Name: Sonam Wangyal (popularly called Sopa Rinpoche)

Age: 40s

Sex: Male

Profession: Monk at Dungkyob Monastery, Darlag County, Golog

Date of Self-immolation: 8 January 2012

Location: Darlag County, Golog, Amdo, Northeastern Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Deceased, 8 January

On 8 January 2012 Sopa Rinpoche — a well-respected religious figure in Darlag County — drank kerosene and set himself on fire in front of Darlag County police station. Eyewitnesses reported that he shouted slogans calling for Tibet’s freedom and the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.Sopa Rinpoche passed away the same day. His cremation service attracted thousands of followers from around the Golog region of Eastern Tibet. And elsewhere in Golog, hundreds of Tibetans took out a day-long peaceful protest carrying photos of the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa in Amdo Golog Pema district from 9 am until 5 in the evening. The demonstrators were raising slogans for the return of the Dalai Lama and freedom in Tibet. Chinese security personnel had reportedly allowed the demonstration to continue while taking photos and videos of the demonstrators. In a message he recorded before his self-immolation protest, Sopa Rinpoche stated: “to all the six million tibetans — inCluDinG those livinG in exile — i am Grateful to pawo thupten nGoDup, anDall other tibetan heroes, who have saCrifiCeD their lives for tibet anD for the reunifiCation of the tibetan people. thouGh i am in my forties, until now i have not haD the CouraGe liKe them. but i have trieD my best to teaCh all traDitional fielDs of KnowleDGe to others, inCluDinG buDDhism.this is the 21so many tibetan heroes have DieD. i am saCrifiCinG my boDy both to stanD in soliDarity with them in flesh anD blooD, anD to seeK repentanCe throuGh this hiGhest tantriC honour of offerinG one’s boDy. this is not to seeK personal fame or Glory.i am GivinG away my boDy as an offerinG of liGht to Chase away the DarKness, to free all beinGs from sufferinG, anD to leaD them – eaCh of whom has been our mother in the past anD yet has been leD by iGnoranCe to Commit immoral aCts – to the amitabha, the buDDha of infinite liGht. my offerinG of liGht is for all livinG beinGs, even as insiGnifiCant as liCe anD nits, to Dispel their pain anD to GuiDe them to the state of 21stCentury, anD this is the year in whiCh enliGhtenment. i offer this saCrifiCe as a toKen of lonGlife offerinG to our root Guru, his holiness the Dalai lama, anD all other spiritual teaChers anD lamas.i am taKinG this aCtion neither for myself nor to fulfill a personal Desire nor to earn reCoGnition. i am saCrifiCinG my boDy with firm ConviCtion anD a pure heart just as the buDDha bravely Gave his boDy to a hunGry tiGress to stop her from eatinG her Cubs. all the tibetan heroes too have saCrifiCeD their lives with similar prinCiples. but in praCtiCal terms, their lives may have enDeD with some sort of anGer. therefore, to GuiDe their souls on the path to enliGhtenment, i offer prayers that may leaD all of them to buDDhahooD.may all spiritual teaChers anD lamas insiDe tibet anDin exile live lonG. espeCially, i pray that his holiness the Dalai lama will return to tibet anD remain as tibet’s temporal anD spiritual leaDer.”

[lama soepa then reCites the lonG-life prayer for the Dalai lama.]

(Translated from Tibetan by Bhuchung D. Sonam)

Tennyi

Name: Tennyi

Age: 20s

Sex: Male

Profession: Former monk of Kirti Monastery

Date of Self-Immolation: 6 January 2012

Location: Ngaba County Town, Amdo, Eastern Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Deceased 6 January

Their slogans:“His Holiness tHe dalai lama must return to tibet” and “may His Holiness the Dalai Lama live for 10,000 years”

Tsultrim

Name: Tsultrim

Age: 20s

Sex: Male

Profession: Former monk of Kirti Monastery

Date of Self-Immolation: 6 January 2012

Location: Ngaba County Town, Amdo, Eastern Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Deceased 7 January

Tennyi and Tsultrim set their bodies ablaze on 6 January at around 2:40 pm (local time) in the tense Ngaba region of Eastern Tibet, an area which has seen the most number of self-immolations since 2009. Eyewitness accounts said that the two, a monk and a layman, were together when they ignited themselves. With folded hands they faced towards Kirti Monastery and raised a number of slogans amongst which the audible ones called for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his return to Tibet eyewitnesses report.

