Published by: World Tibet Network News Monday, December 1, 1997

BEIJING, Dec 1 (AFP) - Chinese authorities have ordered their anti-Dalai Lama campaign to be extended from monasteries into all parts of Tibetan society, a news report received here Monday said.

Xiang Bagadeng, head of the communist party Tibetan ethnic religious committee, said in a speech steps should be taken to "spread patriotic education in the agricultural communities, towns, cities, government organs and schools," the Tibet Daily reported.

He told a party meeting that new measures were needed "so we can eliminate the Dalai's influence and win people's hearts," the newspaper reported in its November 21 issue.

"Otherwise, if we only carry out the patriotic education in temples, the instability will continue," he added.

The Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, lives in exile in India where he fled in 1959 following a failed anti-Chinese uprising.

China has already indicated it will tighten religious control and root out "hidden reactionaries" among Tibet's elite religious leaders whom they accuse of secretly sympathizing with the Dalai Lama.

The anti-Dalai Lama campaign conducted through "patriotic education" had previously covered only temples where pictures of Tibet's spiritual leader are banned and monks are forced to declare their loyalty to Beijing.

The proposal to spread the campaign to schools and other communities indicates a move to impose even greater restrictions on the troubled region.

"The influence of the Dalai Lama on the peasants, in the townships, schools and government organs is still serious," Xiang said.

"A number of farmers and peasants are not quite convinced that Tibet is an inalienable part of China and they are not clear about the Dalai's true face.

"They do not know the source of Tibet's instability and some people in the government organization including leaders do not strongly criticize the Dalai Lama and maintain unification of our country," he added.

Xiang also said steps should be taken against interference "from the air waves and from the ground", referring to China's objections to foreign radio broadcasts and the US appointment of a special coordinator on Tibet.

China's hardline Tibet policy has been widely criticised but the communist government in Beijing has reacted to increasing international pressure over Tibet, by imposing stricter regimes on the region.