16 monks are arrested for resistance against "brainwashing"

Sixteen Tibetan monks have been in custody since Whit Monday because they were not prepared to distance themselves in writing from the Dalai Lama. This was announced by the Society for Threatened Peoples on Thursday. "The monks were arrested because they did not bow under the pressure of the controllers of the government office for religion who visited their monastery in the course of their "patriotic re-education campaign"", said the GfbV Asia expert, Ulrich Delius.

Ten of the monks, who are known by name, were arrested on 12th May 2008 in the monastery of Khenpa Lungpa in Garthog. A day later six further monks of the monastery of Woeser were taken into custody. A 19-year old and a 21-year old were also arrested on 14th May.

"The latest arrest of 16 monks and two lay people show that China's authorities, regardless of the talks with envoys of the Dalai Lama, are ruling with a mailed fist", said Delius. It is particularly worth noting that the Tibetan Buddhists are not given the freedom of religion assured in the Chinese constitution.

The Chinese authorities have since 1996 in the course of their "patriotic re-education campaign" expelled more than 12,000 nuns and monks from the Buddhist monasteries because they were not prepared to distance themselves from their religious leader in writing.