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China tightened security, curtailed event at annual religious debate in eastern Tibet

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(TibetanReview.net, Jun28’24) — China has drastically curtailed a yearly religious event in a Tibetan county in Sichuan province, which began on Jun 19, while launching a security drive and patriotic education for monks and nuns, reported the Tibetan service of rfa.org Jun 27, citing local and other Tibetans with knowledge of the situation. The report came as China condemned the US State Department’s 2023 report on international religious freedom, which was released on Jun 26, calling it inaccurate and interference in China’s internal affairs.

The annual Jang Gunchoe, or Great Winter Debate Session, is a longstanding tradition of Tibet’s seat monasteries, including the three monastic seats in and around Tibet’s capital Lhasa of Drepung, Gaden and Sera. Similar events are held in eastern Tibetan regions that today constitute parts of Chinese provinces.

The annual Dhokham Jang Gunchoe event was held amid tight security at Za Bhum Nyingma Monastery under tight restrictions in Sershul (Chinese: Shiqu) county of the province’s Kardze prefecture. The report said local authorities shortened the duration of this two-week event, which enjoys popularity across Tibetan-populated regions, to just one week and also cut the number of monastic attendees coming from monasteries across the region to 3,200 from about 7,000.

The witnesses who have declined to be named due to safety concerns have said Chinese authorities also set up police stations in or near monasteries, subjected monks and nuns to “patriotic re-education,” and kicked Buddhist clergy members out of Buddhist institutes.

Armed police personnel were stationed at Zabum Nyingma Monastery as well atrolled the surrounding mountains. Besides, laypeople visiting the monastery were held up at checkpoints, the report cited both local and other sources as saying.

Monks and nuns attending the event were stated to have been scrutinized to ensure they did not have any record of political activities or associations.

Nevertheless, the situation was stated to be somewhat better this time. Last year, local authorities suddenly halted arrangements for Dhokham Jang Gunchoe; hence, this year, the monastery and its supporters petitioned provincial authorities for permission to hold the session. The permission was granted but with the above restrictions as well as security and other measures.

Meanwhile, responding to the US State Department’s latest international religious freedom report, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, has called the accusations of repression and even genocide in the case of Xinjiang as inaccurate, while accusing the US of trying to interfere in China’s domestic affairs.

“Some so-called ‘religious organizations’ use religion as a cover to engage in illegal activities, interfere in politics, and disrupt social stability. Such organizations cannot be called religious and should not be protected,” China’s official globaltimes.cn Jun 27 quoted Chang Jian, director of the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Nankai University, as saying.

China considers as illegal any effort by Tibetans to preserve and promote their language and culture by inculcating the same in their younger generations as it campaigns to Sinicize and assimilate them.

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