Translated by Tashi Namgyal
Edited by Yangchen Tso
Tibetan people appealed to the local officials by kneeling on their knees as the Chinese government forcibly ordered the relocation of the Yena Monastery in Derge County in Tibet.
The Chinese government has initiated the dam construction project on the Drichu River, forcing people to relocate. On 20 February 2024, when local officials again came to the Yena Monastery and ordered Tibetan settlers to relocate, people pleaded with the concerned officials by kneeling on their knees.
In the video capture of the protest that Tibet Times received, monks and older adults are appealing and desperately kneeling in front of the local officials. What had happened following that incident remains unknown due to restrictions inside Tibet. Tibet Times is making an effort to get more information.
On 14 February 2024, hundreds of people from six monasteries and about 25 villages gathered in front of the public hall of Derge County, protesting against the dam construction and relocation project. People requested that the involved authorities stop working on the project.
Yena Pal Tashi Lhatse monastery is located in Yache village along the Drichu River, 60 kilometers far away from Derge County in Sichuan Province (a divided area). According to history, this monastery was founded by the ascetic Siser Lama Sonam Gyaltsen. Orally, it is known as a monastery of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition, but now it remains a monastery of the Sakya tradition. Yena Monastery has numerous sacred statues, murals, and other religious items. Historically, many Buddhist scholars and monk students visited the place. In the late 19th century, the monastery was destroyed during a war and later restored.
On 11 November 1957, the Chinese government arrested monastery abbots and elder monks and made the monastery deteriorate. In 1979, Elder monks discussed the monastery’s restoration secretly and initiated the religious activities again. It was officially registered in 1996 under Chinese law.
