In a first ever move outside the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in China occupied Tibet, officials of a county in the Sichuan province issued a letter banning the Tibetan monks who have been trained from the monasteries in India from teaching Buddhism there. It is reported as a move from the government to curb the spread of so called separatist ideas.
“A county in southwest China’s Sichuan province has banned Tibetan monks “wrongly educated” in India from teaching Buddhism to prevent the spread of separatist ideas. Litang county officials from Sichuan issued the ban recently in what appears to be the first such move outside the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), nationalistic tabloid Global Times reported.” said the report in the Hindustan Times on Tuesday.
The former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference said that it is necessary to tighten supervision to prevent the spread of the separatist ideas referring to the education received from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
“As some monks received education overseas from the 14th Dalai Lama clique – whom China regards as separatists – it is necessary to tighten supervision so as to prevent the clique from using local Buddhists to conduct separatist activities,” Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference is quoted as saying according to the report.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama who is recognized around the world as one of the most inspiring leaders in the world for his efforts to bring out peace, China accuses him of being a separatist. His Holiness was felicitated with Noble Peace Prize in 1989 which is the most prestigious recognition given for his works from numerous awards he has been honored with around the world.