In its annual report on international religious freedom released on November 17, the US government has said it ‘continues to be concerned for the preservation and development of the Tibetan people’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage and the protection of their fundamental human rights.’
A communique released on the Tibetan Government website yesterday said the report documented comprehensive accounts of restrictions on religious freedom, abuse of religious freedom and forced religious conversion. It also states that the US government’s efforts encourage greater religious freedom in Tibet.
According to the report, ‘the level of religious repression in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and other Tibetan areas remained high.
Government control over religious practice and the day-to-day management of monasteries and other religious institutions continued to be extraordinarily tight since the spring 2008 outbreak of widespread protests and unrest in Tibetan regions.” ”These restrictions included forcing monks and nuns to undergo extensive ”patriotic education” in monasteries and nunneries. In patriotic education sessions, authorities often forced monks and nuns to denounce the Dalai Lama and to study materials praising the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the socialist system.
Monks and nuns fled from their monasteries and nunneries because they faced expulsion for refusing to comply with the education sessions. The overall number of monks and nuns in monasteries and nunneries remained at significantly lower levels than pre-March 2008,” it said.
Source: newkerala.com
