Tibetan monks set themselves on fire

Two Tibetan monks set themselves on fire yesterday in a protest over China’s tight rein on Buddhist practices, as the Chinese government reiterated it will choose the next Dalai Lama.

The Free Tibet campaign said Lobsang Kalsang and Lobsang Konchok, both believed to be 18 or 19 years old, self-immolated at the Kirti Monastery in Sichuan province’s Aba prefectuture.

The monks allegedly called for religious freedom and said “Long live the Dalai Lama” before they set themselves on fire, Free Tibet said.

Lobsang Kelsang is the brother of Rigzin Phuntsog, a 21-year-old Kirti monk who died on 16 March after setting himself on fire. Phuntsog’s death was seen as a protest against China’s heavy-handed controls on Tibetan Buddhism and provoked a stand-off between security forces and monks.

Aba has been the scene of numerous protests against the Chinese government for several years. Most are led by monks who are fiercely loyal to Tibet’s exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled the Himalayan region in 1959 amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule and is reviled by Beijing.

Yesterday a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said that it has never been up to the Dalai Lama to pick his own successor and that Beijing will identify who is the next incarnation of the Tibetan spiritual leader.

China wants to pick a pro-Beijing successor. The Dalai Lama insists he is only seeking increased autonomy for Tibet, not independence, and opposes Beijing’s involvement in selecting its leaders.

On Saturday, the 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate said that if he is to be reincarnated he will leave clear written instructions about the process. He said in a statement that when he is “about 90” he will consult Buddhist scholars to evaluate whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue at all.

But foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news conference that Dalai Lamas have never decided on their own successors.

“I would like to point out the title of the Dalai Lama is conferred by the central government and is otherwise illegal. The 14th Dalai Lama was approved by the then republican government,” Hong said. “There has never been a practice of the Dalai Lama identifying his own successor.”

China has said religious law requires the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama be born in a Tibetan area under Chinese control. The Dalai Lama has said his successor could be born in exile and has even floated the idea of choosing his own successor while still alive – perhaps even a woman.

In his statement, he said if the institution of the Dalai Lama were to continue, then he would leave behind “clear written instructions about it.”

“Bear in mind that, apart from the reincarnation recognised through such legitimate methods, no recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People’s Republic of China,” he said.

The Dalai Lama has lived in the Indian town of Dharmsala since fleeing Tibet. China says Tibet has always been part of its territory, but many Tibetans say the region was virtually independent for centuries.

Meanwhile, speculation is rife in South Africa that the government will block the Dalai Lama from entering the country to celebrate the 80th birthday of his friend and fellow Nobel Peace Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, under pressure from Beijing.

The Dalai Lama is scheduled to deliver the inaugural Desmond Tutu International Peace lecture, titled “Peace and compassion as catalyst for change,” as part of the 6-8 October birthday celebrations for Mr Tutu.

The Dalai Lama was welcomed to South Africa in 1996 and met then-president Nelson Mandela.