Level of religious repression increases in Tibet
BIJENDER SHARMA
DHARAMSHALA: The US state department's annual report on religious freedom said the level of religious repression in the Tibet autonomous region and other Tibetan areas has increased over the past year.
The 2008 International religious freedom report was announced in Washington, D.C. recently, which was also submitted to Congress by the department of State.
"We have encouraged the Chinese government to cease the patriotic, political education campaigns in which nuns and monks are forced to study communist texts and to denounce the Dalai Lama," said John V Hanford III, ambassador at Large for International religious freedom, while announcing the report.
Describing religious freedom as a "universal aspiration", he said, "Our promotion of this human right is grounded both in national interest and international norms."
The report noted that the preservation and development of the Tibetan people's unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage, as well as the protection of their fundamental human rights, continue to be of concern.
It said the Chinese government has increased restrictions on religious freedom, including interference with the process of selecting and training reincarnate lamas, stricter control over the ability of monks and nuns to travel between monasteries, and limits on the construction or renovation of monasteries.
The report was also critical of the "patriotic education campaigns", which it said were "major factors that led monks and nuns from a number of monasteries to mount peaceful protests in Lhasa on 10 March 2008."
Expressing concern over thousands of Tibetans detained following the unrest, the report said authorities locked down monasteries as well as detained and physically abused an unknown number of monks and nuns, or expelled them from monasteries throughout Tibetan areas.
It also noted that the U.S. Government continued to encourage greater religious freedom by urging the PRC Government and local authorities to respect religious freedom and preserve religious traditions.
Following the protests in Tibet on 14 March, the US Government urged the PRC Government to engage in constructive dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his representatives and to address policies in Tibetan areas that have created tensions due to their impact on Tibetan religion, culture, and livelihoods, the report added.