17-year-old self-immolator’s last note calls for the Dalai Lama’s return and Tibet’s independence

Phayul[Wednesday, November 28, 2012 19:25]

DHARAMSHALA, November 28: Tibetan nun, Sangay Dolma, who passed away in her self-immolation protest on November 25, has left a note professing her belief in the swift return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibet’s independence.

Sangay Dolma also left a photograph of herself with the words, “Tibet independent nation” inscribed on it.

The 17-year-old nun set herself on fire in front of a Chinese government office in Tsekhog, near Rebkong (Ch: Tongren) in Malho region of eastern Tibet at around 7 pm (local time).

On a folded piece of paper, containing her last will and picture, Sangay Dolma has written: “Beloved children of the snowlion, Sons and daughters of the Land of Snows, Warriors of the snow mountain, Don’t forget your are Tibetans.”

Her last will, written in the form of a poem of six stanzas, is titled “He has returned.”

The first stanza reads: “Look up, fellow Tibetans, look at the blue twilight above, Like a heavenly tent of white mountain, My lama has returned.”

In the fourth stanza, Sangay Dolma sends a strong political message of the revival of an independent nation of Tibet.

“Look up, Tibetans, look at the snow mountains. The snow land’s era has begun. And Tibet is free and independent.”

In the two closing stanzas, the 17-year-old nun pays further tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, who has been missing since 1995, after he was recognised as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama at the age of six.

“His Holiness the Dalai Lama, when he lived far away, he travelled around the world, praying for the end of suffering of the red faced Tibetans, and released us from darkness, At a time when Panchen Lama is in prison, He looks out from his prison cell, prays for “the dawn of peace and happiness in my land of snow.”

Sangay Dolma was a nun at the Gonshul Nunnery near the Sangag Mindrol Dhargeyling Monastery.

Following her self-immolation protest, a large number of local Tibetans gathered to carry out the last rites and pay their final respects.

Since 2009, 87 Tibetans have set themselves on fire protesting China’s continued occupation of Tibet and demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

Chinese government authorities have retaliated with further restrictions and threats.

Recently, a five-point notice was issued in eastern Tibet, giving stern orders to local officials to punish self-immolators and their families; even those who had offered condolences and prayers to the bereaved family members and relatives. The notice further announced the cancellation of government aid to families of self-immolators as well as development projects in villages where similar protests have taken place.

Government authorities in the region are also collecting signed statements from each household conforming that they will not self-immolate. Refusal to sign such statements attracts immediate detention.

Special International Meeting of Tibet Support Groups

Dharamsala, India November 16-18, 2012

CONCLUDING STATEMENT

In response to the escalating crisis in Tibet, the Special International Meeting of Tibet Support Groups was held in Dharamsala, India from 16-18 November 2012. The meeting, which was attended by almost 200 participants from 43 countries, was convened by the Core Group for Tibetan Cause – India, and facilitated by the Department of Information & International Relations of the Tibetan Government-in-exile. The purpose of the meeting was to develop strategic campaigns to address the deteriorating situation in Tibet where to date at least 75 Tibetans have self-immolated.

This is a highly significant moment in the Tibetan struggle for freedom. Despite unprecedented repression, there has been a dramatic upsurge in resistance against China’s occupation. There have been important changes within the Tibetan Government with the historic devolution of political power from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the democratically elected leadership. Meanwhile the Communist Party of China has appointed its new leaders. These changes demand renewed efforts from Tibet Support Groups who pledge to increase their efforts on behalf of the Tibetan people and their human right to self-determination as recognized by the United Nations.

We, the conference participants, express our deep admiration and strong support for the unwavering determination and commitment to nonviolence by Tibetans in Tibet and for the many diverse ways in which they are resisting, including Tibetan cultural renaissance and Lhakar. Such resistance has continued despite mass detentions, violent military responses to peaceful protests, and the increased use of “patriotic re-education” campaigns.

We express deep anguish that Tibetans feel compelled to self-immolate as an act of political resistance. We resolutely stand in solidarity with their aspirations for freedom and for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to his homeland. Responsibility for this crisis lies with China’s leaders and their failed Tibet policies

over the last sixty years. We call on China’s new leaders to urgently address the root causes of these self-immolations.

We are deeply concerned about the forced removal of nomadic communities which is eroding cultural traditions, destroying livelihoods, and resulting in social exclusion. We believe that social and economic exclusion are contributing factors in the escalation of self-immolation and therefore must be urgently addressed.

We call specifically on General Secretary Xi Jinping and the new Politburo Standing Committee to take immediate steps to resolve these and all legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people recognising that a peaceful resolution is in the best interests of both the Tibetan and the Chinese people.

