China bans Tibetans from marking festival

Beijing, China — China banned government workers, Communist Party members and students in Tibet from marking a recent Buddhist festival, citing the need to “tighten up education”, a Tibetan rights group reported.

A notice in the official Lhasa Evening News said the ban also applied to “retired cadres and staff” and “workers of business and enterprise work units and people’s collectives” in the Tibetan capital, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said in an e-mail seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The Gaden Ngachoe Festival, a day marking the death of 14th century Buddhist teacher Tsongkhapa, fell last year on December 25, the ICT said.

The ban was imposed to “tighten up the education, guidance and management of the broad masses of cadres and staff”, the ICT quoted the paper as saying.

“Everyone must conscientiously respect the government and Party committee’s demand,” it said.

Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1950 and over the decades Beijing has sought to impose its stamp on Tibetan society, closing monasteries and restricting religious life.

China says Tibetans are free to practise their religion, but government officials and public servants are regularly banned from observing traditional festivals, including the birthday of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan god-king whom China regards as a separatist.

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