Self-immolation, again, now in Lhasa

[Ensapa]

Make that two. Another monk have self immolated himself when things could have been done in a better way. They are for sure, not representing Buddhism in this. And done on Lama Tsongkhapa's day...no less

Breaking: Burning Tibetan calls for independence, Two self-immolations in a day
Phayul[Saturday, December 08, 2012 18:47]


Tibetan self-immolator Pema Dorjee set himself on fire demanding the Dalai Lama's return and Tibet's independence outside the Shitsang Monastery in Luchu, eastern Tibet on December 8, 2012.

DHARAMSHALA, December 8: In no respite to the wave of fiery protests inside Tibet, a second Tibetan today set himself on fire protesting China’s continued occupation of Tibet.

Pema Dorjee, 23, set himself on fire in the Luchu region of eastern Tibet at around 4:30 pm (local time). A group of exiled Tibetans from the region told Phayul that he succumbed to his injuries at the protest site.

“Martyr Pema Dorjee set himself on fire in front of the main assembly hall of the Shitsang Monastery in Luchu,” the group said. “A large number of Tibetans who were at the Monastery to offer prayers witnessed the self-immolation protest.”

Today, the 25th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan Lunar calendar is observed as Gaden Ngamchoe, the day of Je Tsongkhapa's Parinirvana. Tibetans all over, observe this day by offering lamps in monasteries, temples, stupas, and at homes to venerate the mortal departure of Lama Tsongkhapa, a great 14th century Tibetan Buddhist master.



According to Sonam, an exiled Tibetan, Pema Dorjee raised slogans calling for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibet’s independence.

“Pema Dorjee raised slogans calling for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, independence of Tibet, unity of Tibetans and for the land of Tibet to be ruled by Tibetans,” Sonam said citing a contact in the region.


“There are heavy restrictions placed around the monastery as of now,” the same source added.

Pema Dorjee is a native of Chokhor village in Shitsang region of Luchu. His village is located at around a distance of 30kms from the Shitsang Monastery.

With two self-immolations today, the ongoing wave of fiery protests in Tibet, which began in 2009, has witnessed 94 Tibetans set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama.

The exile Tibetan administration maintains that the current situation in Tibet has stemmed from “several decades of Chinese misrule in Tibet” and discontent of the Tibetan people arsing from “political repression, cultural assimilation, economic marginalisation, and environmental destruction.”

Urging people not to remain “idle bystanders,” the elected head of the Tibetan people Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay recently called for a Global Solidarity Day to be observed on December 10, Human Rights Day.

Sikyong Dr Sangay urged Tibetans and supporters to “light a candle or lamp, observe a minute’s silence, and a say a prayer for all those who have died for the cause of Tibet, and locally organise vigils and rallies."

[Big Uncle]

I found something interesting on the net recently. Apparently, self-immolation was not a practice that began with the famous Vietnamese monk but with the great Mahayana monks of ancient China. I found a whole book on the topic. I have personally not read the book yet but just read the synopsis and found compelling spiritual reasons for self-immolation.

This is a highly controversial aspect of Chinese Buddhism that received careful deliberation, study and discussion in this very interesting book. I think it is pretty selfless to self-immolate but ultimately not a very smart way to handle the Tibetan-Chinese relations. I see it as the failure of the Tibetan authorities' failure to use diplomacy to solve the growing tensions boiling within the Tibetan cultural sphere within China. Nonetheless, the book is a very good read on the motivation behind this practice.




Burning for the Buddha: Self-Immolation in Chinese Buddhism is the first book-length study of the theory and practice of "abandoning the body"(self-immolation) in Chinese Buddhism. Although largely ignored by conventional scholarship, the acts of self-immolators (which included not only burning the body, but also being devoured by wild animals, drowning oneself, and self-mummification, among others) form an enduring part of the religious tradition and provide a new perspective on the multifarious dimensions of Buddhist practice in China from the early medieval period to the present time. This book examines the hagiographical accounts of all those who made offerings of their own bodies and places them in historical, social, cultural, and doctrinal context.

Rather than privilege the doctrinal and exegetical interpretations of the tradition, which assume the central importance of the mind and its cultivation, James Benn focuses on the ways in which the heroic ideals of the bodhisattva present in scriptural materials such as the Lotus Sutra played out in the realm of religious practice on the ground. His investigation leads him beyond traditional boundaries between Buddhist studies and sinology and draws on a wide range of canonical, historical, and polemical sources, many of them translated and analyzed for the first time in any language. Focusing on an aspect of religious practice that was seen as both extreme and heroic, Benn brings to the surface a number of deep and unresolved tensions within the religion itself and reveals some hitherto unsuspected aspects of the constantly shifting negotiations between the Buddhist community and the state.

