Soda Luhan Buddhist College Reveals Mass Demolition: Satellite Map Shows Monasteries Continuing to Be Cleansed

A new round of monastery demolition occurred in the summer of

1. Live photos and satellite maps released by Free Asia Radio and the International Solidarity Movement for Tibet (ICT) in August show that since mid-July, excavators and construction personnel have continued to work around the core area of the academy, and many intense red monasteries have been devastated. Human rights organizations believe that this operation further compromised the religious and educational space of Tibetan Buddhism; Chinese officials have interpreted similar remedies as part of fire prevention, crowded governance and regulation of religious site management.

At least 1060 monasteries are included in the new round of demolition targets

Radio Free Asia on August 18According to local information, the operation involved at least 1,060 monks and nuns' homes, the demolition began around July 13.August 14 satellite maps showed that about 1 hectare area has been cleaned, and engineering vehicle activity can still be seen on the site.

ICT subsequently released multiple live photos taken on August 13.During the day, several excavators cleaned building debris in the intense monastery; at night, heavy machinery continued construction near the Buddhist Academy core building. These images made the demolition of the wheel no longer just anonymous news, but with comparable on-site and satellite evidence.

Lama Yong Five-Mind Buddhist College was once one of the world’s largest centers for Tibetan Buddhist study, with its population and architecture shrinking several times over the past two decades as a result of administrative reforms.

Dismantling and personnel restrictions occur

RFA saysBefore this round of construction, authorities had restricted the number of monks at the Buddhist Academy, and some were asked to leave. ICT said about 5,000 monks were deported between 2016 and 2017 and about 5,000 houses were demolished; this figure comes from the organization’s long-term monitoring, with different sources likely to vary in scale.

Local tourism management is also sharply tightened.RFA reports that visitors entering the Buddhist Academy are asked to enter through designated transportation, stay time is restricted, and are asked to rent electronic equipment to monitor the itinerary. Due to the limited local communication and interview environment, it is difficult for the outside world to independently verify all cases and people going.

“Religious Chineseization” policy is the institutional background of human rights organizations’ concern.

ICT has linked this round of demolition to the “religious Chineseization”, ethnic unity education and political learning that the Communist Party of China has promoted in recent years.The organization's published materials show that Buddhist monks have been asked to participate in political educational activities such as national security and national community awareness in recent years.ICT believes that demolishing housing and political education together undermines the Buddhist Academy's ability as a relatively autonomous religious education center.

The Chinese government has long advocated the lawful management of religious affairs and emphasized that religious activities should comply with national laws, safeguard national unity and social stability. Officials have raised reasons for fire safety, overcrowding and infrastructure pressure for the rectification of the past at Laon Five-Mind Buddhist College. The core of the controversy is whether these administrative reasons are used to implement long-term population controls and restrictions on religious activities beyond the scope required for security management.

China's archive surveillance: the chain of responsibility is not only on the construction site

From the existing information, the implementation level involves the relevant administrative, public security, religious affairs and tourism management departments of Soda County and Ganzhou State; the higher level of policy background comes from the central on religious Chineseization, ethnic work and national security education continued deployment. for specific demolition projects, further construction decisions, demolition lists, compensation arrangements, personnel resettlement documents and administrative approval materials are still needed to complete the chain of responsibility.

Fire and building safety can constitute legitimate administrative objectives for the governance of religious sites, but international human rights standards also require that religious, cultural and educational activities should not be arbitrarily or disproportionately restricted. When thousands of religious dwellings are repeatedly demolished, the size of the personnel is administratively reduced, and the process is decided in the absence of public hearings and independent judicial review, governance measures themselves become subject to human rights accountability.