Self-Immolations
Mar 30: 2022 |Tsering Samdup self-immolated in front of a Chinese police station near a Buddhist monastery in Kham Kyegudo in Yushu [Ch:Qinghai] around 4:00 pm on March 30, 2022. He was immediately taken away by Chinese police and no one has been allowed to see him or or inquire about his well-being or whereabouts. Currently, there are no details about his condition and whereabouts, reports Radio Free Asia. According to RFA’s source, speaking on anonymity for security reasons, Tsering Samdup was described as “a very well-educated person”. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) also known as the Tibetan Government-in-exile confirmed the date and place of the self-immolation, saying that verifiable background details of the self-immolator are not available at the time of the reporting. Tsering’s self-immolation made it 159 cases of Tibetans protesting against Chinese rule in Tibet by setting themselves on fire since 2009. The last previous reported self-immolation protest took place in Yushu in 2012, that year saw six Tibetans, aged between 22 and 62, resorting to self-immolation, reports RFA.
Mar 27: 2022 | Tashi Phuntsok, also known as Taphun, 81, died after setting himself on fire on March 27, near Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, in Amdo in northeastern Tibet, protesting against Chinese rule. He self-immolated in front of the police station near Kirti Monastery where many protests against China have taken place. Taphun was removed from the scene by police and died later. Where he was taken by police is still unknown, as are the circumstances that led to his death. There is no news to date that his body been returned to his family, who continue to face surveillance from the authorities. Taphun was a resident of Meruma nomadic village. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has reported that Taphun was always vocal about China’s oppressive policies in Tibet and their inhuman treatment of Tibetans. On his 80th birthday last year, he said “It is certain that the sun of happiness will shine over Tibet due to the blessings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Tibetan millennials should not lose heart!” Ngaba county in Amdo province in Tibet has seen a number of self-immolation protests against Chinese rule in Tibet and the area has become one of the most highly restricted regions in Tibet and subject to the highest level of surveillance. Chinese officials have imposed complete censorship of communication resulting in difficulties and time lags in getting news and information about this and previous self-immolations and other protests to the outside world.
Feb 25: 2022 | Tsewang Norbu, 25, a popular contemporary Tibetan singer who attempted self-immolation in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa on February 25, has died, reports Radio Free Asia. Their initial report said that his attempt was thwarted by police, however their update has confirmed his deathal though there are no details of where, and the exact date. Norbu becomes the 158th Tibetan who has died by self-immolation in protest against the Chinese government’s rule of Tibet. Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet, is one of the most restricted regions within Tibet, with heavy police presence and no access for international visitors and journalists without a Chinese permit. The Potala Palace, the former winter residence of the lineages of the Dalai Lamas until the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, is one of the most sacred places for pilgrimate in Tibet and has also become a tourist destination as a museum and world heritage site. The Potala Palace and its surrounding area is subject to heavily surveillance with both police presence and online cameras. Tsewang Norbu shouted slogans as he attempted to set himself alight and timed his protest to coincide with the runup to March 10, Tibetan Uprising Day. The initial reports said that the singer’s attempted self-immolation in front of the Potala Palace was immediately thwarted by police whoremoved him from the spot and blockaded the surrounding streets, deploying extra soldiers. Tsewang Norbu was a multi-genre singer and composer within Tibet and abroad; he participated in Chinese national level reality singing competitions. His hit songs include Tsampa, Dress Up and Except You. Owing to the strict restrictions on communication imposed by the Chinese, there are very limited exchanges of information between Tibetans living in Tibet and those in exile, so that apart from his career as a singer, there are no details about Tsewang Norbu’s family or their reaction to his death. According to the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) Human Rights desk, Norbu was son of “a popular and award winning female singer, Sonam Wangmo who was later recruited to Chinese government’s ‘Song and Dance Troupe’.” Their report further confirmed that the last known self-immolation protest before Norbu’s was Yonten, aged around 24, from Ngaba, Tibet’s traditional province of Amdo on November26, 2019. Tibetans in Dharamshala, the seat of CTA, which is also known as Tibetan Government-in-exile, mourned the death of the singer and expressed solidarity with his suffering with prayers and a candle-lit vigil in the streets of McLeod Ganj.
