Protest self-immolation death toll rises

The London-based Free Tibet organisation said the man and woman set themselves alight in two separate incidents in different areas of the town of Tongren (Rebkong) in China’s northwest Qinghai province. One of the two victims was Tingzin Dolma, a 23-year-old woman, who set fire to herself by Goge Village temple in Rebkong County at midday 15 Novermber. The incident coincided with the appointment of the leader Xi Jinping of the Communist party of China. Hundreds of local Tibetans attended a cremation ceremony for Tingzin Dolma the same day.

On the same day another Tibetan, a teenaged Kharbum Gyal, passed away after setting himself on fire in the Tsemo region of Rebkong.  Details on a third victim, an 18-year-old man, including whether or not he survived, were not available due to “severe restrictions” on communications in the area, Free Tibet said.

The AFP news agency said it was unable to reach the police in Tongren and a local government official said she could not comment on the reported self-immolations. A local shop owner who gave his surname as Wang told AFP that communications were restricted in the town..

Other self-immolations since 8 November included a man who died after setting himself alight in north-western Gansu province. The Tibetan government-in-exile said a trio of young monks set themselves on fire on November 7 in a Tibetan area of Sichuan province, in southwest China, leaving one dead and the others injured, while another burning took place in Tibet itself.

77 Tibetans have been confirmed to have self-immolated inside Tibet since February 27, 2009, including 11 women, International Campaign for Tibet reports. 64 of the 77 are known to have died following their protest.

Tibetans protest against Chinese rule

Tibet advocacy groups overseas said the protests were meant to highlight Tibetan unhappiness with Chinese rule as the country’s leaders handed over power to Xi Jinping and six other members of the Politburo Standing Committee. Led by Xi, Beijing’s new leaders were introduced just last week.

Many Tibetans in China accuse the government of religious repression and of eroding their culture, as the country’s majority Han ethnic group increasingly moves into historically Tibetan areas. China rejects this, saying Tibetans enjoy religious freedom.

Beijing points to huge on-going investment it says has brought modernisation and a better standard of living to Tibet.

Tibetans living in exile in India have also been showing their frustration with China. They recently marched through the northern town of Dharamsala, calling for a free Tibet. 

Changes within Tibetan government in exile

Tibetans have been protesting China’s alleged suppression of religious expression and ethnic minorities for decades. After the fatal self-immolation of a Tibetan monk Tsewang Norbu in August 2011, who voiced his support of a free Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama, Chinese officials reportedly shut down internet access in the town and attempted to claim the burned body.

These events came at a time of significant political reconfiguration and pressing questions about the future of Tibet’s sovereignty. Earlier last year, the Dalai Lama stepped down from his role as political leader of the exiled Tibetan community, and on 8 August Lobsang Sangay, a Harvard law academic, was sworn in as the first democratically-elected prime minister of the Central Tibetan Administration, also known as the government of Tibetans in exile.

Sangay supports Dalai Lama’s goal of an autonomous Tibet within China, though he does not reject the idea of an eventual free nation. Other Tibet supporters advocate declaring outright independence, but many say this is an unrealistic goal.

International lawmakers have shown mixed reactions towards the power shift. Chinese officials labelled Sangay a terrorist for his previous involvement in a Tibetan separatist organisation. While US Congressman James McGovern says, “At a time when autocrats around the world are clinging to power, the Dalai Lama’s voluntary effort to give up power is remarkable. It is the culmination of a decades-long process of nurturing the development of democratic institutions in the Tibetan exile community”.

The Dalai Lama told the Times of India, “My most cherished aspiration has been fulfilled. Tibetans are not allowed to even express their views and opinions freely, let alone participate in democratic elections, but I am sure that they would be proud of the steps that we have taken”.

Supporters believe that under Sangay’s secular leadership more Tibetans may be encouraged to participate in political debate.

Related Stories

300 Tibetan monks detained in Kirti monastary
Tibet: 8Th young man sets himself on fire in Ngaba
Fearless Tibetan writer and blogger awarded a Prince Claus prize