Sadness has been sweeping through the Tibetan community as the tragic self-immolations in protest of repressive Chinese rule have continued. Phayul.com has reported on April 4, 2013, Exile Administration holds prayer service. Today, the exile Tibetan headquarters in Dharamshala, India held a mass prayer service in order to honor Kunchok Tenzin, who set himself on fire in protest against China's continuing occupation of Tibet.
Hundreds of Tibetans who were led by exile Prime Minister Dr Lobsang Sangay, Speaker Penpa Tsering, Kalons or cabinet ministers, members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and school students joined the service at the main temple in Dharamshala. Kunchok Tenzin, 28, who was a monk from Mogri Monastery, set himself on fire at a road intersection near his monastery in Luchu, Eastern Tibet at around 7 pm local time on March 26. He died from burns to his body.
While addressing the service, Dr Lobsang Sangay called upon Tibetans to offer prayers for Druptse on the 49th day since his self-immolation in Nepal. Prayers were also offered for all Tibetans who have been killed in a landslide at a the mining site Medro Gungkar near Lhasa. Sikyong Sangay said, "China's continued oppressive rule in Tibet is the cause of self-immolation protest and like we always says political repression, environmental destruction and cultural assimilation, and with this landslide in Medro gungkar, it is a clearly proves of the environmental destruction in Tibet."
