Engnews November 2012

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Student Protests Spread

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetan Student Protests Spread NOVEMBER 28, 2012—Tibetan student protests against Chinese rule spread Wednesday in Qinghai province as another Tibetan burned himself to death to signal opposition to Beijing's policy. Students from the Tsolho Technical School in Chabcha (in Chinese, Gonghe) county in the Tsolho (Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture stormed out of their campus and shouted for "freedom" and "Tibetan language rights" in front of the prefecture government center, sources inside Tibet told RFA's Tibetan service. Chinese police beat up the students and detained five of them as they used tear gas to keep the crowd at bay, the sources said, without saying how many were involved in the demonstrations, the second protests police cracked down on this week. "Again, a huge contingent of Chinese police arrived at the site and cracked down on the students," one source said, citing local residents. "They beat up the students, hurled tear gas at them and there was also some kind of explosives used on the student crowd." "Many students were hurt with cut on their heads and body. Five students were detained," the source said. Earlier protest Two days ago, about 1,000 students, led by those from the Tsolho Medical Institute, had protested also in Chabcha over the release of an official Chinese booklet which ridiculed the Tibetan language as irrelevant and condemned the series of self-immolation protests against Beijing's rule as acts of "stupidity." Chinese authorities arrested four of the students after firing warning gunshots and teargas to suppress the demonstration. Five of 20 wounded students in Monday's protest were in critical condition in hospital, the sources said. The students had burned the offending booklets during the protests and called for "equality among nationalities and freedom to study the Tibetan language." Aside from opposing Chinese rule, most Tibetan protesters, especially the self-immolators, have pressed for the return of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who is living in exile in India. New self-immolation The latest fatal Tibetan self-immolation protest occurred late Tuesday in Sangchu (Xiahe) county in Gansu province, sources said Wednesday, raising the number of burnings signaling opposition to Chinese rule to 87 so far. Sangay Tashi 18, burned himself around 11 p.m. local time at the country's Sangkog subdivision and died on the spot, according to the sources. "While his body was consumed by the fire, he called for the return of Dalai Lama to Tibet and the release of Panchen Lama and other political prisoners," one exile source told RFA. The Panchen Lama, Tibet's second-highest religious figure, was detained by Chinese authorities as a child in 1995 after being named to his position by the Dalai Lama, and another child—widely regarded by Tibetans as a Chinese puppet—was installed in his place. Mixed response There has been a mixed response to the self-immolations. Community leaders and intellectuals in Tibet and Tibetan-populated areas in Chinese provinces have staged a hunger strike in sympathy with the burning protests, Kanyag Tsering, an exile monk in India's hill town Dharamsala, told RFA Wednesday. Sixty Tibetans in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Sichuan and Qinghai provinces began a three-day hunger strike accompanied by prayers on Monday "to express their solidarity with the Tibetans who self immolated in protest against the Chinese policy and the Tibetans who are suffering in dark Chinese prisons," he said. "They started their fast at 10 p.m. local time on Monday and ended at 8 a.m. today," the source said. "The participants were members of local universities, government employees, writers, monks, and businessmen." In Qinghai's Rebgong (Tongren) county, where most of this month's self-immolations took place, a group of Tibetan lamas (Buddhist leaders) and geshes (teachers) from monasteries as well as government officials and elderly chiefs "collectively and sincerely" appealed in a statement this week for a halt in the self-immolations. "We, who have true affection for the society and the nationalities and who value human life, beg you with our knees fixed on the earth, our hands clasped to our hearts, and our minds with unblemished clarity, appeal to you to cease desperate acts of self-immolations," they said in the statement, a copy of which was made available to RFA on Wednesday. "The priceless human life you have found this time is the product of merits accumulated from the past. Do not waste this precious life as a challenge to face sadness, misery and agony, but rather turn it into a force of will and a means to do great deeds for the wellbeing and benefit of all human beings for many long years," it said. "In order to establish peace in the world and genuine security and real harmony in the country, we should look far and wide," it said. "If you want to orient your attention toward doing something for the good of the country and its nationalities and good for your town, a momentary shortsighted mindset will not do. To perform acts of great purpose, you need patience." In September, more than 400 Tibetan exiles from 26 countries met in India and also called for an end to the self-immolation protests. Similar expressions of concern from exile figures and from the Dalai Lama himself over the burnings have gone largely unheeded in the past. Reported by RFA's Tibetan service. Translated by Karma Dorjee and Benpa Topgyal. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/protest-11282012200948.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 1 month