Self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism was controversial, and Burning for the Buddha gives weight to the criticism and defense of the practice both within the Buddhist tradition and without. It places self-immolation in the context of Chinese Mahâyâna thought and explores its multiple religious, social, and historical roles. These new perspectives on an important mode of Buddhist practice as it was experienced and recorded in traditional China contribute to not only the study of Buddhism, but also the study of religion and the body.

http://www.amazon.com/Burning-Buddha-Self-Immolation-Chinese-Buddhism/dp/0824829921

[Ensapa]

I found something interesting on the net recently. Apparently, self-immolation was not a practice that began with the famous Vietnamese monk but with the great Mahayana monks of ancient China. I found a whole book on the topic. I have personally not read the book yet but just read the synopsis and found compelling spiritual reasons for self-immolation.

This is a highly controversial aspect of Chinese Buddhism that received careful deliberation, study and discussion in this very interesting book. I think it is pretty selfless to self-immolate but ultimately not a very smart way to handle the Tibetan-Chinese relations. I see it as the failure of the Tibetan authorities' failure to use diplomacy to solve the growing tensions boiling within the Tibetan cultural sphere within China. Nonetheless, the book is a very good read on the motivation behind this practice.




Burning for the Buddha: Self-Immolation in Chinese Buddhism is the first book-length study of the theory and practice of "abandoning the body"(self-immolation) in Chinese Buddhism. Although largely ignored by conventional scholarship, the acts of self-immolators (which included not only burning the body, but also being devoured by wild animals, drowning oneself, and self-mummification, among others) form an enduring part of the religious tradition and provide a new perspective on the multifarious dimensions of Buddhist practice in China from the early medieval period to the present time. This book examines the hagiographical accounts of all those who made offerings of their own bodies and places them in historical, social, cultural, and doctrinal context.

Rather than privilege the doctrinal and exegetical interpretations of the tradition, which assume the central importance of the mind and its cultivation, James Benn focuses on the ways in which the heroic ideals of the bodhisattva present in scriptural materials such as the Lotus Sutra played out in the realm of religious practice on the ground. His investigation leads him beyond traditional boundaries between Buddhist studies and sinology and draws on a wide range of canonical, historical, and polemical sources, many of them translated and analyzed for the first time in any language. Focusing on an aspect of religious practice that was seen as both extreme and heroic, Benn brings to the surface a number of deep and unresolved tensions within the religion itself and reveals some hitherto unsuspected aspects of the constantly shifting negotiations between the Buddhist community and the state.

Self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism was controversial, and Burning for the Buddha gives weight to the criticism and defense of the practice both within the Buddhist tradition and without. It places self-immolation in the context of Chinese Mahâyâna thought and explores its multiple religious, social, and historical roles. These new perspectives on an important mode of Buddhist practice as it was experienced and recorded in traditional China contribute to not only the study of Buddhism, but also the study of religion and the body.

http://www.amazon.com/Burning-Buddha-Self-Immolation-Chinese-Buddhism/dp/0824829921

The act is the same, but the motivation and the context is different.

In Chinese Buddhism, there are many things that you have to do to show your sincerity. I have heard of stories of monks who burn their fingers until they melt as an offering to the Buddha. It is for them to test their mental strength but in a more extreme way. If you have never watched an old movie about Bodhidharma before, an example of this practice was shown in that film, when the 2nd patriarch of Chinese Buddhism requested the transmission lineage from Bodhidharma, Bodhidharma replied "I will not transmit any Dharma in this land, until the snow turns red". On hearing that, the 2nd patriarch chopped off one of his arms and it caused the snow to turn red and by this sincerity, Bodhidharma transmitted the lineage of Chan/Zen teachings to him.

It is VERY different than self immolation as those were physical sacrifices done for the Dharma, self immolation in Tibet is just for their independence, not Buddhism.

[Ensapa]

It's funny that CTA issues this challenge when people in Dharamsala is already aware that the self immolations were caused by the CTA themselves. There is evidence of them talking about that around the net. Shouldnt CTA quell those before challenging China? It would be extremely embarrassing and vexing for China to find proof. Be careful now, CTA.

CTA challenges China to prove self-immolation charges
Phayul[Tuesday, December 11, 2012 23:59]


Arrested Kirti monk Lobsang Konchok in an undated photo.

DHARAMSHALA, December 11: The exile Tibetan administration challenged China to prove their assertions after Beijing laid out fresh charges against Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration of inciting self-immolations in Tibet.

CTA said it was ready for a probe by the Chinese authorities and invited them to send an investigative team to the exile Tibetan headquarters in Dharamshala.

China’s state news agency Xinhua said Sunday that police in the Ngaba region of eastern Tibet detained a monk and his nephew and accused them of instigating the self-immolations of eight Tibetans on the instructions of the Dalai Lama and his followers.

Although the report did not detail what evidence police had of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader's involvement, it cited a police statement as saying that the detained monk, Lorang (Lobsang) Konchok, 40, “confessed” of his crimes. His nephew, Lorang Tsering, 31, was also arrested on similar charges.

The exile Tibetan administration on Monday said, “such statements from a state known to resort to torture and detention of individuals without due judicial process can only be received with scepticism from the international community.”

