BEIJING, Dec. 5, 1995 (AP) -- In a test of their loyalties to China, Tibetan religious leaders have been told to denounce the Dalai Lama and a senior Buddhist monk inside Tibet, a monitoring group said today.

While officials frequently attack the Dalai Lama, it is the first time since 1980 that Tibetans are being called on to criticize a religious figure not in exile, the Tibet Information Network said.

The London-based group, which is highly critical of Chinese rule, said the campaign is a sign that Beijing has jettisoned a policy allowing more religious freedom in return for political allegiance.

It is also part of China's strategy to whip up support for a 6-year-old boy selected as the most powerful spiritual leader still in Tibet. Last week, Beijing staged a 200-year-old ritual to choose the new Panchen Lama and rejected the boy the Dalai Lama chose in May.

China claims its sovereignty over Tibet stretches back over 1,000 years.

The Chinese military moved into the region in 1950, but 45 years of often harsh rule has not dampened Tibetan support for the Dalai Lama and independence.

Religious leaders throughout Tibet were told this week to prepare written and oral statements criticizing the Dalai Lama and Chadrel Rinpoche, an abbot at Tashi Lhunpo monastery, seat of the Panchen Lamas, according to the Tibet Information Network.

Chadrel directed the official search committee for the Panchen Lama and informed the Dalai Lama of its progress.

State-run media issued veiled threats warning Tibetans that their brand of Buddhism could be banned if they are not appropriately patriotic.