Troops surround monastery as Tibetan monk dies after setting himself
on fire & calling for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet
http://savetibet.org/media-center/ict-news-reports/troops-surround-monastery-tibetan-monk-dies-after-setting-himself-fire-and-calling-return-


A Tibetan monk, 29-year old Tsewang Norbu, died yesterday in Kardze,
Sichuan, after setting fire to himself and calling for freedom and the
return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet. Tsewang Norbu, a monk from Nyitso
monastery in Tawu, drank petrol before immolating himself and died
soon afterwards, according to Tibetan exiles in contact with the area.
It is the third self-immolation by a Tibetan monk; the self-immolation
of 20-year old Kirti monk Phuntsog on March 16, who also called for
the long life of the Dalai Lama during his protest, was followed by a
violent crackdown in the Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) area of Sichuan. Troops
have now surrounded Tsewang Norbu’s monastery, an important historic
center of Tibetan religious culture, and there are fears for the
safety of the monks and local people.

In a rare instance of prompt reporting on such an incident, the
Chinese state media confirmed the death of a Buddhist monk shortly
afterwards, with Xinhua stating: “it was unclear why he had burnt
himself”, and that the local government had launched an investigation.
(Xinhua, August 15). Last month in the same area - Tawu (or Dawu,
Chinese: Daofu) is in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan
(the Tibetan area of Kham) - hundreds of Tibetans took the risk of
celebrating the Dalai Lama’s birthday.

A hotel receptionist near the scene of Tsewang Norbu’s death told AFP
that the monk had been distributing leaflets, saying: “I saw a monk
lying on the ground and burning, he died right in front of the county
government building.” (AFP, August 15).

According to a Tibetan from the area who is now in exile, Tsewang
Norbu’s body was taken back to his monastery after the incident, and
the entire area is under tight lockdown. According to reports received
from other Tibetan exiles, troops surrounded the monastery after the
self-immolation and as monks attempted to carry Tsewang Norbu’s body
back to Nyitso. The Dharamsala-based Tibetan Center for Human Rights
and Democracy reported today that thousands of local Tibetans went to
the monastery and tried to gain access; those who could not go past
armed police at the gates performed prayers outside. From today
onwards, according to the same report, access to the monastery has
been severely restricted with Tibetan monks unable to leave, and
visitors unable to gain entry.

Consistent with the actions of the authorities following the earlier
self-immolation by a Kirti monk in March, the local town is also under
lockdown with schools, restaurants and cafes closed today. The Tibetan
Center for Human Rights and Democracy reported that the Kardze Party
Secretary had ordered an end to religious rituals for the deceased
monk.

Mary Beth Markey, President of the International Campaign for Tibet,
said: "The agonizing death of this young monk Tsewang Norbu - the
third such self-immolation in Tibet - underscores the desperation
Tibetans are feeling under the current political and security
crackdown.  In the past months many Tibetans in Kardze -- monks, nuns
and laypeople -- have risked their lives to demonstrate their loyalty
to the Dalai Lama and their opposition to the actions of the Chinese
state.  This terrible incident underscores the urgent need for the
Chinese government to engage the Dalai Lama on the question of Tibet's
future so that other Tibetans like Tsewang Norbu who are so frustrated
with the repressive policies in Tibet can hope for a just solution."

Little information has reached the outside world about Tsewang Norbu,
also known as Norko, due to systematic efforts by the authorities to
block information flow from Tibet. Tsewang Norbu’s monastery, Nyitso
(Gelugpa), is located within Tawu county town and is populated by more
than 200 monks (prior to the Cultural Revolution nearly 2,000 monks
are believed to have been based there). Nyitso has more than 400 years
of history and is recognised as a protected heritage site in Sichuan.
Monks from other areas of Kham and Amdo frequently come to Nyitso to
study, and while monks from Nyitso also travel elsewhere for study.
There is a school within the monastery for young monks who learn
grammar, philosophical debate, Buddhism, history, poetry and
literature, taught in the Tibetan language.

The self-immolation of 20-year Kirti monk Phuntsog on March 16 was
followed by a military crackdown in the Ngaba area; monks were taken
from the monastery and subjected to brutal torture, and two local
Tibetans in their sixties died after attempting to defend monks from
being taken away by armed troops (ICT Report).  A Kirti monk called
Tapey was shot by police when he set himself on fire on February 27,
2009. He survived, but his whereabouts is unknown (ICT Report).

Tibetans in Tawu celebrate the Dalai Lama’s birthday; new cycle of
protests in Kardze

Tsewang Norbu’s self-immolation in Tawu follows another remarkable
assertion of loyalty to the Dalai Lama when hundreds of Tibetans
marked the Dalai Lama’s birthday on July 6 despite a heavy security
crackdown. Remarkable photos from the area depict plumes of incense
smoke arising from houses on a hillside as a religious offering on the
Dalai Lama’s birthday. In another area of Kardze, hundreds of police
were deployed in order to prevent similar peaceful celebrations of the
birthday at a holy mountain on July 6.

Since early June a new wave of protests and dissent has taken place in
the main county town and surrounding area of Kardze, long known for
its strong sense of Tibetan identity and nationalism.

Tibetans in Kardze have been experiencing severe repression and fear
under a crackdown imposed since March, 2008, when protests swept
across the region and continued in 2009. A new wave of protests began
over the past two months, resulting in at least 30 Tibetans, including
some senior monks, nuns and laypeople, being detained in at least 15
separate peaceful demonstrations calling for freedom, the release of
local and respected religious teachers, and for the Dalai Lama to
return home. As a result, and at the time of the Dalai Lama’s
birthday, the lockdown of the area has been significantly intensified.