Tibetan dies of self-immolation in Damshung

A Tibetan man who set himself on fire on 7 July 2012 in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has reportedly died.

The 22 year-old Tibetan man was identified as Tsewang Dorjee, from Damshung (Ch: Dangxiong) County in Lhasa Municipality, TAR. Several media reports said Tsewang Dorjee died later that night.

Tsewang Dorjee reportedly self-immolated in the centre of Damshung County. Dorjee walked some distance and called for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, according to sources quoted by the media. Within minutes security personnel arrived at the site and took a severely burnt Dorjee to hospital.

Reports also say that the area is under heavy lockdown following the self-immolation. Details cannot be confirmed at this time of reporting as phone lines to the area are cut-off. Even people in nearby areas like Lhasa are unable to contact others in Damshung County, days after Dorjee’s self-immolation.

Tsewang Dorjee is survived by his mother. He became the fourth Tibetan to self-immolate in TAR. Thirty Tibetans have self-immolated this year, within a span of seven months. Since 2009, 43 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese rule in Tibet