Tibetan monk self-immolates in protest against raid by Chinese authorities
Dharamsala (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A Tibetan monk set himself on fire
yesterday afternoon, to protest against intrusion of Chinese security forces in
a monastery in the western province of Qinghai, the man died from severe burns
and his gesture
has helped to fuel anxiety and anger against Beijing's occupation of the Tibetan
region. This
is the 22nd confirmed self-immolation, since protests against Chinese policies
began in February 2009, according to other sources, the number has reached 25,
but there is no official confirmation because of the censorship imposed by China. Meanwhile,
the tragic protest by Tibetan Buddhists has gained the support of the highest
religious figure in Vietnam,
who says the repression in Tibet
is "a challenge to all humanity."
Local
sources, interviewed by Radio Free Asia
(RFA), say that 40-year old monk Damchoe Sangpo, of Bongtak monastery, County Themchen,
Tsonub prefecture, set himself on fire at around 6 am yesterday and died
shortly after. He
wanted to protest against the decision of Chinese authorities, who forced the
cancellation of a traditional prayer meeting in the monastery, and the constant
presence of security forces. "When
the monks left the temple - a monk named Shingsa tells a RFA - at the end of
morning prayers, they saw Damchoe burn. He died on the spot."
To
try to contain the fires and the daily news of protests, China has
imposed strict censorship and the severing of all outside communications. Security
forces have implemented a strict control on monasteries and arrested scores of
people, if not hundreds. However,
the self-immolation still receives the support of influential personalities of
international Buddhism.
In
a secret letter sent to the Dalai Lama, Thich Quang Do - Vietnamese Buddhists'
spiritual leader and head of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, from Hanoi haunted - says that
the fires may be the only way in the battle for religious freedom against
Chinese rule . "Self-immolation
is a tragic and extreme gesture - writes the patriarch - and should be avoided
at all costs." But
there are "times when extreme acts", says the 83 year old monk, such
as becoming "a human torch" is the only way to "dispel the
darkness and ignorance." In
the letter he mentions the most famous case of self-immolation of a Vietnamese
Buddhist monk, in 1963, during the war: "This gesture from the film
released - concludes Thich Quang Do - shocked the conscience of the
world."
In all these months, the Dalai Lama has often urged the young
Tibetans to preserve their lives and not take part in these extreme measures.
.png)
