Young Tibetan nomad sets himself on fire

Taking the toll of self-immolation protests to three in less than a week, one more Tibetan, a young Tibetan nomad, set himself on fire in Meruma township in Ngaba (Chinese: Aba), Sichuan Province this morning.

“A 24-year old Tibetan man, Choepa set himself ablaze at 10:15 (local time) today in protest against the Chinese government, and the local security officers arrived within minutes and doused the fire on his body, and forcibly took him away,” a reliable source told TCHRD.

Following the self-immolation, officers from the People’s Armed Police have reportedly gathered in large numbers in and around Meruma area; some were seen patrolling the area. The atmosphere is tense as PAP officers have surrounded the town on all sides following the self-immolation.

Quoting local eyewitnesses, the same source said Choepa has severe burn injuries on his body triggering the speculation that he may have succumbed to his injuries. However, our source is unable to confirm whether Choepa is alive.

“A man in Meruma who witnessed the fiery protest told me that Choepa has suffered severe burn injuries,” the source said, adding that Choepa has most likely not survived the self-immolation.

The security officers took Choepa to an undisclosed location, the source said.

Choepa is survived by his father, Palo and mother, Medon.