According to a release by the exile base of Kirti Monastery in Dharamshala, Tennyi succumbed to his burns shortly after Chinese security personnel arrested him on 6 January. Tsultrim passed away a day later during the night of 7 January. This action led to the region suffering increased security restrictions by the Chinese authorities.

“Following their self-immolations, all the Tibetan shops and businesses were closed as a mark of respect and to show solidarity with the family of the two deceased,” the release said. “However, as in earlier instances, local Tibetans were barred by the Chinese authorities from visiting the families of the deceased to offer their condolences and prayers.” his last testament which was tape-recorded called for Tibet’s Freedom and the Long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tennyi

Name: Tennyi

Age: 20s

Sex: Male

Profession: Former monk of Kirti Monastery

Date of Self-Immolation: 6 January 2012

Location: Ngaba County Town, Amdo, Eastern Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Deceased 6 January

Their slogans:“His Holiness tHe dalai lama must return to tibet” and “may His Holiness the Dalai Lama live for 10,000 years”

Tsultrim

Name: Tsultrim

Age: 20s

Sex: Male

Profession: Former monk of Kirti Monastery

Date of Self-Immolation: 6 January 2012

Location: Ngaba County Town, Amdo, Eastern Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Deceased 7 January

Tennyi and Tsultrim set their bodies ablaze on 6 January at around 2:40 pm (local time) in the tense Ngaba region of Eastern Tibet, an area which has seen the most number of self-immolations since 2009. Eyewitness accounts said that the two, a monk and a layman, were together when they ignited themselves. With folded hands they faced towards Kirti Monastery and raised a number of slogans amongst which the audible ones called for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his return to Tibet eyewitnesses report.

According to a release by the exile base of Kirti Monastery in Dharamshala, Tennyi succumbed to his burns shortly after Chinese security personnel arrested him on 6 January. Tsultrim passed away a day later during the night of 7 January. This action led to the region suffering increased security restrictions by the Chinese authorities.

“Following their self-immolations, all the Tibetan shops and businesses were closed as a mark of respect and to show solidarity with the family of the two deceased,” the release said. “However, as in earlier instances, local Tibetans were barred by the Chinese authorities from visiting the families of the deceased to offer their condolences and prayers.” his last testament which was tape-recorded called for Tibet’s Freedom and the Long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

His Slogans: not reported

Name: Rongtsa Tenzing Phuntsok

Age: 46

Sex: Male

Profession: Former monk at Karma Gon Monastery in Chamdo township

Date of Self-Immolation: 1 December 2011

Location: Chamdo, Kham, Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing:

Deceased Slogans: Not reported Tenzing self-immolated in Chamdo and was hospitalized in Chamdo Hospital with fatal injuries. Sources report that Chamdo Township in Tibet Autonomous Region was then under lockdown and intensive military surveillance following rumours of a bomb blast at a local government building on 26 October 2011. Tenzing Phuntsok reportedly died on 6 December 2011 and, according to exile sources, even three days after his death his family members had not been given his body to conduct the final Buddhist rituals. Phuntsok’s wife, Dolma, went missing after the police detained her following Phuntsok’s self-immolation. There is no information on Dolma’s wellbeing and whereabouts. She is left with two sons and a daughter.

On 8 December, exile Tibetans received a document including a will left by Tenzing Phuntsok in which he wrote: “If Khenpo Lodoe Rapsel, Namsey Sonam and all the monks and nuns of Karma Gon Monastery, the true and unmistakable practitioners of Buddhist dharma, have to endure torture and imprisonment like this, then it is better for all of us at Karma Gon Monastery to die. I, the despicable Tenzin Phuntsok, write this with loyalty. “Brothers and sisters, don’t be sad and don’t lose your courage. My Dharma friends, think about our two khenpos and the monks and nuns who are holders of the Dharma practice. How can we believe in these rules that restrict the freedom of religion? I, Tenzin Phuntsok, wrote this. Dharma friends in Karma Gon Monastery, it is useless just to live thinking about our beloved khenpos and the monks and nuns. Stand up! Clinging to the taste of the eight worldly concerns, beings run away from these as they would from their enemies, I bow before the Buddha, who cannot be placated by small pleasures. I, the sorrow-filled, loathsome man called Tenzin Phuntsok wrote this. “When I think about the suffering throughout Tibet, and especially the pain at Karma Gon Monastery, there is no way that I can go on living.”
(Translated from Tibetan by Bhuchung D.Sonam)

