DHARAMSHALA: Fresh reports coming out of Tibet say 28-year-old Lobsang Thogmey of Kirti Monastery in eastern Tibet’s Ngaba region died after himself on fire to protest against the Chinese repressive rule over Tibet.
Lobsang Thogmey set himself on fire outside the monastery on Saturday afternoon. Fellow monks rushed him to a local hospital where he died. A large number of security forces soon arrived at the hospital and forcibly took away his body.
Lobsang joined the monastery at a young age and he is known for his excellent conduct and diligence in studies. He is survived by his parents Rogtrug and Depo and one sister and three brothers.
This incident has pushed the total number of self-immolations to 108, out of which 90 died. (View fact-sheet) The universal call of self-immolators are the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans.
The Central Tibetan Administration have consistently appealed to Tibetans not to resort to drastic actions, including self-immolation.
The EU member states express profound concern over the alarming escalation in the self-immolation at the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday. Speaking on behalf of the 27 members states, EU said it “encourages China to re-engage in constructive dialogue with the Tibetan people and to allow free access to the Tibetan autonomous area.”
The international community, including the UN and the EU parliament, have strongly urged the Chinese government to address the Tibetan people’s genuine grievances and end its policies which are pushing Tibetans to take drastic actions.
But the Chinese authorities have responded to the crisis with more repressive measures such as deployment of massive security forces in the Tibetan areas and meting out death and long prison sentences to Tibetans on trumped-up charges.