Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, Jul 28: An 18-year-old Tibetan monk, Kunchok Sonam from Thangkor Sogtsang monastery in Zoege county in Ngaba region in eastern Tibet, has died after setting himself on fire, media reports and human rights group say.
He set himself on fire on July 20, while returning from the monastery after a daily prayer service, according to reports coming from inside Tibet
More than a dozen Tibetans, including the mother of Tibetan self-immolator Kunchok Sonam, his relatives, teacher and monks of the Thangkor Sogtsang Monastery were arbitrarily detained by Chinese security forces following the young monk's fiery protest.
According to exile sources, the condition and whereabouts of six of those detained remains unknown while the others have been released.
The Central Tibetan Administration had issued a white paper on the underlying causes of the increasing number of self-immolations that are currently engulfing Tibet.
The Central Tibetan Administration has repeatedly appealed to Tibetans not to take drastic actions, including self-immolation.
Tibetan Youth Congress activist Tenzin Tsundue said in Dharamshala that the Chinese authorities are pressurizing the parents of the slf-immolator. "This shows how difficult is th life in Tibet. The Chinese government is feeling insecure and paranoid", he added.
