Two teenage Tibetans die of self-immolation protest

Two Tibetan youths died of self-immolation protest yesterday at Kyangtsa Township in Dzoege (Ch: Zoige/Ru’ergai) County in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

According to reliable information received by TCHRD, Rinchen, 17, and Sonam Dhargye, 18, set their bodies on fire to protest Chinese government repression at around 9.30 pm (local time) yesterday in Kyangtsa Township. Both hailed from Gardong Village in Kyangtsa Township. It is not known at the moment what slogans they shouted. Both died at the protest site and their bodies have been taken to their homes.
Sources said family members and relatives of the deceased are hoping to conduct religious rites and rituals without any interferences from the Chinese authorities.

Rinchen’s father’s name is Dhondup Tsering. His mother is late Aadon. Sonam Dhargye’s father’s name is Tsering Dhondup and his mother is called Takho.

During their childhood, both Rinchen and Dhargye attended the local primary school in Kyangtsa. After finishing his primary school, Rinchen attended another school in Wenchuan for a few years. A year or so ago, he moved to Qinghai, where he got employed. At the time of self-immolation, Rinchen was on his Losar (New Year) holiday visiting his family in Kyangtsa.

With the latest self-immolations in Dzoege, the total confirmed self-immolation toll in Tibet has now reached 104.