Tsoe, 55th Tibetan immolation against Beijing’s oppression
Lhasa (AsiaNews)
- Another Tibetan has set himself on fire to protest Chinese occupation. Tamdrin
Dorjee, 52, self-immolated on October 13 near the monastery of Tsoe, County
Kanlho (Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, eastern Tibet). The act took place
at around 13:00 local time. The man died a
few hours later from burns. His body was removed by
the authorities.
Witnesses
say that the police have set up a security cordon around the site of suicide. He
is the 55th Tibetan to choose death by fire to raise global awareness of the
plight of the people, oppressed by the regime in Beijing. Tandrim
is the grandfather of the 7th Gunthang Rinpoche, an important religious figure
of the Buddhist monastery of Labrang. The
man died in the same place, where in August a young woman mother of two
children committed suicide in protest.
Stephanie
Brigden, director of Free Tibet says:
"As long as China maintains its grip on Tibet, the population will
continue to demand freedom. Tibetan Spring protests show no sign of stopping.
It is time for the international community to speak of freedom for Tibetans. "
The
Tsoe monastery is very important for Tibetan Buddhists and was among the first
to organize large-scale protests against Chinese rule in 2008. This
latest suicide comes after the appeal made in recent days by 400 Tibetan exiles
from 26 countries, who gathered in Dharamsala to put an end to this form of
protest. The
Dalai Lama himself has invited Tibetans not make such tough decisions, despite
the high level of repression.
"Tibet
- said the religious leader - is a sparsely populated country, and in the
current situation to lose even one life is a great loss for the Tibetan people.
Try to save your life for the future."
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