China sensors phones and social media to curb reports on Larung Gar demolition
By Lobsang Tenchoe
DHARAMSALA, August 4: China has resorted to censoring telephone calls and social media messages from Serta county in eastern Tibet to stop the flow of news reports as it continues to demolish parts of Larung Gar, the largest Buddhist institute in the world.
Chinese officials in Serta county in the traditional Tibetan province of Kham began razing residences of monks and nuns at Larung Gar Buddhist academy on July 20.
Since then phone calls and social media were subjected to heavy scrutiny by the Chinese government.
“Phones and social media have been closely watched by the authorities,” RFA reported August 3, citing a local resident whose house has been wrecked.
In a bid to conceal the demolition being carried out, barricades were made of sign boards in both Tibetan and Chinese languages that said ‘work in progress, entry restricted’.
“Crews operating huge machines are still busily at work. No one is allowed to go near the areas being destroyed or to take photos or video of the demolition activities going on there,” RFA’s source further added.
As revealed by the same source, Chinese authorities are actively engaged in hunting down local Tibetans who have sent images and videos of the bulldozers that tore up the Buddhist institution outside Tibet.