China arrests Tibetan self-immolator’s husband for rejecting bribe

Phayul[Friday, November 09, 2012 14:30]

Husband of Tibetan self-immolator Dolkar Tso has been secretly detained by Chinese security personnel after he rejected a bribe offer from the local Chinese authorities. According to exile sources, Dhonue was offered bribe by Chinese authorities to state that his wife Dolkar Tso self-immolated owing to family disputes and not in protest against China’s rule. Dhonue rejected the bribe and has been secretly detained for over a week now by Chinese security personnel. His current condition and whereabouts remain unknown. Dolkar Tso, mother of a five-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son, set herself on fire near the Tsoe Monastery in Kanlho on August 7, raising slogans for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile and shouted that there was no freedom in Tibet. She later succumbed to her injuries. This is not the first instance of Chinese officials trying to bribe family members of Tibetan self-immolators to toe the party line.  Earlier in October, Tibetan self immolator Sangay Gyatso’s family members, also from the Tsoe region, were offered a bribe of one million Chinese Yuan (US $ 158,599) to sign a document stating that his self-immolation was not targeted against China’s rule over Tibet. Sangay Gyatso, 27, passed away in his self-immolation protest against China’s continued occupation of Tibet on October 6. He is survived by his wife Dorjee Kyi and two children - a son, Dorjee Dhundup, 7 and a daughter, Tenzin Tso, 5. Last month, Chinese authorities publicly offered monetary reward for providing information on possible self-immolation protests. Notices, dated October 21 and written in Tibetan and Chinese, were posted in Kanlho region of eastern Tibet, asking residents to assist police in preventing the self-immolations. “Self-immolations have seriously affected social harmony and the working order of people’s daily lives,” the notice read. “The Tibetan people should voluntarily fight against such illegal acts.” The Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration condemned the announcement of financial rewards and called it a reflection of Chinese authorities’ “lack of understanding of the situation in Tibet.” “Current Chinese efforts to offer financial incentives fail to constructively address the causes behind the self-immolations,” CTA said. “The need of the hour is for the Chinese leadership to take practical and concrete measures to address the deeper underlying issues.”  Since 2009, 69 Tibetans have set themselves on fire calling for freedom in Tibet and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.