Dharamshala: Sources from Tibet reported on Sunday that the situation in Dege Jodha County in eastern Tibet is tense, after ten thousand people from nine villages in this area staged a mass protest against the Chinese authorities, who recently declared that the government will be appropriating a tract of land near the Kyabche monastery. On 3 July, about ten thousand Tibetans gathered in front of the Dege Jodha county government’s headquarters (Ch: Jodha District) to demonstrate against this announcement. One person claimed to reporters that, "If the government wants to take our land, they should take everything: our fields, live stock, and property, but the then authorities must decide where we should live and what we should eat.”
Recently, Tibetans were forced to denounce their spiritual leader and their country’s monasteries. Clearly, Tibetans are still repressed by the Chinese policy of national “re-education”, especially when it comes to their perception of their cultural and religious identity. "The Chinese authorities called a 15-day meeting in the Dhochue township of Dege county, where they ordered the local Tibetans to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the 17th Karmapa, and the Kyabche monastery. Kyabche Gonpa is one of the largest and most renowned monasteries in Jodha county, and if the Chinese can crack down on this monastery, than all of the smaller monasteries and the people in those areas will be able to control easily," continued the Tibetan report.
The communist regime stationed work teams in all monasteries to practice a harmful policy "forced political re-education" for monks. Under this policy, monks are compelled not only to break off from their leaders, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the 17th Karmapa, but also to denounce these leaders and their monasteries harshly."
According to the report, monks and leaders from the Kyabche monastery refused to denounce the Dalai Lama when they were called to join the so-called “patriotic education campaign”. The monks also refused to sign the Chinese document denouncing His Holiness.
Another clash has arisen between the Chinese armed forces and the Tibetans as a result of the massive construction Chinese authorities have begun at a new military base in the Radho area of Jodha County. The Chinese military have claimed that they are permitted to open fire if the Tibetans in this area stage any kind of demonstrations against China. The situation is becoming as tense as that of 1994 and 1995, when Chinese special forces from Chadho County deployed a deadly crackdown on Tibetan residents.
