Chinese Restrictions Hamper Tibetan New Year Celebrations

Chinese policies restricting Tibetan movements during this week’s start of Losar, the new lunar year, are casting a shadow over traditional celebrations, with police filling the streets of the regional capital Lhasa and government workers forbidden to visit monasteries, Tibetan sources say. This year’s Losar was preceded by public speeches by Chinese officials urging Tibetans’ loyalty to Beijing and denouncing Tibetan government workers caught “harboring religious faith and worshipping in secret,” one Lhasa resident told RFA’s Tibetan Service.

“Under this atmosphere of intimidation and threat, there is no way to celebrate Losar with a sense of peace and joy,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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