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Student Protesters Held as Another Tibetan Self-Immolates

by Joshua Lipes

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Tibetan Student Protesters Held as Another Tibetan Self-Immolates NOV. 27, 2012-Chinese authorities arrested four Tibetan students Tuesday after opening fire on and suppressing a mass student demonstration in Qinghai province a day earlier, sources said, as another Tibetan burned himself to death in neighboring Sichuan province in protest over Chinese rule. Five of 20 wounded Tibetan students following the Chinese crackdown on the student protests in Chabcha (in Chinese, Gonghe) county were in critical condition in hospital, the sources said. More than 1,000 students, led by those from the Tsolho Medical Institute, had protested Monday over the release of an official Chinese booklet which ridiculed the Tibetan language as irrelevant and condemned the series of self-immolation protests against Beijing's rule as acts of "stupidity," local residents had said. "The armed security forces fired in the air and then fired several tear gas shots on the protesting students," a Tibetan source in exile told RFA's Tibetan service, citing local students. "Many were beaten and several students were injured from the beating and smoke inhalation. About 20 of them were hospitalized for treatment and among them five students are reported to be in critical condition." Free Tibet, a London-based advocacy group, said armed security forces beat the peaceful protesters with rifle butts. Police detained four of the student protestors, sources said, identifying two of them as Wangdu Tsering and Mama. Book-burning The Chinese booklet that raised the ire of the students was entitled "10 Real Views of Tsolho Area" and reflected the local government of the Tsolho (Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture's perception of the Tibetan language and the burning protests, according to the sources. Chabcha county is in Tsolho prefecture. The students burned the books during the protests and called for "equality among nationalities and freedom to study the Tibetan language," one source said, citing local contacts. "They called for an investigation into this issue and respect for justice." The students were also agitated by statements by the Chinese authorities blaming the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, as "the main cause for the split between Tibetans and Chinese," the source said. Aside from opposing Chinese rule, most of the Tibetan protesters, especially the self-immolators, have pressed for the return of the Dalai Lama, who is living in exile in India. Self-immolation in Kyangtsa In the latest self-immolation protest in Sichuan's Ngaba (Aba) prefecture, a Tibetan man, Kalsang Kyab, burned himself to death on Tuesday in front of the local government office in Kyangtsa town in Dzoege (Ruo'ergai) county, shouting slogans against Chinese rule and hailing the Dalai Lama. It brought the total number of self-immolations to 86 since the wave of fiery protests began in February 2009. Kalsang Kyab, 24, self-immolated near the local Kyangtsa government office, shouting, among other slogans, "Long Live the Dalai Lama," according to Dharamsala-based exile monks Kanyag Tsering and Lobsang Yeshi. "Before approaching the doorsteps of the local government office, he first doused his body with kerosene and shouted slogans. As he arrived near the door of the government office, he lit the fire and even after that he continued to shout several slogans," they said. A few days earlier, Kalsang Kyab had told some people that he had planned to self-immolate but none of them took it seriously, they said. Security clampdown Other details, such as heightened security measures after the self-immolation protest, were not immediately available following a clampdown in communication by the Chinese authorities. "There is communication problem as phone lines are cut or not working and no response is coming from inside Tibet. It is difficult to confirm details," Lobsang Tsultrim, a former Ngaba resident now living in India's hill town Dharamsala, told RFA. But Free Tibet, a London-based advocacy group, said Tibetans in Ngaba were going into hiding as military personnel arrived in Kyangtsa township in response to the latest self-immolation. "Free Tibet has well-founded concerns for the safety of the people of [Kyangtsa] township. China is responding with disproportionate and sometimes lethal force to protests across Tibet," said Free Tibet Director Stephanie Brigden. "Only yesterday, more than 20 Tibetan students ended up in hospital, several requiring emergency treatment, after armed security forces beat peaceful protesters with rifle butts. It is no wonder that the people of Ngaba are going into hiding." Reported by RFA's Tibetan service. Translated by Karma Dorjee and Benpa Topgyal. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/arrests-11272012145552.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 1 month

