Radio Free Asia: 2021.11.04 (By Sangyal Kunchok)
The move threatens younger Tibetans’ connection to their religion and culture, some analysts say.
Authorities in northwestern China’s Qinghai province are forcing young Tibetan monks to leave their monasteries, sending them back to their family homes in a drive that threatens their connection to Tibet’s traditional religion and culture, sources say.
The move, announced in a Religious Affairs Regulation on Oct. 1, has already seen monks aged 11 to 15 years expelled from Dhitsa monastery in Qinghai, historically a part of northeastern Tibet’s Amdo region, a source in the area told RFA in a written message.
“Also, young monks in Jakhyung monastery and other monasteries in Qinghai have been forced to give up their robes and are being sent back home,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Government officials are now inspecting these monasteries to make sure the regulation is being obeyed.”
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