The Chinese Communist Party is attempting to Sinicize Tibetans by inaugurating a Chinese Nation Community Consciousness Building Research Center in occupied Tibet to promote “national consciousness” among them, reported Tibet Rights Collective (TRC).
According to state media reports, the center will research how to promote a sense of “community consciousness” among Tibetans, focusing on promoting the Chinese government’s policies in the region.
According to recent reports, the “Three Consciences” education and propaganda group in Lang County, Nyingchi City, Tibet Autonomous Region with an aim to promote the “Three Consciences” education, which includes the promotion of national consciousness, citizen consciousness, and rule of law consciousness, reported TRC.
The “Three Consciousness Campaign” seeks to teach the “national consciousness, citizen consciousness, and rule of law consciousness” to Tibetan religious figures, in an effort to control their thoughts and beliefs.
According to Bitter Winter’s article, the campaign, which began in May 2022, is seen as a response to the growing success of the Tibetan non-violent resistance movement.
The CCP is concerned that Tibetan religious figures may be supporting the movement and encouraging resistance to Chinese rule in the region, reported TRC.
Tibetan religious figures have been subjected to re-education programs before, but this campaign is seen as more extreme.
Monks and nuns are being asked to renounce and condemn traditional Tibetan Buddhist practices, including Tsethar, the practice of releasing animals from captivity, and Saka Dawa, a holy month of fasting and abstaining from meat.
Many Tibetans see this campaign as an attempt to strip them of their religious and cultural identity, and force them to accept Chinese rule, reported TRC.
The “Three Consciousness Campaign” is the latest in a series of measures taken by the CCP to control the Tibetan population. The Chinese government has been accused of human rights abuses in the region, including torture, forced labour, and religious persecution.
The campaign has sparked international condemnation, with human rights groups and governments calling on China to respect the rights of the Tibetan people.