Nuns leaving Larung Gar in a bus
Photo: Freetibet.org
Larung Gar, the largest Buddhist centre the world, located in Serta county in Sichuan province, is faced with the eviction of its residents as demolition is ramped up. Over 2,000 nuns studying at the institution were ordered to leave voluntarily by September 28. Another group of 1,000 monks and nuns who are working for the centre have also been asked to leave, reports Radio Free Asia (RFA).
A video posted on Facebook on September 30 by Tsering Kyi, a journalist for Voice of America’s Tibetan service, shows nuns and monks being sent away from their academy in buses as they embark on their journey home, while others are seen crying and praying as they bid farewell to their friends and classmates. Ms Kyi mentioned on her post that these monks and nuns currently being evicted are from Lhasa and nearby regions.
Under pressure from Chinese officials, on September 23 the authorities at Larung Gar ordered monks and nuns to give their names voluntarily for eviction. RFA reports that it was made clear to residents that if they refused to give their names, they would face forced eviction with the threat that they would be prevented from registering in another religious institutions.However, if they registered their name for removal from Larung Gar by September 29, they would be transferred to other monastic institutions in Serta, Nyagrong, and Dege counties.
Photo.freetibet.org
Though the deadline to evict the 2,000 residents has passed, there is no confirmation to date on whether the voluntary departures have taken place.
Photos and videos shared on social media show a once picturesque monastic settlement surrounded by bulldozers with parts of the monastery reduced to dust and rubble.
The Chinese authorities are cutting down the number of residents at the centre to from 10,000 to 5,000. The next stage of this process will be reached when the forced demolition of 1,500 homes takes place by the end of this month.
Free Tibet, a non-government campaigning organisation based in the United Kingdom, has started a campaign to stop the demolition at Larung Gar. According to their website, 2,000 supporters are writing to the Chinese authorities, their foreign ministers and Chinese embassies. A Day of Action for Larung Gar will take place on October 19, with protests planned around the world. The protest in London, organised jointly by Free Tibet, Students for a Free Tibet UK and the UK Tibetan Community, is to take place outside the Chinese embassy.
Students for a Free Tibet, another non-government campaigning organistion, have set up the #StandWithLarungGarcampaign to call on Foreign Offices around the world to publicly condemn the Chinese authorities’ destruction of the Monastery and to call for an end to the demolition and evictions at Larung Gar.
The news of the demolition of Larung Gar and the distress that it is causing for the residents has caused concern and anguish in Tibetan exile communities across the world as they think of the suffering of their kinsfolk in the monastery. Since the start of the demolition, three nuns from Larung Gar:Rinzin Dolma; Tsering Dolma and Semga have committed suicide. Rinzin and Tsering both left notes citing Chinese government’s actions at Larung Gar as the reason for their suicide, no information is available about Semga’s suicide or any note she may have left.
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