High Peaks Pure Earth has been following the case of high-profile Tibetan businessman Dorje Tashi. According to international media reports, Dorje Tashi was sentenced to life imprisonment on June 26, 2010, after a three-day trial by the Lhasa Municipality Intermediate People’s Court.
Despite Dorje Tashi’s arrest having taken place sometime after the protests in Lhasa in March 2008, this has been the first information about his case to have reached the media. High Peaks Pure Earth has obtained these photos of Dorje Tashi that were taken in Beijing in 2005:
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| Dorje Tashi in Beijing, 2005 Photo credit High Peaks Pure Earth |
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| Dorje Tashi in Beijing, 2005 Photo credit High Peaks Pure Earth |
An indication of Dorje Tashi’s high-profile status is his inclusion in the “People” section of the most popular Tibetan website TibetCul, in the category listing prominent contemporary Tibetans in Tibet. He is listed under the sub-category titled “Business Elite” and shares a place in the sub-category alongside ten other Tibetans in the business community, including Karma Samdrup, recently sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Below is a translation of the online profile that was posted on TibetCul on November 11, 2006.
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| TibetCul Profile of Dorje Tashi |
Awarded the prestigious Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee and regional governments “Outstanding Private Business Award”, Shigatse Prefectures “Poverty Alleviation Special Contribution Award”, Gansu Provincial Committee and provincial government’s “Contribution to the Public Economy Development of Gannan Award” for Gannan Prefecture, and appointed Honorary Chancellor of Jianhua Vocational High School in Nanchong City in Sichuan Province in June 2004. On May 25, 2005, he was given Shigatse Prefectures Communist Youth League Committee “Youth Civilization” Individual Achievement Award, awarded every 10 years. The Manasarovar Hotel was awarded the “Youth Civilization” Group Achievement Award, awarded every 10 years.
Dorje Tashi vowed to work for the community, to contribute to the economic development of Tibet and, through his tireless efforts, established the Tibet Manasarovar Group (in Chinese, the Tibet Shenhu Group). The company consists of Lhasa Manasarovar Asian Hotel (3 Star), Manasarovar Hotel (3 Star), a travel agency, Manasarovar Business Hotel (4 Star), Shigatse Oasis Real Estate Development Company and Manasarovar Real Estate Development Company. The unemployed status of more than 780 local unemployed people was resolved and they brought in profits of over 2.26 million Yuan a year; over 4.6 million Yuan was handed out in staff salaries, and training was given to a group of young Tibetans to become hotel managers. At the same time as developing business enterprises, Dorje Tashi was always concerned about people’s suffering, and since its inception the company has made several tens of thousands in cash donations for poverty and disaster relief, and the staff have often visited the widowed and elderly or those living alone. He has been active in social welfare undertakings and from 2002 until the present, he has given a generous allowance to the children of poor workers in Lhasa Chengguan district’s Tsomonling nursery school.
In 2004, the Shigatse Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference activity centre for veteran cadres was not doing well, and after Dorje Tashi found out about this he gave them several tens of thousands to improve the conditions for their activities. In 2004, he made contributions of several tens of thousands during the Communist Youth League of Shigatse Prefectural Committee’s “Three To The Rural Areas” campaign. On July 5, 2004, when he learned of the 7.6 earthquake in Drongba County, Shigatse Prefecture, he immediately appealed to the company’s managers and employees for contributions. The company made contributions of several tens of thousands and his personal contributions were several tens of thousands, and the collection activities in Shigatse Prefecture had the vigourous support of the Prefectural Party Committee. When Manasarovar Hotel was being constructed in 2001, Shigatse Prefecture suffered from floods, and he immediately organised his construction workers to become flood disaster relief workers and join the front line. Money was scarce in these efforts and he donated generously tens of thousands. In 2002, following an appeal for donations by the municipal committee for poverty and disaster relief, his personal contributions amounted to several tens of thousands, Manasarovar Hotel made several tens of thousands in donations and gave in-kind donations of more than 240 items. In November 2003, following the municipal government’s appeal for contributions to the rural poor, he gave several tens of thousands as a private donation, the highest for a Party member. Dorje Tashi’s tireless love of learning combined with his intelligence created his forward-looking, visionary enterprises.
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