The Central Tibetan Administration has released a report responding to the death of Tsewang Norbu, a 29-year old monk from Nyatso Monastery in eastern Tibet.
Yesterday, August 15, the monk self-immolated in the county of Tawu in Kham.
The CTA said it is "deeply saddened by the death of Tsewang Norbu who died because he had set himself on fire to draw the international community's attention to the worsening crisis in Tibet."
The report notes that as India was celebrating its Independence Day, the monk "called the world's attention to the lack of freedom to the Tibetan people."
"This act of desperation is another indication of the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibet," the CTA added.
Sources in Tibet say that armed Chinese police are currently surrounding Nyatso Monastery, and that the police demand Tsewang Norbu's body.
The CTA "urges the Chinese authorities to act with restraint and caution...any disproportionate reaction to someone who sacrificed himself for his conviction will only inflame an already tense situation."
In the report, the CTA also alluded to China's recent white papers on the situation in Tibet and their claims that Tibetans are living happily and prospering under Chinese rule.
"Instead of issuing white papers that distort the grim reality in Tibet," the CTA urged, Chinese authorities should "review its current disastrous Tibet policy and opt for a policy based on the aspiration of the Tibetan people."
Concluding the report, the CTA sent condolences to Tsewang Norbu's family. "We strongly urge all Tibetans and especially those in Tawu to follow His Holiness the Dalai Lama's advice and teachings on the importance of non-violence," the CTA advised.