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Chinese Troop Buildup After New Burning

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Chinese Troop Buildup After New Burning NOV. 8, 2012— Chinese paramilitary forces are pouring into a restive Tibetan county in Gansu province where thousands of Tibetan villagers have converged following a new fatal self-immolation protest against Chinese rule on Thursday, sources said. The burning was the third in the county in the last week and the sixth in Tibetan-populated areas over the last two days. Kalsang Jinpa, 18, set himself ablaze at around 4:00 p.m. at Dolma Square in front of the Rongwo monastery in Rebgong (in Chinese, Tongren) county, Tibetan sources said amid concerns over possible clashes between security forces and Tibetan villagers. “As he burned, he shouted slogans calling for the return to Tibet of [exiled spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama, and he died at the scene,” Shawo Dorje, a Tibetan living in exile in Switzerland said, citing contacts in the region. “Immediately afterward, around 5,000 Tibetans assembled at Dolma Square and shouted slogans such as ‘Long live the Dalai Lama!’ and then took Kalsang Jinpa’s body to the Dongya-la funeral ground for cremation,” said Dorje Wangchuk, a Tibetan living in India, also citing local sources. Plainclothes police officers mingled with the growing crowd, and local Tibetans, fearing a possible clash with security forces, kept the gathering under control, Wangchuk said. Party Congress Jinpa’s protest came after a young Tibetan mother, Tamdrin Tso, 23, burned herself to death on Thursday in Rebgong while calling for the Dalai Lama’s return. It also came four days after a Tibetan traditional artist, Dorje Lhundrub, 25, set himself ablaze in Rebgong while shouting slogans against Chinese rule. Also on Thursday, three teenage Tibetan monks set themselves on fire in protests in Sichuan province’s Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) prefecture and a still unidentified Tibetan self-immolated in the Tibet Autonomous Region’s Driru county. The burnings on Wednesday and Thursday—which have raised the self-immolation total to 69 so far—come as the ruling Chinese Communist Party began holding its highly anticipated 18th Party Congress on Thursday. The meeting is expected to endorse a once-in-a-decade national leadership transition. 'Grave concerns' Chinese paramilitary trucks are now heading toward Kalsang Jinpa’s Dowa township in Rebgong, as more people from the town attempt to get to Rongwo, the site of Jinpa’s protest, said Stephanie Brigden, director of the London-based Free Tibet advocacy group. “We have grave concerns for the safety of the people of Rebgong county,” Brigden said. She noted that Chinese security forces have announced they will do “whatever it takes” to crush protests in the region while the Communist Party holds its meeting in Beijing. “Now those same forces are being deployed in Rebgong, where thousands of Tibetans are gathered in peaceful protest,” Brigden said. “As Congress opens, China must be held accountable for its actions in Tibet.” Reported by Chakmo Tso, Lobsang Sherab, and Palden Gyal for RFA’s Tibetan service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/buildup-11082012112619.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 1 month

