Lhasa Under Tight Control as Beijing Olympic Draws Near

Armed forces seal monks inside monasteries

As the 2008 Beijing Olympics approaches, Chinese security forces continue to patrol Lhasa, Tibet, enveloping the city in a tense atmosphere. Armed forces are guarding some major monasteries and forbid monks in them to exit.

The Tibetan Government in Exile reported on Sunday that the Naqoin Monastery, which is attached to the Drepung Monastery, is currently patrolled by armed security forces. Monks are locked inside, and other Tibetans are not allowed to approach the monastery.

Kelsang, member of the Tibetan Government in Exile, said he was deeply concerned with the safety of the monks as their living conditions are unknown to the outside world.

A local Tibetan who refused to be identified confirmed this fact and said that the Sera Monastery, which was open earlier, had also been closed again for unspecified reasons. He said major intersections in Lhasa are all patrolled by armed forces.

Phone calls to the Drepung Monastery were not answered.

Since the March 14 unrest in Tibet, the Chinese authorities have required monks to attend so-called “patriotic education programs.” Many monks have since decided to leave the monasteries. According to Kelsang, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) recently issued an order requiring all monks return to the monasteries to “provide convenience for tourists and to produce a harmonious environment in Tibet.”

“Key monks such as khenpos and geshes have been required to call back to the monastery all monks under their supervision,” said Kelsang. “If any monk under their charge marches on the street or engages in any protest, the khenpos and gesher will be held directly accountable.”

The order also said that Tibetan CCP members and those administrators in charge of the respective monasteries will be subject to punishments from light jail terms to expulsion from the CCP if they fail to prevent monks under their charge from protesting.

Kelsang said the order also threatened to permanently close monasteries and confiscate their assets if over 30 percent of their monks protested.

Meanwhile, China’s state-run newspaper Tibet Daily published an article on July 26 sharply criticizing the Dalai Lama’s intrigue, designed to split Tibet from China.