Dharamsala, November 10. Recently, incidents in Tibet have caused Tibetans to recall their days of the Cultural Revolution which in Lhasa began on August 28, 1966. At the time, Lhasa was full of Red Guards and factions fighting one another. People were told that religion was a poison. Its practice constituted a "blind faith" that belonged to an old culture which now needed to be reformed for the good of the socialist system. Although the initial desecration and destruction of monasteries and temples was carried out during the Chinese invasion in the early 1950s, it continued during the Cultural Revolution lasting more than two decades.

Photographs of H.H. Dalai Lama Banned. Today, the Chinese police are playing a major role, similar to the Red Guards, in following government instructions to destroy Tibet's traditional culture. The government recently issued an order declaring it illegal for Tibetans to put a photograph of the Dalai Lama on the altars in monasteries or on house altars. Tibetan cadres and Communist Party members, through their respective offices and departments, have been instructed to remove all photographs of the Dalai Lama from their homes and offices. Tibetans in these two categories were specifically targeted regarding this matter. Tibetan Communist Party members' houses were ransacked by the police and all photographs of His Holiness the Dalai Lama were confiscated.

Tibetan Party Members Told to Denounce Religion. In a meeting of Communist Party members of the respective Government departments and offices in June 1994, the following was read from internal circulation literature: "Communists are complete atheists". A Communist fighter, whatever nationality to which he may belong, should be a complete atheist. The reason why Communists do not believe in any religion is that the Communist world outlook is basically opposed to the religious world outlook. The Communist world outlook is Marxist-Leninist dialectical materialism, while the religious world outlook is completely different in that all religions are idealistic. Since religion is harmful to the socialist construction of the mother country, it will inevitably prove harmful to the progress and development of the minority nationalities. Therefore, Party members of national minorities should denounce religion for the good of the socialist mother country.

Buddhist Liturgical Services Restricted. The traditional Tibetan Buddhist way of litany practice is to invite monks to one's home to recite religious scriptures. Some of the litany practices take several days. However, such practices by Tibetans who are either residing in Government departments' or office compounds are forbidden. The reason for the restriction on these practices is that the Chinese want the Tibetans working in the Government to be atheist, or at least appear so.

Political Control of Monasteries Tightens. A document issued on March 30, 1994 by the TAR's Commission For Politics and Law and the Lhasa City Bureau Commission for Politics and Law instructs the Municipal United Front, the Religious Affairs Bureau and district authorities to closely monitor and document the religious activities in their area.

Education for Tibetan Children Deliberately Obstructed. Religious teachings and prayers are not allowed in schools and universities in Tibet, nor is religious history allowed to be taught in the schools. It is said that the minds of the students should not be corrupted by "blind faith". These restrictions have led many Tibetan parents to send their children to India in order to receive a solid Tibetan education. On June 26, 1994, a source from Lhasa reported that Tibetans who are cadres or Communist Party members were questioned about their intentions for sending their children to schools in India. After investigating this matter, the Human Rights Desk received information regarding a Chinese announcement made on October 19, 1994 calling on Tibetan Communist Party members and cadres to bring their children back from India and enroll them in schools in the TAR. Failure to comply, it was noted, would result in expulsion from the Party for CCP members, and denial of salary raises for cadres. (EuroTibet News nr.

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