China’s new regulations on Tibet monasteries seek to undermine Dalai Lama

Tightening its grip over Tibet, Chinese authorities have promulgated new regulations that are designed to snap any possible links between Tibet based monks and India based Dalai Lama. Effective from November 1, 2010, the decree will affect recognition of reincarnations inside Tibet as all the major leaders of four sects of Tibetan Buddhism are presently in India.

China is building a dam  on the Salween River
near a site considered as sacred by local Tibetans

Promulgated shortly after running into trouble over construction of a dam near the foothills of the Lhachen Naglha Dzamba Mountain in Biru county of Naqu prefecture, the regulations seeks to keep Tibetan temples and monasteries away from outside influence.   The dam is planned on the Salween River. Locals consider the site selected for the dam as sacred. Their protests were ignored and work was launched this August. Skirmishes broke out. And on September 23, construction workers ran away from the site in the face of local protests. But three days later the workers were forced to return amidst heavy deployment of security forces.   Simultaneously authorities have launched a crackdown on the protestors and their leaders.

Against this backdrop came the latest orders of the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA) on regulating the management of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The order clearly and categorically states that Tibetan Buddhist temple affairs must not be subject to control by any overseas individual or organization, which in effect means the Dalai Lama set-up.

The order clearly and categorically states that Tibetan Buddhist temple affairs must not be subject to control by any overseas individual or organization, which in effect means the Dalai Lama set-up.

The message is clear from another provision of the order which reads: “No individual or organization should use Tibetan Buddhism as a cover to disrupt social order and education system, harm people’s health or infringe upon public interests and the citizen’s legitimate rights”.

SARA claims that the some temples were in a state of ‘disorder’ in recent years. It also alleges that some monasteries had expanded blindly placing a financial burden on the local people.  And then comes the raison’detre for the regulation: “A number of temple staff, under the influence of overseas separatists, are engaged in activities that could sabotage ethnic solidarities and nationalities”.

The immediate fall-out of the order is unclear. So is its long term affect. If the intent is undermining Dalai Lama’s reach and influence over Tibet, then it is unlikely to be achieved for the simple reason that even long years after Dalai Lama had left Tibet, the authorities consider it necessary to come up such a contrived order.

The Lhasa Intermediate People’s Court has sentenced Jampal Wangchuk, a monk of Drepung monastery, to life imprisonment. Another Lama of the same monastery, Kunchok Nyima, has been awarded a 20-year –jail term. Both have been charged with involvement in the 2008 Lhasa unrest. They were arrested on April 11, 2008. The sentences are now pronounced.