Dec 10: 2018 / Gedun Gyatso A second self-immolation has been reported as taking place on December 9, the day following DrukKpa's protest. Gedun Gyatso, a teenager thought to be a 17 year old monk, set himself on fire in Heroes Street in Ngaba. It appears that he did not survive. The reports were unclear and initially suggested that two self-immolations had taken place on December 9 or 10 but it was later clarified that the second incident involved only one protest. No further details about Gedun Gyatso or his protest have been reported and the photo is unconfirmed as his. Getting information about protests in Tibet is increasingly difficult as the Chinese authorities have imposed a communications clampdown and in addition they are known to harass and even detain family members and friends of people who self-immolate.
Dec 8: 2018/ DrugKho, 22, self-immolated in protest against Chinese rule in Tibet outside Ngaba County Public Security Bureau. Radio Free Asia reported at the time that their sources in the region were unable to discuss the event, although they did confirm that it took place. The only information that has been available is that DrukKho is from Soruma in Ngaba and that he is believed to have been a former monk from Kirti Monastery which is located near the site of his self-immolation protest, and where he was known as Choekyi Gyaltsen. A later report from the Tibetan Review suggested that DrukKho was alive following his protest, but no information has come through about how he is. The Tibet Post originally reported the incident, saying DrugKho shouted slogans calling for the long life of the Dalai Lama and freedom in Tibet after setting himself alight. They have also reported a lockdown in the area. UPDATED December 28, according to information available in the Tibetan press.
Nov 8: 2018/Dhorbe, 23, a young Tibetan man, has set himself on fire in Ngaba County in Amdo in eastern Tibet. He died during his protest and it is not known what has happened to his remains. During his protest he is reported to have shouted, “Long Live the Dalai Lama” and to have called for His Holiness the Dalai Lama to be allowed to return to Tibet. Dhorbe comes from the Jhakor division of Choeje-Ma Township in Nagaba. Radio Free Asia quotes some monks from Kirti Monastery who have contacts in Ngaba as saying that Dhorbe's father's name is Chopa and his mother, Trinle Kyi, died a few years ago, and that he lived with his uncle. No further information is available at present because of the Chinese administration’s clampdown on communications in Ngaba. Dhorbe is the 154th person to self-immolate, and the 41st in Ngaba.
Mar 7: 2018/ Tsekho Tukchak, also known as Tsekho Topchag, in his early 40s, self-immolated in Meruma township in Ngaba county in Sichuan. A source told Radio Free Asia that at the time of his self-immolation, Tsekho called out, “Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibet” and continued, “The self-immolation was a protest against China’s repressive policy in Tibet […] He paid great attention to Tibetan issues and was very capable of speaking out about the cause”. Tukchak is survived by his mother, his wife and two daughters. Increased security has been deployed in Meruma ahead of the anniversary of the Tibetan uprisings in March in 1959 and 1989. Tukchak is the 153rd self-immolation that has taken place in Tibet.
Dec 23: 2017 /Koenpe, a young Tibetan man in his late 20s, self-immolated near Kirti monastery in Ngaba in Tibet on December 23 and died in hospital the following day. The incident took place on “martyr’s lane” where many people have self-immolated and a video circulating on social media showed him engulfed by flames. Witness statements have been reported saying that police arrived within minutes and removed the body. His family were summoned to collect his remains but his father was arrested on arrival and charged several thousand yuan to pay for his son’s treatment. Koenpe’s father and mother are Gyakyap and Thindok, who live in Cha village in Chuleb Gongma along with his two brothers and three sisters. Koenpe lived in division 2 of Meruma township with his wife Kalsang Lhamo. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said he feels “helpless” and that these acts demonstrate the desperation the Tibetan people living under China’s repressive policies. The Tibetan Government-in-Exile has reiterated their plea for people to refrain from self-immolating and for the Chinese government to “realise that the cause, as well as the solution to this wave of fiery protests, lie with the Chinese government itself”.
