Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, June 11: The Washington-based advocacy group International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) has condemned what it describes as the militarization and political indoctrination of Tibetan kindergarten children after analyzing images released by Chinese authorities from Tsona (Ch: Cuona), a Tibetan border town near India.
The photographs, published on May 26 by the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department, show Tibetan kindergarten children dressed in camouflage uniforms marching under the Chinese national flag and taking part in simulated military exercises using imitation rifles.
The images accompanied a report titled “Nurturing a Love for the Country, Children Guard the Border—Tsona City Kindergarten Holds Educational Activities on National Defense and Ethnic Unity,” which presented the activities as a model educational initiative.
According to the report, the programme aims to instil in children “a sincere love for the Party, the country, and their hometown” while cultivating a commitment to “defending the border.” Chinese authorities further described the activities as part of efforts to advance national defense education and strengthen ethnic unity among young children.
The Washington based group said it strongly condemn the programme, calling the images “deeply disturbing.” “No child should be subjected to military-style training or made to simulate combat—especially not in kindergartens,” the organisation said.
The advocacy group argued that the issue extends beyond militarization, pointing to what it described as systematic political indoctrination within Tibet’s education system. ICT said Tibetan children are increasingly exposed to state narratives promoting “ethnic unity,” which critics argue undermines Tibetan cultural identity.
“What makes this even more alarming is that these children are simultaneously being indoctrinated with political ideology that threatens the survival of Tibetan culture,” ICT stated. “In a border region such as Tsona, this also intersects with China’s assertive posture toward India, raising further concerns about the instrumentalization of children in state narratives.”
The organisation said the latest images illustrate what it views as the defining characteristics of Chinese Communist Party colonial rule in Tibet—indoctrination, militarization, and repression—reaching even the youngest members of Tibetan society, and urged urged governments, businesses, and civil society organisations worldwide to raise the issue directly with Chinese authorities. “The international community must not be under any illusions about the nature of CCP policies in Tibet,” ICT said. “The treatment of Tibetan children demands urgent attention and action.”