“If China genuinely wishes to end the self-immolations, instead of resorting to the blame game it should allow unfettered access to international bodies to Tibetan areas to investigate the root causes for these self-immolations,” Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected head of the Tibetan people said.

China’s claims of “confession” were also sorely contested by independent observers.

London based Free Tibet noted that confessions in Tibet are “frequently obtained through torture, which the UN has reported is ‘widespread’ and ‘routine.’”

“Available independent evidence indicates that self-immolations are mostly solitary acts which usually come as a surprise to those who know the individual involved,” Free Tibet said Monday. “The Dalai Lama has never expressed support for the protests and the Tibetan government in exile has called for them to end. China’s policy is to blame resistance to its occupation of Tibet on “the Dalai clique”, and to reject any suggestion its own policies lie behind the self-immolations.”

Lobsang Konchok, a monk at the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba, which was the epicenter of the self-immolation protests earlier this year, was arrested on August 17. He belonged to Gyatsotang family in Chashang Chukle Gongma town in Ngaba and was pursuing his Karampa degree (equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree in Tibetan Buddhism) at the Monastery. Reasons for his arrest were not known at the time of his detention.

Last week China announced that it will pres murder charges against anyone caught aiding or inciting self-immolations.

[dsiluvu]

16 year old is the fourth child to die in self-immolation protests
Eight Tibetans under-18 have now set themselves on fire

Monday, 10 December 2012

The youngest self-immolator, Dorjee, who died in November 2012
On the evening of 9 December, 16-year-old Wanchen Kyi became the eighth Tibetan aged under 18 to self-immolate in protest at China’s occupation of Tibet, and the latest to die.

On holiday from Tsekog County Second National Middle School in eastern Tibet at the time of her protest, she shouted “Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama, long live Tibetan People” and leaves her parents and two sisters.

The local community claimed her body and an estimated three thousand local people attended her cremation service.

It is VERY different than self immolation as those were physical sacrifices done for the Dharma, self immolation in Tibet is just for their independence, not Buddhism.

Can't Agree with you more Ensapa. They are setting themselves on FIRE for the wrong reasons, for something that is not universal to everyone's heart. The whole campaign's strategy is wrong, cos if it were right and universal, you would see more support, even from their own side. If it for the sake of Tibet independence then it is such an unfortunate waste and small wish to self-immolate. It is obvious although they are a Buddhist nation, but Dharma is just a mere promo tool used for political agenda. Underneath it all, there is no application of Dharma... very sad.

It is very disheartening to read and see that the ones burning themselves are getting younger and younger. They actually have a lot more to offer if the improve themselves in the right way. They could have brushed up their skills, get educated, be the change they wanna see and perhaps show the world Tibet's real strength, perseverance and determination.

[Ensapa]

16 year old is the fourth child to die in self-immolation protests
Eight Tibetans under-18 have now set themselves on fire

Monday, 10 December 2012

The youngest self-immolator, Dorjee, who died in November 2012
On the evening of 9 December, 16-year-old Wanchen Kyi became the eighth Tibetan aged under 18 to self-immolate in protest at China’s occupation of Tibet, and the latest to die.

On holiday from Tsekog County Second National Middle School in eastern Tibet at the time of her protest, she shouted “Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama, long live Tibetan People” and leaves her parents and two sisters.

The local community claimed her body and an estimated three thousand local people attended her cremation service.

It is VERY different than self immolation as those were physical sacrifices done for the Dharma, self immolation in Tibet is just for their independence, not Buddhism.

Can't Agree with you more Ensapa. They are setting themselves on FIRE for the wrong reasons, for something that is not universal to everyone's heart. The whole campaign's strategy is wrong, cos if it were right and universal, you would see more support, even from their own side. If it for the sake of Tibet independence then it is such an unfortunate waste and small wish to self-immolate. It is obvious although they are a Buddhist nation, but Dharma is just a mere promo tool used for political agenda. Underneath it all, there is no application of Dharma... very sad.

It is very disheartening to read and see that the ones burning themselves are getting younger and younger. They actually have a lot more to offer if the improve themselves in the right way. They could have brushed up their skills, get educated, be the change they wanna see and perhaps show the world Tibet's real strength, perseverance and determination.

The motivations of the self immolators were probably not for the freedom, but for the glamor and for the pomp that they will get in the eyes of the Dalai Lama and his followers, and also for the respect of the locals around that area. Many of them want to be heroes, but in the quick way and they do so by self immolating. It is not exactly the best way or the most pleasant way to die, but it does turn heads and it does get them the respect and recognition that they so crave for in Dharamsala, in the eyes of the Dalai Lama and his followers, at least. So the question that I would like to ask CTA again is, dont look down on China as they rarely throw in accusations that are not based on anything. Besides, its common knowledge in Dharamsala that the kalon tripa is the instigator.

[dsiluvu]

Tibetans blames China and China Blames His Holiness the Dalai Lama.... all this politics because Tibetans especially the youth are not given clear direction as to what to do. They object His Holiness middle way, but does that mean the CTA remains quiet???

