By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent in Kathmandu
The Chinese Government has allegedly started re-education campaign for school children as a precaution to prevent students from getting involved in the recent Tibetan campaign against using fur adorned costumes by Tibetans in Tibet.
According to a young Tibetan student, a recently-arrived refugee from Kandze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, “Soldiers in uniform came to our school and told us that Tibetans couldnot burn animal skins and if anybody wanted to do it, they were asked to burn them in the privacy of their homes; they also asked the students class by class whether they liked His Holiness the Dalai Lama, if somebody said they didn’t, they were encouraged to trample underfoot a photo of His Holiness but I could not do such a thing, so before the day soldiers reached my class I escaped from Tibet; I would rather die but never do such a thing in my life”. Furthermore, he said that when he called home after reaching Lhasa, his parents informed him that 17 students were arrested and detained by army for showing their respect for His Holiness. It is unclear what happened afterwards to the detained students as our source left Lhasa for Nepal right after the phone conversation with his parents.
The consequences of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message during the Kalachakra teachings this year against using fur of endangered species like tiger, leopard and otter skins to people inside Tibet still continues to annoy Chinese authorities; maybe because they see this as a possible danger in growth of Tibetan nationalism in Tibet. After the recent banning of burning fur in public in Amdo Region, the ban is now efective in Kham Region as well and people are not allowed to burn animal skin in public.
