Indian Express

Bangalore

Sunday August 17, 1997

Beijing, August 16: China has banned a historical Tibetan play and book over references to a 17th century figure that Beijing has now branded as `separatist', the Tibet Information Network (TIN) said on Saturday.

Quoting a speech given by the Tibet party secretary Chen Kuiyuan, the London-based group said the outlawing had occurred in the run-up to a new campaign to "make socialist literature and art prosper".

Both the book and the play are centered on the Potala Palace in Lhasa with commentary in Chinese, Tibetan and English and include references to Sangye Gyatso, the Chief Minister of the fifth Dalai Lama who died in 1682.

Sangye Gyatso was responsible for appointing the sixth Dalai Lama without informing China, which had informal links with Tibet.

"There are no previously known reports of Chinese condemnation of Sangye Gyatso as a separatist, " TIN said.

The banned play, "the secrets of Potala" was produced by the Lhasa theatre troupe in 1996 and toured China until it was banned.