News

According to information received by TCHRD, two Tibetan men, a monk and a layman, have died after they burned themselves alive in separate incidents in the Tibetan province of Amdo in Tibet.
The day of the burning protests coincided with Ganden Ngamchoe (Festival of Lights), which commemorates the birth and death of the great Tibetan Buddhist master, Je Tsongkhapa.
Pema Dorjee, 23, died after setting himself on fire in Luchu (Ch: Luqu) County of Kanlho (Ch: Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province.

An unknown number of detentions related to protest self-immolations is being reported from areas where Tibetans have carried out continued protest self-immolations, according to reliable information received by TCHRD.
Many of those detained in the aftermath of a protest self-immolation are family members and relatives of the self-immolators, a source with close contacts in Kanlho Prefecture told TCHRD.

A Tibetan father of two who was forcibly taken away by police after his protest self-immolation on 30 November has died at a government hospital in Barkham (Ch: Ma’erkang), capital of Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

Kunchok Kyap, 29, self-immolated in protest against the Chinese government at a gas station 10 km away from Shagdom Township in Zoege (Ch: Ruo’ergai) County in Ngaba Prefecture.

A father of one has become the 91st Tibetan to carry out protest self-immolation against the Chinese government since February 2009 in Tibet.

Sungdue Kyap, 29, set himself on fire at around 3 pm (local time) on 2 December on highway no. 213 near Bora Monastery in Sangchu (Ch: Xiahe) County in Kanlho (Ch: Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province.

It is the same spot where on 20 October, a father of two, Lhamo Kyap, 27, died of protest self-immolation.

Three Tibetans have died of burning protests in the last four days ignoring a 21 October notice issued by the prefectural government that offers rewards of 50,000 yuan (U.S. $7,913) for tipping off the Chinese government on “planning and abetment” of self-immolation protests in Kanlho (Ch: Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP), Gansu Province.

In the past four days, Kanlho TAP witnessed three protest self-immolations at Luchu (Ch: Luqu), Sangchu (Ch: Xiahe) and Tsoe (Ch: Hezuo) city.

A Tibetan father of two who self-immolated yesterday taken away along with a group of other Tibetans in Zoege (Ch: Ruo’ergai) County in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

On 30 November, at around 9 am (local time), Kunchok Kyap, 29, set his body on fire in protest against the Chinese government at a gas station 10 km away from Shagdom Township in Zoege County, according to information received by TCHRD.

In one of the major protests witnessed this year in Tibet, about a thousand Tibetan students at Sorig Lobling medical school in Chabcha (Ch: Gonghe) protested against the Chinese government. The protest[i] broke out on 26 November in Chabcha (Ch: Gonghe) town of Serchen County in Tsolho (Ch: Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.

The protest lasted for nearly two hours before armed police came to suppress it. Many students were injured in the protest as local armed police forces engaged in indiscriminate beatings. According to some unconfirmed reports, tear gas shell and even gunshots were used to break up crowds of protesters.

A Tibetan nun who died of protest self-immolation on 25 November had left a note, carefully put in an envelope, along with a photograph on which was scribbled this line: “For the benefit of the people of the land of snow, beloved sons and daughters of the land of snow, do not forget you are brave Tibetans of the land of snow.”

Sangay Dolma was a nun from Gonshul Nunnery in Bharkor Village in Dokarmo Township. She died after setting herself on fire in Tsekhog County, the seat of the County government office near Rebkong (Ch: Tongren) in Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.

New information reaching TCHRD confirms the 7 November protest self-immolation by a Tibetan father of two in Diru (Ch: Biru) County in Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region.

It has now emerged that Tsegyal, 27, was taken into police custody after he set himself on fire at about 7.30 pm (local time) at Tingser Village of Bekar Township in Diru County.

Two more Tibetans died of burning protests in separate incidents, taking the total number of self-immolations in Tibet to 86 since 2009, according to confirmed information received by TCHRD.

Kalsang Kyap, 24, set himself on fire in front of the county government office in Kyangtsa Township in Zoege (Ch: Ruo’ergai) County in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous, Sichuan Province.

Six Tibetans have died of protest self-immolation in Tibet since local Chinese authorities in Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, began implementing a new campaign, inaugurated through a publicly issued notification on 14 November to ban and punish self-immolations.

Among them, Wangyal, in his 20s, died after setting himself on fire at Serta (Ch: Seda) County in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. On 26 November, Wangyal died of protest self-immolation and government officials took away his body, sources told TCHRD.