Nov 26: 2017/ Ven Tengha, 65, monk self-immolated on November 26 in Kardze in Kham, in eastern Tibet. Reports are coming through that Ven Tengha shouted slogans calling for Tibetan freedom while carrying out his protest. Reports and videos circulating online show that officials arrived on the scene and doused the flames before setting up extra police presence in the area. They took his body away and have not returned his remains to his family. The whereabouts of his family is unknown, and there is concern for them as family members of self-immolators are often detained or otherwise subjected to harassment. Tengha comes from Dadho town in Kardze; he studied Buddhism at Kardze monastery for many years. He lost his parents when still a child; he has three siblings, two living in Lhasa and one in the United States. It is believed that he came to Amravati in India to attend the Kalachakra teachings in 2005. He is the fifth person to self-immolate this year, and the 150th since the first in 2009. In McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, a candle lit vigil took place organised by the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, the Tibetan Women’s’ Association and Students for a Free Tibet while in London, England, the Tibetan community UK augmented their regular Wednesday night Lhakar(White Wednesday) vigil outside the Chinese embassy with a special protest in honour of Thenga, inviting people to come and “raise our voices against the ongoing human rights violations inside Tibet and other minority regions in China…let’s come together and make our voices heard”. Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, said, “It deeply concerns us to see Tibetans, young and old, men and women, monks and nuns self-immolate. Such sacrifices by Tibetans in Tibet evidences that repression in Tibet under the Chinese rule is making lives unlivable. Therefore it is time the Chinese Government heed to the calls of Tibetans in Tibet who long for freedom in Tibet and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama back to Tibet. China must address the legitimate grievances of people in Tibet. The issue of Tibet can be best resolved amicably through the middle way approach, by resuming dialogue with the Tibetan representatives.” The Tibetan Government-in-exile held a prayer service for Tengha in Tsuglakhang, the main temple in McLeod Ganj,presided over by Lopon Thupten Choephel of Namgyal Monastery and attended by members of the Kashag (Cabinet) as well as other representatives of the government and members of the public. Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, President of the Government-in-Exile, speaking on behalf of the Kashag, expressed profound sadness, describing Tengha as a scholar. He said there have been at least 150 self-immolations in Tibet since 2009 but that not a single person has resorted to violence to protest against the oppressive Chinese regime in their country. He called on Chinese president Xi Jinping to reform China’s failed policies in Tibet and address the genuine grievances of the Tibetan people.
Jul 29: 2017/Passang Dhondup, 48, a wood painter at Norbulingka Institute in Sidhpur near Dharamshala, died on July 29 in a self-immolation protest against the illegal Chinese occupation of Tibet. He died at around 3pm at Lhagyal Ri on the Kora – the circumambulation path around His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s residence and temple in Mcleod Ganj. This is the second case of self-immolation in India this month. He was spotted by other people walking the circumambulation at the time. Tenzin Dorjee, a witness, said “His body was already in flames when I came across the spot where he had set himself on fire”. Dorjee notified Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) and the Dharamshala Tibetan Settlement officer. Two other witnesses, Mr Gyurmey Dorjee and Mrs Bhukyi heard the deceased shouting “Long live the Dalai Lama”. When the Tibetan Settlement Officer and members of TYC arrived on the spot, followed by the police, no one had information about the person’s identity. They found a small bag nearby containing an umbrella, Tibetan national flag, some cash, house key and small paper on which they found a phone number and a name of a Tibetan person – Nyima Gyalpo. Two empty bottles of kerosene or petrol were also found on the site. After investigation, it was found that the phone number belongs to a cable contractor in the Norbulingka area and that Dhondup worked under Nyima Gyalpo in the woodcraft section of Norbulingka Institute. Speaking to the Tibetan media, Gyalpo said that Dhondup had taken a half day leave on that day. "All the evidence, including his slogans and the eyewitness accounts, are clearly stating the fact that he was a Tibetan national and he had self-immolated for Tibet," the Dharamshala Tibetan Settlement Officer Dawa Rinchen told reporters at a press conference. It was later confirmed that Dhondup came to India in 1991 from Gyaltse in Shigatse Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region. He studied for some time in Suja School and has been working at Norbulingka as wood painter since 2012. Nyima Gyalpo explained that Dhondup was a man of few words, lived alone and was someone who loved reading Tibetan books and newspapers. Tibetan non-government organisations in Dharamshala held a candle lit vigil for Dhondup on July 31. Tibetans and supporters in Dharamshala, including the President of Tibetan Government-in-exile Dr Lobsang Sangay, gathered for a special prayer service at Lhagyal Ri and attended the funeral August 2. Sikyong Sangay discouraged self-immolation protests outside Tibet and urged Tibetans to seek other means to contribute to Tibetan cause. “While we understand the intention behind the act of self-immolation, we must remember that the life of every Tibetan is precious and that we must be alive to fight for our cause. In a free country, we have the freedom to embark on all possible methods to contribute substantially to advancing our cause. The life of every one of the six million Tibetans is precious, and every life lost is a huge loss for us and for our cause”, said Sikyong. He further added that his office is considering not attending prayer services in the case of any future self-immolations in exile. Passang Dhondup’s self-immolation is the tenth to take place in exile. The first Tibetan to stage a self-immolation protest was Thupten Ngodup, who set himself in fire in Delhi on April 28, 1998. He was involved in a hunger strike protest which was being forcibly ended by Delhi police. He later died in hospital.
