China Steps Up Crackdown on Dalai Lama’s Followers in Tibet Amid Rising Religious Tensions
Colombo, November 7 (TheTrendingPeople.com): China’s repressive religious campaign in Tibet has entered a new phase, with authorities conducting raids across monasteries and villages in the Amdo region to confiscate photographs of the 14th Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. Reports emerging from Ceylon Wire News suggest that Beijing’s campaign reflects growing frustration over the Dalai Lama’s enduring popularity and the resilience of Tibetan Buddhism—despite decades of state-imposed restrictions.
The recent crackdown underscores the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) determination to impose its version of “state-controlled religion” and diminish Tibetan cultural identity under the banner of “Chinese Buddhism.”
Raids in Amdo: Photos of Dalai Lama Seized
According to multiple reports, Chinese security forces raided Larang Tashi Khyil Monastery in Amdo and nearby villages including Thangnag, Ngonchag, Ledruk, and Sangkhog. Officials forcibly entered monks’ quarters and private homes, seizing any images of the Dalai Lama and declaring their possession “illegal.”
Eyewitnesses said the raids were carried out with military-style precision, with communication lines in the region temporarily cut to prevent news from leaking. Sources in exile claim that monasteries were subjected to surveillance and interrogation, and residents were warned against speaking to outsiders about the incident.
The display of Dalai Lama portraits has long been prohibited in Tibet, and Tibetans found in possession of such images face arrest, imprisonment, or forced re-education. Reports suggest that in some cases, monks were beaten and detained under fabricated charges of “inciting separatism.”
State-Controlled Ceremonies and Forced Participation
Beyond raids, Chinese authorities also forced Tibetan monks, nuns, and senior lamas to participate in a Kalachakra ceremony presided over by Gyaltsen Norbu, the state-appointed Panchen Lama.
Among those compelled to attend were the 7th Gunthang Rinpoche, Sakya abbot, and Sera abbot, all of whom were made to appear at the event under tight surveillance.
The ceremony was not merely religious—it was political. By elevating Norbu, Beijing aims to project an image of harmony while undermining the Dalai Lama’s spiritual authority. Analysts say this move is part of China’s broader effort to control Tibetan Buddhism’s succession process, especially as discussions surrounding the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation gain momentum.
The Missing Panchen Lama: A Legacy of Control
China’s imposition of Gyaltsen Norbu as the “official” Panchen Lama remains one of the most contentious issues in Tibetan religious politics.
In 1995, the Dalai Lama recognized Gendun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Within days, Chinese authorities abducted the six-year-old boy and his family. He has been missing ever since, making him one of the world’s longest-held political prisoners.
Beijing subsequently appointed Norbu as a “patriotic monk” to fill the position, using him to promote the CCP’s ideology within religious institutions. Tibetan activists argue that the Chinese state’s manipulation of religious hierarchies is an attempt to erase authentic Tibetan spiritual traditions and replace them with a politicized version of Buddhism loyal to the Party.
Previous Campaigns: A Pattern of Suppression
This is not the first time Beijing has targeted expressions of Tibetan faith. Four years ago, authorities in Zawonpo Township (Sershul County, Karze area) launched a similar campaign to remove Dalai Lama portraits from homes and monasteries.
Officials replaced the images with portraits of Chinese leaders and compelled residents to sign loyalty pledges declaring their devotion to the Communist Party. The pledges required Tibetans to “love the motherland,” “oppose separatism,” and “discourage relatives from possessing banned images.”
Anyone found in violation faced loss of state benefits, including access to welfare, education, and housing schemes. Human rights monitors called the practice “coercive indoctrination disguised as patriotism.”
Global Reports Highlight Growing Concerns
According to Freedom House’s 2022 report, Tibet remains one of the least free territories in the world, with Chinese authorities “especially rigorous in suppressing any signs of dissent among Tibetans, including religious and cultural expressions.”
The Ceylon Wire report notes that the CCP’s religious policy is designed not merely to control faith but to reshape Tibet’s spiritual landscape to align with state ideology.
“Faith in Tibet is tolerated only when it serves the Party’s goals. Beijing’s ‘Chinese Buddhism’ campaign seeks to project a façade of harmony while eroding Tibetan identity,” the report stated.
This systematic approach, observers say, reflects the CCP’s fear that the Dalai Lama’s influence transcends politics and continues to inspire loyalty among Tibetans both inside and outside China.
The Politics Behind the Persecution
Experts in Asian geopolitics suggest that China’s crackdown on Tibetan Buddhism is part of its broader internal security strategy to eliminate all forms of independent religious or cultural leadership.
“Religion in Tibet has always been inseparable from national identity,” said Dr. Karma Tsering, a Tibetan scholar at the University of Delhi.
“By controlling monasteries and manipulating the narrative around the Dalai Lama, Beijing seeks not only to suppress faith but also to dismantle any potential rallying point for Tibetan resistance.”
The CCP’s long-term plan reportedly involves reshaping monastic education, replacing Tibetan-language teachings with Mandarin, and ensuring that future spiritual leaders are selected through Party-approved channels.
Such control mechanisms extend beyond Tibet. Reports from Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu provinces—which have large Tibetan populations—indicate similar efforts to monitor religious gatherings and restrict cross-regional pilgrimages.
International Response: Calls for Accountability
The global community has increasingly condemned China’s religious persecution in Tibet, though tangible diplomatic action remains limited.
Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have called for the release of the missing Panchen Lama and an end to “cultural genocide” in Tibet.
In Washington, members of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) have urged the Biden administration to impose targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act against Chinese officials overseeing Tibet’s religious policy.
“China’s campaign in Tibet is not about religion—it’s about control,” said one CECC statement. “The international community must ensure that Beijing’s systematic erasure of Tibetan identity does not go unanswered.”
Why It Matters: Tibet’s Faith Under Siege
The ongoing crackdown reveals the depth of Beijing’s insecurity over the Dalai Lama’s global influence and the enduring spiritual unity of the Tibetan people.
By using religion as a political tool, China seeks to recast centuries-old Tibetan traditions into state-controlled rituals of loyalty. The forced participation of monks in state-sponsored ceremonies and the confiscation of sacred imagery illustrate how the CCP’s policy has transformed faith into surveillance.
Analysts argue that without international scrutiny, such actions risk permanently altering Tibet’s cultural and religious landscape, silencing voices that have withstood decades of oppression.
Final Thoughts from TheTrendingPeople.com
China’s latest wave of raids in Tibet represents not just a crackdown on religious freedom, but an attempt to re-engineer identity itself.
As the world watches, the fate of Tibet’s monasteries and its spiritual leaders hangs in a delicate balance between preservation and extinction. The disappearance of the Panchen Lama, the forced veneration of state-appointed figures, and the criminalization of devotion reveal a calculated strategy to replace faith with fear.
For the Tibetan people, resistance now takes the quiet form of remembrance—of holding on to the Dalai Lama’s teachings in secret, of whispering prayers behind closed doors.
The question remains: Will the global community speak loudly enough to be heard through China’s enforced silence?