World Tibet Network News Friday, June 12, 1998

BEIJING, June 12 (AFP) - Chinese authorities have demolished a temple and a monastic retreat outside the Tibetan capital Lhasa, the London-based Tibet Information Network (TIN) said Friday. Buildings were pulled down at the Drag Yerpa site, 30 kilometres (20 miles) northeast of Lhasa in early April, TIN said, quoting recent foreign visitors to the site as saying. Some 50 nuns, who had lived there for more than a decade, a Buddhist teacher and his followers were also evicted from the site, the group said.

The apparent reason for the demolition was that the buildings -- most of which were built by the Buddhist teacher, Adzom Pelo Rinpoche -- were not on the exact site of an earlier temple and were therefore not authorised by the Chinese authorities. China "liberated" Tibet in 1951 and has been fighting to win the loyalty of the Tibetans ever since an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.