Tibet Anniversary: Security Tightened; Dalai Says China Annihilating Buddhism

China has tightened security in Tibet ahead of the sensitive anniversary of the failed uprising against Chinese rules in 1959 and bloody riots of 2008, said media reports.

A large number of armed policemen guarded and patrolled Tibetan capital of Lhasa on Wednesday, checking ID cards, with both uniformed and plainclothes security out in force, reports said.

It may be mentioned that Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to India after the failure of 1959 uprising.

In a speech marking the uprising anniversary in Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama accused Chinese authorities of trying to ‘annihilate Buddhism’ in Tibet as Beijing seeks to strengthen its hold on the region, said reports.

Dalai said that China was conducting a campaign of ‘patriotic re-education’ in monasteries in Tibet, reports said.

“They are putting the monks and nuns in prison-like conditions, depriving them the opportunity to study and practice in peace,” he was quoted as saying.

“Whether the Chinese government acknowledges it or not, there is a serious problem in Tibet,” he was quoted as telling a crowd of thousands of Tibetans in exile.

In 2008, protests to mark the anniversary of the uprising enhanced into fatal rioting in Lhasa and other Tibetan areas in China.

China put the riot toll to 22, 21 one of them killed by rioters and one other ‘insurgent’ killed by security forces.

However, the Tibetan government-in-exile said that over 200 people were killed in the 2008 protests, with at least 1,000 others injured in the unrest and subsequent crackdown.

Security has been tight in Tibet ever since, although residents say that in the run-up to Wednesday’s anniversary it has been stepped up even more.

Foreign reporters are barred from travelling to the region except for on occasional tours organised by the Chinese government.