“We are trying every which way to get a message inside the monastery,” he said “to tell them not to put up resistance because human life is too precious and repressive measures imposed by the People’s Republic of China too brutal. Unfortunately, we have not yet succeeded.”
“The Chinese government considers religion an enemy and a threat to its power,” Rinpoche said. “This way, they want to crack down on religious institutions and stop their teachings. They are merciless and brutal against the monks, who are non-violent and non-political.”
It is impossible to bring food to the monks, who now run the risk of starving to death. Phuntsok, a monk who set himself on fire on 16 March 2011 to mark the third anniversary of the 2008 Tibetan protest movement, hails from the Kirti Monastery.
Three years ago, Chinese soldiers fired on an unarmed crowd that had gathered in the area, killing 13 people. Altogether, more than 200 were killed in the same way across Tibet.
Some observers note that if the situation does not change, there is a risk of more mass unrest.