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Two More Tibetans Dead in Rebgong Burning

by Joshua Lipes

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Two More Tibetans Dead in Rebgong Burning NOV. 15, 2012-Two young Tibetans set themselves ablaze in protests against Chinese rule and died on Thursday in a restive Tibetan county where authorities have cut communications to prevent news of self-immolations from marring announcements of the ruling Chinese Communist Party's leadership change, sources said. The burnings in Rebgong (in Chinese, Tongren) county in Qinghai province's Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture bring to 74 the total number of self-immolations challenging Chinese rule in Tibetan areas since the wave of fiery protests began in February 2009. "Today, two persons self-immolated in Rebgong, including a woman in Tsenmo," a local resident told RFA's Tibetan service, speaking on condition of anonymity. Tibetan media sources identified the woman as Tenzin Dolma, aged 23 and a resident of Tsenmo Goge village in Rebgong, the county in which most of the recent self-immolations have taken place. She set herself on fire at about noon local time in the courtyard of a community temple, sources said. "She died at the scene, since local Tibetans didn't know immediately about her protest. She left behind her cell phone and rings, and then prepared herself inside the prayer hall by performing certain religious rituals," one source said. Tenzin Dolma is survived by her father Bhulo, 50, and her mother Tashi Dolma, 41. Her remains will be cremated at around 10:00 p.m. by local Tibetans led by monks from nearby Rongwo monastery, sources said. Man also dies Separately, a young man named Khambum Gyal set himself on fire and died near the Rongwo monastery in Rebgong's Dowa township, sources said. Gyal, a native of Gyalpo Luchu in Rebgong, was identified by Chinese state media as a 14-year-old boy, though Tibetan sources place his age at 18 or 19. "At around 11:00 a.m. today, 18-year-old Khambum Gyal self-immolated in the street at Rongwo and died," a Tibetan living in Switzerland named Sonam said, citing contacts in the region. "Hundreds of local people, including monks from Tsagya monastery, cremated his remains." Khambum Gyal is survived by his father, Tamdin Gyal, and his mother Dolkar Tso, and by six siblings, sources said. Some Tibetan groups believe that recent Tibetan self-immolation protests have been timed to coincide with the Chinese Communist Party's 18th Party Congress in Beijing, and to send a powerful message of Tibetan discontent with Chinese policies to the new leadership. China's political elite named former vice president Xi Jinping to the top Party post on Thursday, and surprisingly also put him in charge of China's military after the week-long Party meeting. Communications cut In a statement on Thursday, London-based Free Tibet director Stephanie Brigden said that Chinese authorities have blocked detailed news of protests in the Rebgong area. "It may seem particularly important for China to banish any hint of instability during announcements of the new generation of leaders, hence the stringent efforts to block communications to and from Rebgong," Brigden said. "World leaders must speak out for the Tibetans who are protesting for freedom in the face of all China's might." The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), as the Tibetan exile government in India is called, has urged the United States to push the new Chinese leadership to restore various rights to the Tibetans. "The Obama administration also could take up the issue of Tibet more seriously with the new Chinese leadership appointed at the 18th Party Congress," said CTA head Lobsang Sangay in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. "Tibetans in Tibet are crying out for justice, including the autonomy and freedom to worship they have been promised by Beijing over the years," Sangay said. "Helping resolve the issue of Tibet is not only in synch with American values, but it is also a strategic imperative. America and the rest of the world have a vital stake in China's rise from an economic giant to a potential superpower," he said. Reported by RFA's Tibetan service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/rebgong-11152012130853.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 2 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Students Stage Mass Protest in Restive County

