20 year old Monk dies in self immolation: sacrifices for the "Tibetan Spring"
Dharamsala (AsiaNews) - A 20-year old monk
died yesterday after he set himself on fire, the last act of a long series of
sacrifices that are characterizing the "Tibetan Spring". Local
sources report that at 7.10
in the evening Lobsang Sherab self-immolated in the town
of Chara, Ngaba county, eastern Tibet, the Chinese province of Sichuan.
First the 20-year old belonging to Kirti Monastery - the scene of numerous
protests and burnings in recent months - set himself on fire shouting slogans
against Beijing's
"discriminate" policies against Tibetans, and then he died.
Local sources report that "two Tibetans in the area tried to remove the
corpse," but it was taken by the Chinese security forces "who
prevented them from taking the body ". Officials have also ordered the
closure of shops and businesses in the area for "precautionary
reasons".
Last night's was the second self-immolation in the town of Chara, about 70 km from Ngaba, in this
month. On 5 March an 18 year old named Dorjee set himself on fire and died. Police
have imposed a strict control and will not return the corpse to the family for
the funeral. Local sources confirm the tense situation and do not exclude other
similar incidents happening again in the near future.
Interviewed by AsiaNews Stephanie
Brigen, director of Free Tibet, said that "more than 30 Tibetans have set
themselves on fire for freedom" and many "thousands are taking to the
streets." Connecting the pro-democracy movements in Arab countries and in North Africa, the activist adds that "Tibetan
Spring" has begun while "the
international community remains silent, how many other Tibetans - she wonders -
have to sacrifice even their lives , for the international community to break its
silence? ".
Last year alone more than 24 Tibetans (at least 27 since 2009), including many
young people, have chosen to self-immolate to protest against the strict
control imposed by Beijing, which oversees the practice of worship and the
opening and closure of the monasteries, and to demand the return of the
spiritual leader of Tibetans. In contrast, the Dalai Lama has always emphasized
he is "not encouraging" these extreme forms of protest, but he
praised the "courage" of those who make the ultimate gesture, the
result of the "cultural genocide" that is taking place in Tibet at
the hands of China. (NC)
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