Lhasa (AsiaNews) - China's central government has ordered a new crackdown in Tibet against anti-Communist protest. Hundreds of people have been arrested in recent days and sentenced to political re-education in labour camps, New York-based Human Rights Watch reports. The decision to turn the screw on the region came after 7,000 Tibetans to attend prayer sessions with their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in India.

Although Chinese authorities allowed the Tibetans to go, they soon saw it as a challenge. AsiaNews had expected this to happen after it interviewed a lama who attended the Dalai Lama's meeting. In fact, the source told AsiaNews, the rising violence "stems from Beijing's fear that Tibetans might no longer put up with the abuses they have endured so far."

At the end of December, thousands of "Buddhists left Tibet for India to attend the Bhodigaya, the great religious celebration led by the Dalai Lama. In so doing, they showed their love for religious freedom, and their lack of fear of China."

During the celebrations, "the Dalai Lama asked them to stop violent acts because they do not benefit the Tibetan cause and put at risk precious human lives."

"These were touching moments. Most of those present had never seen their religious leader other than in a photo. Hundreds wept. All they want is for him to be allowed to go home."

However, after the Bhodigaya, China's rulers changed their mind. Hundreds of people were arrested without charges. Those who crossed the border are undergoing brainwashing.

"This is an unprecedented violence," the source told AsiaNews. "It can only be explained by the regime's schizophrenia. The authorities no longer try to understand. They want to turn people into zombies."