by Rachel Vandenbrink

Tibetan Students Stage Mass Protest in Restive County November 9, 2012 — Several thousand Tibetan students took to the streets in restive Rebgong (in Chinese, Tongren) county in Qinghai province Friday demanding greater rights following a record number of self-immolation protests against Chinese rule in Tibetan populated areas this week, sources said. The students shouted slogans calling for "equality of nationalities and freedom of languages" and demanding the return of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who has been living in exile in India since he fled after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, according to the sources. Residents inside Tibet emailed photos of the demonstrations to various groups outside Tibet, with some showing students holding up Tibetan language text books. The demonstrators from local schools, joined by students from the Malho Teacher Training College and the Malho Vocational Institute, assembled at Dolma Square in front of the Rongwo Monastery in Rongwo township, the capital of Rebgong in the Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. At the square, they recited prayers and shouted slogans as more local Tibetans joined the crowd. Candlelight vigil Meanwhile, almost a thousand Tibetan students from the Qinghai Nationalities University in Qinghai's provincial capital Xining gathered on Friday evening to pray for Tibetans who have died in protests challenging Chinese rule, sources said. The students lit candles for about an hour between 6:10 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. and then dispersed after university administrators pleaded with them to end their rally. Chinese security forces have been placed on round-the-clock duty at strategic areas in towns and villages in Rebgong but there were no reports of any clampdown of the protests, the sources said. "I called the region and learned that around 3,000 to 4,000 students were out in the streets early this morning. They shouted slogans for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, equality of nationalities, and freedom of languages," said Drugyam, a Tibetan living in exile in the U.S. Speaking to RFA, protesters described area streets filled with Chinese security forces, plainclothes police, and military vehicles, but said that no move was made to crack down on the protests. "A few students were beaten up, though, and some were taken to the hospital with injuries," one source said. The India-based Tibetan government-in-exile and the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) said 5,000 students took part in the rally Friday, the second straight day of protests in Rebgong where students participated. Chinese flags pulled down A day earlier, as several thousand Tibetan villagers protested following the third self-immolation protest in the county this week, about 700 schoolchildren pulled down Chinese flags hoisted on top of their school building in Dowa township and in the township's government office. "Moments after the protest, seven military trucks came from Rebgong county but local Tibetans and schoolchildren stopped the trucks from moving to Dowa township," TCHRD said in a statement, citing local contacts. "Faced with a crowd of Tibetan protesters, the military trucks backed off, returning to Rebgong." Rebgong was the scene of constant student protests in October 2010 against a proposed change in the language of instruction in schools from Tibetan to Chinese. Tensions Tensions in Rebgong had flared on Sunday when traditional artist Dorje Lhundrub, 25, burned himself to death while protesting against Chinese rule. It was followed by the fatal self-immolation of a young Tibetan mother, Tamdrin Tso, 23, on Wednesday and that of a teenage boy, Kalsang Jinpa, on Thursday. Also on Wednesday, three teenage monks self-immolated in Sichuan province's Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) prefecture—the first triple Tibetan burnings recorded—and another self-immolation occurred in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The burnings have raised the self-immolation total to 69 since the fiery protests began in February 2009. The latest protests are believed to have been timed to send a powerful signal to the ruling Chinese Communist Party which is holding its 18th Party Congress in Beijing to endorse a once-in-a-decade leadership change, Tibetan groups said. The Central Tibetan Administration, as the Tibetan government-in-exile is called, said the self-immolations underscore "political repression, economic marginalization, environmental destruction, and cultural assimilation." “Chinese leaders selected during the 18th Party Congress must recognize that China’s hardline policies in Tibet have utterly failed and only through dialogue can a peaceful and lasting solution be found," said Lobsang Sangay, the head of the exile government. "We firmly believe that an end to repression will effectively end the cycle of self-immolation,” he said. Restrictions in Lhasa Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have tightened restrictions on the movement of Tibetans in the regional capital, Lhasa, the London-based Free Tibet advocacy group said on Friday. "Tibetans were prevented from entering Potala Square, normally a public area." "Unconfirmed reports also suggest that Tibetans in Lhasa were arrested as the [Party] Congress began, as a preventative measure, and that restrictions of movement have been placed on the 'old residential area' of Lhasa—where the majority of Tibetans live," Free Tibet said. Speaking on Thursday at the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet, Foreign Policy Initiative Director of Democracy and Human Rights Ellen Bork said that 60 years of China's "occupation and control" of Tibet have not changed what Tibetans want. "Chinese policy over decades has not crushed Tibetan identity," Bork said. Reported by RFA's Tibetan service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul and Rigdhen Dolma. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Richard Finney. View this story online at : http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/students-11092012080044.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

12 years, 2 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Five Tibetans Self-Immolate in Record Burnings

