Monk’s body paraded after self-immolation
The body of a Tibetan monk, who died after setting himself on fire protesting against the Chinese rule, was paraded through the streets in northwestern China, a report said on Monday.
US broadcaster Radio Free Asia said hundreds of angry Tibetans forced the police to hand over the remains of the 42-year-old monk, named Sopa, then carried them through the streets in Dari county in Qinghai province.
It said the monk died on Sunday morning after drinking kerosene and throwing it over his body. Radio Free Asia quote a source as saying Sopa’s “body exploded in pieces” before the police took it away.
Two other men set themselves on fire on Friday in Sichuan province. At least 15 monks, nuns and former monks are now believed to have set themselves on fire in the past year. Most have chanted for Tibetan freedom and the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
Radio Free Asia said the police first refused to give up the body but relented after “the protesters smashed windows and doors of the local police station,” according to another source. It quoted a third source as saying only the head and chest parts were intact.
The official Xinhua News Agency confirmed Sunday’s death and identified the monk as Nyage Sonamdrugyu. It said his body was returned to his relatives for a traditional funeral.
