Tibetan Monks Compelled to Show Patriotism to Communist China

By Mary Trewartha / September 27, 2019;

Monks hanging thangkas of CCP officials at Galden Jampaling
Photo: Free Tibet

A video showing Tibetan monks in Tibet praying to, and expressing patriotism for, the People’s Republic of China has been reported by the British Tibet support group Free Tibet. In the video, thousands of monks can be seen singing together in one voice while waving Chinese flags. The lyrics of the song are: “Me and my motherland, unable to be separated for a moment; Long live the Motherland”.

Free Tibet’s research partner Tibet Watch obtained background details of the video,which was released by official Chinese media on September 22, and shows the orchestrated event taking place at Galden Jampaling Monastery in Chamdo, central Tibet, timed to coincide with the runup to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is holding a series of events in Tibet to demonstrate widespread Tibetan support for the CCP and its rule. One such event is a competition and exhibition held at various monasteries, schools and institutions across Tibet on the theme Me and the Motherland in which Tibetans are encouraged to display or express gratitude to the CCP and endorse the official CCP narrative that the Party has brought development, prosperity and liberation to Tibet.

Monks at Galden Jampaling monastery
Photo: Free Tibet

Tibetan monks can be seen hoisting a Chinese flag on the rooftop of the monastery, hanging banners with Communist Party slogans and also hanging thangkas with images of five Chinese leaders on the monastery wall. This official effort to replace images of the Buddha and Dalai Lama with those of CCP leaders has been a constant theme in occupied Tibet this year. At the start of this year, Free Tibet revealed that CCP authorities had instructed Tibetans to place such pictures in their homes, rather than displaying images of Tibetan lamas.

Tsering Norbu speaking at Galden Jampaling Monastery
Photo: Free Tibet

Tsering Norbu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Jambaling Monastery’s Management Committee, said that all monks “should be grateful, feel the party, listen to the party and go with the party” and demanded that all monks adhere to the leadership of the CCP and the socialist system, work for unity and stability and implement Xi Jinping’s vision of Tibetan Buddhism.