Voice of America shuts operations in Dharamsala

The Tibetans in-exile and the Association of Tibetan Journalists have expressed concern over the Voice of America (VOA) shutting down its operations in Dharamsala. Besides the VOA, Radio Free Asia (RFA) is also going to shut its operations in Dharamsala next month, sources said.

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These media outlets supported by the US Government were acting as a vital source of information regarding the condition of Tibetans in Tibet.

During the ongoing budget session of the 17th Tibetan parliament-in-exile, president of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Penpa Tsering said that all staff of the VOA central headquarters had been placed on administrative leave, while regional reporters, including those in Dharamsala, had terminated their operations. Similarly, Radio For Asia’s central staff have been furloughed, with its regional staff being supported through reserved funds until the end of April, he added.

The sources said that the closures came in the wake of an executive order signed by US. President Donald Trump on March 14, issuing instructions for the reduction of the operations of seven federally-funded entities, including the US. Agency for Global Media, which oversees the VOA and the RFA and other organisations.

The Tibetan media in-exile has termed the closure of the VOA and the RFA as a major setback to the Tibetan cause. The Association of Tibetan Journalists in Dharamsala has condemned the funding cuts and urged the US Government to reinstate financial support for the Tibetan language services of both media outlets. The association expressed disappointment over the decision, emphasising the critical role these media outlets had played in providing reliable news to Tibetans in Tibet and preserving Tibetan language and culture.

The association said that over the years, the VOA and the RFA had served as vital sources of information on Tibetan life under the Chinese rule, the activities of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government-in-exile and the plight of Tibetan refugees. The closure of these stations, the association warned, significantly undermined press freedom and democratic values of the Tibetans in exile.

The association also held that the Chinese state-controlled media had celebrated the shutdown, portraying it as a victory against what it claimed to be false reporting. The Global Times described the VOA as a so-called beacon of freedom that had been discarded like a dirty rag by its own government. Other Chinese media outlets, including Beijing Daily, accused the VOA of spreading misinformation about China, the Tibetan journalists said.

Many Tibetan MPs, while speaking in the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, called for the restoration of funding for the two media outlets, describing them as the lifelines for the propagation of human rights in Tibet.

The journalist association said that Tibetans in Tibet and in-exile now faced an information vacuum as these longstanding media platforms fall silent. The CAT, journalist association and other Tibetan organisations called upon the US Government to reconsider its decision and restore the critical services provided by the Tibetan language divisions of the VOA and the RFA, which served as an important source of information to the Tibetans in Tibet.