Tibet's religious freedom under attack from China

One of the worlds most oppressed nations is Tibet, conquered by the Chinese Communists in 1950/51, is being colonised by Han Chinese in attempt to make Tibetans a minority within their own country. One of the ways the Tibetan people hang on to their identity is through the medium of their religion. This too is under attack. 

The BBC reports:

The London-based Free Tibet group says demolitions at the site began on Wednesday and a number of people living there have been evicted.

It follows an order last month by the local authorities to cut the number of Larung Gar residents by half to 5,000.

Chinese officials are reported to have cited overcrowding concerns.

Larung Gar is said to be the biggest Tibetan Buddhist institute in the world.

The academy and monastery, founded in 1980, sprawls over a mountainside in Sertar county in eastern Tibet, and attracts thousands of Buddhist monks and nuns who wish to study there.

On top of this China intends to appoint the next Dalai Lama. The Free Tibet Campaign writes:

In defiance of the deeply held wishes of the Tibetan people, China's government plans to appoint its own candidate as the next Dalai Lama. The role has historically been filled by identifying the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama after his death. The current 14th Dalai Lama has made clear that no Chinese appointed Dalai Lama will be the legitimate leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

China already punishes Tibetans for practising their religion as they choose. Its aim is to force a puppet Dalai Lama on Tibetans to neutralise Tibetan Buddhism's independence and cement its hold on Tibet. It also hopes to undermine worldwide support for the Tibetan cause. Interfering in the selection of the Dalai Lama is a political act, a profound insult to the Tibetan people's culture, desires and beliefs and a gross abuse of their religious freedom. It is vital that China understands that its plan will fail.

You can sign their petition: www.freetibet.org/petitions