Kirti self-immolation/ENG

2011. október 7./Free Tibet/TibetPress

http://www.freetibet.org/newsmedia/kirti-self-immolation

Five Tibetans in a ten days self-immolate in Ngaba
Update 7 October: Two men, Choepel, 19 and Khayang, 18, dressed in lay clothes set themselves on fire on 7 October at 11.30am local time at Nongjichang road, near the main street in Ngaba Town. Choepel suffered bad burns and locals believe he has died at the scene. Choepel, a former monk, was expelled from Kirti Monastey after 16 March 2011, following fellow monk Phuntsog's self-immolation. Khayang also used to be a monk. His uncle Tashi was killed by security forces in Ngaba on 16 March 2008 at the age of 27. They are both from Thawa Kongma village in  Ngaba county.

Within ten days five Tibetans in Ngaba have set themselves on fire.

In the past six months, seven monks have self-immolated in Tibet. This shows not only the level of suffering and desperation of Tibetans, but also the extreme actions they are willing to take to draw the world’s attention to the situation in Tibet.

 Kalsang Wangchuk (top left), a young monk believed to be 17 or 18 years old from Kirti Monastery, Ngaba County, eastern Tibet set himself alight on 3 October near the vegetable market in Ngaba Town. He was reportedly holding a photograph of the Dalai Lama and shouted: " There are no religious rights and freedom in Tibet". The police put out the fire and took him away. His upper body is said to be very damaged. Ngaba town is said to be under police and military control, nobody can enter or exit the town.

Two young monks, Lobsang Kalsang (left) and Lobsang Konchok aged between 18-19 years old, also from Kirti monastery, self-immolated on 26 September. Lobsang Kelsang is the brother of Phuntsog, a 21-year old monk also from Kirti monastery who died after setting himself on fire in March. The monks waved the banned Tibetan flag and called for religious freedom and “long live the Dalai Lama” before they self-immolated.

The well-being and whereabouts of the five monks are unknown.


Phuntsog dies - Persecution and intimidation in Ngaba
The situation in Ngaba county in eastern Tibet has been tense since mid-March when Phuntsog (pictured), a 21-year- old Tibetan monk from the local monastery died after setting himself on fire. The tragedy took place on the third anniversary of demonstrations in Ngaba Town in 2008 when armed police shot dead at least 13 protestors.

China responded to Phuntsog’s self-immolation by sending in armed paramilitary forces, making dozens of arbitrary arrests, house searches and removed hundreds of monks from the monastery.

Six monks, including Phuntsog's brother and uncle have been sentenced in connection with Phuntsog's act including for “plotting and assisting” in the self-immolation and for delaying hospital treatment for Phuntsog. Phuntsog's best friend Darjee (pictured), who is only 16 years old has been sentenced to three years re-education through labour, which the UN regards a "systematic form of inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, if not torture".The charge that other monks instigated and assisted Phuntsog have been rigorously denied by a spokesperson at Kirti Monastery in Dharamsala, India and do not reflect the non-violent nature of Tibetan opposition to China’s occupation.

Watch Free Tibet's video showing the military deployment in Ngaba in the days after Phuntsog's death Read more about the crackdown in Ngaba.


Tsewang Norbu dies in Tawu
A 29-year-old monk, Tsewang Norbu, also known as Norko, set himself on fire in the centre of Tawu (Ch. Daofu), Kandze (Ch. Garzi) Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province in August 2011.

Tsewang Norbu drank petrol, sprayed himself with petrol and then set himself on fire. He was heard calling out: “We Tibetan people want freedom”, “Long live the Dalai Lama” and “Let the Dalai Lama Return to Tibet”. He  died at the scene.