one wonders what sillyness china will think of next.

this only proves the tibetans are slaves in their own land.

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Tibet monks put to 'patriotic test'
14 Jun 2008, 0044 hrs IST,REUTERS

GANNAN PREFECTURE (CHINA): Three months after demonstrations flared up
in Tibetan towns and monasteries across China, monks say they now have
to pass a patriotic test, possibly in September, to be allowed to
remain as monks.

Tension runs high in Gannan, a heavily Tibetan area in Gansu province,
which was convulsed by marches and attacks against government
buildings and some non-Tibetan shops, after demonstrations turned
violent in Lhasa on March 14.

Monks now struggle to pay fines and master texts on “patriotic
education,” while armed paramilitary units guard access to main
monasteries. Work teams have moved into monasteries to supervise study
sessions that are supposed to break monks’ allegiance to the Dalai
Lama who China believes is responsible for the unrest.

The slim, pastel-covered textbooks, in Chinese and Tibetan, cover
Chinese law and chapters condemning Tibetan independence and the Dalai
Lama.

Another textbook, titled “propaganda material”, has chapters on “What
happened during unrest in our prefecture” and “The history of how
Tibet became part of China”.

A tall young monk sighed and buried his face in his hands when asked
how he would answer the questions.

“They have no choice but to take the test. This is what is called ‘not
free’,” a Tibetan said. “We Tibetans have no right to say anything.”