The Tibetan Government in Exile has confirmed that an unidentified Tibetan monk has committed self-immolation in Kathmandu, Nepal, this wednesday 13 February 2013, the day that marks the 100 years of the declaration of independence of Tibet by the 13 º Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso. It is the hundredth case recorded since 2009.
According to the AFP news agency, A group of tourists who were having breakfast this morning near the place where the monk caught fire began to scream for help and alerted the police., who put out the flames and took the individual to the hospital.
Demonstrations to remember the Centennial of the Declaration of Independence of Tibet
Tibetans in exile and sympathizers from around the world have planned major events to commemorate the historic event and reaffirm Tibet's independence..
In Barcelona, the House of Tibet Foundation, call a peaceful demonstration this afternoon leaving at 19:30h of C/ Rosselló 181 and ending with a concentration in the Pl. St. James at 9pm. (More information +)
Nepal and China: allies
In recent years, in the wake of growing ties between Nepal and China, Kathmandu has clamped down on Tibetan refugees living in the country. This is not the first time a Tibetan sets himself on fire in Kathmandu. In November 2011, a Tibetan monk Bhutuk set himself on fire in the same place. He survived and later managed to flee to India., after being chased by the Nepalese police.
The Tibetan government in exile attributes the increase in immolations to the frustration prevailing in Tibet over the repression exercised by China against its religion and culture..
Beijing, For its part, often accuses the Dalai Lama of encouraging immolations. The Supreme Court and the main Chinese judicial and police authorities announced last December that anyone who has helped or incited a Tibetan to immolate himself will be prosecuted for “voluntary manslaughter.”.
Background
He 31 January, Ngaba Intermediate People's Court (Aba, in Chinese) and from Qiang Autonomous Prefecture gave Lobsang Kunchok, of 40 years, death penalty suspended for two years and deprivation of political rights for life. his nephew, Lobsang Tsering, of 31 years, was sentenced to 10 years of prison, and was deprived of his political rights for three years, according to the Chinese state news agency, Xinhua. the same day, Sangchu County People's Court (Xiaohe, in Chinese) in Kanlho prefecture (Gannan, in Chinese), in Gansu province sentenced six Tibetans to between three and twelve years in prison for their alleged participation in the self-immolation of a Tibetan in October 2012, Chinese state media reported.
While on the one hand, the Chinese government is trying to discredit Tibetan immolations by criminalizing such acts, Another equally important motivation is to establish a link between Tibet's protest immolations and their so-called “instigators.”” and “inciters” in exile. Chinese authorities have indicated a political objective in the Lobsang Kunchok and Lobsang Tsering sentencing. As Hong Lei, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: “We hope that through the conviction of these cases, The international community will be able to clearly see the evil and malicious methods used by the Dalai Lama clique in self-immolations and condemn their crimes.. ”
The politicization of the judiciary by the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party in Tibet is not new. He 2 April 2008 at a meeting convened by the Higher People's Court of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR, by its acronym in English), Pema Thinley, then deputy governor of the TAR and also deputy secretary of the Standing Committee for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of the TAR, He asked justice to “act quickly and hit hard on the Dalai Lama's clique”. She further , He said strict legal action should be taken on the basis of Party policy so that the final verdict gains political dividends., legal and social, and thus achieve political and social stability.
