22/05/2015
Beijing, 22 may (EFE).- A Tibetan named Tenzin Gyatso, father of 4 children, He tried to immolate himself in the town of Tawu, in the central Chinese province of Sichuan, where tensions with the security forces have increased due to the proximity of the 80 Dalai Lama's birthday, reported International Campaign for Tibet.
According to this US-based organization, Last Wednesday Gyatso took part in that protest to denounce the strong security measures that Chinese paramilitary forces have deployed in view of the proximity of the symbolic anniversary., the next 6 July.
The man was arrested by armed police after the incident., occurred near a government building where political indoctrination classes were being held, and it is unknown if he is still alive or not, the NGO said in a statement.
According to the International Campaign for Tibet, there are now four people who have tried to commit suicide by burning themselves so far this year in areas of China populated by the Tibetan ethnic group., and Tawu is one of the areas where there is greatest tension.
in 2013, The police of that town opened fire on a group of Tibetans who were celebrating the 78 Dalai Lama's birthday, its religious leader in exile, an event in which there was 10 injured and some of those arrested were tortured in police custody, always according to the American NGO.
"Hemos oído que mucha gente está siendo golpeada y detenida sin razón alguna. Tenzin Gyatso fue testigo de esto y se sentía muy mal por ello", said a resident of the area quoted by the pro-Tibet NGO..
More of 140 people have tried to immolate themselves in areas populated by Tibetans since 2009, and more than a hundred died, in protests against Chinese repression of the culture and religion of this ethnic group.
China assures that Tibet has been an inseparable part of its territory for centuries, while Tibetans in exile argue that the region was long virtually independent until it was occupied by communist troops in 1951.
These communities abroad accuse China of indirectly causing the immolations due to its repressive policies against Tibetan culture and religion., while Beijing blames exile, including its leader the Dalai Lama, to encourage these suicides. EFE
