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THIS WEEK, a 22-year-old former Tibetan monk named Lobsang Jamyang doused himself with petrol, walked into the middle of a street and set himself alight.
Lobsang is the sixteenth Tibetan to publicly set himself on fire in the past year, and is just one of 12 who are believed to have died from doing so.
But why are these men and women, all former monks or nuns, choosing to end their lives in such excruciating ways? And why now?
China maintains that Tibet has been part of China since the 13th century and that, as such, Beijing should continue to rule over the area. However, many Tibetans insist that this is not true – saying that the region (an area roughly the size of western Europe situated north-east of the Himalayan mountain range) has been an independent kingdom for centuries.
In 1950, during the final year of the Chinese Civil War, the Chinese army entered Tibetan territory. That year, the Chinese authorities entered negotiations with the government of the 14th Dalai Lama, which resulted in the signing of the contentious Seventeen Point Agreement – a document asserting China’s sovereignty over the area but also granting it autonomy.
The Tibetan political and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, renounced the agreement soon afterwards, claiming that Tibetan officials had been placed under duress by China to sign.
During the Tibet Rebellion of 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to Dharamasla, India. From there he established the Tibetan government-in-exile and began a lifetime of advocacy work for Tibetans living in the region.
Many Tibetans accuse China of repressing their culture and denying them their human rights, including the right to free speech and cultural and religious expression.
The arrival of increasing numbers of Han Chinese in the Tibetan region, supported by China’s government, has also caused resentment among Tibetans in recent years.
Moves by the Chinese authorities to replace the Dalai Lama with an alternative figure have also increased tensions.
The last large-scale popular demonstration by Tibetans was in 2008, to mark the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.
However, the series of self-immolations taking place over the past year mark a departure from such protests – and have been described by Free Tibet spokesperson Stephanie Bridgen as an “act of desperation”
“These latest self-immolations confirm that what we are currently witnessing in Tibet is a sustained and profound rejection of the Chinese occupation,” Bridgen said.
Bridgen said it was a “damning indictment of the international community” that the fact that so many people, in different parts of Tibet, had chosen to set themselves on fire had received no response from world leaders.
She added that international leaders could expect that such acts of protest will continue “for as long as world leaders turn a blind eye to the desperate situation in Tibet”.
China has accused the Dalai Lama of encouraging the self-immolation suicides among vulnerable young monks and nuns in order to use their deaths for political gain. The Chinese authorities have increased the numbers of security personnel in the Tibetan region since the self-immolations began, and have supplied fire extinguishers to security officers patrolling the streets, according to Free Tibet
The Dalai Lama himself has condemned the suicides but has also strongly criticised China for its role in the deaths, saying that that China was forcing people into desperation by imposing “cultural genocide”.
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Free Tibet!!
with every packet of kellogs cornflakes,!!!!!!!!!
If only America would find oil in Tibet.
They’d just move the troops from Afghanistan in about a week. :D
So sad. No point in trying to appeal to the world leaders. Need to appeal to the people. “Stop buying/importing goods form china”.
We would be left with very little then unfortunately.
Ah yes, “local v cheap” a true reflection of who we are today!
The CIA backed a Tibetan revolt against the Chinese until about 1971 when Henry Kissenger decided to withdraw that support in support of growing stronger economic ties with Communist China. Since that time some 250,000 Chinese troops have slowly eroded Tibetan culture on their own soil. Not only that they have committed acts of genocide against Tibetan people. Between disappearances and the famine caused by the ‘Great Leap Forward’ it is thought up to 1 million Tibetans died. These acts by these monks are a distress call to a world that knows all this – but stands idly by.
Why does the headline say monk, but the article says “former” monk?
I’ve seen commenters here (on other articles) compare these guys to suicide bombers. They have tried to say that Buddhism fosters extremism – based on these misleading headlines (because they obviously didn’t read the article).
Self immolation would be the most extravagant, headline grabbing way to kill oneself while minimising damage to others. Unlike a suicide bomber- who’s aims are to take as many down with as possible..
Plus, if these guys are no longer monks it also raises the question why they left their monastaries – could it be that the monastaries would not approve of such an act? After all, the Dalai Lama has condemned these actions.
To imply that these men are monks (currently) leaves the impression that these incidents are primarily religiously motivated, which is false.
This story and many like it are promoting false impressions about Tibet and the Chinese situation. I just returned from a trip to Tibet. It is a cold, hard, third world country. Most Tibetans do not read or write. They have lived for years with only an oral history and no desire to come into the 21st century. They are following their religion, allowed and encouraged. Many of their monestaries are being cleaned and refurbished. Students were debating. All had lines of people waiting to light butter candles and spin prayer wheels. Though out the country, religious freedom was practiced with pilgrim’s prostrating themselves along the road to Lhasa and other holy places. Tibet, like most third world countries need help with medicine and education. The Chinese have provided infrastructure in good roads and railways, modern cities and an airport. I traveled to Tibet thinking China was the enemy but returned realizing change is always difficult and coming into the 21st century from the 16th century is the most difficult. Go and see for youself before you buy into all the rhetoric about “Free Tibet”. What are you freeing Tibet from…being modernized?