We demand that our home governments initiate urgent and coordinated action, including at the United Nations and in other international and regional fora, to bring pressure upon the Government of China to change its policies in Tibet.

The conference participants welcome the creation of a coalition of Asian Tibet Support Groups and congratulate it on the adoption a common action program.

We, the conference participants, renew our commitment to work together and in cooperation with Tibetan organizations, Chinese human rights defenders, and other concerned organizations around the world, in pursuit of a political solution to the Tibet issue consistent with international human rights standards.

Tibetan protests continue into Xi Jinping era*

Press release: 26 November 2012

Three more Tibetans have set themselves on fire in Tibet in the past two days as demands for freedom continue, despite the change in Chinese leadership.

An 18-year-old named Kunchok Tsering, self-immolated at around 4pm (local time) today at Amchog township, Sangchu County, Eastern Tibet (1). He died
at the scene of his protest.

Kunchok Tsering lived as a nomad and was married. His body has been taken to his home where local people and monks from Amchog Monastery have gathered.

He is the second man from the same town to set himself on fire in protest in less than a week. Last Tuesday (20 November), Tsering Dhondup, a 34-year-old father of three also set himself on fire and died (2).

At 11.25 this morning (local time), Wangyal, a student of Serthar County National Middle School set himself on fire in Serthar County, Kandze prefecture, Eastern Tibet (3).

An eyewitness said he shouted slogans for freedom in Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama. Wangyal ran towards a statue in the middle of the county town; a location where Public Security Bureau (PSB) personnel regularly patrol.

Right after he fell to the ground, Chinese military and PSB personnel arrived, put out the flames and took Wangyal to the county hospital. His current condition and whereabouts are unknown but locals say he was severely injured.

Elsewhere, a 17-year-old nun, Sangye Dolma, self-immolated yesterday in Warkhor village, Dorkarmo Township, Tsekhok county, Malho, Eastern Tibet (4).

Sangye Dolma set herself on fire around 10pm last night (local time). She died at the scene.

Local people and monks gathered this morning and cremated her body.

*Free Tibet Director Stephanie Brigden said:*

*“We are now receiving reports of self-immolation protests on an almost daily basis. Allied to the many other forms of protests which Tibetans are undertaking – marching, leafleting, displaying banned images and exerting Tibetan culture – it forms an unimpeachable argument for an end to Chinese occupation.*

*“This Tibet Spring will not end until the Tibetan people feel that they have the freedom they desire.”*

*Notes to editors

1.    Chinese: Amuquhu, Xiahe, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province.

2.    http://www.freetibet.org/news-media/pr/further-tibet-protests-underline-escalation

3.    Chinese: Seda County, Ganzi prefecture, Sichuan Province.

4.    Chinese: Duohemao, Zeku, Huangnan, Qinghai Province

*Free Tibet is an international campaigning organisation that stands forthe right of Tibetans to determine their own future. We campaign for an end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for the fundamental human rights of Tibetans to be respected.*

For further information and interviews please contact Free Tibet’s Director Stephanie Brigden:

T: +44 (0)20 7324 4605
M: +44 (0)7971 479515
E: Stephanie@freetibet.org
S: stephaniefreetibet

Harriet Beaumont
*Media and Executive Officer*

*T:* +44 207 324 4605
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Tibetan Burnings Rise to 70
2012-11-10

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burn-11102012191123.html

A teenager is the latest to set himself ablaze in the eighth self-immolation protest this week.

Another Tibetan teenager burned himself to death Saturday in protest against Chinese rule in Gansu province in the eighth self-immolation this week, sources said.

The latest burning brings to 70 the total number of self-immolations highlighting opposition to Chinese rule in Tibetan populated areas.

The protests this week are believed to have been timed to send a powerful signal to the Chinese Communist Party which is holding its 18th Party Congress in Beijing to endorse a once-in-a-decade leadership change, Tibetan groups said.

On Saturday, 19-year-old Gonpo Tsering set himself alight in front of a monastery in Tsoe (in Chinese, Hezuo) in the Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on Saturday, a Tibetan source told RFA’s Tibetan service.

As he burned, he called for “freedom for Tibetans, the return of  [Tibet's spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom of languages,” the source said.

Monks and other local Tibetans had wanted to take Gonpo Tsering to hospital but his condition was too critical and he was instead taken home, where he died, the source said.

After the burning, “Chinese security bureau officers arrived at the scene and they started investigating and questioning the monks and local Tibetans,” the source said.

News delayed

It took longer than usual for local Tibetans to relay the news of the self-immolation to those outside the Tsoe area due to communication curbs imposed by Chinese authorities, according to sources.

