"A top Chinese official in Tibet visited monasteries in and near the Tibetan capital Lhasa this week to warn monks against behavior considered disloyal to the ruling Chinese Communist Party, state media sources said." rfa.org/english/news/t…
Wang Junzheng, party secretary in the Tibet Autonomous Region, went on Thursday to the Ramoche temple in Lhasa and to Gaden monastery outside the capital, reminding monks to be “patriotic and law-abiding” citizens and remain loyal to the party, according to media accounts.
Wang also instructed monastery management committees in both places to enforce rules against assertions of Tibetan cultural and national identity deemed “separatist” by Chinese authorities.
China’s approach to control and surveillance over Tibetan monks and nuns has intensified in recent years, said Pema Gyal, a researcher at London-based Tibet Watch.
“And with the March 10 Uprising Day commemoration approaching soon, the Chinese government is even more vigilant in watching over Tibetan monasteries to avoid any kind of unrest.
“The establishment of management committees in these monasteries is aimed at closely monitoring the monks, and we have also seen political reeducation campaigns recently stepped up in the monasteries,” Gyal said.
“This is the Chinese Communist Party’s strategy for consolidating their power and ‘Sinicizing’ Tibetan Buddhism.”
Wang Junzheng’s recent visit to Tibetan monasteries signals further restrictions ahead of the March 10 anniversary, agreed Tenzin Tsetan, a researcher at the Dharamsala, India-based Tibet Policy Institute.
“It is also meant to help construct a politically stable atmosphere in the region as China’s 20th Party Congress kicks off in the second half of 2022,” Tsetan said.
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