THE SNOW LION NEWSLETTER

New Crackdown on Tibetan Buddhism by Chinese Authorities, According to Major New Study
Official Chinese Documents Reveal Intensification of Control over Monasteries in Tibet

Washington, Friday, July 9, 2004- A major new report released today by the International Campaign for Tibet reveals the increasing threat to the survival of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. "When the Sky Fell to Earth: the New Crackdown on Buddhism in Tibet" documents the rise in repression of religion in Tibet that is a direct result of China's economic policies and strategic objectives. This compelling and authoritative report outlines the impact of official Chinese policy on contemporary Tibetan Buddhist culture through previously unpublished internal government documents and eyewitness reportage. Accompanying the report is a Sourcebook of Current Chinese Documents on Religious Policy that provides governments, human rights organizations and academics extensive evidence of changes in religious policy. A video containing recent and rare footage also accompanies the report, graphically illustrating the recent demolition of key monasteries, officials conducting political education sessions in monasteries, official enthronement ceremonies and many other topics in the report. "China proclaims to be protecting religion and culture in Tibet but its internal documents flatly contradict this and show an intensification of control and repression by the government," said John Ackerly, President of the International Campaign for Tibet. "We are now seeing a level of government intrusiveness and control over monasteries that was unheard of in the 1980s and early 1990s," Mr. Ackerly continued.

"When the Sky Fell to Earth" reports that:

• Officials at all levels in Tibet are now being exhorted to strengthen control over monasteries and over the process of identifying reincarnations of important Buddhist monks and nuns.
• Crackdowns on prayer ceremonies for the Dalai Lama and important religious institutions in eastern Tibet in recent years have been described by some Tibetans as being like a "second Cultural Revolution."
• Political education campaigns continue in monasteries and nunneries throughout Tibet, contrary to representations by Chinese officials to Western governments that they have been discontinued.
• The atheist Chinese government is aggressively inserting itself into the identification, enthronement and education of reincarnate lamas following the escape of the 17th Karmapa into exile in 2000.

The enforcement of atheist policies by the Chinese state has created widespread despair among Tibetans in Tibet, as spiritual faith and loyalty to the Dalai Lama are intrinsic elements of Tibetan Buddhist culture.

"The result of China's current policies and practices will be the emasculation of one of the world's great religious traditions and in its stead a sanitized, superficial set of practices beholden to a communist party," said Mr. Ackerly.

The International Campaign for Tibet works to promote human rights and democratic freedoms in Tibet. Founded in 1988, ICT is a non-profit membership organization with offices in Washington, Amsterdam and Berlin.

Sourcebook of Current Chinese Documents on Religious Policy

The report includes the Sourcebook (pages 89-122) which has lengthy excerpts of four key documents. Translations of the entire documents are available upon request from ICT.

Companion Film: "Devotion and Defiance-Buddhism and the Struggle for Religious Freedom in Tibet"
(USA, 2004, 35 minutes)

Produced by the International Campaign for Tibet. Contains rare footage shot in Tibet in the last three years. Available to the media in DVD, VHS and PAL.

For more information, see www.savetibet.org.