self-immolation protests by Tibetans in China

Most of the protesters have been monks and nuns, or ex-monks{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/tibet/9077545/Teenage-Tibetan-nun-sets-herself-on-fire-in-China.html |title=Teenage Tibetan nun sets herself on fire in China |agency=Associated Press |date=12 February 2012|access-date= 12 February 2012|work= The Daily Telegraph |location=London}} Some of the protesters who set themselves on fire were teenagers.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE81J06B20120220|title=Teenage Tibetan monk self-immolates, dies: rights group |work=Reuters |date=19 February 2012 |access-date=29 May 2012}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17267925 |title=Tibetan teen burns himself to death in China protest |work=BBC News |date=6 March 2012 |access-date=29 May 2012}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/tibet/9077545/Teenage-Tibetan-nun-sets-herself-on-fire-in-China.html |title=Teenage Tibetan nun sets herself on fire in China |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=12 February 2012 |access-date=29 May 2012 |location=London}}{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-19394488 | work=BBC News | title=Two Tibetan teenagers die in self-immolations | date=28 August 2012}}

Most protests have taken place in Amdo near the Kirti Monastery, especially in Ngawa City, Ngawa County, Sichuan,{{cite news|title=In Occupied Tibetan Monastery, a Reason for Fiery Deaths|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/world/asia/wave-of-tibet-self-immolations-challenges-chinese-rule.html|access-date=3 June 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2 June 2012|author=Edward Wong}} others in Gansu and Qinghai and Tibet Autonomous Region. Self-immolation protests by Tibetans also occurred in India{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2012/03/self-immolation-india |title=Self-immolation in India: Frighteningly common |newspaper=The Economist |date=26 March 2012 |access-date=29 May 2012}} and Kathmandu, Nepal.{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/node/21551540 |title=No impact: Tibetan protests seem increasingly ineffective |newspaper=The Economist |date=31 March 2012 |access-date=29 May 2012}}

According to Reuters, the Dalai Lama said in March 2012 he does not encourage the protests, but he has praised the courage of those who had engaged in self-immolation{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/tibet/9139760/Teenage-monk-sets-himself-on-fire-on-53rd-anniversary-of-failed-Tibetan-uprising.html |title=Teenage monk sets himself on fire on 53rd anniversary of failed Tibetan uprising |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=13 March 2012 |access-date=29 May 2012 |location=London}} and blamed the self-immolations on "cultural genocide" by the Chinese. Four months later the Dalai Lama made clear that he wishes to remain neutral regarding this topic and he explained why to The Hindu:{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3617428.ece |title=Dalai Lama speaks of dilemma on spreading self-immolations |work=The Hindu |date=9 July 2012 |access-date=1 January 2015 }}

{{blockquote| This is a very, very delicate political issue. Now, the reality is that if I say something positive, then the Chinese immediately blame me. If I say something negative, then the family members of those people feel very sad. They sacrificed their own life. It is not easy. So I do not want to create some kind of impression that this is wrong. So the best thing is to remain neutral.}}

When asked by an Australian journalist – in the context of self-immolations to oppose Chinese rule and policies – if Tibetans are "losing patience with non-violence", the Dalai Lama replied:

{{blockquote| No. I think the self-burning itself on practice of non-violence. These people, you see, they easily use bomb explosive, more casualty people. But they didn't do that. Only sacrifice their own life. So this also is part of practice of non-violence.{{cite book|author=Thomas Kauffmann|title=The Agendas of Tibetan Refugees: Survival Strategies of a Government-in-Exile in a World of Transnational Organizations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uipRCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA70|year= 2015|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-1-78238-283-6|pages=70–}} and [http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3781436.htm Dalai Lama shares wisdom on dissent, death and politicians], ABC news}}

French anthropologist Katia Buffetrille comments:

{{blockquote| During the hunger strike of Thubten Ngödrup in 1998, the Dalai Lama expressed his disagreement with this kind of practice, which he considered as violence against oneself. However, he cites often Gandhi, for whom hunger strike was a non-violent act. He expressed his admiration for the courage of these people and attended prayers for them. But he questioned the effectiveness of such actions, he said, [these actions] lead to increased repression. Now he does not want to say anything about this [topic] any more.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scienceshumaines.com/quand-les-tibetains-s-immolent-rencontre-avec-katia-buffetrille_fr_29132.html|title=Quand les Tibétains s'immolent. Rencontre avec Katia Buffetrille|first=Propos recueillis par Déborah|last=Corrèges|website=Sciences Humaines|access-date=16 September 2020}}}}

Wen Jiabao, then premier of China, said that such extreme actions hurt social harmony and that Tibet and the Tibetan areas of Sichuan are integral parts of Chinese territory.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/china-npc-highlights-idUSL4E8EE11K20120314 |title=China Premier Wen Jiabao's comments at NPC press conference |work=Reuters |date=14 March 2012 |access-date=29 May 2012}} According to The Economist, the self-immolations have caused the government's attitude to harden.

Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar, writing on CNN Belief Blog, suggests: "Why not create [what the Dalai Lama describes as] 'some kind of impression' that killing was wrong? Why not use his vast store of moral and spiritual capital to denounce this ritual of human sacrifice?", adding that "if the Dalai Lama were to speak out unequivocally against these deaths, they would surely stop. So in a very real sense, their (self-immolators’) blood is on his (the Dalai Lama's) hands."{{cite book|author=Richard B. Miller|title=Friends and Other Strangers: Studies in Religion, Ethics, and Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UHq0CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT90|year=2016|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-54155-8|pages=90–}}and [https://web.archive.org/web/20120714122611/http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/12/my-take-dalai-lama-should-condemn-tibetan-self-immolations/ My Take: Dalai Lama should condemn Tibetan self-immolations] Tenzin Dorjee, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, opposed that view on the CNN Belief Blog, urging to "understand the self-immolations" and arguing "instead of responding to China’s oppression with revenge – a path far more tempting to the basic human instinct – Tibetans have chosen a means far more peaceful. Without harming a single Chinese…". He is of the opinion that Stephen Prothero expresses "a colossal indifference to the courage and circumstances of those fighting for the same democratic freedoms and human rights that he himself enjoys."{{Cite web|url=https://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/18/my-take-why-the-dalai-lama-cannot-condemn-tibetan-self-immolations/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720052922/http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/18/my-take-why-the-dalai-lama-cannot-condemn-tibetan-self-immolations/|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 July 2012|title=My Take: Why the Dalai Lama cannot condemn Tibetan self-immolations|access-date=16 September 2020}}

Self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese domination of Tibet have had a greater impact than earlier protests. Despite considerable loss of life during the Tibetan protests in 2008 on the part of both the Tibetan and Han population in Tibet, casualties were simply not reported by the Chinese government. Self-immolations, on the other hand, result in dramatic images of the protester, while burning or afterwards,{{ cite web | title=Photos of immolations | url=http://www.savetibet.org/resource-center/maps-data-fact-sheets/photos-protests-crackdowns-and-self-immolations-self-immolations | date=15 June 2012 | access-date=20 June 2012 | publisher=SaveTibet.org | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303182336/http://savetibet.org/resource-center/maps-data-fact-sheets/photos-protests-crackdowns-and-self-immolations-self-immolations | archive-date=3 March 2012 | df=dmy-all }} which can be easily transmitted over the internet to news media and supporters. Internet access has reached even remote areas in the parts of China where Tibetans live.{{cite news|title=Technology Reaches Remote Tibetan Corners, Fanning Unrest|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/world/asia/technology-reaches-remote-tibetan-corners-fanning-unrest.html|access-date=24 May 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=23 May 2012|author=Andrew Jacobs|author-link=Andrew Jacobs (journalist)}}

However, sensitive areas of Tibet are often subject to communication clampdowns.{{cite web|url=http://www.freetibet.org/news-media/na/communications-clampdown |title=Communications clampdown |work=Free Tibet |date=19 March 2013 |access-date=13 June 2013}} These blackouts, along with the ban of foreign journalists and human rights monitors, means obtaining exact numbers of self immolations in Tibet is difficult. However, a number of organizations, such as Free Tibet, do keep up-to-date lists of confirmed incidents. Most of the Tibetan independence movement organizations state that self-immolation acts of Tibetans are an affirmation of the Tibetan identity in the face of "cultural genocide". These records of self-immolation often receive significant international attention and are often referenced when conducting awareness fundraising activities for freedoms in Tibet, receiving with wide support from cultural exponents like Hollywood actors or famous musicians.{{Cite web|last=Twitter|date=2009-03-13|title=Stars support Dalai Lama|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-mar-13-et-cause13-story.html|access-date=2021-11-29|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}

{{unreferenced section|date=September 2017}}

{{update|since=2018|date=March 2020}}

• 1

February: Ngawa 1

• 14 (12 in Tibetan areas, 1 India, 1 Nepal),

March: Ngawa 1,

August: Kardze (Dau County) 1,

September: Ngawa 2,

October: Ngawa 5, Kardze 1,

November: Kardze (Dau County) 1, India 1, Nepal 1,

December: Chamdo 1

• File:Palden Choetso's body inside Nyitso monastery.jpg86 (84 in Tibetan areas, Beijing 1, India 1)

January (4): Ngawa 3, Golog 1,

February (6): Ngawa 4, Yushu (Thridu County) 1, Amdo Haixi 1,

March (11): Kanlho 1, Ngawa 7, Malho (Rebkong County) 2, India 1,

April (4): Kardze 2, Ngawa 2,

May (3): Lhasa City 2, Ngawa 1,

June (4): Malho (Cantsha County) 1, Yushu (Thridu County) 2, Yushu 1,

July (2): Lhasa (Damshung County) 1, Ngawa 1,

August (7): Ngawa 6, Kanlho 1,

September (2): Beijing 1, Yushu (Zado County) 1,

October (10): Nagchu 1, Kanlho 7, Nagchu (Driru County) 2,

November (28): Malho (Rebkong County) 9, Malho (Zeku County) 3, Amdo Haidong 1, Ngawa 3, Ngawa (Zoige County) 2, Kardze 1, Nagchu (Driru County) 1, Kanlho 2, Kanlho (Sangchu County) 3, Kanlho (Luchu County) 3,

