Portrait of Tenzin Wangmo
Photo: International Campaign for Tibet · Used with permission arranged by V-TAG, 2026-10-15
Record
SI-012
Date
Place
Sumdo bridge below Mame nunnery, about 3 km outside Ngaba (Ch: Aba) county town
Region
Amdo
Age
20
Affiliation
Mame Dechen Chokorling Nunnery (nun)
Outcome
Died Died on 17 October 2011 (ICT; CTA: died 17/10/2011).

What happened

According to ICT, Tenzin Wangmo, a 20-year-old nun of Mame Dechen Chokorling nunnery, set fire to herself at the Sumdo bridge below the nunnery on 17 October 2011, calling for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet and for religious freedom. She died at the scene, according to the same exile sources.

Aftermath

According to ICT, citing exile sources, the nuns carried her body back to the nunnery and refused orders to hand it over; soldiers and Chinese security forces then cordoned off the nunnery and surrounding villages, and her body was cremated that evening on the authorities’ orders.

Sources & References

Primary records