Jul 14: 2017/ Tenzin Choeying, 19, a third year student at the Central University for Tibetan Studies, died on July 22 after dousing himself with kerosene and setting himself on fire on July 14 outside the entrance to his hall of residence in Varanasi. As he burned he shouted, “Victory to Tibet”. Students and staff extinguished the fire and he was taken to hospital in a critical condition. “I burned myself only for Tibet” said Choeying from his hospital bed, and continued, "Since I was a small boy I always wanted to do something for Tibet as Tibet is illegally occupied by the Chinese government, and the current policies of the Chinese government like wiping out Tibetan language and culture is another reason for my protest". Choeying’s parents travelled up from the Kollegal Tibetan Settlement in South India. His condition deteriorated and he was airlifted to Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi for further treatment. He was a member of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) chapter in Varanasi and the Tibetan Youth Buddhist Association. He was related to the writer and activist Tenzin Tsundue who posted regular updates on Choeying’s condition and said, "Support, and messages of love are pouring in from all across the Tibetan community, and from non-Tibetans from around the world". On arrival in Delhi Choeying’s condition deteriorated. An emergency prayer session for his recovery was held in Tibetan Children’s Village Day School in McLeod Ganj Dharamsala and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, included prayers for him at their prayer meeting for Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo. Sikyong Lobsang Sangay called for all Tibetans to pray for Choeying, saying, “While we understand the intention behind the act of self-immolation, we must remember that the life of every Tibetan is precious and that we must be alive to fight for our cause…every life lost is a huge loss for us and our cause”. Pawo Tenzin Choeying died from his 90% burns on July 22 in Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. His body was taken initially to Samyeling Tibetan Refugee Colony in Delhi. The Tibetan Youth Congress, at the request of Choeying’s family, organised his onward transport to Dharamshala and set up the cremation for the morning of July 26 in accordance with Tibetan astrological calculations. On the way from Delhi to Dharamshala, the motorcade stopped briefly at the Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah to enable the students and staff paid their last respects before arriving in Mcleod Ganj on the morning of July 25 where he was welcomed by crowds of Tibetans and Indians. A prayer ceremony was held with his family in the TYC office where the media, who had turned out in force, pressed Choeyang’s parents for a personal statement. Choeying's mother Tashi Yangzom, expressed sadness for the loss and pride for the sacrifice by her youngest son, while Choeying's father, Ngawang Khedup said: "I have no regrets, but I plead with the new generation to explore other means to fight for freedom". Tributes and condolences poured in: Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay; a representative from HH the Karmapa's Tsurphu Labrang; the Treasury Secretary of Gyuto Tantric Monastery all paid a visit to the parents, as did Norbu Tsering, Chairman of Local Assembly, Kollegal Refugee Camp who came specially to Dharamshala to represent the settlement. Tibetan shops in McLeod Ganj remained closed for the day. Students from the Tibetan Institute of Medicine and Astrology held an all night prayer vigil in the TYC headquarters and on July 26, the day of the cremation, Tibetan trantric practitioner Sonam Dorjee performed a series of prayer rituals.Mass prayers were held in the three biggest monasteries in exile, Sera, Drepung and Ganden in South India and reports of prayers gatherings poured in from San Francisco, Minnesota, Ontario, NYNJ, Kullu-Manali, Kollegal, CUTS Varanasi, Sarah College, Australia, Rome, Ladakh and elsewhere. Choeying was the youngest of four siblings. His parents urged young Tibetans to live for Tibet and contribute to the Tibetan cause by making use of the international platforms rather than resorting to self-immolation.They said that youth must fight for the cause through education and non violence and stressed the importance of preserving the Tibetan cultural heritage and language. Choeying was the ninth Tibetan to self-immolate outside Tibet. The first self-immolation in Tibet was in February 27, 2009 when a Tibetan monk named Tapey set fire to himself. 149 self-immolations have taken place inside Tibet.
