Tibetans have accused the pro-Beijing authorities in the region of housing hundreds of young Tibetan Buddhist monks in prison-like conditions at government-run boarding schools, says a report.
The students forcibly transferred from the Kirti Monastery schools in Sichuan province’s Ngaba county are not even permitted to leave the school grounds or meet their parents, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on Oct. 31.
“Since being forcibly removed from the monastery, the students have been denied contact with their parents and receive inadequate medical care when ill,” RFA reported, citing an unnamed source.
“When parents request to meet their children, they are given various excuses about needing higher-level approval and ultimately face threats of imprisonment if they persist,” the unnamed source added.
The students between the ages of 6-17 are taught exclusively in Mandarin.
Some of the students who attempted to escape the school were apprehended and are now being treated “like criminals” and forbidden from leaving the school grounds.
Over 1,000 young Tibetan monks were transferred from the Kirti Monastery to state-administered “colonial style” boarding schools in July.
The authorities closed another school at Lhamo Kirti Monastery in Dzoge county, affecting some 600 students.
The authorities had compelled parents to sign agreements ensuring that their children would be enrolled in government-run schools, where they would undergo state-approved “patriotic education.”
Pro-Beijing authorities in Tibet cite China’s regulations on religious affairs which mandate that the students at monastic schools must be 18 or older, display patriotism, and be compliant with national laws.
Tibetan critics of China’s communist-led government allege that these regulations are part of a broader policy to eradicate the use of the Tibetan language, suppress Tibetan culture, and enforce “patriotic education.”
China’s patriotic education policy mandates that the love of China and the ruling Chinese Communist Party be incorporated into work and study for all citizens.
The Chinese authorities in the region have also intensified surveillance and restrictions on Tibetans in Ngaba County following the school closures.
A high-ranking official from China’s United Front Work Department is permanently stationed in Ngaba for several months, overseeing control measures over both the monastery and the local community.
The authorities have also unleashed a crackdown on any form of communication with the outside world.
In October, the authorities in Dzoge seized the phones of monks and teachers of Lhamo Kirti Monastery, accusing them of sharing the news of school closures.
In September, the authorities arrested four Tibetans, including two monks from Kirti Monastery, as well as two laypersons in Ngaba, accusing them of contacting Tibetans outside the region.
The Chinese government has claimed that the communication between Tibetans and their family members and friends abroad undermines national unity as a reason for communication restrictions.
Tibetans have denounced Beijing’s surveillance, accusing the authorities of violating their human rights and trying to eradicate their religious, linguistic, and cultural identity.
