By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, JAN. 23: Tibetans returning from India after the Kalachakra teachings in Bodh Gaya, India, are facing scrutiny from authorities as they return to Tibet. Passports of some Tibetans were torn on arrival at airports both inside occupied Tibet as well as mainland China.
A source of Phayul in Nepal mentioned that, as warned by Chinese authorities prior to the Kalachakra, returnees are facing difficulties, not just limited to torn passports but also punitive measures when they reach back to their native places.
The source told Phayul on the condition of anonymity that, “Passports of Tibetans were torn on arrival as they reached Dendhu (Chengdu) airport, which is where many Tibetans from Eastern Tibet take direct flights from Kathmandu.” Chengdu is situated in Sichuan Province, Eastern Tibet.
The source also mentioned that Tibetans who attempt to enter Tibet through airports in mainland China has also met with the same fate. Authorities at airports in Guangzhou and Kunming also tore passports of Tibetans who returned after attending the Kalachakra.
The same source said, “The Chinese government appears to have made a list of all the Tibetans who didn’t return back to Tibet before the Kalachakra as instructed. And when they reach back to their towns and villages, concerned authorities will further subject them to patriotic re-education sessions and worse.”
He also mentioned that direct flights from Kathmandu to Lhasa are off limits for Tibetans although the reason for the same cannot be ascertained at the moment.
Earlier this moth, authorities inside occupied Tibet warned those attending the Kalachakra would be met with punishment when they returned. Also those engaging in activities related to Kalachakra teachings will face jail term ranging from months to 5 years. Audio and videos of the teachings and gatherings during the teachings were also forbidden inside Tibet.
As a direct result of official intervention by Beijing, a few thousand Tibetans returned back to Tibet before the 34th Kalachakra even began. Tibetans with valid visas were threatened to return or face punishments ranging from denial of pensions and government subsidies to punitive measures to families back home.
Beijing objected to the Buddhist event held in January, presided by the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama calling it “illegal” while the exile Tibetan government expressed disappointment over the travel restrictions placed on pilgrims and devotees from Tibet.
