Dharamshala, 1st March: According to Tibet Watch, a university student was reportedly arrested earlier this month for teaching Tibetans in Chamdo and has not been seen since. Notably, Chinese authorities have outlawed ‘informal’ Tibetan language programs that children attend outside of school hours in numerous parts of Tibet.
According to Radio Free Asia, quoting a source, the authorities have also warned that anyone caught breaking the government’s directive will suffer “severe legal consequences and punishment.”
Choedon was apprehended on February 13 in the Yamda village of Riwoche country. According to her family, language classes over the village’s winter vacation may have resulted in her imprisonment, according to Phayul.
“Choedon was arrested by the Chinese authorities but she has not committed any wrongdoing nor does she have any criminal record. Her family is concerned about her safety as it has been more than five days since her arrest and disappearance but there is no clue about where she is being held or her conditions,” Phayul added.
Southwest Minzu University in Chengdu is where she is currently enrolled, according to the report. Choedon’s detention comes as the Chinese government continues to impose draconian language restrictions. In September of last year, the Chinese government strengthened an existing discriminatory policy by mandating that all Tibetan school textbooks be replaced with Chinese language materials and that all schools declare Chinese the official language of instruction.
Authorities have targeted monastic institutions that teach Tibetan to youngsters, such as the Sengdruk Taktse middle school in Darlak County, which was forced to close in June of last year.
Chinese authorities have also prohibited Tibetan youngsters from learning their mother tongue in a variety of ways. Authorities have closed Tibetan language schools and private schools where Tibetan languages are taught, and Tibetan parents are prohibited from organizing online coaching classes for their children during their summer and winter vacations, a significant restriction given that most parents prefer to teach Tibetan language and Buddhism during this time. Monasteries are also under pressure to teach Buddhism in Chinese.
The Chinese government has set a target of 85 percent of those living under Communist Party rule speaking the national language (“Putonghua” or “common tongue”) by 2025. This is part of a larger attempt to promote Chinese nationalism to individuals of many nationalities, including Tibetans, who live under CCP authority. According to a study conducted by the Tibet Action Institute last year, between 800,000 and 900,000 Tibetan children have been taken from their families and placed in boarding schools where they are indoctrinated in political ideology.
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