Doors of residents locked, numbered and painted red by authorities
Photo: RFA
The destruction continues at Larung Gar in Serta county in Tibet, the largest Buddhist centre in the world, with more monks and nuns being sent off to their family homes each day despite calls and pleas from international human right groups. Hundreds of monks and nuns were sent home on October 30 alone.
The latest technique adopted by Chinese officials to carry out the forced removal of residents was locking them out of their homes. While monks and nuns are away at classes or on errands, officials locked their rooms, numbered them and painted the doors red. The residents were not given the chance to collect their possessions and were warned that anyone interfering with the locked doors is breaking law and will bear the consequences.
“Under these threats, many of the monks and nuns have to leave in despair without gathering their few possessions”, a local source told Radio Free Asia’s (RFA) Tibetan service.
“The monks and nuns are also being told that their family members will face dire consequences if they fail to comply with official orders”, said the same source.
RFA has also reported that over 300 Chinese officials have arrived at the monastery to question monks and nuns there about their residency status and are going door-to-door collecting names and information regarding their hometowns and monasteries.
Amid demolition of the centre and eviction of residents, Chinese officials cancelled the annual Larung Gar eight-day festival Dechen Shingdrup or Accomplishing the Pure Land of Great Bliss. According to RFA’s local source, the festival begins each year on the 18th day of the ninth month of the Tibetan Lunar Calendar. The source added that the main feature of the festival was the presence of senior religious heads, reincarnate lamas and highly learned monks who would give religious teachings for three to four days to several thousand people who usually gather for the event.
The officials announced that this year there would be no festival. RFA’s source said, “The monks and nuns have begun to practice privately in their rooms”.
Earlier this month, RFA reported that months of “political re-education” is being imposed on some monks and nuns who have already been evicted. They reported a local source as saying that one group of about 100 people has been held for two months, others are being held for up to six months and are said to be required to study Chinese policies and regulations during their “rehabilitation”. They also reported that evicted monks and nuns are being forced to sign documents in which they pledge never to return. The pledges contain promises to “uphold the unity of the nation” and not to engage in behaviour opposing government policy in the area. The report continues by saying that they “have to acknowledge that they will be held responsible if they break these promises”.
Larung Gar, the largest Buddhist academy in the world was founded in 1980 by the late Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok. The demolition of the institution started in July this year with Chinese officials aiming to reduce its residents from 10,000 to 5,000 by next year. According to RFA, 3,000 monks and nuns have already been evicted so far and over 1,000 dwellings destroyed.
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