Published by: World Tibet Network News, Monday, Jun 10, 1996

BEIJING, June 10 (UPI) -- Tibetans enjoy freedom of religion and are entitled to conduct sectarian activities "anywhere at any time," according to a survey released Monday.

The survey, published in the official Outlook Magazine, was conducted by the China Tibetology Research Center, a government think tank, between May and November last year.

Despite a resurgence of violent anti-Chinese unrest in Tibet led by monks loyal to the Dalai Lama, China's survey claimed the overwhelming majority of Tibetans support the government's policies, revel in living standards above the national level, and have no qualms about seeking officials to solve problems.

It also said the status of women has greatly improved, herdsmen have "bid farewell" to nomadic ways in favor of settling down on farms, and Tibetan culture has undergone "profound changes" resulting from improved education.

Fifteen researchers interviewed 150 Tibetan families in urban and rural areas in reaching their conclusions.

The poll said 93.2 percent of those queried indicated they "know about the state policies of free religious beliefs" and 98 present support them.

With better living standards, Tibetans have "better religious items in their homes and are free to hold religious activities anywhere at any time," it said.

The release of the survey coincided with a month-long crackdown on serious crime in Tibet that ends June 15. Activists engaged in violent separatist or terrorist activities must surrender to public security organs to qualify for lenient treatment under the stipulations of a circular issued by the region's Communist Party central committee.

A manhunt has been on for hundreds of monks after bloody clashes last month between monks and Chinese security forces at the Ganden monastery, east of the capital of Lhasa.

Tibetans were angered by a campaign aimed at removing all pictures of the Himalayan region's exiled god-king, the Dalai Lama, from monasteries and temples as well as offices, schools and homes.

The report, however, said, "Officials at various levels are well respected by local Tibetan residents, most of whom would go to government departments to solve their difficulties and problems."

It hailed Tibet's "tremendous progress in its economic and social sectors ... since the region was freed from slavery and feudal suppression."

The People's Liberation Army marched into Tibet in 1951 and the Dalai Lama fled to India after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

The report accompanying the survey said it was "the largest and most thorough investigation on Tibetan society in recent years."

In maintaining the average per capita income of Tibetans was higher than the national level, the survey focused on two farming villages and an area of Lhasa which was previously a slum.

It cited Tibetan per capita incomes above 4000 yuan ($481) in 1994, far above average per capita income for urban dwellers in China of 3,179 yuan ($383) that same year.

The report also said many Tibetan families have come to understand the importance of education and are investing in schooling for their children.

Tibetans frequently complain that the increasing number of Chinese living in the area benefit from educational reforms while facilities for Tibetans are few and concentrate on diluting their culture.