China relaunches “Strike hard” campaign to curb Tibetan dissidence and religion

In its latest attempt to intensify hard-line policies, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has relaunched the “strike hard” campaign to systematically curtail Tibetan political dissent and to control religious institutions. A series of recent official meetings held in Lhasa has re-affirmed the need to curb dissidence by “striking hard” in the “Tibet Autonomous Region”(TAR).

According to the State media China Tibet Information Centre (www.tibetinfor.com) and Lhasa Evening daily on 4 November 2004, “the “Strike hard” campaign for the winter – 1 November to 30 December 2004 – in Lhasa, TAR, has begun. The current campaign aims to eliminate internal secret splittist groups, separatists based outside, influence on religion, terrorists and their activities, criminal activities, stability stiflers and exile returnees linked with splittist groups.”

On 19 October 2004, “TAR” law enforcement bodies met for a weeklong meeting in Lhasa and emphasised the need to maintain social stability by “striking hard” on the “separatist forces”. “TAR” Public Security Bureau (“PSB”) head, Yang Song, said on 20 October 2004,“Social stability is not only an essential need of the society, but also a very important political matter…to strike hard and suppress the separatists.” 

According to Lhasa Evening of 1 November 2004, a weeklong workshop for officials in charge of “patriotic education” in monasteries and nunneries in Lhasa formally opened on 31 October 2004. Lhasa City Party Deputy Secretary, Lhasa National People’s Congress President, Head of the Committee for Patriotic Education in Lhasa City, members of the Lhasa Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, officials from the United Work Front Department, officials of the Religious Bureau, and Head of Patriotic Education in “TAR” attended the opening ceremony. Lobsang Gyurmey, head of the Committee for Patriotic Education in Lhasa, in his opening speech, said, “Patriotic Education should be implemented to the fullest in the monasteries and nunneries to prevent separatist activities. Precautionary measures should also be taken to stop the infiltration of literatures from the splittist group based in exile.” [Referring to Dharamsala – temporary headquarters of the Dalai Lama]

The participants are to implement the content of the workshop in two or three monasteries by the year end as a trial in Lhasa. A successful trial result will lead to city wide implementation in the next couple of years beginning in 2005.

The essence and guidelines of the “Patriotic Education” campaign was formulated during the third Tibet Work Forum in 1994. It was practically implemented from 1996 onwards. Although PRC claims that the “patriotic education” campaign was officially concluded in 2000, TCHRD maintains that it is still being conducted in the religious institutions in Tibet.

“Strike Hard” (Ch: Yanda) Campaign which was initiated in China in 1983 as a domestic campaign against crime in China evolved into a political tool of oppression. In Tibet, the campaign is implemented with a singular aim to stifle political dissent.

During “strike hard” and “patriotic education” campaigns, the State law enforcement bodies abuse the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people through arbitrary arrest, detention, interrogation and torture, dismissal from jobs and expulsion from religious institutions. TCHRD is gravely concerned over the Chinese authorities’ current intensification of its campaign to “strike hard” on the Tibetan people.

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