Tibetans guilty of murder in self-immolation cases

[hope rainbow]

Shanghai Daily - Friday 1 February 2013

Tibetans guilty of murder in self-immolation cases

EIGHT Tibetans have been convicted in connection with the deaths of four people who had been incited to set themselves on fire.

In two separate cases, six were found guilty of murder while two were jailed on less serious charges.
Lorang Konchok, 40, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve and his nephew, Lorang Tsering, 31, was jailed or 10 years after they were convicted by a court in southwest China's Sichuan province.

The two incited and coerced eight people to self-immolate, resulting in three deaths, the Intermediate People's Court of the Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba found.

Of the eight, three set themselves on fire and died last year. The other five either abandoned their plans or police intervened in time.

Lorang Konchok, a monk in Aba's Kirti Monastery, used his status as a "geshe," or high-level Tibetan religious scholar, to convince monks and others to self- immolate, the court found.

It said he sent information regarding self-immolations to Samtan, a member of an overseas "Kirti Monastery media liaison team" — a "Tibet independence" organization — which was used by some overseas media as propaganda.

Lorang Konchok had pled guilty and showed repentance during the trial, which led to his punishment being miti-gated, the court said.

Lorang Tsering, who admitted a sec-ondary role, had also shown repentance, leading to a lighter sentence.

Six other Tibetans were jailed for their roles in a self-immolation in October by a court in northwest China's Gansu Province. The Xiahe County People's Court convicted Padma Tamdru, Kelsang Gyamuktso, Padma Co and Lhamo Tamdru of murder and sentenced them to 12, 11, 8 and 7 years in jail, respectively.

Two others, Do Gekyap.and Yang Monje, were convicted of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and sentenced to four and three years, respectively.

The court heard the first four attacked police trying to rescue Togye Rinchen, who had set himself on fire. While the other two created a disturbance, they took the man away and he later died, the court found.

(Xinhua)

[hope rainbow]

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

BEIJING - A court in China has handed down heavy sentences to a Tibetan monk and his nephew for inciting eight people to set themselves on fire in anti-Chinese protests, the first time punishment has been meted out over such protests.

Lorang Konchok, 40, was sentenced to death with a two year reprieve in the Aba prefecture in Sichuan province, while his nephew, Losang Tsering, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the Xinhua state news agency said.

In practice, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve is commuted to life imprisonment or reduced to a fixed term later.

"The two incited and coerced eight people to self-immolate, resulting in three deaths," Xinhua said, citing the Intermediate People's Court in Aba prefecture.

Last December, Xinhua reported that Lorang Konchok, who was detained with his nephew in August, confessed to police that he had followed instructions from exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and his followers.

Lorang Konchok and his nephew passed on information about each self-immolation, including photographs, to overseas contacts belonging to a Tibetan independence organisation with mobile telephones, Xinhua said.

China has repeatedly denounced the Dalai Lama and exiled Tibetan groups for fomenting the self-immolations.

Nearly 100 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest against Chinese rule since 2009, with most of them dying from their injuries.

Separately, thousands of Tibetans yesterday staged a rally in India's capital as part of a renewed drive to highlight the self-immolations in their homeland.

Exiles based in India and some from neighbouring Nepal put up anti-Beijing banners in the centre of New Delhi and shouted slogans asking the international community to bring pressure on China over the issue.

[hope rainbow]

South China Morning Post - 1 February 2013

Tibetan monk 'incited burnings'

Pair jailed after police say they received instructions from the Dalai Lama

Reuters in Beijing

A court in Sichuan province has imposed heavy sentences to a Tibetan monk and his nephew for inciting eight people to set themselves on fire in antiChinese protests, the first time punishment has been meted out over such protests.

Also yesterday, a county court in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu province sentenced six ethnic Tibetans to three to 12 years in prison for their roles in a local villager's self-immolation in October.

Since 2009 nearly 100 Tibet ans have set themselves on fire in protest at Chinese rule, with most of them dying from their injuries.

Lorang Konchok, 40, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in Aba prefecture in Sichuan, while his nephew, Losang Tsering, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In practice, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve is commuted to life imprisonment or reduced to a fixed-term later.

