The total number of self-immolation from Tibet has reached 89, after reports of two latest protests. In November alone, an alarming number of 27 Tibetans have burned themselves.
Tsering Namgyal, a 31-year-old father of two, died setting himself on fire near the local government office at Luchu town in Kanlho in north-eastern Tibet Thursday. He is survived by his parents, his wife and two daughters aged 3 and 7.
Luchu region had witnessed two other self-immolations in the last ten days. On Monday (November 26), Gonpo Tsering, 24, died calling shouting slogans for freedom and human rights in Tibet, and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. A week earlier (November 22), Tamding Kyab, 23, set himself on fire and died in the same region.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, the US ambassador to China, Gary Locke expressed concerns about the waves of Tibetan self-immolations. He stated that there were “high expectations” for change on Tibet policy within the new Chinese leadership under Xi Jinping, and said “preserving the ethnic, religious, linguistic identity of the Tibetan people is a top priority for the U.S. government”
In September, Ambassador Locke is visited Ngaba area, the site of more than 36 self-immolations and urged the Chinese government to meet with Tibetan representatives to examine policies that have led to the self-immolations.