As part of the recent crackdown on religion, one of the top CCP officials visited Tibet and demanded absolute loyalty from monks—or else
Wang Yang, regarded as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s fourth highest ranking official, visited Tibet on August 26 and 27, and met Buddhist monks loyal to the Party at the Tibet Buddhist Theological Institute. According to Hong Kong and international sources, he was quoted by Chinese media as stressing the importance of CCP’s tight control over Tibet’s Buddhist institutions, urging “preparedness and precautions for danger in times of safety.”
Monks, he said, should assist the CCP in its “battle against separatist elements,” which includes finding a way for applying the principle of “sinicization of religion” to Tibetan Buddhism as well. By “separatist elements,” the CP normally means Tibetan Buddhists loyal to the Dalai Lama.
As part of the nation-wide crackdown on religion, Wang also reminded the monks that minors are not allowed to participate in religious activities. Students in Tibet are requested to sign a pledge “not take part in any form of religious activity” during the summer school holidays.
As usual, things can be even worse for Tibetans living in China, outside the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), to which Western media pay more attention. Reportedly, young Tibetan monks have been forced to leave one of the biggest monasteries in a Tibetan region of western China.