His Slogans: not reported

Name: Rongtsa Tenzing Phuntsok

Age: 46

Sex: Male

Profession: Former monk at Karma Gon Monastery in Chamdo township

Date of Self-Immolation: 1 December 2011

Location: Chamdo, Kham, Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing:

Deceased Slogans: Not reported Tenzing self-immolated in Chamdo and was hospitalized in Chamdo Hospital with fatal injuries. Sources report that Chamdo Township in Tibet Autonomous Region was then under lockdown and intensive military surveillance following rumours of a bomb blast at a local government building on 26 October 2011. Tenzing Phuntsok reportedly died on 6 December 2011 and, according to exile sources, even three days after his death his family members had not been given his body to conduct the final Buddhist rituals. Phuntsok’s wife, Dolma, went missing after the police detained her following Phuntsok’s self-immolation. There is no information on Dolma’s wellbeing and whereabouts. She is left with two sons and a daughter.

On 8 December, exile Tibetans received a document including a will left by Tenzing Phuntsok in which he wrote: “If Khenpo Lodoe Rapsel, Namsey Sonam and all the monks and nuns of Karma Gon Monastery, the true and unmistakable practitioners of Buddhist dharma, have to endure torture and imprisonment like this, then it is better for all of us at Karma Gon Monastery to die. I, the despicable Tenzin Phuntsok, write this with loyalty. “Brothers and sisters, don’t be sad and don’t lose your courage. My Dharma friends, think about our two khenpos and the monks and nuns who are holders of the Dharma practice. How can we believe in these rules that restrict the freedom of religion? I, Tenzin Phuntsok, wrote this. Dharma friends in Karma Gon Monastery, it is useless just to live thinking about our beloved khenpos and the monks and nuns. Stand up! Clinging to the taste of the eight worldly concerns, beings run away from these as they would from their enemies, I bow before the Buddha, who cannot be placated by small pleasures. I, the sorrow-filled, loathsome man called Tenzin Phuntsok wrote this. “When I think about the suffering throughout Tibet, and especially the pain at Karma Gon Monastery, there is no way that I can go on living.”
(Translated from Tibetan by Bhuchung D.Sonam)

Her slogans: “Freedom in Tibet”, “Long live H.H. The Dalai Lama” and “Let the Dalai Lama Return to Tibet”

Name: Palden Choetso

Age: 35

Sex: Female

Profession: Nun at Genden Jangchup Choeling Nunnery, Tawu County, Kandze, Kham

Date of Self-Immolation: 3 November 2011 at around 12:40 pm (local time)

Location: Tawu. Kham, Eastern Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Deceased

Palden Choetso set herself on fire at a road near the Namgyal stupa in Tawu, Kandze County. She reportedly died the same day. In a short clip that was clandestinely smuggled out of Tibet, Palden can be seen standing upright near a busy street while her entire body is engulfed in flames, showing no signs of physical pain. Tibetans in the background can be heard chanting prayers. A young woman dressed in chupa (Tibetan traditional dress) walks up to her burning body and throws a khatag (Tibetan ceremonial scarf) towards her. Palden Choetso’s self-immolation coincided with the two-day G-20 Summit in France which opened the same day. At the time, Tibetans and Tibet supporters in more than 60 cities in 25 countries across the world were urging world leaders to raise the urgent issue of self-immolations in Tibet with the then-Chinese president, Hu Jintao, at the G-20 Summit. According to a source in exile in India, “After Palden Choetso’s self-immolation the nuns carried her to their nunnery, and she died soon afterwards. The nuns then made prayers for her. The local authorities have locked down the area, closing a major road in Tawu and deploying troops to surveille the nunnery.”

