Tibetan filmmaker arrives in San Francisco under political asylum

A Tibetan filmmaker, Dhondup Wangchen, arrived in San Francisco under U.S. political asylum on December 25 after six years in jail and three years under police surveillance, the New York Times reports (paywall).

• Wangchen is from and had been jailed in Qinghai Province, which borders the Tibet Autonomous Region and “is considered by many Tibetans as part of greater Tibet,” Reuters says.
• The short documentary that got him in trouble, in which he speaks with disaffected Tibetans ahead of the 2008 Olympics, is titled Leaving Fear Behind and can be viewed here.
• During his detention and imprisonment, he was “tortured and otherwise ill-treated, held for about six months in solitary confinement, and denied medical treatment,” according to Amnesty International.
• Wangchen was reunited with his wife and kids in San Francisco, and Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. congresswoman whose district includes the city, tweeted: “It is my honor to welcome Tibetan Filmmaker & former Chinese political prisoner Dhondup Wangchen to our San Francisco community. My thoughts are with him as he is once again united with his wife & children in freedom after so many years.”

• Super Vulgar Butcher (?)
  U.S. and Germany call for release of Chinese activist ‘Super Vulgar Butcher’ / Guardian
  China chides U.S., German embassies after call for release of activist / Reuters
• Environment
  China says more than 18,000 officials failed or performed badly in protecting environment / Reuters
• North Korea
  China says secret oil trade with North Korea ‘does not exist’ / SCMP
  Donald J. Trump on Twitter (12/28): “Caught RED HANDED – very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!”
  He is responding to, in all likelihood, cable news coverage of this December 26th story in The Chosun Ilbo: Chinese ships spotted selling oil to N. Korea.
• Continuing tensions with India
  China warns citizens not to stray into restricted areas in India / SCMP
  India should control its border troops: Chinese military / Economic Times of India