Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Dec. 26: Chinese authorities in Amdo Golog have intensified political pressure on local Tibetans following the arrest of respected religious leader and educationist Chogtrul Dorje Tenzin, ordering residents to attend a state-led governance meeting and warning of punitive consequences, including deductions to their rural credit scores, if they engage in activities deemed to threaten “social stability,” according to reports from the independent Tibetan shortwave radio broadcaster Voice of Tibet (VoT).
Chogtrul Dorje Tenzin, the abbot of Minthang Monastery Osel Thegchog Ling and principal of the Minthang Ethnic Vocational School, was detained on December 4. No official explanation has been provided for his arrest, and his whereabouts remain unknown. It is also unclear whether he was detained by regular police, secret police, or state security agents.
On December 19, Chinese authorities convened what they described as a “2025 Rural Governance Credit Score Exchange Conference” in the Minthang area. According to local sources, orders were issued in advance requiring at least one representative from every household to attend the meeting, leaving villagers with little choice but to comply.
During the conference, government officials reiterated warnings that residents must not engage in activities that “threaten social stability,” spread “rumors,” or leak what authorities termed “state secrets,” in line with directives from the Chinese Communist Party. Officials further cautioned that any conduct deemed to violate regulations would result in deductions to individuals’ rural governance credit scores and could lead to severe punishment.
Local authorities have reportedly been applying sustained pressure on the population since the arrest of Chogtrul Dorje Tenzin, explicitly linking political compliance to residents’ social credit standing.
The “Rural Governance Credit Score Exchange” program, launched in Minthang in 2018, is part of a broader campaign to deepen state control over rural Tibetan communities. Under the system, residents accumulate points by fulfilling a range of state-mandated requirements, including attending government-organized meetings, participating in official activities, and maintaining cooperatives established by authorities.
These points can then be exchanged at a so-called “points bank” for cash or goods. In the 2025 Minthang program, each accumulated point is reportedly valued at three Chinese yuan, although the calculation method changes annually, resulting in fluctuating income for local residents.
Critics say the system effectively coerces political obedience by tying livelihoods to participation in state activities, while punishing dissent or non-compliance through economic penalties.
One Response
As long as Tibet is under Chinese illegal and brutal occupation, the Tibetan people will continue to suffer like the people of Minthang in Golok or Kham Zachukha! It is like the what Buddhists say about life: “as long as we are in samsara, we are bound to suffer”! The Tibetan protests and Chinese crackdowns and killings are the symptoms of a deeper malaise with which Tibet is afflicted! IT IS THE CHINESE COLONIAL OCCUPATION AT THE ROOT OF THIS TRAGEDY FOR THE SIX MILLION TIBETANS IN OCCUPIED TIBET! The world has gone back to the 1945 era. The rules that government the international community have been broken owing to the invasion and occupation of Tibet, the occupation of west Phillipines sea and Aksai Hind by communist China and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine backed with military assistance by communist China. The Americans on their part as with Trump as the president enabled the genocide in Gaza by supplying the most lethal weapons in huge amount to be dropped in civilian areas in the most densely populated enclave in the world that is Gaza. Israel has dropped more bombs on Gaza than the two world wars put together! It was supplied by most western countries especially the US and Germany. The US has also ignored the ICC call to arrest Putin and Natayahu for crimes against humanity! The US was happy to prosecute black leaders of Africa and Eastern European leaders by the ICC but not their allies! It goes to show the utter hypocrisy of the US Government led by Trump. Owing to these serious breaches of international law, the world is once again become lawless. Trump wants to take Greenland by force and is on the verge of invading Venezuela! Israel has formerly recognised Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. Somaliland declared their independence in 1991 but so far no other country has recognised its independence. Israel has recognised Somaliland owing to its proximity to Yemen which has been vociferous in its support of Palestinian independence. It is seen as a geopolitical decision in order to gain access to Somaliland for future military operations against the Yemenis. Tibet has been illegally occupied by communist China and its people have been subjected to barbarism, genocide by killing more than 1.2 million Tibetans, which is one sixth of the entire population! Tibet was an independent nation with its own postal service, postage stamps, currency, its own army and in full control of its borders with well demarcated national borders with its neighbours. The only solution to the sufferings of the Tibetan people is to seek recognition of Tibetan independence! It took Somaliland thirty years to gain recognition as an independent state. This trajectory will follow in the years to come with more countries joining the chorus. TIBET MUST DO THE SAME BY URGING DEMOCRATIC NATIONS TO RECOGNISE TIBET’S INDEPENDENCE! TIBET DECLARED INDEPENDENCE ON 13th FEBRUARY 1913. The prospect of Tibetan independence recognition will come from those countries such as the Baltic states that have had the same experience of occupation and subjugation by the erstwhile Soviet Union. The US has already signed into law the RIGHT OF THE TIBETAN PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION IN THE TIBET ACT OF 2024! Without solving the real cause of the Tibetan people’s agony, it will continue forever!