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Chinese language police had been out in pressure throughout a significant non secular competition in Tibet’s regional capital of Lhasa on Thursday, residents informed Radio Free Asia.
It was the newest effort by China to suppress Tibetan non secular and cultural expressions by sending a giant police pressure to non secular gatherings to surveil attendees.
Marked by shows of butter lamps and candles, the Gaden Ngamchoe competition commemorates the loss of life of Je Tsongkhapa, the founding father of the Gelukpa college of Tibetan Buddhism, a revered 14th century scholar.
It’s noticed on the twenty fifth day of the tenth month of the Tibetan calendar, which falls on Dec. 7 this yr.
However police in Lhasa prevented followers from gathering in giant numbers and restricted the variety of these attempting to go on a pilgrimage to the Jokang Temple and Potala Palace, a resident there informed RFA Tibetan on situation of anonymity for safety causes.
“The Chinese language authorities has deployed police in nice numbers, and checkpoints to display and prohibit the mass public gatherings to watch the Ganden Ngachoe prayer choices in Lhasa,” the resident mentioned. “Drones are used to trace folks’s motion.”
In video footage RFA obtained from a trusted supply, a heavy police presence could be seen throughout the Tsuglakhang Temple. The police use excessive beam flashlights to disperse the crowds across the temple and inform the devotees to maintain shifting.
The improved surveillance got here with out warning, one other resident mentioned.
“With none prior announcement, the Chinese language authorities are distressing devotees from getting into Tsuglakhang Temple on this auspicious day,” the second resident mentioned. “There are such a lot of police deployed throughout Tsuglakhang and police holding weapons may also seen above the temple.”
Although they had been allowed to enter the temples, the police had been there to make sure that the gatherings didn’t develop to be too massive, the second resident mentioned.
“They’re dispersing the devotees in sections and screening us and checking our telephones on the checkpoints.”
Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Edited by Eugene Whong.
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