Radio Free Asia
March 7, 2015
Norchuk, 40, burned herself to death in Ngaba county, March 6, 2015.
Photo courtesy of an RFA listener.
A 40-year old woman from Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture burned herself to death on Friday in a protest against Chinese policies in her homeland, becoming the 137th known case of self-immolation by Tibetans since 2008, sources in Ngaba told RFA’s Tibetan service.
The Tibetan woman, Norchuk, set herself ablaze at 3:30 am on Friday in a hay barn in her village of Trotusk in Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) county of Sichuan province. She was a constituent of Dephu monastery who was recently taken a vow to become a lifelong vegetarian, the sources said, in the only details about the woman that were immediately known.
Norchuk’s body was cremated by the local government, they added.
Norchuk’s death came amid a heightened security presence in many Tibetan areas that locals say is aimed both at intimidating Tibetans now celebrating religious observances during the Lunar New Year and at preventing protests on the coming March 10 anniversary of a failed 1959 Tibetan revolt against Chinese rule.
Before the Feb. 18 Losar (New Year) holiday, large numbers of Chinese security forces were deployed to Tibetan-populated areas of Sichuan and Qinghai provinces in a bid to deter anti-China protests. The measures included checkpoints examining vehicles on major roads and police equipped with fire extinguishers and have fire trucks standing by to respond to self-immolations.
Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled Tibet into exile in India in the midst of the uprising, and Beijing has repeatedly accused exiled Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, of stoking dissent against its rule ever since.
Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. The self-immolations were committed to show opposition to Beijing’s rule and call for the Dalai Lama’s return.
