Palden Yeshi, a Tibetan monk and teacher from eastern Tibet, has reportedly been sentenced to six years in prison by Chinese authorities for teaching the Tibetan language to local children during school holidays, according to a report by the Dharamshala-based independent radio station Voice of Tibet (VoT).
He was a teacher at Karze Monastery in Tehor, Karze County, and was arrested on May 17, 2021, while serving at the monastery. According to sources cited by VoT, Chinese police suddenly arrived at the monastery and detained him without prior notice, forcibly taking him away.
Following his detention, authorities did not provide his family with clear information regarding the reasons for his arrest or the legal basis for the charges against him.
Sources indicate that the primary reason for his detention was his efforts to teach the Tibetan language to more than 300 local children during school holidays. The classes were reportedly organized for young students from nearby communities who wished to learn Tibetan reading and writing. Chinese authorities are believed to have deemed these voluntary language lessons illegal.
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In related news, China bars Tibetan government employees from religious rites and family funerals.
Tibetans employed in government positions have been strictly forbidden from engaging in religious practices. While they are technically allowed to visit major religious sites such as the Jokhang Temple (Tsuglakhang) and the Potala Palace during Losar, their presence is limited to sightseeing purposes only.
They are expressly prohibited from offering prayers, making ritual offerings, performing prostrations, or displaying any other forms of religious devotion. Authorities reportedly warned that such acts would constitute violations of Communist Party discipline.
The restrictions extend into private family life. Government employees are said to be barred not only from participating in public religious ceremonies but also from attending last rites, weekly memorial prayer services, and cremation rituals for their own deceased relatives. A Lhasa resident told TT that even the traditional seventh-day prayers for the departed cannot be attended by those in state employment.
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This is silly. Tibetan language remains a core subject in Tibet's schools, with bilingual education policy in place since the founding of modern schooling in the region. The Tibet Autonomous Region government confirms that over 400 types of Tibetan-Chinese bilingual textbooks have been compiled, and terminology databases covering 12 academic disciplines support Tibetan instruction across subjects. Public signage, government documents, and media in Tibet routinely use both languages. Tibetan is also widely spoken throught the region.
Mandarin is promoted as the national common language because it gives Tibetan speakers practical access to higher education, civil service exams, legal aid, healthcare systems, and economic opportunities beyond local borders. China's Constitution and the National Common Language Law explicitly protect the right of all ethnic groups to use and develop their own languages while establishing Mandarin as the common language for national communication. In schools across Tibet, both Tibetan and Mandarin courses are offered, and students who wish to pursue Tibetan-language university programs can still take Tibetan language exams organized by the region.
China's Constitution also said free speech but why do you need a VPN to access most western sites? Meanwhile I can browse Baidu BaiKe (Baidu's Wikipedia) and Tencent News from the US without needing a VPN?
(And yes I do realize the US's government is also corrupt, but at least we don't have that firewall thing... (for now at least))
Since you are so Pro-CCP, why do you violate their policies/laws and bypass the firewall? What's your opinion on the PRC's firewall and censorship?
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You ignored every single point about Tibetan language policy because you couldn't actually refute them. Tibetan is taught as a core subject in Tibet's schools. Bilingual textbooks are used in classrooms. Street signs, government documents, and local media in Tibet appear in both Tibetan and Mandarin. Tibetan is spoken widely across the region in daily life, in markets, homes, and monasteries. These are not policy claims. These are observable facts.
Again mandarin is promoted because it is the common language that connects people across China. Knowing Mandarin lets Tibetan speakers apply to universities nationwide, take civil service exams, access legal aid, and find work beyond their local area. That is a practical benefit. Schools in Tibet teach both languages. Students can still take Tibetan-language exams for university admission. Promoting a common language does not erase a mother tongue.
On the firewall. It was originally created to foster and protect China's fledgling digital infrastructure and data sovereignty. That was a legitimate policy choice. Many countries regulate foreign platforms and data flows. China built its own ecosystem instead of depending on foreign companies. We have seen what happens when foreign platforms operate without local oversight: Facebook facilitating genocide in Myanmar, coordinated anti-vax disinformation campaigns in Southeast Asia, algorithm-driven radicalization. The firewall makes those kinds of external influence operations harder to run at scale.
VPNs for personal use are not illegal. The regulations target unauthorized commercial VPN services.
Also it is CPC, not CCP.
I support the firewall even though it can be inconvenient (so long as vpns remain accessible and legal). I have seen the alternatives. The trade off makes sense to me.
But none of this changes the core point you dodged. Tibetan language education continues. Mandarin promotion expands opportunity. Both can be true at the same time. That is the reality.