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Five Tibetans Self-Immolate in Record Burnings NOV. 7, 2012— Five Tibetans, including a young mother and three teenage boys, set fire to themselves on Wednesday in protest against Chinese rule in the largest number of self-immolations in a single day, triggering massive demonstrations in at least one area, according to exile and local sources. The burnings—which raised the self-immolation toll to 68 so far—came ahead of the ruling Chinese Communist Party's highly anticipated Congress beginning Thursday, which is expected to endorse Vice President Xi Jinping as successor to President Hu Jintao in a once-a-decade leadership transition. At least two of the self-immolators have died. Three of the self-immolations occurred in Sichuan province's Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) prefecture and one each in Qinghai province’s Malho (Huangnan) prefecture and in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the sources said. The three boys—monks Dorje, 15, Samdrub, 16, and Dorje Kyab, 16—set themselves ablaze in front of a police station in Ngaba town, calling for a free Tibet and the return of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, according to monks Lobsang Yeshi and Kanyag Tsering, who live in exile in India's hill town of Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama lives in exile. “The three self-immolated in front of the Ngatoe Gomang police station in the evening at around 3:00 p.m.," Lobsang Yeshi said, citing local sources. "Dorje, who died at the scene, Samdrub, and Dorje Kyab are monks from the Ngoshul monastery," Lobsang Yeshi said. "Samdrub and Dorje Kyab have been taken to the Ngaba county hospital. Now there is a severe security clampdown restricting any movement in the streets," he said. Mother dies In the Malho prefecture, a 23-year-old Tibetan mother of a young son set fire to herself and died in the Gemar market area of Rebgong (in Chinese, Tongren) county, drawing several thousand Tibetans to the streets in a protest against Chinese rule. Tamdrin Tso set herself ablaze at about 6:00 p.m. and died shouting slogans calling for the return of the Dalai Lama, local sources said. Tamdrin Tso came originally from the Dro Rongwo township of Rebgong county, sources said. She leaves behind a son, Nyingjam Tsering, aged 5 or 6, and her father, Tamdrin Kyab, and mother, Konchog Tso. “Over the last 15 days, Tamdrin Tso had performed prayers for other self-immolation protesters in Tibet, and today she set herself on fire,” Dorje Wangchuk, director of the Literary and Culture Research Centre of the Norbulingka Institute in Dharamsala, citing sources in the region. Following the burning, around 3,000 local Tibetans gathered in the Gemar market area, a central location with a school and many shops, and shouted slogans calling for freedom for Tibet, sources said. Tamdrin Tso’s self-immolation was the second to occur in the Rebgong area this week. On Nov. 4, Tibetan artist Dorjee Lhundrub, 25, set himself ablaze and shouted slogans against Chinese rule and calling for the Dalai Lama’s return as he burned to death. A large crowd of local monks and township residents then gathered at the site, with many placing traditional Tibetan scarves on Lhundrub’s charred remains as a mark of respect for the father of two, sources said. Protests intensify Wednesday's fifth self-immolation occurred in Bekhar township in Driru county, Nagchu prefecture, of the Tibet Autonomous Region. “I learned about the self-immolation at 8:00 p.m., as it happened, while I was speaking on the phone," said a Tibetan monk living in South India, citing contacts in the region. "There was a lot of commotion, and there were shouts at the scene by the Tibetans. The Chinese security forces arrived immediately, but details, such as the name of the self-immolator, remain unknown,” the monk said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Tibetan self-immolation protests have intensified in recent weeks and may have entered a new phase, some analysts have said. And the failure to contain the fiery protests, the analysts say, poses a major challenge to Beijing, which has offered cash rewards to Tibetans to inform on potential self-immolators and has tightened security restrictions on Tibetan monasteries and towns. The burnings continue despite calls to end them by a special meeting of Tibetan exile groups convened in Dharamsala on the advice of the Dalai Lama. 'No meaningful response' Sophie Richardson, China director for Human Rights Watch, described the self-immolation protests as "extraordinary acts of desperation." "And they continue because there is no meaningful response from the central government, which has the ability to change the situation for the better." "It has to be profoundly unnerving to [China's] leadership that not only has this continued for as long as it has, but that you see different age groups, you see religious figures, you see people from urban areas and rural areas, men and women, young and old," Richardson said. "The number and scope of cases suggest that this is a more thoroughgoing statement or expression of despair than the Chinese government would have you believe it is." Reported by Chakmo Tso for RFA’s Tibetan service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul and Rigdhen Dolma. Written in English by Richard Finney and Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/five-11072012130412.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 2 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Two Tibetan Burning Deaths in Gansu

