Portrait of Tsewang Norbu
Photo: International Campaign for Tibet · Used with permission arranged by V-TAG, 2026-10-15
Record
SI-005
Date
Place
In front of the county government building, Tawu (Ch: Daofu) county town
Region
Kham
Age
29
Affiliation
Nyitso Monastery (monk)
Outcome
Died Died at the scene (ICT; CTA: died 15/08/2011).
Other spellings
Norko, Tsongwon Norbu

What happened

According to ICT, Tsewang Norbu, a 29-year-old monk of Nyitso Monastery, set fire to himself in Tawu on 15 August 2011, calling for freedom and for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet, and died soon afterwards. A witness told AFP that he had been distributing leaflets in front of the county government building. Chinese state media (Xinhua) confirmed his death, stating that “it was unclear why he had burnt himself”.

Aftermath

According to ICT, troops surrounded the monastery, and Chinese state media reported that he was cremated on 17 August, in line with instructions from the Kardze Party Secretary for a prompt cremation.

Sources & References

Primary records