DHARAMSHALA, November 29: In a last testament left by Kalsang Kyab, who self-immolated in front of a Chinese government building in eastern Tibet, the 24-year-old has said that he is setting himself on fire “for the sake of Tibet.”
In the testament, received by the exile base of Kirti Monastery in Dharamshala, Kalsang Kyab further expresses his wish for the “sun of happiness” to shine on Tibet.
“Greetings to my dear brothers and sisters, and especially my parents, the kindest of all in this world. I am setting myself on fire for the sake of Tibet. The long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama must be assured. It is my wish that the sun of happiness may shine on the land of Tibet,” the testament reads.
Kalsang Kyab, 24, set himself ablaze in front of a Chinese government office in Kyangtsa town in Dzoege region of Ngaba, raising slogans for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Kyabje Kirti Rinpoche, the exiled head of Kirti Monastery on November 27. He passed away at the site of his protest.
Later that night, at around 10 pm, more than 40 monks from Taktsang Lhamo Kirti monastery came to the deceased’s home to perform prayers of dedication, according to Kirti Monastery.
Yesterday, over 1000 local people, mainly from the Goe Shoka area where Kalsang Kyab lived, came to pay their last respects and express solidarity with his bereaved family members.
Citing sources in the region, Kirti Monastery further said that around 200 Armed Police and Public Security officers were deployed in Goe Shoka and an Armed Police truck has been stationed on the mountaintop overlooking the village.
Internet services in the area have also been suspended following the self-immolation, a tactic regularly employed by Chinese authorities to curb the flow of information.
Kirti Monastery also released pictures of the three monks, Dorjee, 15, Samdup, 16, and Dorjee Kyab, 16 of the Ngoshul Monastery in Ngaba, who set themselves on fire in front of a local Chinese police station on November 7.
Dorjee, 15, passed away at the site of the protest, while the condition and whereabouts of the two other monks remain unknown after they were taken away by Chinese security personnel.
89 Tibetans inside Tibet have set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. The recent alarming escalation in the self-immolation protests has now witnessed 27 Tibetans set themselves on fire in the month of November alone.
