China Plans 'Education' of Tibetan Monks

Beijing's move to enforce loyalty raises fears of more violence

By John Johnson, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 5, 2008 1:10 PM CDT

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China Plans 'Education' of Tibetan Monks — Human rights and pro-Tibet activists demonstrate against the Olympic Games outside the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, Saturday, April 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Keystone, Laurent Gillieron)

Fed up with protests from Tibetan monks, Beijing said today it will step up a campaign of "patriotic education," the AP reports. Beijing will try to force monks to denounce the Dalai Lama and declare their loyalty to China, adding to worries that the current tension over human rights will only worsen as the Summer Olympics approach.

"We should strengthen patriotic education so as to guide the masses of monks to continuously display the patriotic tradition and uphold the banner of patriotism," a Chinese official said. Attempts to "re-educate" monks in Sichuan province this week—two monks were arrested for having pictures of the Dalai Lama— led to a confrontation that left up to eight Tibetans dead, rights groups say.
(More China stories.)

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