DHARAMSHALA, July 26: More than a dozen Tibetans, including the mother of Tibetan self-immolator Kunchok Sonam, his relatives, teacher, and monks of the Thangkor Sogtsang Monastery were arbitrarily detained by Chinese security forces following the young monk’s fiery protest on July 20.
According to exile sources, the condition and whereabouts of six of those detained remains unknown while the others have been released.
Kunchok Sonam, 18, a monk at the Thangkor Sogtsang Monastery in Zoege, eastern Tibet set himself on fire on Saturday, July 20 protesting China’s continued occupation of Tibet. He passed away at the site of his protest.
Chinese security personnel arrived at the site of the protest and tried to bundle away Kunchok Sonam’s body. However, local Tibetans present there succeeded in rescuing the deceased’s body from falling into Chinese hands.
More than 1500 Tibetans later gathered at the monastery to pay their last respects to Kunchok Sonam and also took part in a prayer ceremony.
On the night of Kunchok Sonam’s self-immolation, Tenzin Gyatso, a monk of Thangkor Sogtsang Monastery was detained. In the following two days, Palden Gyatso, 20, and Sangye Palden, 25, both monks of the same monastery, were detained.
Kunchok Sonam’s mother Lentrug, his teacher, and relatives were released after a day’s detention, according to sources.
Regarded as ‘exceptional’ in his studies, Kunchok Sonam had reportedly told friends that “living under Chinese rule in Tibet had brought too much suffering.”
Kunchok Sonam is the son of Sonam Palden and Lentrug.
A newly arrived Tibetan, Tenzin Dawa (name changed), 36, a monk from Barmi Monastery in Tsongru in the same Zoege region in a testimony given to the Daharamshala based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy has recounted the current situation inside Tibet and in particular his hometown.
He said that local Chinese authorities have planted spies in every village to monitor conversations and keep a strict watch over Tibetan activities, in an ongoing effort to prevent self-immolation and other protests.
“On 22 May 2013, a meeting attended by representatives of 13 counties was held in Kyangtsa (Ch: Jiangzha) Township in Zoege County. At the meeting, relevant officials were ordered to preempt any incidents of self-immolations in each township, and to take responsibility for any political incidents or activities under their jurisdiction,” TCHRD quoted Dawa as saying in his testimony. “Following the meeting, spies were planted in many villages, making even casual communication or interaction amongst Tibetans difficult, as suspicion and distrust overwhelm their day-to-day encounters.”
Since 2009, as many as 120 Tibetans living under China’s rule have set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile. 103 of the self-immolators have passed away while the condition of more than ten remains unknown.
China has criminalised the self-immolation protests and sentenced scores of Tibetans to heavy prison terms on charges of “intentional homicide” for their alleged roles in the fiery protests. Chinese officials have barred Tibetans from offering prayers and showing solidarity with families of self-immolators and announced the cancellation of development funds to those villages where self-immolations have taken place.
