Tibetan monks belonging to Lhasa’s Sera monastery are being ordered to strictly follow Chinese laws and “stand against separatism” in a new campaign aimed at strengthening the restive region’s ties to Beijing, according to Chinese media reports. Speaking on March 13 at a news conference in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, Monastery Management Committee director Lhakpa Tsering, a Tibetan official working for China’s government in Tibet, told participants that monks should now practice their faith “by standing against separatism.”
“Monks must feel grateful to the Chinese government and show their loyalty to the nation by obeying the country’s laws,” Tsering said, addressing an audience of 320 including monks, management staff, police officers, and security team members. Also speaking at the conference, Tsetan Dorje, a Tibetan official managing Sera monastery, ordered conference attendees to also carefully watch their behavior online.
