As President Xi Jinping carries out a sweeping purge of top generals in one of the largest shake-ups in the People’s Liberation Army ( PLA ) in decades, Chinese authorities are also tightening control over the religious sphere in Tibet. Thousands of Tibetans were reportedly compelled to attend a Kalachakra initiation led by the Beijing-appointed Panchen Lama.

According to a report by Phayul, Chinese authorities forced thousands of monks, nuns, laypeople, and senior lamas including the 7th Gunthang Rinpoche, the Sakya abbot, and the Sera abbot to attend the four-day Kalachakra ceremony held from October 9 to 12 at the Kyi-kyi Nakha site of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas.

The event, led by Gyaltsen Norbu—the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama of

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