Chinese Cremate Body of Revered Tibetan Monk, Ignoring Pleas

[uhnope]

Source: NEW YORK TIMES

BEIJING — Authorities in southwest China on Thursday cremated the body of a prominent Tibetan monk who died in prison last week, ignoring the pleas of relatives, religious leaders and thousands of supporters who had demanded that they be allowed to carry out funeral rites integral to Tibetan Buddhism.

Relatives of the monk, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 65, said prison officials in Sichuan Province had brushed aside their requests and hastily cremated his body early Thursday, a move likely to exacerbate protests that have already turned violent in recent days.

“I think they were afraid people would see the body and know that it was not a natural death,” a cousin, Geshe Jamyang Nyima, said in a Skype interview.

Rights advocates have been calling for an investigation into the death of Tenzin Delek, a revered community leader who had been serving a life sentence on charges of terrorism and incitement of separatism. During his 13 years in prison, Tenzin Delek repeatedly maintained his innocence, saying accusations that he had orchestrated a series of bomb blasts in 2002 were fabricated by officials unhappy with his growing public stature.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/17/world/asia/china-cremates-body-of-revered-tibetan-monk-tenzin-delek-rinpoche.html?_r=0

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FREE TIBET
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MAY CHINA BREAK INTO PIECES LIKE THE USSR

[Ex Lurker]

1. Tibet will explode one of these days

and China will have its own Afghanistan.

[LokiandMala]

2. Unfortunately...

I have been to Tibet and this will never happen. There is a very strong military presence in Tibet and it is very likely that any uprising would be known and put down quickly. When I was at Everest base camp the Chinese "secret police" showed up and began interviewing people and searching tents because as they stated they had heard that people at base camp were talking badly about the Chinese government.

There were military checkpoints all over Tibet. I loved being there and our guide was amazing. He even had us come to his home for a home cooked meal. However I never felt like I was safe there.

It's a shame because the Tibetans are really peaceful and wonderful people.

[Sunlei]

3. Chinese Government was afraid to let family and friends see the horrible condition of the body.