Kirti Rinpoche meets Germany's human rights commissioner
Kirti Rinpoche is the spiritual head of Ngaba area and Kirti Monastery is the main monastery of the region. He is on a three week lobbying visit of five European nations.
He was interviewed extensively by German media, including Bild am Sonntag, Germany's biggest newspaper. Rinpoche said that the media has a vital role to play in bringing about a change in China's policy in Tibet.
Rinpoche highlighted the fact that 109 Tibetans have self-immolated in Tibet since February 2009. About 47 of them were from the Ngaba area. He said that the causes of these tragedies are the Chinese polices to destroy Tibetan religion, culture, environment and language.
Kirti Rinpoche said that since last year, the Chinese authorities have started arresting families, relatives and friends of the Tibetans who have self-immolated and that his immediate concern was for their safety.
On 31 January 2013, Lobsang Kunchok, 40, of Kirti monastery and Lobsang Tsering, 31, from Ngaba, were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve and 10-year imprisonment respectively for allegedly inciting Tibetans to self-immolate by a Chinese court.
"I am travelling in Europe to request governments to ask China to change its policy in Tibet," he said. He went on to reveal that the Chinese authorities have installed CCTV surveillance within the Kirti monastery, as well as stationing uniformed security forces nearby, ready for rapid deployment.
Kirti Rinpoche was recognised as the reincarnation of the Tenth Kirti Rinpoche in 1946. He followed His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile to India in 1959. Rinpoche has already travelled to Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and France. He is scheduled to visit London on Tuesday.
Comments
Post a Comment