Unfortunately Jeanne there are still some really uneducated people in existence who prefer scant, incorrect information and propaganda to first hand or second hand accounts. These people who have given you the thumbs down are exactly the sort of people that you here gems like “in the name of democracy” in bar conversations not realising that their beloved Dalai Lama was born into power. Then again freedom to those is likely the best part of the day spent in front of the television watching whatever crap is beamed into their little minds.
I’ll take the time to correct myself before the spelling gestapo arrive. *hear*
I have also been to Tibet. As you may not realise THEY, DO NOT WANT THE CHINESE THERE,
They can practise some religious acts but not all! They are repressed. They cannot get a passport, the Chinese are raping their land for minerals and Damning rivers in the mountains to send themselves power. There are still dissappering people. Any head of and Tibetan representative is a Han Chinese.
As you walked around Lhasa did you see any locals welcoming the Army with machine guns jogging in groups around the town? Celebrating the anniversary of being made brought forward by Chinese.
Complete ignorance on you part. I cannot believe after being there you come away with such an attitude.
Would you be ok with, China Deleting our Government, taking over, installing Chinese at every top post in the country, harvest all our resources, and reeducate us, no Chinese, no job.
Building roads through the hill of Tara…
The Chinese transport modernisation consists of,
Better roads and a train line from the china mainland to Lhasa
To get more Chinese people in and dilute down there culture, people and hopes.
Open your eyes for god sake
@PerkyBeans – In this context it is important to understand the history of Tibet and rule of the respective Lama. Tibet was not a utopia free from internal conflict or strife when it was self governed and Buddhism was not the non-violent philosophy we have come to think of it as here in the west. There were many violent power struggles for centuries and various Lama, vying for power, were at the very centre of these conflicts.
Opening ones eyes (as you have arrogantly insisted others do) requires one to look at past events, present and what might be in the future to see the bigger picture. Geopolitics has its own hand to play in events also and many of the mainstream accounts you hear about Tibet are falsified to suit certain political agendas.
Going to a place with your eyes closed and returning with the same perspective doesn’t make you an expert it makes you a fool on the other hand Jeanne has gone with certain beliefs and had the open mindedness to learn and understand a situation from multiple angles.
The monks are doing it due to their happiness that the lovely Marxist state of China is giving them. Another big government success story! Go statists!
Another Dave McCarthy trolling comment
Hi Nigel,
There are many sides to this story and the reasons for an armed presence in Tibet are due to the fact that this is an extremely volatile region of great geopolitical importance with certain countries fanning the flames, not for the idea of democracy (as a Lama born into power is hardly that), but for political reasons.
Another side to this story is the slavery, involuntary induction into monasteries and child sexual abuse carried out in these monasteries. Historically the Tibetan people were serfs and the land, wealth and power was never distributed equally among the people. If certain countries were not to meddle in the affairs of other countries the conditions would be better and you can be sure that in many cases they are better today than prior to the 1950s.
I am a believer in autonomy for countries and their people providing the country can govern itself effectively, that the people can do so also and that the region is secured but for Tibet to go back to the ways of old where corruption and poverty were far more evident than today would be disastrous for a people who clearly deserve more.
Please do take the time to correct yourself..,
Why are there, ESCAPED Tibetans living in Nepal, India, Myanmar in far more modernised countries than theirs.
Yet want nothing more than to return to Their country the way it was before the Chinese plantations/ invasion happened.
China is a bully snapping up land constantly, and currently trying to take over the sea in the south.
@ Michael,
I did not go with my eyes closed, they where opened there.
I spent alot of time in the Sichuan province and other Tibetan areas of mainland china, along with some time in Tibet itself. From speaking to locals through a guide in Tibet (who cannot speak in public as there are chinese spy’s around potala palace and other areas of Lhasa who would have him sacked) they are heavily restricted people. Many people risking there lives if caught, trekking across the land for weeks to escape to India and Nepal. Very very few of any Tibetan will get a passport. And the people who have escaped the tyranny that goes on can never return.
Whilst I was there the chinese where celebrating The 60th anniversary of the Chinese liberating the Tibetan people, beside the large floral decoration was mounted machine guns, several gangs of armed men in groups of 6 marching, men on roof tops with assualt rifles.
I can honestly say the Tibetan people are struggling for freedom and these monks are a desperate sign of it
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