In Ngaba, Tibet — the scene of many self immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule over the past several years — a man in his forties or fifties self immolated Wednesday beside a shrine he had set up which included photos of the Dalai Lama, the Tenth Panchen Lama, and his family, as well as the traditional butter-lamps and flowers of the Tibetan Buddhist practice.
“He was protesting against Chinese policies in Tibet,” a source from Ngaba told Radio Free Asia. “His body was taken away by police.”
Another of RFA’s sources was quoted, “He had received [religious] recognition for his vow not to harm others in personal disputes — a vow that he took in honor of all those who have sacrificed themselves in self-immolation protests for the cause of Tibetan freedom.”
The man’s name was Neykyab, according to Tibetan sources, who also said that the man was related by marriage to another Ngaba man who self immolated in Lhasa May 27, 2012.
The self immolation is the 139th within Tibet in protest of Chinese rule. It is the 141st self immolation for the cause, as self immolations have taken place in neighboring Nepal and India as well.
Read more: 140th self immolation against Chinese rule of Tibet
By James Haleavy