Restrictions in Tibet still continue: Report

BEIJING: Freedom of religion continues to be “harshly restricted” in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) because Beijing sees reverence for the India-based Dalai Lama as part of a separatist ideology and against the principles of the Communist Party of China (CPC), a new report has claimed, adding that the status of religious worship, individual rights and civil liberties in TAR worsened in 2018.

“New regulations on religious affairs came into effect in February 2018, reiterating many existing restrictions while strengthening controls over places of worship, travel for religious purposes, and children’s religious education, including in Tibetan areas,” the report by Freedom House, a US-based non-profit working on political freedom and human rights, said.

It was released on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the aborted March 10 uprising in 1959 during which the Dalai Lama and his followers fled to India.

India’s decision to grant asylum to the Dalai Lama adversely impacted bilateral ties and is counted among one of the reasons behind the 1962 war.

China views the Nobel Peace laureate as a dangerous separatist and accuses him of inciting dozens of self-immolations in TAR and adjoining Tibetan areas.

Sixty years on, Beijing continues to react strongly if political leaders meet the 83-year-old Dalai Lama in India or abroad.

In TAR, the Chinese government took steps to prevent any commemoration of the revolt on Sunday, and on March 14.

The government has banned foreigners from travelling to TAR until April 1, according to rights groups, to clamp down on activity marking the dates.