Tsewang Norbu in an undated file photo. The 29-year-old monk, also known as Norko, set himself on fire on the Chume Bridge (Ch: Street name Bing He Lu) in the centre of Tawu (Ch: Daofu), Kardze (Ch: Garzi) Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province at 12:30 pm (Tibet local time) on 15 August 2011.-Nhà sư Tây Tạng tự thiêu phản đối Trung Quốc
BẮC KINH (AP) - Một nhà sư Tây Tạng qua đời hôm Thứ Hai khi tự thiêu tại khu vực phía Tây Trung Quốc, theo các nguồn tin từ giới truyền thông.
Trong đêm thắp nến canh thức ở Dharmsala, Ấn Ðộ, một người dân Tây Tạng lưu vong cầm bức hình của nhà sư Tây Tạng Tsewang Norbu, 29 tuổi, người tự thiêu hôm Thứ Hai trong khu Tự Trị Tây Tạng Garze thuộc tỉnh Sichuan. (Hình: AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Vụ này xảy ra tại khu Tự Trị Tây Tạng Garze thuộc tỉnh Sichuan (Tứ Xuyên), theo Tân Hoa Xã, cơ quan thông tấn nhà nước Trung Quốc, nhưng không cho biết chi tiết.Tổ chức Free Tibet Network ở London cho hay nhà sư Tsewang Norbu, 29 tuổi, chết sau khi châm lửa tự thiêu ở quận Daofu.
Tổ chức này cho hay nhà sư đã hô lớn “Ðạt Lai Lạt Ma muôn năm.” Chính quyền Trung Quốc cấm bày tỏ sự tôn kính đối với nhà lãnh đạo Phật Giáo Tây Tạng đang phải lưu vong này.
Vùng Garze, một nơi vắng vẻ cũng như các nơi khác có đông người dân Tây Tạng sinh sống thuộc tỉnh Sichuan, đã xảy ra nhiều vụ bất ổn trong những năm gần đây, thường do các nhà sư Phật Giáo lãnh đạo vì bất mãn trước sự đàn áp tôn giáo của chính quyền Trung Quốc.
Ðây là vụ tự thiêu thứ nhì của nhà sư Tây Tạng trong năm nay.
Hồi tháng 3, một nhà sư 21 tuổi đã tự thiêu gần Aba, cũng ở trong tỉnh Sichuan tiếp theo một cuộc biểu tình để phản đối sự cai trị khắc nghiệt của chính quyền Trung Quốc ở Tây Tạng. (V.Giang)
--Foxnews: Một tu sĩ Phật Giáo Tây Tạng tự thiêu sáng nay 15 tháng 8
--2011-08-15 | PTTPGQT
Phong toa chùa Giác Minh ở Đà Nẵng, cấm Phật tử vào chùa dự lễ Vu Lan. Sách nhiễu và đàn áp khiến mẫu thân Sư cô Đồng Tâm ngất xỉu và qua đời
-- - Phỏng vấn Hòa thượng Thích Thanh Quang — (RFA). -Chiến dịch khủng bố và trấn áp tại giáo phận Vinh 2011-08-15
Tawu monk dies in protest self-immolation
-BEIJING, China, 15 August 2011 (AFP)
Tsewang Norbu in an undated file photo. The 29-year-old monk, also known as Norko, set himself on fire on the Chume Bridge (Ch: Street name Bing He Lu) in the centre of Tawu (Ch: Daofu), Kardze (Ch: Garzi) Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province at 12:30 pm (Tibet local time) on 15 August 2011.Free TibetThe 29-year-old monk set himself on fire in Tawu, Kham region of Tibet (Ch: Sichuan province’s Daofu county) and died of his injuries, the official Xinhua news agency reported, quoting local authorities. A hotel receptionist near the scene confirmed the incident.
“I saw a monk lying on the ground and burning, he died right in front of the county government building. Before setting himself on fire, he was distributing leaflets,” the receptionist, who refused to be named, told AFP over the phone.
An official at the Daofu government office refused to comment when contacted by AFP.
