(TibetanReview.net, Apr02’22) – The circumstances surrounding the self-immolation protest in Tibet’s capital Lhasa on Feb 25 by Tibetan pop singer Tsewang Norbu still remains shrouded in mystery, including on the question whether he died, according to nextshark.com Ap 2, citing The HK Post, a Japanese language weekly from Hong Kong.
The report said, “On Monday (Mar 28), the Chinese Foreign Ministry reportedly suggested that he is still alive, telling reporters that a Tibetan man was taken in for treatment after his act of ‘attempted suicide by self-immolation’ last month.”
As in previous Tibetan self-immolation cases acknowledged by it, the ministry has falsely called the former “Sing! China” contestant who had released hit songs such as “Tsampa” and “Dress Up”, a person with a history of mental illness. The ministry has also claimed that the singer had attempted to kill himself “multiple times.”
Initial reports suggested that Tsewang Norbu had shouted slogans on the Potala Square near the white stupa but was stopped and taken away by police when he tried to torch himself. However, this was followed by reports of mourning for his passing away in its immediate aftermath, with suggestions that he did torch himself during that protest.
Tsewang Norbu’s Weibo account, which had nearly 600,000 followers, was suspended for “violating relevant laws and regulations.” Additionally, the platform locked all of the comment sections under his posts and even removed a hashtag dedicated to him, the report noted.
But more than a month after the incident, even Tsewang Norbu’s own family members are stated to be unsure of his whereabouts while China’s foreign ministry appeared to indicate that he was still undergoing treatment.
Tsewang Norbu’s self-immolation was the first case in Tibet since 2019, the first in Lhasa since 2012, and the 156th across Tibet since 2009. It also came days before the 63rd Tibetan Uprising Day on Mar 10, which commemorated the anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.