Isn't there an alternative way of encouraging? And thus far they have yet to hear a strong voice from His Holiness to tell Tibetans in China to stop killing themselves for a cause that will never happen. As China will never relent to their demands. It is clear in the Chinese daily news below... you either work with them or you end up killing yourself. This is perhaps the best time for His Holiness to actually show his people and no doubt the world would see and hear it too, Buddha's teaching on so many levels. Or it is too late, that basically whatever advice is given to them... they, the Tibetans will longer heed. And amidst all this chaos... where is the PM - Mr Sangay and the elected new so called "Democratic" Government in exile that represents these Tibetans??? 

Two Tibetans detained in China for 'inciting' self-immolations
Chinese news agency says monk and his nephew have recruited eight people to set themselves on fire
[/b]
Jonathan Kaiman in Beijing and Jason Burke in Delhi
guardian.co.uk, Monday 10 December 2012 15.05 GMT


The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, whose 'clique' has been blamed by China for directing self-immolations. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Two Tibetans have been detained in China for "inciting" self-immolations just days after authorities announced that anybody accused of abetting the fiery protests could be charged with homicide.

China's official Xinhua news agency said 40-year-old Lorang Konchok, a monk at Kirti monastery in Aba prefecture, Sichuan province, and his 31-year-old nephew, Lorang Tsering, had recruited eight people to self-immolate since 2009. Three died from their injuries.

Citing a statement from the Aba police, it said there was "ample evidence" to implicate the "Dalai Lama clique" in directing the self-immolations, but did not specify how it had done so.

More than 90 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 as a dramatic protest against Chinese rule, according to Tibetan rights groups; at least 77 of them have died. More than 80 self-immolations have been reported this year alone.

Xinhua said Lorang had collected information on the participants after they agreed to self-immolate – including their pictures and family backgrounds – and told them they were "heroes" and their actions would be honoured abroad. Lorang promised to "pass the information on to India", it said.

The report said the two were detained in August after a string of self-immolations and police had completed their investigation. The Aba government and police could not be reached for comment.

Kirti monastery has been the site of almost a third of all Tibetan self-immolations since 2009. The self-immolations have been widespread in ethnically and culturally Tibetan parts of western China, suggesting they do not spring from a single centre of command.

A recent spike in Tibetan self-immolations coincided with last month's 18th Communist party congress, a once-in-a-decade leadership transition in Beijing. Twenty-nine cases of self-immolations were reported in November.

The state-run Gannan Daily newspaper published a report in early December stating that anybody who "organises, plots, incites, coerces, entices, abets, or assists" in self-immolations would face criminal charges. The regulation, which indicates "intentional homicide" as a possible charge, was jointly drafted by China's supreme court, public security ministry and top prosecuting body, according to the newspaper.

Michael Davis, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, said the Chinese government might be using the case to shift responsibility for the self-immolations from itself to outside groups.

He added that the authorities were unlikely to give the two accused Tibetans a transparent trial. "They could probably, if they want to, produce a result where they find that this guy is guilty of doing what they accuse him of, and that he was prompted by instructions from outside," Davis said. "There's no way anyone else would be in a position to contest it."

Chinese authorities have punished Tibetans for abetting self-immolations in the past.

In August 2011, a Chinese court sentenced three Tibetan monks to long prison terms for "plotting, instigating and assisting" the self-immolation of 16-year-old Rigzin Phuntsog. One was accused of preventing Phuntsog from receiving medical care for 11 hours after he set himself alight, leading to his death.

People accused of assisting with suicides in China are typically charged with murder, yet often receive lenient sentences, said a Chinese university law professor who requested anonymity because of the topic's sensitivity. He added that sentencing in Lorang's case would probably be more severe because of political factors. "The criminal code has a very broad range for sentencing for convicted murderers," he said.

Tempa Tsering, representative of the Dalai Lama in India, denied the world-famous spiritual leader was responsible and said the cause of the self-immolations was "the Chinese policy of repression, discussion and denial of fundamental human rights".

"For years we have requested people to not take drastic steps. The Chinese government needs to allow independent journalists, NGOs and others to go into Tibet and investigate the causes. The solution to the self-immolations lies in Beijing," Tsering, who is based in Delhi, said.

Tenzin Jigdal, an activist in Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama has been based for more than 50 years, said the "repression and heavy restraint" on "friends, families [of self-immolators] and entire communities" would lead to further deterioration of the situation. "These people are sending messages, highlighting the situation within Tibet and how serious it is. They are delivering that message through inflicting pain on their own bodies, not on the Chinese people," Jigdal told the Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/10/tibetans-detained-china-self-immolations

   

Self-immolations won't help Dalai Lama: Chinese daily
IANS / Beijing December 11, 2012, 20:15

Instigating self-immolations in China's ethnic Tibetan areas was "among the latest tactics that the Dalai clique has taken in recent years to achieve their political purposes", the article said.

