By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, April 18: Hundreds of Tibetans and supporters today attended an official prayer service organized by the Tibetan government in exile here at Tsuglakhang, the main temple in Mcleod Ganj,
The prayer service was organized to mourn and pay respects to the latest Tibetan self immolators, Thinley Namgyal from Tawu and a nun named Dolma from Bathang. The prayer service was presided over by the abbot of Gyuto monastery, Logon Trulku.
Thinlay Namgyal, 32, set himself ablaze in Tawu in eastern Tibet on April 15. Thinlay died immediately after his protest.
Dolma, 31, immolated self in Bathang on March 29. She reportedly survived the fiery protest but her current whereabouts is not known.
Addressing the prayer service, Tibetan PM Dr Lobsang Sangay said, “Till date 112 Tibetans have died due to self-immolation in Tibet but none of them self-immolators have harmed a Chinese person or property. Though Tibetan administration discourages drastic actions including self-immolation but self immolation persists in Tibet mainly because of the continuing repression of Tibetan people under the Chinese regime.”
Since 2009, 131 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in Tibet protesting against China’s occupation of Tibet and its hard-line policies.
