Portrait of Choepel
Photo: International Campaign for Tibet · Used with permission arranged by V-TAG, 2026-10-15
Record
SI-009
Date
(unconfirmed)
Place
Main road, Ngaba (Ch: Aba) county town
Region
Amdo
Age
19
Affiliation
Former monk of Kirti Monastery
Outcome
Died Died after the protest (ICT). CTA lists: died on 11/10/2011.
Other spellings
Choephel

What happened

According to ICT, Choepel and Kayang, two former Kirti monks who may have been expelled from the monastery, set fire to themselves together on the main road of Ngaba county town on 7 October 2011. Security personnel put out the flames and took them to the county hospital, and both young men died. Chinese state media (Xinhua) reported only that two Tibetans had been “slightly injured” in a “self-immolation attempt”.

Labelled unconfirmed: date. The sources differ or do not confirm these details; both versions are kept in the record.

Sources & References

Primary records