DHARAMSHALA: Unable to bear the hardships imposed by the Chinese government on the daily lives of Tibetan monks and nuns, a young Tibetan monk from Labrang monastery hanged himself in protest against these restrictions.
Thabke, a 24 year old Tibetan monk, hanged himself from a tree in front of his monastery on 9 July. He was studying as a monk at the Labrang monastery in་Sangchu county (incorporated into China’s Gansu Province), according to Radio Free Asia.
Prior to his suicide protest, Thabke had reportedly confided to close friends that he wanted to end his life in protest against the imposition of a variety of restrictive regulations and policies. He has also expressed his dissatisfaction with the imposition of prohibitions on the display of photos of personal teachers.
“Many monks and nuns who had wanted to pursue the study of Buddhism in the monasteries have had to quit and lead ordinary lives,” Thabke had told a friend.
However, after his suicide protest, the incident could not be made public earlier due to “communication restrictions” in Sangchu over the last week, a source told RFA.
Chinese authorities have reportedly imposed a severe clampdown on the monasteries in the area, restricting the number of monks allowed to be enrolled in the Tibetan monasteries.
The new restrictions have limited the number of monks allowed in a monastery to only 999 monks, resulting in furore among the local Tibetan public.
Thabke is a native of Sangchu county’s Ngakpa village.
Three Tibetans arrested in Sog county
Three Tibetans from Rongpo township in Sog county have been arrested by Chinese authorities without citing any specific reasons.
According to confirmed reports from Tibet, Chinese policemen arrived in village 13 of Rongpo township and arrested Gyalten Phelgey, Gedi and Choedok. Gyaltsen Phelgey and Gedi are siblings. Their present location is unknown.
A relative of one of the detainees is also reportedly detained by Chinese authorities after he went to the police station to give them food and clothing.
