|
 In a front-page article in the Tibet Daily, Tibet's party chief
Chen Quanguo said China would stamp out any separatist inclinations.
"As for cadres who harbor fantasies about the 14th Dalai Group,
follow the Dalai Group, participate in supporting separatist
infiltration sabotage activities, (they will be) strictly and
severely punished according to the law and party disciplinary
measures," Chen was quoted as saying.
Chen's denunciation of the Dalai Lama signals a hardening stance
against the Nobel Peace Prize winner whom they label a "wolf in
sheep's clothing" who seeks to use violent methods to establish an
independent Tibet.
The Dalai Lama had expressed hope last month about making a
pilgrimage to China, saying that he had discussions with Chinese
officials about a possible trip, according to media reports.
 The Dalai Lama, who fled to India after a failed uprising against
Chinese rule in 1959, says he simply wants genuine autonomy for
Tibet, and denies espousing violence.
Human rights activists say China tramples on religious freedom and
culture in Tibet, which it has ruled with an iron fist since
People's Liberation Army troops "peacefully liberated" the region in
1950. Photographs of the Dalai Lama are banned in what China calls
the Tibet Autonomous Region.
China rejects such criticism, saying its rule ended serfdom and
brought development to a backward, poverty-stricken region.
Chen's comments could also signal a broader clampdown on religious
freedoms in China. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection,
the party's discipline watchdog, which recently sent an inspection
team to eastern Zhejiang province, said it found "several party
members who were religious believers", the website of the People's
Daily, the party's official mouthpiece, said late on Tuesday.
[to top of second column] |
Religious freedom is enshrined in the constitution but the
officially atheist Communist Party has no qualms about crushing
those who challenge its rule. Party members are banned from
believing in religion.
Beijing maintains a tight grip over religion, especially in its
ethnic minority regions such as Tibet, where monks have been jailed
for supporting the Dalai Lama, and Xinjiang, where it says it is
fighting Islamic fundamentalism.
Authorities in Wenzhou, the capital of Zhejiang, have torn down
crosses from several churches this year, according to media reports.
Wenzhou has a large Christian population.
(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Nick Macfie)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
