Chinese surveillance unit operating inside Tibetan Buddhist monastery: Report
Feb 20, 2022
Beijing [China], February 20 : A Chinese police surveillance unit is operating inside a Buddhist monastery as part of the latest crackdown on Tibetan Buddhist religious institutions, said citing Radio Free Asia (RFA) citing a Tibetan with knowledge of the situation.
Officers were installed this year at the Palyul Thartang Gonchen Monastery in Qinghai province's Golog (in Chinese, Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, rfa.org reported citing a source, who lives in exile but knows what is happening there.
"Though there was already a surveillance police unit put up by authorities outside the premises of the Palyul Tharthang Gonchen Monastery in Golog, this year they have added another one inside the premises of the monastery near its community hall," the Tibetan told RFA.
"A surveillance team member has also been posted by the Chinese government in this unit to scrutinize monks and their daily activities," he said.
Police installed surveillance cameras around the monastery, and officers inside to monitor the monks around-the-clock, the source said. Some officials pressure young monks to attend schools run by the Chinese government, the Tibetan in exile said.
"Chinese authorities have also installed a specific app on their mobile phones to identify and track their conversations, so it's not safe for the monks to communicate with Tibetans in exile," he said.
According to RFA sources in the region, Chinese authorities have long sought to restrict the size and influence of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, traditionally a focus of Tibetan cultural and national identity.
Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1950 and later annexed it. The 1959 Tibetan uprising saw violent clashes between Tibetan residents and Chinese forces.
The 14th Dalai Lama fled to neighbouring India after the failed uprising against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama, the supreme Tibetan Buddhist leader, established a government-in-exile in India.
