Body of Tibetan self-immolator still with Nepali authorities

Tibetan self-immolator Drupchen Tsering in an undated photo. Phayul: The body of the Tibetan monk who set himself on fire in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu on February 13 has still not been handed over to Tibetan representatives. Our sources in the city say that Nepalese authorities, acting under the influence of China, have been creating unnecessary obstacles in the process of handing over the body. “This is just like what is happening in China occupied Tibet where the Chinese officials bundle away the bodies of Tibetan self-immolators and carry out cremations in secrecy,” a local Tibetan activist who didn’t want to be named told Phayul. “However, concerned people are still talking with authorities and we hope that Nepali officials will respect the sacrifice of the Tibetan monk and handover the body for cremation.” Earlier, the Tibetan monk was identified as Drupchen Tsering (Druptse), a 25-yea-old monk native of Gyalchung village in Nupsur town of Serta, eastern Tibet. Druptse recently escaped from Tibet and arrived in Nepal in January this year. He was staying at the Tibetan Reception Centre in Kathmandu since his arrival according to Dharamshala based Tibetan news portal Tibet Express. Banners put in Boudha, Kathmandu. “He had earlier told his friends and relatives that he had not been able to do anything for the Tibetan cause in the past but promised to do something constructive for the Tibetan people in the future,” Tibet Express cited sources in Tibet as saying. Druptse had reportedly wrapped his body with a metal wire and doused his body with gasoline before setting himself ablaze in the morning of February 13 near the holy Boudhanath stupa in the heart of the city. He passed away at around 10:30 pm (local time) same day after suffering 96 per cent burns. Druptse is survived by his mother Tselha and father Sangnag Tenzin, who is a reincarnated lama. Nepalese police have since increased restrictions in Tibetan areas in the city. Further aggravating the situation, banners under the name of “Locals and Youth of Boudha” have appeared near the protest site, warning that such acts will “make life even harder” for Tibetans. Calling the self-immolation a “hideous and sinful” act motivated by “dirty politics,” the banner announces: “No more Free Tibet in our holy land.” “The soul of the victim will rot in hell … You want blood, we give you war,” further reads the banner.