World Tibet Network News Sunday, June 21, 1998

LONDON, June 19 (AFP) - China continues to exert extremely tight control over Tibetan religion and culture out of fear of an independence movement emerging, according to a report issued Friday by the EU troika which visited Tibet last month.

The troika, ambassadors in China of Britain, Luxembourg and Austria -- present, past and future presidents of the European Union -- visited the Tibetan Autonomous Region from May 1-10 as part of EU-China dialogue on human rights.

They found that the authorities' priority was to combat the political expression of Tibetan nationalism which they perceived to be strongest in Tibet's religious and cultural institutions.

They noted that after so-called Patriotic Education Work Teams visited all religious institutions in 1996 to "educate nuns in patriotism and the law," 3,754 people were dismissed from monasteries.

These included 1,115 for being under the minimum legal age of 18.

Many of Tibet's lamas have remained loyal to the Dalai Lama who now lives in exile in India.

The envoys were assured that Gedhun Choekyyi Nyima, the boy selected by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, was living a normal life but were not allowed to see him.

They noted a conspicuous absence of pictures of the young man favoured by the Chinese as Panchen Lama which, they said, suggested there was "considerable reservations" in Tibet about his status.

The envoys said the authorities in Tibet denied reports of coercion or forced abortion to enforce family planning programmes. But the government encourages no more than three children per family.

They were also told Tibet had one of the lowest crime rates in the country with only 2,075 serious crimes recorded last year. There were 1,800 people in jail, about 200 of them for "crimes aginst state security."

The delegation said it visited Drapchi prison on May 4, the day demonstrations were reported there, but said they saw no obvious signs of the protests.

But they were not allowed to see particular prisoners they wanted to interview. Instead they were allowed to interview one young prisoner jailed for 13 years for shouting slogans.

The envoys commenting on the wave of Han Chinese immigration into Tibet noted that the capital Lhasa had been transformed with an influx of businesses and entrepreneurs "not all of which are directly benefitting Tibet's development."

The delegation met the Tibet Autonomous Region's chairman Gyaincain Norbu. They urged him to adopt a "policy of leniency" towards political prisoners since China considered that the internal security situation in Tibet had improved.

They also said he should ensure that Tibetans, and not immigrant Han Chinese, benefit from measures aimed at boosting Tibet's economy.