This Thursday, two more Tibetans set themselves on fire in Tongren (Rebkong), Qinghai Province, including a woman, making the total number to at least 74 since 2009. Tongren has been the scene of several self-immolations in recent weeks, including two on Monday of this week. From Radio Free Asia:
Tibetan media sources identified the woman as Tenzin Dolma, aged 23 and a resident of Tsenmo Goge village in Rebgong, the county in which most of the recent self-immolations have taken place.
[…] Separately, a young man named Khambum Gyal set himself on fire and died near the Rongwo monastery in Rebgong’s Dowa township, sources said.
[…] In a statement on Thursday, London-based Free Tibet director Stephanie Brigden said that Chinese authorities have blocked detailed news of protests in the Rebgong area.
“It may seem particularly important for China to banish any hint of instability during announcements of the new generation of leaders, hence the stringent efforts to block communications to and from Rebgong,” Brigden said.
The article also says that Tibetans in exile are hoping that leaders of other countries urge China’s new leaders to restore rights to Tibetans. See also an op-ed by Lobsang Sangay, the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, in the Wall Street Journal titled, “Tibet Is the Test of China’s Rise.”
See also a notice posted in Rebkong market announcing new security measures. Read more on Tibetan self-immolations via CDT.
