Hong Kong actor Tony Leung attends the Cartier Flagship Opening on November 26, 2010 in Hong Kong. (Photo : Getty Images/Victor Fraile)
Chinese authorities have warned celebrities in the country to stay away from attending religious and cultural programs organized by the Tibetan government-in-exile and "meddling with Tibetan independence" issue. They also stressed that actors and singers must "serve the people and socialism."
China Tibet Online said on Wednesday that three Chinese celebrities attended a Buddhist religious function in Bodh Gaya in India, Associated Press reported. While there was nothing wrong in worshipping Buddhism or attending religious activities, but they have crossed the sphere of "freedom of religious belief" by "meddling with the 'Tibetan-independence' clique leaders," the Chinese state-owned media stated.
By using the phrase "Tibetan-independence clique leaders," the Chinese state media referred to the Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama and his government-in-exile at Dharamshala in India. Beijing has accused Dalai Lama of campaigning to separate Tibet from China.
The article in the Chinese state media further said that it would be a pity if these celebrities lost the good reputations they have earned through of their hard work over the years by mixing with people who are "on the wrong side of the state's major principle of right and wrong."
The third-highest Buddhist spiritual leader Karmapa's office in India said that actress and singer Wang Fei and actor Hu Jun from Beijing and Hong Kong actor Tony Leung attended the religious function in Bodh Gaya, the holy seat of Buddhism, commemorating the 92nd birth anniversary of his predecessor the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa. According to Karma Namgyal, secretary at Karmapa's office, the presence of these three celebrities together with a minister of the Central Tibetan Administration and the Tibetan parliament-in-exile speaker was merely "coincidental."
The Chinese celebrities were in Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment, to participate in the annual week-long prayer festival for world peace. All the three celebrities had arrived in Bodh Gaya a few days before the ceremony with a view to attended the memorial event and also to spend some time with the common people, PTI quoted Karma Namgyal as saying.
Meanwhile, Jamphel Shonu, Tibetan government-in-exile's press officer, said the event was "purely religious" and had "nothing to do with politics or the Central Tibetan Administration." On the other hand, representatives of the Chinese celebrities preferred to keep mum on the entire controversy.
Only Hu Jun posted a comment on the Chinese social media website Weibo on Thursday stating that he visited India with his family to attend a prayer meet. The actor asserted that he was not aware that leaders of the supposed separatist groups would be present at the function. He also claimed that he personally does not know any separatist and declared that as a Chinese citizen he is against any move to divide his country.
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