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Monk commits suicide as Chinese govt intensifies patriotic education in Tibet

Source: Tibet.net,27 July,2010

 Dharamshala: A 70-year-old monk named Ngawang Gyatso committed suicide due to intolerable depression caused by the Chinese government's draconian measures to oppress Tibetan monks and forcing them to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Ronpo monastery in Tibet's Nagchu region on 20 July, according to reliable information received by the Central Tibetan Administration.

The events leading to the monk's suicide started with the stepping up of patriotic education campaign and the subsequent arrest of Rongpo monastery's Lama Dawa Rinpoche, a monk official named Dhungphuk Ngawang Thokmey and Tashi Dhondup in Lhasa under the suspicion of contacting the outside world concerning the reincarnation of Rongpo Choje. They were later released from the custody.

Later, 35-year-old Ngawang Thokmey was arrested for keeping photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his room and he has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Moreover, monks were forced to oppose His Holiness the Dalai Lama and counter Rongpo monastery's Lama Dawa as a coterie of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As the patriotic education campaign intensified, the monastery's head discipline officer Tashi Tensang and a monk named Jampa became mentally ill, which compelled the former was forced to leave the monastery.

These measures of repression became the last straw for the Ngawang Gyatso. He has left a suicide note after killing himself out of sheer desperation. After confiscating the note, the Chinese authorities have told other monks that he died due to illness and threatened them not to reveal the suicide incident to outside.

Earlier on 17 July, a group of 17 monks led by a senior monk named Ngawang Losang put forward reasons not to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to keep contact between the monastery and Lama Dawa. However, they were compelled to leave the monastery as their demands were rejected by the authorities. They have received strict orders to report once a week at the local government office and not to leave the place for two years.

During a session on denouncing His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the monastery on 21 July, a monk named Khenrab Norbu said it is worthless to live in the monastery if there is ban on keeping contact between the monastery and Lama Dawa. He was later arrested after he left the meeting throwing away the keys, saying it is better if the authorities keep the keys of the monastery. He is still in police custody.

Another monk named Ngawang Norbu was also taken into remand for allegedly pushing an official during the meeting.

The repressive measures imposed by the Chinese government at Rongpo monastery have led to arbitrary arrests of monks, denigration of venerable teachers against the monks' wishes and suicide of a senior monk.

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