Tibetan self-immolator Sungdue Kyab kept in a fortified hospital

Tibetan self-immolator Sungdue Kyab in an undated photo. December 4: The condition of Tibetan self-immolator Sungdue Kyab remains unknown two days after he set himself on fire near a monastery in Bora, eastern Tibet protesting China’s continued occupation of Tibet. Although details were scanty following his self-immolation protest on December 2, now it is known that he was whisked away by Chinese security personnel from the site of his protest and being kept in a heavily fortified hospital. Sonam, an exiled Tibetan monk told Phayul that local Tibetans who were circumambulating the Bora Monastery in Bora town of Sangchu, Labrang Tashikhyil region of eastern Tibet, saw Sungdue Kyab’s body on fire and his head bleeding profusely. “Sungdue Kyab had set himself on fire and when he saw Chinese security personnel, stationed at the monastery, approaching, he began to smash his head against the walls,” Sonam said citing sources in the region. “By the time the police took him away, Sungude Kyab was badly burned and bleeding profusely from his head.” He was later admitted to a Chinese hospital in Kanlho and has been denied any visits by his family members. “The hospital where Sungdue Kyab is being kept is heavily guarded by Chinese armed forces and none of his family members have been allowed to meet him,” the same source added. “There is at present no information on the Sungdue Kyab’s physical condition.” Sungdue Kyab and his wife Dugkar Kyi have a son who is nearly two years old. His parents are Tsebha and Bendhe Tso. An alarming total of 92 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. The Dharamshala based exile Tibetan administration last month called for a ‘Global Solidarity Day’ to be observed on December 10, World Human Rights Day, in light of the escalating self-immolation protests in Tibet. The Central Tibetan Administration 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” on December 10. “The international community must not remain an idle bystander,” CTA said yesterday in a release. “Governments, international bodies, human rights organisations and individuals can make a difference by intensifying their efforts to convince the Chinese government to resolve the issue of Tibet through dialogue.”