Each day is another day with anticipation of bad news from Tibet where there has been no let up in dramatic slef-immolation protests against repressive Chinese rule. Today, Feb. 18, 2013, the Tibetan Central Administration has reported, Worldwide Solidarity Prayer Service on 20 February. On February 20, 2013, the Kashag and Tibetans-in-exile will hold a worldwide prayer service from 03:00 pm – 05:00 pm to express solidarity with all those Tibetans who have self-immolated and those suffering torture and imprisonment in Tibet.
In spite of the Kashag’s's repeated appeals not to resort to drastic actions, since 2009, it has been reported there have been over 102 Tibetans who have set themselves on fire to protest against the Chinese government’s continued occupation of Tibet and repression. The most recent self-immolation was by 47-year-old Namlha Tsering, who self-immolated at Sangchu in Kanlho in eastern Tibet, on Feb. 17, 2013. His present condition is not known although sources have said chances of his survival are minimal.
Phayul.com has also reported on the planned worldwide solidarity prayer service for Tibetans. The Dharamshala, India based rights group, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, has said the Chinese government has stepped up the stakes in a propaganda offensive against the self-immolations by conducting ‘patriotic education’ campaigns heavily centered on anti self-immolation messages. This has come after what the group termed as “severe and systematic crackdown on self-immolation protests last year.”
