Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 14 (ANI): The Central Tibetan Administration marked the anniversary of Tibetan monk Sonam Dhargyal’s self-immolation, highlighting ongoing concerns about religious freedom and cultural preservation in Tibet.
In a post on X, the Tibetan government-in-exile paid tribute to those who have protested via self-immolation against Chinese policies in Tibet. It recalled that on March 17, 2012, Sonam Dhargyal, a 44-year-old father of three from Rebgong County, set himself on fire in the Rebgong area of Malho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Amdo). He died the same day. Thousands of Tibetans later gathered in Rebgong to mourn.
The CTA said Sonam Dhargyal was a farmer and the son of Shamo Dhargyal and Chagmo Gyal. His act was the second self-immolation in Rebgong within days; on March 14, 2012, Jamyang Palden, a monk in his thirties, had self-immolated near Rongpo Monastery.
The statement noted heavy security in the region at the time and reported that participants in prayer vigils or protests faced an increased risk of detention and retaliation by security forces. The commemoration reinforces calls by Tibetans in exile and inside Tibet for expanded religious freedom and protection of their cultural identity.
Self-immolation, a drastic form of protest involving setting oneself on fire, increased in Tibet from 2009 onward. Monks, nuns, and laypeople have used it to oppose restrictions on religious practice, cultural identity, and language under Chinese governance. Many protesters have also demanded the return of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in Dharamshala, India, since fleeing after the 1959 Tibetan Uprising. (ANI)
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