China: Tibetan students banned from taking part in religious activities
What's the story
Children in traditionally Buddhist Tibet have been banned from taking part in religious activities over the summer holidays in China. The Global Times, quoting Lhasa Middle School's Political Education Department Head, Choephel, said, "The students were required to sign an agreement to not take part in any form of religious activity." "Students are following the regulation under the guidance of their parents/teachers," it added.
Claims
China claims Tibet has been part of its territory
The policy appears to reflect increasingly harsh restrictions on the Himalayan region's traditional Buddhist culture, largely aimed at reducing the influence of the region's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India. China claims Tibet has been part of its territory for more than seven centuries and regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist.
Independent Tibetans
Tibetans were independent before PLA battled into Himalayan region
Many Tibetans insist they were essentially independent before the Communist Party's People's Liberation Army's (PLA) battled its way into the Himalayan region in 1950. The presence of security forces was increased significantly after deadly anti-government rioting broke out in Lhasa in 2008 and spread quickly through Tibetan-inhabited areas in western China. Buddhist religious institutions have become a particular target of the authorities.
Tibetan monks
Young Tibetan monks were forced to leave monasteries
The overseas-based International Campaign for Tibet reported earlier this month that young Tibetan monks were forced to leave one of the biggest monasteries in the Tibetan region of western China as part of a drive to replace monastic life with secular education. That threatens to cut the transmission of religious knowledge and monastic tradition between monks of different generations, the organization said.