His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Photo: Dalailama.com
Wu Yingjie’s appointment as the new Communist Party chief of Tibet and been followed with calls by the Chinese government for stronger military crackdowns in Tibet – specifically for harsher denunciations of the Dalai Lama and continued pressure on Buddhist monks and nuns to conform to the Communist Party.
Wu Yingjie, 59, has over 40 years of experience working in Tibet and claims to recognise the importance of religious freedom. His first action as chief, however, has been to call for the government to “deepen its exposure and criticism of the Dalai Lama.”
He also made a visit to a Driru monastery where he stressed the importance of Buddhist monks and nuns being “politically reliable” and continuing to prioritise communi
st ideas within their religious practice. Yingjie emphasised the punishments that will result if Tibetans hold photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama or use traditional prayer stones.
Wu Yingjie
This is apparently in line with the work that Yingjie has been involved with in the past, which includes monastic reform and the promotion of communist propaganda.
Yingjie’s appointment is expected to lead a new wave of intrusive military crackdowns in Tibet, generally seen to be aimed at forestalling future protests similar to the 2008 Lhasa uprising.
Print
Email