E/CN.4/1992/52
page 8
police teams were moved into these institutions. The admission of new monks
and nuns has allegedly been banned. The numbers of teachers who are able to
impart doctrine is said to be very small and declining. For example, it has
been alleged that there were only two qualified teachers holding the geshe
degree for 400 monks in Ganden Monastery. There are allegedly only 35 holders
of the geshe degree at Sera Monastery, all of whom received their degrees more
than thirty years ago. This is said to result in a significant generation gap
between the novices and learned monks. As a result, only a small number are
said to have reached the immediate level of training, especially since monks
are reportedly only permitted to debate two hours each day. The Special
Rapporteur was also informed that four Tibetan monks had been sentenced to an
average of 15 years' imprisonment in November 1989 for translating the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
According to the sources, severe restrictions on travel both inside the
country and abroad were imposed as of 27 September 1990, in anticipation of
the Kalachakra religious initiation ceremony which was to be held in December
in India. Local authorities are said to have received an 'Instruction on
Doing Correctly the Work of Dissuading the Masses from Leaving the Country',
with a view to discouraging people from attending this important Buddhist
ceremony. It has been alleged that the orders specifically concerned persons
who are leaving the country 'to hear prayers'. It has also been alleged that
persons who had travelled abroad to attend the Kalachakra ceremony have been
arrested upon return and imprisoned for six months.
The Special Rapporteur has been informed of the arrest of the following
monks who are currently said to be detained in Drapchi Prison. Since no
reasons for their arrest were reported, the Special Rapporteur would be
grateful if the Government could provide information with regard to the
section of the Criminal Code under which they have been charged as well as the
circumstances surrounding their arrest (the names are provided in the common
phonetic transliteration):
1.
Lobsang Tsultrim, aged 75
Drepung Monastery
2.
Khyentse Legdrug, aged 27
Namrab Dag Monastery
(Lay name: Phurbu Tsering)
3.
Ngawang Rangdrol, aged 20
Samye Monastery
4.
Lobsang Yeshe, aged 26
Ganden Monastery
5.
Lobsang Choejor, aged 32
Ganden Monastery
(Lay name: Chunjor)
6.
Lobsang Tashi, aged 28
Ganden Monastery
(Lay name: Chungdak)