"The two incited and coerced eight people to self-immolate, resulting in three deaths," Xinhua said, citing the Intermediate People's Court in Aba prefecture.

In December, Xinhua reported that Lorang Konchok, who was detained with his nephew in August, confessed to police that he had followed instructions from exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and his followers.

Lorang Konchok and his nephew passed on information about each self-immolation, including photographs, to overseas contacts belonging to a Tibetan independence organisation with mobile phones, Xinhua said.

China has repeatedly denounced the Dalai Lama and exiled Tibetan groups for fomenting the self-immolations.

"We hope that the international community can clearly see, via this judgment, the sinister, malicious methods used by the Dalai clique behind these acts and denounce their crimes," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Ler said.

Beijing considers Nobel peace laureate die Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule, a violent separatist.

The Dalai Lama says he is merely seeking greater autonomy for his homeland. He has called on China to investigate the self-immolations, and denies encouraging them but has called them "understandable".

Chinese police arrested a Tibetan man last week for allegedly encouraging a monk to bum himself to death, as part of a new tactic to discourage suicide protests against Chinese rule.

(Additional reporting by a Staff Reporter)

[jessicajameson]

I don't know... it seems a little fishy that 2 of the 3 articles are from China-based news agencies. The information also comes from Beijing, the capital of China.

They state that a Geshe from a monastery asked monks to self-immolate, and they state that it was His Holiness the Dalai Lama who instigated the Geshe to promote self-immolation.

Although the article was well-written, something doesn't quite add up. As if the Geshe has nothing better to do.

It paints a very bad image for Buddhism as a whole, as it implies the negative connotation that comes with Muslim extremists.

I have my reservations on the truth behind this article.

[hope rainbow]

I don't know... it seems a little fishy that 2 of the 3 articles are from China-based news agencies. The information also comes from Beijing, the capital of China.

They state that a Geshe from a monastery asked monks to self-immolate, and they state that it was His Holiness the Dalai Lama who instigated the Geshe to promote self-immolation.

Although the article was well-written, something doesn't quite add up. As if the Geshe has nothing better to do.

It paints a very bad image for Buddhism as a whole, as it implies the negative connotation that comes with Muslim extremists.

I have my reservations on the truth behind this article.

I do not know how much or how many Chinese nationals do actually read "between" the lines...
The articles from the China press must, of course, "align" with the position of the government.
This is why I also posted the article from "REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE" that gives a different angle to the information.

The truth is, however, that these men have been sentenced.
The truth is, also, that the Dalai Lama is being blamed in the newspaper.

And I must agree with you, by "attacking" the Dalai Lama, Buddhism is exposed to denigration as a whole.
I think that the best thing to do is to expose some bias in some of the articles and debate them.

[jessicajameson]

Thanks for the reply, Hope Rainbow.

Below is an article on the Tibetan's Phayul.com website. It says that China has sentenced 6 Tibetans for their alleged roles in trying to rescue a Tibetan self-immolator from falling into the hands of the Chinese officials.

The Chinese government jails those who incite the self-immolation, they jail those who self-immolate, and they jail those who help the self-immolator from getting into the Chinese hands.

Must be a pretty full jail wherever they all are...

Six Tibetans sentenced up to 12 years for rescuing self-immolator
Phayul

[Friday, February 01, 2013 20:33]

DHARAMSHALA, February 1: China has sentenced six Tibetans to heavy jail terms of up to 12 years for their alleged roles in trying to rescue a Tibetan self-immolator from falling into the hands of Chinese officials.

The Xiahe County People's Court passed the sentence on January 31, the same day when a Chinese court in Ngaba, eastern Tibet, sentenced Lobsang Kunchok, to death with a two year reprieve for “instigating” self-immolations and Lobsang Tsering to 10 years.

The court in Sangchu sentenced Pema Dhondup to 12 years, Kalsang Gyatso to 11 years, Lhamo Dhondup to seven years, and a female Pema Tso to eight years on charges of intentional homicide.

