China's 'colonial boarding schools' erode Tibetan identity, report says
TOKYO -- An activist group that exposed the proliferation of what it calls China's "colonial boarding schools" in Tibet four years ago has published new findings, documenting how they erode the Tibetan language, culture and identity.
The Tibet Action Institute on Thursday published a report titled "'When They Came to Take Our Children': China's Colonial Boarding Schools and the Future of Tibet," based on fresh interviews and other research.

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Yomiuri Shimbun
5 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
China's Panchen Lama Pledges Loyalty to the Communist Party in a Meeting with Xi
Xinhua via AP In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese government-appointed 11th Panchen Lama, presents a hada to Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing on Friday, June 6, 2025. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The man picked by Beijing as the second highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism pledged adherence to the ruling Communist Party's dictates Friday during a rare face-to-face meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, state media reported. Gyaltsen Norbu, who is rarely seen in public, met behind closed doors with Xi Jinping in Zhongnanhai, the government compound in the center of Beijing, about 3,700 kilometers (about 2,300 miles) from his home monastery of Tashilhumpo, high on the Tibetan steppe. Gyaltsen Norbu, 35, said he would 'firmly support the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and resolutely safeguard the unity of the motherland and national unity,' the Xinhua News Agency reported. The Chinese government appointed Gyaltsen Norbu as the Panchen Lama of Tibetan Buddhism in 1995 at age 5 after followers of the Dalai Lama recognized a different boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, as the Panchen's incarnation. That boy and his family disappeared in 1995 in what the U.S. government has alleged was an abduction by the Chinese government, and the Dalai Lama, 89, has refused to recognize the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama. The Chinese government says Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is now a college graduate living a private life and working at a stable job, while producing no evidence. The Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama was quoted Friday by Xinhua as saying that he would 'contribute to promoting national unity and progress, systematically promote the sinicization of religion in China, and promote the modernization of Tibet.' Xi's government uses the term 'sinicization' to mean that all religions including Christianity and Islam must take their orders from the Communist Party, reduce their non-Chinese aspects and limit their role in society. Xi was quoted as telling the Chinese government's Panchen that he should continue Tibetan Buddhism's 'strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, systematically advancing the sinicization of religion in China, and promoting the modernization of Tibet.' Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement marking the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, saying he and his family had been abducted by the Chinese government. 'Chinese authorities should release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima immediately and stop persecuting Tibetans for their religious beliefs,' Rubio's statement read. The position of Panchen Lama is especially sensitive since he is expected to take part in the recognition of a new Dalai Lama and serve as his tutor, a religious process that the officially atheist Communist Party is determined to control. The meeting Friday also reflected Xi's focus on economic and political stability within China's borders, where an economic slump has raised concerns of anti-government outbursts and control over minority groups is an overwhelming obsession. China claims Tibet has been part of China for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for much of that time and that Beijing is now seeking to destroy their human rights, language and Buddhist culture. The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese forces and has long been vilified by Beijing as a separatist. The government denies his traditional right to recognize reincarnated lamas.

Nikkei Asia
29-05-2025
- Nikkei Asia
China's 'colonial boarding schools' erode Tibetan identity, report says
TOKYO -- An activist group that exposed the proliferation of what it calls China's "colonial boarding schools" in Tibet four years ago has published new findings, documenting how they erode the Tibetan language, culture and identity. The Tibet Action Institute on Thursday published a report titled "'When They Came to Take Our Children': China's Colonial Boarding Schools and the Future of Tibet," based on fresh interviews and other research.

Japan Times
09-04-2025
- Japan Times
Western intelligence agencies warn spyware threat targeting Taiwan
Western intelligence agencies are warning of an increasing threat from Beijing's security services using malicious mobile phone applications to surveil Taiwanese independence activists, Tibetan rights advocates and others opposed by the Chinese government. An advisory issued late on Tuesday warned of "the growing threat" posed by malicious surveillance software deployed by a Chengdu-based contractor reported to have ties to China's Ministry of Public Security. The advisory was signed by cybersecurity agencies in Britain, the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Germany. Those most at risk include people connected to Taiwanese independence, Tibetan rights, Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, democracy advocates (including in Hong Kong) and the Falun Gong spiritual movement, according to Britain's National Cyber Security Centre in the advisory. The warning comes amid increasing tensions surrounding Taiwan, including April 1 Chinese military drills around the island and a March 28 visit to the Philippines by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in which he reaffirmed Washington's commitment to deterring Chinese aggression in the region. The Chengdu-based contractor, Sichuan Dianke Network Security Technology, was linked to the deployment of a pair of distinct malware packages. They were tracked as "BADBAZAAR' and "MOONSHINE' and used to ferret sensitive information from mobile devices while also giving operators remote access to devices' cameras, microphones and location data, the advisory said. The warning is for nongovernmental organizations, journalists, businesses and other individuals who advocate for or represent the groups, the NCSC said in the advisory. "The indiscriminate way this spyware is spread online also means there is a risk that infections could spread beyond intended victims," it said. Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said that Beijing "firmly opposes the smear attacks against China without any factual basis," and that the tracing of cyberattacks is complex. "We hope that relevant parties will adopt a professional and responsible attitude when characterizing cyber incidents, basing their conclusions on sufficient evidence rather than unfounded speculation and accusations." The warnings build on previous cybersecurity industry reporting that detailed malware and infrastructure have been used by the contractor going back several years. The advisory cited a Jan. 29 report published by Intelligence Online, a news organization focused on international intelligence operations, linking the malware to the contractor. The report said the contractor has provided services to China's Ministry of Public Security. The FBI and National Security Agency in the U.S. as well as intelligence agencies in Australia, Canada, Germany and New Zealand participated in the advisories, according to the NCSC. The FBI declined to comment and the NSA did not respond to requests for comment.