Tibet’s culture is being burned into oblivion by the occupying Chinese regime, yet blazing even more fiercely within Tibetan hearts is the hope that one day their land shall be free of China’s tyranny and that their rightful independence will be regained. This aspiration has fueled resistance to Chinese rule since Tibet was invaded in 1950. More recently it has been a major demand issued by Tibetans who have self-immolated. A reality not only ignored by the exiled Tibetan Administration but cynically re-written, an action we oppose and expose.
Reports coming out from Ngaba in Amdo region of occupied Tibet that today a Tibetan named as Yonten carried out a self-immolation protest against the brutal and illegal occupation of Tibet by the Chinese.
Image: made available by courageous Tibetans
That news of this latest sacrifice has managed to get out is testament to the bravery and determination of Tibetans whose land has been placed under a suffocating totalitarian black-out. They took immense risks in making sure information on Yonten’s action reached a global audience.
Like all the Tibetan heroes who stand up against the brutal tyranny of Chinese rule, his sacrifice will not be forgotten.
* Our appreciation to Jigme Ugen for sharing information on this protest.
Updated 12/14/18-Reports from Ngaba area of eastern Tibet’s Amdo region of a further self-immolation protests.
Image: via courageous Tibetans inside Tibet
Two 16 year-old Tibetan boys named as Gendun Gyatso and Choekyi Gyatso self-immolated Saturday December 8th against China’s violent and illegal occupation of Tibet.
In that tragic land of a once free and peaceful Tibet we are hearing today, reports of another self-immolation. Details at the time of this post are not completely detailed, but a Tibetan man named as Tseko, self-immolated today in Ngaba, within Tibet’s Amdo region. An action taken in protest at China’s illegal and violent occupation.
Image: courtesy of the bravery of Tibetans inside occupied Tibet
Thanks to those immensely courageous Tibetans for getting news of this to the wider world.
As the western world prepares to gather around the table to celebrate the festive season across the tragic lands of occupied Tibet, in Amdo region another Tibetan self-immolated in protest at China’s illegal and violent occupation. Details remain unclear, what is known however is that the protest took place on December 23 near Kirti Monastery. A video has been posted the appears to be cell-phone footage of the event.
That China’s regime is guilty of cultural genocide against the Tibetan people is known the world over, and despite the propaganda gloss; which claims Tibet was ‘liberated’ and that since then Tibetans have enjoyed economic and social progress, people are not fooled by such disinformation.
What’s perhaps not realized though is the fear which China’s tyranny exerts upon Tibetans, it has traumatized an entire people, the psychological damage arising from years of abuse, oppression and military occupation has terrorized Tibetans. They feel asphyxiated and under an ever present condition of anxiety, for the consequences of a stray word or action are grim indeed!
There’s much evidence to support this, including studies on the rise of alcohol abuse within Tibet (the availability of cheap alcohol is but one toxic consequence of Chinese rule) and also the documented testimony of Tibetans who have reported on the harrowing conditions they face.
If you want an insight into the terror which has been instilled into Tibetans by China’s regime then look no further than the disturbing videos which are available online of self-immolations against Chinese rule. They are of course extremely unsettling, yet apart from the sacrifice and harrowing nature of protest, there’s something equally worrying, hidden in plain sight. This can be seen in the video below (advisory-graphic content) which shows a 63 year-old Tibetan, named as the Venerable Tengha, who self-immolated November 26 2017 in Kardze, Kham region of eastern Tibet, in protest against China’s vicious and illegal occupation of Tibet.
It’s almost impossible not to find your attention fixed on the actions of that courageous Tibetan as he rolls in flames across the ground, but if you can refocus onto the Tibetans standing within feet of this event. Ask yourself why is it that not one of them runs to the aid of their compatriot? You may also question why it is that a people whose main religion is Buddhism appear to be bereft of any sense of compassion as he suffers before their eyes? Just what is it that seems to holding them there like silent witnesses? Where is the basic human nature to intervene?
What you are seeing here is of course not an absence of humanity, or a desire to help someone in such a plight, nor indeed is there any lack of compassion within Tibetans, the reason is simply one of fear! Such is the machinery of terror imposed upon people in Tibet that they repress a natural instinct to bring assistance, and are internally conflicted between acting in accordance with their Buddhist culture of compassion and the dark consequences of associating themselves with the self-immolation protestor.
Can you begin to imagine what it must be like to find yourself repressing your values, moral standards and basic humanity for fear of being arrested and tortured?
Reports today from occupied Tibet that a 63 year-old Tibetan named as the Venerable Tengha, self-immolated in Kardze, Kham region of eastern Tibet, in protest against China’s vicious and illegal occupation of Tibet. Further details to come.
Venerable Tengha self-immolated against Chinese rule in Tibet.
