News from Ngaba on February 13th

2012. február 13./Dharamszala/TIN/TibetPress

News from Ngaba on February 13th

At about 2.30 pm on February 13th, Kirti monk Losang Gyatso, age 19, of the Badzritsang house in Naktsangma of Cha township, set himself on fire at the top of the main street of Ngaba town shouting slogans of protest against the Chinese government. His father’s name is Badzri and his mother is Pekar.

In the same moment, armed police and special police officers came and extinguished the fire and took him away while beating him. His present condition and whereabouts are not known.

There are 7 members in his household, 4 brothers and sisters, of whom he is the eldest. He is one of the best and brightest students in his class, and has given class presentations many times.

Two Tibetan youths were severely beaten (by security forces)  at the scene, and one managed to get away with help from public onlookers, but the other was led away by two policemen. Witnesses said he was bleeding profusely from the head and arm. A monk was also reportedly beaten, but their names and places of origin are not known.

Armed police and special police deployed along the main street imposed a clampdown, with an even larger number of checkpoints stopping and searching local people moving around town, and stopped the public from approaching the site of the protest.