Further details emerge of evictions at Larung Gar
Around 1,000 monks and nuns were expelled from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy late last year
Tibet Watch has received updates on mass demolitions carried out late last year at the Tibetan Buddhist community of Larung Gar.
More than 1,000 monks and nuns are reported to have been expelled from the site, which is located in Serthar County in eastern Tibet. Residential quarters are due to be demolished to restrict the community to 5,000 people.
Over 400 military personnel have also been deployed to Larung Gar.
The demolitions began in late November and continued into December. Unlike previous demolitions in 2016 and 2017, photos and videos have yet to emerge, with tight restrictions on the site and even mentions of it on social media. A new directive was issued in 2021 forbidding entry by all non-residents to Larung Gar.
A source told Tibet Watch:
“For over a month, more than 400 military personnel and related staff were deployed to enforce the state-mandated policy to limit residential quarters to 5,000 in the monastery. Over 1,000 monks and nuns from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Serthar County have been expelled, and there are plans to demolish all residential quarters that exceed the 5,000-person limit.
“Strict controls have been imposed at Larung Gar, and taking videos and photos has been prohibited. Even discussions about Larung Gar on live streaming platforms and social media such as Kuaishou and Tiktok have been banned.”
An aerial view of Larung Gar
In 2016, the Chinese government issued a directive limiting the number of monks and nuns at Larung Gar to 5,000. As a result, more than 4,500 monastic students were expelled, with some of them put onto coaches and driven to distant parts of Tibet. During 2016 and 2017, over 10,000 residential quarters were demolished.
Evidence of the demolitions and effects on residents was captured in a 2017 Tibet Watch report, Destroying Heaven.
Furthermore, in 2017, a management office was established at Serthar Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, where six Communist Party members were appointed to strictly control all aspects of the monastery, including its administration, religious studies, and daily activities.
The same source added: “According to the previous Chinese government’s directive limiting the number of monks and nuns at Larung Gar to 5,000, if a monastic quarter belonged to someone who had passed away, their siblings could continue living there if they had proper official documentation. However, those who were not siblings of the deceased, and especially those without government permit documentation were not allowed to stay even in vacant quarters of the deceased. Most of the monks and nuns who were recently expelled were those who had come to study after the mass expulsions that took place in 2016 and 2017 when thousands of students were forcefully expelled.”
Information supplied by Tibet Watch
