The 91st self-immolation since 2009 has been reported today in Xiahe, Gansu. Seventeen-year-old Songdhi Kyab survived and was reportedly taken to a police hospital. VOA reports:
In an apparent protest to China’s repressive policies in Tibet, Songdhi Kyab, 17, from Bora Dhardho village of Lobrang, set himself on fire on the high way of near Bora Monastery and was still alive when police took him away, according to Tibetan sources.
Songdhi Kyab was reportedly taken to the public hospital in Tsoe township, one of the biggest towns in the area. Eyewitnesses in the area say that his survival is “very slim” because as he was engulfed in fire, he was also smashing his head against a stone at the scene of self-immolation protest.
He has a young wife and two-year- old son. His father ‘s name is Tsepa and mother is Wandey Tso. He is the third person to self-immolate from the Bora; the previous self-immolators were Lhamo Kyab and Dorjee Tseten.
Some other sources were reporting that monks from the Bora Monastery and a crowd of people gathered at the scene of the protest were trying to march to the hospital, but were stopped by security people and the situation was described as quite tense.
In a recent surge of self-immolation protests, 29 people have set themselves on fire since November 1 alone. Read more about recent self-immolations via CDT.