May 19: 2017 / Jamyang Losal, 22, a monk from Gyerteng Monastry in Kagtsa’s Nangra township, self-immolated near the People’s Hospital in Kangtsa county in Qinghai’s Tsojang Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. He did not survive his protest; the police removed his body and have not responded to requests from the family to release his remains. Losal was a native of Dong Gya village in Nangra township.
May 2: 2017/ Chagdor Kyab, 16, has self-immolated in Bora in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Amdo, in protest against Chinese rule. Chagdor Kyab is a student from a farming family and staged his protest near Bora monastery which is a branch of Labrang Tashikyil monastery. He is reported as shouting “Tibet wants freedom” and "Let His Holiness the Dalai Lama come back to Tibet” while he burned. Radio Free Asia has reported that he tried to run towards the Chinese government offices but collapsed. Chinese police and military swiftly arrived at the scene, extinguished the flames and removed the body, it is not known whether he survived. His parents are farmers from Dardo, his mother is named Dolma Tso, his father Zoepa. Tight security and communications restrictions in the area delayed news and information about this protest reaching the outside world.
Apr 16: 2017 / Wangchuk Tseten, a Tibetan man in his 30’s, has self-immolated in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. He is a father of four and comes from Ahse village of Shido town in Nyagrong county in Kardze. The self-immolation took place at about 7.00 am local time in the main square in Kardze where large crowds are known to gather. Chinese police swiftly took the burned man away and there is no confirmed information of his current whereabouts or whether he is alive, although it is believed he died during or shortly after his protest. Further information about the incident is slow to come through and it is believed there is a communications block in place. Voice of America has reported that residents of the town have been summoned to meetings by Chinese authorities following the self-immolation and that people there are very reluctant to discuss the event. Voice of Tibet has reported that three Tibetans, Kunchok Gyaltsen, Nyima and Tsering Gyatso from Nyarong County, were arrested for being in possession of Wangchuk Tseten’s mobile phone and severely beaten. Two have since been released but one remains in custody and is understood to being subjected to torture. Another report has come in of Kunchok Tsering, 39, who may have died in detention after being severely beaten for taking a video clip of the self-immolation. It is although unclear if the video in question is the same as the one circulated on the Internet. There are some unconfirmed reports of two further people being arrested.
Mar 18: 2017 / Pema Gyaltsen also known as Pegyal, 24, has self-immolated near Tsoga monastery in Nyagrong, Kham, eastern Tibet on March 18 to protest against the illegal occupation of Tibet by the Chinese regime, reports Radio Free Asia. This is the first reported self-immolation protest inside Tibet since the start of this year. The police removed his charred body from the location of his protest. Initially it was not known whether Pegyal had survived, but the Tibet Express reported on March 22 that their sources in the region say he is in a critical condition in hospital in Chengdu. RFA quotes Pema Gyaltsen as having “called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and for freedom in Tibet”. A video is circulating on social media showing a huge police presence at the self-immolation site. A group of Gyaltsen’s relatives went to Kardze county police station to try and see him but were detained overnight, beaten and forced to spend the night standing up. “Today some of them could barely walk from the beating, but they were released under the guarantee of a Nyagrong official,” added RFA’s source. Very little information is getting through because of the communications crackdown and block on the use of WeChat (a popular messaging app used across Tibet) in the region. Pema Gyaltsen was the eldest of five siblings and sole breadwinner for his parents and siblings. This case is the second self-immolation protest in Nyarong. Kalsang Wangdue, an 18 year old monk died in a self-immolation protest there on February 29 last year near his monastery, Retsokha Aryaling monastery. On that same day, Dorjee Tsering, a 15 year old Tibetan student living in India also self-immolated to protest against Chinese occupation of Tibet and succumbed to his burns after three days. Gyaltsen is the 146th Tibetan to self-immolate in Tibet since the first in 2009 which set off the current spate of self-immolation protests which has been happening since across Tibet. Most of these protestors call for Tibetan freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet; His Holiness has been living in exile since escaping Tibet during the failed uprising there in 1959. The Chinese authorities have criminalised self-immolation and there are many reported cases of people being imprisoned for showing support, however remote, for these protests or protestors.