The burning was reported early Saturday by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

“Owing to earlier self-immolations in Kanlho, there was a complete communication blackout, resulting it difficulty in getting details of the situation on the ground,” the source said.

The past week saw the biggest number of Tibetan self-immolations since the burning protests began in February 2009.

Earlier this week, there were three burnings in Rebgong county (in Chinese, Tongren) in Qinghai province, including the fatal self-immolation of a 23-year-old mother, and those of three teenage monks in Sichuan province’s Ngaba town and a man in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

One of the three monks—all of whom are from the Ngoshul monastery—died on the spot.

Families anxious

The two others were taken away in a serious condition by the Chinese authorities and are believed to be alive but their families were unable to see them, said Kanyag Tsering, a monk living in exile in India.

“Since they were not told anything about the condition of their boys and about the hospital to which they had been taken, everyone is so worried about them,” he said.

The monks of the Ngoshul Monastery have also been barred from visiting the homes of the three monks and performing prayers for them.

“There is a heavy military presence outside the Ngoshul Monastery and surrounding areas of Gomang subdivision [in which the burnings occurred],” Kanyag Tsering said

Student protests

On Friday, several thousand Tibetan students had taken to the streets in Rebgong county, shouting slogans calling for “equality of nationalities and freedom of languages” and demanding the return of the Dalai Lama, who is living in exile in India.

A day earlier, about 700 students pulled down Chinese flags hoisted on top of their school building in Dowa township and in the township’s government office.

The Central Tibetan Administration, as the Tibetan government-in-exile in India is called, said the rising number of self-immolations underscore “political repression, economic marginalization, environmental destruction, and cultural assimilation” problems facing Tibetans.

“Chinese leaders selected during the 18th Party Congress must recognize that China’s hardline policies in Tibet have utterly failed and only through dialogue can a peaceful and lasting solution be found,” Lobsang Sangay, the head of the exile government, said this week.

“We firmly believe that an end to repression will effectively end the cycle of self-immolation,” he said.

Five Tibetans Self-Immolate

2012-11-07

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/five-11072012130412.html

*In a record day of burnings, Tibetans call for the return of the Dalai Lama and an end to Chinese rule.*

Five Tibetans, including a young mother and three teenage boys, set fire to themselves on Wednesday in protest against Chinese rule in the biggest number of self-immolations in a single day, triggering massive demonstrations in at least one area, according to exile and local sources.

The burnings—which raised the self-immolation toll to 68 so far—came ahead of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s highly anticipated Congress beginning Thursday which is expected to endorse Vice President Xi Jinping as successor to President Hu Jintao in a once-a-decade power transition.

Three of the self-immolations occurred in Sichuan province’s Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) prefecture and one each in Qinghai province’s Malho (Huangnan) prefecture and in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the sources said.

The three boys—monks Dorje, 15, Samdrub, 16, and Dorje Kyab, 16—set themselves ablaze in front of a police station in Ngaba town, calling for a free Tibet and the return of Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, according to monks Lobsang Yeshi and Kanyag Tsering, who live in exile in India’s Dharamsala hill town.

“The three self-immolated in front of the Ngatoe Gomang police station in the evening at around 3:00 p.m.,” Lobsang Yeshi said, citing local sources.

“Dorje, who died at the scene, Samdrub, and Dorje Kyab are monks from the Ngoshul monastery,” Lobsang Yeshi said.

“Samdrub and Dorje Kyab have been taken to the Ngaba county hospital. Now there is a severe security clampdown restricting any movement in the streets,” he said.

*Mother dies*

In the Malho prefecture, a 23-year-old Tibetan mother of a young son set fire to herself and died in the Gemar market area of Rebgong (in Chinese, Tongren) county, drawing several thousand Tibetans to the streets in protest against Chinese rule.

Tamdrin Tso set herself ablaze at about 6:00 p.m. and died shouting slogans calling for the return of the Dalai Lama, local sources said.

Tamdrin Tso came originally from the Dro Rongwo township of Rebgong county, sources said. She leaves behind a son, Nyingjam Tsering, aged 5 or 6, and her father, Tamdrin Kyab, and mother, Konchog Tso.

“Over the last 15 days, Tamdrin Tso had performed prayers for other self-immolation protesters in Tibet, and today she set herself on fire,” Dorje Wangchuk, director of the Literary and Culture Research Centre of the Norbulingka Institute in Dharamsala, India, citing sources in the region.

Following the burning, around 3,000 local Tibetans gathered in the Gemar market area, a central location with a school and many shops, and shouted slogans calling for freedom for Tibet, sources said.

Tamdrin Tso’s self-immolation was the second to occur in the Rebgong area this week.

On Nov. 4, Tibetan artist Dorjee Lhundrub, 25, set himself ablaze and shouted slogans against Chinese rule and calling for the Dalai Lama’s return as he burned to death.