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Two Tibetan Burning Deaths in Gansu OCT. 26, 2012—Two young Tibetans set themselves on fire and died in Gansu province on Friday in one of the deadliest weeks of self-immolation protests against Chinese rule, according to Tibetan sources. In the first incident, Lhamo Tseten, 24, set himself ablaze at 2:30 p.m. near a People’s Armed Police post in Amchok township, Sangchu county, in the Kanlho (in Chinese, Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The other self-immolation occurred almost six hours later when Tsepak Kyab, 21, burned to death on the main street of Sangkhok township, also in Sangchu, a Tibetan living in India told RFA's Tibetan service. The past week saw five protest burnings in Gansu and brings to 60 the total number of self-immolations challenging Beijing’s rule since February 2009. Lhamo Tseten torched himself after lunch with his friends in Amchok township. “He was dining at a restaurant with friends. Then he slowly walked out, and, amid shouts from the crowd, ran into the street engulfed in flames,” one witness said, according to Tibetan websites. “He called out for freedom for Tibet and the return of [exiled spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama before he fell to the ground. Still, he clasped his hands together and continued to shout slogans,” the witness said. Kept away by a crowd of angry Tibetans, Chinese security personnel watched from a distance and did not intervene, sources said. “When the fire died out, Lhamo Tseten’s body was covered in yellow cloth and taken to his hometown,” one source said, adding, “Meanwhile, area residents are converging on Amchok township in cars and on motorbikes.” Slogans raised Tsepak Kyab, 21, also shouted anti-Beijing slogans as he self-immolated. "As he burned, he shouted slogans calling for the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet and for the release of political prisoners, including the Panchen Lama," Sangkhok Thubten said, citing sources in the region. The Panchen Lama, Tibet's second-highest religious figure, was detained by Chinese authorities as a child in 1995 after being named to his position by the Dalai Lama, and another child--widely regarded by Tibetans as a Chinese puppet--was installed in his place. "Since it was late in the evening, no Chinese police were present at the site" of Tsepak Kyab's protest, Thubten said. "When Chinese officials finally arrived, local Tibetans guarded Tsepak Kyab's remains and wouldn't let the officials touch them." "His body was then taken to his house, and prayers are being said for him," Thubten said. Tsepak Kyab, who came from Rumang Camp No. 2 in Sangkhok and was also called Tsepa, is survived by his wife, Dorje Drolma, his mother Lumo Jam, and a brother, Tashi Dhondup. Lhamo Tseten is survived by his father Namchuk Tsering, 49, his mother Zongdue Kyi, 50, his wife Tsering, and their two-year-old daughter Nyimo Kyi, sources said. A Tibetan monk in the area confirmed the two self-immolations in a call to RFA's Tibetan service, and said before hanging up the phone that he had been asked to join in prayers for the two men. Protests 'intensifying' The London-based advocacy group Free Tibet reported on Friday that Internet service to the areas was cut following the protests and that “large numbers” of Chinese security personnel are pouring into the area from nearby Bora township, also the scene of recent unrest. “Tibetans continue to demonstrate their outright rejection of Chinese rule by setting themselves on fire in front of Chinese government buildings,” Free Tibet director Stephanie Brigden said in a statement. The self-immolations are expected to continue until Tibetans are "granted the freedom they demand,” Brigden said. Reported by Guru Choegyi and Lumbum for RFA’s Tibetan service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul and Rigdhen Dolma. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burning-10262012120226.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

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Engnews November 2012