Chinese officials engaged
in 'takeover' of Tibetan Buddhist monastery - Human Rights
Watch
25 Jan 2018 Reuters
Christian Shepherd
Chinese officials are
engaging in a "takeover" of one of the world's largest Tibetan
Buddhist monasteries with a plan to put Communist Party officials
in charge of its administration, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on
Wednesday.
BEIJING: Chinese officials
are engaging in a "takeover" of one of the world's largest Tibetan
Buddhist monasteries with a plan to put Communist Party officials
in charge of its administration, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on
Wednesday.
Larung Gar, a sprawling
Buddhist centre of learning and prayer in the mountains of
southwestern Sichuan province, has already been reduced in size
through an eight-month programme of demolition and expulsion that
ended in April 2017, HRW said.
The government is now
splitting the centre into two sections, an academy and a monastery,
divided by a wall, according to an English-language translation of
a document shared by HRW, which they said was received in August
2017.
The measures include quotas
for recruitment, a management system of "real-name registration"
and tags for monks and nuns, as well as placing 97 Communist Party
cadres, who are required to be atheist, in top finance, security
and admission roles.
Monastic sources told HRW
that a similar system would be set up in the monastery and that a
large building had been constructed to house the cadres.
Reuters could not
independently verify the authenticity of the document or the claims
from HRW sources.
"The administrative
takeover of Larung Gar by party officials shows that the
government's aim was not merely to reduce numbers at the
settlement," said Sophie Richardson, U.S.-based China director for
HRW.
"Chinese authorities are
also imposing pervasive control and surveillance over every level
of activity within religious communities," she said.
China's religious affairs
bureau did not respond immediately to a request for
comment.
China has denied carrying
out demolitions at Larung Gar, saying the work is to tackle fire
and safety hazards, as well as to "reconstruct" old
buildings.
Tibetan-populated areas of
western China, including in Sichuan, had been at the epicentre of
protests against Chinese rule, which included acts of
self-immolation, although reported cases have declined in the past
two years.
HRW's Richardson said the
micromanagement of Larung Gar encroaches on religious freedom and
is likely to fuel resentment against Beijing.
Chinese law promises
freedom of religion but authorities keep a close eye on religious
believers and institutions, especially in areas such as Tibet where
faith is considered a potential challenge to Communist Party
rule.
New regulations due to take
effect at the end of this month are set to expand state oversight
of religious institutions. In particular, schools will train future
generations of China's religious leaders.