Top Tibetan official calls for patriotic education for social stability


BEIJING, Feb 3 (AFP) - A top Communist Party official in Tibet has called for increased "patriotic education" in the region's monasteries in the cause of "maintaining political stability," media reports said Wednesday.

"This year will see a lot of sensitive periods and important anniversaries but we will maintain political stability, we will not give any opportunities to hostile forces and ensure the stability of the whole region," Legqog, a vice-party secretary of the region, was quoted as saying in the Tibet Daily.

"The region should continue to actively join in the work of monastery patriotic education, establish a normal order and cooperate for the common good," he told delegates at a two-day political meeting.

"We must widely develop the work of legal propaganda education and rule the monasteries according to law," he added.

China marks the 50th anniversary of Communist rule and the 10th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1999, while Tibet marks the 40th anniversary of an abortive uprising against Chinese rule which prompted its spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to flee into exile in India.

The rebellion started on March 10, 1959.

"This is an important year for our party and our country, which will mark the 40th anniversary of the Tibetan democratic reforms, and it is of the utmost importance for the region to fight against splittist sentiment," Legqog said.

Beijing last month ordered a deepening of patriotic education in the region and warned that Buddhism would need to adapt to China's socialist society.

China launched its "patriotic education" campaign after a row with the exiled Dalai Lama in 1995 over the identification of the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second most senior official after the Dalai Lama.

The campaign is aimed at discrediting the Dalai Lama and forcing Tibetans, especially monks, to pledge their loyalty to China's choice for the Panchen Lama.

Although China "liberated" Tibet in 1951 it is still fighting to win the loyalty of many Tibetans in the troubled region.

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Last updated: 5-Feb-99
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