Tashi Rabten left a letter detailing his reason for self-immolation protest
Photo: TPI
Tashi Rabten, a 33-year-old Tibetan man and former monk, died during a self-immolation protest on December 9 in Machu County of northeastern Tibet. Images and videos of the self-immolation were circulated widely on social media. Rabten is the 145th person to self-immolate in protest against the Chinese government policies and actions in Tibet. He left a detailed letter explaining his action, extracts of which are reproduced below.
Onlookers reported that while burning he called out for “freedom for Tibet and for the return of the Dalai Lama” and that he also called out for the release of the Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima who is detained in China.
Tashi Rabten, who was known to his friends and family as Tarab, was a father of three. His wife and two daughters were taken into custody where they were beaten and tortured. A local source has told Radio Free Asia that the authorities demanded that the three sign a document declaring that Rabten had set himself ablaze because of problems at home and not in protest againstChinese policies, and beat them when they refused to sign. The source continued, “They were later released after putting their thumb prints on a document they did not understand…Many who met Tashi Rabten’s wife and daughters after their release saw marks of physical abuse on their bodies”.
There are also reports that the authorities raided the family home and removed photos, as well as raiding local teashops and restaurants and taking nine people into custody on suspicion of involvement. Three were detained on suspicion of “having taken photos and video of Rabten’s protest” along with Tsedzin Lhamo, a Tibetan woman who had witnessed the self-immolation and prayed aloud for the Dalai Lama’s blessings.
Rabten’sbody was taken to Tsoe [Hezuo] city and is assumed to have been cremated against the wishes of his family who wanted a traditional burial at Labrang monastery. It is reported that a “bag of ashes” has been handed to his family.
Police are said to be taking the names of people who are attending a prayer ceremony for Rabten in Machu, but not preventing local people from attending.RFA reports that Chinese police forces have increased patrols in the area and Rabten’s family is under surveillance.
His cousin Tsering Kyi, a 20-year old student, self-immolated and died on the same spot in 2012.
A candlelit vigil for Rabten was held in McLeod Ganj on December 9, congregating for prayers at the Tibetan National Martyrs Memorial at the entrance to the temple.
Tashi Rabten lies in flames on a street in Machu county, Gansu, Dec 8, 2016
The Tibet Post International (TPI) has received a letter written in Chinese by Tashi Rabten before his protest. The full text, as published by TPI, is reproduced below:
I am a Tibetan, so I am not a Chinese. As a Tibetan with the Chinese passport, I am willing to cry for the human rights and democracy for 1.3 billion of people. However, as an authentic Tibetan, I should cry for our territory and freedom even more! Today, I will leave this world. But I believe that I am moving closer to our Tibetan belief. We are destined to use this approach to pursue and obtain our already-lost and fading-away homeland. We are destined to use self-immolation to call back our Tibetan belief and territory that has been isolated. We are willing to follow our His Holiness [the Dalai Lama]. We only choose peaceful ways to solve our problem with the Chinese government. We Tibetans do not want the Massacre and inhuman invasion war by China’s People’s Liberation Army back in 1958 to happen again. We don’t want to be called as “riot” (beating, smashing, and robbery) as in 2008. Other than Chinese within China, almost nobody in the world believes that our Tibetans are having a “riot”. Because most Chinese within China are brainwashed. Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, they are always in the status of being brainwashed, singing the Chinese Communist Party’s “red songs”, envisioning the great leader is progressing, constructing the “Four Modernity”. In that period of 2008, who were really rioting? It was the Armed Police and the Chinese Army dispatched by the Chinese government that were really launching a ‘beating, smashing, robbery, killing’ campaign. In the past, Chinese swore the Japanese “Three Alls” policy (a colonial control measure). It might be purely conjecture, or it might have actually taken place. I don’t know if it was real or not. In fact, as a Tibetan, I don’t have hatred towards the Japanese. I like Japanese and respect Japanese. However, the Chinese army really executed a policy as such in the Tibetan region, especially in Tibetan monasteries. They were recklessly beating us Tibetans, beating our renowned monks, smashing our Buddhist statues in the monasteries, and robbing the artefacts in the monasteries. They murdered nuns, monks, and young students with guns. They also murdered many pilgrims to Lhasa with guns. The 1958 policy of burning down the monastery, has been replaced by tanks and bulldozers.Nowadays, in many places in our Tibetan region, many monasteries and monk’s residences have been crushed into ruins by tanks and bulldozers from the Chinese Armed Police and the Chinese Army. In all, my words are hereby sent to you. Don’t think I am joking. I am ernest. I want people understand that we Tibetans actually are not afraid of death. Yet, for the peaceful resolution, I can only use self-immolation to warn people. We Tibetans need to be protected and taken care of. We need to be on our own land, living like real people. Long live the Tibetans. Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama! 08/12/2016, at Machu, by the Firing Bird
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