By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, July 29: In the wake of the outcry and protest from rights groups and international media, China has claimed that the Buddhist University is undergoing renovation works to create accessibility in the locale to avoid “fire hazards” and that the measures taken are part of a consented decision by the management of the monastic establishment to “reduce” the number of “unregistered” monastics.
A report dated July 26 in the Chinese state run Global Times claimed, “that center leaders (anonymous) want to reduce the number of unregistered monks and nuns; they themselves discourage the unregistered from living there.”
The Chinese authorities on Wednesday began demolition of Tibet’s largest Buddhist center, Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Serthar County, following a plan for the same announced earlier. The sprawling Tibetan Buddhist study center has been subjected to forceful reduction of its strength over the decade ago. The latest drive is aimed at cutting the centre’s strength to 5,000 by 2017 along with demolition of the dwellings in the name of road construction, sources say.
London based NGO ‘Free Tibet group’ censured the forceful eviction and demolition of properties in Larung Gar and quoted a student from the monastic university who posted his thought online, “If its only option to solve the over population is destroying the houses then why is the same policy not implemented in the Chinese cities and towns where population is overcrowded? Where is the equality, rule by law, public welfare, religious freedom and equal rights of all nationalities (they used to say) if you crush down the houses of innocent religious practitioners who are living simple lives.”
The gradual process of reducing the strength of the institute founded by late Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok that once boasted around 10,000 students, including Han Chinese, to half could be a preventive measure since Beijing consider the center a hub for those who disseminate information to ‘exile separatist forces.’
The year 2001 saw the dismantling of Serthar Institute. Over 8,000 students were evicted forcibly from the institute and approximately 2,000 dwellings of monks and nuns were demolished that year.
The demolition that began on Wednesday is well underway with fresh photos surfacing in social networking sites.
