dang) Chinese
Communist Party; founded in July 1921.
CEDAW United Nations Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
CERD United Nations Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
Circumambulation A religious ritual circling
clockwise around a holy place in order to accumulate merit
County
(Tib:dzong;Ch: Xian) The Middle level administrative unit equivalent to district
CPL Criminal Procedure
Law; the revised CPL came into effect on 1 January 1997.
CPPCC Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress
CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child
Cultural Revolution (Tib: Rigs-nas gsar-brje): The campaign initiated in 1966 by Mao Zedong
in order to regain control of the Communist Party by ordering the youth to
“bombard the headquarters”(purge opponents within the Party) and to eradicate
“the four olds” (old ideas, old culture, old customs and old habits). The Chinese authorities now describe it as
“The Ten Bad Years”, referring to the entire period from 1966-1976, although
technically it lasted only about two years.
In Tibet it is sometimes considered to have continued until 1979.
Detention Centre (Tib: lta srung khang; Ch: kanshousuo)
Place where prisoners are held without charge prior to sentencing.
DMC (Tib: u- yon lhan khang; Ch: wei
yuan hi) Democratic Management Committee; Administrative organs established
in 1962 in religious institutions in Tibet and reconstructed under the 1996
“patriotic re-education” Campaign
Drapchi Prison Officially known as “Tibet
Autonomous Region” Prison.
Endangering State
Floating Population (Ch: liudong renkou) Used to refer to Chinese migrants who are
unregistered permanent and temporary residents in Tibet.
Guanxi (Ch) Literally, “connection”;
colloquially a connection to officialdom to acquire preferential treatment.
Gyama (Tib) Unit of measurement
equivalent to 500 grams
ICCPR United Nations International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ICESCR United Nations
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
ICJ International Commission of Jurists
IUD Intrauterine Device
Khel (Tib) The load that can be carried by a yak; equivalent
to 28 gyama (14kg)
Khenpo (Tib) Literally
abbot. In Nyingma and Kagyu tradition
of Tibetan Buddhism, Khenpo is analogous to the Geshe degree.
Lama (Tib) The Tibetan term for a
respected religious teacher, equivalent to the Sanskrit term guru. A lama is not necessarily a monk, although
monasticism is preferred for all lamas in the Gelugpa School. Chinese politicians use the term incorrectly
to refer to any monk.
Lingkor (Tib) Circulation area the original boundaries of
Lhasa City
Motsey (Tib) 10 motsey equal one yuan
Mu (Tib) A measure of land equal to 67 square meters
NC Rs Nepal Rupees
NPC National People’s Congress
PAP People’s Armed Police
Patriotic Education A sub-campaign of “strike
hard” under which the Chinese “work teams” are sent into Tibetan monasteries
and nunneries to enforce Communist ideology.
Potala Palace Official residence of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa
PRC People's Republic of China
Prefecture (Tib: Sa Khul; Ch: diqu) The administrative area below the level of province or region and
above the level of a county. The “TAR”
is divided into six prefectures. A
“Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture” (Ch: Zang zu Zhizhizhou) is a prefecture
outside the “Tibetan Autonomous Region” but still considered to include a
predominantly Tibetan population.
Procuracy (Tib: zhib chu; Ch: jian chayan) A Chinese judicial agency responsible for
investigating and prosecuting criminal cases.
It also handles complaints against the police, prison officials and
other branches of the administration.
Prostrate Buddhist practice of lying face down before any
sacred body
PSB (Tib: schi de chus; Ch: Gong An Ju) Public Security Bureau, local level police force
responsible for detaining and arresting suspects and for pre-trial custody.
re-education A sub-campaign of “Strike
Hard” under which Chinese work-teams have been sent into Tibetan monasteries and
nunneries to enforce Communist ideology
Re-education Indoctrination of Chinese
Communist ideology and national unity; carried out extensively in religious
institutions and labour camps in Tibet
Rukhag (Tib) One small unit within a prison, village,
school, or military etc.
Saga Dawa The month of Buddha’s Birth,
Enlightenment and Death
Sang (Tib) 10 sang makes a gyama
Security: Charge
introduced in the revised CPL to replace “counter-revolutionary”
SEZ Special Economic Zone
Splittism (Tib: Khadral ringlugs) Party term for the
movement for Tibetan independence or any nationalist sentiments.
Strike Hard (Tib: dungdek tsanen; Ch: yanda) A PRC campaign tarhetted at crushing corruption and crime.
Within Tibet, Chinese authorities are aiming the campaign at “splittists”.
Tibetan Autonomous
Prefecture TAP (Tib: Bod rang skyong khul) There are 10 of these administrative areas
(below the level of a province or region) created outside “TAR” by the Chinese
authorities, located in northern and eastern Tibet (in the Tibetan provinces of
Kham and Amdo).
Tibetan Autonomous
Region TAR (Tib: Bod rang kyong ljongs; Ch: Xizang Zizhiqu) Formally created by
China in 1965, this area of central and western Tibet, covering the area of
west of the Yangtse River and south of the Kunlun Mountains, is the only area
recognised by China as being “Tibet”.
Thangka (Tib) Painted religious scroll.
Themto (Tib) (Ch: hu kou): Residence registration document;
also used as a ration card
TIN Tibet Information
Network; an independent monitoring group based in London
TJC Tibet Justice
Centre previously called International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet (ICLT)
Tsongkhul Detention
Area
Tsuglakhang (Tib) Central Cathedral
TWA Tibetan Women Association
UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights
UNWGAD United Nations Working Group
on Arbitrary Detention
Work Team (Tib: las don ru khag; Ch: gongzuo dui) Specially formed units of
government personnel sent to conduct “patriotic re-education” in an institution
or locality
WTN World Tibet Network
Yartsa Gunbhu (Tib) A Tibetan medicinal plant (botanical name: cordyceps sinensis)
Yuan (Ch) As of
December 2002 8.265 yuan is approximately US $ 1