Her slogans: “Freedom in Tibet”, “Long live H.H. The Dalai Lama” and “Let the Dalai Lama Return to Tibet”

Name: Palden Choetso

Age: 35

Sex: Female

Profession: Nun at Genden Jangchup Choeling Nunnery, Tawu County, Kandze, Kham

Date of Self-Immolation: 3 November 2011 at around 12:40 pm (local time)

Location: Tawu. Kham, Eastern Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Deceased

Palden Choetso set herself on fire at a road near the Namgyal stupa in Tawu, Kandze County. She reportedly died the same day. In a short clip that was clandestinely smuggled out of Tibet, Palden can be seen standing upright near a busy street while her entire body is engulfed in flames, showing no signs of physical pain. Tibetans in the background can be heard chanting prayers. A young woman dressed in chupa (Tibetan traditional dress) walks up to her burning body and throws a khatag (Tibetan ceremonial scarf) towards her. Palden Choetso’s self-immolation coincided with the two-day G-20 Summit in France which opened the same day. At the time, Tibetans and Tibet supporters in more than 60 cities in 25 countries across the world were urging world leaders to raise the urgent issue of self-immolations in Tibet with the then-Chinese president, Hu Jintao, at the G-20 Summit. According to a source in exile in India, “After Palden Choetso’s self-immolation the nuns carried her to their nunnery, and she died soon afterwards. The nuns then made prayers for her. The local authorities have locked down the area, closing a major road in Tawu and deploying troops to surveille the nunnery.”

His Slogans: demanded the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Freedom for Tibet

Name: Dawa Tsering

Age: 38

Sex: Male

Profession: Monk at Kandze Monastery, Kandze County, Kham

Date of Self-Immolation: 25 October 2011 around 9:30 am (local time)

Location: Kandze, Kham, Eastern Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Reportedly alive and residing at home

Dawa Tsering poured kerosene on his body and set himself alight during a masked lama dance festival (Tibetan: cham) in Kandze County. While still alive, Dawa is reported to have shouted slogans calling for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibet. Chinese security personnel, who have been stationed at Kandze Monastery since the 2008 pan-Tibet uprisings, arrived at the scene and doused the flames. According to a source in exile, “When the Chinese police tried to remove Dawa Tsering, he cried and pleaded not to be taken away.” Monk bystanders who had assembled there for the religious festivities tried to extinguish the flames and rushed him to Kandze People’s Hospital. Reportedly his chances of survival were slim so he was returned to Kandze Monastery. According to eyewitnesses Dawa Tsering refused medical attention and was described as in a critical condition with severe burn injuries. Until he was transferred to his home the situation in and around the monastery was reportedly tense with monks protecting Dawa Tsering and armed Chinese security guards surrounding the monks and the monastery.

Her slogans: called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and religious freedom in Tibet

Name: Tenzin Wangmo

Age: 20

Sex: Female

Profession: Nun at Mamae Dechen Choekhorling Nunnery, near Ngaba County Town

Date of Self-Immolation: 17 October 2011, at around 1 pm (local time)

Location: Sumdo bridge, Ngaba, Amdo, Eastern Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Deceased On 17 October 2011,

Tenzin Wangmo set herself on fire near her nunnery and reportedly died on the spot. According to an eyewitness account, “Tenzin Wangmo was engulfed in flames as she marched for nearly seven to eight minutes shouting slogans calling for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile and demanding religious freedom in Tibet.” The Chinese authorities threatened to confiscate Tenzin’s body if the nuns did not dispose of it that day. The nuns complied and cremated her the same evening.

Her slogans: called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and religious freedom in Tibet

Name: Tenzin Wangmo

Age: 20

Sex: Female

Profession: Nun at Mamae Dechen Choekhorling Nunnery, near Ngaba County Town

Date of Self-Immolation: 17 October 2011, at around 1 pm (local time)

Location: Sumdo bridge, Ngaba, Amdo, Eastern Tibet

Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Deceased On 17 October 2011,

Tenzin Wangmo set herself on fire near her nunnery and reportedly died on the spot. According to an eyewitness account, “Tenzin Wangmo was engulfed in flames as she marched for nearly seven to eight minutes shouting slogans calling for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile and demanding religious freedom in Tibet.” The Chinese authorities threatened to confiscate Tenzin’s body if the nuns did not dispose of it that day. The nuns complied and cremated her the same evening.