{"id":34927,"date":"2009-03-01T19:59:00","date_gmt":"2009-03-02T02:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=34927"},"modified":"2009-03-01T19:59:00","modified_gmt":"2009-03-02T02:59:00","slug":"tibetan-monks-protest-in-restive-west-china-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2009\/03\/tibetan-monks-protest-in-restive-west-china-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Tibetan Monks Protest In Restive West China – Report"},"content":{"rendered":"
From Reuters<\/a>:<\/p>\n Tibetan monks in a restive area of western China took to the streets calling for more religious freedom after they were banned from holding a traditional New Year’s prayer ceremony on Sunday, activists said.<\/p>\n About 50 monks demonstrated outside the Sey Monastery in an ethnic Tibetan part of Sichuan province that was roiled by violent protests last year and where a monk set himself on fire on Friday, the Students for a Free Tibet<\/a> group said.<\/p>\n Earlier, a large group of monks had streamed into their main temple hall to hold banned Monlam Chenmo prayers, a key part of ceremonies to mark the Tibetan New Year, but those were broken up, said the group’s executive director Lhadon Tethong.<\/p>\n As they left the hall some went onto the street where they shouted slogans calling for religious freedom. Police stopped the protests, the monastery is now sealed and there is a heavy police presence, Tethong said, citing witnesses.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n