By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, March 23: A Tibetan monk from Kirti monastery in Ngaba who set himself on fire on the sixth anniversary of a 2008 crackdown has succumbed to his burns on Friday around 1.30 pm (local time).
Watch an amateur video taken moments after the self immolation here.
Lobsang Palden, 23, set himself ablaze on March 16 at the ‘Pawoe Sanglam’ (Martyr’s Street) in Ngaba town around 11.30AM (local time). Chinese police immediately arrived at the protest site, doused the flame and took him away in a vehicle. On March 16, 2008, at least ten Tibetans were shot dead by Chinese security forces who fired indiscriminately on a group of Tibetans protesting against Chinese government in Ngaba. Four monks of Kirti Monastery had died after immolating themselves at the same spot which became to be known as Pawoe Sanglam (Martyr’s Street) since 2011. They were Lobsang Phuntsok (2011), Lobsang Tsuiltrim (2012), and Lobsang Thokmay (2013) and Lobsang Palden (2014).
Before setting himself on fire, Palden had reportedly left a text message in his phone in which he prayed for his parents, family members, teachers and relatives. He also called for unity among Tibetans. “We should maintain cordial relations with others, particularly with Chinese because if we are united and have love for each other, no matter what our thoughts are, it will enable us to communicate with each other better,” the message says (translated from Tibetan by phayul).
On the same day, another Tibetan monk set himself on fire in Tsekhog County. The monk belonged to the Sonag monastery in Jhador township, Tsekhog County. Chinese authorities immediately shutdown all communication lines in the area to censor the incident. It is not known if the monk, whose name is not yet known, has died or is still alive.
Since 2009, 129 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in Tibet to protest against Chinese occupation of Tibet and its hard-line policies.
