This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
Chinese authorities are confiscating the cell phones of Tibetan Buddhist monks in Sichuan province, accusing them of having shared news about the recent closure of schools linked to monasteries, two sources with knowledge of the situation said.
Under Chinese government rules, ethnic Tibetans are banned from contacting or sharing news with people outside the region.
Traditionally, many Tibetan children are sent to schools at monasteries to be educated in the Tibetan language in regular subjects as well as in Buddhism.
But Chinese authorities have closed schools at the Lhamo Kirti Monastery in Sichuan’s Dzoge county and the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba county, claiming that the young monks were too young to receive monastic education.
The closure of the Lhamo Kirti Monastery school former affected nearly 600 students.
Instead, parents were required to enroll their children in state-administered residential schools, where the instruction is in Mandarin.
Suspicious that monks were sharing news about the closures with the wider world, authorities have been checking their phones since Oct. 1, said the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Those found to have done so had their phones confiscated.
Authorities also have held frequent meetings with monastery management to emphasize the need for monks to study regulatory rules for Buddhist monasteries, citing religious affairs regulations and the prohibition of “separatist activities” by monks, they said.
“Despite the closure of the monastic schools, strict controls have been imposed, and restrictions have intensified with authorities claiming the spread of information about the monastic school’s closure to the outside world is a serious issue,” the first source said.
“Officials are also conducting regular meetings with monastery staff, prohibiting ‘separatist activities’ and enforcing strict adherence to state regulations,” he said.
According to Beijing’s regulations on religious affairs, students at monastic schools must be 18 or older, display patriotism and be compliant with national laws.
Tibetan advocates see these regulations as part of broader government efforts to suppress Tibetan culture and enforce “patriotic education.”
Founded in 1986, the Lhamo Kirti Monastery school initially offered three classes held in the monastery’s hall and monks’ residences.
In 1993, a separate school called Taktsang Lhamo Tibetan Culture School was established, but it faced interference from the Chinese government when officials ramped up restrictions on the study of the Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy, ultimately leading to its closure.
The monastery’s primary school later reopened and served novice monks under the age of 18 and children from nearby nomadic areas.
In July 2024, authorities issued new orders requiring the closure of the school. Families were compelled to sign agreements ensuring that their children would be enrolled in government-run schools, where they would undergo state-approved “patriotic education.”
