Portrait of Phuntsog
Photo: International Campaign for Tibet · Used with permission arranged by V-TAG, 2026-10-15
Record
SI-004
Date
Place
Ngaba (Ch: Aba) county town
Region
Amdo
Age
20 (unconfirmed)
Affiliation
Kirti Monastery (monk)
Outcome
Died Died in hospital early on 17 March 2011 (ICT; CTA: died 17/03/2011).
Other spellings
Lobsang Phuntsok, Rigzin Phuntsog

What happened

According to ICT, Phuntsog, a 20-year-old Kirti monk, set fire to himself in Ngaba county town on 16 March 2011, the third anniversary of the 2008 protest at Kirti in which at least ten Tibetans were shot dead. Tibetan exiles told ICT that Chinese security forces put out the flames and beat him, and that Kirti monks took him back to the monastery before he was admitted to hospital, where he died early on 17 March. ICT notes that the official Chinese account of his death was misleading.

Reported words

May His Holiness the Dalai Lama live for 10,000 years!

ICT fact sheet, citing Tibetan exiles who spoke to a witness

Aftermath

According to ICT, protests by hundreds of monks and laypeople were broken up and an unknown number of monks detained; Kirti Monastery was placed under lockdown with a “patriotic education” campaign, around 300 monks were taken away in trucks, and two elderly Tibetans died after being beaten while trying to protect the monks. Three Kirti monks were later sentenced to 10 to 13 years in prison in connection with his protest, Chinese state media reported.

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

Sources & References

Primary records