Many Tibetans in this area of Sichuan bristle against what they say is repressive Chinese rule — a claim Beijing denies — and the region has experienced several bouts of unrest over the past few years.
According to the London-based Free Tibet rights group, the monk — called Tsewang Norbu — came from the Nyitso monastery in Tawu. He drank petrol, sprayed himself with the flammable liquid and set himself on fire, the group said.
He was heard calling out “We Tibetan people want freedom”, “Long live the Dalai Lama”, and “Let the Dalai Lama return to Tibet” before he died, it added.
This is the second reported self-immolation this year in this area of Sichuan, where many monks revere the Dalai Lama — Tibet’s spiritual leader — who fled China in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
In March, a young monk called Phuntsog set himself on fire and died near Kirti Monastery in Aba county — around 200 kilometres (124 miles) from Daofu — in apparent protest against the government.
Monks and civilians staged a protest after the incident, prompting an immediate crackdown on the monastery in which exile groups say two Tibetans died. The restive area was closed to foreigners.
According to Free Tibet, authorities “forcibly removed” hundreds of monks following Phuntsog’s death, imposed curfews, undertook house searches and set up military road blocks around the town where Kirti is located.
Xinhua reported at the time that local authorities had started a “legal education” programme at the monastery due to the “problems” there and “illegal activities” committed by some monks.
Stephanie Brigden, head of Free Tibet, said she was concerned the same crackdown would happen in Daofu.
“In the last few hours telephone lines have been cut and Internet cafes closed in an effort to control news spreading across Tibet and to prevent news being shared with the outside world,” she said.
“We have received reports that the army has surrounded the monastery. We call on the Chinese authorities to act proportionately.”
Resentment over Chinese rule runs deep in many Tibetan regions of China.
Many Tibetans are angry about what they view as increasing domination by China’s majority Han ethnic group, and accuse the government of trying to dilute their culture.
Tibetan resentment spilled over into violent demonstrations in March 2008 in Tibet’s capital Lhasa, which then spread to neighbouring areas. Authorities have increased security in the region since then.
China however says Tibetan living standards have improved markedly in recent decades, pointing to the billions of dollars in spending on infrastructure and development projects.
The local government in Daofu has launched an investigation into the monk’s death, Xinhua said.
-Tibetan monk dies after self-immolation in China DPA- Beijing - A Tibetan monk died on Monday after setting fire to himself in protest against Chinese rule in the south-western region of Sichuan, London-based Free Tibet and state media reported.
Free Tibet quoted sources as saying Tsewang Norbu, 29, set fire to himself around midday in the centre of Daofu town, known as Dawu in Tibetan, in Sichuan's restive Ganzi, or Kardze, district.
'He has died as a result of his injuries,' the group said.
It quoted witnesses as saying Tsewang Norbu drank petrol and poured the liquid over himself before igniting it.
He shouted: 'We Tibetan people want freedom', 'Long live the Dalai Lama' and 'Let the Dalai Lama return to Tibet,' the witnesses said.
The Chinese government's Xinhua news agency later confirmed that Tsewang Norbu's death and said he was a monk at the local Nyitso Monastery in Dawu.
'It was unclear why he had burnt himself,' the agency quoted a local government statement as saying.
'The local government has launched an investigation,' it said.
The death is the second of a Tibetan monk this year, following a similar self-immolation in Sichuan's neighbouring Ngaba district in March.
'Today's news exposes how desperate some Tibetans feel,' Free Tibet Director Stephanie Brigden said in a statement.
Bridgen said she was concerned that Monday's protest could prompt a similar security crackdown in Dawu to the one that followed the self-immolation in Ngaba.
'In the last few hours telephone lines have been cut and internet cafes closed in an effort to control news spreading across Tibet and to prevent news being shared with the outside world,' she said.
'We have received reports that the army has surrounded the monastery,' Bridgen said.
Police detained dozens of Buddhist nuns, monks and other Tibetans after several peaceful protests in recent months in Ganzi.
The Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's highest spiritual leader, has lived in exile since he fled to India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule of Tibet.
