A Tibetan monk who was one of China’s most prominent political prisoners has died in prison, a relative and human rights activists said yesterday, raising the prospect of an increase in resentment of the government in Tibetan regions.
The US, EU and international rights groups had called for the release of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 65, who died on Sunday in Chuandong Prison in Chengdu, his cousin, Geshe Nyima, told reporters by telephone from India.
Tenzin Delek was serving a 20-year sentence on charges of “crimes of terror and [the] incitement of separatism.”
The cause of death was not clear, Geshe Nyima said.
Authorities had notified Tenzin Delek’s sisters on Sunday, but did not elaborate on the circumstances of his death, Geshe Nyima added.
Tenzin Delek’s sisters were outside the prison early yesterday, weeping and calling for the return of his body, Geshe Nyima said.
Telephone calls seeking comment from officials in Chuandong prison went unanswered.
“Rinpoche is not an ordinary person; he is one of the most respected leaders,” Students for a Free Tibet Asia director Dorjee Tseten said.
The rights group has campaigned for Tenzin Delek’s release.
“His death is a shock for all of us,” Dorjee Tseten added.
China has ruled Tibet since troops “peacefully liberated” the region in 1950. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled into India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule.
Beijing maintains a tough stance against any sign of anti-government protests in the region and denounces the Dalai Lama as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” who seeks to use violent methods to establish an independent Tibet.
The Dalai Lama says he wants genuine autonomy for Tibet and denies espousing violence.
Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser described Tenzin Delek as “one of the world’s most well-known Tibetan political prisoners in the 21st century,” adding that more than 30,000 Tibetans had signed a petition urging authorities to release him.
Tenzin Delek was a supporter of the Dalai Lama, Dorjee Tseten said, adding he had heard about Tenzin Delek’s death from five sources.
Tenzin Delek was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in 2002, according to Students for a Free Tibet.
His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment and reduced to a term of 20 years.
Supporters said he had been in poor health in hospital and had called for his release on medical grounds.
CONFRONTATION: The water cannon attack was the second this month on the Philippine supply boat ‘Unaizah May 4,’ after an incident on March 5 The China Coast Guard yesterday morning blocked a Philippine supply vessel and damaged it with water cannons near a reef off the Southeast Asian country, the Philippines said. The Philippine military released video of what it said was a nearly hour-long attack off the Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) in the contested South China Sea, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannons and collided with Philippine vessels in similar standoffs in the past few months. The China Coast Guard and other vessels “once again harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers” against a routine rotation and resupply mission to
GLOBAL COMBAT AIR PROGRAM: The potential purchasers would be limited to the 15 nations with which Tokyo has signed defense partnership and equipment transfer deals Japan’s Cabinet yesterday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it is developing with the UK and Italy to other nations, in the latest move away from the country’s post-World War II pacifist principles. The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in the joint fighter jet project, and is part of a move to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security. The Cabinet also endorsed a revision to Japan’s arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines to allow coproduced lethal weapons to be sold to nations
‘POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE’: Leo Varadkar said he was ‘no longer the best person’ to lead the nation and was stepping down for political, as well as personal, reasons Leo Varadkar on Wednesday announced that he was stepping down as Ireland’s prime minister and leader of the Fine Gael party in the governing coalition, citing “personal and political” reasons. Pundits called the surprise move, just 10 weeks before Ireland holds European Parliament and local elections, a “political earthquake.” A general election has to be held within a year. Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin, leader of Fianna Fail, the main coalition partner, said Varadkar’s announcement was “unexpected,” but added that he expected the government to run its full term. An emotional Varadkar, who is in his second stint as prime minister and at
Thousands of devotees, some in a state of trance, gathered at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok renowned for sacred tattoos known as Sak Yant, paying their respects to a revered monk who mastered the practice and seeking purification. The gathering at Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple is part of a Thai Wai Khru ritual in which devotees pay homage to Luang Phor Pern, the temple’s formal abbot, who died in 2002. He had a reputation for refining and popularizing the temple’s Sak Yant tattoo style. The idea that tattoos confer magical powers has existed in many parts of Asia