24 year old Tibetan self immolator Pema Gyaltsen is alive according to a source finding reported by the Voice of America, Tibetan. The young Tibetan who burned himself in protest against the Chinese rule in Tibet on last Saturday around 4pm, the police had immediately cleared away the charred body from the scene.
“Pema Gyaltsen, from Nyagrong (in Chinese, Xinlong) county in Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, set himself on fire around 4 p.m., and police swiftly removed his charred body from the scene.” said the report in Radio Free Asia.
“He called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and said there is no freedom in Tibet at the time of self-immolation,” quoted the report its source as saying. While from the one source information, it was believed that Pema Gyaltsen has died from the injury, another source of the Radio Free Asia believed that he is alive a hospital.
The report also said that the relatives of the Tibetan protester were beaten and detained for a whole night when they approached the Kardze county police station from Nyagrong to see Pema Gyaltsen.
However, latest updates according to the VoA Tibetan social media update confirmed that the young Tibetan self immolator is alive.
“VOA Tibetan has learnt that Pema Gyaltsen, the young man who carried out a self-immolation protest in Kham Nyarong on March 18, and whose condition was unclear after he was taken away by Chinese security, is still alive today.” said the official Facebook page of the agency.
“He is believed to be in a hospital. In the provincial capital city of Chengdu.” added the report. It is still unknown whether the family members have been allowed to meet him.
While the exile Tibetan community is organising campaigns against the Chinese repression and vigils, prayers in solidarity with the young Tibetan who sacrificed himself to burn self for the greater Tibetan cause, Pema Gyaltsen’s information is still not well known to be sure.
Gyaltsen was the eldest of five children of his father Wangyal and mother Yullha, and the main bread earner of his family. Gyaltsen’s protest takes the self immolations number to 147 by Tibetans living inside Tibet since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009.