Beijing: Three Tibetan monks will go on
trial in China next week for plotting, instigating and
assisting the self-immolation of fellow monk to protest curbs
against them.
The three from Kirti Monastery in China`s southwestern
Sichuan Province, close to Tibet, witnessed protests by monks
in March this year and one of them Rigzin Phuntsog committed
suicide, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.
They are being charged for intentional homicide charges
stemming from another monk`s self-immolation, the Maerkang
County People`s Court in Aba Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous
Prefecture said in a statement.
The three will stand trial next Monday and Tuesday, it
said.
The local procuratorate charged Tsering Tenzin and
Tenchum in the Kirti Monastery with plotting, instigating and
assisting in the self-immolation of fellow monk Rigzin.
The procuratorate also alleged that another Kirti monk,
Drongdru, moved and hid the injured Phuntsog and prevented
emergency treatment, causing the 16-year-old`s death due to
belated treatment.
Phuntsog set himself on fire on March 16 and was hidden
for 11 hours. He died the next morning after treatments failed
at a local hospital. Another monk recently committed self
immolation few months later.
PTI
