All Tibetan temples required to fly Chinese flag, display national leaders' portraits

In an attempt to, ahem, make people "experience the care and warmth of the Party," according to the Global Times, there are going to be some changes in Tibet's Buddhist temples. What joy.

Local guidelines written in 2011 have apparently gone unenforced in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, where people have been carrying on as if they were practicing some kind of ancient faith. Tibetan Party Chief Chen Quanguo is here to change all that.

Mind you, this is coming from the state-run Global Times - an organization interested in showing only the sunniest side of the TAR. They report:

Temples should be equipped with nine items, including four national leaders' portraits, national flags, newspapers and televisions to promote the "sense of responsibility to national unity and social stability" among monks and nuns.

Government officials have explained these requirements by saying that, because monks are eligible for state pensions and because temples have access to state water and electrical grids, the temples are, essentially, in the state's debt.

No word yet on how these regulations will be enforced - it's certainly hard to fine someone who has taken a vow of poverty. Also, for some fun (read: troll-filled) reading, check out the comments section of any Global Times article about Tibet.