Click for large. In this file photo from 2007, Tibetan monks debate Buddhist philosophy at the Kirti Monastary. (REUTERS/Reinhard Krause)
Today, the government of China for the first time confirmed a crackdown by authorities at Kirti monastery (Kirti Gompa) in Sichuan province, but would not comment on reports by human rights groups that two monks at the monastery were murdered by armed government agents. Some 2,500 monks live at the monastery. Founded in 1472, it is considered a very important site in Tibetan Buddhism.
"In recent days, a small number of monks in Kirti Monastery in Aba county, Sichuan have disrupted social order and disobeyed Tibetan Buddhist rules," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters. They have "disrupted local normal order, defamed the image of Tibetan Buddhism and harmed the feelings of Buddhist followers."
According to the US-based International Campaign for Tibet, unrest in the Chinese region erupted in March when a young monk set himself on fire and died in an apparent anti-government protest. On Thursday last week, paramilitary police raided the monastery and took away more than 300 monks. Authorities also started a re-education programme at Kirti, the group said.
Police also beat a group of laypeople who had been standing vigil outside the monastery, leading to the deaths of two Tibetans aged in their sixties, ICT said. "People had their arms and legs broken, one old woman had her leg broken in three places, and cloth was stuffed in their mouths to stifle their screams," an exiled Kirti monk was quoted as saying by the rights group.
Read the full item by Agence-France Presse.
Earlier this month, China placed the monastery on lockdown after a young monk committed suicide by setting himself on fire on March 16 to protest Chinese policies in areas with high Tibetan populations (NYT). That same week, a China Foreign Ministry spokesman described interactions between the Kirti monks and police as "harmonious." (BBC)
In Dharamsala, India, where the Tibetan government-in-exile is based, demonstrations of solidarity with the monks at Kirti are taking place. Today, 100 Tibetan Buddhist monks began a peace march from Dharamsala to the Indian capital of New Delhi. In the photo above, Tibetan Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche (at microphone) addresses monk peace marchers and supporters. (Photo: Phayul/Norbu Wangyal).
Below: HH the Dalai Lama leads a prayer service in Dharamsala for the victims of violence at Kirti monastery. (Photo: Phayul/Norbu Wangyal).
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