DHARAMSHALA, April 3: The exile Tibetan headquarters in Dharamshala held mass prayer service today to honour Kunchok Tenzin, who set himself ablaze in protest against China’s continuing occupation of Tibet.
Hundreds of Tibetans led by exile Prime Minister Dr Lobsang Sangay, Speaker Penpa Tsering, Kalons or cabinet ministers, members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and school students attended the service at the main temple in Dharamshala.
Kunchok Tenzin, 28, a monk from Mogri Monastery set himself on fire at a road intersection near his monastery in Luchu, Eastern Tibet at around 7 pm (local time) on March 26. He died from burns.
Addressing the service, Dr Lobsang Sangay called upon Tibetans to offer prayers for Druptse as today also marks the 49th day since his self-immolation in Nepal and for all Tibetans who have lost their lives in landslide at a mining site Medro Gungkar near Lhasa.
“It is clear that the landslide was criticized by many Chinese intellectuals, environmentalist, writers and movie artists in China,” said Sikyong Sangay.
“China’s continued oppressive rule in Tibet is the cause of self-immolation protest and like we always says political repression, environmental destruction and cultural assimilation, and with this landslide in Medro gungkar, it is a clearly proves of the environmental destruction in Tibet.”
The deepening crisis in Tibet has witnessed large scale anti-China protests and a series of self-immolations that has now seen 114 Tibetans set themselves on fire since 2009. The self-immolators have demanded freedom for Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. Ninety-six of them have died.
