By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, August 16: A mass prayer service was held today in the exile Tibetan headquarters of Dharamshala for the men and women of Tibet who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Tibet.
Special prayers were offered for Choepa, Lungtok, and Tashi, the three self-immolators who recently passed away protesting China’s continued occupation of Tibet.
Hundreds of Tibetans and foreigners attended the service held at Tsug-la Khang, the main temple.
The entire staff of the exile Tibetan administration led by Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay were in attendance.
Choepa, 24, set himself ablaze on August 10 in the Me’uruma region of Amdo Ngaba, eastern Tibet and succumbed to his injuries later that day.
Earlier this year, Choepa had taken part in the massive anti-China protests that swept the entire region and was in hiding following a large manhunt for suspected protesters.
He is survived by his parents Paelo and Madron and three siblings.
Lungtok, 20 and Tashi, 21 set themselves on fire near the Kirti Monastery on August 13 and began walking on the main road in Ngaba, now referred to as the ‘Martyr’s Street’ in honour of the number of self-immolations that have been carried out there.
Both Lungtok and Tashi, who were former classmates, passed away within hours of their protests.
The deepening crisis inside Tibet has witnessed large scale anti-China protests and a series of self-immolations that has now seen 50 Tibetans set themselves on fire, since 2009, demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.
The self-immolation death toll has reached 40.
Earlier this week, two senior US Congressmen, in an open letter to the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted that “more visible, public and coordinated diplomacy is necessary for the Chinese government to feel pressure to alter its conduct.”
Congressmen James P McGovern and Frank R Wolf called on Secretary Clinton to organise an international conference on Tibet as an effective means of expressing concern over the humanitarian crisis in the region.
The two Congressmen asserted that Washington “can and must significantly increase diplomatic and international pressure on the Chinese government to reverse the crisis in Tibet.”
“As the United States continues to “pivot” towards Asia, it is important that the US demonstrate that it is not deaf to the desperate appeals for help and support emanating from Tibetans,” Congressmen McGovern and Wolf had written.
