China asks Tibetan monks to resist foreign forces influence

China has asked the Tibetan Buddhist monks to resist influence of “foreign forces” to ensure stability in Tibet.

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the national advisory body Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee has called on religious figures in Tibet to resist the influence of “foreign forces”, to ensure stability in the autonomous region, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Yu, the official in-charge of China’s minorities, however has not specified the identity of the foreign forces. He made the remarks while visiting Qamdo, Tibet, in the last two days where he visited businesses, hospitals and lamaseries. 

China terms the Dalai Lama as a separatist and blames the unrest in the Himalayan region on him and his followers.

Visiting Galden Jampaling Monastery, Yu urged religious figures in Tibet to carry forward their patriotic traditions and guide their followers in the region to safeguard national and ethnic unity. He called on local authorities to defend the religious freedom of all ethnic groups. He also said officials should protect monasteries and ensure a normal religious life for adherents.Work should support “representative personages of Tibetan Buddhism to interpret religious doctrines in line with socialist core values, and help Tibetan Buddhism adapt to socialist society,” he said.