{"id":151973,"date":"2013-02-26T14:49:23","date_gmt":"2013-02-26T22:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=151973"},"modified":"2013-02-26T22:02:47","modified_gmt":"2013-02-27T06:02:47","slug":"three-self-immolations-amid-crackdown-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2013\/02\/three-self-immolations-amid-crackdown-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Self-Immolations Amid Crackdown, Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three Tibetan self-immolations have taken place in recent days<\/strong><\/a>, according to exile media, amid vigorous discussion of the protests and a continued crackdown by Chinese authorities. From Dharamsala-based Phayul.com:<\/p>\n

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Tsezung Kyab, 27, torched himself in front of the main prayer hall of the Shitsang Monastery in Luchu region of eastern Tibet at around 1:30 pm (local time). 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.<\/p>\n

[\u2026] This is the second self-immolation protest in Tibet in as many days. [On Sunday], Phagmo Dhondup, a Tibetan in his 20\u2019s set himself ablaze near the Jhakhyung Monastery in Palung region of eastern Tibet. His condition and whereabouts are not known.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

On Tuesday, news emerged of another case on Monday, in Ngaba<\/strong><\/a>. From Phayul:<\/p>\n

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Sangdag, a monk of the Dhiphu Monastery, set himself ablaze on a main road in Ngaba district at around 10 am (local time).<\/p>\n

According to the exile base of Kirti Monastery in Dharamshala, Sangdag\u2019s present condition is unknown.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoon after Sangdag carried out his fiery protest, Chinese security personnel arrived at the scene and doused the flames on his body,\u201d Kirti Monastery said in a release today. \u201cHe was taken a hospital in Ngaba but shortly after that the Chinese police bundled him away to another place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

These protests brought the total number of Tibetan self-immolations within China to 107 since the start of 2009. Six other cases have occurred in India and Nepal, while two further incidents in Sichuan province are disputed on the grounds that they may have been accidental. The International Campaign for Tibet publishes perhaps the clearest and most comprehensive list of Tibetan self-immolations<\/a>, though at time of writing it has not yet been updated to include Sangdag’s.<\/p>\n

Another report from Phayul last week illustrated the risks faced by anyone suspected of sharing information about the protests. A 20-year-old Tibetan man was reportedly sentenced to two years in prison after two photographs of self-immolations were found on his phone<\/strong><\/a>, along with other images:<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe was apprehended by Chinese security personnel during a routine check near the city mosque,\u201d the release cited a Tibetan source as saying. \u201cUpon checking his mobile phone, the Chinese police found two photos of self-immolation protests, images of Tibetan national flag, and other photos showing Chinese atrocities on Tibetans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The release added that he was kept in various prisons for over a week during which he was constantly interrogated. Topden was later sentenced to two years in prison on charges of being a \u201creactionary, inciting the public, and threatening social stability.\u201d He is currently being kept in a prison in Toelung region.<\/p>\n

[\u2026] In December last, four Tibetans were arrested in Rebkong region of eastern Tibet on similar charges of storing \u201creactionary\u201d materials in the phone after they were found keeping photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in their phones.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is just the latest in a string of sentences passed on people accused of involvement in the protests<\/a>. The crackdown is also said to have included confiscation of TV equipment, restrictions on travel<\/a>, withdrawal of government benefits from families of self-immolators<\/a>, and beatings and arrests<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Over the longer term, China has attempted to secure its rule over Tibetan areas with economic development. Xinhua’s China View reported the official removal of 130,000 people from poverty in the Tibetan Autonomous Region last year, pointing to long-distance trucking as a key driver of prosperity:<\/p>\n