Since fleeing China in 1959, the Dalai Lama and his followers "have masterminded a series of seriously violent incidents, including the March 14 riots in Lhasa in 2008", it said.
 
"All of them are aimed at 'Tibet independence'," the article noted.
"Soon after self-immolations occur, the Dalai clique repeatedly demands 'peace talks' to be held between China's central authorities and the self-declared 'Tibetan government-in-exile' for 'solving Tibet-related issues', China's state-run news agency Xinhua said.

Leaders of the "Tibetan government-in-exile" in Dharamsala in India's Himachal Pradesh have also publicly voiced "hopes" that self-immolations in China's ethnic Tibetan areas will lead to turmoil similar to the 2011 riots in the Arab world, it said.

The article in People's Daily followed "some Western media" in pointing out that self-immolations of Tibetans have already became a means for the Dalai Lama and the "Tibetan government-in-exile" to pressure China for political interests.

"But China's unity, strength and rising international status will never be shaken by these inhumane acts", it said.

"Whatever means they take, the Dalai Lama and his followers can't change the general situation of Tibet's development and stability, nor their doomed chances of splitting Tibet from China," the author said.

According to the Tibetan government-in-exile, a total of 92 self-immolation cases have taken place since 2009. Over 20 cases took place in November this year.

http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/ians/news/self-immolations-wont-help-dalai-lama-chinese-daily/92184/

[Ensapa]

Xinhua said Lorang had collected information on the participants after they agreed to self-immolate – including their pictures and family backgrounds – and told them they were "heroes" and their actions would be honoured abroad. Lorang promised to "pass the information on to India", it said.

This is exactly what I have been suspecting all along about the self immolations: someone from the CTA has been instigating them and giving them the heroes' welcome when they're dead. China has found proof of CTA's involvement of this and I dont think this is something China would make up. One really does wonder why is the CTA not doing more Dharma related works but would rather do things that harm others and their own cause, such as inciting the self immolations and the Dorje Shugden ban itself.

[Ensapa]

China seems to be more and more stirred up by the self immolations and they are taking more steps to counter them....

Two more Buddhist caves discovered in Jajpur
by AKSHAY ROUT, DAILY PIONEER,12 DECEMBER 2012
Jaipur, India -- Two Buddhist caves were recently discovered by villagers of Sukhuapada in Jajpur district. Eminent historian Harish Chandra Prusti said, “The caves found at Sukhuapada have similarities with the caves discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) three decades back in the hillocks at Neulipur, Kaima, Deuli, Gokarneswar, Brajagiri, Biddhalinga, Lalitagiri and Udayagiri.”

 According to Prusti, “Buddhist monks used to stay in these caves in the rainy season. A 50-feet-long tunnel in the hillock is a rare discovery in the State as in the past archaeologists had never stumbled across any tunnel at any Buddhist places.
However, large-scale of illegal quarrying by violating court order at several Buddhist sites at the Lalitagiri, Udayagiri, Sukhuapada and Landa hillocks in the district have been posing serious a danger to the ancient Buddhist places. The authorities are not taking steps to stop the rampant illegal quarrying, alleged vice-president of Buddhayan, a Buddhist cultural centre of Lalitagiri, Pradeep Bhuyan.

Contractors in clear nexus with Government officials have been lifting stones and morum from the hillocks. The 80-km-long road widening works on NH-5(A) from Chandikhol to Paradip have been going on since last five years for which the contractors are supplying morum to the Hindustan Construction Company.

The High court had banned lifting of stones by contractors from the hillocks to protect the Buddhist sculptures three years back after hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Buddhayan. But the contractors nonchalantly continue to extract stones from the bottom of the hills under the very nose of the authorities. Each day, about 50 to 70 trucks carry stones and morum from the hills, alleged Bhuyan.

[Ensapa]

And China is getting more and more aggressive against self immolations...when will one side concede?
(wrong article above, pls ignore)

Legal action underway against self-immolations
CCTV, Dec 12, 2012
Beijing, China -- In order to combat the growing number of self-immolations in Tibetan communities across China, the country’s top court and public security authorities have now issued a directive that allows for criminal charges, including intentional homicide, to be filed against people who organize, plot or incite others to commit such suicidal acts.

 CCTV reporter Li Qiuyuan spoke with one legal expert based in Beijing to find out more about the legal actions against self-immolations.
Tibetan Buddhism has long been known for its love and respect for life, but the recent series of self-immolations in Tibetan communities tells a different story.

Lorang Konchok, a 40-year-old monk and his nephew from an ethnic Tibetan area in southwest China’s Sichuan province, were arrested for encouraging eight people to set themselves on fire, three of whom died.

Police reported the two have confessed to encouraging and publicizing the protests under orders from their exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and his followers.

Dr. Liu Renwen, a legal expert on criminal law, says they could be charged with "intentional homicide", and face 10 years plus in prison.

