འབྲེལ་གཏུགས་དུས་དེབ།
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www.contactmagazine.net 28 February 2013
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Volume: XV Issue: 2
contact Magazine A Free Monthly Publication For Tibetan Issues & Community Information
Tibetan Self-Immolations Breach 100 Mark
Feb 25: Sangdag, a monk of the Dhiphu Monastery, set himself on fire in the Ngaba region of eastern Tibet at around 10am local time, in protest against China’s continued occupation of Tibet. Chinese security personnel arrived at the scene, doused the flames and took him to hospital. They later bundled him away and his current condition and whereabouts are not available. Feb 25: Tsezung Kyab, 27, torched himself in front of the main prayer hall of the Shitsang Monastery in Luchu region of eastern Tibet. He passed away at his protest site, the same place where his cousin Pema Dorjee, 23, passed away in his self-immolation protest on December 8, 2012. In a photo sent to Phayul, several people can be seen surrounding the deceased’s body despite strict government orders against public displays of solidarity with the self-immolators. Feb 24: Phagmo Dhondup,in his 20s, set himself on fire in the ancient Jhakhyung Monastery in Palung region of Tshoshar, eastern Tibet. The monks at the Monastery rushed him to a nearby hospital. Local Chinese authorities immediately dispatched a large contingent of security personnel at the Monastery. Phagmo Dhondup was a native of Tsaphuk town of Palung region. He is survived by father Shawo and a sibling. Feb 19: Sonam Dhargey, 18, set himself on fire, together with Rinchen
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China’s Crackdowns Intensify
by Olivia Engel The increased police response to protests drastically erodes human rights in Tibet. This month has seen a dramatic surge in police action against Tibetans with almost 90 individuals detained in Eastern Tibet, in what the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy describes as a “relentless crackdown on self-immolation protests including arbitrary arrests, detention, intimidation, monetary inducements, and long prison terms.” Some Tibetans were arrested and sentenced to years in prison, one was sentenced to death, and an unknown number were beaten and
charged on January 31, following the demonisation of aiding self-immolatiors as “murder” since October 2012. Pema Dhondup, Kalsang Gyatso, Lhamo Dhondup, and Pema Tso were charged with “intentional homicide” for trying to keep the body of a selfimmolator from Chinese officials. All were given anywhere from 7 to 12 years in jail. Additionally, Dugkar Gyal and Yangmo Kyi were sentenced to 3 and 4 years, respectively, for “picking quarrels and provoking troubles.” All of the six were charged in connection to Dorjee Rinchen, 57, who set himself alight in front of the Peoples Liberation Army Recuitment Center in Sangchu in October last year.
Lobsang Kunchok (right) and his nephew Lobsang Tsering stand trial over inciting self-immolation
detained without the release of their whereabouts.
Connections to Self-immolators Criminalised
February opened with the sentencing of six Tibetans in Sangchu, who were
Also on the 31 January, in Ngaba, the Xiahe County People’s Court sentenced Lobsang Kunchok, 40, to death with a two year reprieve and his nephew, Lobsang Tsering, 31,was sentenced alongside Kunchok to 10 Continued on page 4