It is only half way through the month of November and there have been 10 self-immolation already. The intense situation inside Tibet is evident through the continuous increase in the number of self-immolation. The number now tolls to 72 and we are more afraid of how many more will follow in this martyrdom.
According to the confirmed reports from reliable resources, since 2009, 72 Tibetans have self-immolated inside Tibet and among them 9 are female: three nuns, five mothers and a student. Tenzin Wangmo and Tenzin Choedon were nuns from Mamae Nunnery in Ngapa and Palden Choetso was a nun from Dakar Choeling Nunnery in Tawu. Rinchen, Rikyo, Dickyi Choezom, Dolkar Tso and TamdingTso were all mothers. Rinchen was a mother of four children and her youngest child is only a few months old. Rikyo was a mother of three children. Dickyi Choezon was a mother of two. Dolkar Tso had two sons and TamdingTso was a mother of one child. Tsering Kyi was known as a young brilliant student. We are further saddened by death of these female martyrs.
No judgment should be made regarding the actions of the people who have chosen to self immolate. Instead, we not only express our deepest concern on the growing tragic cases of self-immolations by Tibetans inside Tibet, but also respect and recognize this martyrdom as the highest form of non-violent protest against the inhumane policies of the Chinese Government.
We firmly believe that the unbearable situation in Tibet is the core cause for these unfortunate and tragic cases. It is clear that these are symptoms of a constant fear of living under suppressive policies implemented by China in Tibet.We are here to remind China that as long as it continues to enforce its cruel crackdown, the number of self-immolations and protests will never cease. It is high time for China to accept their failed policies and think more realistically.
We urge the Chinese government, especially the upcoming Xi-jingping and 5th generation of China’s leaders to resolve their oppressive policies over Tibet and respond to the negotiations extended by the Exile-Tibetan leadership. The ruthless crisis that Tibetans have been experiencing for more than half a century within Tibet cannot be resolved through these callous crackdowns and unbearable policies.
In fact, they have unfortunately acted as an unwavering catalyst to the increasing amount of self-immolations and protests. Thus, it is important to continue to recognize the martyrs who seek to stop the oppression in order to put pressure on the Chinese leaders to deal with this serious issue.