A large crowd of local monks and township residents then gathered at the site, with many placing traditional Tibetan scarves on Lhundrub’s charred remains as a mark of respect for the father of two, sources said.

*Protests intensify*

Wednesday’s fifth self-immolation occurred in Bekhar township in Driru county, Nagchu prefecture, of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

“I learned about the self-immolation at 8:00 p.m., as it happened, while I was speaking on the phone,” said a Tibetan monk living in South India, citing contacts in the region.

“There was a lot of commotion, and there were shouts at the scene by the Tibetans. The Chinese security forces arrived immediately, but details, such as the name of the self-immolator, remain unknown,” the monk said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Tibetan self-immolation protests have intensified in recent weeks and may have entered a new phase, some analysts have said.

And the failure to contain the fiery protests, the analysts say, poses a major challenge to Beijing, which has  offered cash rewards to Tibetans to inform on potential self-immolators and has tightened security restrictions on Tibetan monasteries and towns.

The burnings continue despite calls to end them by a special meeting of Tibetan exile groups convened on the advice of the Dalai Lama in India’s hill town of Dharamsala, where he lives in exile.

*Reported by Chakmo Tso for RFA’s Tibetan service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul and Rigdhen Dolma. Written in English by Richard Finney and Parameswaran Ponnudurai.*

Copyright © 1998-2011 Radio Free Asia. All rights reserved.

NEWS RELEASE – OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Pillay: China must urgently address deep-rooted frustrations with human rights in Tibetan areas

GENEVA (2 November 2012) – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Friday urged Chinese authorities to promptly address the longstanding grievances that have led to an alarming escalation in desperate forms of protest, including self-immolations, in Tibetan areas.

The UN human rights chief said she was disturbed by “continuing allegations of violence against Tibetans seeking to exercise their fundamental human rights of freedom of expression, association and religion,” and pointed to “reports of detentions and disappearances, of excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators, and curbs on the cultural rights of Tibetans.”

Cases have included a 17-year-old girl who was reportedly severely beaten and sentenced to three years in prison for distributing flyers calling for Tibet’s freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama. Others have been sentenced to between four and seven years in prison for writing essays, making films or distributing photos of events in Tibet outside China. Serious concerns have been raised about fair trial standards, and the torture and ill-treatment of detainees.

“I have had several exchanges with the Chinese Government on these issues. But more needs to be done to protect human rights and prevent violations,” Pillay said. “I call on the Government to respect the rights to peaceful assembly and expression, and to release all individuals detained for merely exercising these universal rights.”

The High Commissioner also appealed to Tibetans to refrain from resorting to extreme forms of protest, such as self-immolation, and urged community and religious leaders to use their influence to help stop this tragic loss of life

“I recognise Tibetans’ intense sense of frustration and despair which has led them to resort to such extreme means,” she said, “but there are other ways to make those feelings clear. The Government also needs to recognise this, and permit Tibetans to express their feelings without fear of retribution.”

The High Commissioner urged the Government, as a confidence-building measure, to allow independent and impartial monitors to visit and assess the actual conditions on the ground, and to lift restrictions on media access to the region. She noted that there are 12 outstanding requests for official visits to China by UN Special Rapporteurs on various human rights issues, including one by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief. During the Universal Periodic Review of China’s human rights record before the UN Human Rights Council, the State pledged to step up cooperation with Special Procedures. Pillay called on the Government to facilitate their access.

“Social stability in Tibet will never be achieved through heavy security measures and suppression of human rights,” she said. “Deep underlying issues need to be addressed, and I call on the Government to seriously consider the recommendations made to it by various international human rights bodies, as well as to avail itself of the expert advice being offered by the UN’s independent experts on human rights.”

Among the recommendations made by international human rights bodies to the Government of China on Tibet are the following:

- UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, recommended a suspension of non-voluntary resettlement of nomadic herders, who make up the majority of the Tibetan population, and called for a meaningful consultation.
- The UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination (CERD) recommended to China that any policies or incentives offered that may result in a substantial alteration of the demographic composition of autonomous minority areas be reviewed. CERD also recommended that the State party carefully consider the root causes of the unrest in March 2008, including inter-ethnic violence, and the reasons why the situation escalated.
- The UN Committee Against Torture in November 2008 recommended that China conduct a thorough and independent inquiry into events surrounding the protests in March 2008, including the reported excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators, notably monks, in Kardze county, Ngaba county, and Lhasa; and into allegations of torture and ill-treatment against those arrested and detained.

“My office also stands ready to assist constructively on these issues in the region and promoting best practices from around the world with regard to protection of minorities,” Pillay added.

ENDS

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