By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 16: The United States Commission on International Religious freedom in its annual report censured the policies implemented by the Chinese government that has violated the religious freedom on the Tibetan plateau.
The 2015 edition of the annual report has categorically emphasized on the surge of official heavy handedness saying, “In 2014, the Chinese government took steps to consolidate further its authoritarian monopoly of power over all aspects of its citizens’ lives”.
Outlining the pan-China situation on the religious front, it mentioned, “People of faith continue to face arrests, fines, denials of justice, lengthy prison sentences, and in some cases, the closing or bulldozing of places of worship”.
Specifically on Tibet, the commission underlined the ongoing punitive implementation of policies meted out to monastic population as well as individuals, the expulsion of monks and the destruction of monastic properties. It also denounced the stark vilification of the Dalai Lama and assertion of its authority over the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation and raised concern over the spate of self immolations by Tibetans.
“Since 2008, the Chinese government has imposed harsh policies of repression on Buddhists across the Tibetan plateau, including harassment, imprisonment, and torture”, it said.
The report also reflected the US understanding of the significance of the ‘reincarnation of the Dalai Lama’ which it said is cause of contention and what has led to the strain in relations between the politburo and the Dalia Lama and his representatives. “While there were indications the Chinese government may allow him to visit Tibet, its insistence on selecting the next Dalai Lama continued to strain the relationship”, the report states.
The Commission discouraged the maligning of the Dalai Lama and endorsed the official stand of the exile government of seeking genuine autonomy. “Moreover, the Chinese government continued its ongoing vilification of the Dalai Lama, including accusing him of seeking Tibetan independence, which he has repeatedly denied” the statement reads.
The 2015 United States Commission on Religious Freedom drew only little of the unequalled disparity of the Chinese constitution and the realities on the ground. The situation has deteriorated immensely for not only Tibetan Buddhists but other minorities like Uighur Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, and Falun Gong practitioners under continued repression.
The state handling of the various religious populace is only going to be uphill as pointed by the statistics mentioned in the same report, “Religious followers are strong and reportedly on the rise: more than 294 million practice folk religions, more than 240 million Buddhism, 68 million Christianity, and nearly 25 million Islam”.
