One More Teenage Self-immolation in Ngaba

On 13 February at about 2.30 pm (Tibet Time), 19-year-old Lobsang Gyatso set himself on fire at the main street of Ngaba town shouting slogans of protest against the Chinese government.

Immediately, officers from the People’s Armed Police and Public Security Bureau arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire, according to sources. The police officers continued beating the burnt monk as they took him away.

Lobsang Gyatso’s current condition and whereabouts remain unknown.

A monk of Kirti Monastery, Lobsang Gyatso belongs to the Badzri house in Naktsangma village of Cha Township, Ngaba County. Born to father Badzri and mother Pekar, he is the eldest of their five children.

Two other unidentified Tibetan youths on the scene were severely beaten by police officers, according to eyewitnesses. One of them managed to escape with the help of the public, but the other, who was bleeding profusely from the head and arm, was taken away by police.

Following the incident, additional security personnel were deployed in Ngaba. Extra checkpoints have been set up in the area and local people are subjected to random searches, reported the sources.