DHARAMSHALA, March 2: A Tibetan monk died on Monday after setting himself ablaze in Nyarong, a town in eastern Tibet, which is currently under so-called Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China’s Sichuan Province.
This is the first case of self-immolation occupied Tibet this year and follows immediately after Dorjee Tsering, a 15-year old Tibetan student from northern India, who self-immolated himself.
According to RFA “Kalsang Wangdu, a monk of Retsokha Aryaling Monastery, set himself ablaze at around 4 p.m. local time near the monastery. While on flame, he called for Tibet’s complete independence.”
The source said that witnesses nearby intervened and took the 18-year old monk to Chengdu, a city in Sichuan’s Province for treatment. However, he died on the way.
Wangdu was a son of Sotra and Urgyen Dolma. The family hails from region which saw frequent solo protests last year. His fiery protest against China’s rule in Tibet takes the self-immolation toll to 145 since early 2009.
Dorjee Tsering, 15, set himself on fire around 8 a.m. on Monday at a home for elderly in Dogu Yugyeling Tibetan Settlement in Herbertpur, North India. He suffered over 90 percent burns and is currently undergoing treatments at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi.
Jigme Ugen, a Tibetan living in the US on Tuesday managed to personally update about Tsering’s self-immolation to the presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Clinton said that she was aware about Tibetan self-immolation and that Tsering’s sacrifice will not go in vain.
“I am attentive to the Tibetan plight, the abuse of human rights and the countless self-immolations and I will continue to do everything to end China’s oppression of Tibetan people and their religion,” she told Jigme.
Clinton also offered the teenage self-immolator her prayers for a speedy recovery.
Three Dharamsala-based Tibetan NGOs, Regional Tibetan Women’s Association, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress and Students for a Free Tibet, joinedly organized a candle-light vigil to honor the two latest self-immolators.
“Those who have set themselves on fire against the Chinese regime are not just Tibetan lives, but are voices of Tibet and voices of resistances and China can not ignore this,” said Lobsang Tseten, Program Coordinator of SFT-India.
“We pay our profound honor to every Tibetan martyr who has sacrificed his/her life for Tibet’s cause and I am reminding the Chinese government that as long as Tibetans exist on this earth, Tibetan issue will never fade away and our struggle for a free Tibet will grow,” said Wangden Kyab, President, RTYC.
With only few hours apart from each other, the two latest self-immolations have once again stirred an upsurge after a brief lull last year.