Liu Renwen, Director of Department of Criminal Law, CASS, said,“China’s supreme court, top prosecution body and police have jointly issued the legal opinion, stating that organising, directing, and plotting as well as actively participating in inciting others to carry out self-immolations, is a criminal act that intentionally deprives another of his or her life. And people who commit such acts should be held liable for "intentional homicide" according to Article 232 of Criminal Law of People’s Republic of China. And self-immolators who intend to harm others, according to Article 114 of Criminal Law, should be held liable for "endangering public security"."

Self-immolations have never occurred in Tibetan history until 2009. Many Tibetan scholars believe the extreme act was deliberately introduced to Tibet from foreign countries with political motives.
Police reported most of those who undertook self-immolations were young people- those in their teens or early twenties.

"I agree with the government’s legal opinion of taking tougher measures against self-immolations. I believe that most Tibetan people will also agree with this legal opinion because any increase in self-immolation cases will only do this region harm.” Liu said.
Dr. Liu hopes the new directive will help bring down the tragic and violent practise.

Further details regarding the legal process can be expected when the case of plotting self-immolations goes to court.

[Ensapa]

China has again used more methods to clamp down on the self immolations, and this time it is clear that the self immolators would get their families into trouble if they are doing this:

Chinese authorities issue ultimatum, offer cash prize for “crimes” linked to Tibet self-immolations
Phayul[Monday, December 17, 2012 16:48]


Notice by Chinese authorities in Malho, eastern Tibet announcing cash rewards for information on self-immolations.

DHARAMSHALA, December 17: Chinese authorities in Malho region of eastern Tibet have announced cash rewards for those “exposing crimes” related to the ongoing wave of self-immolations and issued an ultimatum warning those who have “committed fault” to turn themselves in.

The notices were jointly issued by the Malho People’s Intermediate Court and the Public Security Bureau in the Tibetan areas of Rebkong, Tsekhog, and Chentsa which fall under its jurisdiction.

The Malho region of eastern Tibet carried a major part of the casualties in the recent alarming escalation in self-immolation protests and mass demonstrations by thousands of Tibetans, including school students against the Chinese government. Since October, 44 Tibetans have set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, with the latest being a teenaged schoolgirl Bhenchen Kyi from Tsekhog.

In copies of the notices sent to Phayul by a Swiss based Tibetan, Sonam, Chinese authorities have given an ultimatum to Tibetans who have “committed fault,” to turn themselves in before November 30 in lure of “lesser” punishment.

The notices, issued in Tibetan and Chinese languages, encourage people to “accept their crimes” of inciting self-immolations, displaying portraits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama during mass funerals of the self-immolators, raising “separatist” slogans, offering condolences to the family members of self-immolators, “unlawfully” taking pictures and videos of self-immolations and sending them out and spreading rumours and indulging in provocative talks.

The authorities have warned that those who are caught under these crimes after the given deadline will be dealt severely according to the law.

In recent weeks, authorities have engineered a heavy security clampdown in the region, arresting several Tibetans from Rebkong and Tsekhog in connection with the self-immolation protests.

Along with the ultimatum, Chinese authorities have employed its age-old policy of sowing distrust in the society by announcing heavy monetary rewards for information on self-immolators and those who “incite” such protests.

Cash prizes ranging from 1,000 Chinese Yaun (US $ 160) of 200,000 Chinese Yuan (US $ 32,000) have been announced for information exposing self-immolators, those inciting self-immolations, and those who have visited families of self-immolators to offer condolences. Rewards have also been announced for those who avert self-immolations from occurring at the site of the protest.

The authorities further promised to protect the identity of the informants and called the self-immolation protests a “bad influence” on social harmony and stability, not just of the region but also of the entire nation.

Similar tactics of announcing cash rewards and offering bribes to families of self-immolators to state that the protests were not against the Chinese government, have been employed earlier in other parts of Tibet as well.

A phone call to the Tsekhog Public Security Bureau Office by Phayul yielded little result as the official who answered the call in the supposedly Tibetan office refused to speak in Tibetan and spoke only Mandarin.

[Ensapa]

When self immolators survive, it is one of the most painful things to watch....

Tibetan self-immolator may lose both legs, Battles for life
Phayul[Thursday, December 27, 2012 12:12]
DHARAMSHALA, December 27: Tibetan self-immolator Sungdue Kyab, who set himself on fire in Bora region of Sangchu in eastern Tibet earlier this month, is reportedly battling for his life in a Chinese hospital in Lanzhou city, capital of Gansu Province.

According to the Dharamshala based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, doctors have told Sungdue Kyab’s family members that both his legs need to be amputated in order to save his life.

“At the government hospital in Lanzhou, Sungdue Kyab's parents were called in to give their approval to amputation of both his legs,” TCHRD cited sources as saying. “The doctors told Kyab's family that amputation of both the legs was necessary to save his life.”

The group said that Sungdue Kyapís parents were not allowed to meet or speak with him at the hospital and were only allowed to see him through a glass window.

