The Tibetan Youth Congress on behalf of 6 million Tibetans strongly condemn and demand for the immediate termination and complete withdrawal of the so-called Order no. Five, of China's State Administration of Religious Affairs on Management Measures for the Reincarnation of 'Living Buddhas' in Tibetan Buddhism.

The China's State Administration of Religious Affairs official issuance of 14 article measures on selection of reincarnation which came into effect from 1st September 2007, evidently reveals the China's Communist Party's adamant attempt to undermine and tarnish the centuries old Tibetan Buddhist culture and its tradition of religious practices. It also attempts to weaken the authority of legitimate Tibetan religious leaders including the Dalai Lama. The new measure bars any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation for himself or recognizing a "Living Buddha" thus effectively ending the centuries old Tibetan Buddhist practices.

This new regulation measure is a striking display of the Communist China's determination to tighten control over Tibet's centuries old religious tradition of selecting reincarnate lamas who are most revered by the faithful Tibetan Buddhist followers. The new measure tries to assert that the China's Communist Party which believes religion as Opium, as the sole arbiter in the selection of the reincarnates and commands citizens to respect the authority of the Party thereby completely by passing traditional proceedures.

With Hu Jintao taking over the reigns of China, Tibet has been subjected to stricter control and direct State regulation over the religious places and monasteries with a low – key intensification of the continued suppression of the civil and political rights of the common Tibetans. The demolition of Buddhist institutions for learning, the closure of schools and monasteries, the tap on the number of monks and nuns that a monastery can keep and their duration of stay coupled with the renewed emphasis on the Patriotic Re-education campaign, the resumption of the Strike Hard campaign, the establishment of Re-education through labour camp, and the systematic obliteration of the ancient Tibetan practice and freedom of religious belief in the past decade by the Democratic Management Committees, an apparatus of Party control which empowers Chinese authorities to tightly control all aspects of religious activities in monasteries and nunneries, all go to ascertain the vicious and age old Chinese policy to completely wipe out from the face of this earth the culture, identity and nation that is Tibet.

Till today, China has failed to provide convincing evidence of whereabouts of the XI Panchen Lama to International communities, Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche has been falsely implicated and sentenced to life imprisonment, and Hundreds of Tibetan Political prisoners are still languishing

in prisons and denied fair trail. The most recent incident inside Tibet are very alarming, after the arrest of Pawo Runggye A'drak, who have shouted pro Independence slogans, called for the return of His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama to Tibet and for the release of XI Panchen Lama at an Official function for the 80th Founding Anniversary of the People's Liberation Army which was organised by the Lithang County government. The Chinese authories have unleashed a massive patriotic political campaign in Lithang since the first week of September 2007. According to the confirmed reports from Lithang, many innocent Tibetans and sympethisers of Pawo Runggye A'drak have been arrested and tortured by the Chinese Officials.

The Chinese government has been instigating communal voilence within the Tibetan community inside Tibet and in exile by providing financial and political support to Shugden (Dhoe - gyal) followers to carry out hostile campaigns against His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Central Tibetan Administration and within the Tibetan community.

The latest activities carried out by the Shugden followers in India appear to be planned by the Chinese government to justify their recently passed religious regulatory measures on the selection of reincarnation to the International communities and to instigate conflict within Tibetan communities in a run up to Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The Chinese government's inteference in religious practices and such new regulatory measures by the State Administration of Religious Affairs are aimed at enforcing compliance with government regulations and policies on religious organizations, religious personnel, and religious citizen instead of providing protection of religious affairs. These regulations and new measures empower the officials with legal backing to intensify restriction and exercise state control and repression.

China maintained that freedom of religion is protected by its constitutions, in the legislation, and that these legal safeguards are consistent with the spirit and main provision of international agreements. However, the latest official measures requiring reincarnate lamas a state approval, once again demonstrate that constitutional, legal and administrative provisions operate to restrict rather than protect religious freedom and act as a means to hurt the religious sentiment of Tibetan Buddhist followers.

Tibetan Youth Congress strongly condemn and demands for the immediate termination and complete withdrawal of the so called Order no. five, of China's State Administration of Religious Affairs on Management Measures for the Reincarnation of 'living Buddhas' in Tibetan Buddhism. We sincerely appeal to the United Nations, International Olympic Committee, and International communities to pressurise China for the immediate termination and complete withdrawal of the new religious regulatory measures.

Issued by: Office of the Central Executive Committee, Tibetan Youth Congress, Dharamshala, (H.P), India