CHINA-TIBET:RELIGION
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Following a meeting on May 10, 2014, the Chinese authorities have removed officials from the Nyatso Zilkar monastery in Yulshul (in Chinese, Yushu) prefecture’s restive Tridu (Chenduo) county of Qinghai province. This is reported to be the first management change of an important monastery in Tibetan-populated areas effected by Beijing in recent years. Radio Free Asia (RFA) quoted sources as claiming that “This action has completely broken the tradition of the [monastery] managing its own discipline and activities. With this appointment of a new management committee for Zilkar monastery, the monks are worried about their future.”
Separately, in a document released to coincide with the launch of a campaign on May 13, 2014, Chinese authorities demanded that monasteries and residents located in Golog (in Chinese, Guoluo) prefecture’s Pema (Baima) county in north-west Qinghai province, pledge loyalty to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Monks are being forced either to sign or, if they cannot write, to put their fingerprint on the page. Additional controls have also been introduced on the flow of information out of the region. Major provisions of the document include that “Tibetans should demonstrate their support for China’s Communist Party and should abide by all laws and regulations,” prohibit participation in protests challenging Chinese rule and self-immolations. “The document also states that monks should not be registered as members of their families’ households, and that residency permits [for their home villages] should be withdrawn.”
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