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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.
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