New bill legally protects Tibet’s sky burial traditions

By Hu Qingyun Source:Global Times Published: 2015-1-24 0:33:01

Tibet Autonomous Region lawmakers passed a bill to better protect sky burials, a traditional ritual that has drawn controversy after guides began leading tour groups to view the ceremony, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday.

"It will be the first time for Tibet to legislate sky burials, which shows respect and offers protection to the millennium-old tradition," said Samdrup, an official with the standing committee of the regional people's congress.

The bill, passed in an annual session of the regional people's congress of Tibet, covered issues like management of the sites, environmental protection and qualification of ritual hosts.

It also addresses complaints that some travel agents have shown disrespect to the tradition. No other details of the bill have yet been revealed.

Tibet has 1,638 burial sites and 1,093 burial hosts, according to Xinhua.

Sky burial is a Tibetan and Mongolian tradition in which bodies are fed to vultures and other predatory birds. It is regarded as an act of generosity and a ritual that allows the soul to ascend to heaven. Non-family members are usually banned from witnessing the ritual.

However, some tourists have attended sites to witness the burials and some travel agents have arranged tours, said Liu Huo, a manager of a Beijing-based outdoor club, who frequently visited Tibet.

"We don't want to offend local residents but just want to appreciate life after witnessing the burial. However, as many tourists take photos and some even talk loudly at the site, it is offensive," Liu said. 

In 2005, the Tibetan government issued a provisional rule that banned sightseeing, photographing and video recording at such burial sites, or publishing reports and pictures describing the rituals.

A traveler from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, surnamed Zhang, said that sometimes his photos or videos about the burial were blocked online.

"Sometimes the deceased's family or the lama will ask us to leave or be quiet but no authorities have ordered us to leave so far," Zhang.

Xinhua contributed to this story

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