December (5): Kanlho (Sangchu County) 1, Kanlho (Luchu County) 1, Golog 1, Ngawa 1, Malho 1,

• 28 (26 in Tibetan areas, 2 Nepal)

January (3): Kanlho (Sangchu County) 2, Ngawa 1,

February (9): Ngawa 1, Kanlho (Sangchu County) 2, Nepal 1, Ngawa (Zoige County) 3, Amdo Haidong 1, Kanlho (Luchu County) 1,

March (5): Ngawa (Zoige County) 1, Ngawa 2, Kanlho (Sangchu County) 1, Kanlho (Luchu County) 1,

April (3): Ngawa 1, Ngawa (Zoige) 2,

May (1): Yushu (Chumarleb County) 1,

June (1): Kardze (Dau County) 1,

July (1): Ngawa (Zoige County) 1,

August (1): Nepal 1,

September (1): Ngawa 1,

November (1): Golog 1,

December (2): Ngawa 1, Kanlho (Sangchu County) 1,

• 11

February (2): Malho 1, Ngawa 1,

March (3): Malho 1, Ngawa 1, Kardze (Litang County) 1,

April (1): Kardze (Dau County) 1,

September: (2) Golog 1, Kanlho 1,

December (3): Kanlho 1, Ngawa 1, Kardze (Dau County) 1,

• 7

March: Ngawa 1,

April (2): Kardze 1, Ngawa 1,

May (2): Kardze (Dau County) 1, Kanlho (Jonê County) 1, July (1): Yushu, August (1): Kanlho (Sangqu county)1,

• 3

February (1): Kardze (Nyarong county), March (1): Ngawa (Dzoege county), December (1): Kardze (Machu county),

• 6 (until 5 June)

March (1): Kardze, April (1): Kardze, May (2): Kanlho (Bora county) 1, Chentsa (Malho county), November (1): Kardze, December (1): Chukle Gongma pastoral community in Cha village, Ngaba county{{cite web |title=Immolations |date=31 January 2012 |url=https://tibet.net/important-issues/factsheet-immolation-2011-2012/ |access-date=22 January 2023}}

• 2

March (1): (5th village, Meuruma Township, Ngaba County), November (1): (Jakorma village in the Choejema area, Ngaba County){{cite web |title=Immolations |date=31 January 2012 |url=https://tibet.net/important-issues/factsheet-immolation-2011-2012/ |access-date=22 January 2023}}

• 1

November (1): (Meruma in Ngaba){{cite web |title=Immolations |date=31 January 2012 |url=https://tibet.net/important-issues/factsheet-immolation-2011-2012/ |access-date=22 January 2023}}

• 2

February (1): Nagchu, March (1): Kirti (Ngaba county)

• Political situation in Tibet
• Sinicization of Tibet
• Anti-Chinese sentiment in Tibet
• 1959 Tibetan uprising
• History of Tibet (1950–present)
• Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China
• List of political self-immolations

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.cecc.gov/tibetan-self-immolations-0 Tibetan Self-Immolations | Congressional-Executive Commission on China] Tibetan Self-Immolations Reported or Believed To Focus on Political and Religious Issues (Summary, Source, and Location Information), Incidents- (12 January 2013 through 8 December 2016)
• [https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2012/mar/07/self-immolation-tibet-china-interactive Guardian.uk photo gallery] Portrait photos and short details.
• [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20121018180235/http://www.freetibet.org/news-media/na/full-list-self-immolations-tibet Free Tibet]'s list compiling individuals who have self-immolated inside Tibet.
• [https://thetibetpost.com/more/multitudinous Self-immolation related articles]
• [http://savetibet.org/resource-center/maps-data-fact-sheets/self-immolation-fact-sheet Self-immolation fact sheet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611220028/http://savetibet.org/resource-center/maps-data-fact-sheets/self-immolation-fact-sheet |date=11 June 2013 }}
• [https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo19336 Special Report: Tibetan Monastic Self-immolations Appear to Correlate with Increasing Repression of Freedom of Religion] Congressional-Executive Commission on China
• [http://info-buddhism.com/Self-Immolation-Tibetans_Dodin.html Self-immolations of Tibetans, an interview with Thierry Dodin Part 1: Why are Tibetans doing that?], Part 2: [http://info-buddhism.com/Self-Immolation-Buddhism_Dodin.html Self-immolations and Buddhism], Part 3: [http://info-buddhism.com/Self-Immolation-Tibetans_Reactions-and-Consequences_Dodin.html Part 3: Reactions and Consequences]

{{Tibet topics}}

Category:21st century in Tibet

Category:Tibetan independence movement

Category:Suicides by self-immolation

Category:Suicide in China

Category:History of Tibetan Buddhism