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SCIO briefing on white paper 'Human Rights in Xizang in the New Era'

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Guangming Daily:

During my visit to Lhasa, I saw many Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, pilgrims and prayer flags. Additionally, I learned that there are Islamic mosques in Lhasa. Could you explain how the Chinese government ensures religious freedom for all ethnic groups in Xizang? Thank you.

Gama Cedain:

I would like to invite Mr. Wang to answer this question.

Wang Haizhou:

This is probably an issue that concerns many people. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China explicitly guarantees citizens' freedom of religious belief, and the state protects normal religious activities. In Xizang, we firmly adhere to these constitutional provisions and consistently respect and protect the national policy of religious freedom. As the journalist from Guangming Daily pointed out, Xizang has not only Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, but also mosques, Catholic churches, and other religious sites, all of which are protected by law. Traditional religious activities such as learning scriptures and debate, along with the system for promotion in academic degrees, are regularly practiced here in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The traditional system whereby Tibetan Buddhist monks learn sutras in monasteries and temples has been effectively integrated with the three-level academic title system of modern education. Currently, 130 monks in Xizang have obtained the Thorampa title, the highest academic degree in Tibetan Buddhism studies, and over 3,000 monks are learning sutras at Xizang Tibetan Buddhist Institute and its 10 branches. On the basis of meeting the legitimate needs of religious believers, freedom of religious belief is fully respected. It's common for ordinary believers to have a scripture room or a Buddhist shrine at home, and you can often see this when visiting these families. The Shoton Festival, Butter Lamp Festival, Saga Dawa Festival and other religious and folk activities, such as religious walks around lakes and mountains, are all conducted in an orderly manner every year. Currently, as everyone can see, over a million pilgrimages to Lhasa are made each year.

We have also further improved social security for monks and nuns. Since the new era, dormitories for monks and nuns in monasteries and temples have undergone unified maintenance and renovation, nursing homes have been built at these sites to provide medical services, and infrastructure has been vigorously improved. Over 98% of monasteries and temples now have access to roads, telecommunications, electricity, water, radio and television. Some may wonder why 2% remain without these services, — this is because some temples are located in extremely remote and high-altitude areas. Additionally, we provide annual subsidies to cover medical insurance, pension schemes, subsistence allowances, accident injury insurance, and health check expenses for all registered monks and nuns. We can confidently state that the learning, practice and living conditions for monks and nuns have significantly improved, with their studies, spiritual cultivation and daily lives now fully protected. Thank you.