The Tibetan exile community is in mourning after a Tibetan activist, Lobga Rangzen, died following a self-immolation outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Thursday evening, in what fellow Tibetans described as a desperate protest against China’s rule over Tibet and its latest assimilation policies.
According to reports, Lobga Rangzen set himself on fire at 6 pm on July 2 outside the UN headquarters in Manhattan after raising the Tibetan national flag and calling for Tibet’s independence. He later succumbed to severe burn injuries.
Expressing grief over the incident, Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the democratically elected head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, said Lobga’s sacrifice reflected the growing frustration among Tibetans over China’s continued repression in Tibet.
He linked the incident to China’s controversial Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which came into force on July 1 after being adopted in March.
“The law has serious consequences for Tibetans. We reject it and demand its repeal. It also contains provisions that seek to criminalise those who criticise or oppose it, extending restrictions beyond China’s borders," he said.
The Sikyong said Lobga, originally from Kanze in eastern Tibet, escaped into exile in India during the early 1990s before settling in the United States around 2005-06.
“His sacrifice demonstrates the frustration of the Tibetan people over what the Chinese government is doing in Tibet," he said. At the same time, he appealed to Tibetans not to resort to such extreme measures, adding that “every life is precious" and that living longer enables people to contribute more effectively to the Tibetan cause.
The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) also issued a strongly worded statement mourning Lobga Rangzen, calling him a “martyr" for Tibet.
The TYC said, “Even in his final moments, he stood with unwavering courage, calling for a free Tibet," adding that his sacrifice should awaken the conscience of the international community.
According to the Central Tibetan Administration, Lobga Rangzen is the 158th known Tibetan to self-immolate in protest against Chinese rule.
Prominent Tibetan activist Tenzin Tsundue described the self-immolation as a powerful message for Tibetan freedom. He alleged that the protest was directly linked to China’s implementation of the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which he termed a “draconian" attempt to erase the identity, language and culture of Tibetans and other communities under Chinese rule.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) also expressed condolences to Lobga’s family and the Tibetan community. It said the activist’s death came just a day after the implementation of the new law, which it described as further entrenching China’s assimilation campaign in Tibet.
Meanwhile, various Tibetan organisations held a candle-light vigil at McLeodganj on Friday evening expressing solidarity with Rangzen and his family.
