A Tibetan protester who attempted to self immolate to draw attention to the plight of Tibet and Tibetans under Chinese rule has provided a statement about the situation in Tibet. In his statement, the unidentified man explains the experience of Tibetans under Chinese rule.
The testimony was translated by Tibet Watch and reported on by Free Tibet. The voice of the Tibetan demonstrator was disguised for safety reasons.
“Since I am an ordinary human being, my way of thinking is that in this century, people and governments of most countries’ minds are joining together. They are enjoying the freedom and human rights of their countries–both the people and their nations are enjoying the new progress of their nations.
“But being a Tibetan, I don’t have a nation or freedom–I have experienced a lot of unhappiness. When I went to Lhasa on pilgrimage, the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple were surrounded by Chinese armies.
“We were unable to do a pilgrimage unless we applied for permission and waited a week for that permission. I noticed most soldiers put on monks robes over their military uniform.
“After I saw and experienced all of this with my own eyes, I started to think it was better to die rather than live in such an environment. I prayed for a rebirth under the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in my all lifetimes.
“Compared to other countries, we don’t have freedom of religious belief, freedom of speech, and our spiritual leader cannot return home. The restrictions are ongoing. I was unable to bear the suffering of living under Chinese aggression, so I thought about a self-immolation protest; I failed to die in my self-immolation protest, because of the dousing of the fire on my burning body.
“Nowadays I am unable to go anywhere and am dependent on others for everything.”
The reporter who spoke to the Tibetan demonstrator also asked about his hopes and wishes, and was told that the emancipation of the 11th Panchen Lama, and the meeting of the two Lamas (the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama) were his hopes. Also, he expressed hope for the release of all Tibetan political prisoners.
For safety reasons, it cannot be disclosed which of the over 130 Tibetan self immolators this man was.
By Day Blakely Donaldson