Beijing [China] : Amid Beijing’s crackdown on Tibetans, Chinese authorities in Qinghai province are forcing young monks to leave monasteries and sending them back to their homes. This move follows a Religious Affairs Regulation announced by China on October 1, Radio Free Asia reported citing sources. “Young monks in Jakhyung monastery and other monasteries in Qinghai have been forced to give up their robes and are being sent back home,” the source said. “Government officials are now inspecting these monasteries to make sure the regulation is being obeyed,” he added. “They are being told they can’t return to the monasteries or wear monks’ robes anymore, and whether they will now be sent to government schools or not is also unclear,” the source said. Meanwhile, the newly announced ‘rules’ were enforced on October 20 and the regulations say that monasteries in Qinghai may no longer admit underage boys as monks or allow them to take part in religious activities. Parallel to these ‘new rules’, Chinese authorities have also banned ‘informal’ Tibetan language classes that children attend outside their schools. The authorities have also warned that anyone caught violating the government’s order will face ‘serious legal consequences and punishment’, Radio Free Asia reported citing a source. Amid the crackdown on Tibetan culture, the Chinese authorities had also detained two Tibetan students who ‘opposed’ Beijing’s plan to impose the use of the Chinese language as the only medium of instruction in Tibetan schools.
