Published by: World Tibet Network News, Tuesday, January 22, 1996

BEIJING 01/22 (AP) -- Government-owned restaurants in Beijing are toeing the officially atheistic Communist Party line and taking down their Buddhist shrines.

The official Beijing Daily reported Sunday that 597 state-run restaurants in the capital removed their shrines in the past month. The newspaper did not say whether an official order had been issued banning the practice.

It was not known whether the shrines were put up for worship or decoration. Religious belief has soared over the past decade as the Communist Party relaxed social controls.

China's constitution theoretically protects freedom of religion, but party members are dissuaded from practicing. In 1994, the party ordered members in fervently Buddhist Tibet to remove religious symbols from their homes.

"The atmosphere in restaurants must adapt to the needs of building the socialist spiritual civilization advocated by the nation," the Beijing Daily said.

"We cannot entrust the raising of economic efficiency to Buddhist shrines," it added.