According to China’s state agency Xinhua, two other Tibetans, Dugkar Gyal and a female Yangmo Kyi were convicted of "picking quarrels and provoking troubles" and sentenced to four and three years in prison, respectively.

The Tibetans were sentenced in connection with the self-immolation protest of Dorjee Rinchen, 57, who set himself on fire in Sangchu region of eastern Tibet on October 23, 2012. He carried out his protest near the local PLA recruiting center in Labrang and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

However, Xinhua in its report said that Dorjee Rinchen self-immolated “near a shopping center,” while omitting to provide reasons for his fiery protest.

The Central Tibetan Administration in a statement released today following the court sentences noted that “even mere expression of sorrow on the loss and sharing of news by families can lead to criminal prosecution.”

Dorjee Rinchen engulfed in flames in Sangchu region of eastern Tibet on October 23, 2013.
Dorjee Rinchen engulfed in flames in Sangchu region of eastern Tibet on October 23, 2013.
“This and other forms of brutal crackdown reflect the draconian measures adopted by Chinese leadership and as feared, criminal prosecution and undue process carried out to target the families and friends framed to be involved in the self-immolations,” the exile administration said.

Dharamshala based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy today said the court sentencing comes in the backdrop of “relentless crackdown on self-immolation protests including arbitrary arrests, detention, intimidation, monetary inducements, and long prison terms.”

The group pointed out that China’s criminalisation of the self-immolations as “murder” is a “highly condemnable” misuse of legal provisions for fulfilling political objectives.

TCHRD further noted that the “politicised nature of Chinese judiciary allows government and Party officials to interfere in politically-sensitive cases.”

“The Chinese government needs to seriously address the real causes of self-immolation protests; it needs to acknowledge that the burning protests are a direct result of its destructive policies,” the rights group said.

“Far from acting as a deterrent to self-immolation or damaging the reputation of the “Dalai clique”, such arbitrary and unjust sentencing will only aggravate the already explosive situation in Tibet.”

[Tenzin Malgyur]

Hmmm, I agree with Jessica that it must be very crowded in the jail after reading the three articles  from different news agency. It has certainly put Buddhism in a bad publicity with many linking self immolations to HH Dalai Lama. It is also mentioned that HHDL is merely seeking autonomy for his homeland, but why is His Holiness still required to do this? I recall in his speech when he announced his retirement that all political duties have been handed over to Lobsang Sangay. I hope HH would make an official speech to stop self immolations among the Tibetans.

[hope rainbow]

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE - edition of February 8 2013

China arrests 12 in Tibetan area over self-immolation protests

BY CHRIS BUCKLEY

The police in a restive Tibetan area have arrested 12 people and detained dozens more accused of playing a part in self- immolation protests over Chinese rule, the state-run news media said on Thursday, pressing a propaganda campaign to ascribe the acts to a conspiracy inspired by the Dalai Lama.

The announcement of the arrests, in Qinghai Province, in western China, has come while the number of self-immolation protests reported in Tibetan parts over the past four years approach 100, a milestone that has appeared to spur on a campaign by the Chinese police and officials to deter such acts.

Xinhua, the state news agency, said that since November, the police in Huangnan, a heavily Tibetan prefecture of Qinghai, have formally arrested 12 suspects and detained 58 people over self-immolations in the area. The report did not specify who the suspects were, when they were held by the police, or the precise allegations against them.

But like other official Chinese reports on the self-immolations, it presented them as the outcome of plotting inspired by the Dalai Lama and groups outside China seeking to challenge the Communist Party's hold over Tibetan parts. The Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, has not made any explicit statements backing the acts, and his supporters have dismissed the accusations as groundless attempts to divert attention from the failings of Chinese rule.

The Xinhua report said the self-immolations were' 'incited by the Dalai's clique abroad and then implemented within the country, with photos and other personal information about the self-immolators then sent abroad to stir up attention."

Many of the Tibetan people who doused themselves in flammable liquid that was then ignited were troubled by emotional problems and failed relation-ships, the report said. "At the same time, a handful have been extreme nationalists who sympathized with the self-immolators, and then carried out self-immolations themselves to follow their example as so-called nationalist heroes," it said, citing the Qinghai police.