China is reportedly intensifying its efforts to pressure teachers and students in western Tibet to pledge allegiance to the one-party state and denounce the Dalai Lama, labeling his beliefs as separatist. Radio Free Asia (RFA) sources inside Tibet have revealed that more than 400 teachers and students in Ngari prefecture alone of the western Tibet Autonomous Region were summoned for an “anti-separatism” workshop in October.
During the workshop, attendees were instructed to “confer their allegiance toward the state ideology and condemn separatism and His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” according to one Tibetan who shared information with RFA in a written message. Participants were also directed to refrain from engaging in religious activities within schools.
The Chinese government’s stance is that the Dalai Lama seeks to split Tibet Autonomous Region and Tibetan-populated areas of western China from the rest of the country. However, the Dalai Lama advocates for a “Middle Way” approach that recognizes Tibet’s status as part of China while advocating for greater cultural and religious freedoms and strengthened language rights.
According to a second Tibetan source within Tibet, teachers and students were explicitly told to pledge their loyalty and patriotism to the Chinese government and to avoid teaching any form of religious education. “The teachers must ensure they teach students to adhere to conferring their allegiance to the state ideology,” the source told RFA in a written message.
This move comes as part of the Chinese government’s ongoing campaign to suppress Tibetan culture, language, and religion and forcibly assimilate the Tibetan identity into the dominant Han-Chinese majority, all while ensuring loyalty and patriotism to the state. It follows a government ban on ethnic minority language teaching among Tibetan communities in Sichuan province, reported by RFA in October.
According to sources, the schools summoned for the workshop included Ngari Garzong Middle School, Kung-Phen-Sen Elementary School, Ngari Vocational Middle School, Ngari Model School, and Ngari Childcare Center.
Despite these efforts, Dawa Tsering, director of the Tibet Policy Institute, the official think tank of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala, India, stated that the Chinese government’s campaign to denounce the Dalai Lama and the CTA has not been successful. “Recently we had seen a slight ease from the Chinese government in denouncing the Dalai Lama in state media,” he said. “But then the Chinese government once again started imposing harsher policies when [it] realized that no matter the effort and repressive policies, it would be impossible to eradicate Tibetans’ faith and reverence for the Dalai Lama.”
China’s actions in Tibet continue to be a subject of international concern, as the authorities’ policies unfairly oppress the Tibetan cultural and religious identity, leading to a growing distrust of China’s record of human rights and freedom of belief.
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