2011-10-17
The condition of the first woman who self immolates in Tibet is unclear.
A Tibetan exile shouts anti-China slogans at a protest march in New Delhi on Sept. 30, 2011 following the self-immolation of two Tibetan monks.
A Tibetan nun set herself ablaze and may have died Monday as she protested against Chinese rule, in the first woman self-immolation case in recent memory in Tibetan areas in China, sources said Monday.
She called for freedom in Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spirtual leader living in exile in India. There are conflicting reports on her condition, with some saying she had succumbed to her burns.
Eight Tibetan monks have self immolated this year, mostly in the Ngaba (Aba, in Chinese) area in China's southwestern Sichuan province, and four have died, saying they wanted to sacrifice their lives to protest against Chinese rule and alleged human rights abuses by Chinese security forces.
The nun is also from Ngaba and lived a few kilometers from the Kirti monastery, which has been under siege by Chinese security forces most of this year and from where most monks who self immolated so far came from.
"Around 3 or 4 pm on Monday, a nun killed herself by setting her body to fire," Aba Jigme, a native of Aba, told RFA.
She chose to self immolate outside Ngaba town, the scene of most of the fiery protests, due to heavy security presence in the town, he said.
"The nunnery in within Aba county but located at a distance of few kilometers from Kirti monastery," Jigme said.
According to him, the nunnery housed about 70 to 80 nuns and is not affiliated with the Kirti monastery.
Details unavailable
Details, such as the name and age of the nun, are not immediately available.
"But she died on the spot and she called from freedom of Tibet and return of the Dalai Lama," Jigme said.
Another source told RFA her condition remains uncertain.
"Since the nunnery is little away from the main town, there were no immediate response from police and whether she died or survived is still not confirmed." a source said.
Chinese security forces have stepped up their presence recently in Ngaba town to act swiftly to douse the blaze among monks who self immolated.
"It is now difficult to enter Aba county center and protest due to huge presence of security forces. Therefore the nun chose a site close to the nunnery away from town and burnt herself and protested." Jigme said.
Separately, the source said a group of Tibetans protested on Monday at Khakor town in Serthar, (Seda, in Chinese), a Tibetan pasturing area located in the northeast part of Sichuan's Ganzi Tibet Autonomous Prefecture.
Details of the protests were not immediately available.
Fasting and prayers
The latest self-immolation protest came as Tibetans prepared for a day of fasting and prayers on Wednesday.
It is to display solidarity in the face of rising Tibetan protests against Chinese rule.
The Tibetan government-in-exile in India has called on the United Nations and “freedom-loving countries and people around the world” for increased attention to Tibet following the self-immolation protests.
“On October 19, 2011, the Central Tibetan Administration will offer day-long prayers and encourage all Tibetans to fast on that day as a gesture of solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet,” a statement said.
Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of violating Buddhist teachings by not condemning the self-immolations in which four monks have died.
But the Tibetan government-in-exile in India's Dharamsala hill town slammed Beijing for the charge, saying it should first put an end to its "repression" in Tibet.
The exile government, known as the Central Tibetan Administration, also accused Chinese security personnel of violating basic human rights by assaulting monks who self-immolated.
“[The Dalai Lama] has said many times in the past that suicidal protests are not something he approves of or wants to encourage,” said Robbie Barnett, director of the Modern Tibetan Studies program at Columbia University.
“But he can’t put himself in the position of criticizing people’s right to protest, and he certainly can’t put himself in the position of saying these people don’t experience intolerable pressure.… It’s quite clear that they do.”
Reported by Chakmo Tso and Guru Choegyi for RFA's Tibetan service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.
She called for freedom in Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spirtual leader living in exile in India. There are conflicting reports on her condition, with some saying she had succumbed to her burns.
Eight Tibetan monks have self immolated this year, mostly in the Ngaba (Aba, in Chinese) area in China's southwestern Sichuan province, and four have died, saying they wanted to sacrifice their lives to protest against Chinese rule and alleged human rights abuses by Chinese security forces.
The nun is also from Ngaba and lived a few kilometers from the Kirti monastery, which has been under siege by Chinese security forces most of this year and from where most monks who self immolated so far came from.
"Around 3 or 4 pm on Monday, a nun killed herself by setting her body to fire," Aba Jigme, a native of Aba, told RFA.
She chose to self immolate outside Ngaba town, the scene of most of the fiery protests, due to heavy security presence in the town, he said.
"The nunnery in within Aba county but located at a distance of few kilometers from Kirti monastery," Jigme said.
According to him, the nunnery housed about 70 to 80 nuns and is not affiliated with the Kirti monastery.
Details unavailable
Details, such as the name and age of the nun, are not immediately available.
"But she died on the spot and she called from freedom of Tibet and return of the Dalai Lama," Jigme said.
Another source told RFA her condition remains uncertain.
"Since the nunnery is little away from the main town, there were no immediate response from police and whether she died or survived is still not confirmed." a source said.
Chinese security forces have stepped up their presence recently in Ngaba town to act swiftly to douse the blaze among monks who self immolated.
"It is now difficult to enter Aba county center and protest due to huge presence of security forces. Therefore the nun chose a site close to the nunnery away from town and burnt herself and protested." Jigme said.
Separately, the source said a group of Tibetans protested on Monday at Khakor town in Serthar, (Seda, in Chinese), a Tibetan pasturing area located in the northeast part of Sichuan's Ganzi Tibet Autonomous Prefecture.
Details of the protests were not immediately available.
Fasting and prayers
The latest self-immolation protest came as Tibetans prepared for a day of fasting and prayers on Wednesday.
It is to display solidarity in the face of rising Tibetan protests against Chinese rule.
The Tibetan government-in-exile in India has called on the United Nations and “freedom-loving countries and people around the world” for increased attention to Tibet following the self-immolation protests.
“On October 19, 2011, the Central Tibetan Administration will offer day-long prayers and encourage all Tibetans to fast on that day as a gesture of solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet,” a statement said.
Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of violating Buddhist teachings by not condemning the self-immolations in which four monks have died.
But the Tibetan government-in-exile in India's Dharamsala hill town slammed Beijing for the charge, saying it should first put an end to its "repression" in Tibet.
The exile government, known as the Central Tibetan Administration, also accused Chinese security personnel of violating basic human rights by assaulting monks who self-immolated.
“[The Dalai Lama] has said many times in the past that suicidal protests are not something he approves of or wants to encourage,” said Robbie Barnett, director of the Modern Tibetan Studies program at Columbia University.
“But he can’t put himself in the position of criticizing people’s right to protest, and he certainly can’t put himself in the position of saying these people don’t experience intolerable pressure.… It’s quite clear that they do.”
Reported by Chakmo Tso and Guru Choegyi for RFA's Tibetan service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.
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