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Two Teenage Tibetans Self-Immolate in China
An exiled Tibetan monk holds a picture of 50-year-old, Tamdin Thar, who burned himself to death. Two more Tibetan teenagers set themselves on fire in China to protest against Chinese communist repression of Tibetan cultural practices on Tuesday, bringing the self-immolation toll since 2009 to 51. (Strdel/AFP/GettyImages)
Two Tibetan teenagers set themselves on fire in China to protest against Chinese communist repression of Tibetan cultural practices on Tuesday, bringing the self-immolation toll since 2009 to 51, according to an overseas human rights group.
An 18-year-old monk, Lobsang Kalsang, and Damchoek, a 17-year-old former monk whose last name was not given, set themselves on fire Monday outside of the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, a site of a number of immolations in Sichuan Province, according to Free Tibet.
The two were taken to Barkham Hospital by Chinese officials and later died, the London-based rights group said.
Monks said they “were seen walking with flames shooting from their bodies before they collapsed to the ground,” said another rights group, the International Campaign for Tibet, also known as Save Tibet.
Later, Chinese authorities arrested Lobsang Palden, a roommate of Lobsang Kalsang, following the incident.
Damchoek is the brother of a teenage Tibetan nun who set herself on fire in February.
Save Tibet said the two who set themselves on fire on Monday were “believed to have been cousins.”
Their deaths marked the 50th and 51th self-immolations since February 2009, when a young monk named Tapey set himself on fire near Kirti Monastery.
The two Tibetan teenagers shouted slogans against Chinese policies that affect Tibet, reported Radio Free Asia, citing witnesses. The Chinese regime has occupied the region and claimed it as Chinese territory since the 1950s.
“Witnesses saw them run about 20 steps with their bodies on fire, and then they fell to the ground,” two exiled monks in India told the broadcaster.
Following their deaths in the hospital, “no information is available as to whether the authorities have handed the bodies over to their relatives,” the monks added.
Amidst the self-immolations, Chinese authorities in recent months have cracked down hard on Tibetan areas in the country, particularly in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
One resident last week described Lhasa as like “a large prison,” complete with body-scanners, checkpoints, and large numbers of roaming Chinese security forces. Tibetans from outside the city are not allowed inside unless they have the proper identification, another resident added.
Also, around 1,000 people were detained in Driru county in the Tibetan Autonomous Region several days ago, suggesting that the Chinese regime is trying to crackdown on dissent.
The crackdown is likely a sign of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s desire to “maintain stability” ahead of the 18th National Congress, when the Party’s leadership will transfer power to a new generation of leaders.
In February, Chinese communist officials posted a warning to the Tibetan regional government to clamp down on dissent relating to the self-immolations.
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
2012-08-29 12:02:18
Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/two-teenage-tibetans-self-immolate-in-china-285094.html
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