Sending Tibetan children to boarding schools is not forced assimilation – China

A security guard stands watch at the Shangri-La Key boarding school in Sichuan province, China (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A government official from China’s Tibetan region on Friday rejected allegations of forced assimilation and curbs on religious freedom, while stressing that Tibetan Buddhism should adapt to the Chinese context.

Xu Zhitao, vice chairman of the Tibet region government, defended a boarding school system that overseas activists have said takes children away from their parents and their Tibetan communities.