Phayul earlier reported that Sungdue Kyab, 29 was being kept in a heavily guarded hospital and was denied any visits by family members. It is now known that he was first admitted to a Chinese hospital in Kanlho where doctors found it difficult to treat him and was thus admitted to the larger hospital in Lanzhou.

Sungdue Kyab, father of an infant son, set himself on fire on December 2 in protest against China’s continued occupation of Tibet on the main street near the Bora Monastery.

Soon after he set himself on fire, Chinese security personnel arrived at the site of his protest, doused the flames and bundled him away.

Eyewitnesses had earlier reported that when Sungdue Kyab was apprehended by Chinese security personnel stationed at the monastery, he began to smash his head against the walls.

TCHRD noted that local Chinese authorities have increased their efforts “to sow seeds of discord and division among” local Tibetans in Bora town. The group said many government cadres and workers hailing from Bora town but working in adjoining areas are being transferred back to “carry out measures to combat self-immolation incidents and other protests.”

“In an ongoing crackdown on the besieged Bora Monastery, these cadres and workers are being assigned the responsibility of providing proper 'guidance' and monitoring the activities of some monks who are under government surveillance,” the group said. “The cadres and workers are given the responsibility of reining in the blacklisted monks; each monk from the list is under the direct surveillance of a government cadre."

An alarming total of 95 Tibetans have self-immolated inside Tibet since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009, demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.

[icy]

DHARAMSHALA, January 12: In confirmed reports coming out of Tibet, a young Tibetan man set himself on fire today in the Amchok region of eastern Tibet in continued protest against China’s occupation of Tibet.

Tsebhe, who is in his early 20s, succumbed to his injuries at his protest site.

Speaking to Phayul, Ajam Amchok, an exiled Tibetan with close contacts in the region said Tsebhe self-immolated in the middle of Amchok town in Sangchu region of Kanlho, eastern Tibet.

“Tsebhe set himself on fire in Amchok town at around 1 pm (local time),” Ajam said. “He succumbed to his injuries at the protest site following which local Tibetans were able to rescue his body from falling into the hands of Chinese security personnel.”

The same source noted that getting further information on today’s fiery protest is “very difficult” as his contacts are wary of growing Chinese surveillance and monitoring on all modes of communication.

“All that we know as of now is that Tsebhe’s body has been carried to his home in Keynang village and monks are performing prayers,” Ajam said.

Tsebhe’s self-immolation protest, the 96th known instance in Tibet since 2009, marks the continuation of the fiery protests into the new year.


Burning body of Tsebhe, who self-immolated in Amchok region of Sangchu in Kanlho, eastern Tibet on January 12, 2013, protesting Chinese rule over Tibet.
The protests recorded an alarming spike in November last, coinciding with the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, during which 28 Tibetans set themselves on fire. The self-immolators have demanded freedom in Tibet and the return of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Following the wave of self-immolation protests, Chinese authorities in the region have announced cash rewards for those “exposing crimes” related to the self-immolation protests and issued an ultimatum warning those who have “committed fault” to turn themselves in.

Despite repeated international calls for restraint and reconsideration of its policies, China has hardened its stance on the self-immolation protests and announced stricter measu

[Ensapa]

Here's another opinion piece on the self immolations that I find interesting to read:

Buddhism And Suicide - Righteous Or Wrong, Tibetans Who Burn Themselves Alive?
By Frédéric Bobin, LE MONDE/Worldcrunch, Dec 7, 2013
DHARAMSALA, India -- Sacrifice of life for Tibet. Under this scarlet red title, the giant poster displays photos of deceased Tibetans.
<< Dorjee Rinchen, 58, self-immolation in Labrang to protest of China's occupation of Tibet - (Freetibet.org)

The poster was put up on a steep road in McLeod Ganj, a village on the slopes of Dharamsala, home of the Tibetan government in exile, in northern India. The street leads to the Tsuglakhang Buddhist temple, where exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, resides.

Their names are Lobsang Phuntsok, Tsewang Norbu, Sopa Rinpoche and Lobsang Jamyang. On the poster, their faces are encircled by flames, created with naïve yet gutsy computer effects. They are either monks wearing burgundy robes or youths in jeans. The date of their “sacrifice” is noted below their portraits. Since 2009, there have been 72 self-immolations, according to Tibetan website Phayul, which is based in Dharamsala. The large majority of the self-immolations happened in “Inner Tibet,” China’s western Qinghai province – an ethnically Tibetan region known as Amdo to the Tibetans.


 During the Chinese Communist Party Congress that was held in November in Beijing, there were at least six new self-immolations.
Among the exiled Tibetans living in Dharamsala, this macabre chronicle is perceived with a mix of passion and pain. “It makes me sick, physically sick,” says Lobsang Yeshi, a monk from the temple of Kirti, in the Chinese Sichuan province. He fled Tibet 10 years ago, across Nepal and India, risking his life in the frozen passes of the Himalayas. His former monastery of Kirti was one of the epicenters of the tragedy. “The Chinese police beat up the crowds watching the immolations,” recalls his friend, Kanyag Tsering. Chinese authorities are so frustrated by the string of suicides that they are offering rewards for anyone willing to give out information on people who are planning to commit suicide by self-immolation. To no avail. Chinese state-run media is also doing its part by minimizing the political aspect of the suicides and giving them personal reasons.

Every single time, the “martyrs” leave a note explaining why they sacrificed their lives: They want “freedom for Tibet” and the “Dalai Lama’s return to Lhassa.” The Dailai Lama left the Chinese-ruled Tibetan capital for Dharamsala in 1959. That 72 Tibetans chose to set themselves alight to get their plea out to the world is interpreted by the Tibetan exiles in Dharamsala as the symbol of the profound crisis that is plaguing the Roof of the World, as Tibet is sometimes called.

“This is a desperate plea, which shows that the occupation and repression of Tibet by China is a failure,” says Lobsang Sangay, the new head of the Tibetan government in exile, who inherited the Dalai Lama’s status as political leader of the diaspora in 2011.

These acts are also seen as a way to raise public awareness about the Tibetan issue. “I believe these immolations are also addressed to Western governments, who are so busy doing business with China that they have forgotten about Tibet, and are legitimizing the Chinese system,” says Tenzin Tsundue. The Tibetan activist is famous for the red headband he wears to every anti-China demonstration in India.

What the sacred texts say

In Dharamsala, added to the suffering is the fact that suicide, which is a novel tool in the Tibetan struggle, betrays the sacred Buddhist principle of non-violence.

Chinese “Tibetologists” are only too happy to qualify these acts as being against the fundamental principles of Buddhism. This point of view is being relayed in Western countries as well, which profoundly irritates Dharamsala. “In the West, people are adhering to a clinical form Buddhism where almost everything is seen as violent,” says activist Tenzin Tsundue.

Dharamsala's Tibetans tell the critics to read what the sacred texts of Buddhism have to say about suicide. In one story, for instance, Buddha gives up his body to feed a starving tigress and her four cubs.

It should be said that the Tibetan struggle hasn’t always been about extreme pacifism – as shown by the CIA-sponsored armed resistance against the Chinese occupation that started in the mid 1950s.

Karma Yeshi, a member of the Tibetan parliament in exile, is truly annoyed that Tibetans have to justify themselves: “What seems unethical to me is the people living in free countries who judge the act of committing suicide for Tibet.”

“It seems particularly unfair to analyze the act of suicide instead of analyzing the true message behind all this, which is that Tibetans are resisting oppression,” says Dorjee Tseden, head of Students for a Free Tibet India.

[Ensapa]

And again, who says self immolations dont hurt anyone?

Tibetan self-immolator forcibly cremated following repeated Chinese threats
Phayul[Monday, January 14, 2013 03:14]



Tibetan self-immolator Tsering Tashi in an undated photo.

DHARAMSHALA, January 14: Tibetan self-immolator Tsering Tashi’s body was forcibly cremated late Sunday night near his home town in Amchok after repeated threats and mounting pressure from local Chinese authorities.

22-year-old Tsering Tashi passed away in his self-immolation protest on January 12 in Amchok town in Sangchu region of eastern Tibet. According to eyewitnesses, he shouted “Gyalwang Tenzin Gyatso” as he marched on the street engulfed in flames before succumbing to his injuries. Although Chinese security personnel arrived at the scene but local Tibetans were able to rescue his body following a minor scuffle.

Tsering Tashi’s body was then carried to his home in Kyi village of Amchok where monks and nearby Tibetans gathered to pay their last respects and offer prayers despite strict governmental orders against show of sympathy with self-immolators or their families.

According to a close relative of the deceased, local Chinese police and Public Security Bureau officials soon arrived in several vehicles and surrounded the entire area. The officials barred the monks of Amchok Monastery and local Tibetans from offering prayers and ordered the deceased’s family members to cremate the body as soon as possible.

However, when the family members refused to cremate the body before performing the customary Tibetan rituals, the Chinese authorities threatened them saying that they will be responsible for all the consequences and sent for a local Tibetan lama who also advised them to follow the orders.

The local Public Security Bureau head further blamed Tsering Tashi’s family members of having “close ties with the splittist Dalai group” and banged his fist on the table.

According to the same source, the deceased’s father Dugkar Kyab, agreed to cremate his only son’s body considering the imminent threat to the livelihood and security of the people of the village.

Tsering Tashi’s body was cremated late Sunday night, January 13, when most people were fast asleep. Chinese authorities allowed only a few people to attend the cremation.

The deceased’s mother Tsering Dolma, when she heard of the orders by the Chinese authorities, she fainted and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Tsering Tashi is survived by his parents and wife Yumtso Kyi.

On the day of his self-immolation protest Tsering Tashi wore full Tibetan traditional attire and had wound his body with wire before setting himself on fire.

Local Tibetans have described him as “good natured and polite,” who had a keen passion for horses and horse racing.

Since 2009, as many as 96 known Tibetans have set themselves on fire protesting China’s rule and demanding freedom and the return of Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.